Housing Authority Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Okay, we can bring the meeting to order. This is the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners special meeting for Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. The time is 12.01 p.m. Item two is roll call of commissioners, starting off with President Doug Shoemaker. Present. Commissioner Luana Kim. Present. Commissioner Marianne Pikes. Present. Commissioner Falafuta Satili. Present. Commissioner Juan Carlos Cancino. Present. Thank you, everyone, and welcome Commissioner Cancino and Satili. Item three is the acknowledgement of the Ramaytush Ohlone community, President.

The Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone for the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramachishlaloni community and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples.

Thank you, President. Item four is closed session. This will be for conference with legal counsel for anticipated litigation, initiation of litigation pursuant to government code sections 54956.9A and D4. Before we go into closed session, we can't ask for any public comment regarding this closed session item. Anyone in the room or online would like to give a public comment. Okay. Some housekeeping for closed session, those on zoom, or I guess we do that. Mr. Williams, if you have any public comment related to closed session, you can unmute yourself. You'll have two minutes.

Good morning. Can you hear me? Hello? Hello? Yes, yes, we can hear you. Okay, good morning. I'm formally requesting, now that I have everyone online, so it's recorded for the Ethics Commission, as well as the mayor, for co-developer or joint venture opportunities with the SF Housing Authority and HUD development projects.

Mr. Williams, this is for specifically any comments regarding the closed session item. Do you have any public comment regarding the closed session item?

What's the closed session item, sir?

Official legal counsel anticipated litigation for initiation of litigation pursuant to government code section 54956.9a and b4.

Well, what I was about to say was going to lead into, I'm glad you have the legal team out because it was, it's hard being on civil rights violations of exclusion and violation of title six of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in federal funded projects. So it goes hand in hand because we're systematically excluding black owned developers, causing harm to black communities and economic opportunity and workforce participation, excuse me, and cultural preservation. And I've been saying this for four years and new phases are going up in Sunnydale and portrayal Hill as we speak. So it has legal ramifications of being excluded, um, as both executive director of the CDC and the CEO of DC Williams Development Company. I have proven capacity, community credibility, and the development expertise that can strengthen SF Housing Authority's mission and outcomes. So I request a meeting and consideration. I'm also Section 3 compliant, which also strengthens. There's no reason why other developers related to California who's just found with asbestos in numerous Bayview communities are being awarded billion-dollar contracts when I can't even get a low-capacity partnership. That's not fair, and it's not ethical. Thank you.

Michael Heaney Thank you for your public comments. Any additional regarding closed session? Okay, I did some housekeeping for this closed session item. Those on Zoom, we're going to end the Zoom call for this closed session. However, if you join in the same meeting link you clicked initially, you'll be placed on a waiting room from when we come back from closed session. And then members of the public in person, we will ask you to leave the room. And it would be only commissioners, legal counsel, and executive team that will be in the room for closed session. With that being said, we can now begin closed session. Thank you. Okay.

Are you welcoming us back? Yes. All right. Welcome back everyone. We are now in open session. During our closed session, the commission voted to pursue litigation and that item number four is now closed or over, whatever the term of choice is. And we are moving on to item number five.

which is the resolution approving and authorizing the acting executive director of the housing authority of the city and county of San Francisco to enter into an agreement between the authority and the city and county of San Francisco for legal services in the maximum amount of $200,000. And I believe CEO Mamadou was gonna present this item to the board for staff.

So it's really, and the contact amount is going to be $200,000, not to exceed. And the funding source is coming from our central office, call center. So it's not funding. So if there's need for additional funding, we'll come back to you for the questions funding. But right now, there's an estimate we have $100,000. Great.

And we have a memo in the packet. Commissioners, any questions about this? Some of you have been here for the review of the budget, but as Mamadou explained, we have different budget plots from which these things can be pulled. And this is the central office account, which has some more flexibility in terms of how its funds can be used. So this does not take money away from any direct service that would be offered to residents, I think, which is the point. So any questions of our director or our CFO?

No, one, just how far do we expect that $200,000 amount of this contract to take us in this particular legislation?

I think that was the estimate that we received from the city attorney's office. And so it exceeds that we would come back to the board to get further authorization.

Sure. I guess my question was, you know, we talked about sort of You know, whether this ends up in appeal or sort of going to the Supreme Court, you know, where $200,000 drops us and sort of how far through the process might this go?

I guess the question for you is, how much of this are we really open to discussing in open sessions?

I would limit the discussion because this contract is, this item is primarily the amount. And I think as provided in the staff report, it does say if it exceeds that amount, we bring this item back. So this is basically a thought to... Do the legal contract, the staff report provides the basis that the authority does have the authority to seek legal services, publicity, attorney's office, and the fact that if it does exceed the amount in the contract, we come back to the house and authority for it to get authorization. Sure.

Okay. Arun Rao, Arun Rao, I mean it's going to be based on actual costs, so they charge the rate of charge. Arun Rao, So it's going to be just.

Arun Rao, Sure sure yeah. Arun Rao, yeah okay. So I think we do have the option at our next meeting, if we do want to consider and ask more questions. So exactly where this takes us in the process, we could always go back into closed session and ask some additional questions, just in light of what we just discussed. Maybe we could do that if we want to. Does that make sense? Yeah. We're all a little new at closed session, so we're just figuring out what we talk about and what we don't. Okay. Any other questions? No. Okay, great. Any other questions from other commissioners?

No. Thank you.

Okay. So again, what we're discussing now is both approving and authorizing the executive director to enter into this agreement between the authority and the city and county for these legal services and the amount not to exceed $200,000. Is there a motion? Public comment. Oh, I'm sorry. Public comment. HAB-Jacques Juilland, i'm just so excited today. HAB-Jacques Juilland, You know new room. HAB-Jacques Juilland, Exciting.

HAB-Jacques Juilland, Is there any public comment regarding item five.

HAB-Jacques Juilland, Okay, well, I feel like you should do it i'm just too eager.

HAB-Jacques Juilland, Is there a motion to approve item number five. HAB-Masyn Moyer, moved. HAB-Jacques Juilland, Is there a second.

Second the motion.

Great. And then we can approve via roll call vote, starting off with Commissioner Cancino. Aye. Commissioner Satili.

Aye.

Commissioner Fikes. Aye. Commissioner Kim. Aye. President Shoemaker. Aye. So moved. Thank you. President Shoemaker, that just leaves item number six for adjournment.

Okay.

Do we have regular public comment at this point for people? Public comment was required to item number five, which we did. We did not have any.

Oh, we don't have any regular public comment.

General public comment. Okay. All right. Motion to adjourn. Time is 1242. Thank you.