Access Appeals Commission (AAC) meeting

Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City exist to conduct the people's business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review.

For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force:

• By mail at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244, San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
• By phone at 415-554-7854
• By email at sotf@sfgov.org

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Administrative Code Sec.2.100] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 581-2300; fax (415) 581-2317; web site: sfgov.org/ethics.

The meeting will be held at the City Hall Building, located at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, 4th Floor, Room 416.

The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at 8th (at the United Nations Plaza) and Market Streets.

Accessible MUNI/Metro lines servicing this location are the J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Ocean view, and N-Judah at Van Ness and Civic Center Stations; 9-San Bruno, 71-Haight, and 42-Downtown bus lines. For information about MUNI accessible services, call 415-923-6142.

The Commission meeting room is wheelchair accessible. Accessible curbside parking spaces have been designated on the Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street perimeters of City Hall for mobility-impaired persons. There is accessible parking available within the Civic Center Underground Parking Garage at the corner of McAllister and Polk Streets, and within the Performing Arts Parking Garage at Grove and Franklin Streets.

Accessible seating for persons with disabilities (including those using wheelchairs) will be available. Assistive Listening devices will be available at the meeting.

To request a sign language interpreter, reader, materials in alternative formats, or other accommodations for a disability, please contact the Commission Secretary, Thomas Fessler at 628-652-3721 or Thomas.Fessler@sfgov.org at least 72 hours before the hearing.

To request an interpreter for a specific item during the meeting, please contact the Commission Secretary, Thomas Fessler, at 628-652-3721 or Thomas.Fessler@sfgov.org at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing.

For questions about the Language Access Ordinance, please contact OCEIA at 415-581-2360 and ask for the Executive Director or Language Access Compliance Officer.

Pursuant to Section 67.7-1(c) of the San Francisco Administrative Code, members of the public who are unable to attend the public meeting or hearing may submit written comments regarding a calendared item to the AAC Secretary, Thomas Fessler at 49 South Van Ness Ave, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103 or at the place of the scheduled hearing before the proceedings begin.

These written comments shall be made a part of the official public record and these comments will be brought to the attention of the members of the Access Appeals Commission. [Twenty copies are necessary.]

Access Appeals Commission Rules will be available at each meeting. For an advance copy, please contact Thomas Fessler at 628-652-3721.

All persons testifying in any matter on the Commission Agenda must first be sworn in by the Official Reporter.

The Director’s staff representative shall make the first presentation of each appeal, followed by the appellant, each for up to seven minutes. The Director’s representative and the appellant then each have three minutes for rebuttal. Any interested persons not affiliated with the principal who wishes to speak on the item may then be heard once for up to three minutes.

Additional time may only be granted at the discretion of the President or Chairperson.

Acceptance of additional documentary evidence at the hearing is at the discretion of the President or Chairperson. In general, all written information pertaining to the appeal provided by the appellant shall be submitted to the Secretary nineteen days in advance of the hearing date.

If an appeal is denied by the Commission, the appellant has the right to request a rehearing if he or she may demonstrate that they have substantially new information for the Commission’s consideration. A request for a rehearing must be made within ten days of the meeting date at which the appeal was denied. Such a request shall be made by letter and addressed to the Secretary of the Commission. The letter should state the reasons for the request and should present the new information. The filing fee for a rehearing request is $100.00.

If you wish to be included in the Access Appeals Commission mailing list for Notice of Hearings and Agendas, contact Thomas Fessler, Recording Secretary, at the Building Inspection Division of the Department of Building Inspection, 49 Van Ness Ave, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, or call 628-652-3721. The Access Appeals Commission Hearing Agendas and Minutes are is also available at our web site SFDBI.ORG.

A guide to the access appeals process is available by contacting Thomas Fessler, Recording Secretary, Access Appeals Commission, at the Disabled Access Section of the Department of Building Inspection, 49 Van Ness Ave, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, or call 628-652-3721.

The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair or the Interim Chair may order the removal from the meeting of anyone responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.