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San Jose Boards and Commissions

Arts Commission

DUTIES: The Arts Commission advises the City Council on all matters relating to the arts and cultural life of San Jose. The Commission reviews art acquisitions, arts programs, public art projects, and grant applications from cultural groups and recommends levels of funding for them to the City Council. The Commission also serves as an advocate for the arts and for beautification of the environment to the Council and the Staff.

RELATIONSHIPS: The City Council is the final decision-making body. The Commission is advisory to the Council on the distribution of City funding for the Arts and makes recommendations to the Council respecting Arts and Festival grants. Arts Commissioners serve as liaisons between the City’s arts programs, programs of adjacent communities, the state and the nation, and arts organizations.

QUALIFICATIONS: Commissioners must be residents of San Jose. It is helpful if Commissioners have acknowledged accomplishments in the field of architecture, art criticism, art history, choreography, crafts, drama, landscape architecture, literature, music, painting, photography or sculpture, or a demonstrated interest in and appreciation of cultural and artistic activities. Any expertise in business or accounting would be helpful.

MEETINGS: The Commission meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 P.M. in City Hall, Room W119. Commissioners spend between 25-30 hours a month in Commission meetings, study and preparation time, serving on grant review panels, and meetings with citizens, cultural groups and others.

BENEFITS: There is no compensation for the Arts Commission. However, from time to time, Commissioners may be reimbursed for some expenses incurred on City business.

POLITICAL REFORM ACT OF 1974 AS AMENDED: The Conflict of Interests Section of the Political Reform Act applies to the Arts Commission. Commissioners are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, to disclose investments, income including gifts and loans, and business positions, but these are limited to persons or business entities which are eligible to be applicants for cultural grants from the City of San Jose.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS: All applications received are submitted to the Project Diversity Screening Committee for review according to the needs of the Commission as specified in a Needs Assessment Memo. Applications will also be forwarded to the City Attorney for a Conflict of Interest review and thereafter, the applicants will be asked to appear before the Screening Committee Members for an interview. Following interviews, the Screening Committee will develop a list of applicants which will be submitted to the Council Member Liaison to the Commission. The Liaison will forward the list to the Rules Committee of Council either with or without a supplemental recommendation. The City Council makes the final appointment to the Commission based on Rules Committee recommendations.

ATTENDANCE: Commissioners are expected to attend all Commission meetings. San Jose Municipal Code Section 2.08.060 specifies that a Commissioner who has unexcused absences from any three consecutive regular meetings, or 20% of the meetings in a calendar year, is deemed to have resigned from the Commission.

For further information about the Commission, see San Jose Municipal Code Section 2.08.800, and contact the Commission Staff at
Tel: 408-277-5144, x13.

Civil Service Commission

DUTIES : As established by the City Charter, the Civil Service Commission makes recommendations to the Council and the City Manager and conducts investigations concerning the administration of personnel in the Classified Service. The Commission reviews and recommends changes to the Civil Service Rules and appoints members to the City Council Salary Setting Commission. The Commission may also act as an appellate body for certain personnel decisions affecting City employees.

RELATIONSHIPS : This Commission is advisory to the City Council regarding Civil Service rules, as well as to the City Manager and any other appointive power regarding personnel administrative matters. Appeals to decisions made by the Commission concerning employee discipline and dismissal must be made through the court system.

QUALIFICATIONS : Commission Members must be registered voters in the City of San Jose at all times during their term of office. No more than four commissioners can be of the same sex and one must be an attorney who has practiced law in the State of California for at least five years. A background in personnel or labor-management relations would be helpful. Due to the appellate nature of this Commission, members should be able to listen to two sides of a disagreement and weigh evidence objectively.

MEETINGS : The Commission meets the first Thursday of each month at 4:00 P.M., City Hall, Room W120. In addition to the regular meetings, Commission Members attend study sessions, closed hearings and meetings with the City Attorney and staff. Commissioners average 16-20 hours per month on Commission business.

BENEFITS : Compensation for Civil Service Commissioners is $250 per month. From time to time, Commissioners can also be reimbursed for some expenses incurred on City business.

POLITICAL REFORM ACT OF 1974 AS AMENDED : The Conflict of Interests Section of the Political Reform Act applies to the Civil Service Commission. Commissioners are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, and to disclose investments, income including loans and gifts, and business positions. Reportable interests are limited to persons, business entities, or other sources providing employee/employer relations services to the City or its employees, or advising or representing City employees in administrative or legal actions relating to employment.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS : Following posting of a Notice of Vacancy, all applications received by the deadline will be submitted to the Mayor and Council members who, in turn, will notify the City Clerk as to whom they would like to interview. Applicants receiving four or more such indications of interest will be asked to appear during a regularly-scheduled Council meeting and will be interviewed by the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council then cast written ballots which are read into the record by the City Clerk. Applicants receiving six or more votes, or the highest number of votes over six, will be appointed to serve on the Commission.

ATTENDANCE : Commissioners are expected to attend all Commission meetings. San Jose Municipal Code Section 2.08.2030 specifies that a Commission Member who has unexcused absences from any three consecutive regular meetings, or 20% of the meetings in a calendar year, is deemed to have resigned.

For further information about the Commission, contact the Commission Staff at
Tel: 408-535-1265.

Planning Commission

DUTIES: As established by the City Charter, the Planning Commission has the responsibility of making recommendations to the Council on issues of land use and development, including zoning and subdivision regulations. The Commission advises the Council on amendment of the City's General Plan, on specific plans for future physical development, and on the Capital Improvement Program. They also act as an appellate body for those persons dissatisfied with the Planning Director's decisions on the aforementioned issues.

RELATIONSHIPS: The City Council is the final decision-making body. The Commission is primarily an advisory body to the City Council, although certain permits are granted at the Commission level, without requiring Council approval. In addition, the Planning Commission acts as a conduit for public input to the Council.

QUALIFICATIONS: The Commission consists of seven members who are appointed to four-year terms. Commissioners must be registered voters in the City of San Jose at all times during their term of office and they must have been citizens of the United States and residents of San Jose for at least one year prior to their term. A background in urban planning, architecture, law or other related areas would be helpful.

MEETINGS : The Planning Commission typically meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month at 6:30 P.M., contact staff for location. Commissioners spend 4-6 hours each month preparing for each regular meeting. In addition, Commissioners spend 16-20 hours a month in Commission Meetings, study sessions, community meetings, meetings with staff, and in visiting and evaluating the physical location of each proposed development.

BENEFITS: Compensation for Planning Commissioners is $250 per month. Commissioners may also be reimbursed for some expenses incurred on City business.

POLITICAL REFORM ACT OF 1974 AS AMENDED: The Conflicts of Interest section of the Political Reform Act applies to the Planning Commission and Planning Commissioners are required to file Form 700 and to disclose investments, interests in real property, sources of income, including loans, gifts and honoraria, and business positions.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS: Following posting of a Notice of Vacancy, all applications received by the deadline will be submitted to the Mayor and Council members who, in turn, will notify the City Clerk as to whom they would like to interview. Applicants receiving four or more such indications of interest will be asked to appear during a regularly-scheduled Council meeting and will be interviewed by the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council then cast written ballots which are read into the record by the City Clerk. Applicants receiving six or more votes, or the highest number of votes over six, will be appointed to serve on the Commission.

ATTENDANCE: Commissioners are expected to attend all Commission meetings. San Jose City Charter requires that a Commissioner who misses five consecutive regular meetings is deemed to have resigned from the Commission, unless that Commissioner is excused by Resolution of the Council.

For further information, contact the Commission Staff at
Tel: 408-535-3555.

NEIGHBORHOODS COMMISSION

DUTIES: The Neighborhoods Commission shall integrate the voice of neighborhoods into the City’s decision-making processes; study issues, courses of action, policies, and programs that affect neighborhood quality of life; make recommendations to Council and Redevelopment Agency; and empower neighborhoods. The Commission will make regular reports to the San José City Council, City Staff, and Neighborhood Groups. The Neighborhoods Commission work plan will be developed in coordination with, and approved by, the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee. Annual reports will be provided by Commissioners at the yearly Neighborhood Caucus by Council district.

RELATIONSHIPS: The Neighborhoods Commission is advisory to the City Council regarding San José neighborhoods. The Commission would work with both City and, when applicable, Redevelopment Agency staff, and when appropriate, collaborate with other commissions and boards.

QUALIFICATIONS: All Candidates for Neighborhoods Commission must reside within the boundaries of the City of San José, apply through the City Clerk’s office, and meet all City requirements for appointment to a Commission (availability to attend meetings, and legally required disclosure of economic interests through Form 700). There shall be equitable representation on the commission from throughout the City. Each District shall designate three Commissioners and two alternates through a Neighborhoods Caucus process, which will be forwarded to the City Council for appointment. In the initial two-year pilot, Commissioners will serve two year terms. It is intended that if the Commission is granted permanent status, Commissioners will be elected and serve for staggered two and three-year terms, and that an individual Commissioner may serve a maximum of four two-year terms.

MEETINGS: Dates for the Commission to meet will be determined once the Commission is seated. It is intended that for the purpose of the pilot period, the Commission will meet at a minimum of 10 times a year, not including committee and other meetings as required by the work plan. Commissioners may average 5-15 hours per month on Commission business.

BENEFITS: Not known/Not Established.

POLITICAL REFORM ACT OF 1974 AS AMENDED: The Conflict of Interests Section of the Political Reform Act applies to the Neighborhoods Commission. Commissioners are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, and to disclose investments, income including loans and gifts, and business positions. Reportable interests are limited to persons, business entities, or other sources providing employee/employer relations services to the City or its employees, or advising or representing City employees in administrative or legal actions relating to employment.
Conflicts of Interest Section of the Political Reform Act applies to the Traffic Appeals Commission. However, Commissioners are not required to file a Statement of Economic Interests

SELECTION PROCESS:
• An Ad Hoc Committee, made up of representatives chosen by each Council District, is planning the overall format and requirements for the Neighborhood Caucus, which will be used for each District.
• As defined in Planning Outreach Policy 6-30, a “Neighborhood Group” is a group or organization that is representative of its specific neighborhood, and whose primary purpose is the improvement of that neighborhood. The neighborhood group is self-identified and provides an annual update of its’ contact information to the City. Additionally, for the purposes of this process, a Neighborhood Group must be registered with the City of San José, be acting in good faith to meet the criteria outlined above, and be composed of multiple members from different households in its geographic area.
• Each Neighborhood Group must register in advance (deadline April 4, 2008) and select one (1) delegate and one (1) alternate that will attend the District Caucus, whose purpose is to select three (3) commissioners and two (2) alternates who will represent the District on the Commission. A Neighborhood Group must formally designate their Delegate to the San José Neighborhood Development Center a minimum of seven (7) days in advance of their District Neighborhood caucus. If the seven day deadline falls on the weekend, the designation must be made by the end of the business day (5:00 PM) of the Friday prior.
• No individual delegate shall represent (or cast a ballot on behalf of) more than one Neighborhood Group in the District Caucus.
• A Delegate must reside in the District in which he or she is casting a ballot on behalf of a Neighborhood Group.
• An individual who meets the City requirements to serve on a Board or Commission may apply as a candidate to be considered for the position of Neighborhoods Commissioner.
• Present at the Caucus shall be designated Neighborhood Group Delegates/Alternates, Candidates who have been vetted through the San José City Clerk’s office, interested members of the community, a neutral Caucus Moderator/ Facilitator and assistants and interpreters (as needed and requested in advance). Candidates are encouraged to be present at the caucus and may not have “stand-ins” speak on their behalf.
• Candidates are encouraged, as part of their application process, to prepare and submit beforehand a written statement of up to two hundred and fifty (250) words explaining their candidacy, skills/experience, and prior service to the community.
• It is the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee that City Council members not endorse individual candidates or take steps to influence the outcome of the Neighborhood Caucus. The Ad Hoc Committee encourages Council Offices to work with the Neighborhood Development Center in providing non-partisan support and assistance in the outreach process.
• Neighborhood Commission Candidates Statements and information will be posted on the Neighborhood Development Center website, as soon as this is available.
• All Neighborhood Caucuses will be held between May 17 and June 14, 2008.

CAUCUS PROCESS:
• Neutral Moderator/ Facilitator will provide welcome, introductions, ground rules, and explanation of the caucus process to all in attendance in each of the ten (10) respective Council District caucuses.
• Candidate Opening Statements: two (2) minutes each (chosen in random order).
• Question & Answer Period: All Candidates will have the opportunity to briefly respond (one minutes answers) to four (4) questions provided by Delegates, The questions shall be received, reviewed, and asked to the Candidates by the neutral Moderator/ Facilitator to prevent repetition and inappropriate questions.
• Each Candidate shall be provided with time for a one (1) minute closing statement prior to the balloting.
• There will be a caucus period provided (time for Delegates to talk one-on-one with the Candidates and members of the community in attendance). Additional caucus time may be requested and provided by the Moderator/ Facilitator during the process as needed to promote dialogue and resolve “ties” in the balloting process.
• There will be successive rounds of public balloting in which designated Delegates in each of the ten (10) respective Council District caucuses select three (3) Commissioners and two (2) Alternates.
• To be elected to a Commissioner seat, a Candidate must receive a majority vote of the delegates in attendance at the Caucus.
• In the initial (first) round of balloting, each Delegate shall choose five (5) Candidates. Any candidate who receives a majority of votes cast by all Delegates voting shall be elected. If on the initial ballot fewer than three (3) Commissioners and two (2) Alternates are elected by majority vote, successive rounds of balloting shall occur with the single lowest ranking candidate eliminated on each successive round until such time as three (3) Commissioners and two (2) Alternates have been elected by a majority of votes cast by all Delegates voting.
• The two candidates elected by a majority of votes cast by all Delegates voting who received the lowest number of votes or who were elected in the latest of successive rounds of voting shall be considered Alternates. As between the two Alternates, the Alternate with the higher number of votes or who was elected earlier in successive rounds of voting shall be considered the First Alternate. The other Alternate shall be considered the Second Alternate. If a Neighborhoods Commissioner leaves the position during his or her term, the First Alternate from the same Council District shall then move into the position of Commissioner. If a second Neighborhoods Commissioner from the same Council District leaves the position during his or her term, the Second Alternate from the same Council District shall then move into the position of Commissioner. In the event there is an equal number of votes between the third and fourth and any additional candidates for Commissioner in a given Council District, successive rounds of voting shall take place to determine which of these candidates shall become a Commissioner and which an Alternate.
• In the event that not all five Neighborhood Commissioner and Alternate seats are filled during the caucus process for a given Council District, the status of open seats shall be reviewed and resolved by the Neighborhoods Commission once the group is seated.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS: Names of those individuals chosen through the Neighborhood Caucus process will be provided to the City Council, who will formally ratify and appoint Commissioners.

For further information about this Commission, contact the Commission Staff or the Neighborhood Development Center, at
Tel: 408 723-4114.

Appeals Hearing Board

DUTIES: The Appeals Hearing Board hears code enforcement appeals of blighted conditions, illegal building activity, unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, abandoned, dismantled and inoperative vehicles on private property, neglected vacant houses, weed abatement liens and garbage liens. The Board also hears appeals of police permit denials or revocations, sign removal fees, utility billing and graffiti abatement fees.

RELATIONSHIPS: The Appeals Hearing Board is quasi-judicial. The City's Administrative Remedies Ordinance provides an administrative code enforcement procedure which is used in lieu of criminal and civil judicial enforcement, including the imposition of penalities up to $2,500 a day per violation. When the Board determines there is a violation it can impose an order requiring compliance, reimbursement of all City enforcement costs, and payment of civil penalties.

QUALIFICATIONS: Members of this Board must be residents of the City of San José and cannot be City employees. One member shall be an attorney-at-law licensed to practice in the State of California.

MEETINGS: The Board generally meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month (check with staff for dates in November and December) at 6:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers. On average, Board Members spend at least 15 hours per month preparing for and attending meetings.

BENEFITS: Each member of the Board shall be paid the sum of $100 per meeting up to a maximum of $200 per month.

POLITICAL REFORM ACT OF 1974 AS AMENDED: The Conflicts of Interest Section of the Political Reform Act applies to Appeals Hearing Board Members who are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, to disclose investments, income including gifts and loans, real property interests and business positions.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS: All applications received are submitted to the Project Diversity Screening Committee for review according to the needs of the Board as specified in a Needs Assessment Memo. Applications will be forwarded to the City Attorney for a Conflict of Interest review and thereafter, the applicants will be asked to appear before the Screening Committee Members for an interview. Following interviews, the Screening Committee will submit recommendations for the applicants to the City Council. Depending on the number of vacancies and the number of applicants, Council will determine how many applicants will be invited to appear during a regularly-scheduled Council meeting to be interviewed by the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council then cast written ballots. Applicants receiving six or more votes, or the highest number of votes over six, will be appointed to serve on the Board.

ATTENDANCE: Board Members are expected to attend all Board meetings. San José Municipal Code Section 2.08.060 specifies that a Commissioner who has unexcused absences from any three consecutive regular meetings, or 20% of the meetings in a calendar year, is deemed to have resigned.

For further information about the Board, please call the Board Secretary at
Tel: 408-277-8428.