Ann Land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission Meeting - February 15, 2023
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Ann Land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission Meeting - February 15, 2023
The Ann Land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission held a regular teleconference meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, from 4:01 p.m. to 5:06 p.m. The commission approved the previous meeting minutes, elected new officers for 2023, assigned site visits for 2023 grant recipients, and received semiannual reports. Commissioners discussed future grant cycle improvements. Public comment was received on non-agenda matters.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of November 16, 2022 Meeting Minutes (File ID: 2022-02084): Passed unanimously (6-0, with two commissioners absent). The motion was made by Commissioner Yanez, seconded by Commissioner Smith.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Comment – Matters Not on the Agenda: Mr. Lambert Davis, founder and CEO of To the Bay and Back Cheesecakes, commented on the importance of holding applicants to their stated criteria. He noted his company’s recent feature in Inside Sacramento and expressed interest in funding opportunities.
Discussion Items
- Selection of Chair and Vice Chair for Calendar Year 2023: Commissioner Talbott Smith was elected President (Chair) for 2023 (motion by Smith, second by MacIntosh; vote 6-0). Commissioner Yousaf Zamanudin was elected Vice President (Vice Chair) (motion by Zamanudin, second by MacIntosh; vote 6-0).
- Assignment of 2023 Site Visits (File ID: 2023-00023): The commission took two separate votes. First, a motion set the due date for commissioner site-visit reports as July 21, 2023 (motion by Yanez, second by Ellis; vote 6-0). Second, a motion designated commissioners to visit each of the 31 grantee organizations (motion by Smith, second by Yanez; vote 6-0). Commissioners were assigned 5–6 sites each, with one commissioner taking an extra site.
- Semiannual Reports for July–December 2022 (File ID: 2023-00024): Staff presented a summary of reports from 2022 grantees. Two reports were submitted late and will be included at the May meeting. First Step Housing reported $5,200 in unspent funds ($10,000 grant) and My Sister's House reported $153 unspent. Staff noted that unspent funds must be returned to the fund. The item was received and filed; no vote required.
- Commissioner Comments – Ideas and Questions: Commissioners discussed future grant cycle improvements, including capping the number of applications, revising evaluation criteria, and addressing meeting length (the November 2022 meeting ran six hours instead of the scheduled four). Commissioner Smith noted that 12–13% of funds ($20,000) were allocated to organizations that did not align with the commission’s stated priorities of food and housing with wraparound services. The city attorney advised that these topics must be agendized for a future meeting. Staff confirmed that a review of the grant cycle documents and meeting process will be on the May 2023 meeting agenda.
Key Outcomes
- Approved November 16, 2022 meeting minutes (unanimous).
- Elected Talbott Smith as Chair (President) and Yousaf Zamanudin as Vice Chair (Vice President) for 2023 (both votes unanimous).
- Set July 21, 2023 as the deadline for commissioner site-visit reports.
- Assigned commissioners to conduct site visits for all 31 grantee organizations (unanimous).
- Received and filed semiannual reports for July–December 2022.
- Future review of grant cycle documents, cap on applications, evaluation criteria, and meeting process will be agendized for the May 2023 meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Vice President, we're ready when you are thank you. Good afternoon, and welcome everyone to the Wednesday, February 15th, 2023, 4 p.m. and land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Fund Commission. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the role to establish a quorum? You commissioner Arnold is absent. Commissioner Chan is absent. Commissioner Ellis. Here. Commissioner Smith. Present. Commissioner Corbes. Here. Commissioner Yannis. Here. Commissioner Zamandu Zamanudin. Here. Thank you. And Vice President Macintosh. Present. You have a quorum. Thank you. This meeting is virtual via Zoom. For members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you've joined the meeting and wish to speak, raise your hand to provide public comment when the chair confirms the public comment speaking period for your desired item. If you're online, click raise hand on the bottom of your screen. In the mobile app, you can raise your hand by tapping the raise hand option in the more tab. For telephone, raise your hand by dial nine star nine. Then to unmute or mute dial star six. Speakers will be called on by the last four digits of their phone number. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. We will now proceed to today's agenda. For those who who are able to stand, please do so. And please rise for the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land, the Nissan Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, the Valley and Plains Miwok, Utwin Wintoon peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on the consent consent calendar? Vice President, I show no hands raised to make home comment on this. Thank you. Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this item? It does not appear so. So is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar? I motion to approve the calendar. I'll second that. Terrific. Will the clerk please call the roll for a vote? Thank you. Commissioner Ellis.
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