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interest in pursuing the school program, that would be an additional contract and staff would look into various funding options and compensation mechanisms. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said she inferred from earlier comments that BACT has a more comprehensive protocol in regards to children's safety or that SF Shake was not able to elaborate on their own. Ms. Andrade-Wax confirmed. She explained that SF Shake answered only with respect to policies the City was already aware of and did not elaborate any further. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio asked and Ms. Andrade-Wax confirmed that it would be her opinion that this agreement offers greater value than that with SF Shake. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said it is very difficult to hear the emotional and negative perceptions from the public. She said it is a shame that SF Shake did not represent itself better in the RFP process or here at the meeting because the Commission and Council can only act based on what is in front of them. She said she is acutely aware of the difficulty of young people losing something to which they are so personally attached but that she is also aware of the fact that staff, the Civic Arts Commission and Council must look at the larger picture. She said she would have reached the same conclusion as the Commission based on the information presented, perhaps reluctantly because of the number of years that SF Shake served the community well. She noted that this is only a one year contract and that there will be an opportunity to assess and perhaps reevaluate the contract if needed. Councilmember Brown concurred with much of the Vice Mayor's comments. She said she appreciated the passion surrounding the program and assured the public that they were in fact heard. She said competition often makes us better and adjusts our expectations, which is what BACT accomplished with its application. She said she believed that staff and the screening committee conducted a thorough process and hoped the community would welcome BACT with an open mind. Mayor Thorne said he also agreed with much of what was said. He said he is always disturbed when the public feels it has not been heard but that he cannot find any fault with the process that was used. He acknowledged SF Shake's wonderful work up to this point, hoped the vendor would improve upon the program further, and hoped the public would embrace BACT despite its disappointment. MOTION: It was m/s by Cook-Kallio/Brown to approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a agreement with Bay Area Children's Theater in the amount of$109,100 to provide theatrical production services. Motion carried by the following vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Brown, Cook-Kallio, Mayor Thorne Noes: None Absent: Councilmember Pentin, One Vacancy BREAK Mayor Thorne called a brief recess and 8:50 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 8:55 p.m. 16. Authorize the Mayor to Author a Letter in Support of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Reform Director of Community Development Dolan provided a brief staff report. He explained that at the direction of the Council, staff drafted the letter supporting the broader idea of CEQA reform and some of the general themes currently under consideration. Three of the more notable bills proposing amendments to CEQA include SB 731 introduced by Senator Steinberg, SB 617 introduced by Senator Evans, and AB 515 introduced by Assemblyman Dickinson out of Sacramento. City Council Minutes Page 10 of 13 March 19, 2013