1 BEFORE THE CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION 2 450 N STREET 3 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 4 5 6 7 REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT 8 SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 9 10 SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 11 12 AWARD FROM CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY 13 BOE'S OPEN DATA PORTAL 14 15 FEDERATION OF TAX ADMINISTRATORS AWARD 16 CHARLES MILLS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 17 LYNN BARTOLO 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Reported by: Juli Price Jackson 25 No. CSR 5214 26 27 28 1 1 P R E S E N T 2 3 For the Board Jerome E. Horton of Equalization: Chairman 4 5 Sen. George Runner (Ret.) Vice-Chairman 6 7 Fiona Ma, CPA Member 8 9 Diane L. Harkey Member 10 11 Yvette Stowers Appearing for Betty T. 12 Yee, State Controller (per Government Code 13 Section 7.9) 14 Joann Richmond 15 Chief, Board Proceedings Division 16 17 18 ---oOo--- 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 2 1 450 N STREET 2 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 3 SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 4 ---oOo--- 5 MR. HORTON: Ms. Richmond, our next matter. 6 MS. RICHMOND: Our next matter are special 7 presentations. 8 Our first presentation is for BOE's Open 9 Data Portal. 10 MS. BRIDGES: Good morning, Members -- 11 MR. HORTON: Good morning. 12 MRS. BRIDGES: -- Mr. Chairman, honorable 13 Board Members. 14 Recently the Center for Digital Government 15 awarded the BOE's Open Data Portal, commonly 16 referred to as Open BOE, with the Best of California 17 award for a best application serving the public. 18 This award is given to individuals and 19 teams that have designed, developed, and deployed 20 applications that deliver services more effectively 21 to the public or other external stakeholders. 22 Open BOE was built completely by our BOE 23 staff. Our team had only four months to develop the 24 new system that gives the public access to BOE's 25 public data via an easy to use data portal. 26 We're proud of what's been accomplished and 27 the teamwork demonstrated by our staff. We want to 28 thank the Board again for your commitment to 3 1 customer service and taxpayer education, and for 2 your strong support during the development of Open 3 BOE. Your support has made this project happen. 4 And, so, we now want to recognize the Open 5 BOE team who received the award for best application 6 serving the public from the Center for Digital 7 Government. 8 We ask that the members of that team please 9 come forward and -- or at least stand. 10 And I'd like to go ahead and make the next 11 presentation and then ask that the Members 12 participate in a photo session immediately after the 13 second presentation. 14 MR. HORTON: We'd love to. 15 MS. BRIDGES: Okay. Our next presentation 16 is on the Charles Mills Lifetime Achievement Award. 17 The Charles Mills Lifetime Achievement Award was 18 created by the Federation of Tax Administrators, 19 Tobacco Tax Section, and is presented to a career 20 government or industry employee who has dedicated 21 their career to tobacco tax administration and 22 enforcement. 23 Charles Mills was the Director of the 24 Petroleum, Alcohol, Tobacco Tax Unit for the New 25 York State Department of Taxation and Finance, who 26 lost his life on September 11th, 2001, while helping 27 to evacuate others out of the World Trade Center 28 Tower 2. 4 1 Mr. Mills had a distinguished career and 2 the award was created in 2001 by F. T. A. and 3 presented to Mr. Mills' family at the annual 4 F. T. A. tobacco tax conference. 5 Today we would like to recognize our very 6 own Lynn Bartolo, who's currently serving as the 7 Acting Deputy Director for the Sales and Use and 8 Special Taxes Departments. 9 She is the sixth recipient of the Charles 10 Mills Lifetime Achievement Award. It was presented 11 to Lynn at the 2015 F. T. A. Tobacco Tax Section 12 annual meeting for her dedication and contributions 13 to the administration of tobacco tax. 14 And I'd also like to ask Lynn to come 15 forward as we present this resolution. 16 But if you'll indulge me, I'd like to at 17 least read the resolution. 18 MR. HORTON: Please. 19 MS. BRIDGES: State Board of Equalization 20 resolution honoring Lynn Bartolo. 21 Whereas, Lynn Bartolo, Acting Deputy 22 Director Director, Sales and Use Tax and Special 23 Taxes and Fees, was presented the Charles Mills 24 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Federation of Tax 25 Administrators (F.T.A.), Tobacco Tax Section, on 26 August 24th, 2015; and, whereas, the award 27 recognizes someone who has shown years of guidance, 28 support, encouragement, leadership and mentoring to 5 1 states and industry; and, whereas, she has been 2 selected for this award to recognize her 3 overwhelming contribution to the administration of 4 tobacco tax; and, whereas, she was involved with the 5 original effort to bring uniformity to cigarette tax 6 tobacco taxes, was part of a core group that began 7 to develop uniform cigarette reporting forms and was 8 part of the Technology Committee, that is now part 9 of the Uniformity Committee today; and, whereas, she 10 has exhibited passion and initiative in promoting 11 the mission of the F. T. A. tobacco matters; and, 12 whereas, she has been the California State Board of 13 Equalization's resource for information relating to 14 the cigarette and tobacco administration and 15 enforcement, therefore, be it resolved, that we, the 16 Members of the Board, do hereby extend Lynn Bartolo 17 our sincere and grateful gratification -- I'm sorry, 18 appreciation for her dedicated service to the 19 California State Board of Equalization and to the 20 State of California. 21 Our congratulations on her well-earned 22 award and our best wishes to her for continued 23 success in the years to come. 24 Adopted at Sacramento, California, the 16th 25 day of September 2015 by the State Board of 26 Equalization. 27 Again, congratulations. 28 MR. HORTON: Yay! To all of the -- we'd 6 1 ask that the other award recipients come forward as 2 well. 3 We just want to congratulate all of you 4 guys, and Lynn, I know that this has been 5 well-deserved, a long journey, quite frankly. 6 I kind of remember you being in my office 7 when I was in the Assembly talking about this stuff 8 as we were working on AB 71. So, well deserved. 9 I mean, it's indicative of the -- of the 10 model of the Board of Equalization, that the Board 11 of Equalization is on the move. 12 So, I'm sure the Members will have other 13 words, but let's do the picture thing if -- with 14 permission? 15 MS. BRIDGES: Yes, two photos -- one with 16 the Open BOE team and then one with Ms. Bartolo. 17 MR. HORTON: Can they -- can they join us 18 up here? 19 MS. BRIDGES: Okay. 20 MR. HORTON: So, we can make it look really 21 official, you know what I mean -- all that good 22 stuff. 23 MS. BRIDGES: Okay. And I shouldn't say 24 this, but we'll have another award to inform you 25 about next month as well. 26 MR. HORTON: We're just getting all kinds 27 of awards. 28 (Off the record discussions while 7 1 photographs were taken.) 2 MR. HORTON: Discussion, Members? 3 Member Runner. 4 MR. RUNNER: Again just the -- thanks for 5 all of the good work the staff has done, certainly 6 in terms of, again, opening up the ability to -- to 7 the public to see what we do, how it happens, and 8 how it is that they can use the services is 9 certainly a key for us in this digital age. 10 And again appreciate much the individual 11 work of Lynn, her great work and leadership in a lot 12 of ways. 13 I know that I spent a lot of time with Lynn 14 when we were doing some issues as the fire fee was 15 getting established. 16 And, so, again, just diligent to getting 17 concerns and issues taken care of, a wonderful BOE 18 employee. 19 MR. HORTON: Member Harkey. 20 MS. HARKEY: I just wanted to say ditto. 21 I thank everyone for their service, and for 22 making this organization just run a bit more 23 smoother and with more openness. 24 Thank you very much. 25 MS. MA: Yes, thank you very much to the 26 staff. 27 Technology is so, so important. And we 28 have got a lot of great feedback from constituents 8 1 that our system is easy to use, and they like -- 2 enjoy filing online. 3 And, of course, to Lynn, thank you for 4 leadership and doing all you do for our sales and 5 use tax and, especially in the tobacco arena. 6 MR. HORTON: Member Stowers. 7 MS. STOWERS: Thank you to Lynn, well 8 job -- great job. 9 And then to the Open BOE -- Open BOE, 10 Ms. Yee would like to really say thank you to that 11 team. 12 As many of us know, that was one of the 13 projects that she initiated when she was the Member 14 for the First District. And when she started the 15 project she was confident that the team and their 16 leaders, Ms. Fleming and Mr. Jack Sisco, would 17 stretch to make it a possible -- a possibility. 18 And here we are now with the noted 19 recognition of the best open system. As a matter of 20 fact, State Librarian Greg Lucas commented that Open 21 BOE is the model for open data portals for all of 22 California State government. 23 So, to the project team -- Bill, Rob, 24 Peter, Camille, Patrick, Konstantin, Thang, Ty, 25 Khoa, Ellen, Gonzalo, Jason, Greg, Derek, Benjamin, 26 Jamil, Chuck, Kristen, and Jack. 27 Congratulations, a job well done. 28 MR. HORTON: Yay! Again I want to echo the 9 1 congratulations to all of the employees. I mean, 2 you guys really, really just make us proud. I mean, 3 as we travel through the airport, we run into folks 4 that often give us credit for the work that our team 5 is doing. 6 And, so, the reality is is that it really, 7 really belongs to those who have received the 8 awards, Lynn and all of the work that you guys have 9 done, the technology folks, and so forth, but the 10 entire team. It takes the team effort in order to 11 win the championship. 12 And, so, the notion that the Board of 13 Equalization is on the move is just ringing true 14 more often than we anticipated. 15 We receive the best award for this and the 16 best award for this, gold, silver awards, and so 17 forth, as well as being the most improved minority 18 contracting industry. 19 So, I'm excited about that, continue the 20 good work. Know that each and every one of you know 21 that we truly, truly appreciate the effort that you 22 do on behalf of the people of the State of 23 California. 24 And we fundamentally believe California 25 wouldn't -- wouldn't run without us running out in 26 front of it in the beginning. 27 So, thank you so very much, all of you. 28 ---o0o--- 10 1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE 2 3 State of California ) 4 ) ss 5 County of Sacramento ) 6 7 I, JULI PRICE JACKSON, Hearing Reporter for 8 the California State Board of Equalization certify 9 that on SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 I recorded verbatim, in 10 shorthand, to the best of my ability, the 11 proceedings in the above-entitled hearing; that I 12 transcribed the shorthand writing into typewriting; 13 and that the preceding pages 1 through 10 constitute 14 a complete and accurate transcription of the 15 shorthand writing. 16 17 Dated: OCTOBER 13, 2015 18 19 20 ____________________________ 21 JULI PRICE JACKSON 22 Hearing Reporter 23 24 25 26 27 28 11