pages: RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2018-07-23.pdf, 5
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RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee | 2018-07-23 | 5 | Approved Minutes July 23, 2018 Member Griffiths replied that the Committee's process has a lot of room for improvement and the members should not be resistant to improving it. Member Friedman said he would like to improve listening and focusing skills. Me. Levine presented a sample RRAC case timeline with time limits on each part of the review process and the members discussed. Mr. Levine suggested having a pre-printed list of questions that Committee members could use to move case discussions along more efficiently. Member Friedman replied that having a pre-printed list of questions was interesting but was not something that the Committee had considered before. He expressed frustration that mediation was part of the RRAC review process, as the parties had an opportunity to mediate prior to the hearing with program staff. Member Griffiths replied that the mediation format of the RRAC hearing process had value as it produced many mutual agreements between the parties. He added that Committee members sometimes treated binding and nonbinding cases differently, and were quicker to come to a conclusion when the case was binding. He said they may want to try to encourage parties to come to agreements themselves especially where the Committee's decision is nonbinding. Mr. Levine brought the discussion back to the importance of agreements and consequences for not sticking to agreements. As an example of a consequence of not adhering to time limits, he posited that the consequence could be, "having to hire me again." He praised the Committee for approaching the cases from a place of inquiry rather than judgment. He discussed listening strategies and praised the Committee for their listening skills. He reflected on the importance of approaching each case from an unbiased perspective. Member Friedman replied that there were some instances when he found it difficult to be neutral, e.g., when landlords say they need additional rental income for retirement. He asked if it was permissible for members to express their values. Vice Chair Sullivan-SariƱana responded that everyone needs to feel they are getting a fair hearing. He acknowledged that everyone brings some biases, but what was of paramount importance was for attendees to feel they are heard. Member Cambra expressed the importance of recognizing the concerns of the parties regardless of the any subjective biases. He added that the perspectives each Committee member brings was important, as long as they didn't act as advocates for either party. Mr. Levine recapped that recognizing biases allows one to reduce their impact on decision-making. Page 5 of 7 | RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2018-07-23.pdf |