City and County of San Francisco Wednesday, January 07, 2015
test, test.
>> all right. Good afternoon. Welcome welcome
to the our special san francisco full board of supervisors meeting of January 7, 2015, I want to welcome everyone to the
new year and hope everyone had a
wonderful holiday season we have
frank 1y0r7bd well, to our chamber
>> supervisor avalos supervisor breed
supervisor campos
supervisor cohen supervisor farrell
supervisor kim
supervisor mar supervisor tang supervisor wiener
supervisor yee
Madam President you have quorum. >> thank you ladies and
gentlemen, please join me in the
pledge of allegiance and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisirty and justice. >> Madam Clerk any communication. >> yes. Madam President we have one he means on
December 16th at board approved
a tension he extension which
expires January 13th we're in
corresponds communicating the third declaration recommended to
the rim fire pursuant to the administrative code chapter 7
and this matter will be placed without reference for January 13th next week. >> thank you
and now let's hope into it
please call item one.
>> a motion approving or
rejecting the mayors reappoint
to the retirement board for a
four-year are term ending
february 19th 2009. >> supervisor avalos thank you, colleagu for coming to hear
this appointment this has been a channeling appointment I guess
for all of us we have commissioner on this san
francisco ploys san francisco
board that comes with a great
deal of financial matters and
has been on the sf for the first
already and has come with her
experience working with her own
firm recent ethnics complaints
that have come down that swirled around providing controversy around here reappointment and I
didn't feel it was important
that we look at these as there
are some real issues that are
part of ethnics complaints we
should have pause and scrutiny
at the board before making her reappointment this has been actually very, very challenging
for me because I want to honor
the work that someone massachusetts has given already
to 0 sf and many, many hours of the commission meetings interaction with the public and
taking time out of her work to
do this it's been very
uncomfortable to question some
of the work she's done I've had issues that are important I've
been work with the retirement
board an particular in devesting
from fuel fuels we pass a
resolution in 2013 that was
urging the retirement board to
defying vest from fossil fuel
companies since 2013 limited work moving forward and yet my office is part of engaging with
the retirement board to see if
we can move to some level of
effort in that area of defying
development for fossil fuel the
board approved I think devesting
from companies in the country of
russia they have a terrible
human rights board when it comes
to lgbt and to look at that
issue and we've not seen the
board who actually has the responsibility over the retirement board to make those decisions
and there's been concerned about
the board investment in hedge
funds I think the public is here
to discuss as well that gives us controversy for the provisions that the retirement board has
taken on positions that are not
just about when passing jordan
on but the entire board I think
singling her out is not all for
the members when all the members of the board shared the responsibility in making sure
that the policy issues we put before the retirement board get
carried out you know as we would
like so I've actually had two
conversation now with the
paskin-jordan talked with her
before the full board meeting
and sat down with her yesterday
as well and actually enjoyed my
conversations with her and felt
that she's you know very, very
charming person someone who has a great deal of expertise as I said in financial and investment 345er9s before the retirement
board I think someone who really
is you know in a good place to
serve the city as well
there are a few remaining issues
that I would like to be able to
discuss and with Ms. Pasadena
jordan here today, there are issues we've discussed already
but I would like to see if you
know I'm actually fairly
comfortable supporting her continuing on the retirement board based on my conversations
with her but I'd like to see if there's you know a greater level
of effort we can have from her and the other members of the
retirement board system to look
at the do I vesting issues over
this hedge funds so Ms. Psa kin
jordan have her come to the
podium I'll be interested in her
thoughts and the colleagues have
comments certainly we're here
them before hearing from Ms.
Paskin-jordan and I'd like to
take out objection to have her
take the floor after supervisor avalos. >> I want to thank her for
being h and all the members of the public who have come out
to speak on this item
both in favor or against the appointment for me process is
important I want to thank my colleagues who supported my
motion for a special meeting to provide this nominee the
opportunity to come and speak
I don't want to prejust any
issue the matter of progress the
way it works once the mayor
makes an appointment a window of
time during which the board has an opportunity to raise
questions or concerns and that
appointment goes before the rules committee for those kinds
of questions to be raised in this case though the mayor
made the appointment and preceded to swear in the
individual without giving the board the opportunity to have
the item heard at the rules
committee where the questions
can be raised so what happened
or didn't happen it's important
to respect the process to make
sure that any questions that
arises are discussed only and so
i look forward to hearing from
wendy pascal jordan about the
specific ethnics questions that have been raised and everything
I know of her she is a hard
working ethnical person but we have a responsibility to make sure that the members of the public not just this board but
members of the public hear a
response to the ethics questions
that have been raise in that spirit and intent I look forward
to hearing from you thank you.
>> thank you with that, Ms. Psa
kin jordan.
>> I don't know if any of you
because I'm up for reappointment maybe I should address my background and maybe address
some of the issues is that a good idea?
So I'll go back I think I'm a
prod shall of my parents I can
give you a background how I look
at life and why I do this
I was raised by two parent who
did not have college educations
my mother was an orphan and went
through dltsd in here life raped
thank you the age of 8 and fled into the united states and
started her life at the age of
14 she started working hard as a
immigrant and became a buyer at
the store and rose up and
gradually became the woman she
is which is somebody that can
golf in the 90s and ride saddle
and ride a harley
my father was a machinist he was
a jewish kid that grew up in
chicago beaten up plenty of time
for his religion and both in
their third married from that
background I was raised in
public schools never had private
schools in my education I'm the
ine imi infamous school hillary
swank did a film on in long
beach graduated went on to
stanford to send myself through
stanford became the first woman
lifeguard in la county there are
a thousand men and myself I had
to push against obstacles in the
70s and the la fire was part of the fire department that was my background I had to do
everything on my own and in many
cases in a world dominate by men
and my parents led with a good
work ethic and with the history
integrity my grandfather was walter and banned from unions
not able to get a job that was
my grandparent is background a
tough background that made my understand how to work and
achieve and get ahead
I ended up going to stanford I
worked as a lifeguard on the
beaches I did bay watch and paid
my way through school I had a
lot of student loans and went to
law school and making an income of three or four thousand
dollars a year I know ended up
being housed in moderate income
housing and had a lot of student
loans went to law school and
business school and worked in
the investment area thirty years
ago I retired to start the
mature fund areas in wells fargo
bank and moved up to a manager
securities a tough firm so my
background has been in investments and I've also served
the community I've been on the
board of planted parenthood and
with the first fundraiser with
sf general and numerous other
boards when I had the opportunity to come into the
retirement board I said no, because I thought that was so
much work it is so hard it's controversial
and you have a lot of wealthy on
our shoulder these are retirees
and current employees and the
stock exchange is a tricky area
I know a lot of things that work
and don't work I feel that's one
the contributions I've made to the san francisco retirement
board I've also served on
barking let me see global index
fund one of the largest indexers
in the world I was brought and
mentored his mother and sisters
were famous as the women in the
189 hundreds and brought me into a couple of boards paying boards
and this is now, one of my only
non-for profit boards it takes
the most time for all of them
there's a lot to learn and know
and a lot of meetings to go to
as far as the hedge fund area I
can start with that as an area I
didn't vote to move ahead on
hedge funds my vote was actually
to slow down the process
I asked the chief investment officer to come back to the
board with exact managers he
would want to use because
there's good hedge fund and bad hedge fund managers the hedge
fund lots of 2 thousand percent
in 2008, the pension lost one
percent so we don't want to be closed-minded to you but also
worked in that area and
understand there's a lot of pitfalls
>> there's a questions the cap
advisors invest in hedge funds. >> we don't invest in hedge
funds direct we use a very low
risk hedge funds of funds
manager in order to hedge little
portfolio so I have experience
with that grew up they're small
not the kind the pension fund uses. >> is there motorbike in our
work as the advisors work with
hedge funds through the intraerd
that has a conflict of interest.
>> if there's one as I have a
history of saying if there's a
conflict you I've also taken the
side I'd rather leave and leave
the committee and let them vote
on that I have a history on the board think outside the box one
of the reasons when I was
brought up into the board I
asked the city attorney those
are people who buy municipal
bonds and their smaller they can't get into the products that many of the products that
actually, the city can but if
there's a conflict I have them
there's been times voting on a bank stock I stepped out.
>> so right now I believe it's
been rfp p auditing out with the
trust have the capital advisors have relationships with the trust.
>> I work in the trust department it's different way different marathon san francisco
works with the custodian area
and a the securities loend area,
however, I've told staff years
ago if there's an issue with the
trust I would like to recuse myself.
>> so, now you that the rfp is
going anti I believe the trust has employed to other trust is
that that something you'll recuse yours from.
>> I would like to recuse
myself only in a rare six I
actually have worked so I've
spent so much time on the trust side of the bank I just again,
I've felt it would be better and
safer everywhere safer not to vote explicit mean I can't make
comment and votes on the issues
in the trust but their areas
again securities lending and
custodian areas it is exactly
oppose than the area that handle
the blue haired ladies in the
bank and so we talked yesterday as well about the requests we've
been making the board and through through our engagement
with community members in my
office directly with the
retirement board around fossil
fuel and we've spoken as you mentioned you've been supportive of studying the issue perhaps
there was a vote that actually
was about engagement lovely one and level two you know efforts
for the retirement board which
were certain levels of efforts
looking at defying investment
can you explain why level one level two.
>> fossil fuels I should tell
you my background I've spent a
fair amount of time in the environmental area
I've actually worked with conservation and traveled around
the world drive a prius it's an
important issue I've hit hot
spots and gone into african to
haveans I've been
involved in that area the reason
I actually study I sent the
motion to go to level one on top
of that I asked the staff to
look into number one what the environmental foundations are
doing that we have two of the
top environmental foundations in
the bay area the gordon
foundation which my husband
worked at and I'm sorry to
interrupt we have minutes in the
meeting you voted against supervisor cowen's motion to implement level one and two
engagements you voted against
that but you approved the motion
to study why you choose to study
versus the actual engagement. >> engagement because it's
important as fossil fuels have
many, many degrees of harmful
areas than fossil files as you
and I talk I talked about I'd like to take the steps like maybe coal and things like that
I think accident board needs to understand the research rather
than going out owe and not being
prepared to advocate and vote on
proximateize which is level two have the board become more
knowledgeable in that area I
have for san francisco attended
conferences in that area I just
got back that f from one to
understand the pension fund are
doing in that area none that I
know of have gone to level 2 so
starting at level one is prudent
I stektd the motion to go to
level one so I have-
>> to study level one. >> no.
>> actually, we pulled up the
notes you haven't read the notes
correctly I've seen them
verbatim and when it came to a
vote on February 9th you weren't
present at the meeting according
to my notes and February 9th
vote was on level one engagement which- >> colleagues.
>> can the director speak.
>> I have to make known we have
folks from the retirement board
so if folks have questions dork housing authority.
>> there was a vote in October
to study it and special meeting
called in which the lady was
present and seconded the motion
if covered the carbon vote under
the boards social policy one
meeting in which not a
successful vote of the board to
engage and special meeting in February which she was he
present and in fact, seconded
the motion and voted in favor of the motion.
>> okay. Thank you
I have in my votes different
from that but.
>> I think on the main point
the intent is that I've actually
made extra efforts to attend and
be involved in that it's an area
that was per mixing I went with
another person the kennedy are
big advocates we were other n
out in boston with the pension fund I was telling supervisor
avalos it was disstressing to
people hadn't step forwarded in the pension like new york and areas like that and gone to
level two or three so I feel we
need to find out why that's the
case but I would vac advocate
that I think it's a good idea and again, you don't move
forward rationally you need to
have beneficial results you can
take little steps and move forward and we couldn't be at
the for front of that.
>> I'm hearing from staff you
were not present at the
februar be able
to second the level one you May
have seconded the vote for studying that's my original question and my staff is
bringing the notes I want to
make sure we're accurate about what happened I'm trying to work
on the original notes that came
from the minutes from the sf
meeting so I feel like what I've
been told put before me is accurate.
>> there was one special meeting
yes, we're 56 that with the
commission secretary a special meeting at the health commission. >> I actually didn't attend
that meeting I was out of town I
wanted to attend that meeting.
>> so we'll confirm that with a confirmation. >> I wanted to attend that meeting they asked for our
President And do for a date and
once he had a quorum he decided
to move forward but I tried to
get at that meeting.
>> thank you, my questions
director hugging I hugh you would verify the information
before you present at the full
board I would image I'm a little bit-
>> we're confirming whether or
not it was seconded by the lady
if she was not at the meeting it
wasn't to engage at a level one
so the information we're having
that verified she was not in attendance.
>> again, I actually there was
an original meeting at our board
it was a while ago I remembered
standing up and saying I'd like
to go to level one but really
like to move a step forward and find out the environmental
foundations are doing if they're
not doing it we need to
understand why if we have a $17 billion foundation the
biggest in the world we need to
know why a that's why I advocate
to understand why it didn't
maple we demanded take a step forward but I'm not against doing the process and moving forward in the process.
>> I appreciate that I do want
to make sure that the work that
the sf has already done towards
deinvestment can continue and
you're able to take some
leadership to a greater stent so
folks on the commission have taken as far especially with your expertise that you have and
the relationship I have in the
that the firms are looking for investments as well.
>> that's something you can-
>> yes. I think the other
thing that I did do at the
meeting one of the greatest
investment experts is jeremy an
advocate of trying to understand fossil fuels and their impacts
on the world we have that
particular fund in the portfolio
and which is called grants of
May 0th he has done a good job of pointing out areas we have
the responsibility to work
harder the dirty air fossil
fuels didn't mean we have to go across the board but start
somewhere I did that in the public session.
>> but one of the things the
reasons we looked at fossil fuel deinvestment
ivestment but take in the
fossil fuel you know search and development the cost of
producing some of the hard to
get to fuels would skyrocket or
have great volatility in the
market we're seeing across the
globe in o peck to the producers in the united states there's
conflict moving on to when the
prices change we've seen the
prices of oil has gone down
between $50 from $100 and seeing
the market look you know a investments go down because of
the vital in the market as
3rek9d it something we expect to
continue for years to come forever moving forward
so it didn't make financial
sense that we pool you know our
public dollars out of you know
those industries that are
looking at having very
fluctuating types of returns so
that to me was an important
reason why looking forward we're
seeing take effect into the financial market.
>> you and I talked about this
as jeremy grant says those are
depleting resources it is
costing us more and more money
it's okay. When did areas are
new and but as time goes on we won't have those resources in
the future so I think that
spending more time with him he's one of the best investors and
understanding how to do that we can take a leadership really in
that I'd like to spend more time
when I went with commissioner
bridges out the kennedy compound
for the conference they had 60
representatives from around the
country they said this is distressing people haven't taken
and lead but why the $200,000
pensions not moving quicker it's
the same issues of south african
they start with small steps and
311 don't it but you've got to
have the information behind you
if you're going to tell the
employees and the retirees about
tobacco and it didn't happen overnight people studied and
study and went to level one but it's a passionate interest of
mine I've been involved in that
area and have traveled around
the world the conservation
international the hot spots all
over the world it's not
something temporary I've given
money in that area I'm involved
in it I will take a leadership
on that with stuffers.
>> colleagues want to ask questions. >> supervisor yee.
>> thank you supervisor tang
thank you for being here today
and answering our questions and thank you for reaching out to
many of any colleagues and
myself yesterday
in regards to the issue of
devesting from fossil fuel I
royals how complicated the issue is at the same time my
frustration is not knowing what
the next steps are whether we're going to be taking this
seriously or not and no
indicators so, yes we can study
it and study it for a little
while which is fine but I'm
wondering can I be a leader in
this and sigh look at some point
we need a timeline at least for
me personally I'll feel
satisfaction not are we actually
going to do something so my
question for you will you be willing to take a leadership role.
>> I would do that and I've actually you mention I need to talk to our President Of the commission because he basically
runs the board right now but I think taking a leadership roll
in that area is something I can
easily do and I'll try to do that
I regret not being there are
more the fossil file special
meeting but that didn't prevent me from attending conferences
that are important in that area
we built solidarity to move ahead I wouldn't take 4 days out
of my life to go to conferences
with some of the top experts in
the world if I wasn't interested in it.
>> the other issues that
supervisor avalos raised in terms of our personal
investments and questions of
ethic and again, thank you for
being frank with me in our discussion and explaining the
differences in the different
fund and and so forth and you
mentioned yesterday if I had known that May have been an
issue to the public you probably
wouldn't have done that you May
or May not have but so I ask the
question whether or not to me it's not I don't see that a
problem an individual problem it is sort of an institutional
problem in the sent I encourage
I don't want to have protective
policy but mosaicly internal to
our board to urge that during
the your orientation that the
staff will give to new members actually bring those things up
to choose what they want if that
had been brought up to you you
May not have wanted to do that
again, I'm urging I work with
staff to make this an administrative requirement.
>> okay. You want me to
address that issue of mature
funds how they work at stuffers.
>> yes. It is very complicated
so there's two parts of rule and
one on form seven hundred we
need to disclose any private
investment that we made at stuffers in our own portfolios
so there was a question because
I invested in a manner called
grant the mayo this is the
advocate of understanding fossil fuels there they're well well known
manager so the first part you
need to list them on form seven hundred if it's a private investment and the investment
was a public investment it was a
public mature you fund by law
your allowed to invest in so
when I was talking to the
supervisor I said it wasn't
innovate a special investment by
something like a large companies
stock I probably would have been
better buying an ethics fund
with all the heat I've gone but
truly by the rule I didn't violate the rule because I
involved in a public mature fund
I didn't need to disclose why
did I disclose this I disclosed it because later on itself
realize I was new occupy the
board and explicit realize they
had something with another same company invested with the
merging market bond so I did
large stocks and so when I said to the supervisor is with all
the heat I know that would
probably say not it's an issue
it's wrong but I could have
bauth bought on s m 5 fund and
would have done better in the
future we need to be cognizant
of that the supervisor would say under any circumstances it's not
a violation because it's a a
public investment but a $10
minimum you got in under the
$10 million minimum it was
established as the 1950 c investigated it and I violated
anything but I had the ability
to enter that fund 10 years
prior I came into the stuffers
board the second part no commissioner should benefit
personally from being on that
commission you shouldn't get anything special it was
established I had that ability
10 years before I came into the
board but lined up I thought
I'll find another fund to invest in I don't want to establish criteria for a someone on the
board I know you have investment
in fund and the reason is their
mature fund and their public so
you know the house thousands and thousands and millions of people
can get into them but to prevent
us from getting into something
private that is a limited amount
of people thank you supervisor campos. >> thank you very much thank you for that information and
that explanation
where I disagree it's not the
director has that final say on
whether or not you've followed
the rules the ethics commission
handles that but as all of us a public commissioners there's
scrutiny the important thing to
insure we have an open
discussion and I take what
you've said at face value and
appreciate that so I think it is simply about letting the public
know that those issues are being addressed when their raised
I have one final question it's
not for you but for the city attorney because I understand and appreciate the fatiguing fact
you are to the extent there's an
issue with the rfp with supervisor campos raised that
you would your intent to recuse you, yourself makes sense but a quick question for the city
attorney there are times under
section he 1090 when a recall alone is not sufficient and there is the possibility that
even with the recall there might
be a violation by the agency
there are exceptions I'll ask the city attorney to examine on
that but I believe that's not
the case but if it were the
board would be informed of that. >> through the chair. >> john gibner, deputy city attorney
as you mentioned supervisor
campos there's a government code
section 1090 is essentially says
that public officials kaunt
can't have a-the law is broad
and there's a number of
exceptions in some circumstances
an official can recuse
themselves when there's a
conflict under section 1090 the
only answer to divest or resign
from the board I understand from
Ms. Jordan she May have a
conflict it sound like it fits
into the exceptions of recall
and not the one that-of course, if the contract
situation we'll work closely to
make sure she recuse hey.
>> I want to make sure that's understood and that issue
becomes a problem we'll know and
one thing I'll say and what I value and love about san
francisco is that you know we're
very proud of how we would do
the people's work, if you will, it's interesting we're talking
about a position your volunteering our time and we're
grateful our willing to do that
but it says a lot about who we
are when that happens when you
have this level of money being involved with the retirement of
so many people we take this
obligation seriously and so I think this is something we
should be proud of we can have
those discussions and in the on because I think this is something in the end serves not
only the public the retirees but
also the individual involved the
fact you're willing to come here had he have this on discussion
says a lot about you. >> 134I supervisor avalos I'd
like to ask if the retirement
board has answers to the
questions regarding the votes or
questions director hughes.
>> we've verified at the
October 2013 there was a motion
to divest from supervisor avalos
and that motion failed and it is
subsequent to that a motion by
brian and seconded by psa kin
jordan to bring back a full
analysis of level one and 2 deinvestment to a special
meeting held in February so the
motion she indicated she
seconded was the the second
motion after the second motion
to divest but to bring back a
complete analysis of level one
and two for the boards consideration.
>> a motion to study level one
and two for the staff to look at it. >> within 90 days that's correct. >> in February we called a
special meeting in order to have
outside of earlier than our
normal board month to month.
>> thank you thank you, colleagues any
further questions or discussion.
>> just-that's exactly what I
had said her motion was to study
the issue and what was being
said a motion to I know go to
level one which wasn't the case
so for in semi metrics it's
important to see what we're
talking about I'm ready to
support Ms. Psa kin jordan I
present our coming here and your
patience in coming through here
and our time you know thank you for your service. >> okay.
>> all right. Thank you any further comments if colleagues seeing none, is there another
motion on the item item 4 and motion to approve. >> all right. A motion to
approve the mayors reappointment
of psa kin jordan and seconded by sxhooefrl and I'd like to
share with the public we'll not be holding public comment on
this we held it at our last
board meeting so Madam Clerk call the roll.
>> supervisor yee
supervisor avalos
supervisor breed
supervisor campos
supervisor cowen supervisor farrell
supervisor kim
supervisor mar supervisor tang supervisor wiener
there are 10 I's your thank you
24 motion to approve the mayors
repoint in time is adapted unanimously and before we move on to the next item (Clapping.) Before we move on to the next
item I want to recognize we have
in our chamber former senator
art torres I didn't see him earlier without my glasses so
Madam Clerk if we can actually
go to our next item, please.
>> the next item is a special
order at 2:00 P.M. For the board of directors to sit as a
committee as a whole approval of
the item 5 a hearing on the
status of the labor dispute at
san francisco international airport restaurants. >> so colleagues item 5 Madam Clerk call that. >> to schedule the board of supervisors to an advisory
committee often January 7th at
2:00 P.M. To hold a public
hearing to consider the issues
and I rising from the san francisco international restaurant.
>> for this item I'd like to call on supervisor mar.
>> thank you supervisor tang because-
>> sorry if the people are
leaving the chamber do so
quietly please and because of
the testimony of many of the
airport workers from our
December meeting and the hard work behind john martin and
thank you to kathy for the issues of the labor concerns were revolved with agreements
that were both supported by the
vendors and the workers
and local 2 did a lot of work
but I'll say that our director
john martin and kathy did around
the clock work to make sure it
was resolved successfully there's no need to follow
through with the motion and I'm
wondering whether I move to file
the motion or do we need to
continue the committee as a whole at all.
>> so supervisor mar you can
table this and it will
automatically dispense with item
2 first of all, public comment
on item 5 reconvene I'd like to
see if there's any partnership
webinar members of the public
whether we should challenge as a
committee as a whole seeing none, public comment is closed. Supervisor mar.
>> I move we file the item and
appreciate the work of the
airport and that's been seconded by supervisor farrell and
without objection item 5 is
tabled and automatically item 2
is dispensed as well
Madam Clerk go to roll call vote for introduction. >> first supervisor to introduce new business is supervisor yee. >> roll call for the
introduction of new business. >> submitted.
>> supervisor avalos.
>> thank you Madam Clerk and
colleagues happy new year I appreciate our presence E.R.
Presence I have a short thing to
discuss I'm interested in moving
forward on this year as we've
been part of san francisco's
been part of dealing with an
affordability crisis for a
number of years I dependent e expect it to ton through this
year and building that we need
to really support a lot of the
fonts outside of city hall were
desperately trying to have folks
stay in san francisco with policy
and I actually would like to see
if we can dwaej in another form
of a task force to look at that issue
perhaps being convened by the
controllers or the budget
analyst but not driven by anyone
in particular office but driven
by the great need we have to
make sure that our economy can
grow and lift all votes and not
just a few that are being lifted
in the city I want to propose
that is something we can engage
in I've talked with todd in the controller's office he's come from the puc that worked previously with the controller's office worked on a task force
that was around revenue back in
2004 under then supervisor and
that task force identified a
number of revenue ideas that in
the past 10 years many have been
implemented one from the
payrolling tax to the gross
receipts tax and looking at want
utility users fee in 2008, and
the discussion around the
transfer tax for properties over
several many millions of dollars
enacted in 2010 supports by the
board of supervisors we need a task force to address this critical issue addressing our
city and call but out to the
mayor staff and others in our
office as well to take part in
this effort one that maybe in a
decade from now we can look back at creating ideas helping people
to sty in the city
so call out controller at the
mayor's office to join me in the forest and look forward to your
part in that as well. >> thank you supervisor avalos
supervisor campos.
>> happy new year.
>> supervisor farrell
colleagues, I have one memoriam
for the memory of zeller backing
a civic leader in san francisco
an author and tv personality and
editor and native san franciscan
he passed away January 2nd,
2015, in her home she occupied
for 60 years she worked with the
american cancer society and
sponsored the mental illness
program see a and a board member
for the patrons muscular
dystrophy society and was part
of the correspondence foundation
and 2014 last year she was
honored for philanthropy she was
involved in many magazines he interviewed amazing
personalities like shirley
temple and andy war haul and dianne feinstein and bob hope
and joe montana and she was an
generator to 2007 survived by
her family and greatly missed in
san francisco the rest I submit. >> supervisor kim.
>> happy new year and submit. >> thank you, supervisor kim.
>> supervisor mar and submit. >> supervisor tang. >> thank you colleagues today,
I wanted to start off by
presenting an accumulation diane
if you want to come up (Clapping.)
So colleagues diane she's one of
our district 4 constituents
since 2003 I believe been part
of our neighborhood emergency
response team you know about
nert a wonderful program with the fire department that trains
neighbors and constituents how
it is to be better prepared for
an emergency and help each other
given many integers we have
monthly each other to help us in the critical hours immediately
following only emergency diana a
champion of the community and
convinced people to join nert so
we're trying to encourage our
folks it is heartbreaking that
diane is going to be roenl to be
close to her grandchildren I'm
thrilled for you but sad you're
going to be leaving us diane was born and raised in the sunset
and went to the schools and her
children did in addition to participating in nert she's
helped us tremendously in the
sunset for projects providing
blue print on trying to behalf
certain neighbors like the n
judah turn around and done so
much for the community we have
her our fire chief chief joanne
thank you for being here and the
trainer of nert and lieutenant erica who has been providing
training to all of us and andrea
jordan son and, of course, nert volunteers
Calling names:
Thank you all so much for being here and really paying our
respects to diane I hope all of
us b will continue our important
work despite you're not being in
san francisco I want to offer
you and our chief without
objection our lieutenant to say
a few words on our behalf diane. >> you want me to speak.
>> if you want to say.
>> thank you for this lovely honor katie it was wonderful
working with you in the sunset
and happy new year and gratifications for being President Of the board you
mentioned this was my project
awhile I was in a particular
position to be able to do some
of the work I did I stood on the
shoulder of many, many people
that preceded me and it involves fire chiefs of the fire
department and includes prior
kroertdz for the nert program
and includes to some stent the
decision of the mayor and the board of supervisors but in my
time I would like to say to each of you thank you for your
support we stand on the shoulder
that many, many people that
precede us and if I'd be able to
do anything it's because I was
in a group the advisors board
program in a group that was my
own team in the sunset and with other crossroads and teams throughout the city I know that
you hear that many, many times
it's better to be prepared than
not be prepared we keep saying
that we want people around the
city to venting it's been my
distinct privilege to push that
program so I thank you for this honor
Clapping:
>> thank you diane I'd like to
visit the chief again without
objection to say a few words. >> thank you supervisor tang and members of the board for
this opportunity I want to
motional or echo supervisor
tangs act clads for diane she's
been a contributor to our nert
she was born out of an
earthquake and when people want
to help the first responders we
need to have a formalized training program diane is a
champion of nert and relocating
to carlos bad I was visiting and
said that carlos bad will be
better off we'll truly Miss Her
great citizen we're both
lifelong residents she took her
role of being prepared and
having a plan in place of an
emergency seriously and diane
we'll Miss You thank you
Clapping:
So much has been said as a
program coordinator I'm guiding the program between the fire department and the people that
live and work in the city diane
has boost me up as well as I
tried to booster her thank you diane. >> thank you, very much for
being here today and colleagues next, I have an memoriam to
present which I would like that
we asking do so on behalf of the full board of supervisors it's
an incredible shock and sadness that today I'd like to
acknowledging a dear member of
our family we lost over the
family jerry lee the sf board of directors incredibly well known
for his contributions to the
community I apologize-and he
served on so many nonprofit
boards which is where we got to
know him the united way of the
elderly and the development
center and angle foundation he
has done so much and he joined sfmta board of directors in
2008, he was reappointed in you
2011 and he served as the vice chair of that board for many,
many years I have a served on
the policy and governance
committee he was director lee
the son of a restaurant cook and
grew up in chinatown he went to
all the schools here in san francisco and married his high
school sweetheart in 1975 today
he's he survived by 3 children
over 4 decades dle worked at ups
worked as a loader and unlowered
while he attended college an incredible employee and became
the manager the community
affairs he becoming began his
charity work and assist with the establishment of the department
of traffic he served as a liaison and developed the
manager structure for a pcos as
they transitioned from the sfpd
we'll certainly remember him for
his kind and generous spirit on a personal note, I came to know
jerry when I worked as a
elective aid I invited me to
many events I believe that he's
like an angle on earth his
passing was a shock I want to
wish his family and colleagues
and mta board and department
again we'll Miss Director lee very much. >> thank you supervisor tang
it's indeed a great loss we lost
jerry when I thought about back
about his background I also
thought him as anybody in the
same neighborhood I grew up in
and how much overlap I actually
know more about the community
more so than being at city hall
and like he went to washington
irving and we were probable
having overlap there I'm a
little bit older than him, I
didn't have any overlap of
junior high at the time when we
went to galileo and we offer los angeles police department there
and went to city college when I
was probably around when he
first started we overlap I never
knew him before being an adult I
met him working in the community
in the chinese new year parade
he was your how do you say you
can't have a parade without
jerry he's been there ever sense
he was in college he kept on
doing this is type of commitment someone from the community that
didn't turn his back from the
community and continued to as he
served citywide continued to be serving on a lot of boards in
the community in chinatown and
when I saw him at events when I
was working in the community
event after event I finally
asked who's this guy I was at
every event I want him on the board I was accident executive
order on the services at the time, and eventually I convinced
him to be on the board I was so
glad he was a bundle of energy
and cared about our children and
parent and families
and I went the first time I was
able to and this is again, this
describes he worked at ups
loading trucks and climgd the
all ready and be the law son
with community members although
he had a pretty large portfolio in terms of the region he'd have
to pay attention to in regards
to the ups he needed to get the
community where he came from one
day he said we're going to do something for children's
services so I go down to ups
he's in his brown uniform and starts talking about like I
didn't work there before I said
oh, by the way, I'm coming home
today, I worked in the late 60s
loading trucks I'm really going
to Miss Him, I think people in
the community and a lot of
people added city hall will miss
him, I want to send my
condolences to his family dead
on arrival lane one of the sons
went to school with any daughter
and his wife I knew the family
her sister and so forth so, yeah
like I said we're going to Miss
Him thank you. Thank you, supervisor kim.
>> I also met jerry when I was
a youth organizer one of the
first years he actually
organized ups to do a fundraiser
and we volunteered at this great
event in many ways how we met jerry was because of his service
to his neighborhood and
community and his investment to making sure he was also given back to the neighborhood I grew
up in pr I was prickled to work with jerry all those years and when I joined the board of supervisors he was already
serving as a director on the
board of sfmta
and what an incredible service
he's provided to our city and communities we fight for individual like
jerry in the private sector and
fight for folks in the private
sector to be like jerry someone
that understands the city
they're part of jerry is also committed to you making sure
they're hiring locally and ups
really, really good jobs whether
in the tenderloin or chinatown
or the bay area jerry would
e-mail our office and asked us if individuals needed an incredible opportunity to be
employed in our city and he was
also looking for organization to
fund that were doing good work
he did a lot for glide church in
the tenderloin and it was in his
heart he didn't do it base the
community pressured him or to
push for that that wasn't his
job area but ups is an
incredible partner in san
francisco because of jerry lee
there's a huge void a huge void
we'll see in his passing and leadership
I will really Miss His heart the
most he-was so sincere and
dedicated in his mission to make
sure that everyone could enjoy
the opportunities and privileges
he fought for in his life I want
to thank him for his service his
passing was a huge shock we
depended on on his voice in
sfmta to fight for public safety
and to fight for muni for our low income communities our youth
and seniors and I wanted to
thank him and his family for his
work and just recognize the loss
that we are feeling thank you supervisor mar.
>> thank you supervisor katie
tang for allowing us time to
talk about jerry I'll Miss Him
as well pr I think no greater example of jerry condolences to
his children and family I think
I met him during the agreeing in
his administration over 25 years
ago but seeing him supporting all the community-based groups on a leadership level that the
city the amazing work with the
mta and the board to the
cracking of the original ta c
and the taxi work in the lasts
80s and 90s and I'll Miss Him
tremendously I really thank him
and his family for the contributions to this city. >> thank you supervisor mar I
wanted to monopolies there will
be a memorial service for
director lee this sunday on
January 11th it will take place at is it fair to say middle
school from 10:00 A.M. To 330
people the family asked if you
have funny steroids come and
bring those and he has a giant
fan with that, I submit it.
>> thank you supervisor tang supervisor kim.
>> roll call for the
introduction of new business.
>> oh, submit okay. >> supervisor mar. >> submit.
>> supervisor tang
supervisor wiener
Madam President that concluded
the roll call for new business
Madam Clerk if we could get oh, supervisor cowen. >> my apologies supervisor
cowen our staff took you off
roll call today submit.
>> thank you very much.
Laughter: Madam President
>> thank you and now if we can Madam Clerk go to general public comment.
>> the next opportunity is the general public period to speak
will matters in the jurisdiction
of the board.
>> first speaker please.
>> good afternoon, members of
the board and fell residents first, I want to introduce
myself I'm larry blake I've acknowledged in san francisco
for 35 years of my life residing
in the castro since 19983 and
the issue I'm bringing forward I
have e-mailed a letter to each
the supervisors and the mayor
and it regards the program I
know my district supervisor supervisor wiener is part of
first of all, I'd like to read
the letter I sent and here it is
where does that go.
>> sfgovtv please.
>> so recently, I received a
pamphlet in the mail addressed
to postal customers several
facts this year in are
observations by opinions their
instead opinions I wish to
rental my disagreement the idea concentrated in the pamphlet
that a neighborhood is allowed
to buy city services including the san francisco police
officers and ours I find such a
policy is entrenched of
inequality that can tear a
neighborhood apart I see my time
is running out quickly the
letter is before you
specifically as I said you
dedicated police services to be
not privy to this kind of
funding I support many of the
other programs like outreach to
the homeless and drug addicts of the neighborhood thank you for your time.
>> thank you. Next speaker.
Please.
>> supervisor tang and other
victims of the ca ball I'll
christopher I live on-I rise
to comment on the price of our roof in the city and county of san francisco for the last 40
years more or less I've been listening to a litigate necessary of choir of complaints
about the amount of money be to
put the reef over ones head in
the 40 years santa the
population is $2 billion to 8
billion it's reasonable to
assume the progression of those
people want to live here the
housing is grown by a factor of
4 hundred percent at the same
time the price per bedroom is 4
hundred to 16 hundred a most an increase of 4 hundred percent
the same as the demand is it a coincide I don't think so it's
an issue of supply and demand
we're watching the price of oil
fall we could watch the price of
housing go up after a major
earthquake or the price could stabilize the problem in san
francisco is that the supply of
housing is only gown up thirty
percent no where near enough to
satisfy demand how week he
supply the supply side we can turn treasure island development authority board into manhattan
or deck or buyer the streets and
increase the area by 40 percent
or build 5 story buildings longer than our coast or wait
for the next earthquake and let
it work on the demand side thank you supervisor tang.
>> thank you. >> thank you. Next speaker, please. >> thank you so much
supervisor tang and the members
of the board I'm jackie a worker
living in the goldberg building
in hayes valley it is proposed for designation and on our agenda today as a proposed
ordinance I want to thank you for your consideration of this
beautiful building for a
landmark designation it was the
price winner it was designed and
a theatre architect bernard
joseph in 1911 I am privileged
to live in the building it has
the name engraved in the top of
building I live alongside my different neighborhood a fellow
tenant and beverly is the
executive director of the
domestic violence and we've been
in tough with a grandchildren
and she pushed a book about the
grandfather and they're in
support of the landmarking this
treasure of a building thank you
so much for your consideration and thank you
thank you any other members of
the public?
>> thank you
excuse me. Tom two townsend
all the times which opened 26
years ago last August my parents
moved in November of 1988 I
moved in December of 1988 and
been there ever sense 10 years
ago my rent check increased that
I $390 and last year $390 they
took $100 off because 2 townsend
was illegal and this year my
rent check will go up $400 those
are robbery one hundred years theodore roosevelt they're
living and doing well in san
francisco yes high rents across
the nation we don't have to follow the nation
you don't have to study we need to do something a little bit better
and it looks like the economics
from silicon valley are just
going to continue unless we do
something to help us thirty
years ago the apartments got $44 million from the state
issued by the redevelopment in the city
and in January 1st of this year,
the 60 units of blow market rate
units will expire and of the 83
we have we'll only have 23 left
those are the only people that
have stayed in the area for a
long time do we want to have housing or make investment for rich people and folks that live
outside of the area I believe we
need to make a turn around and
help the people that are living in homes thank you. >> thank you very much any
other members of the public that
want to speak during public
comment seeing none, public comment is closed Madam Clerk read the moirmd. >> today's meeting will be
adjourned on behalf of supervisor farrell for the late
Mrs. Merry la and at the
suggestion of commissioner tang on behalf of the board of
supervisors for the late
commissioner jerry lee.
>> I'd like to thank sfgovtv
jonathan and jessie larson and Madam Clerk, any other business before this committee? >> that concludes our business for today.
