City and County of San Francisco Tuesday, February 05, 2019
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Gigi good afternoon and .
>> President Yee: good afternoon and welcome to the
February 5, 2019 meeting of the san francisco board of supervisors.
Let's see -- oh, I know what I
want to say. [Speaking foreign language]
>> President Yee: so happy new year, and happy year of the pig.
This is for the lunar new year.
Madam Clerk, right now, I'd like to ask everyone to join me in the pledge of allegiance.
Before we do that, I want to do
something directly, which is to call roll.
please have a seat.
>> clerk: thank you.
[Roll Call]
>> clerk: Mr. President, all
members are present.
>> President Yee: thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, would you please join me in the pledge of allegiance.
[Pledge of allegiance]
>> President Yee: okay. On behalf of the board, I would like to acknowledge the staff
at sfgovtv who record each of the meetings and make the transcript available to the public on-line. Madam Clerk r there any communications?
>> clerk: there are none to
report, Mr. President.
>> President Yee: okay.
Could we have -- colleagues,
today, we are approving the
minutes from the December 18, 2018 board meeting. Are there any changes to these meeting minutes? Seeing none, can I have a motion to approve the minutes at presented?
Motion by -- as presented? >> motion by supervisor safai
and seconded by supervisor fewer.
Could I have a roll call.
>> clerk: on the meeting
minutes --
[Roll Call]
>> clerk: there are 11 ayes.
>> President Yee: okay. Motion passes. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk, could you read the consent agenda one through six.
>> clerk: one through six are on the consent calendar. These items are considered to be routine. If a member objects, an item May be removed and considered separately.
>> President Yee: colleagues,
would anyone like to sever any items from the consent agenda?
Seeing none, Madam Clerk,
please call the roll for items one through six.
>> Supervisor Peskin: can we do
it, same house, same call?
>> President Yee: better yet, motion passes for item one through six. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk, let's go to the real agenda. Please call the next item.
>> clerk: item seven is an
ordinance to order the vacation
of streets and earn easements
in the runny daily hope sf
project site to reserve public utility and certain easement rights on behalf of the city,
to authorize the city to quitclaim its railroad in the vacation areas to housing authority and to affirm the ceqa determination and to make the appropriate findings.
>> President Yee: okay.
Colleagues, can we take this same house, same call? Without objection, the ordinance is finally passed. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk,
please call items eight through 13.
>> clerk: items 8 through 13 comprise the appeal of the categorical exemption granted
for the project located at 3637 through 3757 sacramento street
and a conditional use appeal
for the same project address.
Items eight through ten are
specific motions for the affirmation of the department's
determination or the motion to conditionally reverse the department ease determination that the sacramento street
project is categorically exempt
from further environmental review, and item ten is to direct the motion of the preparation of findings.
Items 11 through 13 are the items specific to the conditional use authorization grants for the sacramento street project.
Item 11 is the motion to approve the department's
decision to approve the
conditional use. Item 12 conditionally disapproves the condition use
authorization, and item 13 is
the motion to approve the conditional findings.
>> President Yee: okay. Supervisor stefani, would you
looic to share your remarks.
>> Supervisor Stefani: yes. Thank you, President Yee.
With regard to eights eight through ten, the ceqa -- items
eight through ten, the ceqa appeal, I believe the planning department properly reviewed
the project and that a class 31 exemption was appropriate in this case.
Therefore, I'd like to move to affirm the determination made by the planning department that
the proposed project at 3637
and 3657 sacramento street is categorically exempt from further environmental review
and deny the motion in item nine.
>> President Yee: okay.
>> Supervisor Peskin: I'll second.
>> President Yee: so we have a
motion to approve items eight,
and to table nine and ten.
We have a second by supervisor safai.
Colleagues, can we take this
same house, same call? Okay.
Items are approved.
>> clerk: Mr. President, items
eight were approved, and items
nine and ten were tabled.
11 and 13 are before the board.
>> President Yee: okay. >> Supervisor Stefani: President Yee, can we rerefer
itemed 11, 12, and -- items 11, 12, and 13?
I have a few items that I need to review with the city attorney.
>> President Yee: okay. There is a motion to rerefer.
Do I need a second for this? There's a second, supervisor ronen, so we'll refer this item to further notice.
Okay.
Let's go onto --
>> clerk: item 14?
>> President Yee: item 14, the next item, please.
>> clerk: item 14 is an ordinance to delegate authority
to the general manager of the san francisco public utilities commission to enter into a 20 year term grant agreement for
the city's infrastructure green
program subject to a July 1, 2020 sunset date.
>> President Yee: okay. Colleagues, is there a
speaker -- yes, supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: that was for the last item.
>> President Yee: sorry about that.
Colleagues, can we take this same house, same call? without objection, this ordinance is finally passed. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk,
please call the next item.
>> clerk: item 14 is an item
to appropriate $1 million to
2006 and 2007 nonbond reserves
to the rossi pool project and
to reprop that amount to the golden gate park golf course clubhouse project in fiscal
year 2018 through 19.
>> President Yee: colleagues, can we take this item same house, same call? Without objection, the
ordinance is passed on first reading unanimously. Madam Clerk, please call the next item.
>> clerk: item 16 is a resolution to retroactively authorize the department of public health behavioral health
services to enter into a
multiyear amendment for an incident governmental agreementor substance use disorder services with the
state department of health care
services for approximately 145
million for the retroactive
term of June 30, 2017 to June 30, 2018, and to execute the
agreement and to approve amounts for less than 10% of the contracted amount.
>> President Yee: okay.
Supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank
you, President Yee and colleagues.
As you know, I am on a terror on retroactivity, so I would like to hear from the department a story that has a reasonable beginning, middle,
and end as to why this is retroactive.
>> President Yee: is there a
representative from the department?
Why don't we continue this item
to -- further down the
agenda -- the meeting.
Do we need a motion for that? We don't. Okay. Okay. Thank you.
Let's go to item numbers 17 and 18.
>> clerk: items 17 and 18 are two resolutions to approve two emergency declarations from the san francisco public utilities commission.
Item 17 repairs the southeast treatment plant final he flunt
forced main for a total --
effluent forced main, and item
18 repairs the toting treatment ducts.
>> President Yee: supervisor
peskin -- I have a comment?
>> Supervisor Peskin: yeah. I hate to be the good government nerd, but somebody has to do it.
So when is an emergency an emergency?
There are emergencies that
happen, like, at moccasin dam. That is a true emergency.
But when you know you have ageing infrastructure, and the
department in this case invoked
admin code six, which is the
emergency works and repairs contract provision, and article 21 with the emergency procurement provisions of our administrative code, and there
was every bit of evidence that everybody knew that this was
ageing infrastructure, I do not deny that we need to do the
repairs, but I would -- I want
to get the sfpuc on the
straight and narrow, and if I
could ask Mr. Scarpulla, who I warned I was going to ask to bring up to speak to this, because the next item is also an emergency declaration from the same agency.
So Mr. Scarpulla through the President, if you'd be willing to speak to that. And of course, you're going to
be on the hot seat for item 19, as well.
>> good afternoon, supervisors.
John sparpulla with sfpuc.
So the water infrastructure is ageing.
It's reaching the end of its
useful life, which is why we have the infrastructure repair program. It is correct that a lot of
this infrastructure is reaching
the end of its useful life cycle.
This item is an out fall that
we're planning to do a major project to. It's in a sensitive environment which means we have to work
with the army corps of engineers, state water
resources control board, E.P.A. And a whole host of other agencies to complete this project. Unfortunately, this failure, this crack happened before we could finish the design for that project.
So that project is happening.
It's a bigger fix.
We cannot, though, not fix this
crack prior to completing the
large project, so we implemented the emergency declaration, got out there and started doing the work to ensure this didn't result in a complete break of the pipe which would have been even
worse to have a three-foot
sewer broken into a creek that
the public can access and also have potential serious
regulatory engagement based on that.
>> President Yee: supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: well, when you call the next item, I'd like to hear the story on the next item. >> sounds good.
>> President Yee: okay. Colleagues, can we take these
two items, same house, same call? Without objection, these resolutions are adopted unanimously. Madam Clerk, please call the next item.
>> clerk: item 19 is a
resolution to retroactively approve a contract agreement with southern california edison
company for supplies of renewable energy for CleanPowersf for a contract
term of one year from January
1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 in an amount not to exceed 24 million.
>> President Yee: supervisor peskin.
>> Supervisor Peskin: so different nerdly issue. This is -- nerdy issue.
This is retroactivity. And I'm doing this because this
is a new board, and new boards start slipping.
When they learn we've got to hold them all accountable, they
start to do it right.
So Mr. Scarpulla, what is your
story with relation to
retroactive to this matter. And what is going on with this matter, and when are you going to stop? >> good afternoon, supervisors.
John scarpulla.
This one is a renewal with
edison for our clean power roll out.
This is when we plan to
complete city enrollment of CleanPowersf customers, which is pretty exciting. Our commission approved us to move forward on December 15. Edison said that if we did not lock in the contract for this
large amount of power, 300,000
megawatts worth of energy in
January, then they could not
guarantee this energy would be
available in our April enrollment. Our goal is to not come back to
you with any other retroactive approvals. Supervisor peskin provided good guidance on how that can not
happen, so laying out the plan readings, the power mark is a
little finicky because you have to move quickly to secure power. So I'm excited to meet with our city attorney on friday and the
director of our CleanPowersf program -- we cannot come back
with more of those retroactive contracts, so what's the best
way to do it such as early readings. So that's the reason, and we do not plan to come back.
>> through the President To Mr.
Scarpulla and the sfpuc, I appreciate that. The reason I bring this up, I don't want this elected body to be a rubber stamp.
I don't want departments to think they can enter into these contracts and then couple and
ask the board for permission or forgiveness after the act.
So that's -- I'm not picking on the P.U.C. We've got a few more of these
coming up for different
agencies, but this is a fundamental charter power that's delegated on this body.
So I appreciate that, and there
are extraordinary circumstances
where retroactivity and emergency declarations make sense.
I just don't want that to be commonplace, and I want all of the departments to understand that. So that's what this exercise is about, and thank you. >> understood. Thank you, sir.
>> President Yee: all right.
Thank you, supervisor peskin, for your nerdy questions. Colleagues, can we take this same house, same call? Without objection, this resolution is adopted unanimously.
Madam Clerk, please call items -- [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk,
please call items 20 through 29.
>> clerk: items 20 through 29 are being called together.
The first bundle are items 20 through 22. Here are three resolutions to
approve leases with the san francisco international airport
with the same vendor, inmotion entertainment group, L.L.C.
Item 20 approved the terminal one concession retile lease for
a ten year term and first year
minimum annual guarantee of 405,000.
item 2 approves the electronic
store lease in terminals e and
d for a first year term and mag
of 324,000.
Item 23 is a resolution to
retroactively approve the first modification to a lease between the united states government and the city for space occupied
by the united states federal bureau of investigation at the international terminal to extend the term for up to three
years and increase for an
annual rent to approximately 615,000.
Second bundle is items 24 through 29. Here are six resolutions that
approval leases with the san francisco international airport
and the following vendors. For item 24, this item is
proves the terminal retain
concession lease number four between l' occitane with two one-year options to extend and the first-year minimum annual
guarantee or a mag of 135,000.
Item 25 approved terminal boarding area e and
international terminal boarding
area g for a ten-year term and
a first-year mag of 250,000.
Item 26 approves a terminal one
retail concession less number five between marshall retail
group, L.L.C. And the city for
a ten-year term and a first-year mag of 440,000.
Item 27 approves the terminal
one retail concession lease
number seven between skyline
concessions, inc, and the city for a seven year and two one-year options to extend with
a first-year mag of 220,000.
Item 28 approves the retail terminal less concession
between raca, inc and the city
for a ten year term with two
one-year options to extend and
a first-year mag of 125,000.
>> President Yee: okay. Thank you. Does any supervisor want to
sever any of these items? Supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: 23.
>> President Yee: 23? Supervisor safai?
>> Supervisor Safai: I was going to ask for the same one, 23.
>> President Yee: 23.
>> Supervisor Safai: yeah.
>> President Yee: okay.
Madam Clerk, could I take items
20 through 29, except for 23, same house, same call.
Without objection, then, these
items pass -- are adopted unanimously. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank you chair -- President Yee.
This has nothing to do with the fact that this happens to be a lease to the federal bureau of investigation, which I have
mixed feelings about.
I remember Mr. Mueller when he
ran the fbi in town, he did a bang-up job. This is actually the same as the previous issue, this resolution is retroactive, and
I wanted to give the port --
sorry, the airport the opportunity to speak to why it
is retroactive and see whether they have a story that has a
good beginning, middle, and an end.
>> President Yee: is there a rep from the airport? Yes. Come on up. >> good afternoon.
Kathy widener with the san francisco international airport through the President To supervisor peskin.
The lease with the fbi at the airport does require
retroactivity to January 4 of 2019. While the lease was approved at our commission in November, staff experienced a delay in getting the required signature
on the lease from the federal general services administration
that administers all federal agency leases and putting us in the position where we ended up
submitting the item to the clerk during the winter recess. So it's not something we ever
plan on, and we try and avoid. It's not part of our practice
to come to you and seeking retroactivity.
>> President Yee: supervisor peskin.
>> Supervisor Peskin: and supervisor yee, colleagues, I want to say, no disrespect to
the sfpuc, the airport is
actually much better at not bringing retroactive instruments than other enterprise agencies and other general fund departments.
So I do want to acknowledge
that and thank you, Miss
Widener, for your candid answer.
>> President Yee: supervisor satisfy safai?
>> Supervisor Safai: yeah. Just didn't have the pleasure of sitting in the budget committee, but just wanted to ask a couple of things about how long the fbi's been out of the airport. and then, the second question
was, I noticed as part of the
lease that you offer free eight parking spots, and it was
counter to our transit first policy of the city.
Every member here has to pay for parking. Almost everybody in the city
has to pay for parking, so I'm
just wondering why that's included in your normal negotiations. I understand that it would make sense under previous circumstances, we would aunt to
encourage in and out parking,
but why is it not included in
some form of compensation to the city and county, through the chair.
>> through the President, supervisor safai, as far as I
know, the fbi has been at the airport for more than -- a long time. I don't have the exact date of when they started having a
presence there. I would be happy to follow up
from you -- with you on that.
In terms of the parking, again, the general services administration has a policy against paying for parking
outside of rent for federal agencies.
We have experienced this before. We try and capture some of that cost in the formulation that determines their -- what they
pay per square foot, but they
are not allowed to pay for
parking on top of their rental payments.
>> President Yee: supervisor?
>> Supervisor Safai: that -- that pretty much answers any question.
i think, though, that we should figure out a way to have
some -- if you're capturing the cost and the lease, and you're
not allowed to -- don't we have the ability to craft the leases based on the policies that we have in the city?
So I could figure out another
way to have that compensation captured. >> I can look into that and ask our city attorneys to help us with that.
>> >> Supervisor Safai: thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President.
>> President Yee: okay. Colleagues, can we take item 23, same house, same call?
Without objection, then, this resolution is adopted
unanimously. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk, can we call item number 30.
>> clerk: item 30 is a resolution to authorize the
execution and delivery of a multifamily housing revenue
house in an amount not to exceed approximately 62.1 million to provide financing for the construction
of a 143-unit multieye family
rental housing project known as 1990 folsom.
>> President Yee: okay. Supervisors safai?
>> Supervisor Safai: oh, no, sorry about that.
>> President Yee: okay. I don't see anybody wanting to speak. Colleagues, can we take this same house, same call? Without objection, the resolution is adopted unanimously.
Madam Clerk, can you please call the next item. [Gavel].
>> clerk: item 31 was referred without recommendation from the budget and finance committee.
The resolution to approve a vertical disposition and development agreement between
the port and a joint venture
between T.M.G. Partners and
presidio bay ventures for the
sale of parcel k north located at illinois street by the port commission and to adopt the appropriate findings.
>> President Yee: okay.
Nobody on the roster, so is
there a motion to adopt this
resolution as -- I'm sorry, can
we take this same house, same call? Okay. Without objection, this
ordinance is finally passed. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk,
could we have item --
>> clerk: 32.
>> President Yee: 32.
>> clerk: I'd 31 is an
ordinance to amend the public works code to allow five members ber of the board of supervisors to schedule an administrative hearing before
the board regarding potential revocation of a major encroachment permit when the director of public works has
not taken stepped to timely schedule or issue a hearing regarding the revocation and to
affirm the ceqa determination.
>> President Yee: colleagues, can we take this roll call on
this item, or can we just take
this same house --
>> clerk: same house, same call.
>> President Yee: okay. same house, same call.
Without objection, this item passes first reading unanimously. Madam Clerk, call the next item. [Please stand by]
>> in order to help horace mann k. Through eight school in the mission create the first ever school-based stay over program for the housing secure --
housing secure students and families pick the school
principal is also here, who had the original vision for this
program over a year ago, as a way to provide temporary sanctuary for homeless and
housing and secure families at the school who did not have a
secure place to sleep at night. At the time, after she had
approached us, I approached then school board commissioner scott schumann walton and matt haney,
two partnered together to make
this happen -- to partner together to make this happen
pick up the time, one of the key tasks to make it possible for families to be able to stay over the school -- at the school over
night was to renovate the bathrooms, make them handicap
accessible, put showers in so that families could use them
when they needed them, and we didn't have funds for that
project acts of the first person that we thought of to help us brainstorming how we were going to make this happen without any funds was one of our true
guardian angels of the city and county of san francisco, and one of the kindest and most caring and creative individuals that I
know, supervisor devon dusty,
and he had the brilliant idea of connecting us with david turton, who I met for the first time on
this project. David leads the san francisco
office of jones lang, one of the premier commercial development consultants in the world, and david is also the recent President Of the alumni, and has a deep, deep personal and long-term commitment to addressing the plight of homeless students. He immediately agreed to get on
board. And then devon said, but you also cannot do this without the
brilliant and talented and, and brought her into the project.
She is one of the great commission leaders and activists. She is also a brilliant
architect who helps design the mission campus for city college,
as well as the renovation of the
ferry building.
With this dynamic trio, we got all of the needed improvements taken care of, and pretty much
did it and ripped -- record time, given san francisco's slow
pace of getting anything of this size done. David also engaged a number of
contractors to help with the shower construction, and in --
and the design associates. They designed all the needed
changes and managed hundreds of logistical details.
Devon kept us all in the loop throughout the process, and was
really the project cheerleader, kind of giving us the buzz behind the scenes that we needed
to make this happen, and we also wanted to really send a shout out and thank all the pro bono contractors who worked on this under the leadership of this
team.
There are so many people to
thank.
This really was a herculean effort of so many people who
care so deeply about our students in this city, and making sure they have a safe
place to sleep at night. Thank you so, so much for your
dedication to those that are
facing homelessness at the
moment. We cannot thank you enough. Before I turn it over to you, I
wanted to give supervisors walton and haney a opportunity
to see things as well. >> thank you supervisor ronen. I definitely want to start off
by saying that this is a real
innovative solution to a major
problem that exists in the city. We talk about combating homelessness, and having a
school principal step up and
offer a school site to provide overnight sleep services for our family use is very important.
We talk about how we can address the homeless issues that address
in our city, and opening up a school, nothing like this has
been done before, so I just want
to honor claudia, the principal
at the school, and also supervisor ronen for her leadership, but I do want to say that I want to thank the
district for commissioner haney,
and all of our commissioners on the board of education who pushed very hard to make this a reality along with the leadership at the school. I really see this as a model that can work to help us try to end homelessness for our students and our families in the
city. And so that is something I see that will be important for the
future, and I do want to thank our honourees today for stepping
up and really working swiftly to give us what we needed to make sure that the work that needed to happen at the school happened, so I'm excited to see
you here with the overlap of the work in the district, and now being here on the board of
supervisors to see it all coming
to fruition. It would not have happened without your support and your work. I want to thank the three of you and I'm honored to be here as we
have this commendation.
>> okay.
Go ahead. >> I. Don't have a whole lot to add to that. I want to say thank you to the
three of you. Supervisor ronen said it took an old -- all-star team to make
something that most people and most cities would have thought would have been impossible, and
to have a solution to what is
our most endemic and urgent
challenge that we have is a city, especially when it impacts
families, and to say, well, we have space, we have schools, can
be used that? And to have that creative thinking, and have the community come together, and the school
leadership said, yes, we want this, this will help our families, and to have the
families come along and be
supportive of that, and for the school district and the city, this wouldn't have happened without supervisor ronen and
carolyn, and your entire team, and how you brought us all together.
It was an incredible reflection of what we can do when we don't
just accept the restrictions or the boundaries that often determine what is possible. Thank you for coming together and being part of it.
Thank you commissioner and now supervisor walton. People say that we are school board members, it is because of the amazing work that we were able to do when we work together.
Congratulations.
[Applause]
>> I want to thank you,
supervisor ronen, and supervisor -- I'm going to forget
everybody's names, supervisor walton and haney.
If it hadn't been for the 25 years of working with a repeat
client like san francisco unified school district, I don't think we would be here. I knew how to pull the project
together, and I think that devon
owes me his firstborn.
[Laughter]
>> I want to also think don,
nathan, for their ability to
pull things together.
Part of this, I've had a working relationship with san francisco
school district for over 25 years. I've been a business in san francisco for over 25 years,
almost a legacy business, and it is my office of commitment to reinvesting community, but there's long-standing relationships that I've had in
working in my field, such as my
good friend antonio from ruiz
construction, and angelo. we have worked together for a
long time. This is a really important job to come to the assistance of the
supervisor to address the needs of the homeless families and
district nine. The gentrification is causing
havoc in the district, and the continued high density market
rate housing, which I called density dumping in the mission.
It has decreased latino
populations from 78%, to currently, 48% in the last ten
years. This is why I urge all the
supervisors to look on the west
side of the city to do more high density housing, rather than
dumping it in the red line in districts that stretch from the
bayview to chinatown. Thank you.
[Applause]
>> good afternoon, everybody. I am a native san franciscan. I want to thank supervisor ronen and her staff, and the
leadership and the great team we have assembled. A very brief comment, we were honored to help. I can't imagine a more
vulnerable and needy group of
people than homeless families in san francisco. It was easy to get people
together to get this job done, and we are thrilled to be here.
I want to say thank you for the opportunity.
[Applause]
[Laughter]
>> Madam Clerk?
>> okay, let's continue.
Madam Clerk, can you bring back
item number 11 through 13?
>> items 11 through 13, pertain to the conditional use
authorization for 3637 through 3637 sacramento street.
>> okay. Supervisor stefani, would you
like to make some comments? >> yes, thank you President He. I would like to continue this
item for one week. The project sponsor and the appellants are in favor of that continuance, and I believe we
are within our timeframe. The deputy city attorney is
shaking his head yes, so if we
can, I would like to continue these three items to the next
board meeting next week. >> there is a motion made by
supervisor stefani, and seconded by supervisor peskin to continue this item until the next meeting
next week.
>> February 12th.
>> February 12th. Rollcall, please.
[Roll Call]
>> mr President, there are ten
aye.
>> so the motion passes. Madam Clerk, please call items
34 through 36.
>> thirty-four through 30 -- 36 are three motions that appoint supervisor matt haney to the
following three bodies. Item 34, to the association of
bay area governments executive board term ending June 30th,
2020, for the transbay joint powers authority for an indefinite term, and for item
36, to the san francisco local agency formation commission,
term ending February 4th, 2022. >> okay, colleagues can we have a motion to excuse supervisor haney?
>> so moved. >> motion made by supervisor peskin and seconded by
supervisor his safai
okay.
There is a motion to excuse supervisor haney.
Can we take this same house same call?
Motion passes unanimously.
Madam Clerk, can you recall 34 through 36? >> items 34 through 36. >> yes. >> item 34 through 36,. [Roll Call]
.
>> you are not permitted to be in here.
[Roll Call]
>> there are ten aye.
>> thank you. This motion is approved
unanimously.
Madam Clerk, please call the next item. >> item 37 is a motion to
appoint supervisor catherine
stefani as an alternate member to the san francisco bay conservation and development commission for an indefinite
term. >> colleagues, can we have a motion to excuse supervisor
stefani?
Motion made by supervisor brown
and seconded by supervisor fewer
please call rollcall on this
item. >> you have excused supervisor
stefani, mr President, on a motion made by supervisor and fewer without objection? >> without objection, the motion
passes.
Supervisor peskin? >> on this item, in order for
supervisor stefani to attend the
bcdc meeting on the seventh, you
will need to convey that to bcdc
today or tomorrow.
>> stuff are prepared to do that. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> okay. Rollcall, please.
[Roll Call]
>> there are ten aye. >> thank you.
Without objection, this motion is approved unanimously. Madam Clerk, please call the next item.
>> on item 38, this is a motion to appoint supervisor walton to the golden gate bridge highway and transportation district,
board of directors for a term
ending January 31st, 2021. >> okay. Colleagues, can we make a motion
to excuse supervisor walton?
Motion made by supervisor brown,
seconded by supervisor safai.
Without objection, supervisor
walton is excused. Madam Clerk, please call role on this item.
[Roll Call]
>> there are ten aye. >> thank you. Without objection, the motion is approved unanimously. Madam Clerk, please call the next item.
>> item 39 is a motion to appoint supervisor gordon moore to the san francisco local
agency formation commission,
term ending February 4th, 2022 >> can we have a motion to
excuse supervisor mar?
Made by supervisor peskin and made by supervisor ronen.
Motion to excuse supervisor mar,
can we take this without objection?
Supervisor mar is excused. Madam Clerk, roll call on this item.
[Roll Call]
>> there are ten aye. >> without objection, this
motion is approved unanimously. Please call the next item. >> item 40 is a motion to make the following appointments to
the shelter monitoring committee terms ending January 1st,
2020, and terms ending generally
first, 2021. >> Madam Clerk, please call role on this item.
[Roll Call]
>> there are 11 aye. >> this motion is approved
unanimously. So, what time is it?
252 P.M. >> mr President?
Can we go back to item 16? >> I see that the rib
representative from a bh is here would you like to come up to the
podium?
Supervisor peskin?
>> through the President To the representative of the department
of public health, I don't know -- I assume you've been informed about the questions I asked with
regard to item 16, relative to
retroactivity, but if not, I'm
happy to restate them >> I can explain why it's retroactive.
>> can you say your name for the record through the President? >> my name is laurel sneed, I'm
an analyst at D.P.H.
So this is an amendment , but
adding additional funding to an
already executed contract that
is a multiyear contract that started in 2017, so they are adding additional funds this
year, sorry, I'm a little bit
nervous, adding more for a dip -- administrative functions that
we already have to do.
They are giving us a way to be reimbursed for it to. Since a contract is multiyear,
it becomes retroactive, even though the changes only for this year. Week we received the contract
from the state on October 22nd , and beebe again -- began the legislative process at that
time.
>> supervisor peskin? >> would your colleague like to add anything to that?
I see there are two of you. >> I'm director of the health
services.
Regarding the contract, I think laurel answered the contract was
already retroactive. Is there something about the
services I can answer, or any other question? >> no, this is really solely and
absolutely about why this is a
retroactive approval.
>> this is the way of the contract comes to us from the state to, and the timeline that
they sent to us is based on the timeline that we are
participating in. So that is usually how it is
structured, this is like any
county participating in this.
It is nothing unique that we are
experiencing.
The occasion that this stayed many times does though she
wanted it to be retroactive because they are structured. Even though it is not to be operationalized on the county
level. >> mr President, colleagues,
with all due respect to the individuals here from the department of public health, and
I'm not in any way trying to be mean-spirited, this is not a story that has a beginning,
middle, or an end that makes any sense to me. I'm happy to have more
information
respectfully, the department of public health is a two billion
dollar a year organization, and
I realize you have a new leader
at the top, and I would like dr
koufax to succeed.
Insofar as you are asking for a rubber stamp of approval of a
retroactive agreement that you've already basically said yes to, I don't think there is
any injury that will happen to you if we continue this item, so
that we can actually get to the bottom of why and how this is
happening. It's very -- you are the third
agency today that we have
interviewed about this, and it
occurs to me that all 11 members
of this body no that when we
want to deal with a legislative matter at the airport, there is
one legislative liaison to the lawmaking body, the legislative branch of government. We all know who that is.
When we have the same issue at the S.F. P.U.C., we all know
that we are going to call him. I cannot, for the life of me,
was has been a supervisor on and
off the board for twenty years, know who your legislative
liaison -- are not saying this to you as individuals, I'm saying this to you as an organization that has ten
thousand employees, to hospitals, at a two billion
dollar budget, I could not -- I don't think any of my colleagues, correct me if I'm wrong, you can tell the. Person
is for -- and I don't like to create new positions in government, but you might need one. Generally when I see something
like this, as I did today, I
will have questions for you at the board of supervisors. Today I called next I have questions for you. I don't like to blindside people. I don't know who to call in your department.
That is not a good thing. Maybe we can continue this item for a week, get some good
answers and on the record next week. I would like to make a motion to continue this one week. I don't think there is any harm.
>> there is a motion made by supervisor peskin and seconded
by supervisor ronen to continue this item for one week to our
next meeting of the twelfth.
Can we take this --
supervisor mandelman? >> thank you. Is there any harm in waiting a week?
>> they already have the money. >> we don't already have the
money.
So this is a routine agreement
with the county, and the
department of public health that's been going on in one form
or another for the last thirty
five years, and this is the
standard away that the state handles this contract, so we
haven't had a problem with this
issue up until this.
There isn't an urgent need to get it through now. Is a routine contract. This is something that happens
quite often. Because they are the ones
calling the shots on the
contract. This is their standard way of
doing business. Unfortunately, we don't have a
lot of control over it. >> okay. Your answer is we would not have
any harm if we were to hold this
over for one week. >> it's fine. >> okay. >> hold on a second. Mr President, supervisor
mandelman, what is before us
says that you have entered into the agreement.
Is that true or untrue? >> with the board of supervisors approval, we did enter into the
agreement when it first began,
and this is an amendment to the
agreement, the second amendment, where they are encumbering additional funds for this year.
[Please Stand by]
>> the clerk's always asked to include that language when we
submit our resolutions because the agreement is already, you know, it's an amendment to change an agreement.
That's already in place.
>> senior
would you like us to continue.
>> Supervisor Peskin: I've made a motion to continue this so we
can have real and meaningful answers. Madame Clerk, if you would like
to weigh in as to why this is retroactive.
I'm sorry this has become so challenging. >> to the President, staff are
conferring on the topic, so a continuance is a good idea at
this point. >> there has been a motion meant
to continue and seconded.
If there is no -- seconded by supervisor safai. No objection then the motion to
continue passes.
>> Supervisor Yee: Madame Clerk, 303.
So why don't we go to the clock
special order item 1 through 44. >> 41 through 44 comprise the public hearing of persons
interested in the decision of
public works dated January 4, 2019.
Approving a tentative map for three-unit condominium project.
Item 42 is the motion approve
the department's decision to
approve the map for the project and make the appropriate findings.
Item 43 is to disapprove the department's decision subject to written findings in support of
the disapproval and item 44 is a motion to direct the preparation
of findings.
>> thank you, presidentee
President Yee.
I'm asking that we continue
matters 190039, 190041, 42, to March 5 with the hearing remaining open so we can continue to hear from the parties and the public at that meeting.
We've been meeting with the appellant and my office is working directly with her.
This is not an old case.
The appeal was filed just last
month, so allowing for continuance will not prejudice either party.
>> Supervisor Yee: thank you.
The department's staff, do they
wish to make comments? i don't see a department rep
here. These items will be continued and we'll take public comment.
>> Mr. President, I believe aaron star is here from planning although this is public works. >> aaron star, manager of legislative affairs for the planning department.
No comments to the issue that
the appellant brought up are
issues that are dealt with the
during the entitlement process and our response lays out that process and when she had an opportunity to respond. I'm here for questions if you would like.
>> Supervisor Yee: thank you. With that understanding, these
items will be continued. We'll take public comments on the continuance. Are there members of the public
that wish to speak on this --
Madame Clerk, question?
Developers of this project.
So, yes, aaron is correct, this
is just a mapping of a
three-unit condo project that
was previously a one-story warehouse that we've been --
we're almost finished with construction and we're simply now going through the city for
the approval process on the condominium so they can go for sale in a few months.
So this is a standard procedure.
>> Supervisor Yee: thank you.
Any other public comments? Seeing no other speakers, public
comment is now closed. So, colleagues, there is a
motion on the floor to keep the hearing open and continue these
items to tuesday, March 5, 2019.
Can I have supervisor stefani, did you have a comment?
it's been seconded by supervisor peskin.
I need a roll call. Can we have the same house, same
call? Seeing no objection, then the
motion passes.
Madame Clerk, we have special
order items 45 and 46.
>> Clerk: yes. Item 45 was scheduled pursuant to a resolution adopted on
December 11, 2018 where the board of supervisors will convene a committee of the
whole, a public hearing today to consider the resolution contained in item 46, the
establishment of a property-based assessment
district to be known as the SoMa west community benefit district
and to order the levy and collection of assessments against properties located in that district commencing with
the fiscal year 2019-20 and
specified conditions and to make
the appropriate findings.
>> Supervisor Yee: okay.
We're now sitting as committee-of-the-whole.
The purpose of this is to
hearing on the proposed levy,
improvement district named the
SoMa west community benefit district.
Pursuant to the intention adopted December 11, 2018. As described in the management district plan, the proposed
district is an estimated 2738
identified parcels, located on approximately 100 whole or partial blocks.
Details of the covered area are in the file. At the conclusion of the public
hearing, the department of elections will tabulate the ballots and report to the board of supervisors. Members of the public May view the public tabulation by the
department of elections on the
basement level of city hall in room 59.
The board of supervisors will
either levy the assessors, nor approve the establishment of the
district if there is a majority protest.
We will proceed as follows. First, the office of economic and workforce development will
be allowed to present and provide information.
Then we will hear from all
speakers in support of this district, two minutes each. Then we'll hear from all spokers
in opposition -- speaker in opposition to district.
During the hearing, a property owner wishing to change their
vote or who has not yet voted,
May speak with the department of elections staff at the table just outside of the board chamber.
They will provide you with the affidavit and ballot.
After the hearing closes, the
ballots will be counted.
Supervisor haney, will you -- would you like this share
remarks right now?
>> I can share them after the
presentation.
>> Supervisor Yee: okay.
Would the office of economic workforce development like to share comments? >> sure. Chris core kvist, I am part of
the team that oversees the
community benefit program.
I'd like to thank supervisor haney and his staff.
i'd like to acknowledge and
thank former supervisor kim and
her staff for their support during the early days of the
formation process.
I'd like to thank the SoMa west steering committee, including the chair and the drive through the campaign. I'd like to express gratitude
for the work of irving place consulting and their work on this.
The process could not be accomplished without the support of city departments.
I'd like to thank the clerk's office. City attorney's office.
The department of elections.
And from oewd.
Any questions for oewd?
>> Supervisor Yee: seeing none,
I guess we will continue by
having public testimony.
Okay.
Would the public in support
of -- in support of this
assessment district come on up?
>> steve gibson, President Urban place consulting. You know for the last two and a half years I was the director of
the tenderloin cbd.
And that is relative when we look at the programs and
services that the SoMa west cbd
has designed into their program.
Particularly, I want to stress
the idea that the guiding
principle of most CBDs and
definitely SoMa west, we have it
designed as all district stakeholders housed and unhoused
have the right to live, work in a clean, healthy safe neighborhood.
That is what CBDs are about.
And we're looking to building it
on the tenderloin model where we employ with the downtown streets team.
We work with them to get people off the streets and into employment.
In the past year, in the
tenderloin we've hired five of
the downtown street teams to provide. They have full-time job, benefits and were able to get
into housing.
So it's all about making the
neighborhood safer, healthier,
and a better place for everybody, not just those who own property or businesses, but
all the stakeholders who are in
the district and become a vibrant community for all. [Bell Ringing] Thank you for your support and we look forward
to working with you as we go forward.
We have a number of stakeholders
here to express their support also. Thank you. >> Supervisor Yee: next speaker, please. >> my name is james.
I'm the chair of the SoMa west community benefit district. Myself and our volunteer steering committee has been
working tirelessly over the past many years to outreach to
people, they all live or work in the neighborhood and they have
hopes and beliefs for this neighborhood. They believe in the western part
of SoMa, but they all started to
express their same frustrations.
The same issues, the same problems.
we were able to work with them, collaboratively, to put this together. It wasn't one person.
It wasn't a single organization. It was everyone coming together
to have a vision of a safer, cleaner, more vibrant
neighborhood.
This has been my most rewarding
experience in my entire life.
And it is all of the people that I have spoken with who want something better for our neighborhood. It's so frustrating to actually
hear people in this process that if this doesn't pass will
probably move out of the neighborhood. And I don't want that. I don't think it's safe. I don't think it's right to have people fear for their lives.
I don't think it's right to have
people stepping over problems
with shit and trash on the streets.
This has been a culmination of everyone's efforts and I'm very excited with the opportunity
that presents itself today.
I support the SoMa west community benefit district.
>> Supervisor Yee: thank you.
Next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. I'll be brief.
My name is amy leduc.
I can the manager of the st.
Joseph art society, the
nonprofit foundation that just
reopened the newly restored
church on the corner of howard and 10th. We're here to say we're in
support of the SoMa west community benefit district.
We're excited to work with the neighborhood, to work with community organizations and to work with the community in which we live and work to make the neighborhood a better place.
So thank you very much.
>> good afternoon, supervisors. I'm ryan jackson.
I'm a renter in the area and appointee to the west SoMa seat
for the advisory commission. And I'm really, really happy to be part of this steering committee that is putting
together the SoMa west cbd. One of the reasons I'm so happy to participate is because it
marks a milestone for a lot of different groups. For those who frequent our neighborhood, this takes us one step closer to having cleaner and safer streets that we all deserve.
A lot of us spend tireless hours
picking up feces, needles, you name it.
We could use organized help.
This marks two years of outreach.
We have worked tirelessly to
touch base with our really dense landscape of political leaders
and organizations that call SoMa west home and make sure they have a full understanding of what they're planning and we have their support. For longtime residents, this
hearing makes good on years of planning that we've undertaken
with the planning department and others. Those hearings and meeting date
back to chris daily and we're hopeful after asking for the community benefit, that we actually accomplish that today. Thank you for being part of our milestone and thank you for your
vote. >> hello.
My name is liz.
I am the owner of a building in
the 700 block of clem tina street. >> pull down the microphone.
>> that's better.
I own -- my building is called
liz land, I'm an artist. My gallery is there.
In the 20 years since I bought
it, I've seen a change for the better, but it could be so much better than it is. There are times where it feels very unsafe. There are people living there with children, whether they own the building or whether they rent. That's not good for them.
There are needles left around.
And when the public comes to my
gallery, you know, we sometimes
have to walk over human or animal waste. It just isn't right.
I'm willing to pay the extra
money to see cleanliness implemented. And I thank james for getting this off the ground.
He's done a great job with it. I support the cbd.
Thank you. >> thank you,
next speaker, please. >> good afternoon.
My name is teedo.
I serve as airbnb global operations.
Would thank you for the opportunity to speak and the
support of the cbd formation. As a member of the steering committee, we have a meaningful
way to work with all neighborhood stakeholders, deep
rooted non-profits, small business owners and area residents.
We believe it will ensure the vitality and cleanliness and safety of the neighborhood for years to come. We're proud to stand with
residents and business owners, small and large, and property
owners and tenants to form a district that will address the
pressing issues of our neighborhood. We ask that they support the
formation of the SoMa west cbd.
Thank you.
>> thank you, next speaker.
>> hi, my name is alex. I'm neighborhood renter and have been participating in the
working committee for the last two years. I'd like to emphasize that over
the last two years, we've held
at least three dozen, if not
many more, public meetings, all
of our -- we had information sessions. We invited the public to all of
our working meetings. We issued multiple surveys that
we adjusted the format on in
order to increase input from the public.
We consider the public anyone
who lived and worked in the neighborhood as tenants or owners.
Worked in the neighborhood, had a business, et cetera. Anyone with an opinion was welcome to share it.
And we spent the first year recruiting anyone who would pay attention to join our group in
order to participate directly as
we were making decisions.
You know, it's possible today to
walk from 6th street to van ness
on folsom and encounter two public trash cans.
if you walk down 9th street in mission to bryant, you'll encounter one. These are the sort of issues we hope to address.
This is not an intensive cbd.
We took pains to educate
ourselves and some of the --
[Bell Ringing] -- CBDs had erred in their ways.
And you know, we're at pains to
have a minimally intrusive, you
know, cleaning oriented cbd.
And be happy to share.
>> please direct your remarks into the microphone.
>> anyone can approach me after
the session for further details. We are genuine in that intent.
Thank you.
>> hello, President Yee, members of the board. I work in SoMa west.
I'm joined here today to ask for
your support of the SoMa west
and thank supervisor haney for
his help on this.
My name is harold. I operate flowers and have for the last 20 years in south of market. I own a piece of property there
and I have a vacant lot next to my piece of property, so I have a good sense of the base level of what is happening in the neighborhood.
I cannot wait to spend the
$4,000 a year this cbd is going
to cost me to have it be effective.
The south of market business
association is behind this 100%.
And I'm going to take a little
bit of time to pat on the back, james spa nilla. He's been fantastic.
I've never seen anybody so
diligent that made sure a notice was up to date.
thank you very much. We need it. >> thank you.
Next speaker, please.
>> hi, I'm a retired coordinator
to the rec center. I just want to -- thank you for listening to us.
And I also want to let you know
that I no longer work a SoMa or
I don't live in SoMa, but I found this is an important
enough issue to volunteer for. I am really for anything that
will enhance and improve life in
the SoMa neighborhood.
I've come back and worked on this committee for two years.
And I'm hoping that it passes today with everyone's support and your support. It's greatly needed. It will help a lot of people. It will help with the cleanliness and the safety.
It can help the homeless issue as well as other things in the
neighborhood that can use enhancement, including cultural stuff. I want to thank you once again. >> thank you.
Next speaker, please.
>> good afternoon, commissioners.
I am a SoMa are the and I work
with the united players.
I always say in public that I
was born and raised in san francisco, and until I moved to
the south of market in 2000, I didn't know what a community existed there. I didn't know how many people
actually lived there. I didn't know what they had to deal with in a lot of ways.
So I want to be very clear that while there are some large names
associated with this effort, this has really been an effort of residents.
This is an effort of people who spend their time in the
neighborhood, day in, day out.
We host community meetings at our center and this effort was born there. We're super proud at the hard work that james and the rest of the committee have done to get
this to this level.
The young people we serve traverse unacceptable conditions to and from school.
To and from the grocery store. So this is really about enhancing the neighborhood. I am happy as a property owner
to pay the minimal fee we will have to pay to contribute to the cbd because I know that the benefits will be far-reaching for everyone who spends their time in SoMa.
Thank you for your support. >>
next speaker, please.
>> hello, members of the board of supervisors. I'm a resident of district 6.
I, too, was born and raised in
SoMa and also an alumni of
bessie car michael elementary
school and now I work in SoMa west.
I ask you to support the cbd because this is an opportunity for us to work together and
support the neighborhood. Thank you to supervisor matt haney for your support and
leadership in this effort and I
truly appreciate the efforts
that your office is working on this. Please vote in support of this.
Thank you.
>> thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. >> my name is brendan tobin. I've lived in the district nearly four years. When I first moved to the district I wondered why the
other side of the street from
me, across 5th was so much cleaner.
Then I found out it was because of the district operating on the other side. I was excited to hear that
people were working to form a community benefit district in my neighborhood. So I joined the committee and
have been helping the last year and a half with a lot of the difference efforts. Especially e-mail communications and Facebook promotion to keep the neighborhood informed of what is happening. And spread the word about the community benefit district. So helped to promote dozens of
info sessions on Facebook and online.
And been maintaining a monthly news letter about the community district for the last year and a half.
I want to thank jim and all the members of the community steering committee, as well as
jane kim and matt haney for their support throughout the process. >> thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please.
>> hello, my name is lia.
I'm a resident of SoMa west. I've been a proud member of the
community for the past few years.
I am so excited to see this community benefit district move forward.
It's been badly needed in the neighborhood. and I'm really just want to thank matt haney and the steering committee for all the work they've done to organize this.
I hope that it passes and moves forward because I think it will
be a tremendous benefit for SoMa west. Thank you. >> thank you, next speaker, please.
>> hello, my name is deborah.
I'm an 11-year resident of SoMa west.
I am grateful for all of the help I've had from supervisor
kim as well as supervisor haney in support of this. I'm on the steering committee
and I can tell you from the inception of the steering committee, I've never worked with a more sincere group of people that are interested in the benefits that a community benefit district will bring to
the area.
Myself and everyone else started with great frustration in multiple meetings.
And from that, was born the
better and changed environment.
That's why we're here today and grateful for your support and
hope to get to community benefit
district with your help.
>> my name is sarah simon. I'm here to ask for your support
and the formation of the west SoMa cbd. Thank you for your consideration. >> next speaker. Negotiation negotiation
next speaker, please. >> thank you, supervisors.
My name is chris foley.
I've been involved in SoMa for
30 years.
usually I stand behind misha and
speak behind her.
I dough renovated the church at
10th and howard. Cbd, I'm on the community benefits district.
A cbd is not about kicking
homeless people off the street. It's about enriching people and giving them opportunity and helping them and cleaning streets and doing higher education.
I hope to pass this cbd. Thank you very much. >> thank you for your comments.
>> if the people in the front of the line are not going to make
comments, can you have a seat?
>> good afternoon. My name is mark.
I'm from the san francisco parks alliance.
Urban designer.
We have multiple developments and community efforts going on in the western SoMa area. I believe in the discussion for
open space, cleanliness and community outreach, this is a much needed effort. In order to sustain and maintain
such an endeavor, I believe a
cbd is needed and the community
has supported for multiple years.
And it has the park alliance support. Thank you very much for having us. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> hi, I don't leave in the neighborhood, but am very much
invested in it.
My name is jenny spa nello, that should sound familiar. We visit the area frequently. There are many times we don't feel safe.
we just feel that it needs to be cleaned up.
And very proud of what the steering committee has done and
thank you, all, for your concern
and we hope this passes. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please.
>> another familiar name, my name is jim senior.
And I'm very supportive of efforts I've seen done and supportive of
my son and steering committee. I've watched them work very hard over the last several years on this and I started to see it from the ground level when my
son first moved into the city, talk about one block at a time. There were problems on his block. I saw the efforts he was making
with the neighbors and the
businesses within that block to help clean up the block and get it where we felt safe.
Please stand by. Please stand
by.
>> I would like you to consider
the burden of small businesses in recycling and street cleaning
costs that we have a President
Of a fee streamlining going on
now, consider that, in addition to the small business support for the project period thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> good afternoon. I am a property owner in the
district, and I just want to be
clear, I did vote in favor of
the C.B.D., however, I think it
is somewhat ironic that I am
voting to self tax myself, when
at the same time, might -- the
city is giving massive tax
breaks to giant corporations who are moving into midmarket, and
are contributing to the problem. I have got traffic on my street, a little street from the uber
drivers, and we continue to
entice people to come in here, a few tax breaks, yet, I am taxing
myself just to have a safe and clean neighborhood neighborhoods. I challenge the supervisors, that by the end of this 15 year
term of the C.B.D., that you fix
the problems, so we have a safe, and clean environment.
It should be the basis without us having to tax ourselves just
to provide that period thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker. >> hello. My name is vicky. Thank you so much for the opportunity for all of us to speak, and I really want to
thank james, he has done such a
great job in getting neighbor to neighbor. He approached us, and we were able to get a few neighbors involved. A lot of people didn't know
about it, and didn't hear about it.
They saw it come in the mail. He has been tirelessly checking and checking, and getting everyone to vote, and know what is going on.
We really need this, and we really appreciate the opportunity to have this come before the board of supervisors board of supervisors. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> my name is carol, and I have
been in business for thirty four years in san francisco, of which 26 years has been in the south of market.
We cater to the musicians of san francisco. Our clientele, they are artists and generally low income, and we do not have a lot of foot
traffic. While the C.B.D. Program it
sounds like an excellent idea, it seems very unfair that a small business like mine should have to pay the same rate based on the square footage of the
property, as high-traffic businesses like costco, bed bath & beyond and trader joe's and nordstrom. This will increase my tax payments by five thousand dollars annually. From forty three thousand dollars, two forty eight thousand dollars. An increase of almost 12%.
This is an increase that I just can't afford, and cannot pass on
to my -- >> excuse me, hang on a second. Stop the time.
The people -- excuse me, ma'am, I am up here. >> sorry. >> that's okay.
Are you in support or opposing
the C.B.D.? >> I'm against the cost of it.
>> continue the time. >> this is an increase which I
just can't afford, and cannot pass on to my customers.
I believe this high cost will cause problems which will result in the closure of many small businesses that are important to
the creative soma culture, and at a time when the music industry and artists are being pushed out of the city, this assessment will likely cause the
closed down of my studio
studios, iconic and home studios, which is considered an institution in san francisco.
Although I am in support of having cleaner neighborhoods, I
know -- I think the tax for small businesses is too high. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> I am the cofounder and executive director of hearing education awareness for rockers. We are a national nonprofit
organization.
I'm speaking because I've used
the linen studio services to put out free hearing screening programs for the musicians, and
we recently highlighted our in B.C. Nightly news, and helped
help to pass the affordable hearing act.
Other things that it does -- she does, she helps with having a benefit event to help -- help raise funds for that, if someone is ill, in is a very community
minded, it is important that we
afford to this, but there needs
to be some type of consideration for the affordability and
driving out such a great -- it
is for the wii people, the little people that have a big impact on the community, and young people, especially. She goes to lots of schools too.
Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> hello, my name is jenny.
I am in support of caroline managing the facility. We have been in business for thirty five years in the city, and I think the program his -- it is a great program, but it is
like the same thing goes. It is the cost factor that
impacts our business. We help musicians a lot and we
don't make a whole lot of money.
Is taxing on a business. I am for the program itself. That is just my two cents.
Thank you. >> thank you for my current -- for your comments. Next speaker. >> hello, my name is martha.
I have lived in south of market for 22 years. I am a tenant, which means I don't get to vote today, and I
really want to ask you, this
proposal is not about shooing away visibly poor people, whether tenants or homeless
people, why do only property
owners get to vote, we need something to bring together the community south of market, and
crazy forum where residents of subsidized residential hotels
can talk with the homeowners,
property owners, and all be in the same room together, but I've seen -- maybe even more than when we first moved in the nineties to south of market, I
really feel like we are seeing a
place where low income people,
and maybe even nonprofits, I don't really see a lot of nonprofits.
They are feeling like they are not part of governing south of market. I see these articles that say
resident south of market are fed up with the homeless. We are all residents, and I'm a resident, and some of my
neighbors I have known for more than twenty years who are
homeless, and we all live in the neighborhoods. we should be talking to each
other, and have an equal civic existence. The thing about these business improvement districts, I have
been learning about them and they are tremendously weighted
in favor of property owners as if there were property requirements for voting, which is not what south of market is about to, it is not what san francisco is about.
I just want to say maybe at union square it makes sense, but
for south of market, this is the traditional haven where poverty services are, where it is still
possible sometimes to be poor or different and have somewhere to go, and for south of market to
suddenly become soma west, with more security patrols get more power washing to the tune of four million dollars, instead of
using that money for good, I just don't know. Thank you.
Please consider postponing this. >> I just want to say again to
the public, this is in support. If you are opposed, you will
have a chance right after.
Any public comment -- come on
up.
>> hello. Good afternoon. I own the san francisco institute of aesthetics and cosmetology. We are on folsom street between sixth and seventh.
I have been there since 2002, I am in support. I have seen the benefit. The second business I have is in
the castro, and I have seen the benefit. It is a no-brainer. We have to do this. we moved a homeless person today.
We picked up two needles, and hosed off feces.
I'm 100% in support. I've been there for 17 years. It is tough. Thank you. >> thank you. Anybody else want to speak in support?
>> hello, I have been a resident
of western soma for seven years. I am a homeowner. Thank you for having us today,
and thanks a lot to james and chris and a few others who have been incredibly tenacious.
I spent the last seven years feeling a little like one person
against the world not just trying to effect some change around security.
I guess all I want to say is that for me, something like the
C.B.D. -- my family chose to move from the north side of the
city to where we live now in a
small alley on the western soma because we felt like we wanted to be in a place where the
community was a melting pot, where we were truly in an urban
environment.
I don't want anything to be really displaced in this community.
I think that's what I was really
attracted to, but the safety concerns have been a little bit too much for us. I think the C.B.D. In the long
run, for me, is really going to help our community come together and effect cultural change. I think a lot of san francisco residents don't understand the
amount of artistic, creative people that actually exist in western soma. wherever -- whether they live
there or are in there on a daily baseness. I hope the C.B.D. Will help
inspire this group, and help draw people into the
neighborhood, and help it become a better cultural hub as well. San francisco deserves it, and I think it is hard to find these environments in our communities
and -- and in our city. Thank you so much for
considering it, we approve it. >> I'm john taylor, I have a
shop in the district, I also own eight other pieces of property where I have commercial tenants. We have agreed this is a good
idea. What happened to us at the super bowl a few years ago was
unforgettable. Any protection against that ever happening again, we are
definitely for it, we work with james, and we are very much for it. I will be paying a large price for it, but I'm happy to do that.
Thank you.
>> supervisors, as more and more san franciscans want to
participate in the community
benefit district, we have to
incorporate or tweak the
legislation.
You've heard, and that's where I
get involved, that in this area besides the full some fair, you
also have many nonprofit catering to those who need help
most.
About 15 years ago, some
architects got together
and I think it was 18 years ago, and
they felt a beautiful house that accommodates a lot of people who
live in this area.
Now if you get down on 11th
street and walked towards delray beach on folsom for
howard, you encounter
what many
of the people have stated. Vcs have needles, and so on and
so forth. So you supervisors need to go
there with the representative of district six, giving the tour, so you all see for yourselves
what I'm talking about here one
of the things that has been stated here that you all should not take lightly is that the
businesses should not pay a lot
of money if you have to address
that. This is not union street or some
other streets where you have the
richer client tells.
So on for quality-of-life issues I am also for those who need
help, especially the physically and mentally challenged, not
encountering hazardous material.
Thank you very much.
>> good afternoon.
My name is brian, I am a three year resident of western soma, and I just wanted to show up and stroked my support. I come from a humble four unit
building, but I'm very excited for this, and excited for what I can do for our community caretaking.
Okay, any other people who would
like to make comments in support
>> I briefly heard -- sorry, my
name is allison. >> bring the microphone close. I'm just sort.
My name is allison caps on from
the western addition. I happened to be homeless.
I guess I'm the only one here. I'm going through some political things in my country right now.
I understand being a small
business owner, now not being a
small business owner has I how
the business men feel. I basically sleep outside of the
library, the public library.
I make sure I leave by 5 million
I keep my area quite clean -- I
make sure I leave by five A.M.
I laundered my garments.
I also wander my bed as long as
I think it is good enough to
enter a building to wash within
the gates of the laundromat. If it is old I get anyone.
I understand when the business man feels uneasy the needles. Are not a drug addict,, not an
alcoholic or anything else, I am basically a soldier to my
country, and also to this one. I have seen a lot I have been on
the street for one year and two months. I have used a shelter system because of political problems that I'm going through right now
in my country, and other countries because of my father's
history.
Basically bank robberies and items hours I have witnessed a lot of things I've never seen in san francisco before.
When I first arrived here
working in the federal offices, eyewitness a lot of needles and everything else.
The children -- the young adults
have become drug addicts and I was even given methadone when I
had to go to the emergency room. >> thank you for your comments.
>> thank you. >> anybody else who would like to speak in support?
Come on out. If not, we will go ahead and
start with public comments with those opposing. Come on up. >> hello. I am with the western regional
advocacy project, and the boxes
that neither oppose nor support.
I am here today because I think
that the city needs to take responsibility.
We are turning a large swath. This the red area is the soma bid. We are turning a large swath of our downtown public space under
the security purview of private business with no appreciable way for people that aren't. I appreciate the speaker that said they are striving to not
make the mistakes of the past, but for homeless people, and it's amazing how many times the word homeless has come up today, even though it is not a homeless hearing, and there aren't that many homeless people in the
room, but we hit -- we seem to be a real target of the security
apparatus, which in the case of the soma bid between clean and beautiful and safe, is 70 9% of
their budget. You guys, the board of supervisors, not you
individually, with the city and county, when this enabling legislation passed at the state level, it was commercial
property owners and government. State and local government. The board of supervisors amended
it to make it a 30% threshold
instead of a 50 1% threshold, if
it was a 50 1% threshold, we wouldn't be having this meeting here today, because it is only
30-point to eight% threshold that actually passed on the first round of the petition that
we were able to see if you also included the nonprofit and the residential homeowners. And nonprofit property owners. You all have made tweaks to make
it easier to continue to see our city under the purview of private security, and that never
works well for people who are
seen as a urine, feces,
hypodermic needles, and the homeless. It hasn't worked in the past, it won't work in the future, and if
the streets are dirty, and the people are stripping outside, take responsibility. You are the city.
Do not fund private business.
[Applause] >> excuse me, audience, we don't
allow noise and here when people are speaking. If you are in support, use your fingers. We can see it. If you are not supporting it to,
you can use thumbs down. Thank you.
Next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, board of supervisors.
My name is craig, I lived in soma for about three years and I first moved to the city, I now live in the mission. I did not find to speak on this
today, but I could not sit in my
seat and listen to these cliche d
euphemisms about cleanliness and solving the homeless problem,
particularly amid mayor freda's
sweeps right now that are simply forcing our homeless to shuffle
along from block to block, stealing their shelter, their tents, tents that are being handed out by hard-working volunteers who only want to provide some shelter for the
homeless in this terrible cold and weather. I sympathize with the residents of soma who have organized to come here today. I really do. We all want to be able to look up at our beautiful city, instead of looking down and worried about stepping in feces,
of course, I understand that we
all want a solution, but I think it is pretty clear that the
people speaking here today don't have that solution, otherwise they would speak to it instead
of dancing around the issue with these euphemisms.
The answer to homelessness, in helping our homeless population
is right to bear in the name, they need housing, services, healthcare, a C.B.D. That does not provide that is not a C.B.D.
That we should support.
It is a C.B.D. That just makes homelessness someone else's
problem, and I just had to speak
up and say that. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker, please. >> hello.
My name is ian, I am a lifelong resident of san francisco.
Today I wanted to talk about the ballots that will be counted
after this hearing if this passes. The ballots that are being
submitted today, in order for the community benefit district
to be formed need to be a majority of the ballots submitted, weighted relative to the assessment fee that will be
paid if the bid is formed, what
that means is that if you are going to pay a larger fee, then your ballot counts for more, and it means that if your property
is larger, then your ballot in this ballot tabulation counts
for more. People who do not own property
in the soma, do not get to vote in this ballot tabulation.
They do not get ballots to
submit spirit of the 2,738
parcels that will be taxed by the west community benefit
district, only 589 of them, that
is 21%, submitted in favor of the community benefit district. So although I think it is
admirable that the board of supervisors opened up this
opportunity for people to place
comments on the formation of the soma west community benefit district, I think that everyone in this hearing is to think
about who is actually allowed to vote.
Thank you.
>> next.
>> hello. My name is mike. I have owned property south of
market for over 40 years. I have seen governmental
organizations and bureaucracies
in this city grow and grow, and the problems have become worse and worse.
Now I am being asked to spate --
pay a special tax to make a bad problem hopefully better, but
there is no -- all I can see is
a bigger bureaucracy, and a lot
of time wasted on solving the real problem, which is homelessness, crime, et cetera.
I clean my place, so why doesn't anybody else clean their squad
is because people are coming into the area really needs help, and they need supervisors to do
that.
The other thing that I am concerned about is the city was just told that you have a
registered class because of
excess property taxes collected. More then the budget to expend some of that money to do your
job. Increase police participation, have the streets swept
everywhere in the city, not just where somebody like me has to
pay extra to get it
thank you. >> thank you. Next speaker.
>> good afternoon, supervisors.
I and the planning and policy manager at the tenderloin neighborhood development
corporation. We house over 4,000 individuals across san francisco, mostly very low income at extremely low income households. We have three properties in the
soma west C.B.D. District, with hundreds of residents inside.
The first issue I want to raise about the C.B.D., is one I believe is actually being discussed right now, I think we will find out a little bit more,
but the other C.B.D. His that we
are part of have a discounted rate for nonprofit owned affordable housing, and the soma west C.B.D. Does not at this point.
It is the same rate whether you are operating a fancier
apartment building, or whether you are operating affordable housing like we are.
So that will cost us over for -- $30,000 a year in fee assessments. That is something we would like to see looked at. We would rather invest that
money back into our buildings. i believe we will hear a little bit more about that in a second.
The other issue I just want to raise is one around equity, of something I believe some of the
previous speakers have raised, we do have concerns, I took a
look at the management plan of
the C.B.D., and it talks about
adding bicycle patrol, vehicle control, and foot patrol.
We know that the police and security forces have a pretty
documented history of racial inequity, and certainly if it is a sick -- if the security force
had seen this, we definitely
have questions that of the impact that will have on lower income neighbors, on people of
color, whether that is increased
criminalization or if that is a sense of psychological displacement that the neighborhood it really isn't designed for low income people, but instead for people who can come in and spend a bit more money. We just want to raise those concerns.
Thank you for your time.
>> good afternoon. My name is mary and.
I am a property owner of two parcels.
I have three questions that I find, it is almost illegal
thought in this city, we have to take a certain neighborhood and say, your taxes are going to be
higher, and for what cloth clean it beautiful streets clot that
is part of the city's taxes as a property owner. Number 2, you have just
arbitrarily picked out 15 years that this program will go into
effect. Why so long?
give it a year and let's see,
and who will decide if this is even working?
If we can see an improvement?
And number 3, part of this money
is going for administration. What is the percentage for
administration of this program?
And makes no sense to increase our taxes for this program.
I am totally against it.
>> thank you. Next speaker. >> I spoke with the opponent,
but I was told -- with a
proponent, but I was told my voice was not very clear. I'd like to be very quick.
I want you to hear what the representative said. >> I'm sorry.
You had your opportunity. >> I understand, thank you.
>> thank you. >> come on up.
>> hello. I am a third-generation san franciscan.
I grew up in the bayview.
I don't live in soma. I live in the mission right now picked thankfully I still have housing. Most of my family and people I know have been pushed out.
It is not a homeless problem. It is an affordable housing problem, and as someone who grow up here, I walked down the street and see people I grew up with who live on the street. I see people I went to high school with who don't have a
home, and I totally would ask
you guys not to support a C.B.D.
That blocks access off to a city for people, pushing people further out, in limiting the
areas people can go. it is sad because they there are
actually people who grew up here
who were raised here and born here, that deserve to be here,
that don't get to be here because people with money just want to come and take it from
everyone, and that's unfair, I would ask you guys not to support this.
This further pushes people out,
and it is wrong. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> hello. I am a resident of western soma
and I have been for five years.
I help cofound western soma voice, and though I am not
active in the C.B.D. Currently,
I did support the initiation.
And I want to say, people that live in western soma are suffering every day. They are suffering from burglary, they are suffering from fossil break-ins, they are
suffering from violence, theft, every violation of a human's
rights are on offer on the
streets of western soma, and the neighbors came together five years ago, or whenever it western soma was started because we were so frustrated with the state of our streets and the
situation we were all living in, that is our lived experience, that is an experience no one
should have to suffer. The city has a process for
creating C.B.D. They involve the property owners deciding whether or not they want to opt into higher taxes in
order to enable them to provide a bit more service.
I think more service will serve us well because our neighborhood
is the center of degradation in
the city cafe sickly. Laptops -- I will personally be paying this, I'm renting, I will
pay indirectly, but I know the
neighbors that I have met with, we want a better learning experience for ourselves. We want western soma to be livable for adults and children.
There are schools on my block. It is not a state that should be
tolerated in a city. Honestly, the earlier speaker is right. The city should be providing these services, and should be keeping the streets clean and keeping them safe.
We should not have the highest property crime rate in the country.
That is observed. But the C.B.D. Is our way of answering the situation that exists.
>> thank you.
If there are any more speakers,
please line up now, otherwise --
>> hello. I volunteer with the coalition
on homelessness, and it makes no
sense to me that there should be
another layer of taxes being paid and services being doled
out that should already be in place. I think the board of supervisors
needs to think about, okay, a where do we need more money to go into services, and put the
money there.
Of course, we are going into homelessness. There needs to be more actual
homes for people to go in.
That is the solution there. Proxy will be moving along very soon.
thank you. >> thank you, nice seeing you.
Next speaker.
>> hello, I am laying out with mercy housing, affordable
housing. We have four properties in the
district, and we have had great
conversations with staff of the committee, as well as chris.
They have done a great job educating as. Unfortunately, we are not able
to support the C.B.D., primarily due to cost at this time. One of our properties is
proposed to be assessed at
nearly $15,000 a year.
So over the next 15 year, ten, actually, I only did a ten year
calculation, it will be close to $20,000.
That cost is simply not sustainable. Mercy housing provides affordable housing to families,
seniors and single individuals. All the properties already
receive welfare checks
exemption, and they are not paid real estate taxes, so our take
on it is that nonprofit
organizations should receive a
discount on the C.B.D., and then we will reconsider our support. For now, it is primarily driven by cost.
Thank you. >> thank you. Any other public comments on
this item? Seeing none, public comment is
now closed. Colleagues, do you have any comments? To see supervisor haney is on the roster.
Supervisor haney? >> thank you.
I appreciate that, President Yee i want to thank everyone who came out to this hearing, and
who spoke, on both sides of the issue. I really appreciate everyone's
comments, and perspective on this.
I know that there has been literally dozens of meetings over the past number of years.
I want to really think james, and your family who is here, and the entire committee for all the work that you all have done to do a tremendous outreach as part of this effort. I think that one of the things
that I have seen through this process is a lot of dialogue
that we need to have in our neighborhood about some of the challenges we are facing, and how we can come together to solve them. I hope that, if the C.B.D. Is
formed, and if the vote is successful, that this continues
to be a vehicle, not just through the funds that would be
spent directly on some of the things that have been discussed, but also as a way to bring people together, and create a
more inclusive environment in all of its diversity.
Thank you to everybody who voted
in -- and the potential formation.
I think that we look at the results today as well, and we
will see how it turned out. We know that western soma is an
area that has had such a tremendous need for services. Is one of the areas of our city that has the highest numbers of calls for service, whether it is
sidewalk cleaning, challenges around safety, certainly we have
a high concentration and need around our homeless population, and I agree with a lot of what I have heard.
I hope that the C.B.D. As part of the solution to help connect people with services, to help
get them support, to do it in a compassionate way, certainly I will be working very closely with you all to make sure that is the case.
I think that the C.B.D. Can be part of the solution. We have for C.B.D. His in district six.
I have seen the tremendous work they have doing been doing.
I'm a resident of the tenderloin
C.B.D., and the work around safe
passage, the pitstop staffing, providing partnership with
N.G.O.S like lava May.
A lot of the service the services we know can make communities better, and can bring us closer and can be
provided by the C.B.D. Again, I want to thank the steering committee. I want to thank all of the residents and property owners
who participated in this.
It is my goal to have this be the beginning of working very closely on these issues with you all. It is certainly an area that needs more support, more
attention, and I think the C.B.D. Can be part of the solution. I have seen it in other parts of our district, and I think we can see it happen in west soma. I also want to thank the staff
from oewd, chris, helen, steve, and supervisor kim, who was closely involved in this effort.
I kind of came on here to see it through to the ends.
thank you to everybody for an extraordinary effort to get to this point. There's one thing I want to ask of my colleagues in terms of the next steps.
They are going to count the
votes and if there is no majority protest, what I would
like to do is to actually ask for a continuance to vote on
this. What you heard from some of the comments, particularly from
mercy was this question about the way that we assess some of the nonprofits, and particularly the affordable housing. There's still some work that we need to do to figure out what
exactly we can do with affordable housing, and
nonprofit property owners. I want to make sure we take a little bit more time to make sure we resolve that.
I have talked to james and the steering committee folks about this. This will still form as the hearing.
We will still count the votes,
and I'm asking for a continuance
to March 5th of item 46 so we can come to a final resolution around this question of how we
assess the affordable housing and nonprofits appropriately.
Others have done that, and I want to make sure we do it in the right way here with soma west. I would like to make a motion to
continue item 46 to March 5th. It May happen now, or it May
happen after they come back, and
have the final results for it.
>> there has been a motion to continue item 46, and seconded by supervisor peskin. the motion was made by
supervisor haney. Procedurally, Madam Clerk, we
should go through the whole hearing. >> procedurally calculable close the hearing, that will trigger the department of elections to
begin the tabulation of the votes, and then they can return
those votes to the board. Once we report them to the board to, then you can take this motion to continue item 46 to March 5th. >> thank you very much for the
clarification. Are there any other comments from my colleagues?
Seeing none, this hearing has been heard, and is now filed.
We will now adjourn from the committee of a whole, and reconvene as the board of
supervisors. Okay, the department of
elections will come -- count the
ballots cast, and will return with a final tabulation later in the evening.
We will come back to item number 46 later. We will now continue with the
remainder of the agenda. Madam Clerk, let's go to roll call for introductions.
[Roll Call]
>> supervisor mandelman, your first up. >> I'm calling for hearing of the city's collection and analysis of sexual orientation
and gender identity data. In 2016, the board of supervisors passed legislation offered by sick by supervisor
weiner, adding chapter 104 to
the san francisco administrative code. This legislation outlines processes for covered city departments to collect and record demographic information concerning client sexual orientation and gender identity in the course of providing direct services.
With the purpose of using this data to identify the needs of lgbtq san franciscans, and
evaluating whether the city is effectively and equitably meeting those needs.
Lgbtq people have largely been ignored in the collection of demographic information by state and local, and federal governments for decades. Recently, slant -- plans add
this to the 2020 U.S. Census stalled in the hands of the trump administration. This lack of data has led organizations, including the
centre for data administration, and equality california, to advocate for data to be collected at all levels of government to help address service disparities that negatively impact the queer community.
Last year, senator harris his
quality act would require us to
be added to the 2030 U.S. Census, which is a major step
forward, but is one that is a
decade awake and fortunately caps off assess will have the opportunity to give a cutting edge of the effort to collect
and analyse this data cabin as of July first 2017, the collection became a requirement for the department of public
health, the marriage and housing got department of human services
department of aging and adult services, department of children youth and their families, in the department of homelessness and supportive housing. In addition, contractors that received more than $50,000 a year in funds are also required
to collect the data.
I look forward to working with the office, and participating agencies to use this hearing is
an opportunity to review each department's compliance plan,
the data analysis to date, including 17, 18 year end reports, and midyear data for
fiscal year 18-19, and steps taken by each department to address in the
underrepresentation of lgbtq clients. The rest I submit. >> thank you, supervisor.
Supervisor mar? >> colleagues, I recently held a
town hall in my district on excess funds, based on a single question.
How should we invest $185 million. This question had many answers.
The opportunity -- the funds
that -- the opportunity that the funds have given us are deeply needed. Over 100 of my constituents came out on a sunday morning to talk
about their values. To talk about education, to talk about affordable housing and so
much more. While the suggestions buried, one thing was clear. There are many priorities worth funding.
And any proposal should seek to reconcile that, and offer balance for the diverse needs of our communities and cities.
Loudly and clearly, I heard from teachers and parents and students in the sunset, and also here at city hall.
we need to ensure teachers are paid, and paid fairly big voters
agreed by passing proposition g. To increase educator salaries.
And through June proposition c.
To fund early education and childcare. Our children deserve great sheet teachers, out teachers deserve
stability, certainty, and a living wage their colleagues, I am offering an amendment to the
educational revenue augmentation
fund, supplemental appropriation ordinance, introduced by supervisor peskin, to fully
funds the gap and educator wage increases through fiscal year
2020-2021, both for S.F. Unified
school district his, and early educators. I'm asking supervisor if you are to introduce his amendment at the budget and finance committee meeting.
I want to thank parents, educators, and united educators of san francisco for their advocacy on this, in so many other important issues back I
want to thank my colleagues, and
mayor breed for the valuable dialogue these funds have
initiated, and I finally, I want to thank the many sunset
residents who have made their voices heard. I am listening.
The rest I submit. >> thank you, supervisor. Supervisor peskin? >> thank you, Madam Clerk. Colleagues, I'm falling last
week's maybe debacle is too strong a word, relative to this
board's retroactive approval of a 75 million-dollar grant
agreement between the city, originally by and through H.S.A., the human services agency, subsequently through the department of homelessness and
supportive housing. I'm introducing a hearing
request and a letter of inquiry to understand how this occurred,
and how, or whether there are other contracts that are similarly situated that should have been subject to board of supervisors approval. As we all know, because I love to talk about section 9.118 of
the charter, our constitution,
any contract that is over $10 million, or has increased by over half a million dollars, or is ten years or longer in
duration has to be approved by the board of directors of this municipal corporation, and that
would be us. So I'm looking forward to
hearing from trent rohr at our human services agency, and I'm asking the clerk of the board to
send a letter of inquiry to every department to determine
whether or not they have other similarly situated contracts, and look forward to having a hearing, presumably at the government audit and oversight
committee, the rest I will submit. >> thank you, supervisor. Supervisor ronen?
>> thank you.
Colleagues, I have one item today. After years of discussions, and negotiations led by my predecessor, supervisor compost, last year he authored legislation to finally rename terminal one at san francisco international airport as the
harvey milk terminal.
After san francisco gay rights icon, harvey milk, he was tragically killed in 1978.
The legislation, which passed unanimously, thank you all,
after an outpouring of support from san francisco's lgbtq
community, and outlined an explicit intention that the harvey milk terminal be a place
honoring former supervisor, harvey milk, and his enduring
legacy.
Once extensive or modelling of
the terminal is completed in 2022.
This legacy was to be expressed through artwork and photography
inside of the terminal, and also by prominent signage on the
exterior of the terminal. Sadly, the san francisco airport commission has fought against
these efforts every step of the way, most recently, they presented a design of plan for the terminal signage that goes against the very core of the legislation to rename the
terminal after milk. Under the proposed plan, the main sign on the front of the
terminal with state terminal
one, and huge font, with harvey milk terminal written in a much
smaller font underneath.
This is not acceptable. The exterior signage is important because it is one of the first things that visitors coming to the airport will see.
The entire point of the terminal renaming is to elevate harvey milk's legacy, not to have him mentioned as a footnote. He was a pioneer leader in the
lgbtq movement. In the first openly gay effect it -- elected gate in california. By naming the terminal after him, we are not just paying tribute to a slain san francisco
hero, bay we are also raising awareness about the history of the lgbtq movement in this country, a movement that continues to struggle against
brutal trans-phobia and homophobia. Therefore today catherine
introducing legislation to require the airport to change
their design so that harvey milk terminal graces the entrance of
the terminal and a visible -- invisible and bold letters. I want to thank supervisor
mandelman for his cosponsorship as we take this belated step to
honor harvey milk and his legacy
we must do it proudly, lovingly, and without equivocation. The rest I submit.
>> thank you, supervisor. >> thank you, modem clerk. I have eight in memoriam today.
I want to pay homage today to mr thomas francis murphy.
We lost one recently in district
11, one of our most cherished community members. Mr murphy, in the excelsior, was known as the mayor of his block
on france avenue because he always had his garage door open. Always greeted neighbors, and always worked really closely
with folks to make the community better.
He was born in ireland, March 4th, 1941, and moved to san
francisco almost 70 years ago, back in 1959.
Where he met mary, the love of his life. They said it -- they settled in excelsior district, and he worked and lived there as a longshoreman for over 30 years.
He was well respected in his union, and was grateful to have
one of the best jobs in america, as he always said. Is a proud workman, he was always working to build community and family, and working to fix the community in such a way that any time there's
a project he touched, it made him get involved, and made community feel better about his involvement.
Whether it was helping the irish community, providing assistance to his immediate and extended family, or the epiphany parish
church where he could always be counted on for help, advice, and
volunteerism got into the project was completed.
He spent close to 50 years as a volunteer, putting on kids' programs all throughout the district, he codirected the epiphany carnival for five years, and bingo night for ten years. He helped fix numerous soccer
and baseball fields without the approval of recreation and parks, ed was always willing to
give a helping hand to someone in need. During his retirement years, he
enjoyed spending his days at the
local coffee shop, walking grandmas across the park, in giving advice to me about what I
needed to do as a supervisor to improve the neighborhood, or chatting with friends, talking about extended trips to his beloved home country of ireland.
And then the vacation home that they were able to build and own up in the russian river. Tom will be dearly missed by his family and friends. All are proud that he touched their lives.
He was a loving father to thomas francis murphy junior, rosemary
murphy, and a grown further to julian, miles and avalon.
And the favorite uncle of many surviving nieces and nephews. His favorite dish- -dash
favorite quote was May the road rise to meet you and May the
wind be always at your back thank you mr murphy, to your
life for -- for your life and contribution to our community. >> thank you, supervisor. >> submit.
>> supervisor walton? >> thank you, modem clerk.
I have two items in memoriam,
and an introduction of an
ordinance. The first, in memoriam is for
Miss Patricia thanks, on behalf of the city and county of san francisco. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family of educator,
patricia thanks, who served in an exemplary manner for many
years to the students in
bayview's hunter's point. Her dedication to excellence prepared these the students for
success in school. She was one of the founding
board members for a 100% college
prep, and an organization that sends many first-generation african-american students to college. She was a mentor and lead by
example with the students and
parents in this program. We extend heartfelt sympathy to her daughter, sister, and other
surviving family members.
Also, as we know, one of the
worst things that is an attack on our work here the board of supervisors, and all of our work
as residents of the city, is when one of our laws get
challenged, and as many of you May have heard, the ninth circuit court of appeals issued
a decision last week and joining the city from enforcing its ordinance, which was originally
authored by supervisor weiner, and sent now -- and now senator
weiner, requiring health warnings on soda adds.
Despite the court's decision up
I alone, with supervisor brown, and committed to giving san franciscans the information they need to make informed choices to protect their health and the
health of the children. Human consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is linked to
a myriad of serious health problems, including, but not
limited to, weight gain, obesity, coronary heart disease,
diabetes, tooth decay, and other health problems. Scientific evidence shows that underlying -- underlining these chronic health problems as metabolic syndrome, which is
characterized by changes in the body's at normal biochemistry
that can also lead to obesity, insulin resistance,
hypertension, high cholesterol, and visceral fat, among other health issues.
I have asked the city attorney to schedule a closed session later this month for the board
to discuss this case, and we have also asked the city attorney in advance of that
closed session to work with me
and supervisor brown on a future ordinance that protects our families by providing the needed
warnings on soda adds, and ensure the public is well-informed about the health
risk that these drinks pose.
The rest I submit. >> thank you, supervisor.
President He -- yee.
>> I am introducing a resolution
to introduce california senate bill 50 which was authored by
assembly member ash from san jose. Ab 50 expands the number of
subsidies in the medi-cal
assisted living waiver program, to serve older adults, and
adults with disabilities who can no longer safely live
independently at home, I need to live in assisted-living
facilities pick last year, I caught a hearing on the declining rate of assisted-living facilities in
san francisco. Since 2012, these facilities
have decreased by 26%. The number of facilities has decreased even more.
As a result of this hearing, we are convening with the assisted-living his facilities
or group to study ways to retain and expand these critical facilities for our aging community.
The work group recently published a report recommending
san francisco support ab 50, as you May no caps the older population is the fastest
growing age san francisco. By 2030, will become 30% of our
population.
Yet talk most older adults live on fixed incomes, only receiving
an average of $1,267 in social
security per month. The average assisted-living
facility clause is actually $4,382 a month. The assisted-living waiver
program is funded by medi-cal, through the federal medicaid program, and provides daily
subsidies ranging from $65, to
$102, which amounts to about
$1,950, to about $3,060 a month. There is a growing effort to
support the community based models where older adults can age in place, instead of being
sent away into large nursing
facilities pick last year, and assembly member introduced legislation that would have expanded the number of
assisted-living waiver slots from 12,800, over five years,
totaling
18,500 slots statewide. As of January 2019, there are
about 4,000 people on a state
waitlist. The state legislature passed a
bill.
Allowing instead for the expansion of 2,000 slots to be
implemented, and assessed during
fiscal year 2018 and 19.
I want to thank assembly member
calida for his work on this issue, and colleagues, I hope you will join me in supporting
this resolution to support ab 50, to expand the medicare funded assisted-living facility
program, to make sure the
disability and senior community do not become homeless, are sent
out of the county, but can safely age in place and the
communities near their loved ones.
The rest I submit.
>> thank you, mr President.
Supervisor brown? >> thank you.
Today, I am asserting three pieces of legislation. The first piece I am introducing
is to expand -- actually, I'm introducing this with supervisor
peskin as cosponsor, to expand the displaced tenant housing preference to protect tenants living in housing, where
affordable restrictions expire, including former redevelopment and H.U.D. Finance projects that
have affordability restrictions
that only last for the term of
the loan or contract, as well as older inclusionary housing
projects that were subject to a 20-30 year affordable each restriction. The preference is currently only available to tenants displaced
by owner moving evictions, or fire.
And affordable restriction expires property owners and are
no longer, under a legal or requirement to maintain a low
market right -- below market rents. They can raise it for existing tenants. In recent years, we have seen
examples of these affordable iterations in south beach marina
apartments, bay said village,
and 737 post in d3. Affordability recently expired
at the fillmore center in my district, and other H.U.D.
Finance projects and early
inclusionary projects are due to
expire over the next decade and more. These projects represent
hundreds -- and thousands of
affordable units.
Mo hcd is working hard to ensure permanent affordability for as many tenants of the fillmore
centre as possible, as well as
other yet to expire projects.
But for others, those who can't stay, we need options.
That is why I want to make sure
we are providing affordable housing preference for tenants who, through no fault of their
own, face a loss of housing,
simply because an affordable restriction is expiring. My legislation proposes to
expand the displacement tenant preference to include tenant, whose rents will increase to 40%
or more of their income during the loss of government issued affordable restrictions. I look forward to working with you to pass this legislation as
quickly as possible, as we have to have this important additional protection in place
for tenants. My second piece, I'm also introducing legislation and collaboration with the
department of environment that supports the goals for the city
to achieve a net zero emissions by 2050. Like our state, the city has always been a global leader on
climate action. In 2011, we were among the first
cities in the country to pass an energy benchmarking ordinance requiring commercial buildings to measure and report their energy use. Since the ordinance went into effect, we have seen an average of a 6% decline in
private-sector buildings' energy use. For municipal buildings, at 26.5
reduction in energy use since 2009. Following up on the success, in
2015, california passed a law to require annual benchmarking, and
public disclosure for large commercial, and multifamily residential buildings to statewide. The intent of this legislation is simple.
You can't manage what you don't measure. By requiring buildings to measure their energy use, we can
help build -- we can better help them recognize the opportunities to save and save money. The legislation I am introducing today will update the existing
ordinance to conform to the
state judge a mandate for multifamily residential
buildings reporting, directed to direct the department of environment to work with these properties to receive and report
the energy data to the state. The legislation will help san francisco continue to reduce its overall energy footprint, which
is a key part of our city's climate action strategy for reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
I hope my colleagues will sign on with that.
Finally, but not least, I'm introducing ordinance with my
colleagues, supervisor -- to address the vehicular homeless issue. For many san franciscans, home
is on four or six wheels. However, there is a thin veil
between living in a vehicle, and living on a street. In the last six months, my
office and my colleague's office, have been working with mayor breed to, several departments, and the coalition on homelessness. This is a growing problem in the
west coast cities.
Because of our growing housing affordability crisis in san francisco, we need to work
upstream.
We need to more creative solutions for low income
workers, families, and the elderly, disabled, veterans, and students. We also need more time to get
people into interim and permanent housing.
In the meantime, we should make sure we are helping folks who are on the margins and
struggling.
This legislation will accomplish several things.
First, it creates a vehicular triage sensor. Is a pilot program.
This program will provide access
to showers, bathrooms, waste disposal, and a safe place to
park overnight at the center will provide access to social
service and case management. Most importantly, it will
provide a pathway to interim or permanent housing, and prevent harassment and towing with
citations.
This legislation also directs hs h. To collaborate with sfmta to develop a parking citation toe
and storage fee abatement
program to provide waivers and
reduced parking fines and fees. This is just a first step.
We want to make sure that this
is a creative and sensitive -- creative essence of -- and sensitive for us to move forward to see what works. I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues on the board
to, city departments, the coalition of homeless, and the
community to refine this program.
I want to thank my aid,
supervisor's former aide to, and
his current aid, monica, and the rest I submit.
>> thank you. supervisor if fewer class.
>> yes, I wanted to say that chinese -- today is chinese lunar new year, I want to wish everybody a very happy and
healthy year of the bore.
[Speaking Foreign Language]
>> the rest I submit. >> thank you, supervisor. Supervisor haney class.
>> thank you.
I am going to be introducing two
resolutions today with the mayor
that relate to 101 hide.
101 high it is the corner of golden gate and hide. It is an area of the city that I
am sure many members of the public and my fellow supervisors are familiar with.
It is the old post office that
is now in the hands of the city, and will eventually be
affordable housing. Unfortunately, right now, the
funds aren't available to actually start building that
affordable housing, and for some
time, it sat vacant, and in many cases, becoming a magnet for
different types of illicit activity, so we have the
opportunity, which I am incredibly excited about, not just because I a live of the
block on 101 hyde, but because this will have an incredible
impact on our community. We will have the opportunity to
bring in an organization which is an organization that supports local entrepreneurs, mostly whom
are women of color, immigrant women of color who are starting
food enterprises.
This is an opportunity for us to accept the 1 million-dollar gift
for the site which will help create some site improvements,
which will allow us to open up
the business, and also approve
the lease of the space.
This will, in my view, bring
much-needed activity to a corner
that has sadly been without it
for some time, and provide
opportunities in food
entrepreneurship that will be very valuable for those who participate, especially folks who live in the tenderloin. I have been working very closely with the company and the mayor's
office and oewd to make sure
that this is a space that is welcoming and thriving for everybody within the community, and I'm looking forward to welcoming all of you,
supervisors, in a couple of
months.
Right there at the corner of
golden gate and hides. >> thank you, supervisor haney. Mr President, that includes the introduction of new business. >> thank you very much. Let's move on to item 48.
>> at this time, the public May address the entire board of supervisors for up to two
minutes on items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board to include the December 18th, 2019 special
board meeting minutes, item 49
regarding negotiations with the labor union's representing city
employees, and item 50 and 51 on the adoption without committee reference. Pursuant to the board's roles, director marks the board as a
whole, and not to individual members of the board. If you like to display your document on the overhead
projector, please state such, and remove the document when the screen it should return to live
life coverage of the meeting. >> okay.
Let's get started.
First speaker.
[Speaking Foreign Language]
>> supervisors,
[Indiscernible]
[Speaking Foreign Language]
>> I am here today...
[Speaking Foreign Language]
>> ladies and gentlemen, my name
is abdullah saeed miguel.
I spend 35 years of my life as
an independent homeless advocate and community activist.
When I met willie brown in 1983,
I asked him to move from
sacramento to san francisco.
He said, what will I do there, I
said you can run for supervisor like you, or mayor.
He came here, and he hurried my
idea, and he be coming here. Again, I tell that to gavin newsom to be the mayor of the city.
He succeeded. He is now becoming the governor
of the state.
You can ask then if I tell him that or not.
Now I tell my neighbor,
supervisor, we have 1,000,003 -- how many people are going to
work? As homeless?
We have ten housing here. How many people are going to work?
That is your business?
Wake up. Train all the homeless people who sleep in the streets like you see no.
Please. We have ten housing, we have a
new hospital in the corner of
gary. We need to allow homeless to work, and we need some housing for them.
Matt, wake up.
>> thank you.
Next speaker, please.
>> I believe his time is up.
>> mr President, the speaker's time is concluded. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much.
God bless you. I have an operation after
tomorrow.
>> next speaker, please.
>> yes, board of supervisors, my
name is charlie peters, clean air performance professionals.
We are a coalition of motorists, and we think that there's an
opportunity at hand that we wanted to try inform you of
today. A number of very important
people from san francisco, such
as your former mayor, who is our
senior U.S. Senator, has been a strong advocate for relieving
the requirement for putting -- >> please speak directly into the microphone. >> he has been interested in replacing corn whiskey in our
gasoline for a number of decades
our current new governor of california took action on this
floor as the head of the
supervisors, and took action and
removed it, but did not add ethanol to the gasoline,
assisted by a young gentleman
who was in high school who
recommended to him what to do on that.
He came out in the audience and shook our hands, and said he really congratulated us on that
in 2,001 -- in 2001. Every federal level legislator representing california has been in favor of the voluntary use of ethanol in gasoline. the entire california
legislative sacramento representation came out with
resolutions in favor of that, so the support for this is significant.
Our President Has proposed a
waiver going from 10% to 15%, at the same time, he is approving
waivers which allows all the way 20. What happens when you do that is
when you make ethanol, form co2, that is called bubbles, it is in your wine, and so on and so
forth, and that is co2, global warming gases. You make it when you make it,
you make it when you burn it to, and getting rid of that, are allowing that to be done without
a waiver --
>> this is for you.
>> next speaker, please.
>> good afternoon President And supervisors.
My name is tess, I'm a President Of the haight ashbury neighborhood council.
I call your attention to senate bill four and 50, which greatly
resemble last year's senate bill
827 and 828. These bills would effectively
rezone all of san francisco to
permit multiunit and high-rises. We currently have a capacity of
around 150,000 units, according
to the planning department, and
about 60,000 or so units of that
150 have already been entitled. That would be housing for about 300,000 units, and that is
enough to address the amount of
housing proposed in the caps off plan, and S.B. 50, without
removing local control.
S.B. Four and 50, as written, will heavily impact neighborhoods without adding any
funding for schools, parks,
transportation. And they would hurt our opportunities to build affordable housing because developers would be cherry
picking sites all over town for market rate housing, especially in neighborhoods where the price
of land is less.
Please hold hearings on these two bills, especially in the month of February we have a chance to impact the final
legislation
, and after February, please make san francisco's voice known, how we feel about the loss of local control in planning.
Thank you
>> supervisors, it has been
brought to my attention that the
mayor and some of you
supervisors do not mind
-- our authorities, law enforcement and city authorities to target the
homeless.
Target our seniors.
And I don't know how you all can sit down in these chambers and talk in generalities when you
must know, if you are intelligent, that we have 30,000
homes owned by homeowners that are vacant.
That we have 80,000 market price units vacant.
You all sit down over here,
talking generalities, you have
no empathy, have no compassion, while our homeless people can
especially our seniors, our
elders, are dying. Wake up, san francisco.
Not everybody can come here. It is true that this land was
stolen, every square inch
but don't you ever think that you can just have skyscrapers,
bring in people over here, and compromise quality of life issues.
I spoke today before the municipal transportation
authority, and I think we need to get some attorneys to be
their pro bono to sue the city. We just can't go and take our
elders without giving them notice. Depriving them of their medication, taking their clothing, and dumping it in
compactors or trash cans. You cannot do that to our elders. Shame on you.
Thank you very much. >> thank you. Next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, supervisors.
Happy lunar new year. I am a resident of district four. I urge you to support the resolution that would urge the state to create a public bank license.
I want to remind everyone, we are in a centennial anniversary
of the only public bank in the country founded in 1919.
It is the bank of north dakota. Some facts about the bank of north dakota, it is had 14 straight years of record profits. The only bank to pull a profit
during the 2008 financial
crisis, and their main lines of business are originally eating
loans for student loans, small businesses, and agriculture.
A public bank is not a pie pie-in-the-sky idea.
Around the world they are over
500 public banks with over $36 trillion in assets.
This is absolutely nothing radical.
The resolution before you is allowing our city to have the
option to go down that path. A public bank will allow our
city to have more local control, self-determination, and
transparency with our funds. And it is just going to require a full teamwork. There's a lot of capable and smart people in these chambers
that can work with us and to the public. This is absolutely something that is going to benefit san francisco for the next 100 years.
I know, as human beings, we are not naturally very good at
foresight, but this is something that I think is the most critical parts because it is laying the groundwork. It is saying what is our mission and principles? What do we want the governing structure to be, as everyone in this chamber, if we work together, we can really work toward the bank that is equitable, rooted in principles
of equity, racial, economic and environmental justice. I really hope all of you vote yes. I hope there are more cosponsors on this. We are looking forward to working with you guys in the
future to make this happen. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please.
[Speaking spanish]
>> my name is stefani, and I live in district ten, and I go
to school in district 11.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: I support the movement to establish a public bank because
I have a dream that one day I
will study at the university. I'm here to ask your support to create a public bank that could
offer loans for students in their studies, because one day I would like to become a lawyer,
and my family doesn't have the resources to support me and to send me to university.
Thank you.
>> thank you.
Next speaker, please.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: good
afternoon, I am a member -- I
live in district ten, and I also
study in district ten. I'm here to support the public bank, and ask your support to
move it forward.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: my wish is the public bank would offer
affordable loans for my children
so they can study in university and provide opportunities for
our youth that have the dream,
that they can become graduates.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: as a single mom, I have a dream to go
to university, and I believe a
public bank would support my dream. Public bank can support so many
of our communities' needs, such
as financing affordable housing, in so many other community priorities. Thank you very much.
>> gaseous -- thank you.
>> hello, my name is alyssa.
I think that you should get this
money from popular banks, like
bank of america, and should invest in a public bank, so when I go to college, I can get loans that won't leave me in debt. I will be so thankful if you
help us because all of our needs is to build a strong community and a strong future.
All of us are the future. With that said, thank you so
much for giving me the opportunity to speak.
>> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker purities.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: her name is catalina and she is a member of district ten. She would like to support public bank because she would like to
support... Affordable housing.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: and for the education of our youth. Thank you.
>> thank you.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: she is
here in support of the public bank because she has multiple grandchildren, and she would like the public bank to help
with the youth that she has in
her family.
[Speaking spanish]
[Speaking
spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: she is here in support of her grandchildren.
She is -- she wants to make sure that her grandchildren have a strong future, and that is why she is here fighting for that. She just doesn't want them to be
on the streets.
[Speaking spanish]
>> Voice of Translator: she just
wants to provide good loans for
the future.
>> thank you. >> next speaker, please.
>> hello.
I am part of district 11, I'm
here to ask all the supervisors
to pass this unanimously to make
this, from start to finish, the
easiest possible that we can. I have two daughters. I am a single mother. I know what it is like.
I am hoping that the use affordable loans for students
will leave them without debt, unlike much of my friends and
family who are in debt. I also have a vision that the
public bank will help see affordable housing, not just any
kind of housing, we are talking about affordable, accessible housing for low income families pick the families that have been the backbone of the city.
Thank you. Please see it through.
>> thank you for your comments. >> good afternoon, supervisors.
I am also here to speak in
support of the public bank. We are doing business with corporations that are funding
dirty and polluting pipelines that produce climate change, that invest in weapons, war and
private prisons, that are providing predatory housing
loans that provide -- that target working-class and communities of color.
Is absurd that we are banking
with banks that defrauded our communities and perpetuate these crises. Earlier this week, we heard
mayor breed that this is the
city that can do, and knows how.
Now is a time for a big and bold solutions. The really imaginative one
spirit that is why we have joined the san francisco public bank coalition, we understand we are long overdue for the kinds of solutions that can make a
real difference in the lives of everyday san franciscans.
Such as financing and scaling up affordable loans for city college of san francisco state
students dog providing affordable financing to expand
in a huge way with the production of affordable housing, affordable loans for mom-and-pop enterprises that
hope to be the legacy businesses of the future, and affordable
financing to ensure we scale up our renewable infrastructure in san francisco. The list goes on.
We have an opportunity to reclaim public monies and put them under democratic control.
All of this for the public bank institution that can invest in racial justice and community health and well being of san francisco. The time is now, and we look to
you to take action. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> my name is peter.
I am in district five. I asked the whole board to support supervisor if you attach a resolution to support the
creation of a public bank license. I want the city to enact a public bank that will put the
city to work for small businesses, green energy,
homebuyers and students in the city, and not disinterested disinterested profit-seeking bankers on wall street. Thank you.
>> thank you.
>> good afternoon, supervisors. I am with lawyer's committee for
civil rights in the bay area.
I asked the board unanimously
adopted supervisor if you are a's resolution regarding the public bank.
The lawyer's committee for --
are proud to be part of the coalition, as well as a banking alliance, and we have served on
the treasurer's task force to explore the feasibility of a
musical -- municipal bank. We testified in sanford his -- in sacramento at the public
hearing on public banking, and
in sacramento, they really are
eager and curious to know what
stand san francisco will take on this, and where san francisco will go with regard to an
indication from the board about
exactly this resolution. In sacramento, we are looking to
pass legislation that would
allow cities and counties to pursue their own chargers to create public banks. We thank you for this consideration.
>> thank you for your comments.
>> good afternoon, thank you for hearing us today.
I'm also here to urge your
support for the resolution that supervisor viewer is introducing
about the public banking license
I was at the ideas on saturday.
It was beautiful to see how many san franciscans came together to
speak about our city. Unfortunately, we did not really
speak about the economics of it,
and I grew up in a country where I grew up in spain.
I grew up in a country where social services are provided by
the state, and I see how good
things can be when there is a
public bank behind things in the words of alex pfeffer last
saturday during -- he was saying, nothing that we are doing is fast enough for the speed we need to be promoting
change. Climate change is upon us.
We are a city that is on the water.
We need to act, and I believe that all the resolutions that we want to put forward will be
helped immensely by that. Having money in a public bank
that is our own, that is the
city's taxes, our constituents would see the results of the
money going to us, so I urge you to support this unanimously, and help us move it forward. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon. I made district ten resident, in the electoral cochair of the san francisco democratic socialists of america. I'm here to speak in adoption of
the it public bank measure, specifically the public benefits
of community investment in a public bank. We talk about divestments as a benefits. We know the current general fund
goes to the big banks. They put that into predatory
loans and investments that are hostile to the businesses of san francisco. Shark no shareholders around
this country and around the world have more control of the san francisco economy and people's livelihoods and our residents to, and we note the
city made huge financial concessions to address business to the city, but we know the people san francisco get little from that. With a public bank, we can invest in businesses in san francisco, and gain control
through holding those shares the same as any private investor
would, we can use that power
democratically on our own behalf, ending inhumane practices, forcing them to pay
their workers more, and heed the well-being of our residents and
our environment. Secondary, when the market crashes, his everyday people who lose their homes and businesses. A conventional bank or investor
or board will sell shares as soon as they lose value. They have an obligation to their shoal hook go shareholders. With a public bank, we can invest with democratic goals in mind. In our own corner stores and restaurants and offices, in the
next on the market crashes, we
can weather it, and have a safe and secure people. Lastly, we can give venture
capital and early loans to
cooperative and locally owned businesses. Keeping them in control in san francisco, and in the hands of the working class, freeing us from our obligation to make decisions based on the interest of the few who have no qualifications to be deciding what happens in our lives, other
than their wealth. We believe in democratizing the economy and extending the promise on the premise of the american constitution to our
everyday lives. Moving forward to, the public
bank is the best way to do this. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> my name is michael. I work in the tech industry.
I have lived your intent -- for ten years.
I love this city, I'm so excited by the vision that the public bank coalition has put forward to. Or just mentioned it is hard to look ahead 100 years in the future and see the institution that our bank could become, it is equally hard to look at the
present and comprehend the idea that this vibrant and diverse loving city is collecting tax money and depositing it with institutions that uses to fund
dirty oil that hurts our health
and for-profit private prisons. Let's create an institution that we use our money on investments that are sensible and prudent
and serve the city in the same way as our existing banking system, would also help scree the public housing and the local
business, in the educational opportunities that we all want for our city. I hope everyone of you will support the development of the public bank every step of the way, and create an institution that will serve the people and
support our values. And q. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> hi, my name is rick.
I live in district nine.
I'm a member of the san francisco public bank coalition,
as well as you esf.
I would like to thank supervisor
viewer, ronen, mandelman, haney, mar, and peskin for sponsoring
this resolution to acknowledge
the need for public banking.
A state charter for public banking. Ironically, I live on banks street.
[Laughter] >> on banks street, my little
block, I have seen it two families, to african-american families lose their homes in the last two years to predatory
banking.
This is not acceptable. I find it interesting that while
the banks have been unable to find the money to adjust the loan to keep people in their homes, they have been more than willing to loan money to people who buy those homes and flip
them over for profit.
That really disgusts me. I've seen two families. They both lost their homes. Now they are being flipped.
I think that is why I would like
to see a public bank in san
francisco, and why I think we
need it.
And I applaud you for making the
first step in that process of
getting that happening. >> thank you cap next speaker,
please. >> good afternoon. My name is max stewart.
I live in district four, and I live in district five.
I urge you, and appreciate your
support for creating -- for having the state legislature to allow for the creation of a public banking charger. I am for a public bank for san francisco itself, for the
distinctive -- for public housing.
We can afford to build it with
reasonably priced loans. Think of the infrastructure we could build. Think of the social justice we
can implement.
And having an oversight over our
economic investments. Once again, thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> good afternoon, supervisors.
I live in district ten.
I too am in support of promoting the charger for public banking in san francisco.
I want to thank -- I want to
recognize the caretaking of this territory for so many years, and
recognize the people, the tribal people that were at standing
rock that called attention to where our money is going that is
invested in the corporate banks.
That led me to search -- to find out that my bank in my
neighborhood, it was the second
largest contributor to the dakota access pipeline.
My concern is that we need public banking, that will democratize the decision-making
for where our tax money goes, and how we build money from our
tax money. I am a retired san francisco
unified school district teacher. I still work as a substitute.
I have seen it so many young teachers leave the district because they can't afford to
live here. We need a mechanism, such as a
public bank, to be able to
promote affordable housing, to
help fund education so that we
are not pitted -- so the needs of our community and workers are not pitted against each other. So the public housing and educators' needs are not pitted
against each other.
Together, you and I, and us and
we need a public bank for our city.
Thank you. >> thank you, next speaker. >> hello. My name is david, I live in
district eight,, for almost ten
years. The imperative to form a public bank has a dual nature, the good and the bad. We know that having our tax money tied up in private banks means we are indirectly
supporting whatever private banks support in the name of profit.
Fossil fuels, assault weapons, and weapons of war.
And we know good effects of a public bank, where our resources could float flow back into making a positive impact.
Affordable housing, renewable energy, small business development, low interest student loans.
We know that as human beings, neighbors and taxpayers, we are
part of a larger system. To have our resources flung into the military industrial complex
is grotesque and unnecessary.
Our taxes should be held in a public bank to produce democratically determine social goods. I urge all of you to vote in favor of this resolution. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> good afternoon, again. I am also with the democratic
socialists of america, the san francisco chapter.
I like to speak in support of supervisor viewer's resolution. i like to think my own
supervisor, who has already signed on to the resolution, I
have lived here eight years.
I believed in the image of san francisco that we have in the
country as a beacon of progressivism and inclusivity,
but in my time here, I have only known a san francisco that has
put the profit of the few over the good of the many.
I have to question the value of our progressive politics if
those politics do not work to uplift our most vulnerable and marginalized communities and
only work to push them out.
We need to allow everyone's participation in the prosperity
that currently only a certain subsector subset of our residents enjoy.
I will echo supervisor viewer's own words. There is no social justice without economic justice. I urge you all to sign on and support this resolution and
initiative, and show that the city truly deserves our progressive reputation.
Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please.
>> good afternoon, supervisors and clerk.
I am here to support resolution
504 the licensing of a public
bank. Like you, I'm a community activist.
I care about the social justice and quality of life in the
communities that we live in. I hear you every week at your meetings struggling with the
making those decisions real,
priorities, and I heard you today, trying to make decisions
to make those priorities real, and we can do this, and we can do it better with a public bank
if we take our money, and go for local control and local values and how we invest our money. I know you will do the right
thing. Thank you for voting unanimously
on this. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors, happy new year click my name is terry.
I am part of the climate justice community, the bayview hunter's point child support on the public bank coalition.
I urge you to vote in -- it would move san francisco to create a public bank. Creating a public bank will
allow us to support public housing defund clean energy
company will be lifesaving or key ascap divesting from wall street is actually a matter of
life and death. Everything that matters is on the line, and everything that matters will benefit from a
public bank. One, having a public bank will
allow us to divest from fossil fuel corporations who are presently killing all life on earth.
To, a public bank will allow us to divest from private prisons that are putting people in cages
until they die from their suffering. Three have a public bank will
allow us to divest from weapons,
manufacturing, it is one of the most toxic industries on the
planet. San francisco is one of the most wealthy cities in the world. us plenty of money here to provide startup costs here is so
much money here. Stops in the public funds collected in the city should be collected in a way that benefits
deficits go, is benefiting the 1% you are totally out of touch with the needs of san francisco
thank you can you view comments.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is annie, I was born and
raised in district five in san francisco. When I was going out to be from
a city that often stands as a
progressive leader in the fight for economic, and environmental justice.
However, I believe these values are purely symbolic, unless the
city does not notion unless the city controls where his money is invested.
I hope you will pass supervisor viewer's resolution to create pathways for the creation of a
public bank so we can finally align our city's capital investments of the values we claim to hold.
Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> afternoon, supervisors. I am a relatively long time
residents of district eight. I am here today because money
talks. I know that sounds like a cliche , but it is true.
Money talks, and cisco's money has been talking very loudly in support of fossil fuels that are
destroying the planet, weapons that are killing people around the globe, in private prisons
that are profiting off of our racist systems of massive corporate -- incarceration and immigrant detention.
I don't think that reflects the values of any one of the
supervisors here, or anyone in this room, for that matter.
Is why we need a public bank.
It is time that we put our money where our mouth is, and we support green energy. We support affordable housing
and local businesses. We find a low interest loans to our students so they can afford
education. San francisco charge of money is talking.
What do we want it to say? With a public bank, we can ask
that question. I urge everyone today to vote unanimously in support of
supervisor viewer's resolution. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please.
>> my name is julian.
I was, on my son still is a d9 resident.
I am trying to get back into the city. I will try and keep it simple because you have all heard plenty of great reasons why we
should have a public bank, and why we should not continue banking with wall street.
For anyone who is serious about equitable, just, sustainable
development, and preventing
climate change, it is a win-win for pretty much anyone, except for the banks.
We currently bank with.
The bank will allow us -- the bank itself can invest in equitable and sustainable projects, and generate revenue
for the city without having to raise taxes are passed upon measures.
All of that stuff they usually does usually pisses the voters off when you want to raise revenues for the projects of the city needs. I want to encourage all of the supervisors to support the resolution, and help the coalition and trying to
establish a public bank. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please.
>> hello, I am in district nine. Everyone has said everything I
would have said by now, I want to say it is so clear we are at
a turning point in our country,
in economics, in crisis, and all of these problems, but we have these youngsters who have got great ideas and they are smart
enough to pull these things off. I think I have left san
francisco for 50 years. It has been a beacon, and I
think it needs to be a beacon to the country. Having given out many leaflets in my time, I want to say this
is the only one I ever gave out where someone turned to me and
said, this is a no-brain or.
Please support this.
>> hello, I am in district nine. We have a small business.
For the past 41 years, we have
been getting loans that have been at 18% interest, and we
have been going to loan sharks who come into our business, and wait for us to pay them their
money. We almost lost our building, the whole building, to an accountant who was doing the accounting for my sister when she was running
the business.
We have had that history, and we
haven't had a place to go to to see a friendly face, and ally, someone who educates us on what we are doing, and how to spend
our money, and where to look for
these loans.
When I was invited to speak as a public community business member, I didn't know that it
also included the idea of taking out money from fossil fuel
industries et cetera. I fully support that whole idea
as well.
In closing, I want to say that a public bank would help a lot of
remaining businesses who are latino-owned, and help them, encourage them, and keep them in the neighborhood, it also opened
the doors for tic for people to
be able to get gathered
together, and by their own homes
using that tenant in common
right of doing it.
Again, if it would mean that you guys would help small businesses
in the mission to continue to
live there, end as well as come back, I know there's a lot of housing coming up pretty soon in the mission, and I'm sure they
would also like to perhaps owned their own businesses well as
live in the mission district, so
a public bank would surely do that. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker. >> hello. My name is michelle. I was born and raised in san francisco. I started my cannabis business here, I support the creation of a public bank to help all mentioned before me, but also to create a safer path forward for
the cannabis industry. this could create safer transactions, help us get funded
as a new industry, and help control the illicit market. We have embraced cannabis, we should put supported all the way. Thanks. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> hello, board of supervisors. My name is monica.
I don't usually come to these
meetings, but I am very interested in a public bank
because banks did used to be
local, and there weren't layers,
and layers, and layers of decision-making that now exist with the corporate bank
structure. I think that if we had a public
bank, there would be a lot of transparency.
There would be -- the decision-making would be
localized, and the decisions
would be made by the community,
the actual people, rather then the so called citizens united
meaning the big corporations who
use cities as a form of laundromats for their big investments.
San francisco is a city with the
most -- with the greatest credit
it is a good idea to start with this as soon as possible,
especially before there is some kind of crash, which there will
be, and thank you for thinking of this, and taking it into serious consideration.
Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> thank you.
It is an interesting week for myself.
I finished reading a book called
black elk speaks. A 10-year-old boy in the indian
nation, never saw a white man.
By the end of his life, the american indian civilization has been destroyed.
The native american were destroyed.
At the same time, I was listening to three different
shows on the radio. They have men who wrote a book
called to the end of ice. Basically, what I got out of it was that we are titanic right
now. That said last week, I was here and I rattled off a list of
things to do, but supervisor, his -- supervisor stefani had the talk about noise, and here
is a neighborhood -- this is a concrete wall. This was a concrete wall, this
was removed in big chunks. What they do is they get a
little tractor with powder on it
to, and it is called tripping. They take the big concrete
pipes, and they get little pieces into a big truck. Called chipping. You hear it all day long.
It should be outlawed.
At the end of the session, with three seconds on the? , I ran out of time, and I
wanted to -- as you can see
right there, a road best public bank. The keyword is robust. We want to do as much as we can
with -- as close to a democratic bank as we can do. Thank you. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
>> hello, my name is christopher
I work for q. Foundation. I am a longtime san francisco
resident.
After living here for many years , I became injured and
homeless.
I was homeless until last July. I had a lot of time to think about the problems of homelessness in this city.
I support public banking for
many reasons, but I want to talk about this. I understand the problem of
homelessness is not a problem of business and property owners
being inconvenienced by human feces and people sleeping in the streets, as many people here
talked about earlier. It is the outcome of
international finance capital
and the hyper commodification of housing, and the profiteering
off of basic need. Homelessness is an economic issue and we need to attack it
as such. I see public bank as the infrastructure that will be
needed to support future social housing and de-commodified housing projects in san
francisco that wall street banks
never would touch.
That is because of this that I
support the public bank, and I want you to support the
resolution to support the bank as well.
Thank you. >> thank you for your comments. Next speaker.
[Speaking Foreign Language] >> my name is jackie, I am a district for resident, cofounder
of the public bank coalition, part-time lecturer at san
francisco state, and the college of ethnic studies.
Thank you for your attention.
This long meeting -- I think i also want to point out that we
were able to get more than 25
people out consistently from
tpm, which is in the middle of a workday for a lot of
working-class people in the city, and to have most of those
people stay for public comment. For a resolution, no less, it
speaks to the urgency, and the passion that this coalition, and our partners have for public
banks.
For those of you who are on the side of already supporting the
bank, thank you, and we look forward to working closely with
your offices on more concrete
resolution in the future, legislation in the future. For now, we need your support in
getting the state legislatures
to push for a public bank option so that not only our safety, the cities around the state can have
the ability to divest from all of the negative industries that
we don't agree with, and also invest locally, and keep that money in the state of california, in our local economies. We have businesses closing down every single week. We have people sleeping on greats.
We have people sunken, indentured servitude for the rest of their lives. It is because of the fact that
we are sitting on $10 billion, and letting all of that slipped
out of her hands in the hands of wall street banks who don't necessarily live here, we don't
care about the people who we see
every day, and it is obviously a no-brainer.
Thank you for your support, thank you for your continued attention. We look forward to working with
you this year. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. And executive director of
library users association.
Two thursdays to go, on January 17th, the public library
commission approved changes to
funds, but not fees.
The library presented its fines
and not fees, recommendations in
a 41 page report. Fines and fees disproportionately affect the
poorest people the most, and do so in a very negative way.
Anybody owing more than $10 in
fines and fees cannot borrow any
materials from the library. Also cannot request materials from other libraries through
link plus.
It is a very serious negative removal of services from the
library. One of the library commissioners
who voted against the resolution on the 17th said this was a
inconvenience, the inability to
borrow as I have described. The library worked works with
the financial justice projects
of the tax collector, tax and treasury department, which is in
business, and you have endorsed
through a gift. Their work on behalf of
reviewing what do fines and fees due, particularly with respect
to their impact, disproportionately on the poorest folks in town, but they apparently went along with the library's restriction that that tightly only wanted to look at fees.
The library's proposed legislation also does not
relieve the fines and fees of previous -- that have been
previously accumulated by
library users, and it doesn't affect the fees that are four times heavier burdens on the
public than fines. We ask you not to approve
anything without -- >> okay, any other public comments? Seeing none, I will declare that
public comment is now closed. Madam Clerk, I believe the
ballot -- >> I don't believe it has been returned yet. >> it has not been returned.
All right.
Hold on a second, let me see if
I can find my notes. Colleagues, can we take item 50
and 51 out of order?
Madam Clerk, please call the for adoption without committee reference calendar.
>> mr President, a seep
supervisor fewer's name on the roster. >> supervisor fewer? >> I would like to sever item number 50.
>> all right.
So, why don't we call item 51
right now. >> item 51 is a motion to
approve final transfer of 9597,
and adopt the appropriate findings. >> okay. Colleagues, can we take this
same house, same call? Without objection, this motion
is approved. Can you read out item 50?
>> is a resolution to urge california state legislators to
enact legislation amending the government code to enable local agencies to create public banks
through, at an option for public
banking charger. >> okay. Supervisor fewer class. >> thank you. Thanks to all the cosponsors for your support on this resolution, to encourage our state legislators, to create a pathway
for public banks. Supervisors ronen, mandelman,
haney, peskin, marr and walton. Thank you for coming up today and making your voice heard in
support of a public charter. As a city and county of san
francisco explores the creation
of a municipal public bank, we know that one of the major obstacles is that the state of california does not currently have a public banking charger
option, weather at the municipal, regional, or state
level, and we are looking to change that.
Yesterday in sacramento, the assembly banking and local government committee held a joint informational hearing on public banking, where they consider the proposal from the california growth public banking
alliance.
It is to create an option for a
pathway for local agencies to create public banks through a special purpose public bank charter. I understand that the discussion
was fruitful, and it is evident that there is wide support for
this legislation from across the state, in this resolution will put san francisco on record, calling for a public banking
pathway as well.
Colleagues, I'm introducing nonsubsidized amendments informed by the treasurer's office, and I have provided
copies for all of you.
The amendments are urged page 3
lines 5-7, language clarifying we would request the mayor and the city county lobbyist to support these efforts to create a pathway for a public banking
charger.
Page 3, line 9-11, this language clarifies that we are in support
of a public banking -- this does
not permit us to eight position. I hope you can support these amendments and vote to pass this resolution unanimously today, a
public bank with public goods.
It is about time. >> I just want to be added as a cosponsor.
Please. Thank you supervisor viewer for all of your leadership on this matter.
And thank you to all the members
who came out and publicly commented today. >> supervisor walton?
>> I want to thank supervisor fewer for putting this forward to. I can remember a few moons ago when we were on the board of education and talking about the
importance of a public bank. It is exciting to be able to work with her on this moving
forward, and I also want to say that I'll be working hard to work with all of our cosponsors
and the rest of our colleagues to work with state
representatives to get something going at the state level so that
this can really become a reality
>> supervisor stefani? >> thank you.
I would like to add my name is a cosponsor and thank supervisor fewer for her leadership on this.
We have had many hearings on this last year in the budget and finance committee, and I expressed my support then. Thank you again for all your
hard work. >> supervisor fewer, I would like to add my name as a
cosponsor also.
Supervisor fewer, did you read
out amendments, -- >> I did send a copy to each of
you, the amendments, I actually summarize them in my speech.
>> okay. Then supervisor fewer has made a
motion to amend the resolution
and is there a second? Supervisor mandelman?
Can we take the amendments without objection? Without objection, the amendment
passes. [Cheers and Applause]. >> weight, we are not done, we
are not done, calm calmed down. The amendments are approved. Can we have a motion to approve
item 50 is amended?
Made by -- motion made by supervisor fewer. Yes.
And seconded by supervisor brown okay.
Without any objection, this item
is passed as amended. Thank you very much.
[Cheers and Applause]
>> let's see, I believe we are
not ready to hear 46 yet.
>> that is correct.
>> what we would like to do now
is go and hear -- >> close session?
>> let's go to close session. >> item 49 is a conference with a labor negotiator his.
This is a close session for the
board of supervisors to convene
today with the mayor's office, and the department of human resources under administrative
code section 67.10 subsection e., on the california government
code section 54957.6 regarding
negotiations with labor unions representing city employees. >> okay, members of the public, we will now be convening in close session. We ask you to pleas leave the
chamber, and after close
session, we will reconvene as a regular board meeting.
Item 46, at that point, will be heard.
Thank you.
>> okay, we are now back in open
session. We have a motion that the board
finds that this is in the best interest of the public that the
board elected not to disclose session deliberations. >> so moved.
>> moved by supervisor peskin,
and seconded by supervisor.
>> and mr President, that is without objection? Safai. >> we will not disclose closed session deliberations. >> mr President, I would like to make a motion to continue this
item to another closed session
of March of 2015 -- 2019. >> is there a second?
Motion on the floor made by supervisor peskin, and super --
seconded to continue this closed
item for the March 5th board meeting. Without any objection, this
motion passes.
We still have one item left to
discuss which is item 46.
>> yes, mr President. As soon as the results are
handed to me. >> okay. This is item 46. I believe we have the ballot election summary that is being
passed down.
Report form from the department
of elections for the soma west community benefit districts.
Please announce the results.
>> the return waited ballots, voting for the soma west community benefit is that
district was 56.7%, and the return waited ballots voting
against the soma west community
benefit district was 43-point -- 43.8%. Further indicating there was no
majority protest.
>> okay, so supervisor haney,
would you like to make a motion class.
>> yeah, I would like to move to
continue this to March 5th. >> mr President, previously we
had asked if supervisor haney
would make a motion, which he
did, and it was seconded by supervisor peskin. >> correct. I'm sorry.
The motion was already made, so
can we take this same house, same call?
Without objection, the motion to continue passes unanimously.
>> mr President, there is a motion to continue the hearing
open.
Supervisor haney? >> it was heard and filed. >> okay.
Right now what we just took,
same house, same call, was to
continue item 46 to the March 5th meeting.
Okay.
Any objection to that?
Motion to continue passes unanimously. Colleagues, okay, is there
anything else? >> in memoriam his. >> please read them. >> today's meeting will be
adjourned and the memory of the following beloved individuals. On behalf of supervisor peskin
for the late mr kenneth his scott or, on behalf of
supervisor his fid, thomas francis murphy, and on behalf of supervisor walton, for the late
Ms. Miss patricia banks. >> okay, that brings us to the end of our agenda. Madam Clerk, is there any further business before us today? >> that concludes our business
