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Tuesday, June 25, 2019
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>> President Yee: good afternoon.
Welcome to the June 25, 2019 regular meeting of the san
francisco board of supervisors. Madame Clerk, would you please
call the roll?
>> thank you, Mr. President.
Brown not present.
Fewer not present.
Haney not present.
Mandelman present.
M mar present.
Peskin present.
Ronen present. Safai present.
Stefani present.
Walton present. President Yee? Present.
Mr. President, you have to a quorum.
>> President Yee: thank you. Ladies and gentlemen would you please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the united states of america, and to the republic, for which
it stands, one nation, under
God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.
>> President Yee: all right.
On behalf of the board I would
like to acknowledge the staff of
SFGovtv, michael, maya and kaleno, who record the meetings
and make the transcript
available to those online.
>> Madame Clerk, any communications? >> there are none to report.
>> President Yee: today we are
approving the minutes from the
May 21, 2019 board meeting. Are there any changes to these
meeting minutes?
Seeing none, can I have a motion to approve the minutes as
presented? Okay.
Motion made by supervisor peskin
and seconded by supervisor walton. These minutes will be approved
after public comment. Madame Clerk, let's wipe out half the agenda.
Can you call the consent calendar, please call items 1 through 31. >> items 1 through 31 are
considered to be routine, therefore discussion of item will only occur if the member severs it and considers it separatelily.
-- separately.
>> President Yee: colleagues,
would anyone like to sever any
items from the consent calendar?
I see none, call the roll.
>> on items 1 through 31, walton aye. Yee aye. Brown aye.
Fewer aye. -- fewer absent.
Haney aye.
Mandelman aye.
Mar aye.
Peskin aye.
Ronen aye. Safai aye.
Stefani aye.
There are 10 ayes.
>> President Yee: these ordinances are passed unanimously.
Please call 32 through 35 together.
>> Clerk: item 32 is ordinance
to appropriate 28 million of
hetch hetchy power.
And decreasing the hechy power
and water revenue and increasing
hetch hetchy and deappropriate capital project appropriations
for fiscal year 2019-20.
To deappropriate streetlight
funding and placing 28 million subject to the controller certification of availability to
adopt a ceqa findings for the project.
Item 33 is ordinance to amend 142-18 to authorize increase of
the issuance and sale of tax exempt or taxable power revenue
bonds and other forms of indebtedness to aggregate
principal amount not to exceed $200 million.
Item 34 is ordinance to amend to authorize increase of the
issuance and sale of tax exempt
water revenue bonds and other
forms of indebtedness to
aggregate principle amount not
to exceed 514 million.
Item 35 ordinance to appropriate
revenue bonds for the sfpuc capital improvement program at
$26 million and deappropriate and re-appropriate $34 million
of the appropriations for first
category year 2019-20.
Placing $25 million of revenue
bond proceeds by project on
controller's receive subject to
the controller's certification of availability for expenditures
for the sfpuc projects and adopt ceqa findings.
>> President Yee: I see that the
house has changed. Roll call.
>> on items 32-35. Walton aye. Yee aye.
Brown aye.
fewer absent.
Haney absent.
Mandelman aye. Mar aye.
Peskin aye.
Ronen aye. Safai aye.
Stefani aye. Haney aye.
There are 10 ayes.
>> President Yee: without objection, these ordinances are
passed unanimously.
Madame Clerk, can you call items
36 and 37 together?
>> item 36 and 37, proposed
interim budgets. Appropriation ordinance to
appropriate all estimated receipts and estimated expenditures for the departments of the city.
And item 37 is the proposed
interim annual salary ordinance to enumerate positions in the
budget for the fiscal years
ending June 30, 2020 and 2021.
>> President Yee: can we take
these same house, same call, without objection?
These ordinances are finally passed unanimously. Please call item 38 and 39.
>> two ordinances that adopt and
implement the memorandum of understanding between the city
and the service employees international union local 1021
and the staff and per diem nurses and item 39 between the
city and the teamsters, local
856 supervising registered nurses.
Both M.O.U.S to be effective
July through June 2022.
>> President Yee: same house same call? Without objection, these are passed unanimously.
Please call the next item.
>> item 40 administrative code
displaced tenant preference in affordable housing when it's no longer restricted by affordable housing restriction within five
years and market rate rent in such tenant buildings is more
than 40% of the tenant's gross household income.
>> President Yee: same house same call?
This ordinance is passed.
Please call item 41. >> ordinance to call and provide for a session election to be held in the city on tuesday,
March 3, 2020, for the purpose of submitting to the san francisco voters a proposition
to incur bonded debt of the city
in the amount of $628.5 million
to finance the construction, acquisition, improvement, renovation and seismic retrofitting of multiple facilities for earthquake safety and emergency response.
>> President Yee: same house same call?
Without objection, this order --
I'm sorry, supervisor mar.
>> Supervisor Mar: thank you.
I just wanted to make some brief remarks on this critically important bond measure to finance the earthquake retrofitting of police and fire stations and the department of
emergency management on 311 call center.
In particular, I just wanted to lift up that this bond will
deliver $140 million in crucial investments for protecting the
west side of the city in case of future disasters, including
earthquake and fire and will
allow us to expand the fire fighting.
It is not a question of if the next big earthquake is coming, but when.
And I'm proud to sponsor this important debt for insuring that
the sunset and other westside neighborhoods are prepared to
respond to emergencies. I'd like to add that in addition
to this $140 million investment, the san francisco public utilities commission has committed an additional $55
million towards the westside emergency fire-fighting water
system bringing the total in new
investments to nearly $200 million. Our action today will protect
the life and property of westside residents and secure our future generations from disaster. I am proud to be a sponsor of
this bond and I really want to
thank the staff at the puc, the
fire department and capital
planning for your work and
supervisor fewer for her focused attention, particularly on the
fire-fighting water system. Thank you.
>> President Yee: colleagues, same house same call? Without objection, this
ordinance is passed on first
reading unanimously.
Madame Clerk, call the next item. >> item 42 appropriate $12
million in the public utilities
commission and deappropriate and
reappropriate $2.1 million.
>> President Yee: same house same call?
Without objection, this is passed.
Please call item number 43.
>> resolution to accept and expend state transportation development act article 3
pedestrian and bicycle project funding for fiscal year 2019-20 in approximately $972,000
through June 30, 2022.
>> President Yee: can we take
this same house, same call? Without objection, this
resolution is adopted unanimously.
>> President Yee: please call the next item.
>> item 44 is ordinance to amend
the code to establish the castro
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer cultural
district in and around the cat
tree neighborhood.
>> President Yee: same item same call?
This ordinance passed on reading.
Let's skip over to item 51.
>> item 51 through 56 considered by the government oversight and were forwarded as committee reports.
Item 51 is an ordinance to amend the administrative code to establish the cooperative living opportunities for mental health
loan fund and the cooperative living opportunities for mental
health program to finance the acquisition of residential properties to be operated as
communal housing for people with
chronic mental illness and substance use disorders.
>> President Yee: supervisor ronen.
>> Supervisor Ronen: thank you. Colleagues, I'm so excited this
was called early in the meeting,
because I'm not feeling well and May have to step out before the meeting is over, but happy to
have the opportunity to speak on this legislation. The legislation before you today
will establish the cooperative living opportunities for mental health loan fund and program to help address the crisis of people with acute mental illness
living on the streets of our city. It will enable nonprofit
organizations to acquire apartments and single-family
homes to create scattered site non-institutional facilitated communal households in which
four or five people with chronic
illness can share a home.
The legislation establishes a
fund under the add minute code
which can -- admin code, including the 5 million
prioritized by the board and
funds allocated from the eraf effort.
But also from other sources. They will use the capital funds
for loans to non-profits so they
can purchase eligible properties. D.P.H. Will determine client
eligibility and authorize client placement and will then expand current contracts or issue new
ones to enable these non-profits to provide services to the residents. Much of the service funding will
be recouped through medi-cal reimbursement. This is in response to within of
the glaring gaps in our mental
health crisis on the streets. A lack of affordable housing. D.P.H. Reported at a hearing
last month that 44% of homeless
clients brought in for acute care leave these short-term
programs without a place to go. Having people go through residential treatment to then be turned on the street with
nowhere to go is inhumane and wasteful. furthermore, we know this model works.
Several of the respected mental
health providers have been
operating co-op households for years in neighborhoods throughout san francisco, but until now they're master leasing
most of the units from private owners.
Unsurprisingly our current
market has made it impossible to
hold onto the housing stock and to grow the program as a much
needed and effective housing option. For many people who are dealing
with the combination of psychiatric and addiction issues, the key to stability and
success is to be away from
hectic surroundings that trigger continued crisis. Cooperative living can open the door to stability.
Over the past several weeks my office worked with several
people from D.P.H. And kate and
amy who helped reto -- to refine the legislation.
I want to give a huge thank you
to steve, brett, and richard, for sharing your wisdom and experience and shaping this.
And of course to amy, who really was the driving force behind this legislation. Thank you so much, amy.
And finally to supervisor
haney -- I believe safai, who also cosponsored the
legislation.
>> Supervisor Haney: not yet. Not yet.
>> sorry. Okay. Thank you for cosponsoring the
legislation.
>> President Yee: same house
same call? Without objection this ordinance
is passed on first reading unanimously. Item 52. >> resolution to approve the first amendment of the grant
agreement between the city and
woo yee children services to support the implementation of the city-wide plan for early
care and education for a total
amount of $11.3 million and to
extend the grant term through
June 30, 2020.
>> President Yee: without
objection, this resolution is adopted unanimously.
>> item 53, resolution to authorize the human services agency to continue its
membership in the california
welfare information network, cal
win with the welfare of client
data to authorize an increase expenditure authority to $88.2 million through January 31,
2023.
>> President Yee: can we take
this same house, same call? Without objection, this
resolution is adopted unanimously.
Please call items 54 through 56.
>> item 54 through 56, three resolutions that authorize the
mayor or her designee to cast an assessment ballot for the property improvement.
Item 54, the renewal and
expansion for the civic center community district with respect
to parcels of property owned by the city. Item 55, for the proposed
renewal and expansion of the property and improvement
business district to be named the union square improvement district.
and item 56, the proposed formation of property and
business to be named the downtown. Community benefit district with certain parcels of real property
owned by the city in each
aforementioned district that would be subject to the assessment.
>> President Yee: can we take these items same house same call?
These resolutions are adopted unanimously.
Let's go to roll call for introductions.
>> supervisor walton, you're up to introduce new business.
>> Supervisor Walton: thank you,
I submit.
>> President Yee: submit.
>> Supervisor Brown: refer.
>> Supervisor Haney: sure.
Thank you, Madame Clerk.
Today I'm introducing a
resolution in support of
A.C.A.6, the vote act which will give california voters the opportunity to allow automatic restoration of voting rights to
those on parole, upon completion of a state or federal prison
term on the 2020 ballot.
It would extend the right to vote a fundamental civil right to those who have paid their debt to society.
Our resolution is supported by my colleagues.
I want to thank supervisors
mandelman, walton, brown, mar, fewer.
It was introduced by assembly
members Mccarthy and
co-authorized
co- co-authorize co- co-authorize by scott wiener.
there are 50,000 unable to vote
as a result of felony disenfranchisement laws.
As we all know, mass incarceration disproportionately impacts communities of color and
even when people serve time and
exit incarceration, they face barriers finding employment,
stable residence and more.
Being denied a right to vote is
one more barrier to integrating back into the community.
This will amend sections 2 and 4
of the constitution to restore voting rights upon the
completion of their prison term. By eliminating a barrier to
voting, this bill will align
california with 14 other states and washington D.C. Which have
either all restored voting
rights upon release from prison
or have no disenfranchisement laws at all.
There has been a lot of momentum
in other states.
The state of florida which is
notorious passed a similar law at the ballot box. I hope california does the same.
I want to thank the many advocates who have been working
on this and the free to vote
coalition, initiate justice,
aclu of california, anti-recidivism coalition, league of women voters of california and california secretary of state.
I hope we can join this coalition as a city of san francisco and help to get this passed in 2020.
The rest I submit.
>> Supervisor Mar: thank you, Madame Clerk.
Colleagues, today I'm joining with mayor breed to introduce
two items, a resolution and
ordinance that will affirm and
memolize the terms of the plan
to fund free city college over the next decade. Free city college has been a huge success, breaking down
barriers to higher education for diverse san francisco residents
and rebuilding enrollment in the years of decline. This ground breaking program was
created in 2016 by the free city
coalition of organizations representing faculty, students
and communities working closely with supervisor jane kim and other leaders.
It has served as an important model nationally for tuition-free higher education. As you know, the program was
initially funded by mayor lee as
a two-year pilot program and due
to greater than expected growth, costs exceeded the initial funding allocation. Over the past six months, the mayor's office and I have worked with city college leaders and the free city coalition to
develop a plan to ensure that free city college is fully funded over the next decade.
And to also update and strengthen program policies and
financial oversight and accountability. I'd like to thank mayor breed,
her chief of staff and her senior education advisor for commitment to free state college
and for all of your work on this plan. The rest I submit.
>> Clerk: thank you. Supervisor peskin.
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank you. Colleagues, a couple of items for introduction today.
First, a minor, but significant
amendment to the north beach
neighborhood commercial district zoning ordinance.
That will lengthen the
abandonment period for certain vacant store fronts from 18 months to three years.
And while it is a very small
amendment, the impact is quantifiable and hopefully immediate.
My office has determined that it
will impact 10 vacant store
fronts and make them available
for desirable businesses without
any need for a conditional use authorization.
And this is, I think, precisely
the type of edits we should be considering to address the
retail issues in each of our neighborhood, commercial
district corridors, to specifically tailor it to address the problems that exist
in each and every one of those
districts, which vary from district to district. I am going to ask the President
To waive the 30-day rule.
I understand that staff at the
planning department is going to ask the commission to waive
their 90-day consideration
because it is minor and the
second item that I am submitting
today is a resolution that hopefully we will all vote for on the adoption without
committee reference calendar, urging the department of real
estate to enter into a lease for
a navigation center in district 3 at a particular site on post street.
I hope that will meet with all of your support. The rest I will submit.
>> Clerk: thank you, supervisor peskin.
supervisor ronen.
>> Supervisor Ronen: submit, but I wanted to congratulate
supervisor peskin of finally
getting a site in district 3 for the navigation center. I know you've been fighting hard
and long for that and I want to congratulate you.
>> Supervisor Peskin: it ain't
over till it's over.
>> Supervisor Safai: commit
>> Supervisor Brown: thank you. Colleagues, today I'm introducing a resolution in
support of california state bill 285.
This bill will reduce food insecurity and poverty in san
francisco and in the state by
increasing participation in the cal fresh program. It will also support the
upcoming expansion of cal fresh
to S.S.I. Recipients for the first time. Currently 2 million californians
who are eligible for cal fresh, but not receiving benefits and
only 19% of eligible seniors participate in this program.
We can and must do better. Historically cal fresh has
failed to enroll eligible californians because of administrative hurdles that
don't take into account many peoples' unstable financial situation.
S b285 will allow californians
to access cal fresh with ease,
regardless of where this
elive -- they live or life
circumstances.
5,000
5,000S.S.I. Recipients will become eligible for the first
time.
It's time we take a real look at food insecurity and expand this access.
The rest I submit.
>> Clerk: thank you. Mr. President, that concludes the introduction of new business.
>> President Yee: okay.
I'm going to take my time and speak real slowly -- oh, there
it is. 2:30.
Can you call the 2:30 commendations.
>> yes, we have four.
Supervisor mandelman, peskin,
safai and brown.
>> President Yee: supervisor
mandelman, please present your commendations.
>> Supervisor Mandelman: happy pride week, happy pride month.
I'm recognizing the owners of jolene's --
[Applause]
Are they here? There is shannon.
Okay.
Here's the deal on jolene's.
It opened its doors in December
of 2018, san francisco's first transand queer women of color
owned bar and restaurant.
The queer and transspace that
they have created is of city-wide importance to the lgbtq community.
At a time when queer-owned and serving businesses are being
displaced from our city at an alarming rate, jolene's is creating new space for the community. After a decade of organizing parties for queer women and
starting her own events company,
jolene started searching -- for
a permanent home for u-haul, her
party for -- [Screaming] -- her
party for girls who love girls
since 2014. despite san francisco's
reputation as a global lgbtq
capital, the 2015 closure of the
last surviving lesbian bar left queer women without any spaces of their own.
With few options available,
jolene decided that opening her own space was the only path forward. To bring this vision to life,
jolene joined forces with
shannon, an experienced restauranteur who opened his business in 2009. The two found a space in the
mission, moving into the former
dear mom space at 2700 16th street.
But that was only part of the challenge.
They faced hurdles navigating
the licensing process.
My office was happy and able to offer our assistance to jolene
and shannon as they worked their
way through that ordeal. And in just the last six months
they've been opened, jolene's
has hosted numerous benefits
including transcend, dike March,
and trans-March and has become
home to a number of >> Translator: >> Translator: trans transparties. They bost an all queer staff, jo-jo who is here somewhere.
Spaces like jolene's are an essential part of san francisco's cultural fabric and we must do everything we can to ensure their success. When you walk into jolene's
you're greeted by a pink triangle saying you are safe here.
I want to thank them for ensuring that all queer people
have a home at jolene's. With their san francisco pride
coming up in a few days and
jolene's certain to be a major destination, I'm sure they have
their hands full, so I appreciate shannon being here today. Would you like to say a few words?
>> thank you. [Laughter]
[Applause]
>> President Yee: the rest of the awards, there is a model for
you.
[Applause]
>> President Yee: that brings us to supervisor peskin.
Please present your commendation.
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank you, President Yee. Colleagues.
Today, I have the pleasure of celebrating somebody who has
been of incredible service to
the city and county of san francisco, who I first met
quarter of a century ago.
It was when she first started working for the planning department.
She looks as incredible now as she did then.
We're celebrating andrea green
on the eve of her retirement.
Come on up, Ms. Green. [Applause]
She has done many things at the department of city planning, but
most recently is known to us as
those calling over there and
being a pain in their hinds as
the executive assistant to the
director of city planning john ram. Andrea is san francisco.
She is born and raised in the bayview neighborhood. and worked in the private sector
for a few years before finding the love for public service when she came to the planning department right about when I
started to become a neighborhood activist.
And so she's worked for director
ram for the past 11 years and has really been the anchor for
the planning department and has survived waves of staff changes and shifting leadership over the years. And don't worry, you don't have
to rat them all out.
Whether it was zoning
administrator bob passmore, dean and john ram.
Andrea is the backbone of that
office that oversees long range city planning, physical development in san francisco and
basically, the future of this town. Not only is she the gatekeeper of the complicated schedule,
which is why I can never get a
meeting with him -- just
kidding -- but she has
maneuvered every last-minute
change when the pesky planners need something. Among the staff at the department, andrea is known for exactly what you see, which is
her infectious smile, her loving
warm heart, her generosity and loyal friendship.
We're going Miss You, andrea.
Outside her duties as a civil servant, she served -- this is where I met her -- as secretary
to the landmark preservation advisory board.
Now our historic preservation commission.
And while I am immensely saddened by your departure, I
want to wish you the most
wondrous time in your retirement
on behalf of the board of supervisors. Congratulations for weathering the storm, Ms. Green. The floor is yours.
[Applause]
[Laughter] My coworkers, they're so wonderful.
Thank you, supervisor peskin, who I lovingly call aaron. It's been a pleasure working for
the city for almost 24 years.
And I have to say the planning department is the best department in the city and
county of san francisco. So I appreciate everyone that I've worked with.
And I appreciate all of you. I've had dealings with all of you at one point or another. So thank you so much.
It's been a pleasure serving the city and county of san francisco. Thank you.
>> Supervisor Peskin: before I give you a certificate of honor and some flowers, director ram,
come up here and show us what
you and all your staff have brought. [Laughter] And then we're going
to go out in the hall and take a photograph of all of us. Director ram, you want to say a few words. >> yes, thank you. I have been in denial about this retirement for a very long time and now that it's three days away, I'm not sure I know what to do about it.
Thank you to the board and supervisor for recognizing andrea.
She's the hearted on soul of the department.
Not just the gatekeeper, but the den mother of the department.
She has been such a joy to work with.
Her smile is indeed infectious.
We're going to keep these in the office. I want to say, publicly thank her for the extraordinary work and keeping me on the straight narrow -- well, the narrow anyway.
[Laughter] Thank you.
[Cheers and applause]
>> President Yee: okay.
That brings us to supervisor
safai.
>> Supervisor Safai: great, thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
I am so honored today, I want to
bring up our local teacher, Mr. Mark rosenberg --
[Cheers and applause]
-- from monroe elementary.
I'm going to give a little background on Mr. Rosenberg, but
I'll just say before that, I had a wonderful pleasure of meeting him a number of years ago in the community at a local fair. Then this year I was invited to
be part of his local civics educational opportunity in his
class, but I'll get back to that. Mr. Rosenberg is an incredible, incredible third grade teacher who I've had the privilege of
working with and knowing that works at monroe elementary school in the excelsior.
He's been there since 2001.
He was born in nairobi, kenya.
His parents were working in the
peace corps. And he lived there for about six months in the early 70s and
moved back to the bay area
settling here in the late 70s.
He attended public school all the way to graduation.
As a young child, Mr. Rosenberg had many career dreams -- this is important because he's
incorporated these into all the
work he does. Teacher, firefighter, teacher,
rock star, writer, teacher,
professor, actor, depressing singer-songwriter, and always back to teacher.
If any of you know Mr. Rosenberg or if any of you have visited had is class -- I see parents
and friends in the audience --
he incorporates every single one
of these into his -- of these professions into his unique
style of teaching, which the kids absolutely adore.
Just as a little footnote, when
I visited his class, he has a
wall and a microphone where he
asks the kids if they have any
jokes to do standup comedy and incorporate that into the daily routine. You don't get to leave the class until you tell a joke. We should do that here on the board [Laughter]. His first teaching opportunity
began in 1997 as a substitute in east san jose. After a strong talking to from
his mother, who didn't want
him -- her son drifting and
wasting his potential, he jumped
in deeply into becoming a
credentialed teacher and worked on that at san francisco state.
After that he was placed at long
fellow elementary school as a
5th grade and then a 1st grade
and then finally monroe elementary school.
His journey has been one of growth. He will tell you his early years
had been a time of failing, trying, having all the
creativity in the world, but no systematic management and being
too stern and being that room
where he begged and screamed every day. But around year three in his teaching, he started to find his groove and his true voice.
He blended all of the experience
and teaching personality to bring a strict joyful weird environment. He teaches in costumes, in
characters, wearing dresses,
overalls, masks, to become book characters, song characters, writing songs to teach curriculum.
He teaches about the ongoing
fight for civil rights.
He combats homophobia in the classroom, but conversations with quality and he works in
every way he can toward a more perfect union.
He has brought his incredible dog moechy into the classroom as
a reading therapy dog.
My daughter is in third grade
the same time I was visiting his class, the letters I got from his children and seeing them
read, I was so impressed by how far ahead they were.
Every single one of them was
fully engaged in the classroom.
He has invited members of the community, lawyers, board of
education members, supervisors,
artists, doctors, custodians, chefs, parents, musicians, anyone of the like to come to the classroom to come speak to
his students and engage in the educational environment. The students have written
letters to the obamas, written
later to May jamison, phillip
glass, among others. authors, song writers.
I ask Mr. Rosenberg, how does he
teach kids and instill hope in the current political climate?
He told me, we move on, undeterred with passion, music, knowledge and joy. These kids will make a better future of our broken country. Mr. Rosenberg, thank you for all the hope and love that you
instill into the learning environment in your classroom and our children.
I am so honored to have you here today and have you been such an
important member of the district
11 community and the educational environment and look forward to
you impacting your generation for years to come. Thank you for being here today.
[Cheers and applause] Thank you. >> I will try to keep it brief. Some of you have been here in my classroom before. One of the messages I wanted to say is come into the rooms. I really mean that. Not just to my room. Behind me in this room are many
teachers who have been teaching longer than I have and have so
many things they give and I just
want the board.
A couple of years ago matt haney came into my room and made a huge impact.
I want kids to be able to see
they can sit where you sit right now. The place where you're making
the decisions you're making.
I'll also plug for my classroom because I have a mayor and
vice-mayor elected, a board of
education, board of supervisors.
Among other jobs.
And they sometimes now tell me
what to do because they become my boss.
And it's an honor being in this room. My friends that are here, my
family that is here, I just feel very lucky to stand here and kind of overwhelmed.
It's kind of a weird experience
to have people say so many nice things about you when you're standing sort of nervous.
I've been teaching at monroe
since 2001 and I want to finish by saying there are so many teachers that have been teaching in the classroom longer than I have and have done so many
things and I want to push for a
city and an environment where we honor the veteran classroom teachers. That we look at it as a place we want people to stay in the
classroom. That is just what I wanted to say. Thank you to everyone.
Thank you to my wife pat who is here and daughter nina. I love very much.
She is a teaching colleague.
My daughter comes into my classroom and she teaches as well with me with my students using sign language.
And as I say to people, she's stricter than I am.
So it's true.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm humbled. I don't feel like I deserve this, but thank you very much and I appreciate everyone here.
[Cheers and applause]
[Cheers and applause]
>> President Yee: okay.
Supervisor brown, as soon as you're ready to start.
you can go ahead and offer your commendation.
>> Supervisor Brown: thank you. It's really rare that I can
stand up here and actually honor someone that I've known for over 25 years.
And is actually a friend of
mine.
And I see you saying, has it been 25 years? Yeah, it has.
Today in honor of pride month I would like to commend san francisco's pride parade and
this year's grand marshal david
faulk, aka, Ms. Vera. And anybody that doesn't know
Ms. Vera, can we put the
overhead up for Ms. Vera?
Yes.
Miss Vera is an inspire ing
character created in 1994 by david faulk.
But there is a reason Miss Vera
was actually created.
And I was around when Miss Vera appeared.
And michael and his partner, can
you stand next to him?
Because you two are a pair.
He name is michael, but we all call him
back in the days, tina and I
actually were artists when we
were in our 20s, early 30s,
living the artist life in warehouses south of market and having a good time.
Tina was one of the first people diagnosed with aids in san francisco. And I can't tell you, maybe three times I went to the
hospital to say goodbye to you.
But through all these years, he
survived and he thrived.
But one time when michael --
tina was in the hospital, miss
vera, david, created Miss Vera and came to the hospital and
actually had him go out in
costume to make michael laugh,
because michael didn't have much
energy to laugh.
And what started was that Miss
Vera actually honored the spirit of the many creative people that
was lost to the aids crisis and epidemic.
The various articles of his
costumes are made with recycled materials.
He uses fake finger nails for teeth and paints them. I mean, you cannot believe all
the different things he uses for
his costumes.
And now more than he has over 50
people -- he dresses over 50
people revelers actually,o
March in concert what we call
vera sphere.
Every year since 1995, they have
marched in the pride parade. And when they first decided to
March in the pride parade in 1995, many of you were here,
this was a time we were fighting
for resources for aids and
crisis that was happening. And I remember a lot of people didn't want to go to pride parade then because they were angry and they were like, what are we celebrating? People are dying, our friends are dying.
But michael and david went to
the pride parade dressed up,
brought a few people and made
people laugh. And had fun.
And at these public events and
workshops throughout the bay
area, Miss Vera and vera-sphere has been encouraging people to
experiment by using non-traditional costumes at the pride parade.
Vera-sphere has marched so many years, I think every time I go
there I look for to you to find what you're doing now and what you're dressed up.
Every year, they actually steal
the front page of "the chronicle". Nobody else gets the kind of attention in those costumes like they do.
I actually would love and
recommend everyone watch this
actually beautiful film that kqqed did on them.
It's a 20-minute short called vera-sphere, a love story in costume.
It's probably one of the most powerful and beautiful shorts
I've ever watched.
I just want to thank you from your friends for so many years
for being here for all of us. And for actually entertaining
the crowds and supporting local
agencies such as lgbtq center,
the spca, san francisco library book mobile.
Your hard work and creativity
will forever impact us, your friends in san francisco and the lgbtq community. Thank you.
[Applause]
>> thank you, supervisor brown.
And thank you to san francisco for being a place where doing something that is a little hard
to figure out is not only
tolerated, it's celebrated. And we have been doing this for a quarter of a century.
When we started, we were prepared to go.
But we are still here.
And the city is still welcoming us.
So even though we started out
from kind of somber space over the years because it's san
francisco it has transformed into a welcoming.
It's still hard to figure out experience that people -- they
just respond to it.
It's a city that people come
here looking for certain
acceptance of alternatives and I
just try and manifest that. And share it with people. Give them an art experience that
is not a commercial one, or you
know, it's a body of work that people respond to.
And as an artist, it's been a
thrill to do it. And it's certainly a thrill to
be acknowledged and honored for
it by the city and the board of supervisors as well. So thank you.
Thank you for all of that and I'm going to let my partner michael say something. >> thank you, supervisor brown and all of you.
I just wanted to highlight the fact that we are in several categories long-term survivors,
at risk with our rental
situations, lost our art studios.
We hang on, but we are a speck
of dust compared to the numbers
of creatives and long-term survivors that are able to live here.
I feel incredibly lucky to be here. I watch and follow everything
that you all do on our behalf.
Transgender, intergenerational,
senior housing, everything, my
entire exist.
I want to thank you all for your efforts in these overwhelming times. >> yeah. we are really relying on you and
you are stepping up, so thank you.
The city has done great by me
and we're here and we're here. So that's that.
Thank you.
[Applause]
>> President Yee: thank you, david and michael.
See you at pride.
Could I have a motion to excuse supervisor ronen since she fell
ill, she's out of the meeting. Motion made by supervisor peskin, seconded by supervisor haney. If there is no objection, then
the motion passes.
>>> supervisor fewer.
Would you like to rescind the vote.
>> Supervisor Fewer: I would
like to make a motion to rescind
item number 41.
Are we done with commendations?
>> President Yee: there is a motion to rescind.
With no objection, seconded by
supervisor stefani, with no
objection then, the vote is rescinded. Could I have roll call on item
number 41?
>> Clerk: supervisor walton aye.
Yee aye.
Brown absent.
Fewer aye.
Haney aye.
Mandelman aye. Mar aye.
Peskin aye.
Ronen is excused. Safai aye.
Stefani aye.
There are nine ayes.
>> President Yee: okay, without
objection -- then this 41 is what? Passed on first reading? ordinance?
>> passed on first reading.
>> President Yee: so okay, this would be ordinance passed on
first reading.
I will again speak very slowly. To get to our 3:00 item. [Please stand by]
[Please stand by]
>> this is named the north of market tenderloin benefit district pursuant to the board
resolutions we've adopted on April 23rd.
The proposed district is approximately 800 identified
parcels located on approximately
41 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 and members of
the public May view the ballot taboo
tab
tab
taboo
tab tabulation. The public testimony will be as
follows. We will hear from all speakers in support and each speaker will
have two minutes and we will
hear from all speakers in opposition and during the
hearing, a property owner who
has not voted yet or who wishes to change their vote May speak with the department of election's staff.
They are a table just outside at the board chamber and provide
you with the affidavit and board plot.
The ballot will be counted.
Before we begin, supervisor hainey, would you like to make any opening remarks? >> thank you.
I will make brief remarks before
I turn it over to chris corgus.
But I want to say that this is a community benefit district that
I know firsthand does a tremendous job in our community. I live in the tern loin and
tenderloin and there's
not a day that goes by where I don't walk by and see the
positive impacts of a all are doing.
This morning I was walking to
city hall down hyde street, helped across the street by the
safe passage volunteers, walking
down sidewalks that were
pressure washed by tlcbd folks
and just appreciating not just everything you all do but the way that you do it. I especially appreciate the approach that you've taken to
putting people to work who need jobs, especially in our community. And also taking the approach that understands that if we'll be successful in the tenderloin,
we have to do it in an inclusive
way to make sure residents are heard. Sometimes that's property owners and sometimes not property owners and everybody has a seat
at the table as we're thinking about the kind of community we want.
So I got to look at some of your
policies around harm reduction
and racial equity and I think
you're demonstrating what cb ds
can be in a community.
I'll turn it over to chris to talk about the millions of pounds of trash and numbers and some of the exciting plans that
you have, but what I'll say to
the board is that we established
this known as the tenderloin cbd
in 2005 for 15 years.
I hope that you all will support
this as introducing the cbd's renewal. I appreciate the partnership you all have had and I'm excited about some of the changes and some of the goals and some of
the vision that the cbd has for the impact on our community.
With that, I'll turn it over to
chris corgus from oewd who will present. >> thank you. Good afternoon. I'm the senior programme manager
of the office of economic and workforce development.
I oversee the community benefit programme on behalf of the city. This is a renewal and expansion
of the existing north of market tenderloin community benefit district.
I would like to thank supervisor hainey and his staff,
particularly honthy
honthy mow
hon
honey mohanganey.
I would like to think you for
your commitment as a model for
all summations and renewals.
Now I would like to thank all. And to present about what's to
come in the tenderloin cbd as
the executive terror, simon
bertrane. >> good afternoon. I will give a brief presentation on what is in the assessment renewal proposal and what are current services are. The proposed assessment renewal
will be a new 15-year term
starting January 1, 2020.
There will be changes to the boundary and it will be a
continuation and pension
expansion on cleaning, safety and neighborhood pride pride programme.
It will go to 1.1 million to under 2 million a a
year.
Here is a map in light blue with
additional areas in dark blue.
I the north side of west fa farreell.
A section of the tenderloin cbd
is not going to be included in the proposed district and
instead, it will be included in
the civic centre cbd proposal.
The tlcbd budget with that $2 million in assessment, this
shows a break-down of most of
the money, 60% is spent on supplemental services.
I'm describe what those are.
There's a 15% spent on marketing and economic development, as
well as money set aside for administration.
We have a framework at the
tenderloin cbd for what we
envision for a healthy neighborhood. We mean all of the people that live, work and visit the tern loin,
tenderloin including people on
the streets, unhoused. Our primary focus is at the top in the clean, safe and trying to
make inviting public spaces for people but we work on neighborhood pride, economic opportunity and improvements around those areas.
Our clean programme, just to hit
the statistics, we picked up over 350,000 pounds of trash
this year, removed 22,000 needles, addressed 6,000
graffiti and stickers and pressure-washed over 3,000
blocks in addition to addressing
over 3600 individual instances
of human and animal waste. With the new assessment, we are
proposing to bring a microneighborhood approach to
the cleaning of the tenderloin.
We're breaking it up into seven smaller areas and there will be a member assigned to each of the areas with multiple passes a day
on the frontages there and
getting to know the unique circumstances, the residents, businesses, the building managers, the people on street
to do a better job of cleaning the street.
Tout we also run a safe
programme which is primarily tender loin safe passage which started by neighborhood moms to
help kids get to and from school safely.
We now have dozens of volunteers
a day who come in morning and
afternoon to help kids and
seniors navigate the sidewalks
and also get across the congestion and dangerous streets everyday in the morning and afternoon.
We are also working with a
number of block safety groups
that neighborhood residents and stakeholders that are interested
in a way to make sidewalks safer
and more inviting for everyone there.
We support training for them, as well as physical improvements to
those blocks to improve the physical condition of the blocks
and support them with safe passage corners and clean team. There's a camera programme which
is a network of cameras which we are expanding. This year we expect to double the size of the network and it
is for after the fact footage
that we produce -- we produce
after-the-fact footage for the police, district attorney, public defender or private attorneys. Our neighborhood pride programme tries to tell stories about the neighborhood.
If you ride the news about the tenderloin, it's full of negativity and there's incredible people and businesses and energy in the tenderloin and
we try to connect with those people and make sure that some of the stories out of the tenderloin are the positive kind that really showcase the
strengths as one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in san francisco. Last slide is about the details
of the assessment formula. The assessment in the tenderloin
is calculated on three factors, lot size, building size, length of sidewalk frontage and each of
the factors is multiplied by a
number to produce, as you see at
the bottom, different rates for
the square footages and linear
footage. The economic development is not
assessed against the non-for-profit meaning there's a
20% lower assessment than on the
for-profit property owners. I'll conclude the presentation
and thank you very pitch. >> much.
>> we'll open testimony on item number 50 and we will start with supporters of the assessment district.
So if you are here to testify in
support of the assessment district, public comment will begin. are there any individuals who
would like to speak in support? First speaker, please.
If you'll line to your right, my left.
Go ahead, sir. >> steve gibb son
steve gibson.
I was the interim executive
director for two and a half
years in January of 206. 2016.
I have come at this from a couple of different directions. I would like to speak from the point of view of past executive director. As you know web
, the tenderloin as lacked the financial resources to properly address
address the quality-of life issues. They address the tenderloin issues and this renewal of the cg
bd addresses those issues.
They have agreed to double their assessment, double their investment in the cbd and programmes. I strongly urge you to support
the renewal of the cbd so they
can continue to improve the
quality of life for the families, the children and the
seniors that call the tenderloin home.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. P. >> I want to renew the area, too
and I want to redevelop it, too
and get the 8,000 and 11 people that's homeless out in the
street and 90% is in the
tenderloin.
I want to spend that money to for this.
i'm real upset pup can build a three-story apartment building
complex of 144 unites
144 units for a million dollars.
You can build a 27-story tower
with that amount of money than
any building complex than you built. There's a three-story building,
too, and cost just $1 million more, $57 million.
So you talk about redeveloping
the area of the tenderloin, I'm I
move you have use these types of
towers for the 8,011 homeless people countedpy
counted by the census bureau. Is that clear some and by the
same response, I want three of
these buildings to be for people
who need rehabilitation and need
the behavioral self-services and
who are suicidal and calling in
and want to commit suicide.
By the same response, further flows with my demonstration, you
have a homeless rate that's
increasing at 8,011. Ok? The population is still growing as far as homelessness is concerned. By the same response, they've
got nowhere to go because you keep building programmes with nothing to do with housing.
You all you want to do is having housing programmes. It say you've got shelter
services and mental services, you short there, too.
>> thank you, next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm curtis bradford, I'm a long-time tenderloin responsibilities to speak in
support of the lcbd.
They provide great service for the tenderloin neighborhood.
Like matt was saying, I work and
live in the neighborhood and I
walk to work and safe escorts across the intersection to get
to my won't be. Job.
They're there and they greet me by name and these are community members that live in the neighborhood, as well. Pot
they provide a great service and I appreciate them being there. You know, I've gotten to know the clean theme
team that cleans my block and it's great to have
that relationship. So they're providing more than just the cleaning.
But I want to say for purposes
of disclosure -- first of all, I'm proud of the fact that I
think the tlcbd is, perhaps, one
of the, if not the most progressive benefit district in the nation.
Tout
.That's not an accident.
There was a lot of intentionality around thinking about and stretching the plan of what cbd can mean in a community.
And servings as a low income sro resident of the tenderloin on the board, I would like to think I played some small part in moving them along.
But the truth is, they've been
work wig community organizations
robustly to try to think about
and envision what cbd can mean for the whole community. So I really appreciate their effort and I hope you can support them.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm dale seymour from the tenderloin.
I've been here 35 years. I've have two businesses that total about 15 years.
So I'm familiar with the tlcbd.
You know, they're just a tailly
organization. Daily organization.
The good thing, these folks are tenderloin residents.
So we get to see our neighbors at work. We get to see our neighbors making money. Because of a grant that I got
from the tlcg about ten years
ago, I was able to get my organization start and now we employ five people from the community.
So there are a lot of things he didn't present in his recommendation
hispresentation. The people are friendly and it's just a way of life. Tenderloin could be worse without this organization and I
think the tlcbd is the model for all in the city.
It was one of the first and the most challenging neighborhood in
the city and because of them,
that neighborhood is no nowhere as challenging. So I implore you to support this assessment.
Thank you.
>> next speaker, please.
>> good afternoon, supervisors.
My name is steven genes for st. Passage.
If it wasn't for them, I won be
wouldn't be standing here before
you.
I want to talk about vision zero zero. i'm not sure how many people have died because of being hit
by a car in san francisco, but it is outrageous, the number.
It's three or four in the last two, three months.
Now we have st. Passage set up for
upto help children gave gate navigate
through and we have st. Passage that helps seniors in the morning.
Why not have them to help not
get hit by cars where the amount of people hit is at the highest risk.
We've got an organization set up. It wouldn't take a lot of money
or a lot of effort to switch
gears and have a certain part of safe passage do that. I mean if we're concerned about
human life and if we want to do
something like vision zero, to
obtain vision zero, it's in
play, safe passage. So I would urge you to spend a
lot more than just $2 million. If you people are serious about
vision zero, then do something about it.
Safe passage is the thing to do.
>> my name is renee colorado and
I operate the restaurant group.
We have four and a final one
opening in a month along larkin street.
I can say personally, I was a community organizer and advocate
in the tenderloin and I
I myself
am overwhelmed at times. Having the organization with a
group of people that care so much about the entire
neighborhood, not just the residents, but the businesses
there.
I myself just based on the tlcbd and the services they provide
and hope they bring to the
neighborhood, we locate advocate three
other businesses to open on my recommendation and this was due
in part because of the support tlcbd is providing.
The improvements that have been
made in the tern loin. Tenderloin. E they not only clean streets but come into our businesses and they bring our street patrol, our police officers by and
introduce them and they're kind
of -- they're the glue that bind
the tenderloin together,
everyone.
Announcement I'm here to implore
you to renew them for another ten years.
>> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, please. >> hi.
I'm mike, the club director for boys and girl's club of san francisco and thank you all for
your time today.
I was first introduced to the
tlcbd through the safe passage programme. Coming in, I understood some of
the situations that was already
here in the tenderloin and to
see safe passage out after school everyday with volunteers
really invested into the safety
of our family and kids was inspiring for me.
As I continue to work here, I
saw other organizations out
there doing amazing work. Watching them clean
clean the streets and pickup
pick up needles. As I continue to look at how we can make imminents
improvements in the neighborhood, this is really possible.
They've been a great connector of multiple agency, of organization.
They work closely with different city departments and able to do
with the renewal of the
assessment is off the charts. I'm definitely here in support
of the tlcbd.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name a raymond gonzalez. We are in
an organization that helps adults experiencing homelessness by providing a
sense of community and meaningful daily community.
Our team members learn life
skills and do this by create ing a vibrant community.
They have about 80 team member
who have come from the tenderloin district. Since we've been there, we've
picked up over 250,000 pounds of
trash and 22,000 needles and employed 19,000 individuals and have housed six individuals, as
well. And so I just want to say that
we support the tlcbd and renew it and without that, we are now
able to restore and friday bring our unhoused individuals in. When I was talking to a team lead,
, I said why do you like
being part of the tenderloin district.
He say it gives me and sense of
purpose and me and my crew a sense of purpose and we support the renewal. Thank you. >> thank you.
next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm a corner captain with safe passage for three years now.
I'm one of the many corner
captains who help cross our residents of the neighborhoods
in the morning and afternoon.
We are giving back and making it safer for everyone and we love our job.
I would not be here without their help and being a part of this community.
And I strongly urge you guys to
please renew the agreement with
the tlcbd for another 15 years. We did mistake work as previously mentioned and will be mentioned after me.
So please let us keep doing the job we're doing of making the
quality of life in our neighborhood safer and better for residents and business owners. Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> I work for safe passage and I
am the tenderloin and I've been
on both sides of the fence.
If you're having trouble making
decision, go there and rent one
of those room and you'll see how
important it is, how much help
is needed. The gentleman mentioned shelters
and shelters are fine.
They need clean, too, because people sleep on the street than the shelter.
So you need better support.
Human kindness is what it take. If we show human kindness and remember these people are
people, too, you know, you don't kick them why they down.
We do what we can for our people. E
we are the tenderloin.
Go sew
see the grease pot that was
just cleaned. That's all they got. >> next speaker. >> I will remind the good people if you want to show your
support, give us your silent hands.
Thank you. >> I
I live in the tenderloin for
three years and also I am a tenderloin resident for five
years.
Without the tlcbd, this is not
only a safe passage in
tenderloin and not only creating
the culture, it's not only
elderly people safe on the
street.
This demonstrates
as mom to kids, I feel it's very
important not for only today but important for our future, for our kids.
Thank you so much.
And support the t college
lcbd.
Thank you. >> good afternoon.
I am the community organizing
director for the tenderloin housing board.
I'm the President Of the board.
In my day job, I work closely
with tlcbd because a lot of our values and work insect with each
other in terms of block safety
group or many leaders of safe passage have come from various programmes in our work in tenderloin.
I just want to urge and hope for
your support for renewing the tlcbd.
>> thank you. Next speaker. >> good afternoon. i'm the executive director of
operations at uc hastings law.
We have an amazing partnership we're benefited from of the
services they provide. We've partnered with them in
workforce development, as well as most recently, network community camera project, but in
addition to that, it's just the care they provide and communication that they provide
stating to all members of the tenderloin this is truly a community that matters. So we think it's critically
important that this is renewed.
Our assessment will go up and we
think they're capable after efficient stewards. We look forward to seeing what
they do and we strongly urge your support.
>> thank you, next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm with the larkin street merchant association and cova
hotel and I serve on the board
of the cbd.
I cannot express enough what a
critical partner the tenderloin
is to everyone that comes into contact with the neighborhood. I can't imagine where the neighborhood would be without
the services that the tenderloin
cbd provides. We see a lot of imminent.
I urge you to support and back the renewal of the cbd and we look forward to partnering with them for the next 15 years.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> supervisors, what struck me
when I was listening to our friends at tenderloin safe
passage was kind of the idea
that we've created a cbd model
that is different than other cbds in the city.
It's a cbd that grows from the
community, that some of the
initiatives that they have incubated and work with and some
they have taken on like safe
passage have been
community-lead. It's being able to know what community they're in and who
they're working for. So like many said before, it
brings joy to my heart when I walk through and see my friends
at safe passage and I see, you
know, folks really enjoying what is my favourite neighborhood in the city.
So I urge you to, you know,
support the renewal of the
tenderloin cbd for 15 years and really dig deep to see how we
can make this model of community leadership and community
empowerment a part of every cbd
that we pass and that we strengthen and lengthen in the
years going forward. Thank you very much.
>> thank you, networks speaker. Next speaker. >> good afternoon. I'm here today as a member of
the tenderloin community benefit
district board of directors, giving my enthusiastic support
to the renewal and expansion of
the tldbd. Like many here, my introduction
was through the safe passage
programme, working on street
safety projects in the neighborhood.
I quickly realize ed this nobody realized nobody had their finger on the pulse than
the captains.
Really they serve as stewards of
the public realm, keep tender tenderloin residents safe and away from drug feeling
dealing. This is a community-based state programme reducing psychological
and physical harm through building and culture of safety
and engagement. Really,. The
this is the type we nodebe expanding.
As someone who walks, bike and
eats daily in the tenderloin, I'm urging you to support the renewal today. Thank you.
>> next speaker. Good afternoon.
I'm a sometimes friendly and
sometimes cranky neighbor of the cbd. All of these growing stories come from a lot of hard work on part of the staff member and leadership of the cbd.
You know, this kind of community collaboration doesn't come without hard work or conflict. In this process of renewal, I watched simon and the rest of
the staff go through hard conversations.
Some of the things we talked about, ham
harm reduction, making
sure there are to harmed securities, those conversations were not easy conversations because those are things not
assumed to be a part of the cbd in their process.
As we had those conversation, I
watched this staff work through what their values are in
aligning them with their neighbors.
I would like to give them credit and know we have a long way to go but we have a strong begin manage a relationship that's founded in friendship and in
conflict and we've been able to remain good together through that process.
So as a sometimes cranky but
often friendly neighbor, I want to encourage you to vote for the renewal. Thank you.
>> thank you, next speaker. >> hello, supervisors.
I'm vice President Of the board
of christian science church on
farrell street. I am here representing the
church as we get towards that
goal.
The benefit -- we are among the
people that are assessed for this and we are more than happy
to have that renewed and expanded.
We've experienced the gentleness
of the individuals that come
around and help with us removing graffiti, cleaning our sidewalks and we are supportive of this project.
And I have a letter of support
from our church.
So thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> members of the board, thank
you, richard hanham, representing forge.
We're a development group
bringing forward 500 new housing
units in the tenderloin. We've been work on this project 35 years and one of the great advantages that has occurred
during that period has been the
initiation of the cbd.
We're being assessed for a non-settle
significant contributions with projects inside of the expansion map and these are places that
have not been served, nor
pratting in the assessment and
we strongly encourage both the
approval and our continued and expanded participation with the cbd. Please remember that the cbd does not exist in the overall map. It exists in the space of community and the place in between the buildings. This is where their work is done and where all of us live on the street.
So be encourage them and thank you for everything his team has
been doing to help everyone in this neighborhood to be successful. Thank you very much and please
support this initiative. >> good afternoon.
I'm with the senior center and
one of the challenges our seniors have is safety.
We did a survey of them four
years ago and they said safety on the sidewalks was number one. I made the mistake of thinking safety on the sidewalk meant
groups of drug dealers.
They said yes, they're in our way and the safety on the sidewalks is we're scared to
walk, step in poop, glass and everyone else.
So seniors, they don't want to come out because the sidewalks
are dirty.
Cbd cleans sidewalks. I spent $2500 to put the camera
systems in and I buy flash drives and I'm glad I could spread the work around with the help of the cbd.
So I urge you to support the cbd from those 15 years.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is jennifer verano and
as the director of st. Francis
hospital and on behalf of the hospital we're pleased to
provide the assessment renewal.
For over 13 years, cbd played a
vital role in the tenderloin by providing services needed to the
most vulnerable and diverse neighborhoods.
When the neighborhood launched
the tenderloin improvement project, we recognised the
leadership to realize the new vision to impact the tenderloin.
This vision aligns well with neighborhood wide goals to address economic and social conditions that ultimately influence the person's health.
What the cbd does in terms of a safe, clean and active environment, building
neighborhood pride and ensuring economic opportunities and supporting local businesses is
all a part of the collective
success, a recipe for success of
residents, shaping the 80% of
health outside of the walls of hospitals.
We stand by our partnership with the c built
bd and request you renew
assessment but most importantly
continue demonstrated track record of cocreating solutions with tenderloin residents and partners.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is kristy shirillo. For anyone who spends time in the tern
tenderloin, you know it can be a little overwhelming, but
this is an organization
innovative and ready to help solve problem and face challenges.
I believe the renewal is vital
and encourage you to support. Thank you. >> networks
next speaker.
>> I'm a resident of the
tenderloin and work for the
international U.S.A.'s san francisco city center hostile on
the corner of ellis and larkin. On behalf of fellow residents,
the tens of thousands of guests
that stay at our hostile every
year, on behalf of our hostile
staff, I would like to thank
them for cleanliness and security of the neighborhood and would like to thank you all for voting in favour of this renewal. Thank you.
>> thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon. I'm representing the property owner in the tenderloin and we
have been a strong supporter of
the lcbd and would love to see it renewed.
The renewed assessment and
extension will allow the tlcbd to implement new programmes in the area and that will make it safer for the residents and
visitors of the tend tenderloin. Please support this initiative
and thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors.
My name is will douglas and I
work for the st. Francis foundation. Five years ago as my colleague
and coworker, jennifer verano
mentioned, were formed the
tenderloin health improvement partnership and it's many of the organizations you've heard from. The reason we formed this partnership is that we realized the health of individuals in the
neighborhood required more than just excellent care at the
hospital.
That an individual's health and
well-being is dependent on
social determinants of health and organizations like the
community benefit district are necessary and an important
critical part of a community's health and well-being. I want to acknowledge the work
they've done in partnering with man different organizations across our community and
acknowledge that it's very rare for this many organizations to come together and agree on something. So I want to make that point and urge you to support the renewal
of the cbd for another 15 years.
Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm the programme manager with
the tenderloin housing clinic. I'm here to support because they
provide a safe and clean
environment for the entire environment and a part of the
safe passage programme and we thoroughly enjoy working with them and we hope that they
continue to go on for 15 more years.
Thank you.
>> buenos tardes.
Speaking spanish: .
>> I'm a resident of the
tenderloin for more than 30 years.
She's saying good afternoon.
I have been safe passage voluntary for ten years and this
time, she has been noticing the
importance of the safe passage
and for the community of the tenderloin.
she's a captain and she sees
that all of the people of the
elderly seniors are very happy when they see her.
The parents of the children also
trust all of them because they feel that the children are very
safe when they are around -- when they go to school.
Out tenderloin is
tenderloin is a community with a lot of danger on streets, a lot
of drug dealing accidents, also,
you know, a lot of people that
have been dying there.
The traffic is the main problem there. And because people and even
sometimes a car, they don't
follow the traffic sign.
With the new plan and your
support, the tlcbd will be in
the programme safe passages and stronger and stronger and we
will try to have more safety in
the streets for many, many years to come.
Thank you for your support.
>> thank you.
Next speaker. Initially, I didn't get too
involved in the community, but you think its being in the
tenderloin with other people who
also had difficulties, I wanted
to give back. Now I do volunteer work in the
community and I really -- it's
helping me as a person.
So I would like to say that
these things that bring the
community together, it's almost a necessary thing for people's
health, I think. Put because people if you're
really down and out, having
people who have your back or
willing to help you, it's can be a powerful thing.
That's the key to giving back.
you May have had a dysfunctional
family or just had a hard time making friends, but when people,
you know, share and communicate with each other, there's a lot that can happen.
So keep the tlcb going.
I think they are a good role
model and we all need to clean up after ourselves in our lives. Put
to do that in the community is a
real positive thing to see.
It reinforces, maybe, brings hope -- hopefully brings hope to some of the people you don't see
a way out of their situation. But there is. There are ways. Ok, thank you. Put. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> hi, my name is kristen dialobos.
I've lived in the tenderloin for years.
Some people have spoken well
about the programmes, the street clean, both of which are important and remuch
very much needed. But what they give they is a sense of expect. My neighbors and I began to organize a few months ago to
combat the 24-hour open air drug
mark and the folks met with us and helped us organize and point us in the right directions. They inspired us and what
started as a group of angry neighbors cleaning about the
situation out front, they turned us into a positive force for good.
I don't think we would be as far along and our neighborhood
wouldn't be as improved as it is, if it hasn't been for their support. They have inspired all of us to keep going. I've been looking for more opportunities to get involved in the tenderloin and in all of the neighbors in san francisco and I'm familiar with a lot of different neighborhoods, there's no neighborhood more in need of a benefit district than the tenderloin.
But also, a neighborhood that just has such a strong sense of community and I feel that
they've been a big part of that.
Their ads and they are focus on the other hand all
edon all of the residents. It's not just about cleaning up the neighborhood but making the neighborhood a safe neighborhood for everyone who lives there. Now thank you. >> next speaker.
>> and I support them. >> hello.
I'm with the tenderloin
equitable development project our organization supports
community businesses in the tenderloin, businesses who are often striving and struggling in
silence and on their own because their very real problems are
lost in the face of the much
more visible human suffering and tragedy that we see in front of
their storefronts.
However, the tlcbd has been a
critical partner in assisting our organization in elevating
the voices of the unheard community businesses and helping
to provide the attention and the resources of the greater
community to help sustain these
businesses and allow him to
thrive in unjust business conditions.
the leadership of the tlcbd in
particular, not only through
that programme atic work has been
able to provide us a platform to
assist and invest in businesses
and to keep the small business
owners in the neighborhood, in
the communities that they serve and know.
Without the tlcbd, we have not
been able to increase our assistance to the neighborhood
and would not be able to consistently provide the services and the support that
the neighborhood and small businesses need, strongly support. >> thank you, next speaker.
Pout.
>> dan williams, owner of piano fight. Even one
I'm one of the businesses in the tenderloin and I have to say
that one of the most amazing resources from a business
owner's perspective is the tlbcd.
Not only do they support really
impressive cleaning services
that round out what the city
does in a fashion that's really
working well for the tenderloin
but they provide community
organizational services. These things the tenderloin has a myriad of issues. I know most neighborhoods do in
the city, but the tenderloins --
the tlcg is a specific issue to
specific challenges that the tenderloin faces.
I would like to point out you've heard from an incredible spectrum of voices from housing
developers to hotel operators to
homeless advocates to business operators and I don't know that
you get -- to residents, low
income, senior, across-the-board and I don't know you get this on
many issues you face, but I would encourage it to influence your support, as well.
Thank you.
>> next speaker.
>> joel wilson, hospitality house. I would like to voice my
opposition to the renewal of the tenderloin. >> joe, excuse me.
This is in support. In opposition? >> yes. >> speakers will be after everybody in support. >> ok, thank you.
>> so I yield the eminder
remainder of my
time. [Laughter]
>> good afternoon, supervisors. I'm the executive director of the lower poke cbd. We are on the northern border of
the tlcbd and I've witnessed day
in-and day out, the hard work and dedication the staff brings
to the job.
It's easy to quantify the bags
of trash and feces and needles
but what's hard to quantify is
the sense of connectivity and support for the neighborhood
that they bring and it is intangible but without it, things would fall apart and so,
I urge your support in extenting
the tenderloin cbd for 15 years
on behalf of the lower poke neighbors. We're thrilled they're extending
to the lower, lower poke, because that will only help strengthen all of our neighborhoods.
So I urge your support and thank
you for your time.
>> my name is eric rosell and thank you for having us.
I want to express my support.
As a long-time resident, I've
seen over nearly 3
23 years of working in the area and I've never seen a group of people who are hard working in transforming a community as I have this
community and this organization putting forth this effort.
I remarkable to see how present
and visible they are everyday.
As a community group organizing and building in my block,
they've been supportive and
helping us make the community
better, too, and I hope you support their renewal.
Thank you.
Please stand by: .
>> and we will stay a little bit
longer well the lights countdown too fast. We are there to help people who move slower than others and
children to be safe. >> thank you.
>> any other speakers in support
>> I definitely in support.
I have been at my house 28 years I have lived here in the city long before that and I really am
grateful for the improvements
that have been happening these
last few years, to see that this program is working.
I'm sitting here and observing it and hearing the support of it
has definitely got me on the side of wanting to support it,
and developing and blossoming to make everything a lot safer for everybody. So thank you.
>> okay. >> supervisors, my name is francisco.
i support the community benefit
district.
I think it is a little bit different. In 1989 when we had the
earthquake and I worked at the
presidio, we formed a team to
address those concerns in the
tenderloin. You have heard many of the people who live in the tenderloin express themselves as
best they can.
We have a budget of 12.3 billion
dollars, and I didn't know in
your mind how you can do a needs
assessment with all the things that the tenderloin needs and
you give them a dollar. You must be ashamed of
yourselves. More after hearing the concerns of all the organizations that
came here to give the tenderloin
and the neighboring neighbors add-ons.
Supervisors, you must have empathy and you must have
compassion. If you go to the tenderloin, you
see practically every nation on
this earth represented. So why can't we set aside
$500 million to improve the
tenderloin? And we have an example of some
people that are giving a dollar
and they spend thousand dollars
and most of it is coming from
their own pockets. Think about it. Thank you very much. >> thank you.
Any other speaker in support?
>> hello. I have a studio in the
tenderloin that I could comfortably afford, but I chose
to live inside of my car outside the tenderloin instead. this was simply because of the
ongoing level of drug activity and availability in the
neighborhood.
He is an addict, drug fleet --
drug-free and seriously dedicated to his own recovery.
I noticed in my own neighborhood
that basically just purchasing
seven gallic -- 7 gallons of
paint for $70 to base -- to paint a lamp post eight months ago, if you were to visit the
neighborhood today, you would
notice attractive new trash cans
, water pipes being replaced
, streets being resurfaced, at&t replacing the
aging overhead wiring and D.P.W. Has extended the color palette
to -- the public are no longer limited to various shades of green. A long time ago, I prepared several miles along the highway
abroad by moonlight, headlight and by hand held lantern. It was part of a social
experiment for very practical
reasons as well.
It was to help facilitate doctors without borders and activity in the area. I noticed that two months after the work was complete, the country announced and embarked
on a nationwide nationwide highway repair and resurfacing project.
As they say, and as we heard
today, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
I am neutral on this. I think the neighbors can get a
lot of work done without the homeowners being taxed heavily
to support this.
>> any other speakers in support
seeing none, then this will be
closed, and now if you are in opposition and you would like to
say something, please come on up
>> I am opposed to reauthorizing the business improvement
district for several reasons.
Is that public policy first and foremost. We have four former members of
the school board involved and it is all parallel with the discussion of charter schools and lodgers. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of good charter schools around the country. I'm sure there are multiple examples of good voucher programs around the country. The schools and vouchers have
the intent of dismantling public education. This is a policy matter that
dismantles public oversight of
public lands. You are ceding control of the
commons to property owners, of
which hospitality house is one. That is intrinsically bad public
policy, so I'm urging you to
think carefully about this, and
the issue of lowering the approval threshold while also
extending the period -- it is antidemocratic and nothing else.
So one possible remedy and I hesitate to mention remedy because it means I am agreeing
with the premise, which I absolutely do not, but you could
break up the extension period, the 15 year period into five year increments, force a public hearing every five years at a
minimum to make sure there is
continuing public support. You could expand the number of
community seats on the C.B.D.,
the B.I.D., and make them not
subject to internal approval.
now we could devise some other seating process for that. I would also say, and I'm just
thinking about the long-standing
argument the late jane jacobs had with robert moses in new
york about this very thing, about what constitutes community , what constitutes local control. That is what we need to concern ourselves with today. Thank you.
>> next speaker.
>> good afternoon, kelly cutler with the coalition on homelessness. I am not even here for this item
, but I'm surprised we're talking about business improvement districts, and I
feel like we need to do a lot more education on this.
What is connected right now within the tenderloin, which is such an amazing community, and they know everyone else is jealous because the tenderloin
is awesome. Right now we have the healthy treats operation center that is going through and doing massive
sweeps and they are brutalizing
our community and it is not okay they even hit out in front of
saint boniface when there was a community agreement from 6:00 P.M. Until 6:00 A.M. Not to be doing the cruel and inhumane
sweeps, yet they were doing it. It is out of control, absolutely out of control.
So not only shouldn't you be giving more funding to it, but
it is really bad, and we can
provide more info about it but it is just really going in the
wrong direction, but right now they are really targeting the tl , and the tl has a great
community and it will not put up with it, it is just really bad.
>> next speaker. >> hello.
I live south of market. I was in opposition to the commission of the community
district.
I want to endorse all that joey kelly said. They go very well and they won't repeat it.
They are both right and I just
wanted to also that, well, I really encourage the members of the board to look at the opportunities for private profit , not necessarily on this community benefit district, but in the industry of creating community benefit districts, and that could really use some
oversight. I have just done a little
googling around, but it is relatively easy to find topics that could use a little oversight, and I'm not sure they are getting enough.
That actually is the problem with having community benefit districts that are not fully
subject to public oversight, you know, government really should
not be privatized. Even if it does some really good stuff sometimes.
Thank you.
>> wr duffy, I just don't think, I get very nervous when the tenderloin is this united, so I wanted to back joe wilson on the
left, you know, if this C.B.D.
Starts to work too well, then all these yellow journalism articles and occurred --
chronicle but have terrible the tenderloin is, then they will start realizing it is a beautiful place with all the
service agencies, and also, one other point of opposition is the
expansion of the C.B.D.
I would like to see possibly it expanded a little bit further because the general organizing area of the north of market goes from pearl street to van ness,
that corner and if we could get more into this C.B.D., that is
my opposition, and also, I don't think that sam dennison was cranky enough and I want to be crankier.
[Laughter] >> are you speaking? >> yes.
Good afternoon.
>> hold on a second.
>> hold on a second.
Are there any other speakers in opposition, please line up right now or otherwise she will be the last speaker. Thank you for your patience.
Go on. >> can I have one minute, please
I know everybody talks about the
tenderloin.
I know the answer, the answer is
[Indiscernible] >> I guess she is done? Okay. Seeing no other speakers for
this hearing, the hearing has been heard and is now filed.
We will now adjourn from the committee as a whole and reconvene at the board of
supervisors. Just to remind people, the department of elections will count the ballots cast and will
return with the final tabulation later in the meeting and come
back to the item.
When that happens, we will come immediately back into item
number 50.
For now, I will ask that --
there are some speakers. Supervisor haney? >> thank you. I did want to ask a question of
chris porter, but I don't know, he just left. Okay.
So he is -- okay. So there was a point that was
brought up about the voting
threshold and that they had been reduced. Can you clarify that in the
amount of time that it would
take and whether that had been a change? I think Mr. Wilson had brought up the concern about the voter threshold. >> that is a great question. Sorry had to go close the
election.
The voter threshold worked for
the state of california for the
petitioning and it is 40% of the wait of the assessment of the
total district. Her article 15 of the
transportation code, using the city statuses a charter city,
the state code was augmented by
article 15 for san francisco's purposes, since we have a lot of
mixed-use neighborhoods and it
lowered the threshold to 30% of
the wait of assessments to authorizing election and also allowed C.B.D. To form initially
for up to 15 years. >> but that has been in place in
the case since 2005? >> 2004.
>> 2004.
There isn't a special situation? >> no, they have the ability to
go up to 15 years, but some
choose to form for ten years or less. >> great. Thank you. i just want to thank everybody
who came out today.
Everyone from the tenderloin
community, it is extraordinary to see such diversity of our
community and all of the leaders and organizations and different business owners and I just want
to thank the staff and the board and everyone who is involved
with this organization for what
you have done to really bring this community together, to do
it in an inclusive way, the
corner captains, thank you so much for all that you do every
day and I will probably see you
tomorrow morning as I do every day and I hope that my
colleagues will support this organization for all of the reasons that you heard today
from the community. >> supervisor peskin?
>> thank you. Actually, Mr. Quercus said a little bit of what I was going
to say which I was the author of
the enabling legislation in 2004
the state law was really created for cities that are not like san
francisco, they were created for places that that had solidly
business districts, and we had,
in those days, in 2004, one bit -- one business improvement district, and no community benefit districts because we don't look like other cities
because we have housing up above , ground-floor retail, but
when we constructed this, we constructed it in no way, and I
say this to the chair of the
government audit and oversight committee, and to every member
of the board of supervisors, we constructed it in a way that the
board of supervisors can disband any community benefit district,
pretty much at its will, and we get an annual report, so to my
friend, Mr. Wilson, to kelly, to
auto, I concur with my colleague
from district six that it is extraordinary to see a community come together like this, and I
also believe that this has not been, but could become a gentrifying force for a
remarkable neighborhood, the tenderloin a national forest, a
some people call it, and when that happens, and when simon is
not doing right, you have an
opportunity to petition with the body, which can disband that C.B.D. At any time. That has not happened yet.
We have had a couple that died natural deaths, mostly because
they were too small, but
hopefully, this will be an agent for good that takes care of the people who need to taking care
of and if that is not the case, I will be the first person to
team up with supervisor haney to make sure that that is the case, and I just wanted to say that for the record.
>> okay. So now we will reconvene as the
board of supervisors.
Before we move on to the next thing, I would like -- supervisor brown? Would you like to make a motion
to rescind number 41 so you May
cast your vote? >> this like the third time we are voting on this.
>> is a motion to rescind item 41. Is there a second? Supervisor peskin.
No objection, this is rescinded. Roll call again on item number
41. >> on item 41...
[Roll Call] >> there are ten aye. >> okay. Imacs. >> okay.
It passes. Okay.
We will now continue with the remainder of the agenda. Madame Clerk.
Please call the 3:00 P.M.
Special order for item 45
through 48. >> forty-five through 48, comprise a hearing of persons interested in the determination
of exemption from environmental
review under the california environmental quality act issued
as a categorical exemption by
the planning department on April 19th, 2019 for the proposed
project at sewall lot 330 which
includes installation of the 200 % safe navigation center,
removal of a proximally 155 surface parking spaces, installation of two portable
structures and additional demands of the structures of
approximately 6,000 square feet which includes community, dining
and bathroom space, placed in 12 shipping containers on-site for client storage needs and an outdoor gathering space. Item 46 is the motion to affirm
that the proposed project at
sewall what 330 is categorically exempt from further review.
Item 47 is a motion to conditionally reverse the department's determination, and item 40 is the motion to direct
the preparation of findings. >> okay. , colleagues, we have before us
the determination of exemption
from environmental review for
the proposed project at lot 330. A safe navigation center project for this hearing, we will be
considering the adequacy, accuracy, sufficiency, and
completeness of the planning department's environmental review determinations for the
project at sewall lot 330. There are two appellants for this hearing, but they have
conveyed their desire to present through one representative while objection, we will proceed as follows.
The appellant's representative will have up to ten minutes for
presentation, up to two minutes per speaker in support of the
appeal, up to ten minutes for presentation from the planning
department, up to ten minutes
from the project sponsor, which will be represented by the department meant -- department of homelessness and supportive
housing, then two minutes per speaker in opposition to the
appeal and in support of the project. And finally, a total of four
minutes for the appellant or appellant's representative to provide a rebuttal. Colleagues, are there any objections to proceeding in this way? Seeing no objection, the public
hearing is now open. Supervisor haney, would you like
to make any remarks?
>> I will say my remarks -- save my remarks and questions for after the presentation.
I won't think the -- I want to thank the appellant, I want to thank all the departments were here. I had the opportunity to meet
with the appellant and they want to advance thanks all the residents were here and participating in this, and I will look forward to hearing the
presentations and asking my questions and making comments,
and I also want to thank my colleagues for participating in
this district six double feature here today. I appreciate you all being involved in taking these issues seriously.
With that, you May begin. >> thank you, supervisor haney.
I will now ask the appellant or their representative to come
forward and present their case.
You have a total of ten minutes.
You May start.
>> thank you thank you. I am the managing partner of the
san francisco law firm -- of a
san francisco law firm. I'm here representing the
nonprofit community organization
safe e-marketing for all.
-- save embarcadero for all. I would like to thank the board
for hearing our appeal to support this decision here today I would like to be sure that I
incorporate all of the comments that have been made to date on this matter, and those who will -- that will be made at this
hearing in our appeal. I would also like to thank the
other appellant for seating its time to me and to my client
today. We recognize the seriousness of
the homelessness problem in san francisco, and the good faith of all of those who are looking for
solutions, we strongly oppose
the placement of the navigation
center on the waterfront.
It is the gateway to the city, it's front yard.
More than 10,000 people, many of them retirees and young families
with children that live within
three blocks of the proposed project. There are undeniable negative impacts of more homeless shelters on this neighborhood including public alcohol and
drug consumption, police
interventions, property crime, personal assaults, public urination and defecation and attracting additional homeless
encampments. This neighborhood has given
generously and supported homeless facilities in the
neighborhood. We are proud to have and are proud to support the street
foundation, which is considered the country's leading residential self-help organization.
We note that the President Of delancey street has also voiced
deep concerns over the mayor's controversial navigation center
here.
We are concerned that the organization's attempts to get
people off drugs and alcohol will be negatively impacted should this navigation center be
built. Recently, through public records
requests, save embarcadero for all has received undisclosed documents from the city that call into question the claims that the mayor and the city staff have been making to our
organization, to our neighbors, to this board, board, and to the news media.
Back in March, city officials
were tripping over each other to
tell us what an asset the navigation centers would be for
the surrounding neighborhoods, but newly disclosed internal
city e-mails show that the director was, at the very same
time, in his own words, getting a great deal of complaints about
tents cropping up around the navigation center and admitting
that the city needs to do a better job of complying with our
good neighbor policy. The city has not shown itself to
be a good neighbor before. Why should you believe that it
will be a good neighbor now with this new mega shelter, which the
city has never tried before and now wants to experiment on the
neighborhood? The city has also disclosed that
it has received hundreds of critical incident reports in the
last six months arising from the
existing navigation centers. These reports report deaths, overdoses, and other daily calls
for emergency services.
At the bryant navigation center, 84 beds, 17 calls for police or
paramedics in April alone.
In the same month, the division
circle navigation center, 126
beds, 23 calls. At these rates, the proposed 200
bed meghan navigation center can
be expected to generate up to 40 calls a month, more than one a
day.
How would this affect traffic?
How would it affect the already stretched first responders in
the neighborhood? How would it impact the children , the seniors, parents,
residents in the neighborhood?
This property is known to the
city to be contaminated.
This project will disturb that contamination, digging up parts of the site, putting people at risk by having them sleep on top
of it. the city has recently performed soil testing but has not released the results of the
proposed cleanup.
Why not?
If the city were pursuing any other development project on
this property, it would be insisting that this property would be cleaned up before anything could be proceeding,
but it is not. There are other developers
interested in this property who
put in documents in the record.
The port is putting in a request for proposal development on this property.
The city's proposal here puts off cleanup of this contaminated property and wants people to
sleep on top of this
contaminated site.
Under the city's watch, under
the city's responsibility. I want to focus on two additional points, both of which
have to do with the public trust there is the law of the public
trust.
This isn't like an lot of other
city properties. This used to be san francisco
bay.
San francisco got this property
in trust from the state in 1969, it is a very special piece of
state property. Why are you putting this mega
center here now and not
somewhere else? The public trust doctrine holds that certain important resources
like the waterfront property are preserved in perpetuity for
public use and enjoyment just as private trustees are judicially
accountable to the beneficiaries so two -- so too is a city otranto san francisco a trustee
for the state to manage this public trust property. If you want to make a nonpublic
trust use like this a public
trust property, the burton act requires the safety to make a very specific findings, which
has -- it has not made here, and
more recent legislation, which the port of san francisco
drafted ads the additional
condition that the state land commission was -- must also give
its approval, what you haven't
gotten, unlikely can't get if we have to take this matter to
court. We expect to win another how
long it takes. There is another equally important issue of public trust to take care of.
The public trust in the city government of san francisco.
This public trust is based upon the belief that government and
its representatives will follow the rules, comply with regulations, and be beholden to
the same rules are subject to. No one else could tell this board with a straight face that
have an acre -- or putting
housing along waterfront is
basically exempt from all the laws you would hold any other
person to. The port commission's decision
violates the public trust and you will be violating that trust
today if you uphold the port's decision. We ask you to uphold the public
trust by rejecting the port's
unlawful position. Thank you for your consideration of our appeal.
>> thank you. Now, I don't see anybody on the
roster for questions.
why don't we go ahead and have anybody that wants to make
public comment in support of the
appeal.
You will have two minutes, and then for those who oppose, they will be an opportunity later on
the hearing. At this time, those who support the appeal please come forward.
For speaker, please. >> S.F. Viewer real quick, please.
This is what you want to build, and navigation center. 138 shelter beds.
It is not really a bed, it is a caught. Is a kind of living conditions
you had when you are in custody when you are in jail, and after
60 days, you get kicked out and
get put back on the God damn
street once all over again. I moved to have you build
approximately 2,070 apartment building complexes at that location by means of building 227 story towers. I object to the earlier statement talking about that that is not a proper place to build housing. You already have housing right
there in the same damn area. That was a pathological lie. By the same response, if you want to build a navigation
center each and every one and
your districts, you have 11 districts. Eleven times 2,070 is
approximately 22,770. So if you build these types of
towers on each and every one of your districts, you have
approximately 22,770 apartment
building complexes. If you have this demonstration already up and running, the
homeless center who did a
homeless count, 8,011 would not
have that type of counted all.
Those people -- no people would be homeless.
You have a surplus of 14,759 apartments to be filled by people that need apartment
buildings to live and not live
on the God damn street. By the same response, you have
approximately 28,200 homeless
people out in the bay area because of the way you have been taking care of business for one
bicentennial to the next God damn bicentennial. You've got a shortage of mental
health beds right now because
the way you take care of business. >> thank you.
Next speaker, please. >> hello.
My name is judy, I have been at south beach and watermarks is
2008.
When I first learned about this
navigation center, I was open minded. I wanted to support it. But as a learned I learned more
about it, it is unprecedented in
size and the open drug use policy, I became very concerned
that I was hopeful that the city
would listen to us and address our concerns and modify its proposal. I personally went to more then a
dozen community meetings, but it was like speaking to a black hole.
Nothing we said was heard.
The proposal is pretty much the way it has started. It is still the largest navigation center ever in
history anywhere.
Supervisor haney, you said to me
at the watermark meeting, you said he would solve what they are proposing here, what the mayor is proposing here is not even navigation center.
I don't know what it is.
At 200 beds, there is no
evidence that this is even
compatible with the vision of a navigation center.
This project has been the most
opposed, with the least amount
of community engagement and with the most neighborhood opposition ever in the history of san
francisco.
So now we are left with no choice but expensive and protracted litigation. This is like not to the benefit of no one. The neighbors here are united. We will fight this for as long
as we can but it doesn't have to be this way. If you would just obey your own
laws and negotiate and propose a
smaller center that has a reasonable drug policy, many of us would be able to support its.
I urge you to grant our appeal.
The mayor is violating local and state laws.
Please don't be complicit in her evil and undemocratic abuse of power. >> thank you for your comments.
Next speaker. >> my name is wallace. I am a resident of south beach
and live on brennan street between first and second.
This project has been rest through so quickly that things
haven't been thought through. The navigation center can be
expected to meet 40 calls for police, fire and police assistance each month. That is based on the rate of
services needed in nearby
navigation centers. There are two big problems with
having daily calls.
First, this is a very busy area. Traffic is already bad enough as
it is with the bay bridge
on-ramp and the embarcadero.
Daily emergencies will make it worse. More importantly, first responders in the area are
already stretched. It is a constant community complaint, I'm sure you
supervisors have heard that it takes 20 or 30 minutes for the
police to arrive routinely. And supervisor haney has recognized that recognize that
the fire department is stretched after visiting station eight recently, he tweeted, quote,
with the new center coming, we will need to expand staffing and
services at that station.
If that is not an admission that
public services are not sufficient for this navigation
center, I don't know what is. At the record.
>> Vice Chair Tang: with which this project is moving means that these issues haven't been
considered. I urge the supervisors to
support the appeal and to follow the law. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon, my name is
monica and I live at 38 bryant. First of all, I want to say I
100% support helping our less fortunate brothers and sisters find housing. However, I also come here to say
I also 100% support the appeal of this navigation center at this lot.
I feel like it is very unfair
for the 10,000 residents that
live within three blocks of the area that this project would
basically -- was shoved down our throat without any knowledge or
community input.
I am a single woman that lives at port side, and they like walking my dog at night. I feel really threatened by
having something without
community input and without -- it didn't go through the proper channels to be discussed in the
neighborhood.
That is all I wanted to say. I hope you support the appeal
and let it go through the proper channels and I don't think it is right that they should allow drugs to be used in that area,
especially if law-abiding citizens aren't allowed to use
drugs in their homes, then why should it be used at the navigation center as well. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is janet and I have
lived here since 1998. I strongly oppose the navigation center in our neighborhood and
ask that you reject approval of this project. Community input was only solicited after the project was declared a state of complaint and that which was authored was either ignored or rejected out of hand.
Local and state laws have been broken, regulations designed to
protect us all have been ignored no one is denying the moral
imperative of caring for the homeless, but the so-called
emergency declared to show a campaign promise in time for the next election is no different
then the smoke coming out of washington. The board of supervisors is being asked to approve a plan about which there is little
credible information and all of
that came from city hall. Everyone in the chamber has pontificated to some degree and what an important matter this is , it no one has slipped
forward to say, put it in my district. The mayor's office is never provided a single credible answer to the questions of why here and why now.
No one has ever defined the use of temporary, allowing it to disingenuously suggest that there really is a plan for something in the works.
If the lack of transparency, questionable relationships and disrespect for the 10,000 plus
people who be forced to live
with the undeniably negative ramifications of your decision long after all of you have returned to your homes, knocking
district six, if you are thinking of supporting this ill-conceived effort by a leader cynical enough to ignore a
workaround what is obvious to most of us, if any of this resonates with you, then I would like to remind you that today is the anniversary of the battle of little bighorn, and we all know how that worked out. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is earl. I'm directly across from the
proposed navigation center. Where as committed to solving homelessness as anyone here, but
the difference is that we
actually live at the proposed location, our voices matter. I oppose the navigation center in our neighborhood. I urge you to grant our appeal
and return to the port to ensure consistency with all land-use plans for the site.
If the city import seem to disregard state and local
development plans, laws and regulations, why have any
land-use plans at all? The city has argued that
development can be ignored because the proposed homeless
center is temporary, but each
incidence of crime, violence and nuisance perpetuated upon neighborhood residents will be permanent.
They cannot be erased. Common sense dictates that navigation centers be located
where they negatively impact the fewest residents possible, as with fifth and bryant street already in our own district.
Not in any densely populated
residential neighborhood with 10,000 families, children and
retirees within three blocks.
Not on the embarcadero, the city
's busiest and most chronic boulevard, endangering thousands of pedestrians danger really --
daily.
It defies all logic to have a shelter here. Creating a greater homeless problem in an hour neighborhood. The overwhelming majority of
neighborhood residents, hard-working, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens who vote
oppose the location.
i urge you to respect our neighborhood safety, security,
and livability and grant our appeal. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors.
I am a 25 year resident of 38 bryant across the street from the project center. I'm a third-generation san
franciscan. If things keep going this way, they will not be a fifth generation of san franciscans in my family.
This project is much larger than anything san francisco has attempted.
All you have to do is go by the navigation center on bryant and it is a mess.
The front steps, now that this thing is essentially entitled, go by there now there is drug use, there is a bicycle chop
shop, you know, it is a mess.
This is not something that the neighborhood wants.
You have had hundreds of people who have participated in this process to fight this.
There's been a complete orchestrated effort by the bureaucracy of san francisco to
make sure that the neighborhood
cannot stop this project or be involved in scoping it or anything else. This is completely antidemocratic.
The main reason I am here, many people spoken to the issues many times, the one thing you need to keep in mind as remarks have
been made about toxins.
I have lived across the street, literally 150 feet from this project.
our project, and I was the first one in was stopped. You can look up in the building department, we are supposed to have another floor, another
subterranean floor, and it was stopped because the lead content
of the soil said the bay bridge was sandblasted of what point for 40 years.
The lead content is so high you cannot dispose of the soil within the state of california. It would have to go by railcar to utah.
This is no joke that there's a toxins problem. You're talking about going down several feet to put utilities and foundation. This is a toxic site. You will be having to deal with this.
Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> hello.
My name is bruce.
I live about three blocks, or a block and a half from the proposed site. I am one of the seniors that
they talk about and I am very
much opposed to the navigation center of the proposed site.
I have been to all the meetings. I tried to talk to supervisor
haney but he refused -- he didn't listen to anything we had to say.
He has been to lots of meetings. 80% of the people at the
meetings that he was at where against it.
He didn't put -- he didn't care.
The information that we get from the department of homeless
services is not accurate. They don't give us accurate information.
it is undeniably true from
information that they do give us , and anecdotal information
that the crime and the blight in the area will be dramatically
increased, and that is just not a good thing. I'm dramatically opposed to this navigation center. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> my name is john.
I live a block and a half from
the site.
Since I first learned about it a few months ago, these plans, we
have seen a rush onto a site that is inexpensive, but replete
with inherent land-use conflicts
of interest. We have seen an abbreviated
review process designed not necessarily to minimize the
amount of public and put, but to
minimize any impact that input
might have on consideration of
options, of other sites. We have seen a plan for a large-scale social experiments
whose benefits are helping the
homeless inside, and could very well be outweighed by the
drawbacks and the impacts that
will happen on the outside. Drug use, problems caused by the
mentally ill, many complaints to
the police department. There are mitigation measures
proposed for these, but none of us have much confidence that
while these mitigation measures are since it -- sincerely proposed, the city has -- that the city has the resources to
fulfil them.
Finally, we see a result that seems to contradict the spirit of district election of
supervisors that was meant to make the voice of neighborhoods meaningful in public
policymaking.
In the end, this seems not wise,
not prudent, and a very risky way to address the undeniably
important problems caused by homelessness.
Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> members of the board, I'm the director of san francisco open government. I would like to congratulate and thank the people who came here today to speak about this matter
because at the most, what citizens of san francisco can do
is get it on the public record that they raise these objection
so that when they come to pass, nobody can say, nobody ever said
that to us. All of the things that these folks have mentioned will come to pass. You know it, they know it, I
know it. Bottom line is, you don't care.
This deal is a done deal. By the time it reaches this board of supervisors, you have
made your backroom agreements to vote one way or another, and this is going to either pass or not pass based on what has
already been decided by you in private consultations outside the view of the public.
You do not respect the sentient ordinance, even though your
agendas say, you are right, this
is under the sunshine ordinance.
I have more than three dozen orders of the termination from the task force showing the
members of this body, your clerk , and I hope later today,
your President Don't follow the
sunshine ordinance, and the bottom line is, you consider it a waste of time, and the reason you consider it a waste of time
is because, as I said, you have
already decided the outcome. The homeless issue, you kicked
down the road, kicked down the road, pass another bill, raise
more money, which sits somewhere
in God knows what limbo, but
nothing ever happens. These things will go to court and they will be jacked out in the people that need these shelters will not get them because it will be caught in
litigation and they will be the ones who ultimately suffer,
along with when it finally does succeed, if it does, the
citizens of this area.
>> next speaker. >> that afternoon, supervisors, andrew brooks from port said.
South beach is a very special place. This body, the board of supervisors, in the 1980s said so. It says south beach is such a special place that we will turn it over to the redevelopment
agency to create an inclusive, multicultural, multiethnic, wonderful place to redevelop and live.
And that is what has happened.
In the rush for judgement, the
executive branch of this city has decided to move forward with
a project that does not fully qualify under the california
environmental quality act. When you created south beach, you created a special use
district that is layered on top
of all other layers of empowerment and entitlements
that the project supports. and the categorical exemption for environmental review that you are planning department has given to you, it is not spoken
to, it is not talked about, it is not identified. That is a violation under the california environmental quality act.
This categorical exemption that the planning department has issued to allow this project to
move forward is in violation of
ceqa. It does not make the proper determinations, it does not discuss the overlying issues of
zoning, a special use districts and other areas that encumber
this parcel. There is a history on this
parcel that goes back to the
1960s, and in the rush by the executive branch to move forward
with this parcel, nobody did, and spent the time and effort to
make sure this was correct. You need to correct it and send it back for further environmental review and create
a probert document. I would put it to you that a categorical exemption of
environmental review is not the proper documents that needs to be created. Anisa go back for a full environmental review.
>> thank you. >> any other speaker in support
of the appeal?
>> tom gill bertie.
I am opposed to any navigation center in any district that has
an open chemical policy. You can't just let people that are doing drugs find the drugs on the street, shoot the drugs
on the street in any neighborhood.
we need to clean that up. Safe injection shaped -- sites,
the mayor is all for that, I'm 100% for that.
I am also in favor of a doctor prescribing drugs, safe drugs there on sight. I know we have state and federal
laws to go against, but if it is
safe, it is effective, it is efficient, and it helps our
community, and any navigation center, in any part of this city
, is going to be in somebody 's community.
We need to fix that link up as
fast as possible. We can do this. We are a city, we are a community of people. The city has problems, we all
share with those problems. We need to clean and make it efficient and effective.
Thank you. >> this is also bringing our
government back home. >> thank you. Thank you.
Any other speakers?
If there are any other speakers that are in support, please line
up right now otherwise this
might be the last speaker. >> I have three documents to show you on my flash drive but I'm requesting that my time be
suspended.
>> for me, the main problem of this is everyone keeps
continuously playing -- talking about the homeless.
What is happening is you dump the homeless in this navigation center and you forget about what
is going on.
You just forget about them.
Dump them there, whatever.
So now you also have to consider the compression rate of the
navigation centers is, with this
one, it is a high rate of disease, tuberculosis,
bronchitis, it is similar to
crews ships, it is similar to prisons, et cetera, et cetera.
The other thing is when I am --
what I'm trying to show, is the san francisco administrative code 106.
The san francisco ministry to
code says it is illegal, by your
rules, the some of you actually
sat here and past, is illegal to have a navigation center this
size. The other situation is the third
party contract violations. San francisco administrative
code. 2400. The standards of care, I would
like jeff kaczynski to tell this
body who is monitoring the
standards of care? I have pictures from facebook
where they have the bed illegally placed amongst each other. Like two or 3 inches when it is supposed to be 18 inches. This image that was on the video
, this is -- you all gave him an award.
He is saying that he is -- he has evolved the laws and regulations of the contracts of the city and county of san
francisco. The homeless in the city and county of san francisco, when
they go into a navigation center , they are at free rein to reign to be --
[Please Stand by] >> this is for the proposed
navigation centre at seawall lot 30.
I will highlight why they stand by the transformation
transformation is exempt. It's a class 32 class exemption. It boils town to two main points. One, the project is consistent with the five criteria for a class 32 categorical exemption
and therefore qualifies asinfill project.
Our appeal response dated
June 17th, 2019 covers these
points in detail and I won't repeat them all today.
Instead, I will highlight five of the main points.
The first two relate to the
project's consistency with the
criteria for an exemption and the last three relate to why
none of the exceptions apply.
We retain non-sequa related
topics and these are available for your review.
The bulk of the appeal issues, in fact, relate to non-sequa
related topics, such as project merits.
While I will not be addressing
these as they are not germane to the appeal proceeding, you have
them in your packets. Temporary and housing would be provided. The department of hope weatherness and supportive housing generally has not seen
an increase in the amount of
emergency services required in the vicinity of navigation centres. Calls for emergency services in
the area are not expected to increase because of the availability of and connection
to services through safe center programmes and staff caring for the clients.
Even if there were a small
increase based on the needs of
the population, it would not
impact the calls in the area.
Calls would be at the site due
to one location but this concentration would not
constitute a significant effect. Neighbors have expressed concern
about an increase in noise from ambulance sirens.
Based on date provided by the department of emergency services, in the five months
following opening of the civic centre, there were several
priority 9-1-1 calls to the site, averaging 14 calls per month. This is far less than one per
day and that, from the navigation center, with the highest call volumes.
Now these types of calls include top priority police medical and fire calls where sirens were used.
But even if it were one or so
per day, the social
associated noise
would not rise to the level of effect. Although, fronted, it May be a
nuisance to nearby residents.
Jeff kazinsky will talk about
this in greater detail in his presentation that follows on
behalf of the project sponsor.
The project will replace 146-space parking lot on the site. The use of the spaces is likely
to have generated traffic in the past and this project would mean
less daily traffic.
Appellants raise add new
raised a new issue
and parking is not considered a significant impact under se
albuquerque ua. Q
auction. Ua.
it would be required to comply with the noise ordinance, the dust control ordinance, public work's standard construction measures and these would be implemented for the project.
The appellant's claim that the ordinances would not be followed is spec coo
speculative.
The second topic is the purpose
and intent of the design process and waterfront design committee as provided in san francisco
planning code section 240. The port has provided a memo
that addresses this topic. To some
summarize, the foundation of
the review process is the 1997
land use plan, specifically the companion document, the waterfront design and access element.
The element contains urban
design, architectural urban and
open space policies to guide the development of new waterfront
parks, public access, facility developments.
The plans overarching goal reunites sanfrancisco with the waterfront, highlighted the
desire to ensure that long-term non-maritime developments are
properly designed to enhance the 1:30
waterfront as adjacent downtown areas. To establish an implementation procedure, to achieve these
objectives, port and planning departments created the
waterfront design review process
administered by the waterfront
design advisory committee.
Section 240 includes the member membership committee with the
access elements and procedural requirements for the conduct of the design review process.
The goals, policies and design
criteria in the element provide
glance for long-term projects,
rather than short-term leases.
For these reasons, the proposed safe navigation centre does not
require review by the waterfront stine advisory committee. A third point that I will reiterate from our appeal
response relates to geotechnical issues.
The appellants are concerned about the foundation types provided for the project. Although the project is
temporary in nature, it would be required to obtain a permit from
the port chief's harbour engineer, who would require structural and geotechnical reports peer reviewed prior to
issuance of a building permit. The cheer harbour engineer for
the port and public works are here to answer topics.
The fourth topic is soil contamination and this was mentioned by commenters.
The project has been enrolled in the city's programme which routinely addresses projects on sites with potentially hazardous soil or ground water.
In order to protect the public health and safety.
The project will be required to
comply with the programme and
need compliance. The director of environmental
health at dph is here today to answer questions regarding this matter. The fifth and final point that I
will cover relates to an email
that safe embarkadaro submitted.
I was related for species specifically central coast steel head.
the email does not explain how project would affect steelhead in the bay. It's about 200 feet away from
the bay and is an existing paved parking lot. As mentioned in our appeal response, there are required measures in place to protect against any impacts to bay waters. Thus, no impact to central coast steelhead.
In conclusion, for the reasons
stated in our appeal response, and at this hearing, the
department finds categorical
exemption complies with sequa and chapter 31 of the administrative code and it's appropriately exempt from environmental review. While the department acknowledges the concerns raised in the appeal and in the public
testimony today, the appellants have not provided any
substantial evidence or expert opinion presenting a fair argument to refute the
conclusion of the department. The department, therefore,
recommends the board upholds the exemption determination and deny the appeal. In addition to the other city
staff that I noted present here today, others are available for
questions, including laura lynch
and joy retat.
>> any questions?
>> supervisor hainey in. >> y? >> for the other navigation centres across our city, were
those similarly categorically
exempt?
>> through the chair, laura
lynch, yes, the other centers
reviewed by the city did receive
cat gor
gor cal exemption. >> can you talk about the relationship green this project
and the additional restrictions
and review requirements that
might fall in under that district?
>> through the chair, joy evert, district number 3 does provide for projects that are
principlably permit and projects that require conditional use by the planning commission.
It provides things such as conformance with the waterfront land use plan and design access plan.
It and it
requires any buildings that
taper down into the barcadaro
and provides open public space and consistent with the character of the vicinity. The planning department did
determine that the project was
principlebly
principle permitted use and does
not conflict with district
number 3. Port staff is here to answer any questions. >> any other uses on port property not subject to the additional review from the waterfront design adviser's
committee?
>> we have not had the design review for any temporary projects.
The stine review is for
permanent projects. It's about the way the building interacts with the surrounding
environment.
So it's for long-term
development. And as examples of recent
projects that have undergone
this review, the ferry building project, the projects of that nature. >> while I have you there and standing, one of the points
brought up from the appellants is that this did not go through
the proper channels through the port, the port director and can you respond? Did this go through the proper chances as
channels? >> one of the fundamentals of
of the requirements is
that the burton act gives the
port exclusive authority for
what we call interim leases.
They're looking for fisheries to bring people to the waterfront and enhance the bay.
But we do a lot of interim leasing for properties that are
not ready for full development. There's capital issues, et
cetera, and so the burton act
provided the port the ain't to ability
for a tem of five years and up to an extension of five for a total of ten for the harbour
fund to continue earning revenue and supporting the harbour. We have hundreds and hundreds of
these kinds of leases that are interim in nature and they're not trust consistent.
For those types of leases, we do not require stateland's commission approval. >> can you give an example? You said you have hundreds of leases like that in.
>> so what is there currently?
Commuter parking, storage, business uses, and those are some of the examples.
Not restaurants, not
entertainment venues, not the explore
exploratorium. We did consult with the stateland commission's staff
just to go over our fair market rent, determination and let them
know of our plans and we had a
good conversation with stateland
staff. >> I believe there was a requirement to receive a
building permit from the chief's harbour engineer relating to some of the points around access and adequate access for emergency vehicles.
Was that review done and can you
share the results of the review?
>> I'll turn that over to the
chief harbour engineer. >> we have discussed emergency
access.
With the applicants. >> so it's ongoing? >> it is ongoing, yes. >> one of the things you're looking at -- or you're looking
at how to make adequate access for the emergency vehicles, particularly as a point was
raised it May be somewhat of a
high level of need there?
>> yes, specifically, the port's fire marshall has reviewed
plans. >> I'll save the rest of my
question for after shs. >> any other questions from supervisors?
Seeing none, then I will ask to call the department of homelessness in support of
housing to present as the project sponsor to speak up to
ten minutes.
>> thank you and thank you to the soup supervisors.
I'm the director if support of
homelessness for housing for thewall lot 330.
As you all know, homelessness is
at a crisis in san francisco. it's 20,000 people in any given year.
When we did our count, there was
5,180 people on streets and we
have well over 1,000 waiting for shelter and navigation centers
are filling up every afternoon. We're at capacity and desperately need to expand that
capacity in appreciation of the we opened six navigation centers
in san francisco, five overseen by hsh.
There are 2700
2700 shelter beds and
over three have 200 beds in them and navigation centers have been opened in other parts of the state and the country that are 200 beds or larger.
The proposed 200 bed sites, safe
center, I should say, would keep
components of navigation centers
low barrier to entry shelter allowing people to come in with storage of their belongings and a trauma-informed approach to services. Additionally, there will be a good neighbor policy implemented by the on site provider.
There will be a 24-7 phone number to call and we'll focus
on addressing
addressing homelessness and
each navigation centre is open
and run independently from one another. I would like to address concerns
that were raised about community engagement.
As you know, we had over 20
community meetings held between
March 2019 and May of 209. 2019. Many, many one-on-one
conversations, as well as tours offered at the navigation centres as a result of these meetings, we did make a number
of changes to the proposed size and design of the site.
I would like to address a few of the non-related issues that were
raised by the appellants. First, around public record request, I want to point out
that since March of 201, the the 2019, most
of the requests have been multiple components and the city
has complied with all requests,
producing 6,000 documents with over 55,000 pages.
We have responded to the best of my knowledge to all of these requests in a timely manner, which, of course, took quite a
lot of work on our part.
Also, I want to point out
chapter 106, the appealant
claimed the city complies with
chapter 106, the san francisco administrative code and it required the city to open a
total of six navigation center
and we have fulfilled that as of
October of 2018. The proposed facility is not a navigation center but a safe center, which is also a low
barrier to entry shelter, but
again, it is a shelter with a
different set of requirements. Nonetheless, 106 does allow for the city to open up navigation centers with more than 100 beds with a written determination
from the director stating that we can operate the facility with
more than 100 beds and I have done so in the case of this site.
Now, on to some of the concerns
that are related to the sequa request.
We want to thank sfpd for join us and for providing us statistics which I'll share with you. Crime statistics taken from
before and after the opening of
four of our navigation centres
the bryant demonstrate a
decrease in crime and 8% within
1/8 of a mile radius and within 9-1-1 call, one half mile of the proposed site, it shows already
quite a high volume with about
3500 calls being made a month
and 1200 responses.
We would not expect to see more
than one additional call on a
monthly basis at this site based on the current data that has
been presented by both us as well as appellants.
Speaking generally, we have not
seen increases in crime or calls.
We've seen a calming effect.
However, to mitigate possible
impact, the design site has 24/7 dedicated parking for emergency vehicles. But also, I would like to
address the concerns about urban decay.
To ensure the neighborhood
remains clean, hsh will employ a nonprofit cleaning and employment programme to maintain
a clean zone around the navigation center to hire individuals currently staying at
that navigation center, not only offering them employment opportunities but ensuring the
neighborhood is kept clean.
We will also, as far as safety foes, san francisco police department will create a safety
zone surrounding the safe
navigation sites with dedicated beat officers seven days a week and regularly monitor crime
stats for the area around the safe navigation center to ensure that crime does not increase as a result of the safe center being there. in addition, the safe center
will have an on site security guard responsible for the
security within the site and proactively work any concerns with the perimeter and work closely with the san francisco
police department.
I just wanted to conclude by
stating that navigation centers and safe centers and all
shelters are critical tools in addressing homelessness and we need housing and other interventions with
but with 5,000
people living on the streets, I
think it's quite clear, we need
to add more. We have engaged
engaged the community
around the issue and one pointed
out, yes, I did send an email expressing my concern around
division circle because we monitor the navigation sites everyday and when we see somebody camped out or nearby the navigation centres, we
respond immediately. Now, sometimes that takes an
hour or two, but generally, we are conscious of ensuring the
neighborhoods around the
navigation are kept safe and
clean of encampments.
Nhs and the city has complied
with all requirements of the
site.
We need to vote and allow us to proceed with this project. >> soup store
supervisor hainey? >> a couple are directed towards you.
So in terms of the community
input and public process, you
know, is there a standardized process that you have as far as
how to get feedback and input from a neighborhood?
Is that something that you even
through this process have some, maybe, lessons learn ed this might change
learned that youdo it in the future?
One experience was that we felt like we were creating a lot of
pieces in who to meet with and
ultimately, I had over a dozen meetings with hoas and neighborhood associations. Can you speak to -- I mean, is
there a policy on this at hsh and do you believe we should have one.
>> I believe there's a policy and practice as well as the
mayor's housing engages in
opening up new facilities of any kind in this case and all of the cases within the navigation centers.
The first step is trying to identify a suitable site. We go through a process of determining whether or not that site actually is going to work
based on a variety of standards that we're looking at, how big
is the site, how long will it be available and looking at the location, making sure it's close
to public transportation, et
cetera.
We will then reach out to the supervisor whose site that May be in and sit down with them and come up with a community engagement plan and make sure
that we start raging out to community leaders, neighborhood groups, as well as large scale meetings.
I will say that one of the unfortunate events that occurd
with this site is the navigation center story that we were looking at. That site got into the newspaper before we able to have our first community meeting and that is unfortunate, but it's not something that we are
necessarily able to control.
But we did have a plan for a first large meeting which
occurred in March and then pretty much followed our practice of having many, many
smaller meetings and as many meetings to make sure that people have a chance to express
their opinions.
>> so you would say that
definitely it is ideal to have more of a process with the
community before it comes out publically in the news and that sort of thing? >> that would be I've toll,
ideal yes but not always possible.
>> was it discussed at the
public meetings held by standing
committees or the local coordinating board? >> supervisors, we have a number of advisory bodies that look at
the work of hsh and we did not discuss this prior to meeting with you and your office and having a committee meeting. But as soon as this became public, we began discussions at
the local homeless coordinating
board with a number of
presentations and discussions about this at that body. >> some of the folks in public comment raised questions about
the access that people who are clients at navigation centres
have, if they have complaints or they have grievances ob or problems and we want to make sure that this navigation centre is working for the people who are there and can you speak to
whether folks in navigation centers have similar rights at other shelters or how we ensure
that people's rights and
outcomes are at the top of the the priority? >> navigation centers did operate different from shelters
as far as access to the shelter advocates who addressed
concerns. Of this nature.
At this point, we have expanded that programme and actually, in
our budget request, this year we are asking for further expansion
to be able to ensure that the shelter advocates from the resources that they need to be
able to address, concerns in our growing shelter system.
>> so they would have the same access now as anyone in any
other shelt officer. >> shelter.
>> we are working with shelter
advocates at the centre and need to expand the number of people
on that team to do this work as
we have grown and have added over 600 beds in the past couple of years.
>> last yes for you.
How did this shelter crisis impact this project? >> in this particular case to
date, the shelter ordinance, crisis ordinance in March did not impact this case because we need to go to port to get a
lease and go through the port's
process around the land and the permitting, so we followed standard procedures that we
would in any other situation.
Once we get to the place where if this project does move
forward and we are going to
accept and select a provider, we can avail ourselves of the
shelter crisis in terms of how to procure which organization runs the site.
But to date, we have not used any of the elements of the
shelter crisis or unanimous to ordinance to move this forward. >> it wasn't connected to the length of time that in terms of the approval process or anything else, the shelter crisis
ordinance did not affect that? >> no, sir.
>> is someone from sfpd here? >> yes. >> one of the things that we had
a lot of back and forth with the communities, around safety, and the safety plan and there was a
commitment to fund two foot patrol officers there which was
a part of the outcome of the feedback that we got.
Can you speak to that plan and specifically, is there funding
set aside for those two officers
and what is the kind of plan
broadly, as well, for safety for the area?
>> I'm lieutenant chicone, the
lieutenant for the h-sox field unit. The commitment that the police
department is giving for this
programme is a foot beat to
, two dedicated officers and that
would be met by the officers at
southern station.
A foot beat right now works between 11:00 and 9:00, but
depending on the needs of the
community or specifically this programme, those hours can change. So these budgeted already within
that station.
>> thank you.
>> and is it part of a broader safety plan?
>> it's part of the safety plan that's already set per every station.
So all of the planning around
where officers are deployed are based on the needs that are reported.
So this one that's so special, we're not going to wait for that.
We're deploy two officers, seven days a week, on foot, so we don't have to worry about traffic.
You know, the accessibility of getting to that area. And it's just not going to be
just at the site, but it will be all around that area.
So they've mapped out a safety zone for that area. >> thank you.
>> and I appreciate that.
I'm glad the resources are there
for the foot patrols.
In contrast, the entire tenderloin has foot patrol north of market.
So this is a big commitment that's met and I think it will have an impact. It's actually something asked
for, I think, before this navigation center was there or will be there.
>> great.
>> any other questions from any
of the supervisors?
Seeing none, I think it's now
giving an opportunity for those
that are in opposition to please come forward. You have two minutes.
So this is an opposition to the appeal or support of the
project.
Come on up.
>> I'm going to ask the appellants if any have.
Homeless for a considerable
amount of time to raise your
hand.
You have to consider passing this bill. It's very important to the 200
people out there.
I commend supervisor pe secondskin for standing up and I want to ask
each of you to stand up to get buildings in your district.
So what I'm hearing tonight in
the previous testimony has met a lot of anti-mayor.
Is this an anti-mayor campaign
or what it is about, property values?
So I would have a suspect of motives here tonight. They talked about traffic.
There was no opposition to the chase center down the street.
There was to opposition to at&t down the street and no
opposition to ucsf down street. Homeless, we don't drive cars, so we're not going to be an
impact.
And earlier someone said, I
heard a joke, steelhead fish? Really? Homeless are being blamed for the fish in the oh
ocean?That's a new one. We talked about alcohol and
drugs, where there's 26 alcohol
licenses within walking distance of this center. I don't think that's an issue. I'm a citizen board member at
the local homes coordination and
we oversee the department of hsh.
We unanimously supported this issue for the center and the
last thing I want to say hear, here, people were talking about citizens and homelessness, those are the same thing. Once you are on our streets for
24 hours, you are a citizen of sanfrancisco.
>> thank you, next speaker,
please. >> good evening, board of supervisors.
I'm john ortanny, the director of interim housing shelters at
the centers of san francisco. The community services partnered
with the city to open up the
first navigation center located at 1950 mission street in March of 2015.
Ecs managers
manages central and they
opened up 125 bayshore.
Ecs manages the next door and
sanctuary shelters for a total of 534 single adult shelter beds.
13 supportive housing sites, ecs
is the lead agency for the single adult coordinated entry system and we manage a senior center and healthy agent
planning across all of our programming and workforce
development and programming. Benefits of navigation centers,
they are an important component of san francisco's homeless response system. These centers take people off the street giving them needed respite.
Many street homeless will not enter additional city shelters for many reasons.
Navigation shelters offer 24-hour staff
staffing with no
curfews, and minimum rules and
high operation's staff to client
ratio and room for pets and partners to stay together.
It's space to accept all
belongs, outdoor space.
Since they are a much smaller
living environment than the
legacy single adult shelt
shelters,
people find this easy to adapt.
>> next speaker, please.
>> I'm the associate director of
bryant and central waterfront center.
I'm the both the services at these sites.
The navigation center services
include on-case management for all guest,en
, on site medical clinic, access to treatment, housing navigation for those
that have the highest needs as assessed by the coordinated entry team and supportive
housing, problem-solving for those not prioritized for
housing, legacy shelters.
Some of the navigation center
benefits include decrease in incantments. There's close communication and relationship between the city
and providers such as ecs with surrounding neighborhoods,
protocols and procedures regarding how navigation leadership deals with complaint,
addressing the impact that the center has is having on the
surrounding community.
They have a higher staff ratios. Case management will work wit person to get them ready for
housing or if not prioritized
for housing, work with the problem-solvers to end that person's homelessness. Navigation centers provide the left of case management required to get people off the streets.
Thank you.
>> next speaker.
>> my name is kathy and I'm the
director of programmes for episcopal community services.
Ecs is a strong partner in support of housing as we work
together to plan and implement innovative programmes to address homelessness.
As recently as July of 2018, we
were chosen as the lead service
provider for the city's single
adult coordinated entry system.
Our teams of problem solvers,
navigators assessed nearly 5,000
single adults across access points, navigation centres on
the streets, in the emergency
room, at the centers.
The importance of the use of assessments in the one system is
that we now have a deeper
understanding of the people we're serving.
Navigation centers are one piece to ending homelessness in san
francisco and nav centers are
triage centers where we determine individual roadmaps
out of homelessness which is
different, be it housing or problem-solving. We provide services, treatment
for substance abuse and
benefit's enrollment. I'll end with a tore story as recent as yesterday.
My director of coordinated entry
left me a message.
He said, kathy, it's working. I share with you, within a four-hour period, there was a
man on streets, on mission
street, that was wrapped in a
blanket, that had limited engagement, that we mobilized our mobile team to go out and they went out with their lap
tops and assessed him and right
then and there realize edhe realized he
scored for housing --
>> thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please.
>> my name is cal conc
conroy.
i'm here to speak about building
more centers in san francisco. I've had the privilege of being
able to visit the navigation center and taken on a tour.
I feel a lot of people have never been inside one. They are -- at least the one in the dog patch is amazingly clean.
All residents there were very happy.
They seemed to be extatic they were not on the trees and streets.
We should be building more massive
navigation centers in san francisco. Next speaker.
>> my name is danny drysdale,
the community liaison at music
city cf, where a hostile and ongoing construction project to
provide resources for working musicians.
As city resident and landlords,
we fully support the proposed
navigation center at the lot discussed today and urge the board to move forward in establishing a navigation center at that location. Put
over 1600 different people come through the door and many of
whom are low income or currently
homeless individuals due to
purposefully low prices and, in fact, our hostile has been the
first step in achieving a place
to live for many formerly homeless individuals.
So we would like the city to do
much more in supporting them and
helping them to get off the streets.
It would be disheartening to see the city above towards abandoning this site with
potential as the one now. Is
we welcome the nav center in our own neighborhood soon as there's
a house of fans location discussed. So we're fully supportive and happy to have one to our location soon. Thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon, evening, supervisors. I'm corey smith and certainly as the deputy terror
director as . Both organizations are in firm
support of the proposal to
reject the appeal here today on the simple facts this is not a
single issue, that this is not a
quality issue and that in and of itself should be enough to reject the appeal.
The rest of my comments I'll be making as an individual. I've been to enough of the meetings, thank you to everybody
that is over there, work on this
and spending the time, as well
as supervisor hainey and trying to do what you can to have all of the conversations with everybody.
I know that's not easy. I know you take the full brunt
of all of the crap thrown at you and it's difficult but I
appreciate it and it's difficult to do. I was at the commission hearing and there were 88 people that spoke in support and 39 people that spoke against it, almost 2-1 support for this proposal because we foe
know that people need places to live. We need option and solutions around the city.
I've spoken with my supervisor,
supervisor brown. We need one. We have people sleeping on the street every single night. And anything we can do to save
one life at a time is worth it and it's why all of you do public service.
It's why you're on the side of it.
So it's not forgotten and all of those people don't show up and
give you the thanks and kudos
that you deserve, but it is
absolutely deserved. Lastly, I have to believe we have better ways of doing this
and figuring out how to provide
homes, especially for the most vulnerable neighbors than having people come out on a tuesday afternoon, at this point quarter to 6. There's a lot of issue that are
facing the city and just want to
be speaking about that. >> next speaker.
>> my name is brian edwards if district five. One of the things I learn today
is that this isn't a sequa issue. But what this is is a san francisco issue. Another thing I learned today is that the san francisco version
of, I'm not racist, but is the claim that you care about homeless people right before you
make some bullshit augments to arguments to
keep a navigation center being built. The gentleman before me talking
about a 2-1 support ratio. I was at the first one where there were five that spoke in favour of this navigation center and everyone else was against it
and not a single person could tell a story about a neighborhood homeless person who
they knew, who they related to, who they spoke to on a regular basis and that is not san francisco. I don't know how you do it out there.
I know in district 5, we know
our homeless neighbors, we talk
to them and feed them and call emergency services if they need help. That's san francisco.
This is not a sequ issue and we need to build this.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisor.
My name is robert fucman. Homelessness is a crisis in that neighborhood as its is in mine
and in a navigation center will address that issue. It I should
there are many expensive condo
buildings with double paned windows around that proposed navigation center so I do not share concerns. Much more noise and pollution
comes from the multiple I-80
ramps nearby.
I've seen and heard them and I
eagerly have a concerted effort
to oakland and east bay. All of the data about navigation centers shows they are good for
the city but I've been to
several meetings at the delancey about this project. So many neighbors refuse to believe this.
A resident at the dog patch navigation center is a success
and a few months ago, a neighborhood association even
voted to support an extensionful
their navigation center nearby.
If anything, the fact that it's taken months to approve this is a sign that the current process is not working. Why should we have months of meetings to approve something that we know is both necessary and morally correct?
Should we repeat this arduos process? Is this good for people to leave
work and say, it must be painfully obvious?
Because it is painful to watch
here on
and on the sidewalks. >> good afternoon.
I used to live off of second and king street.
I'm a support of the navigation
safe center. What about ballgames? They all cause traffic. I'm in support of the navigation center. It's funny how people's values change when it comes to your property value. I thought the pile
bible says to love your neighbor. We need to support people in need.
Everybody is working about parking, 9-1-1 calls and crimes but nobody sounds concerned
about all of the people living
in unsafe on the streets.
It is a center to help people in need, a navigation center and we need people. It's homeless people, people need help. So I sport.
Thank you. I support it. Thank you.
>> thank you, next speaker. >> I live in district 6. I live more or less around the
corner from the episcopal center
and I have lived there since
1996 and I come home late and guess what?
I'm female and I'm not terrified of poor people. I'm not terrified of my neighbors.
We're talking that this happens
to be george orwells 600th 600th birthday.
I think some of you read books
and it might help to think about
treating people decently in
shelters as well as providing shelters rather than sticking people outside. Not to be scared neighbors, but to be scared for neighbors is a
pretty good thing, who are,
incidentally, hard-working tax-paying citizens.
I've always been worried going
by episcopal sanctuary that there were ambulances.
The answer is oh, not get this thing out of my neighborhood but help people to be in better shape. Don't take their property, don't
take tents, don't deny them sleep, don't deny them peace of
mind or a right to own property
or don't deny them hope.
And, basically, I am uncomfortable supporting a navigation center where people
are going to be mistreated if
the city's record holds true,
but this is a minimum.
Anyone who genuinely believes that they want folks to be
treated decently doesn't say get if center out of my neighborhood but say make this center in my
neighborhood and make it well explained, provide people with
due process and also -- I'm just astonished the director of
homeless services says safe and
clean free without seeing a contradiction. We need to meet people where
they are and not hurt them.
>> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> I'm kelly with the coalition on homelessness. I don't know about you, but I'm
so tired of this going to endless meetings. It's just ridiculous. Because you know what, we need
to be providing shelter and
housing for people that are often forced to sleep on our
streets.
I'm offended by the bad data and
trolling on social media and
wasting everyone's time and so
many people that are working so
hard to be helping folks who are
living on our streets. And who are dying on our
streets.
And I'm glad that we're not having port meetings any more because net were horrible and all of the
awful and I walked out because it was grows
gross and things that
were being said were gross. But so often, the humanity of people has been lost in the
discussions. And that's what we have to get back to.
We needed to be doing -- we all need to be doing what we can to
be helping our fellow san francisco neighbors and not demonizing folks like that.
That's it. >> hello. As many times have been brought
up tonight, there is issue with a navigation center on final and bryant. Fifth and bryant. i live across the street and it
is a fabulously-run establishment.
And they are quiet neighbor, and most of my friends that come by
think it's a storage facility. That is how quiet it is and well-maintained it is.
My issue here isn't the fact that we should -- I'm not trying
to argue for this explicit navigation center. I'm frustrated because we've made this discussion
decision many, many times. The mayor has made this decision. The port commission has made this decision and how many times
are we going to come up here and argue with shelter?
How many times are we going to deliberate? Will we have to do this for the next 2,000 shelter beds across the city? >> look at all of the
all of the time we're spending on the issue.
I know you guys are debating expediting bills right now and they don't address the specific issue, but we need to approach those issues.
We need to take hold of the
issue that we give voice to a
dozen people to splock a whole project. We have people sleeping on the
street and we're more concerned
about people walking dogs.
Three, please support this
navigation center.
>> I live in the tenderloin of constituent 6. Everyday, when I walk home in
the evening, I see my own neighbors and I want to remind you that is the terminology we should be using.
These people are our neighbors and they are your constituents
and many are supervisor hainey's constituents.
They deserve to be taken care of
and as long we have a shortage, no neighborhood should get to
say no to building more of them,
especially one that is a mile
away from any existing shelter, particularly one in the same district.
Like a lot of the previous
speakers, I'm tired of having
this discussion, of the endless
meetings. If you are tired of this
continuing to come back, I urge
you to support changes that would streamline this process
and take it away all together. You pass resolutions in supporter opposition and there's one on your agenda right now, in fact.
I urge to pass senate bill 48 which stalled for this year and take navigation centres out entirely and we would not be
here and I would be at home cooking dinner right now.
Thank you.
>> go ahead.
>> good evening, soup stores. Supervisors.
I'm a resident in district 6 and I live about a block away from the projects. I'm firmly in support of the
navigation center and oppose this.
The process doesn't have to be this way. This project is fortunate enough
to have a categorical exemption under se albuquerque qua. It could have a stat
statutory exemption. This would enable projects to be proposed with more confidence
and avoid watering down, such as what occurd with this project.
Supervisor hainey, I appreciate your engagement on twitter.
But it's unchair why you believe projects like this should be
subject to a process to preclude
the exemption from applying. You state that as a policy decision, but you have not clearly stated what policy you are pursuing. I remind the supervisor that people cannot live in percentage or policy. You are in a position to change the process right now.
And thus far, have refewed to
refused to do so. You can change the process and you can reduce or eliminate meetings like this and put
projects like this on a firmer legal foundation and get more people housed without compromising like I have here and all it takes is to support the charter amendment.
Thank you.
>> hi, I'm laura foot and obviously in strong support of the homeless navigation center
but I want to take a minute to
think about what is nimbyism. The people who women
came out today
have repeatedly have said,
they're not nimby but nimbyism
is a thing triggered.
They call come up over and over again and say I support homeless housing in general, just not here.
I have an elaborate reason why it shouldn't be here. No matter where you propose something, you will hear that same answer. Our neighborhood is special.
I don't know a person who has come across a neighborhood that is not special. Our neighborhood has families, as do many neighborhoods.
Our neighborhood has old people. I hope every neighbor has old people.
This is what integration looks like, is bringing different kinds of people to live together.
Please stand by: .
>> President Yee: you May start. >> thank you. Number number one, I have three points. Miss Gibson mentioned this
project May be a nuisance.
Being a nuisance is not a
definition of being a good
neighbor, it's being a bad neighbor.
If the city is not being a good
neighbor in this instance, the project should be rejected. Number two, the port director, in response to a question from supervisor haney, said that
there were hundreds of interim leases that had not gone to the state lands commission, if I heard correctly. My strong suspicion is that
those were public trust leases
rather than nonpublic trust leases which is what we're
talking about here.
In any event, I would request those leases be put in the
record in this matter. But let me just read the
statute that the port drafted,
ab 2797, section 7-e. A nontrust lease, a lease is by definition a nontrust use,
shall be subject to approval by
the commission -- it's the state lands commission -- as
provided in paragraph
sounds like there's some objections.
I did not hear any remaining valid argument that had to do
with ceqa, so in terms of that,
I don't think there is a ceqa argument here. I do want to respond to some of the things that were said and
talk about how we move forward. You know, I spent, you know, I
think a lot of my first couple
months in office talking to people about this issue. Dozens of meetings down at the waterfront, talking to hundreds of neighbors, including people
who were housed and unhoused, people who were in navigation. I visited all the navigation centers that currently exist in
our city, and I think I came
out of that process believing very strongly that we need navigation centers.
They are not the entire' solution entire' -- entire solution, they are not
going to solve the crisis by themselves, but without
navigation centers, people are
forced to create their own
we have seen a positive impact
on the broader community, so I
hope we can move forward and see this work. I understand there are people that May have been concerned about the process, and I
respect that. But I hope that moving forward, we can come together and make this work for this community.
I will do all that I can to make sure that we fulfill our commitments, that the departments fulfill their commitments, that we work
together, that we listen, that
we hold ourselves accountable. This May not have been a
perfect process, but we should learn as we move forward
because this will not be the last navigation center that we build. In fact I'm hoping that we have
one in every supervisor district.
But this navigation center will move forward.
It will have the continued
support of my office and the city. I hope that even folked who
were opposed will work with us
and make this a success because nobody wants to see what we have on our streets right now,
nobody wants to see people
without housing, without shelter, dieing, and the navigation center is an
important tool to get us there.
So with, that I want to move --
>> President Yee: excuse me.
Supervisor haney, before you
make a motion, I want to excuse supervisor peskin because he had to leave.
>> Supervisor Mandelman: so moved.
>> President Yee: it's moved by
supervisor mandelman, seconded
by supervisor fewer, and I
excuse supervisor peskin.
>> Supervisor Haney: I move to affirm the categorical exemption determination.
>> President Yee: so you move
to approve 46 and to table
items 47 and 48. >> second.
>> President Yee: and it's been seconded.
Roll call, please.
>> clerk: on the motion to approve 46 and table items 47
and 48 --
[Roll Call]
>> clerk: there are nine ayes.
>> President Yee: okay. Colleagues, the determination
of the exemption is finally affirmed. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: Madam Clerk, I don't know if the department
of election is back yet.
>> clerk: they have returned, Mr. President.
>> President Yee: where are you?
>> clerk: yes, yes.
>> President Yee: okay.
Then let's go back to items
49 -- no, to 50, actually. Colleagues, I believe we have the ballot election summary report form from the department
of elections for the north of market tenderloin community benefits district. Madam Clerk, please announce the results.
>> clerk: the returned weighted ballots voting for the
north of tenderloin community
benefit district was 83.44%, and the returned weighted ballots voting against the
north of tenderloin community
benefit district was 16.66%,
further indicating there was no
majority protest.
>> President Yee: okay.
So there's no majority protest.
Colleagues, without objection, can we take a vote on item 50, the resolution to establish,
renew, and expand the north of
tenderloin community benefit district?
Madam Clerk, please call the roll.
>> clerk: on item 50 --
[Roll Call]
>> President Yee: okay.
I might have to rescind the vote when supervisor haney comes back in.
>> clerk: okay.
We'll just proceed. [Roll Call]
>> clerk: there are eight ayes.
>> President Yee: okay.
So with that, then, it passes. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: I guess the next item is just to go straight into general public comments. Madam Clerk?
>> clerk: all right.
At this time, the public can address the entire board of supervisors for up to two
minutes, including the May 21, board of supervisors minutes,
and on item 62, the adoption without reference committee calendar. Public item will not be allowed
if an item has already had its public comment. Please direct your comments to the board as a whole and not to individual supervisors, and not
to the audience. If using interpretation assistance, you'll be allocated twice the amount of time to testify, and if you'd like to
display a document on law
is followed, that when people come here to make public
comment, that they're not given difficulties in making those public comments. The second thing, which is what the hearing is today is since this is constitutionally
protected politically free peach, speech, protected by the brown
act and sunshine ordinance, violation by putting summaries
in the minutes which are not
accurate is a violation of not
just a violation of the brown act, but the sunshine ordinance
and first amendment rights. The clerk does not follow the law as the ordinance relates. The law says the clerk of the minutes will include the name of the person speaking, what they spoke about, and what their position was. The only thing the clerk of the
board does is put in the
person's name and the subject. So she does not follow it in
regard to any citizen of san francisco. And as I've said to you before,
I'm the only citizen in san francisco who actually gets his
public comment --
>> President Yee: thank you.
Next speaker, please.
>> I'm going to further fine-tune my already
demonstrated well over -- several times demonstration on how to take care of this homeless problem.
As I said before, I'm quick to react to contradictions. I find it odd that you could
say it's not going to solve the homeless problem.
That's why this controversy is taking place. If it's not going to solve the homeless problem, what the hell are you doing it for? My proposition of putting up the two towers that would solve
the homeless problem is a
demonstration of your total
incompetency and how you should
be dealing with the problem.
sfgov viewer, . Year after year after year, you
keep doing the same stupidity, unprofessionalism,
administration after administration after administration. You claim you want to help the people that have mental disabilities, but you don't even have a place to put them. But your departments come asking for millions to treat
the people, but yet you don't know where the people you want to treat are located.
Make no mistake, you had an $88.2 million negative cash flow deficit in the last several months of ed lee's life. You got that?
And you had that same deficit that you took over after you died. You got that?
People got nowhere to go on the street. You got that?
You got 80 -- you've got
$12.2 billion because of donald j. Trump. You got that?
You got that because of the tax
cuts and the tax cuts of his regulations pertaining to taxes.
And for you to have that much money and not have permanent housing to benefit everybody is an insult on everybody's intelligence.
>> President Yee: thank you. Next speaker. >> good afternoon.
My name is matthew sutter, and
I'm a taxi driver in san francisco.
I want to bring to your attention that san francisco credit union are now denying our loans. We ask who do we have to pay?
They're not interested.
They are forcing our hands, and we ask you guys to hear us, to listen to us because you guys are our voice. I signed a contract stating
that if the medallion program
fails, the city shall issue me
an untransferrable medallion. I've driven these streets for 27 years. I've picked up your kids. I've probably picked you up once or twice, and I've picked
people up off the ground, too. This is a disgrace. The sfmta and credit union are
now driving owners into a state of depression. It's happening in new york,
it's going to happen here, and it's going to be on your hands.
We need you to step in and put
a stop to it right now. We paid the back on time every time, and now, they don't want
to renew our loans.
What are we do to do with that? This is the same thing that the bank has done in the past, issuing loans to people to buy homes that they did not qualify, and then, they foreclosed, lost everything, and what happened?
The government bailed them out. When is it going to stop, you guys? When are you going to standup for people? When did san francisco start losing compassion for people and families? You are the ones that need to step up. thank you.
>> President Yee: thank you.
Next speaker. >> good afternoon.
Thank you for all honorable supervisors.
The other day, we had seen a
little light thrown in our dark rooms for years and years. Thank you for that. I appreciate you for working
hard and getting us out of that rut.
Got bless you for that, and we have that feeling that you guys
are really working hard for us,
and just thanks for you, and I hope we'll get out of that soon because you really are working hard, so thank you so much and God bless you for that.
>> President Yee: thank you. Next speaker. >> hello, everybody.
My name is ali tunney. 30 years driver.
Just coming here to remind you
again as my co-worker, he said everything I had to say.
I hope you guys have open ear. Sometimes I wonder how many
times we come in here and tell
you situation of what's going
on for us.
This is the people, after 30 years, and another guys, more
than 30 years, we purchase the medallion.
I don't call them purchase, I call them forcing us.
And please, you guys have to have attention. This is not just continue -- as
long as I know, eight years,
seven years from the beginning, I've been here, and I'm trying
to tell you guys what's going on.
This is -- this is not to continue anymore. you guys have to force the
M.T.A. To do something. They have patience, they have patience, they not worried about them.
They said to me, we don't want
to be cab company, but this means who you are? What is your job?
What you are doing? They are failing. They are not doing their right job.
If you want to helping us, you know that, there has been so
much money for other reason,
reform the taxi industry.
Tell them to reform some people professional, being from outside. They cannot do it. Thank you very much. Please, we need your help.
It is a time for action.
>> President Yee: next speaker. >> good afternoon.
I'm speaking on behalf of
several taxi medallion holders.
We vigorously oppose ride share actions.
Sfmta are keeping us as slaves
to benefiting themselves and
increasing their pays.
We are fed up with this system. Although we had been coming here more than a year but did
not get rid of medallions. Medallions are worthless. Medallions owners are miserable. Someone needs to refund money to us. Sfmta never listened to us.
Sfmta made uber, lyft very rich.
Our airport business is
unsustainable as long as ride share exists at airport. We cannot we lie on this business.
we cannot deal with this catastrophic business.
It has been destroyed.
It is devastating to our taxi business.
We know all city supervisors
are good peoples. Respective supervisors, please
buy back our medallions, and
payoff our outstanding loans to
the banks.
Thank you.
>> President Yee: thank you. Next speaker. >> hi.
My name is harjit corcorea.
I am he driving taxi drivers
almost -- I am driving taxi,
drive almost for 26 years. San francisco is beautiful city and very nice people here, and everybody in the world, they
love san francisco, they love california.
Everybody love U.S.A., and when
we know if somebody like now,
the meaning of U.S.A., go other countries and look them.
Everybody like to come here in the united states, and I'm not able to drive taxi anymore.
And also, sfmta, they make a
promise to us. If we are not able to work anymore, we can bring the medallions back to them. They can give our money back,
and we can get a regular life. I don't think so.
Sfmta is forcing us to be homeless. My guess is we'll be homeless
one day in san francisco.
I love the homeless, I love san francisco, and I was here when
I came here new.
And I said thank you for san francisco's supervisor, and all this, and thank you very much. That's it.
>> President Yee: thank you very much.
Next speaker. >> and jesus said that if I
with the finger of got cast out
devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Something happened in the
kingdom of God, 8,497 days ago, I am certain of that. I am certain the time of the end of the last days began then.
Now in the old testament, when
you got a revelation once in a
while, you'd get a promotion.
Joseph interpreted pharaoh's
dream, and he got a promotion. Paul got caught up into the
third heaven and heard words unspeakable, it was unlawful, and he got beatened with rods, stones, almost killed, and then beheaded. But things are different in the new testament. I'm telling you something, okay? We are now in year 2,544 from when the temple was destroyed. It was destroyed in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, and it was destroyed the second time, it was destroyed on the same exact day unless you don't count that sabbath day in the 70th year. Which I don't think you do. That means there were 84 seven-year cycles between the destruction of jerusalem, and there's 84 84-month cycles what . What I'm thinking is August
11th will be the day that the
jews mourn for the 5,844th day to be precise. That's judgment day. I've made predictions in the past, but I know when jesus
answered the questions of the disciples --
>> President Yee: thank you. Next speaker. >> hi. Good afternoon. Thank you very much. My name is ajaz.
I am a cab driver for almost 29 years.
First of all, I thank you, supervisor fewer, and sandra fewer.
Forgive me if I pronounce
wrongfully the name, and safai,
and aaron peskin.
This issue is -- we should just
go away and solve the problem, and the sfmta should buy back the medallions, and we should
be in peace, and the city
should be in the peace, and
hope -- sfmta has gone inspect hi hibernation. This is the only place we have
to come for help from you peoples. And help and buy back the medallions, and push them as
far as you can.
Also, request, like, if we have
$2300 of baggage on our back.
If you could takeoff the $1250
that we pay every month to the
cab companies, what for? 1,000? That's fine.
We are thinking -- we got the
loan from the federal credit
union, but why are we paying
$1250 or so to the cab companies.
We should be exempted from this affiliation of the companies.
If you could consider this point also, then it will
alleviate at least half of our burden from our back until they
are buying back, al least it will alleviate our pain a little bit, and I hope you will consider that. Thank you very much.
>> President Yee: thank you. Next speaker. >> I have a translator here.
Hello, all the members of
supervisor and the President,
my name --
[Speaking native language] Law like the shelter extension policy. Remember the hearing where they
said, like, after 60 days, they
would throw the homeless people out on the street?
I remember it. I have the paper of it, and
this is -- I mean, we -- homeless, we cannot trust government if you're going to
tell us to leave our property and then dump us on the street in 30 days.
It's this -- the beds getting too close together. Like, the picture that I'm
trying to get to, it's --
they're putting beds directly next to each other, and these
are total strangers are supposed to sleep next to total strangers.
No -- nothing about spread of
disease, bronchitis, and
because they're homeless, we're supposed to -- [Inaudible]
>> President Yee: thank you. Public comment is closed. Colleagues -- supervisor haney,
would you like to rescind the
vote on item 50?
And make a motion to rescind?
>> Supervisor Haney: okay.
I make a motion to rescind vote on item 50.
>> President Yee: okay.
It's seconded by supervisor mandelman. Then the vote is rescinded.
Again, to remind the public,
there was no major majority protest, so we're just voting
on item 50 to affirm, to
establish the north of market
tenderloin community benefits district. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.
>> clerk: on item 50 --
[Roll Call]
>> clerk: there are 10 ayes.
>> President Yee: okay. The resolution passes unanimously. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: let's --
Madam Clerk, please call the adoption committee agenda, item 59 through 62.
>> clerk: items 59 through 62 were introduced without
reference to committee.
A unanimous vote will be
required for resolution today,
otherwise, any item will go to committee.
>> President Yee: okay. Would any of my colleagues like
to sever any items? I see supervisor peskin would like to do that.
>> Supervisor Peskin: yes,
President Yee.
I would like to sever items 61 and 62.
>> President Yee: okay.
Can we take the remaining items? Without objection, the remaining items are passed unanimously. [Gavel].
>> President Yee: okay.
Madam Clerk, items 61 and 62 [Agenda Item Read] [Agenda Item Read].
>> President Yee: supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank
you, President Yee. All of you are in receipt of a
few nonsubstantial changes
which acknowledge that local
102, the international brotherhood of teamsters is added to this resolution. I want to thank the sponsors,
and I would like to make a
motion to move the amendments
that are in the short title,
long title, on page 1, line 17,
on page 1, line 23, on page 1
and page 2.
>> President Yee: can we take
motion as amended without objection?
And can we take this item, Madam Clerk, same house, same call? Then without objection, item passes.
>> clerk: item 62 is a resolution to oppose california
state assembly bill number 62
authored by assembly man phil
ting.
>> President Yee: okay. Supervisor peskin?
>> Supervisor Peskin: thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, it is rather rare
that a member of a local governing body introduces a
resolution that opposes unless
amends -- although we did
actually oppose senator
wiener's sb-50, but I want to proceed very carefully. I want to thank the mayor's office and assembly member ting's office.
This is fundamentally an issue
around the applicability of
rent control accessory dwelling units, and we have made progress in the last few days, so I would ask that we continue this to our next meeting of July the 9.
>> President Yee: okay.
Motion to continue, seconded by supervisor safai, and if no
objection, then, this item is continued. Madam Clerk, I believe we are -- I don't think we have
any memoriams.
>> clerk: there are none to present.
>> President Yee: okay.
Colleagues, that brings us to
the end of the agenda. Is there any further business before us today?
>> clerk: there is no further business before us today.
>> President Yee: then the meeting is adjourned. [Gavel]