Transcripts For SFGTV Small Business Commission 20240713

Card will help ensure proper spelling of the written record of the meeting. Please place those in the basket. When Public Comment is called if you could please line up on the right side of the room for crowd control that would be much appreciated. There is a sign in sheet on the front table. Sfgovtv please show the office of Small Business slide. Welcome. It is our custom to begin and end with the reminder the office of Small Business is the only place to start your new business in San Francisco, and the best place to get answers about doing business in San Francisco. It should be your first stop with a question about what to do next. You can find us online or in person here at city hall, best of all, all services are free of charge. The Small Business commission is the official public forum to voice your opinions and concerns about policies that affect the Economic Vitality of Small Businesses in San Francisco. If you need assistance with Small Business matters start here at the office of Small Business. Item one. Call to order and roll call. roll call . Mr. President , you have a quorum. Item two. General Public Comment. Members of the public can comment on matters within the Small Business jurisdiction and to suggest new agenda items for future consideration, discussion item. Any members of the public to make a comment on any item that is not on the agenda today . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Next item. 3. Approval of legacy business registry application and resolution. The presenter is the Legacy Office of Small Business. Good afternoon. Richard, Legacy Program manager. I have a power point presentation. Before you today is one application for consideration for the legacy business registry. The application was reviewed by me, submitted to Department Planning staff on december 4th. Heard by the commission on december 18th. The sbc has been provided a staff report, draft resolution, application, case report from Planning Department staff and resolution from the h. P. C. There is a copy on the table in the public binder. Caffe sapore reopened on marc march 23 in north beach and immediately became a neighborhood gathering space. It is a european stealing cafe with fresh stand witches, bagels, sandwiches ag sandwie and tea and beer and wine. The cafe submitted jobs for entry level workers including one who has worked there for 18 years. Earlier the business received a landlord allowing 90 day notice for lease termination. This was in spite of the fact caffe sapore was current on payments. They attempted to reach out to negotiate terms to allow the cafe to stay open. They have not succeeded. The business must vacate by december 31st, 2019. Several news articles are published highlighting the importance that the cafe has within the community. Caffe sapore received a positive recommendation from the Historic Preservation commission. Staff finds the business qualifies for list on the legacy business registry. I have listed those here and i am going to read them today. 1. The business has operated in San Francisco for 30 or more years with no break exceeding two years. The business may have operated in more than one location. If the business has operated in San Francisco for 20 years but less than 30 years it may satisfy this if it has contributed to the history or identity of the neighborhood or community and if not included in the registry the business would face risk of displacement. It has contributed to the neighborhood or community. 3. The business is committed to maintaining the traditions that define it including craft culinary or artforms. There is a draft resolution for consideration. Be mindful a motion should be in favor of the resolution. In the resolution please pay close attention to the core tradition that defines the business. Once approved the business must maintain the tradition to remain on the legacy business registry. For caffe sapore, it is restaurants. The office of Small Business received letters and signatures of support for the business. 29 letters were included in the registry application. One additional letter of support from sf heritage was received on december 19, yesterday. In addition 2000 signatures of support were provided on december 18th. Neither of those items had enough time to get in the packet. This afternoon at 145 p. M. We received a letter of opposition from the attorneys zack, friedman and patterson representing the Property Owners. We have the deputy City Attorney here to answer questions you have. Right now i am presenting to the secretary the letter from sf heritage, 2000 signatures and the letter and packet from the lawyers. This concludes my presentation. I am happy to answer any questions. There are representatives in attendance who would like to speak on behalf of the application. Thank you, rick. Do you want to go right to Public Comment . Okay. We are going to start. We have lee hepner here from Aaron Peskins office. Thank you. I am just rushing over here from supervisor peskins bedside. He is recovering from surgery. He thanks you for scheduling this special meeting on the eve of a holiday. It means a lot to the supervisor. He would be her personally if it were not for his recovery. Thank you for helping schedule. We are proud to have the highest number of leg bass see businesses on the registry. This is a special business and this is a real treasure in the neighborhood. It is in business 23 years and facing displacement. Our entire office from supervisor peskin to every member of the staff has been working to pry to prevent displacement of this business. Frankly, this is not a case where a business is struggling. This is an immensely popular business to the community. To get out to have the rally in support of caffe sapore and to have the support from the chamber to over 100 neighbors, many are here in support of caffe sapore. This is a Community Living room. When you displace a business like this, it leaves a tear in the fabric of the community. That is why we are here today. The three forms of relief legacy status will confer upon the business. One is that should the Property Owner decide to come back to the table and try to allow them to stay, there is the rent stabilization grant for an incentive for the business to negotiate for a 10 yearlong term stable lease. Two. If the business is in fact displaced, of course, the north beach neighborhood commercial district there is an obligation for the next use to get conditional use authorization. That has been the subject of some back and forthwith the Property Owner, but from our perspective that should not be cumbersome. In this instance it requires the Property Owner to work with the community to identify appropriate use to succeed is Longterm Service in this part of the neighborhood. Lastly, if caffe sapore is to relocate, that rent grant gives them leverage for a long term stable lease. There is a tangible benefit to this program. I know you have heard so many where that is not at the forefront why the application is heard, but it is really important today. This is what the voters asked for in 2015 when prop j spas passed and a tremendous opportunity to honor that and to help caff kaffray caffe sapore. How many in the audience are in support of this application. We hardly put the word out. This Community Organized itself to benefit this business. It is profoundly cool this is happening today. Thank you for your support. Thank you, mr. Hefner and thank supervisor peskin for everything he has done with the Legacy Program it means a lot to us. It is awesome. We are going to start with Public Comment. Dominica. Everyone here for Public Comment if you could line up on the right side of the floor, that would be great. Much appreciated. If standing is tough for you, feel free to remain seated until the end. Time . Everyone has two minutes for Public Comment. Come on up. Members of the commission. Thank you so very much for being here today. As you can see, there is a lot of Community Support for the application. My background. I am janette crane belong to the northeast neighbors. I run a nonprofit to keep seniors in homes in north beach. I retired from architecture. Community building is my life. We collected 2000 signatures in support of caffe sapore to remain in the neighborhood recognizing the 23 year history and many contributions to this community. It is a Community Living room. I am going to leave the comments about the specifics what it does to you good people here. A legacy business designation helps resources to keep businesses in neighborhoods that need quality of life. There are 26 vacant storefronts adjacent to columbus, 26 vacant storefronts. A lot of this is not because there are no tenants, the rents are too high and many reasons. It is chilling north beach, basically. Keeping businesses like this, successful businesses alive is crucial. There is overwhelming subject port. It is part of the soul of north beach. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. I am the owner of caffe sapore. Thank you for being here today. I started the business 23 years ago, and when i was in north beach at that time. In my area there was nobody there except me, and i really struggled first to bring the community. I worked really hard for that. That is what i have today. I have all of the people here to support me. This is my family. Each one of these people have been coming to the cafe for all of these years. I have raised their kids. Some of the kids i raised are working for me now. Look is in the back. It is hard time, you know. But if i have to move, i will move. It is very important to recognize that we are here to stay no matter what caffe sapore will stay and these are my supporters behind me. It is hard to speak about Small Businesses, what they are suffering lately around the city. Especially in north beach we have vacant places and we need to do something about it. This legacy business will help me protect me and my family and supporters. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, i am jerry helmick. This is a short story. I just found out about this meeting this morning when i went for coffee. My father was in the military. When we grew up we moved every two or three years. I joined the u. S. Department of state and moved every two or three years. Getting to feel at home has been something that i have not really experienced until i moved to San Francisco. My daughter lived next to the white tower. My soninlaw used to go there are for coffee and we started going there. We have been going there seven years. This is the one place in San Francisco where we feel at home. Elias and his staff are part of that. I have been to different Small Businesses around the world. This one i will travel for coffee, and we lived near caltrain station. It is quite a jog for us. It is a great business. I hope that you can grant their request. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Commissioners, i am richard silver. Before i was a customer of caffe sapore. He was a customer of mine. I was in the wholesale baking business in San Francisco, and i supplied elias with baked goods on his cafe on pier 39. I resided in the neighborhood at 590 lombard from 1978 to 2015. I have been a customer, friend, part of the family. He introduced me to the harry man escapaids where men go and dont shave. When my children were growing up, i was divorced. When they got off the school bus the only place i felt comfortable for them to go until i got back was caffe sapore. They preferred it to homework. It was a safe place, they were known by everybody on the staff, they were fed, they were nurtured. Like all of us here, they were loved by eluas. Thank you for your time. Next speaker, please. I am andy gillis. I am a long time friend of elias and his family. They are some of my oldest and dearest friends in San Francisco. I have visited this many times. I can tell you it is the living room of this particular neighborhood of north beach. I was very upset when i found out a few months ago that caffe sapore was threatened with eviction. Part of the reason it is upsets is the decision by one landlord can disregard the needs and desires of hundreds of people for whom this cafe is the core of their community. I am familiar with this whole sad story because i was the manager of a coffee shop in the mission which i was the manager there for about 17years, and after 20 years of business, it was abruptly closed by a greedy landlord. Our lease expired and we were evicted from the premises. When this closes it creates a hole in the neighborhood. It is not just a business, a cafe, bar, local restaurant. These are often the places where neighbors get to see one another sometimes on a daily basis. I would just i see the aftermath of this in my community. I hear how people miss my old cafe almost every day. Please keep this in mind and protect this valuable institution. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, henry. I am the president of San Francisco merchant council. We represent 34 businesses in the city. Small business is in crisis today with online sales and then situations like this where some landlords want to get more money for whatever reason and they evictor the tenants. We dont have rent protection so we are stuck there. The legacy business is great. It is helping some businesses but still very, very hot. The whole thing that happens at the end of the day, what does Small Business create . It creates community. By having a Small Business close down you are turning the fabric of the community. We cannot allow this to continue on. I look forward to supervisor peskins ballot issue to come through next year regarding vacant storefronts. We were going to do something about it. Like i said, community is the big thing. It is a place to go to meet, to buy stuff and walk up and down the street to go window shopping. You drive up on 24th street, the whole street is lit up. It is gorgeous and so nice. Are we going to close all of that down . I really appreciate your support with this legacy business. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I am jane wins slow. I lived in the neighborhood 50 years. As a senior i dont need to tell you how important Meeting Places are for people to get out of their homes and see friends every day and get out in the world. We lost caferoma a couple years ago on columbus. We dont want to use this one. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, commissioners. I am harvey hacker. I live up the street from caffe sapore. I was there when they moved in when the business replaced air former glass shop, and it has become a neighborhood institution treasured to me. A brilliant contrast from suburban los angeles where i grew up where no such things existed. My experience there included visiting one weekday morning each week when i was silting with a Meditation Group in the neighborhood, several other members were here. We had the opportunity to recover from a week of silence and a service of appreciation from my wife in the last months of her life that could only happen in such a place. I think the neighborhood dies without places of this nature. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am susan wisebering, i second everything everyone said about the importance of businesses like this to the community. I want to tell you a story how that affects me personally. I first went to caffe sapore in the early 2000s when a man i was dating brought me there and introduced me to elias. That relationship didnt last but my relationship with the cafe did. I saw the regulars and attended the neighborhood meetings. Seven years ago i joined the Meditation Group harvey referred to that meets at the Telegraph Hill neighborhood center. We go regularly to caffe sapore on fridays after sitting for what we call pie in honor of the many types of pie that we choose. I have been at caffe sapore for tea and crescent every friday morning for the past seven years. I have gotten to know him and his taste for early bob dillon. He has gotten to know me and my taste for jasmine tea. I watched his kids getting bigger as they sat at the table doing homework before School Started. If this doesnt describe a legacy neighborhood serving business i dont know what would. I hope you make it official. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am john woods. I have been in north beach for about 55 years. I am one block from caf caffe se on taylor street. There are some days i dont go out at all. This is very important. He is a wonderful member of the community, and to watch him raise his children there makes it even more. I hope you will do everything you can to keep him there, to make him a permanent legacy. It is unclear why the landlord is so standoffish about this. This man and his coffee shop are a real addition to the neighborhood. I wish every one of you had a coffee shop like that a block away. He goes out of his way to support the neighborhood issues. He has been down here supporting or not supporting various projects of north beach. I used to be here a lot of time. I have a lot of trouble walking. I made a special effort today. I hope the large turnout will convince you to do everything you can for this very nice man and his very nice coffee shop. Thank you for listening. Next speaker, please. Thank you for your time. I am shauna stein. I do corporate business. I am blessed to know e liaas through a friend. She used him for her catering needs. I was lucky to be invited to the evening and enjoyed the food. I moved to San Francisco two and a half years ago. I love her as a whole. I wanted to help her out. I tried to integrate him to luncheons. I am in construction for job sites and Different Company offices bringing healthy organic great food to a traditional industry that is not usually focused on that. They loved it and love him as a whole. I am here to talk on his behalf. I learned to i have grown to love him as a friend. I have no family on the west coast. He has invited me to thanksgiving. I helped him at catering events. He puts his all into what he does. He is genuine throughout. You want to help him because he is a great person. I willtine to do so i will continue to do so. He deserves this more than anybody i know. Thank you for your time. Next speaker, please. I am bonnie. Today i am here to read something by another member of the community who couldnt be here so i am going to read what she had to say about the cafe. Caffe sapore contributes the vibrancy. On the walls students display work, Community Dinners are held there with group tables. They showcase new chefs that cannot afford a restaurant of their own. Ththere is wine, music and dance to share the complete experience of the culture in bringing the members of our community closer together. In addition, local fundraisers and Community Organization meetings happen so regularly it is hard to even count how many local associations and parent political action, elderly groups utilize this space. A reliable venue. They stay as long as they desire without being rushed. Those are the words of chris, who is also a part of the community but unable to be here today. Thank you so much. I second everything that has been said. It is all true. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I am robert smith. I live next to caffe sapore. I noticed 40 people were sitting next to elias. If that is not community or legacy i dont know what is. Everybody is close to him and supports him. That is legacy. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Dan. Native from San Francisco. Charter legacy Business Owner in our 72nd year and president of the north beach business association. I rise in support of caffe sapore. I cant be go beyond the personal testimony that has come forward by those who use the cafe. I implore all of you to give them legacy business status to send a message to bad actor landlords. The majority of landlords and commercial landlords are good actors, but we have a handful and some are centered in north beach who fail to put their storefronts up on the market, who throw out businesses that are vital and used by the community and long standing. We need you to send a message. I have a business next to mine vacant for over 35 years. We have made a comebacklation in north beach. We have 20 new businesses in the last 20 years. 17 in the last few months since they introduced the idea of putting on the ballot the storefront vacancy issue. All of these signs started going up. We had people come in to rent the storefronts. I implore you to prevent another business from being vacated because of a landlords misconduct. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am ben golden. I moved to north beach about 10 years ago, and started going to the cafe. He described it as the third place. What is a third place . It is another place after your home and your work where you can come and relax and meet people and feel at ease. Then i had a kid. She started waking up 5 00 a. M. And screaming. We would rush out of the house and go to the cafe. He would be opening up and making coffee and letting the son roll around on the floor. Eventually, he started playing with the toys there and we would donate our toys. Then he started playing chess. The pieces are all dirty like this. He is now 8 years old this year and he finally beat me. He has grown up in that cafe. We appreciate it. Thanks. Next speaker, please. I am marla knight. I have lived three blocks east of the cafe sapore. It is not just a cafe. It is really an institution. It is a Gathering Place for locals and for people from out of town who enjoy going there. San francisco, especially north beach, has been in crisis for several years. We lost many residents to no fault evictions and businesses for many reason was including rising rents. Throughout caffe sapore has been thriving. It is like a beacon of hope, actually. It has been thriving for more than two decades. It is loved by locals. Yelp says it is a hidden gem. Caffe sapore deserves legacy business status for the major contributions, not just to north beach but to all of San Francisco. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am gloria rokin. I lived four blocks from the cafe for 45 year. When you got to my age you have experienced loss, your parents, friends, pets, jobs, health, a lot of things go by the wayside. I didnt know you could have a broken heart over losing a cafe. It is really hard for me to come to grips with this. Caffe sapore, i didnt realize how important it was. I can call and say i am on the way to dog training at 7 00 in the morning or i have an appointment. I am a realtor. I go there with clients to show them how wonderful San Francisco is. To realize this is going to be gone is devastating to me personally, and i know to all people sitting here they feel the same way. Iit is not easy to come down hee on friday afternoon. We really appreciate you taking the time. I can speak for everyone to have this meeting. Thank you. Please give caffe sapore the business status they so deserve. Thank you again. Next speaker, please. Hello. I am dick. I make pot terry for my living. Pottery. In japan there is a program to recognize crafts people. They are known as Living National treasures. There are only 15 such people in the nation of over 150 Million People. What is interesting about this reward is the translation. Such people are considered holders of an important intangible Cultural Property. This is a nice definition of caffe sapore. It holds a Cultural Property that is labeled mediterranean. The United States navy afforded me the opportunity to visit beirut in the early 1960s before it fell into warfare. It was the paris of the middle east, a center of deep culture the, a place where people of the three worlds, major religions lived in peace and respect. That has roots in the attitude towards the stranger. From greek times forward it was believed one of the gods would take human form and come as a stranger and we would be judged as to how that stranger was treat the. You didnt try to kill him or instantly regret you hadnt built a wall to keep him out, you fed him. This became a primary civic stir virtue and continues in the way caffe sapore has worked for two decades. It would be a good idea for it to be recognized with the professional and tenacious work. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, commissioners. I am susie siegel. I am a San Francisco teacher. I met elias a year after he opened. I taught two of his children. I feel like the caffe sapore is crossroads elementary, public middle school, college of the arts, childrens center. I want to talk about kids, family and community. Isnt that what you strife for as a teacher and family to have a place that feels safe, a place that is like second nature. I will meet you at caffe sapore. I will do my homework at caffe sapore. If you are a teacher on 30 minute lunch breaks that is where we as teachers would meet. I also want to tell you my little friend here, this is mr. Bear, mr. Bear has been going there longer than i have because he goes home every night with a different kid. Most days you would hear a story mr. Bear was having coffee or hot chocolate in caffe sapore. If he could talk he would tell you this is the fabric of a neighborhood sadly closing so many places. I am in deep support of community of caffe sapore, a place that is a place for everyone to gather. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, commissioners. I am amy and this is my sonar like. Son eric. I am a working parent. We watch friends and neighbors with children move away to the suburbs and their big living rooms and kitchens. We stay. For us as you have heard mentioned in our small little north beach apartments our living room and sometimes our kitchen is caffe sapore. What does that look like . When eric, now a fifth grader, was in first grade one block up the ill aupthe hill his brothern prek two blocks behind two blocks behind caffe sapore. His School Started an hour later than his brothers school. I have an hour to kill after i drop off his brother. It is not time to go home. At 8 30 a. M. What does the parent do with a first grader who at the time is 6 years old. Where do you take him . Library, pool not open. You dont was presiden want to o the grocery store. Where do you go that is safe at 8 30 a. M. We went to caffe sapore a year just about every morning. We could eat off the dollar menu of day old pac pastries. There was elias and his children. It was safe and a wonderful place to bring my son. I asked you to help save the cafe. Eric do you want to add anything. It has a homey feeling and the food is good. Please save caffe sapore. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am bethany golden, a nurse and mother and Community Activist in the neighborhood. This is my son. He wants to first say something. I was the kid who screamed and rolled on the floor for like every single day. I didnt know what i was doing. , but i think that is the best cafe i have ever been to and i would like you to save it. I am going to add to that. If anyone gets to be at the crossing of lombard and columbus we have about a Million People dropped off by tour buses. We are on the pedestrian walkway up to the crooked street. The other side of russian hill has the traffic. When you come down the human street there is a human wall that forces you to go right or left and you dont come down lombard. If you say you were taking down the greats on grant street with no portal to chinatown, there would be an out range. This is the port alto lombard. It is not only for our kids but the Million People at lombard need to use the bathroom. Guess where they go . Caffe sapore. It is critical to understand elias generosity extends to everybody who comes to San Francisco. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I would say our neighbors have spoken. I am theresa flanders, cofounder of north beach tenants. I have lived on lombard for three and a half decades. For me, caffe sapore is the cornerstone of the community. It is our community and it is the community that many envy bus we are close knit. We have lost many, many of our members. A lot of our shops, a lot of services in this community. What i want to say is caffe sapore is a place when i say to tenants where would you like to meet to talk about this landlord who is harassing you right now frying to get you to take a buyout or threatening you, where would you feel most comfortable . They will say can we meet at caffe sapore. It is a place where i have gone to meet with tenants to organize to fight for places like places to remain part of our whole community. This is a place where people feel at home, they feel safer, they feel safe in revealing what is going on in a very scary time for them. Please, please, legacy is so important for this particular place and for our particular community. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I am anita walter, a teacher at city college. Our son has grown up going to caffe sapore. We would bring him as a baby because elias got him ice cream and calmed him down. It was a safe plays with toys. As he grew up, we would let him walk from our garden because caffe sapore is around the corner and it was a big milestone. We knew it was safe, a home for him and he recognized it and we knew elias would greet him. As our our child grows how he recognizes the space in the neighborhood as an important place for him. My husband works there a lot. We have a cozy apartment and we need a third space. He and i walk a lot in the morning. We are there early and guess who is there with a smile, with bob dillon, my husbands favorite musician. It is a place everyone goes to. I know so many people because of caffe sapore. I dont know their names but i know their faces and they know mine. Next speaker, please. I am lee carter. I want to say a few things. I didnt prepare anything. I met elias at the art institute. He gave me a parttime job. I was amazed and surprised to the love and attention he gave to everybody that came through the door. All the years i have been there i have been trying to do what he does on well. I have been there 18 years. A lot of times i dont know how that time passed. I am blessed that i can go to work and feel good. It is a good place. That is important to me. I appreciate the cafe and the customers. They have given us love and support. I hate to see this end like something bad. It used to go further. I hope you can grow and be a major part in the neighborhood and community. That is all i want to say. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My family owns the building at 790 lombard and i am a long time resident in north beach. We understand this is a difficult situation for everyone involved, my family included. A lot of the narrative presented iis untrue, specifically that he just found out 90 days ago. Over 2 the years we communicated our intent for the space. Three years ago he did not exercise his option to extend the lease. We thought he no longer wanted to continue the lease. He responded angry and asked for more time. We tried our best to help him and gave him more time. Additionally there are items in his application that are erroneous that he is always current on rent. December 2019 rent this month has not been paid. He has been late on rent five times this past year, delinquent in garbage bills and we have been sent 20 lien warning. This is a difficult position for our family. We are still in negotiations. Due to this we asked for a continuance so find a solution to help all parties involved. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I am sarah hoffman. Our firm has been retained to represent the family who own the property who you have just heard from. They are surprised to discover with absolutely no official notice this application had been submitted and that there would be hearings on wednesday december 18th and special hearing today. It is impossible to prepare for or seek adviser participate in todays hearing with so little notice. This is our request. If the commission will continue the hearing by one month, the owner will extend the lease termination date for one month so the parties can negotiate to reach a resolution that works for everyone involved. This can only happen if the hearing is continued without a decision. More over, we believe that this application does not meet the criteria for registration as a legacy business. The applicants business has not been in existence for 30 years. The ad ministrative code provides an exception if it would present a risk of displacement. We have a termination notice served, owners have plans for the space and are not willing to extend the lesion. They believe the business didnt want to be they when he chose not to extend the lease to 2022. As stated in the historic presser vision they preservation they identified a business nearby. This would not be in compliance with the code. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Howard wong architect and nowtive of north beach. The legacy business should be evaluated on the merit of the business that has been there for decades and what it has contributed andment to do, the neighborhood to the community. When all of us travel to other cities around the world we often zero in on famous coffeehouses, small cafes and restaurants that there there for decades. Those types of restaurants which are rare in San Francisco and also rare in other cities, some of which have been around for 50 or 100 years. They attract social cultural interaction of the comment and the people who visit the city. They are markers what the city has been and will be over time. We are losing gradually many, many of those institutions. This business has to be given a chance to become the 50 year or 100 Year Community and cultural magnet we need that gives our city character, or neighborhoods a sense of place and as too many people a place of gathering and participation in the community. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. I am karen mazoon. I have lived in north beach since 1995. We had a place in lake county for a while. Really, i see this as my home for all of that time. I love going out to coffee in local coffee places everywhere. It is fun, it gives you a chance to get to know the community, it gives you a chance to associator with the locals. Caffe sapore represents the highest standards of exactly this. A Meeting Place where they also have events. I have seen magicians and comic acts and poetry evening. When i come to caffe sapore i write about the birds and the tourists and the people talking because that is something i like to do is comment on the community. Caffe sapore is one of the greatest emblems of our community, a place where everybody will go. The tourists love to go by there because it is close to the crooked street in the area between north beach and fishermans wharf. I think it should be continued. I would very much miss my neighbored. Any other members of the public. Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Commissioners, comments or motions . Commissioner artez. Thank you all for coming out. I want everybody on tv, policymakers, landlord, this is community. This is what Small Business is to the community. It is our fabric, it is what makes San Francisco San Francisco. Thank you for supporting your local business. Commissioner dwight. I own a Small Business. I would be dealing at pride with a meeting and so many people supported my business and myself. I think it is fantastic. I have been on the commission now for 8 years. This is the best part of the Commission Meeting is the legacy business proceeding. This is the biggest turnout we have ever had for legacy business. Irishiate yoi i appreciate you. I know my landlord is very proud of the fact i am in his building as a small manufacturer, a dying breed in the city and he takes great pride in helping me to stay business and to continue the tradition of selling in the city which is rare. I would think that any landlord would be proud to have a business like this in their building. It shocks me to even think that if there have been i dont know the whole story and all stories have two sides. We know how hard being a small owner is. You miss a payment. Maybe you are just overwhelmed with the daytoday activities of running a business. I have been threatened to have my power turned off not because i couldnt pay but bu because i forgot to pay the bill. The outpouring of emotion you expressed towards the owner and his business. The landlord would have the same level of empaty, dont worry, lets fix it and move forward. I would think this would serve as a wakeup call even if you were living under a rock the last 23 years. The neighbors love it and i am part of the legacy. I am the home to this legacy building. Perhaps the proceedings here will shake lose empathy and help resolve this issue at this particular location. If not, so be it. Hopefully he will find another location. This is my last Commission Meeting and most gratifying legacy business consideration i have been to in the history of the this program. Thank you all for being here to make my last day a great one. [applause] commissioner duly. These are what makes the city. It is not the big companies, it is the Small Companies that provide for their communities, who provide very special place for neighbors to meet other neighbors, to meet new people, and i fail to understand why a successful business like this should be forced to leave for some unknown business they have never communicated what business they are going to put in. We need to stand up for Small Businesses. That is the bottom line. We are working hard to say the buck is going to stop here when it comes to getting rid of our longtermness neighborhood businesses. Commissioner riley. [applause] i also want to thank all of you for coming out. It is very touching to see all of you supporting your community. I hope as commissioner divide says. Hopefully you can work something out so the cafe can stay in the same place or find someplace else. Commissioner dwight. Can i make a motion asfinal act as commissioner. One thing. I am touched by this turnout and the people who have come out. Elias your story as a immigrant and succeeding in the United States. That is the American Dream. You are living the American Dream and becoming part of the fabric of what we call San Francisco. I am so touched with everybody out here today. It is a little bit emotional. Commissioner dwight. I would like to move to approve the resolution to add caffe sapore to the legacy Business Edge industry. I will second it. Motion by commissioner dwight to approve resolution to add caffe sapore to the legacy business registry. Roll call vote. roll call . Commissioners this passes 50 with two absent. Congratulations. [applause] congratulations. [cheers and applause. ] next item, please. Item 4. Commissioners report. Allows president , Vice President and commissioners to report on recent Small Business activities and make announcements that are of interest to the Small Business commission. Discussion item. Nothing to report as of today. Any Public Comment on th on . Public comment is closed. Item 5 directors report. Update and report on the office of Small Business and the Small Business Assistance Center and Department Programs and policy and legislative matters. Discussion eyesem. I want to say it is our last meeting for 2019. Thank you. It was a great meeting to end the year with. I also want to acknowledge the Mayors Office who has two proclamations to present today. I am with the Mayors Office. I am here to thank our outgoing commissioners for your years of service to San Francisco in supporting Small Businesses. I will read probing. The city and council of San Francisco recognizes organizations and individuals that made remarkable contributions to the city and the extraordinary work of mark dwight represents the values and sworn to the Small Business commission january 27, 2012, by may or lee he worked for local businesses and serve our city with honor and distinction. Whereas serve on the Small Business commission for seven years and 21 days with three terms as president and two tropical storms as Vice President he provided recommendations on 200 legislative items with a profound effect on Small Businesses. Whereas Environmental Protection to the regulatory processes and establishing the food Program Regulations he demonstrates unwavering commitment to ensuring the city local businesses had the resources and tools necessary to thrive. Whereas his leadership and expertise are critical in implementation of Legacy Business Program leaving a lasting positive impact on the signature local businesses. He has been instrumental to the rebirth of the San Francisco Manufacturing Industry and his knowledge and expertise are instrumental to provide direction on policy matters to phosphetotofoster the industry. His leadership and vision are critical to enriching the vibrant culture. Whereas he is a part of our city andy serves a grand celebration. Now therefore be it resolved i on behalf of mayor london breed on the city and county of San Francisco do proclaim december 20, 2019 as mark dwight day in San Francisco. [applause] for commissioner riley. For you as well. Whereas the city and county of San Francisco traditionally recognizes organizations and individuals that made significant contributions to the vitality of the city and dedicated work of eyevene riley represents the values at their best. Sworn in on january 15, 2008 by the mayor she has worked for advocate for local businesses and serve with honor and distinction. Certifying for 11 years and 21 days with one term as of the president and Vice President 300 items had a profound effect on Small Businesses. Irene has proven instrumental in providing oversight to the office of Small Business playing a vital role in the opening and development. She is steadfast to insure businesses are successful and strifed to ensure the Chinese Community has the necessary resources and support and her expertise in bank landing greatly contributed to the financial needs of the businesses and the Small Business commission. Whereas Irene Yee Rileys guidance is critical in the Legacy Business Program and left a Lasting Impact on our citys signature local businesses. Whereas local businesses are the cornerstone of the city it has proven critical to preserving the San Francisco vibrant culture. She is irreplaceable part of the city andy serves a grand celebration. Be it resolved i behalf of the mayor of the city and county of San Francisco here by proclaim december 20, 2019 as Irene Yee Riley day in San Francisco. Thank you, commissioners. Thank you very much. Any commissioner comments . I just want to say and i will start crying. Mark, you have been a rack. You cant say i didnt make you cry. Irene is my rock. She is my car buddy for the last six months, and both of you have just what you have done for the commission and Small Business in San Francisco. Mark with sf maid. You truly took especially when we were talking about small manufacturing in the eastern part of the city. You stood up for the small manufacturers. We got laws changed to help those people out. That was so vital. And irene, what you have done not only for Small Business and banking and helping Small Businesses and reviewing those Small Business loans that we have done over the years, and what you have done for the asianamerican community especially chinatown and the sunset. Every time we talked about programs, you always made sure things were done in chinese and people would understand and you were forceful with that. The city is made of many people. Many fabrics. You made sure that fabric was included. I really appreciate that. The two of you, myself over the years have leaned on your for your advice, and i really appreciate everything you have done and you will be missed. Thank you. Thank you very much. I would like to make a through comments. I want to express my extreme gratification for the two of you being on the commission. You have been instrumental with the governance of the offers and i had to quick rereflect on the fact irene and i have been with the office since it opened. I turn to you a lot in the beginning days and years for support and help and in growing and developing the office. Also, really as commissioner adams said i want to appreciate your champ uponning the office in the Chinese American Community with the Chinese Press and taking every opportunity to promote services as well as the commission. It is going to be, you know, i am going to miss you, and i really appreciate all that you have contributed and the support you provided me and the staff and our Small Businesses. For you, mark, our monday morning meetings, it is extraordinarily valuable to get for you to be a sounding board on policy issues, being able to understand how they may affect businesses that i dont necessarily know about or fully understand business operations. I am so appreciative of the amount you have given to support as well the offers and especially with the Legacy Business Program. You are incredible eye for design andy tail and pushing us to be sure we have a quality logo to represent the Legacy Business Program. That is a legacy that every time i look at it, i will think of you. In addition to our legacy businesses. Thank you. I will say it has been a real honor and privilege to serve on the commission and be associated with you on the commission, and richard you are behind the scenes in front and Center Activities made it a joy to be here. The Legacy Business Program is really i think the Hallmark Program here in office and a real honor to be part of its inception. I hope i live long enough and my business is around long enough to be here one day as candidate for the registry myself. You grew up in silicone valley and i didnt move to San Francisco until 2002, 18 years ago to run a Small Business here. When i was growing up, i didnt know what city hall was. I didnt know what supervisors did. I had no idea about city government. When i moved to the city, i realized i was a city mouse, not a country mouse. I was so compelled to get involved. We are so close together in everything we do whether it is legislation or in private life affects other people. We dont have big borders in the city. We are packed in together. It was just i felt compelled to get involved first with the chamber of commerce then starting founding and starting sf maid then being asked to be on a committee for discussing how the land use was going to go and the back streets Business Advisory board and Gavin Newsome and the honor of being appointed to the commission by late may or lee. His legacy through his support what i did with sf maid and putting me on the commission is gratifying to me and a real highlight of my business and civic career. I appreciate being able to do it and the trust that was put in me to be here, and i will miss it. I am not retiring from Small Business advocacy. I will be around longer. This is very much appreciated. Thank you. You covered everything. Anyway. It is hard to say goodbye, but it is not goodbye. Maybe moving on to something else. I want to take this opportunity to thank the director. We started 11 years ago. I didnt realize it was 11 years. Time flies when you are having fun. I thank the staff and the rest of the staff for your support for the past 11 years, and i thank my fellow commissioners. We work very well together. Usually we agree or come to a decision that we all are comfortable with. I think commissioner we started around the same time. Steve you have been very good president so keep up the good work and so were you, mark. We are going to do something else. I remember you, william, when you first started. You would never say a word at the meetings. Now we cant shut you up. It is a good time. I learned a lot and met a lot of good people so thank you for the proclamation and thank you for being here. I think that is all i have to say. Any other comments . We are going to Public Comment. Would anybody from the public like to comment on item 5 . I didnt prepare anything. I am not good at these types of things. I am afraid i might get upset. I want to thank commissioner riley and commissioner wright for everything you have done for the Legacy Program. It would not have happened without your help. We had complicated grant rules and regulations to write bringing on a backlog of applications and you just always have been there for the program and i really appreciate that more than you know and more than i can say. I will definitely miss both of you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Any other members of the public . Commissioners i didnt have anything prepared. I have hit a year of working with the commission, with the office of Small Business. I remember when i got my official offer letter looking up. When i was interviewed looking up your bois. I was in such awe of your accomplishments and all that you have done for San Francisco and for your communities and when i was hired i just felt so privileged to work among all of you, but in particular you commissioner wright and commissioner rightly. This has been incredible. I have learned a lot from the commission and from the both of you. I want to thank you for your service. I know you will continue that when you depart from here. Thank you. Any other members of the public . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Any other comments . Director . We are going to take a photo between this and the next item. Okay. We will take a photo. applause . Okay, next item. That concludes the directors report. Next item. Please show the office of Small Business slide. Can i read it . Go ahead. All right. It is our custom to begin and end each Small Business Commission Meeting with a reminder that the office of Small Business is if only place to start a new business in San Francisco and the best place to get answers to your questions about doing business in San Francisco. The office of Small Business should be your first stop when you have a question about what to do next. Find us online or in person at city hall. Best of all, all services are free of charge. The Small Business commission is the official public forum to voice opinions and concerns about policies that affect the Economic Vitality about business in San Francisco. Start here at the office of Small Business. I would like to adjourn tonights meeting in honor of mark dwight and irene riley. Do i have a second. Second. All in favor. Aye. Meeting adjourned. Thank you everyone. Shop and dine on the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of San Francisco by supporting local Services Within neighborhood. We help San Francisco remain unique, successful and vibrant. Where will you shop and dine in the 49 . San francisco owes the charm to the unique character of the neighborhood comer hall district. Each corridor has its own personality. Our neighborhoods are the engine of the city. You are putting money and support back to the community you live in and you are helping Small Businesses grow. It is more environmentally friendly. Shopping local is very important. I have had relationships with my local growers for 30 years. By shopping here and supporting us locally, you are also supporting the growers of the flowers, they are fresh and they have a price point that is not imported. It is really good for everybody. Shopping locally is crucial. Without that support, Small Business cant survive, and if we lose Small Business, that diversity goes away, and, you know, it would be a shame to see that become a thing of the past. It is important to dine and shop locally. It allows us to maintain traditions. It makes the neighborhood. I think San Francisco should shop local as much as they can. The retail marketplace is changes. We are trying to have people on the floor who can talk to you and help you with products you are interested in buying, and help you with exploration to try things you have never had before. The fish business, you think it is a piece of fish and fisherman. There are a lot of people working in the fish business, between wholesalers and fishermen and bait and tackle. At the retail end, we about a lot of people and it is good for everybody. Shopping and dining locally is so important to the community because it brings a tighter fabric to the community and allows the Business Owners to thrive in the community. We see more Small Businesses going away. We need to shop locally to keep the Small Business alive in San Francisco. Shop and dine in the 49 is a cool initiative. You can see the banners in the streets around town. It is great. Anything that can showcase and legitimize Small Businesses is a legitimize Small Businesses is a good morning, everyone. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the december 16th, 2019, meeting of the rules committee. I am supervisor hilary ronen, chair of the committee. Seated to my right as vice chair Shamann Walton and to my left is gordon marr. Our clerk is victor young and i would like to thank my canoe michael and jim at San Francisco government tv for staffing this meeting. Are there any announcements . Silence also phones and electronic devices. Completed speaker cards and copies of any documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk i didnt his acted upon today will appear on the january 7th , board of supervisors agenda unless otherwise noted. Thank you. Please call item number one. One is