Transcripts For SFGTV SFMTA Board Of Directors 20240712

Lose the opportunity of really understanding of what people were feeling when they opened up . And then, we will have lost this window. So i would urge you to think about these when we discuyou d and im happy to work would cynthia in terms of what would be doable in terms of a starting point. I agree that youre not going to get everybody all the sectors, maybe targeting the sectors, or maybe targeting through the merchant associations and, you know, the s. B. C. S or whoever has the outreach might be a good way to get out there. But i would say that dont let low responses, you know, low responses pull us down. I would be thrilled if we had 40 return. Im thinking 5. Yeah, and i think the key is to make it clear that this is something that will inform how you can help businesses. And from what ive talked to, some businesses on the ground, theyve told me, oh, my god, another survey . But if you can show me that what im going to say is really going to help us, then, im absolutely willing to take this survey. Okay. I think the header will be important. Well, professor, thank you so much for your time and your work. Were looking forward to working with you going forward. Well try and figure out how to give you good resources so you can get good data and results. Were very appreciative of your partnership, and thank you, commissioner huie, for your leadership here and pushing this forward. This is going to be really helpful to the commission and to the commissions work. So ive been excited about it since you brought it up, and as excited as i was, im 1,000 times more excited now that i can see where its going. So fantastic work. Before i let you guys go, we have to check in on Public Comment. Are there any Public Commenters on this item . Clerk lets give a moment to see if our one caller would like to press star, three. And it appears we have no Public Comment. Okay. Seeing no Public Comment, Public Comment is closed. Have a great evening, professor, and well be talking soon. All right. Byebye, everyone. Byebye. Next item, please. Clerk item 5, approval of draft Meeting Minutes, action item. Okay. I move to approve the item Meeting Minutes. You need to have Public Comment first. Oh, Public Comment first, is that what you said . Yeah. Okay. Do we have any Public Comment on the minutes . Im such a dumbass. There appears to be no Public Comment at this time. Thank god. Okay. I move to approve the Meeting Minutes. I second. Motion by commissioner laguana to approve the Meeting Minutes from september 28, 2020, seconded by commissioner adams. Roll call vote. [roll call] clerk motion passes, 70. Great, and thank you for that reminder, commissioner adams. I do appreciate it. Next item, please. Clerk item 6, general Public Comment. Allows members of the public to comment matters that are within the Small Business commissions jurisdiction but not on todays calendar and suggests now agenda items for the commissions future consideration. Discussion item. Are there any members of the public who would like to make Public Comment on items not on this agenda. Are there any public callers on the line. Operator there are no public callers at this time. Public comment is closed. Next item, please. Clerk directors report. Update and report on the office of the Small Business and the Small Business assistance center, department programs, policy and legislative matters, announcements from the mayor, and announce points recording Small Business activities. Discussion item. Good evening, commissioners. Before i begin my report, i want to extend my congratulations on todays announcement with the announcement of Small Business commissioner Manny Yekutiel to the Small Business commission. I want to thank the mayor for making this nomination. Its been a long time, to my recollection, that weve actually had a Small Business especially neighborhood commercial corridor business on the sfmta board, and that representation is going to be extremely valuable. So best of luck getting through the nomination process, commissioner yekutiel, but congratulations. I want to report that since the last meeting, starting march 16, we have services 3,765 businesses. I am the Business Assistant center staff. I and the Business Assistant center staff are beginning to have a conversation on reshifting, so well be reshifting our reshifting our focus in terms of that we are no longer in the sort of cov covid rapid emergency response, but now, we are in the recovery response, and so well begin to shift how we track and report our numbers, and so more will come in relationship to that, but this will be something that well have worked out in the next couple of weeks. Weve also sent out 75 informational eblasts to the business community. The mayor, in the last couple of weeks, has issued several key supplementals. One on september 25, the Just Add Music permit, or the j. A. M. Permit. That will be administered by the Entertainment Commission to help add more activity in the shared space program, and a means for supporting our artists and musicians. So you will be receiving a presentation from the Entertainment Commission director, maggie weiland, at our meeting on october 26. The commercial Eviction Moratorium was extended through to november 30, and there are some kia additions that were added establishing some specific criteria for written notice and cure periods. And one, im working to get clarification on, landlords with less than 25,000 square feet of rentable space in the commercial property may evict a tenant due to commercial hardship. This is something they may have to report to oewd. Im trying to get clarity on i mean, 25,000 square feet of rental space. Getting clarity, if that means commercial and residential or just commercial space. The Third Party Delivery app, ccap, was extended, and this time, the mayor extended it to when Indoor Dining is at 50 , so i do want you to note that supervisor peskin is now going to be he has scheduled his Third Party Delivery app legislation, which the commission had heard has heard already, and that he will be hearing it this thursday at the Public Safety Neighborhood Services committee meeting. And just i dont think ive gone over, but at the state level, theres been two bills that have been signed by the governor in relationship to the thirdparty delivery app. One addressing that thirdparty delivery apps must receive the consent for foodrelated businesses to be placed on their platform. And then and then, the other bill requires thirdparty delivery apps or companies to ensure cleanliness when preparing and delivering meals to customers. Some key updates for legislation. Supervisor mars right to return to work ordinance that the commission heard on september 14, that piece of legislation has yet to be scheduled in committee, but he did, last week, reintroduce a third emergency ordinance, so in relationship to that, so we might be able to read into that that he will be moving forward a third emergency ordinance. And the temporary the fee waiver for the sidewalk tables and chairs, that has passed, and passed last week, and a couple amendments to it is it now applies retroactively to april 5, 2020, to april 2022, and it urges the sfmta to waive fees for parklets. So the board of supervisors cant waive fees for like they can for public works or department of public works. Only the sfmta and the board can waive the fees. So there are fees that parklets do need to pay to the sfmta. And then, in addition to the 31,000 jobs that president sharky identified with the restaurant industry, i think one other thing to of particular to note is the 63,000 the pandemic unemployment assistance insurance, and that was a special Unemployment Insurance that was created due to covid for z and im going to stres, its our sole proprietors. A lot of people want to frame it that its our big economy workers gig economy workers, but its a lot more than our gig economy workers. Its professional sectors, so i think that 63,000, it will be interesting to see if we can get a breakdown in terms of the Different Industries that those 63,000 unemployment claims apply to. And then, lastly, want to just let you know that staff, in terms of staff work that were doing, we are in the we are in the process of transitioning our salesforce database from a very old version, the classic version into the new lightning version. This will help expedite and make easier the data reporting that we have and need to do, so that will be a focus for the probably through the end of the year as we work on that migration and transition. So with that, if theres any ill leave it at that, and happy to answer any questions you may have. Commissioner adams, were you raising your hand . Yeah, really quick. On that 25,000 square feet and mixed use building, thats just commercial space. Residentials not included in that. Thats separate. I know that for a fact because we have mixeduse buildings, and i went and had attorneys clarify that, and so theyre residential, like apartments and that, are a whole other category right now, and youre still protected on that. So right. And i thank you. Im glad im glad your attorneys were able to clarify it for me. Oewd was not able to clarify it. The funny thing is i just got the message on that at, like, 4 00 this afternoon. Thank you. All right. Any other commissioner comments or questions . Go ahead, commissioner dooley . In north beach, weve had a really successful shared spaces program. Its really brought a lot of people to north beach, also, except for you, sharky. I havent seen you there yet. I want to let you know were moving forward, which weve now requested of m. T. A. To give back parking meters to the public for those who are not using them. A lot of merchants well, not a lot, but some merchants felt that they should be able to park their private car all day long in their shared spaces, which i dont believe is really the intent. But we are definitely moving forward to try to find a way to allow people to come in and stay at a meter, but not for indefinite periods. So thats fife a new challenge for us to kind of get back to more normal and being a destination place, and well let you know how it goes. Okay. [inaudible] the supes tomorrow will be hearing the shared spaces resolution that got started in the Small Business commission in july, as many of you recall, so itll be heard tomorrow, and its sponsored by supervisor mar, walton, and haney. So thats a nice little bit of progress there. I mean, tangentially related to director report. Exactly, so thank you for adding that. Yes. Okay. Any Public Comment on the directors report . Theres no Public Comment at this time. Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Next item, please. Clerk item 8, commissioner discussion and new business. Allows president , vise president , and commissioners to report on recent Small Business activities, make announcements that are of interest to the Small Business community, and make inquiries of staff. Allows commissioners to introduce new agenda items for future consideration by the commission. Discussion item. So, you know, i alluded to this earlier. We were going to have it be a separate agenda item, but we didnt pull that out. It was a little snafu. It seems were six months into the pandemic, and its probably a good time to check in with everybody and see what we should be spending the next six focusing on. There was a lot of energy put into shared spaces because of what it meant for restaurants and the community, but with that resolution now going in front of the board of supes, it does seem like it leaves t least the heavy lifting has been done, and weve tackled quite a bit of items. Im interested to hear from you what you think core priorities mighting over the next six months that will have a mean will might be over the next six months that will have a meaningful impact on our community. Domenica has been keeping track of it, and there is an ongoing need to address any legislation that comes on down the pike, but were going to check with you to see what you might think of as being possible priorities. Commissioner zouzounis . I would like to highlight what i mentioned earlier, bringing an equity lens to this next phase of recovery and and put a special specific emphasis in getting resources to the hardertoreach business communities. I know commissioner huie and i were talking about p. P. E. Because we regularly reach out to our Small Businesses and are affiliated with our merchant groups. I know that our trade association has partnered with ucsf in setting up p. P. E. Hot spots in particular in the bayview at Corner Stores because ucsf has recognized that the traditional channels, whether it be listing nonprofits or city channels are not actually reaching the constituents in these hardertoreach neighborhoods. And by putting, you know, p. P. E. , for example, at community centers, which really are our neighborhood Small Businesses, that seems to be the best way to reach some of our more vulnerable communities. And the trade association, we dont have staff. We dont have paid consultants to help administer surveys. Like, we are in the store and we are also doing the organizing in our sector, and we need resources because clearly, the existing landscape of the bigger funded merchant groups rb hitting our vulnerable merchant communities. We need are not hitting our vulnerable merchant communities. We need to make a strong push to the mayor, to the board, to get outreach to these merchant groups that are already not getting resources from the city, whether its p. P. E. Or whether its you know, various whatnot. So i want that to be our kind of part of our equity lens in how we whether were distributing a survey or whether were recommending resources be distributed to a certain small of the Small Business demographic. Okay. So just making sure i got this right. So continue to focus the equity lens on the work of recovery and assist engage with helping with the distribution of p. P. E. To vulnerable communities . I think just recognizing that resources to vulnerable communities arent necessarily getting there through traditional channels, theyre getting there through businesses that are in those communities, and so we need to better support those businesses that arent part of these networks but are really playing vital roles in their communities. Basically, like, the non the you know, the the the ethnic merchant groups and groups that arent already on the radar with the city and stuff. We need to have a line to them as part of our equity plans. Okay. So reaching out to businesses that are Community Resources in these vulnerable communities. Commissioner adams, im going to well, im sorry. Commissioner dooley . I wanted to comment about for the future that were done a lot of amazing work with the restaurants and the food service industry, but from what i see on the streets, were really leaving behind the Small Businesses that are retail. They werent really benefited by the shared spaces, because, for example, theyre not going to put their clothing out on the street, and thats, like, i had mentioned that we wanted to start opening up a few parking places for that would benefit these other kind of businesses, these Retail Businesses and maybe encourage folks to start frequenting them again. So my main point is we need to start thinking about retail. I agree. Its an excellent suggestion. Commissioner adams, do you have a comment . Commissioner adams . I was on mute. I was just seeing where we were. I didnt know we combined this part of the agenda, so i apologize. No. First off, the few things that id like to focus on were just mentioned on. One thing that miriam commissioner zouzounis just said is really important, and that is with the equity businesses, and that goes across the spectrum. I do hear from actually, ive heard from a lot of constituents, especially with the arab grocers. Theyre not getting the messages, and the messages that they are getting, theyre getting from the arab grossers association. Theyre doing a great job, but they dont have a lot of staff, and then, its getting support to those groups. And then, what commissioner dooley said, were focusing a lot on restaurants, but were going to see the apocalypse with these small shops, and im seeing it in my Small Businesses that im managing. And, you know, they were able to open up with limited capacity and all of that. You know, thats just what we need to start focusing on is recovery, and not just restaurants, but all businesses, and a lot of secondfloor businesses, recovery done in the financial bid, down in the financial district, with a lot of those Retail Businesses. This opening up is what we need to be focusing on, and support to these businesses, when were talking about the survey, the one thing i want hearing from a lot of my businesses on conflicts is where im an asset manager now is they dont want anymore loans. They need relief they need help with their rents. A lot of them are opening im looking at financials right now on businesses, and yeah, some of them are starting to make money again, but not what they were making precovid, and they can pay some rents but not all their rents, and landlords i went to supervisor mandelmans hearing because i didnt go to supervisor mandelmans hearing because i was working we need to make sure that everybody is working together to make this thing work because im very, very nervous about the future. With that said, weve got the people with deep pockets or just capital. I dont mean deep pockets, who are ready to get into business and can go into space thats have closed, retail spaces that have closed. Theres now this whole new generation of people that are ready to come in and open up, and we need to make sure were there for them. I want to comment on what president laguana, what you said in the chronicle yesterday, with the ice cream guy on valencia street. Its something thats next to impossible, and its something that commissioner dooley and i and those that have been on the commission a long time [inaudible] maybe the mayor and the board of supervisors will hear us, but if they dont change the rules on how to get businesses open in this city, you aint going to have it, and we need to streamline that because despite all the negative stuff out there, there are other people standing on the sidelines who can fill in and take up our spaces, and i think its our fiduciary responsibility to make it easier for them and not go through all that b. S. You said in that article yesterday, president laguana, you were spot on. I cheered when i read that, and, you know, we need to get more of that out there. Throwing the fbomb in particular . Weve all got to throw fbombs. Theres a whole lot that we could be doing, but i think its more in recovery, recovery for the new people that want to come in for business, but also helping commissioner zouzounis and a lot of the equity people. The Mission Needs a lot of help, and with those groups. And i know we have bilingual out there, but maybe we get more. You know, its crazy times, so but im trying to stay optimistic right now. But when you go to the financial districts three times a week, and its apocalyptic and i hate to use that word over and over again, but its true. When i see all the businesses there, and theyre struggling, i get a pit in my stomach. Thats it. Okay. Commissioner huie . I just have a few responses for some of the things that have been said so far by other commissioners. I you know, through the distribution of p. P. E. , ive noticed that theres so many businesses that arent connected on [inaudible] that thats not the [inaudible] for them or receiving information from them, so ive really struggled how to get people on board. What im noticing is this is our opportunity right now to build community partnerships, build Strategic Community partnerships and realize what community am i a part of and what am i not a part of and realize the channels that theyre tuned into. And i think this has been very interesting exercise. I think if were able to kind of find these [inaudible], like, sometimes maybe its the community. Like, i know in the chinese community, there are Smaller Banks that people bank at, and those might be great partnerships for us to have as a Small Business or merchants association, but, like, helping connect people right now is a great resource or a great tool that we can use, and think about how this is an opportunity for people to get connected. Because in better times, you know, maybe we take for granted all of our community associations, all of our merchant associations. The second piece, in terms of retail, looking at the survey, we had started to kind of look at ecommerce in terms of, like, retail and what the landscape for retail is going to look like because retail is affected so differently than a restaurant. And so i think we have some opportunities to really kind of look at retail specifically and how it could be a very unique business or role for us if if we allow businesses to have us if we allow businesses to have more flexibility, if we allow for mixeduse capability in our retail spaces. Im really glad you brought up retail, commissioner dooley. I feel like that is what i travel for. I travel for shopping and eating, and i love seeing people come to San Francisco to eat and shop and do something new and have that sense of discovery. And spinning towards a more positive note, i did have a meeting with director dickendrizzi and rick of our legacy business program, and we did talk about, you know, the idea that if legacy businesses are closing, wed like to, you know, do some sort of exit interview. And as we were talking, we realized our legacy businesses are doing i dont know if theyre doing okay or how theyre doing, but theyre not closing at the same at any of the rate that we kind of anticipated . And so that kind of gives some incompete insight and hope, that maybe legacy businesses, because of their length of tenure and doing business in our city, that they have some experience and knowledge to glean from. So i think we should use this to our advantage, like, in terms of talking to our legacy businesses and find out the things that theyve been able to do to weather past economic downturn, and perhaps find ways to safe or ways to pivot. And i hope we can glean some knowledge from a group of businesses that we already [inaudible] within our purview. So those were my three items. So just to make sure i got this right, helping people connect, retail, and then, legacy Business Information sharing, learning. Maybe just on the connect part, i just want to make sure i got that part of it correctly, is this, like, were you talking about, like, a communication strategy or help me understand that a little bit more . Oewd, they have a very extensive network, and i think for the Small Business community, untds understanding that for the Ethnic Community and the community in general. I feel like we have a very email list, like, im very satisfied with the size of our email list, but that still leaves a lot of people not getting that information. Im excited about that one question in the survey, how are you getting information . I think that will be skewed in terms of how we administer the survey, but i think that would give us some ideas. I think commissioner zouzounis has that same experience, that you literally need to walk up to somebody and ask them the question in order to get the answer, and thats a challenge, and how do we make that different . And part of that might actually be Building Trust . Part of that might be that we need to build trust. Okay. Build trust. Commissioner ortizcartagena oh, sorry. I didnt mean to cut you off. Can you just repeat your last sentence again . For me . Yeah. I just said that part of it might be trust, that they see value in being connected. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner ortizcartagena . Thank you, president laguana. I agree with what everybody says on the activities, and just to highlight equity, like, i personally have delivered p. P. E. To over 70 businesses [inaudible] ive personally been to over 20 shared spaces to date. [inaudible] its really also making sure when you talk about equity that there are unintended consequences. Other commissioners highlighted that there are [inaudible] and making sure that unintended consequences dont gentrify communities of color that were in danger of being displaced prior to the pandemic. [inaudible] talking about it and being about it are two different things. Yeah. I agree, and, you know, i think weve got to find a way to make sure this stays front and center. When we think about the last six months, the last six months was primarily affecting the disadvantaged vulnerable communities the most, and so, you know, we were in a state of just having to put some fires out. But i think, you know, when we look at the next six months, you kn you know, now is when weve got to put the rubber to the road, and this is where weve got to start addressing these smaller issues. I think thats exactly right, that weve got to make that connection on equity across everything we do. Weve got to make sure that the language barriers are addressed across everything we do, and youve been spectacular on staying on top of that, and were lucky to have you there, so thank you for that. Commissioner yekutiel, i dont see your name in chat, but im going to call you because youre the only person who hasnt commented on what we should do the next six months. Thank you, commissioner laguana president laguana. Commissioner yekutiel. Ive been thinking a lot about this. Its been said already, but obviously, weve been extremely productive and very busy over the last six months, and im really proud of the work of this body and how effective weve been. I dont want to sound to cynical, but one of the things that ive learned already is unless Small Businesses is that is that the other departments and kind of the general infrastructure of city hall is it didnt seem like this is a lot of momentum to specifically think of ways to support us unless we ask for it definitively, loudly, and continually. And that both makes me sad but also presents an opportunity for us on this body to change the direction and also to increase the visibility and power of the Small Business community. I think part of that has to do with the fact that Small Businesses are not voters. From a political perspective, we dont have, like, constituent necessarily direct we dont have the same means of of pulling levers of power that individual voters have, at least when it comes to our elected officials. And the second thing that we have against us is that Small Business owners tend to be extremely busy people that, you know, many times have to work 12, 15 hours a day just to keep their shirts on, so i think thats a disadvantage for us. So i think one thing that this board can do over the next six months is try to find a way to increase the visibility and power of the Small Business community incrementally. And also, i do not think that as we plan out the exit from this crisis, that departments are necessarily going to be clamoring over themselves for bold, new, interesting ideas to support our Small Businesses. So the agencies that are going to be directly responsible for these things, fire department, police department, sfmta, d. P. W. , oewd, you know, i think its going to be important that we continue to bring the leaders of those departments that are going to be in the middle of recovery and what that will look like back to the Small Business commission and how theyre helping the businesses, how they might be getting in the way, and how they might be clearing the path for us. So i would love for us to Bring Department Heads into this body. I would love for us to continue to be bold in envisioning what a future San Francisco looks like, that is an inexpensive and simple and easy as San Francisco can be. I want to take advantage of the opportunity we have in front of us to reimagine how Small Businesses are thought of in city hall. Great. So increase visibility, influence, and power, within the departments, and continue to take bold action and influence the leaders to recognize the Small Business contributions to the community. Is that right . Yeah. And one thing connected to todays announcement. Theres two kinds of Small Businesses in San Francisco in general. Theres Small Businesses that occupy physical space within a city, and then, there are Small Businesses that occupy kind of nonphysical space, but the owneroperator is within city limits. There are things you can do on the financial side that assist the Small Business owner that does not have a physical space. But with regard to Small Business owners in San Francisco that kind of occupies actual physical form and the street have become symbiotic. I had to bring everyone that was outside inside because they were being attacked. Space is going to continue to be important over the next couple of years, and its going to be up to this body to make sure that were pushing all the agencies responsible for outside for saying we need to think about whats going to happen inside. So that relationship just became really important, and i would love for us to continue to be in the middle of it. Yeah. You know, i want to say, the firthe first of all, i agree with every one of these things that you guys mentioned. The only thing i didnt see mentioned but which does kind of dovetail into what commissioner yekutiel said and the fact that its not mentioned doesnt mean its not a priority because many of you have mentioned to this privately and ive heard it nonstop from businesses. But street cleanliness is a huge issue for many of our businesses. It comes up constantly, and im constantly hearing about it as being a major priority. And, you know, i think we have to examine, as well, as part of that, now that all the businesses, all business is happening on the street, were going to have to come to terms with how the unhoused are dealt with with respect to Small Business and how do we navigate this terrain . Its very tricky terrain to talk about, but i think it starts with having a conversation with the Department Heads responsible and getting a understanding of how they go about things, and what are the constraints, and how can we advocate for Small Businesses and what our needs are . Because so often, that seems to be the last thing considered. So those are the only two things that i would add to that kind of more challenging issues, and maybe politically sensitive, but its something i constantly hear about from the Small Business community, and im sure you do, to. I think were going to have to start tackling that. I think this is a great list, and a great framework. And as we set the agenda, i think, you know, this will help guide me. And hopefully, weve all heard from each other, so itll help put us all on the same footing. With that, if anyone has any last comments or things they want to share i know its been a long meeting, but any legitimate new business or commissioner reports, now would be a good time. And everybody is like no, i am so done. I dont blame you. Okay. Do we have any Public Comment on this agenda item . Operator theres no Public Comment at this time. Thank you. Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Next item, please. Clerk sfgovtv, please show the office of Small Business slide. Oh, dear. Ive got to be ready for this. Thank you, and we will end with a reminder that the Small Business commission is the official public forum to voice your opinions and concerns about policies that affect the Economic Vitality of Small Business in San Francisco, and that the office of Small Business is the best place to get answers about doing business in San Francisco during the local emergency. If you need assistance with Small Business matters, continue to reach out to the office of Small Business. Clerk item 9, adjournment, action item. So moved. Second. Clerk motion by commissioner ortizcartagena to adjourn the meeting, seconded by commissioner dooley. Roll call vote. [roll call] its hard to hear someone because theres a lot of static. Clerk okay. [roll call] clerk meeting is adjourned at 9 00 p. M. Thank you. Hell oh everyone. Thank you so much for joining us today. Well, covid has changed our lives. The fact it is has changed how we go to work, how we go to restaurants, how we interact with each other but this year will change how we vote. We want to make sure here in San Francisco, we make it as simple as possible. Im excited to be here to announce that although we cant do what weve done in the past, and provide early voting in city hall, we are going to be doing early voting right outside on grove street in what looks like a Beautiful Party at the present time. I want to thank the department of elections, and he will talk about more about exactly the steps that his team has taken to ensure that we not only make voting accessible, we make it safe. We want to make sure that people feel comfortable if they need to vote early. They can come to this Voting Center and it will be opening on monday. If they want to vote on election day or drop off their ballots on election day, well have 588 locations all over the city. And, what is dont be alarmed if you dont receive your ballot you wont be able to vote. This department of elections has received everything. If you didnt receive it in the mail can you provide replacement ballots. If you are going out of town and you need a ballot mailed to a different location, theres a system in place to do just that. For whatever reason, you are not certain or uncomfortable accessing a paper ballot, theres just a lot of options. Theyve been sending things in the mail, sending things online to say our goal is to make this as easy as possible. In the last president ial election, sa san franciscans tud out in record number. It was a 80 turnout. In 2008, it was 81 . This is a city that prides ourselves on making sure our voices are heard. Were not going to covid stop us from making sure that you have access to vote in San Francisco at your convenience. Im excited and i know that theres a lot of confusion out there but this department of election has done everything it can to make sure that its easy to call the department of elections, call 311, go online if you need information for where to pick up a ballot or a replacement ballot. We thought of everything. So, theres no excuse for anyone in this city who is a registered voter not to vote. And in addition to that, if you are not registered to vote, and you would like to register to vote, you have until october 19th. So, make sure that you take the opportunity to go online and this center is open and you can come here and register to vote and you can vote on the same day. In addition to the dress up locations on election day, and this Voting Center right across the street from city hall, we will have a number of of drop off ballot locations the weekend before election day. Linda brooks Burton Library and the branch library. Because again, were trying to make it easy as possible and its ballots inperson or on election day. If you need more information, please visit the department of elections website at spelections. Org. Call 311 or call 415 5544375. So with that, i just want to again thank everyone for their cooperation, the work they do. I really want to express a special thank you so john arts and the department of elections staff because they have been working very hard to make sure that no question is unanswered. Anything or any scenario that could occur, they wanted to make sure they were prepared to support and address the public. And they work with the number Great Community organizations and to get out the vote and some of those organizations are with us today, including George Chance from the chinese Newcomer Service center, jackie flynn, the ex you director of and these are organizations who make sure that communities all over San Francisco have accessed to vote. And we appreciate the work that theyve done for many, many years. I also want to thank martha cohen, the director of special events, for taking such time and care with creating a warm and inviting space. Thank you, martha for your work. And with that, i want to turn it over to our special guest, joining us here today, you probably recognize him because the tallest person here. Our state senator, scott wiener. Thank you, madam mayor. And i also want to thank martha and also our department of elections and john arts for once again really stepping up to make sure that san franciscans can vote and vote easily. Thats one of our core values in San Francisco that we want people to vote and we want to make it easier for people to vote so i have complete confidence in our department of elections that we will run a beautiful election here and that we will it will just be a really strong showing and a really difficult period of time. This is a partnership between the state and our counties including San Francisco we took action at the state level to people being able to vote during a pandemic and we authorized global vote by mail o so everyone gets a ballot even if you are not signed up as a permanent absentee and not put barriers in order to get an absentee ballot and normally, it has to be post marked byelection day and i do want to ask people please, try not to rely on post marking on election day and sometimes you can mail it after whatever the pick up is at that particular box and there are unfortunately thousands of ballots each time where people just mail it too late in the day. It doesnt get post marked. Make sure you are going to mail it, please, troy t try to mail tractortrailer dait theday bef. Even if theres a problem with the post office, which i dont think there will be. You have plenty of time if you mail it right up to election day. It has 17 days to a arrive instead of three and that is a huge change in stay law that weve made to just make sure that every ballot can be counted. What this is really about is auctions. We want people to make choices that work for them and people can drop it off in different locations and of course, we have absolutely amazing voting facility here which will respond to our health needs in terms of allowing people to show up and vote safely. And to be able to do it efficiently. The capacity here, as you can see, is huge. Its going to start on monday and also be opening two weekends before the election. Were making it so easy for people to vote in a way that works for them and their family and their own health situation. I have a digital town hall last week with our secretary of state, alex padilla and with con on cause and a representative of the American Postal Workers Union and she was very, very clear that she has confidence that the mail is going to work well for this election. Despite some of the turbulence we were saying, theyve been able to move through that and she assured us our postal workers, who are some of our front line essential workers, who are putting themselves out there during this pandemic so we can do what we need to do as eye society theyre going to work incredibly hard and they will deliver the mail and people can have confidence in the mail. So, again, thank you, madam mayor, thank you to our department of elections and lets just run a great election as always. Thank you. And now, i want to invite up our director of elections, john arts. Thank you, senator werent. Thank you mayor breed and also for organizing this event. This is a great timing for an event like this, just before early voting begins. Early voting will begin october 5th here at the Voting Center located outside bill graham auditorium. This is an example of the mayor and the senator wiener have indicated and the department and city have take ep steps to make sure that voting is safe and healthy experience for all voters in San Francisco. The ballots we mailed actually tomorrow and voters will start receiving ballots on saturday and then theyll most will receive ballots on monday going through the election week. We have a full compliment of polling polic Police Station ple want to drop off or they dont want to mail their ballot back, just before elections day, is they are outside the voting area so voters dont have to go mud the voting area. They decrease the amount of traffic that voters would experience at election day. And everything that weve done since really the end of the march election going through the cycle for november, has been to plan in relation to conduct an election, while trying to respond to a pandemic. So everything that is happening here at bill graham auditorium, is organized so that people can maintain social distancing and theres ppes that our personnel are wearing and useing and the public has provided ppe and hand sanitizers and sanitizing wipes, face shields and things like that and the same for the polling places. The voters and coworkers can maintain social distancing as they go through the election process on election day. Weve had p. P. E. S available for the voters and the poll workers on election day. And the inperson voting here at the bill graham auditorium and the polling places theres a cleansing of the areas and materials and the commonly used items throughout the day so voters will go into a clean voting environment when they go to cast their ballot on election day. Also, i want to echo the comments about the post office. Weve had conversations and meetings with the post office before this election and to make sure there was no issues and with the processing and to support the conduct of this election for november. The post office of senator wiener noted, has put tremendous men does attention and focus on their abilities and their requirements to give ballots up to vote and he is get ballots to voters to elections here in San Francisco. I want to share the city and the departments of elections has put much time and thought into this and so theyre safe and secure and everyone has a good experience on election date ill turn it over to george chan. And even we call chinese and were helping everyone. So this year were happy to be receiving support from the city to continue the registered people. So, this year, we see the ballot we mailed to you and we help people register. We follow that many times they dont know if you change your address, make sure you update it, ok. So also, if you do know your status, we can help you to check it as well. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is jaclyn flynn. Im the executive director of the a phyllis randolf of San Francisco and were working with the department of the elections in the city to really get out of vote this year. So i ask you, how important is your vote . 2020 is a challenging year as a nation. We have lost over 200,000 american lives from covid19 and these fires, as you can see, continue to raise and scorch our state and homes and businesses and and the california economy and our air quality and and they leap gap in time with racial tension zoos tie that they spilled into our streets. So i asked again. How important is your vote . This year and you can help redefine our jail system you can help reform our Law Enforcement system. You can help fund our parks, you can vote for housing and healthcare and your vote is a vote for change. I ask you, what can you do to effect change and if you can, do it early. Send it in my mail. Drop it directly into a ballot box and thank you to the city for creating an accessible space for folks to do that safely. And if you must safely head to your poll, please wear your mask and vote. I encourage awful us to ask our families, our friends, our work colleagues, our neighbors to do something important, vote. This year has been hard on all of us. And as i think about why its so important, i think about my own kids. And i realize that i have the power to set a clear example that im not satisfied where were at in this nation today and im not going to sit back. I will be an element of change. The a phyllis randolf institute will be on the frontlines reaching out to our seniors and over 5,000 units of low income Family Housing across is this city. Well be facing this year of covid, hitting the streets to ensure education and access to voting. You can help us in that fight. Im inspired by San Francisco. A city that votes for change. Im inspired by inspired by a t looks like me. When i vote i celebrate my skin, my lips and my determination to be represented by someone that understanding my perspective. To all my asian brothers and sisters and to all my latino brothers and sisters, we need you. We need bilingual folks and to my caucasian allies, we are all in this together. I challenge everyone to get education and make a plan and vote. Thank you. Thank you to the press and the immediate why for getting the word out and most importantly, we want to make sure that voting is easy. If you have any questions or concerns, what is interesting this past weekend, i heard from a lot of folks that said i didnt get my ballot yet, what is going on . What is happening. So people seem to be very excited about voting. We also want to make sure that folks are able to get their ballots and theyre able to get their questions answered and we make it as simple as possible and we also keep everybody safe. When were showing up to our polling places, or our Dropoff Center or this particular center here across the street from city hall, were all using the wash center to wash our hands and were wearing our masks and complying with our Health Orders because thats how were going to be able to continue to not only get through this but adapt to the needs to make sure that we are able to not only vote but vote safely. Thats what this is all about and so thank you all so much for joining us here to the today. The Bicycle Coalition was giving away 33 bicycles so i applied. I was happy to receive one of them. The Community Bike build program is the San Francisco coalitions way of spreading the joy of biking and freedom of biking to residents who may not have access to affordable transportation. The city has an ordinance that we worked with them on back in 2014 that requires city agency goes to give organizations like the San Francisco bicycle organization a chance to take bicycles abandoned and put them to good use or find new homes for them. The partnerships with organizations generally with organizations that are working with low income individuals or families or people who are transportation dependent. We ask them to identify individuals who would greatly benefit from a bicycle. We make a list of people and their heights to match them to a bicycle that would suit their lifestyle and age and height. Bicycle i received has impacted my life so greatly. It is not only a form of recreation. It is also a means of getting connected with the community through bike rides and it is also just a feeling of freedom. I really appreciate it. I am very thankful. We teach a class. They have to attend a one hour class. Things like how to change lanes, how to make a left turn, right turn, how to ride around cars. After that class, then we would give everyone a test chance chance to test ride. We are giving them as a way to get around the city. Just the joy of like seeing people test drive the bicycles in the small area, there is no real word. I guess enjoyable is a word i could use. That doesnt describe the kind of warm feelings you feel in your heart giving someone that sense of freedom and maybe they havent ridden a bike in years. These folks are older than the normal crowd of people we give bicycles away to. Take my picture on my bike. That was a great experience. There were smiles all around. The recipients, myself, supervisor, everyone was happy to be a part of this joyous occasion. At the end we normally do a group ride to see people ride off with these huge smiles on their faces is a great experience. If someone is interested in volunteering, we have a special section on the website sf bike. Org volunteer you can sign up for both events. We have given away 855 bicycles, 376 last year. We are growing each and every year. I hope to top that 376 this year. We frequently do events in bayview. The spaces are for people to come and work on their own bikes or learn skills and give them access to something that they may not have had access to. For me this is a fun way to get outside and be active. Most of the time the kids will be in the house. This is a fun way to do something. You get fresh air and you dont just stay in the house all day. Iit is a good way to exercise. The Bicycle Coalition has a Bicycle Program for every community in San Francisco. It is connecting the young, older community. It is a wonderful outlet for the community to come together to have some good clean fun. It has opened to many doors to the young people that will usually might not have a bicycle. I have seen them and they are thankful and i am thankful for this program. His program. The San Francisco playgrounds hitsvery dates back to 1927 when the area where the present playground and center is today was purchased by the city for 27,000. In the 1950s, the sen consider was expanded by then mayor robinson and the old gym was built. Thanks to the passage of the 2008 clean and safe Neighborhood Parks bond, the Sunset Playground has undergone extensive renovation to its four acres of fields, courts, play grounds, community rooms, and historic gymnasium. Here we are. 60 years and 14 million later, and we have got this beautiful, brandnew rec center completely accessible to the entire neighborhood. The new rec center houses multipurpose rooms for all kinds of activities including basketball, line dancing, playing pingpong and arts can crafts. You can use it for whatever you want to do, you can do it here. On friday, november 16, the dedication and Ribbon Cutting took place at the Sunset Playground and recreation center, celebrating its renovation. It was raining, but the rain clearly did not dampen the spirits of the dignitaries, Community Members and children in attendance. [cheering and applauding] [ ] you are watching coping with covid19. Todays special guest is you are watching coping with covid19. My guest today is the acting director of San Francisco public works. He is here with us today to talk about how his department has pivoted to help the city during the pandemic and talking about some of the ongoing projects. Welcome to the show. Thank you. I know there are some unique challenges for our unhoused population during this crisis. Namely handwashing handwashing and social distancing. How has public works been addressing these problems . You know, ever since public works got involved with the response to covid, it really began from day one. We have been working with the unhoused community and the city more broadly doing things like something to identify and design and construct a safe sleeping sights. We have been helping other areas like helping to do some of the prep for the testing centres that are all over the city now. We have also been helping to retrofit and design some of the medical facilities. We are prepared to address the surge if and when that does happen. We have also been working on the aberration side where we have been able to double the program. [indiscernible] its just some of the things that we are regarding specifically to covid, but then on top of that, we have been doing our daytoday work that we always do in helping to resolve some of the and the encampments across the city, working with the city to make sure we are doing extra cleaning at the food stations in areas where they are trying to distribute food. And its something that we have been doing more recently which is imparting with our colleagues at the m. T. A. , planning, and other departments to set up the shared spaces program. So you can bring that to San Francisco. [indiscernible] you are seeing businesses being able to operate in the white right of way. There are some areas in the city where they are occupying the entire street. We are hoping that all of these efforts are going a long way to make the city bounce back. Absolutely. Its great to see the city is coming up with ideas that will keep people safe and let some of our businesses partially