Transcripts For SFGTV BOS Rules Committee 20240712

Representing Small Businesses under extreme pressure, dean ito taylor, allen lowe, and in my office, my staff, lee hefner, and with that, supervisor preston, are there any comments that you might like to add or subtract . Nothing to subtract. Let me just add to thank you, chair peskin, for your leadership on this issue, and also for i think threading the needle in a way thats smart, thats going to force some Property Owners to the table. I do think that there is in a sense the way it is right now and i think we all came together and appreciate the mayors leadership around the moratorium, and those have been, the ones done by executive order have been shortterm, and by their nature that makes some sense and i think this is the right process where we are looking at something thats going to be around longer, provide longer term protection, that it goes through the body, allows folks to weigh in in a way that they cant necessarily do so with the same public process on executive orders. But i also think that to me this legislation is very much about fairness. We have a situation right now where there are there are commercial Property Owners right now around the city who are doing what they should do, who recognize Small Businesses are hurting, who are coming to the take, taking less than the full rent, who are working out payment plans, who are waiving some rent, being creative in those solution. And i applaud the folks doing that. And then we have some landlords who are not doing that with their business, who are insisting that despite the suffering that their business tenants are going through, that residents across the city are going through, they are adamant 100 of the rent throughout a Global Pandemic, where Small Businesses have had little to no revenue. And i think thats an unreasonable position. And i think that one of the real impacts of this legislation should it move through and be passed by the full board is to force those landlords who have i think unreasonably dug their heels in to just begin acting like some of the more reasonable commercial landlords in this city and theres no reason why the unreasonable folks should be drawing blood, so to speak, and getting every penny of rent from people who cant afford it while other landlords are acting more reasonably, are giving folks a bit of a break and working out as something that works for everyone. So, i think thats the biggest impact of this legislation. Yes, this will stop evictions. Yes, this will force some folks to work out payment plans. What it will really do, it will change the dynamic that exists right now, and chair peskin, you mentioned japantown in my district, the Japan Center Mall has so many businesses and a commercial Property Owner that has not been willing to negotiate with the tenants, and theres a lot of detail in this legislation but to me the biggest impact is landlords like that are going to have to come to the table. The only thing that will make sense for them to come to the table if this legislation gets through. I appreciate your leadership and your staff and lee hefner in particular for all the work getting this right and proud to be a cosponsor of it. Thank you, supervisor peskin. And supervisor safai, i am wait i think for some late breaking amendments, so after we go to supervisor safai we will go to Public Comment and if i have the amendments i will introduce them. In either event, whether i have them timely during this meeting or not, we will continue the meeting to november 9th. Supervisor vice chair safai. Thank you, mr. Chair. Just want to say this is an obvious statement but i think it needs to be reiterated. I think some people want to live in a different reality. These are extraordinary times. These are absolutely extraordinary times. And because of that you cant show me one business in this city that doesnt want to remain in business. You cant show me one person that gets up every day thinking to themselves i dont want to pay my rent, i dont want to conduct my business. Its the opposite. They live with the anxiety of debt. I have a barber in my district and he said im thinking about just closing up shop. The weight of the debt on my shoulders feels like too much. I have too much pride. Im not the kind of person that wants to be in debt for the rest of my life. And that story plays itself out over and over and over again. And all we are trying to do, and i would like to be added as a cosponsor to this legislation. I thought i had conveyed that to you sooner, apologize for not getting it sooner definitely want to be a cosponsor. We are trying to ensure that peoples livelihoods can remain, that people can continue to have a place to go to work, and that our communities are not completely devastated. And thats what we are facing. We are facing the future of so many of these businesses, people that have put their entire lifesavings on the line and they have this massive burden of debt hanging over them, and then not to mention the threat of eviction. Not quite sure what some of the landlords are thinking, i think if they were to evict and massive evictions in commercial spaces they wouldnt then be able to turn around and rent these spaces, so im not quite sure what thats about. Allow there to be more period of time, for people to pay off their debt, to put a pause on the idea of evicting people during this crisis and these extraordinary times and this legislation meets that standard of measure and allows us to really get a balance back and hopefully well be able to continue to protect some of these communities and businesses. That doesnt mean the landlords will not be without collecting their rent because i know people will still be obligated to do that, and as supervisor preston said and you said, supervisor peskin, they will work out payment plans and a way to pay off their debt. The reasonable thing to do here is sit down and negotiate, and thats what this legislation does. Proud to be a cosponsor. Thank you so much for your cosponsorship. Madam clerk, open this up for Public Comment. James is checking to see if there are any callers in queue. If you have not done so, star 3 to be added to the queue. James, first caller, please. Yes, my name is dean erickson, im an owner after small family owned business, fit neighborhood fit, also a member of the San Francisco independent Business Coalition and also a tenant and a landlord, so i understand both sides of the fence, if you will. Im calling today to voice my support for commercial lease legislation allowing alignment of the commercial eviction mother moratorium. Its absolutely that the rent and threat of landlord eviction is mitigated like many. Like many, i have, as a landlord refusing to discuss our lease situation and putting a plan in place. I have requested a number of meetings, offered proposed solutions, expressed interest in longterm commitment, only to be ignored and my business is held hostage by my landlord. San francisco leadership needs to step in to set guidelines and reestablish meant the vacancy tax to support the Small Business community. Crush Small Business, provide landlords all the leverage and negotiations and set the citys economy up to fail as Small Business owners have to walk away from their leases. This again is the no brainer decision on our shoulders. One that must be acted on for the wellbeing of the San Francisco economy. Speakers time has expired. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. Looks like we have 16 listeners and nine in queue. Good afternoon. Stefy, a resident of San Francisco, grew up in the east bay, city is a special place for my family and me. Come here to eat and shop in the Small Businesses around japantown and the city. We dont have any family here but Small Businesses made us feel like home. My parents visit me and often times shop at Small Businesses. 44 of the activity, and one of the biggest employers. Small businesses have made the city what it is today. Drive people like my family to visit. Communities that i care about, japantown. And built on dreams and livelihoods across the city and nation. Asking for your full support in its entirety and full support from the board supervisors next tuesday. We need it to pass to give the Small Businesses a fighting chance and a chance to be the vibrant, beautiful, diverse and unique home to so many. Thank you to the supervisors on this call and to the future supervisors who support this. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. My name is evan, my wife and i own a small Fitness Studio on Market Street and im calling in support of this ordinance. I think its instrumental in keeping Small Businesses afloat. A few things i would say, i think its good to align with the state. So much uncertainty with Small Business and doing it with the state, Small Businesses and landlords, more certainty of things. The only other suggestion, especially for the smaller tenants less than ten people, longer than 24 months, should have a Square Footage component. Ten people in the 800 square foot face versus the ten people in the 8,000 square foot warehouse. Another component to look at different rents based off of Square Footage. And i think a lot of us will owe 200,000, and its 10,000 a month in addition to rebuilding the business. In full support and i hope you guys are too. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Notified when your line has been unmuted, you may pegin your comments. Begin your comments. Hillarie, japantown for justice, coalition for the Young Leaders working locally to promote economic sovereignty. Asking for your full support of this ordinance in its entirety. As a fourth generation japanese american, my ties to the Japanese Culture and community directly correlates to San Francisco japantown. If this ordinance doesnt pass, not only will so many Small Businesses go under in japantown but decimate the community we have worked so hard to preserve and honor. These businesses are the heart and soul of japantown. Without them, japantown will cease to exist and future generations will never know and experience the magic of a cultural district such as ours. Please give our Small Businesses a fighting chance to make et through this pandemic. Support this ordinance in entirety and urge you and your coworkers do so as well next week once it passed. Eight in queue. Next speaker, please. Hello. Can you hear me . Yes, you may begin your comments. Ok. Great. Thank you. Hi, my name is nia, calling from berkeley, california but a graduate student at the university at San Francisco state university. Im calling asking for your full support of the commercial Eviction Moratorium ordinance today and the board of supervisors next week. I echo hillaries sentiments, im a fifth generation japanese american and come to San Francisco to connect with my roots by going to japantown and knowing the communities of color have consistently been displaced across San Francisco. It is important we continue to support the Small Businesses that continue to hold on to that cultural legacy, continue being Community Spaces for current and future generations. The covid pandemic has devastated Small Businesses, residents, tenants, not only in San Francisco but the nation. And i believe its in your power to stop that by resisting our communities to be harmed by the exorbitant rental crisis. I hope you will continue to save our Small Businesses and save what makes San Francisco great. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Youll be notified your line has been unmuted and you may begin your comments. Good afternoon, supervisors. My name is paul wormer, and i guess its a relief to be talking on something other than the all electric new construction ordinance. Thank you, supervisor peskin, for sponsoring this and supervisors preston and safai for cosponsoring it. Ive been involved in both the fillmore commercial district and japantown as a customer of Small Businesses. And they are vital and interesting. And it is essential that they be preserved. This ordinance is absolutely, one, a very important part to do that, so, thank you for introducing it. I urge its passage and thats it. Thanks. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. Two minutes. Hi, my name is jerry chen, a resident in district one, a board member of the japanesetown task force and community member. Small businesses are crucial to the vitality of our neighborhood. And so i, you know, i thank the supervisors for creating this legislation, and i urge its full support, both here and at the board of supervisors meeting. Japantown as a whole and many businesses have weathered the american incarceration during world war ii as well as redevelopment, but in all these crises took a toll and now our community is once again vulnerable and at risk of the of covid19 and the pending weight of evictions. So i know there are many of our businesses, including our legacy businesses, that really need this support or else they are at risk of closing, and so i thank for writing this and i urge to support it all the way through. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Four left in queue. Hi, malcolm young, and i want to urge the Land Use Committee and the board itself to support this legislation with amendments that the committee im sure will consider and approve. You know, frankly this legislation is a lifeline, lifelines are critical in the era of covid. All the speakers on the floor have mentioned how Small Businesses are failing. At the same time, Small Businesses make up the life blood in many ways, the culture of our community, and thats certainly true of chinatown. So, i want to urge the committee to approve this and the full board to approve it as well. Thank you. Thank you, next speaker, please. Hi, paul, executive director of the japanese cultural and Community Center of northern california. I live in San Francisco for 60 years. Small businesses are the heart and soul of this city. If this ordinance doesnt pass and the moratorium ends the end of november, there are going to be hundreds, thousands of businesses go out past the holidays. You know, its not just going to affect Small Businesses, when they start to close down, they are going to blighten neighborhoods. Impact is beyond just businesses, you know, they make up the economy of San Francisco. This is crazy that, you know, we havent already extended it and the governor allowing for this. You know, hopefully when we take over the white house and the senate and the stimulus package can be passed, you know, there will be further support to support the economy of this nation. I mean, its the only way its going to happen. I understand landlords are hurting, but you know, its just doesnt equate to some of the landlords who own several properties, multimillions of dollars to a mom and pop business thats all they have. And thats all they have had for decades. And they are going to put them out of business by this, you know, deferred rent that you are going to have to owe in 4, 5 months, and its just going to balloon payment their rent. It will put them out of business. This ordinance has to pass and more government intervention. The only way this situation is going to be solved because this covid pandemic has no end in sight. So we dont know how long this is going to go and how far its going to continue to impact our economy and our Small Businesses. Thank you. Thank you, next speaker, please. Hi, my name is jean erickson, im a Small Business owner, i own Fitness Studios, and im just calling because im hoping for the full support of the commercial moratorium ordinance. As a Small Business community, as a Small Business owner that has put everything into my businesses, with you just really need help to make it through this pandemic. You know, im a landlord and im also a renter, so i can see both sides of it very clearly. But dealing with a landlord who will not even respond to my email, she wont take a call, she wont meet us to talk about it. And we are just sitting here with months and months of rent piling up. You know, ive done my best to pay what i can right now with my business only open at 10 capacity. Just recently being able to open at 25 capacity. But ill tell you, its really daunting to think of having to pay all this back rent so quickly to her when we havent been able to be open and we have lost almost all of our business during this pandemic. So, im going to urge that we make the ordinance longer than 24 months. I think its just a really heavyweight to be putting on these Small Business owners to have to pay the heavy, large sums of rent back so quickly. So when we are talking about we are talking about thousands and thousands of dollars that you are asking us to pay back in a relatively short amount of time. There needs to be help so well stay here and we want to keep fighting to be here. Otherwise, its just a lot of weight on the Small Business operators shoulders. So, thank you so much for helping us out and thank you so much for starting this dialogue and trying to help Small Businesses actually talk to their landlords, and create a more positive out come. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. You have two minutes. Chris chen, im a Small Business owner in the Japan Center Mall, owner of a cafe, and i want to thank you for sponsoring the ordinance. Ordinance will greatly help my Small Business. We have been highly impacted by the pandemic. We were closed for a few months and extremely slow climb back. Revenues are down by more than 60 and the landlord is not negotiating with us. We have tried over and over again, but we have not heard back. And this ordinance will greatly help us with a reasonable repayment plan. Thank you again for sponsoring the ordinance. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. You have two minutes. Hello, matt, a stakeholder in San Franciscos japantown. Call in support of the ordinance. Its full of Small Businesses and the businesses are what make japantown special. Without the business, there would not be a japantown, and i hope you would support this for they have a chance to pay back past due rent. Its not their fault they did not have the fund to raise rent, and continue to have Small Businesses for future generations to enjoy. Thank you, i hope you will support this. Next speaker. Hi, my name is tracy sylvester, owner of e. H. S. Pilates, located in the mission on valencia street. As a board member of the Mission Merchants association, delegate of the district of merchants and a member of another association s advocating for Small Businesses for over ten years. Its important we do all we can for Small Businesses, the heart of wonderful city of San Francisco. Alignment for the Eviction Moratorium by state order. Thank you for your time. Thank you, next speaker, please. Hi, can you hear me . Yes, we can hear you. Begin your comments. Hi. Hi, supervisors, im a resident of district one and a fourth generation japanese american. Im calling to express my full support for this commercial eviction protections ordinance. Like many other minority groups in s. F. , in the Japanese American Community we have a history with eviction in San Francisco. Essentially evicted from s. F. By the u. S. Government in world war ii and then in the 1960s due to redevelopment. Every time we have been kicked out, we have come back to our japantown and even have some Small Businesses here that are over 100 years old. Here again in 2020 we are at risk of getting evicted and this is devastating. Japantown has already lost i think at least seven Small Businesses since shelterinplace began and ive been talking to some of of the Small Businesses here, they are telling me that they are getting charged interest for being late on their payments, some of them 50 a day. Yeah, and these Small Businesses are a huge part of our community. So i really urge you to help us save them, and thank you so much for your work on this ordinance. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. Hello i am a resident of the outer sunset and i work at a communitybased nonprofit in japantown. Im calling today to express my support for a commercial moratorium extension and ordinance to enforce it, and i do want to extend my appreciation to supervisors peskin, preston and safai as well for their support and for having the foresight to place policy on the table that will protect our Small Businesses in our communities Going Forward. I am, like many of my colleagues on this call, very concerned about the future of the japantown community and other communities throughout the city. Small neighborhoods with their local businesses are all at risk with the pandemic and without protections in place, you know, without pathways for businesses to be paid back rent, in exorbitant amounts, they will not be able to survive and as others have pointed out on this call, the lifeblood of the communities in this city would not exist without these protections. So, i do want to urge the rest of the board of supervisors to support this ordinance Going Forward and i am hoping for the citys recovery in the future. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Mr. Chair, james indicated that was our last caller. Thank you, madam clerk and colleagues. I will now close Public Comment and let me just start by thanking all the members of the public for their Public Comment this afternoon and as i indicated earlier i do have quite a number of amendments to make to this file which we will continue and those amendments reflect the ongoing evolution of this piece of Public Policy and you will recall that we actually introduced this legislation before the governor extended his original order that was order number n8020, which increased our window to pass this kind of legislation as a local government as well as prior to the mayors most recent 28 supplemental declaration issued at the end of september. The amendments which im about to describe have been circulated to my colleagues and will be included in the public file where anybody can examine them and comment on them again at our hearing on november 9th before this same committee. So, going down the list of those amendments on pages 12, updating the findings to reflect the updated governors executive order and the local supplemental declaration which i just mentioned which extends the protections through the end of march 2021 and november of 2020, respectively. Page three, inserting a new finding that the Small Businesses for the ability or inability to pay back losses for the covid19 pandemic. Page three, line 22, and page five, line six, inserting a series of new definitions for covered commercial tenants, means businesses with less than 25 million in annual gross receipts calculated on 2019 numbers and what that means is that these are businesses that experienced Financial Impact related to covid19 forebearance period, moratorium period, and the four tiers of commercial tenants i described earlier in the meeting. Page five, line eight, the protections that align with each tier for businesses less than 25 million of annual gross receipts that have suffered Financial Impacts, they will not be able to pay rent and the landlord will not be able to get possession during the moratorium period. Tier one businesses, 24 months from the period we discussed earlier, tier 2, 18 months, tier 3, 12 months. And page six, Small Businesses and landlords may arrive at alternative arrangements, i spoke to earlier. Subsection c on page six allows tier one businesses only to terminate the leases during the moratorium period without any liability of rent payments or penalties that comes following the termination, and subsection d, hardship for landlords that own 25,000 square feet of area, and a waiver to landlords who can demonstrate hardships. Subsection e on page seven prohibits late fees or interest from accruing on payments missed due to Financial Impacts resulting from the pandemic and i may next week delete one other subsection, subsection i on page eight, but am not going to do that today, so those are the amendments that i am offering and are there any comments from vice chair safai, cosponsor or member preston, cosponsor . All sound good to me. They sound good to me. I did have a question and i dont know if its a clarification of the existing state of the ordinance or would require potentially additional amendment. If you want to move forward and adopt those amendments before i raise the question it doesnt pertain to these particular amendments. Ok. It does not pertain to the amendments, madam clerk on the motion i just made to move the aforementioned amendments, a roll call please. [roll call vote taken] three ayes. Supervisor preston. Thank you, chair peskin. Here, and maybe this is for deputies to the one thing im trying to understand and make sure is that i think there are some legal questions around where rent is owed under leases. There are some disputes and unsettled questions of law, frankly, as to what extent rent is owed under certain circumstances for a business. So, theres quite a bit of case law, some of which ive looked through, around the commercial frustration of purpose doctrine in which when a Government Order shuts your business down to 0 because of an unanticipated situation. Under what circumstances you may have the right already without the ordinance to either terminate the lease, not pay rent. What i want to make sure, and i want to make sure my understanding is correct of this. Im not a lawyer and dont know this legal theory, like a force mejure concept . Yes, and different concepts, impossibility various defenses, to unanticipated situations that shut down the business and that is one typical contract provision. I think whats important, these are, for the folks who represent the Small Businesses negotiating with the landlords, the question is to what extent do these doctrines apply, what extent in a situation might the tenant not be on the hook for rent. And my purpose for bringing it up, make sure nothing in this ordinance could be read to require a payment, lets say after the moratorium period when we have language about penalties or the obligations to pay, that we are not expanding in any way a landlords right to collect rent. So i dont know, from the deputy City Attorney, maybe as is, we are not expanding those rights. Or waiving those defenses or do we need a provision that says nothing here is intended to to create an obligation to pay rent that may not be as common law, or statute, do we need a provision to make it clear or is it already clear . Madam deputy City Attorney pearson. Hello, everyone. You raised equitable defenses available to tenants who may have an argument that rent is not due under theory of probability, they were not able to do what was in the contract during the term. And i have to be honest, ive read these amendments only in realtime, i had not seen them before they were distributed. I think the suggestion that you are making might be a good one, to just add language to clarify that nothing here is intended to foreclose the availability of the defenses and we can look at that this week, this item will be continued. Thank you, deputy City Attorney pearson. And thank you for raising those really fascinating questions that i dont really understand but i think i do. Yes, thank you. And if we need something next week i think as, in my quick read of the amendments on, you know, just like i was looking at page, what is it, page six, the new c talks about for example, a tenant opts to terminate their lease early, you know, it talks about responsibility for unpaid rent, right . And again, i im confident we are all on the same page from a policy perspective that it would be the opposite of the intent of this ordinance to in any way create obligations for rent thats not otherwise owed, and it would defer to the city of attorney and you chair peskin as to whether something is needed to clear that up or not. And that is certainly not my intent and really appreciate your calling that out and as deputy City Attorney said we have a week to investigate that so relative to the item that has been amended, i would like to make a motion to continue this one week to our meeting of november 9th. On that motion, madam clerk, a roll call, please. Motion to continue as amended to next weeks meeting. [roll call vote taken] you have three ayes. And supervisor safai, appreciate your cosponsorship and supervisor peskin on the leadership side and for all the folks pushing this at the local level. Item 2, ordinance amending the planning code to designate the history of medicine in california frescoes and toland hall, 533 parnassus avenue as a landmark, and appropriate findings. Members of the public who wish to provide public item, call the number on the screen, 4156550001, and meeting i. D. Is 1466007437. Press pound and pound again. If you have not done already, star 3 to sign up for speak. A prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. Mr. Chair. Thank you, mr. Dam clerk and colleagues, i want to thank you, i think it was just about three months ago last day of july we passed a measure asking the Historic Preservation commission and the Planning Department to investigate this incredible set of murals by bernard barok in toland hall on the u. C. S. F. Parnassus campus as a potential landmark. I want to thank the Planning Department as was the Historic Preservation commission that ultimately did the research, presented the case report, and recommended this unanimously to the board of supervisors and i would like to start by turning it over to falia lavalee, from the Planning Department, and then to the university of california vice chancellor brian newman, and i think strides are being made to preserve the work of this incredible muralist whose frescoes are at coit tower, be learned, and the greatest fresco muralist, diego rivera. So with that. Thank you, supervisor peskin. Just one moment while i share my screen. Can you correct me as to how i pronounce your last name, please . Lavallee. My bad. Its all right, thank you. Are you seeing an image on your yes, we are. Ok, great. And its an incredible image. Yes, it is. Thank you. Good afternoon, supervisors. Planning department staff. Before you is an ordinance recommending landmark designation of a history of medicine in california frescoes. Created by artist Bernard Zackheim and his assistants from 1936 to 1938. Artwork is composed of eight panels, and two more panels, on toland hall, university of california Parnassus Heights campus. Frescoes depict california medical history with images of doctors, Lab Scientists and other medical professional, and of suffering and recovered patients. As supervisor peskin mentioned on june 23rd he introduced a resolution to initiate landmark designation for the history of medicine in california frescoes. Land use committee and the full board of supervisors voted unanimously to recommend and approve the resolution, effective july 31, 2020, with the mayors signature. The proposed landmark designation was heard by the Historic Preservation commission on august 19, 2020. Voted unanimously to recommend approval of landmark designation. Its significant with the association of the history of the Work Project Administration federal art project as a work that displays higher values and characteristics of new dealer ra mural artwork and the work of Bernard Zackheim. 1936 to 1938, and at the time of the Historic Preservation Commission Hearing we had three emails and one letter in support of the designation from the public. Separate from the designation, the Preservation Commission made a recommendation that was included in the resolution that was forwarded to the board that the history of medicine in california frescoes be kept together and retained on the ucsf Parnassus Heights campus in a manner accessible for the public to view. Thank you, that completes my presentation, but im here if you have any questions. Are there any questions from Committee Members . Seeing none. Vice chancellor newman. Or miss alden. Vice chancellor brian newman is here, i think hes just getting off his mute. Thank you. To the chair, let brian know his mike is unmuted, so he can speak, you can hear him. Mr. Vice chancellor. Can you hear me now . Yes, we can. Im sorry, i i think i had my default on the wrong set of speakers, apologize. Dont worry, its the time of covid, brian. Can you see me as well . Yes, sir. Okay. Well, chair peskin, members of the supervisor, apologize for that and i thank you for having me back here. I participated in july as well as the Historic Preservation commission. Ucsf remains neutral on the actual ordinance but i want to give you an update on what has transpired since that time when we spoke in july to see if you have any questions about the actions we are taking relative to the zackheim murals. At that time i mentioned that we had a request for proposals out on the street soliciting bids from qualified teams to conserve, remove, transport and store the murals so we could proceed with the new research and Academic Building on the campus, on the ucsf campus, and that r. F. P. Was successful, two highly qualified teams present bids, a thorough process of reviewing qualifications as well as the bids themselves and we selected the Conservation Services g. C. , and group as architect of record to proceed with this work for the university of california San Francisco. So we have awarded the work to them. As you know, they are currently engaged in relocating the diego rivera murals, to sfmoma, they will not begin the Engineering Work on january, but they will be on campus the beginning of january at that do the works, although they will probably not be located to the end of summer. End of the contract in october of 2021. So we were moving forward with that work, but just to be safe, as i mentioned earlier, we also engaged with an outside ven tore, cy art to do high quality digital recordings of the murals themselves, and that is completed. Expanded contracts to do similar works on the other murals at ucsf, so we have a full record of the zackheim work at ucsf. The next step, once the work is underway, to work with all the stakeholders, as well as the broader ucsf on the future display of the murals themselves. We have been collecting ideas and suggestions from all kinds of stakeholders and over the next several months, we will answer the process where the murals will go. But our intention is not to leave them in storage forever. We plan on engaging anyone who has an interest in this to determine where the best location, whether it be ucsf campus or at a Museum Setting where the works of art can be preserved and interpreted formally for the public. Ill leave it there and see if you have any questions. Overall, we are excited about the progress relative to the future of the murals and we are neutral on the specific ordinance, we understand the passion the community and all of you have, and thank the staff and the Preservation Commission for the work of the preparation of the ordinance before you today. So, with that thank you, vice chancellor newman, all rowing in the same direction at least as this aspect from Committee Members. Ill say quickly, mr. Chair, if thats ok. Yes, of course. Im, i would like to be a cosponsor, i thought i was, again, i thought i was already. This is a very important thing. This is a part of our history. I think there was some miscommunication, we have talked about that in the past and glad you are clarifying it today. A message that you were going to archive this via video. You said you clarified that. That to me would not be appropriate based on the history of the mural and the ability to preserve historic artifacts and pieces of art. Im glad to hear that ucsf is committed now to preserving this and we have the ability through endowment, and through benefactors to support this process, im glad that ucsf has committed to this. Its too important piece of would, to lose. Thank you. Member preston, any words . No. All right. Open this up to Public Comment. Thank you, mr. Chair. James from d. T. Helping out with Public Comment callers. James, if you could let us know there are callers, and go ahead and place the first caller on the line. Good afternoon, supervisors. This is willy from San Francisco heritage. I want to express heritages strong support for landmark designation of the history of medicine in california. Ucsf had as youve heard now selected a firm to remove it from toland hall and into storage. They have no plans to renew it to public view. I understand good intentions but no plan announced. This is a publicly funded artwork tied to the site in which it was created. We hope the specificity of this ordinance which recognizes how the arrangement and design of the fresco cycle is inspired by and tied to the parnassus campus. So i hope we are one of the stakeholders that vice chancellor will work with and on view at ucsf for the public too see. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon again, supervisors. My name is paul wormer. One of the marvelous things about San Francisco are the incredible murals that are found in places throughout the city. High schools, hospitals, Old Post Office buildings. And they really are a tremendous education for people. They tell stories that are easily accessible. They give slices of life. There is wit, humor, social commentary critique, criticism in there. These are important parts of our history. So i want to thank you for recognizing this with this legislation. Their importance is definitely related to their location. And because of that i just want to reiterate at mr. Labontes request, that these be publicly available at the parnassus site in a way that represents how they were originally used, if, yeah, how they were originally used, lets leave it there. And with that, i will say thank you for your consideration and thank you for introducing this legislation. Thank you for your comments. Confirming whether we have any further speakers. And that was our last caller. Mr. Chair. Thank you, madam clerk. Motion to send it to the full board with recommendation on that motion. A roll call, please. Motion as stated. [roll call vote taken] next item, please. 3, ordinance amending the Building Code to require new construction to utilize only electric power, all electric requirement, adopting findings of local conditions and confirming appropriate findings. Public wishing to provide comment on item 3, call 4156550001, meeting i. D. Is 1466007437, then press pound and pound again. If you have not done so already, please press star 3 to line up to speak. The system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. Mr. Chair. Thank you, madam clerk. As you recall, colleagues, we duplicated this file and sent one version to the full board to be heard tomorrow and another version in committee as supervisor safai indicated he had some potential amendments, and with that, supervisor safai, the floor is yours. So, everyone should have received my amendments, about five pages long, im just kidding. But just wanted to see the chairs face. No, actually, there are two things i spoke about last week, one was the issue with regard to faults and how the faults play into the process of allowing a project that might be of a certain size to go from dual fuel to completely all electric and what that process is, and extensive process of conversations through the Building Department with potential builders and others. We are going to continue that conversation, its going to require more indepth work at the Building Department. The second issue, the one more pressing and outstanding but in terms of scale, very minimal but in terms of importance to those involved in and looking at it from a city planning perspective, in my mind, very important. And i think what we are trying to do with this legislation is to balance the extreme desire to achieve our environmental goals. We are an environmental crisis, there is a tremendous urgency as i think we have allstated before and state again, this is a phenomenally important piece of legislation and i think we are almost there. But with regard to those in the Restaurant Industry, a lot and feeds in nicely about the conversation not being able to pay rent, not being able to continue your business, worrying about the anxiety of having a business when the pandemic ends. One of the areas of our economy thats been hit the worst are restaurants. And when you look at this from a city planning perspective, yes, the ordinance allows for restaurants to reemerge and be permitted under their existing uses, dual fuel in existing spaces. It only allows a oneyear window for exemption for new construction. And when we are thinking about the mission rocks, thinking about the shipyards and thinking about all the development all over the city, those ever probably some of the places that need more commercial support and often times their desire to put restaurants there and heard overwhelmingly from those in the Restaurant Industry that this could be a deal killer for them and their ability to locate. So, we are going to continue the conversation, we dont have any amendments prepared today, we are going to continue the conversation with the Restaurant Industry and the Environmental Community but i will say off the bat i think one year exemption based on where we are in the economy, based on where we are in terms of the search for technology that might replace the desire for a flame in the restaurant, i think we need, we are going to need more time than one year. But we have not drafted any amendments yet. We are going to continue the conversation, so i would just ask the chair after Public Comment if we continue this item to the call of the chair and will continue to work with those affected businesses. We did have some meaningful conversations with the Chinese Chamber of commerce, with the Restaurant Industry and well continue to have those conversations and hopefully come to some type of compromise. Thank you, vice chair safai. And with that, open it up to Public Comment. Thank you, mr. Chair. James with d. T. Checking to see if there are any callers. If there are any callers ready and go ahead and unmute the first caller. Hi, my name is daniel, thanks again, supervisors for hearing us speak and moving forward with this pressing issue. Last week we were excited to get in planned use. Im here as part of the Emergency Coalition and a resident in district eight. We are definitely concerned about any further exceptions. We actually, as you well know, did not think the restaurant exception was necessary, only sort of a Public Interest exemption to handle cases like the Cultural Heritage cases that are crucially important, as discussed in some of the previous items, so we dont feel extending the additional year restaurants are provided on top of the technical exception that supervisor peskin and mandelman worked through diligently is necessary. Many of the projects that were referenced, like the shipyard have historically poor air quality and burdened with air pollution and burdening them further with more infrastructure, whether its pipes or the poor indoor air quality, does not serve our equity goals. And we are excited to see supervisor safai taking a very holistic view and tackling other parts of the code to unblock the climate goals, and thats something we would be interested in in support of to see how that could evolve now. So, that i want to thank everyone for their time. Thats it. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other members of the public for Public Comment . Hello, my name is sarah greenweld, with 350 San Francisco, and the climate Emergency Coalition and a resident of district two. I would echo his concerns about delay. I was extremely pleased a meeting or two ago, the last meeting, at the progress and i could see that you have worked carefully on exemptions needed. We are continuing the conversation while very goodhearted and certainly wellmet is not terribly specific. So, i dont really know how to comment except to say that climate is not going to wait and the health of people who would be exposed to methane and other toxic gasses if you extend natural gas piping into New Buildings because they might contain restaurants, you know, thats not, health is not going to wait either. I would like to urge all possible [inaudible] on this. Thank you. One last caller. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon yet again, supervisors. This is paul wormer. And i wanted to follow up on the issue of sidewalk faults, and i want to tie it to the recent action in front of the federal energy regular latory between pg e, and raise the issue unlike cities in the Central Valley where everything has been built with airconditioning, and so retrofitting gas heat becomes simple. When you look at San Francisco, which doesnt have airconditioning, the electric grid is not up to the capabilities necessarily as a whole. And so this sidewalk fault issue is one small part of a much bigger problem of how do we get the Electrical Energy to the buildings and how thats paid. And i think thats more than just a building inspection commission, Building Department question. I think that really does play into sfpuc and cleanpowersf. It plays into a more integrated strategy to understand this complex problem which has a lot of interactions with different aspects of the way the city runs. And i urge you not to rush through a vault solution without understanding that it may react with, or interact with other solutions we need to move forward with the full electrification of San Franciscos infrastructure. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Wormer. Does that conclude Public Comment, madam clerk . No, one more caller that popped up. No worries, thats great. Next speaker, please. Hi there, chris, i live in district three, supervisor peskins district. I wanted to address this idea of further extending the exemption for restaurants. I want to be clear, this does not seem to me to be an exemption for restaurants. Seems to be more a bailout for developers. And the neighborhood i live in, there are countless vacancies that could be used for new restaurants so i dont think we have a lack of restaurant space. It seems to me we are trying bail out developers that made bad investments and they should be building all electric commercial spaces Going Forward. With the sidewalk vault issue, im interested in this. The it gives way too much leeway to developers to shirk their requirements, under the Climate Emergency goals and i urge you to consider this idea of closing this loophole. Thank you so much. Thank you, chris. And i think you expressed my sentiments quite well and i do think that supervisor safai is on to something as it relates to the vaults in our sidewalks and that is actually a piece of Public Policy that goes even beyond this legislation that has definitely worth getting our hands around. Any other members of the public that would like to testify on this item . James has confirmed that was the last caller. All right. Close Public Comment. And supervisor safai i believe made a motion to continue this item to the call of the chair on that motion, a roll call, please. [roll call vote taken] you have three ayes. All right. And that is our last item and we are adjourned. Hi. Im chris manners, and youre watching to coping with covid19. Well, were down to the wire before the president ial election, so heres some tips to help you vote safely during this pandemic. By now, all californians who are registered to vote should have received your ballot to vote by mail. It must be post marked by election day, november 3, so be sure to check collect times if you wait to mail it until election day. If youre concerned that your ballot wont make it in time through the post, the next option is to drop off your ballot at San Franciscos Voting Center, which has been set up outside of the bill graham auditorium on grove street. You can either walk up to hand off your ballot, or you can use the drivethru election. Therell be a ballot drop off location at each of the citys libraries. Consider going early in the day, when it should be less busy. From october 28 through election day, any registered voter unable to drop off their own ballot may authorize somebody else to do so. To authorize somebodys to return your vote by mail ballot, make sure you complete the additional section on your ballot return envelope. If youre picking up or dropping off any ballots, wear a mask and use Hand Sanitizer after touching any surfaces. If you wish to drop it off in person, vis person, if you wish to vote in person, visit the bill graham center. You can avoid lines and save time by preparing your ballots in advance and going to the polling place during offpeak hours. If youre planning on filling out your ballot at the Voting Center, consider bringing some wipes to clean surfaces and Hand Sanitizer to use after you vote. For those who are planning to vote on election day, consider going to your polling place at offpeak time dos, such as midmorning, because it might reduce wait time. And finally, once you get home, wash your hands. Heres a quick recap. And thats it for this episode. For authoring the same good evening. Welcome to the Candidate Forum for the 2020 district 7 San Francisco board of supervisors election. Im alison go, the president of the league of women voters of San Francisco. Tonight, before we begin, id like to take a moment to remember the late Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. She was a powerful advocate for womens rights and civil rights, arguing for equality regardless of age, race, Sexual Orientation or gender, and she was a fierce defender of voter rights, offering the dissenting opinion in shelby v. Voter. Justice ginsburgs wisdom, ded indication, and determination to equal rights embodied the league of women voters empowered us to create a more perfect democracy. We would not be where we are today without ruth bader ginsburg. The league of women voters is a bipartisan political nonprofit that encourages voter participation. This years election presents new and unprecedented challenges for voters, and we are committed to providing resources that voters need in order to access this fundamental right of democracy of voting. Please visit our website at lwvsv. Org vote where you will find all of the voting resources that we offer. The league of women voters is a nonprofit organization, and if youd like to support our events such as this one, please visit our website at lvwsf. Org. Id like to thank our Relations Department to promote Voter Education through their support of league initiatives, including tonights Candidate Forum. I am now pleased to introduce dee moore, our moderator for tonight. Shes retired from the startup industry, where she held numerous positions in sales and marketing for 15 years. She left the industry to raise her children, and she has worked in the community for several volunteer organizations, including sf casa over nine years, supporting foster care for children. Good evening and welcome to the San Francisco league of women voters board of supervisors Candidate Forum. First, id like to remind you of the ground rules. Responses to questions should be on issues and policy related. Candidated are expected to be respectful of other candidates anded to not make personal attack on other individuals. Thats the ground rules. Here are the procedures for the forum. The candidates will have the opportunity to make oneminute opening and closing statements. Opening statements will be in alphabetical order by first name. Closing statements will be in reversal if a bet cal order by first name. Each candidate will be an opportunity to make rebuttal and may be addressed in the candidates Closing Remarks lasting one minute. A count downtimer will be displayed with visual indication of the remaining time for a response, so please watch it carefully, and if you go over, ill politely remind you. Every aspect of the forum will be equally fair to all candidated. Thank you to our attendees tonight. You are in listenonly mode. The q a and chat features are not activated. We collected your questions earlier, so they will be available tonight. This will be available on youtube, our website, and sfgovtv cable channel. You have many decisions to make on november 3. Tonights opportunity will give you an opportunity to learn before you vote, so now, lets begin. Well start off with oneminute Opening Statements in alphabetical order. Thank you, candidates, for participating in this forum. Please introduce yourself, tell us which neighborhood you live in, and why you are running for district 7 supervisor. Well start alphabetically with ben. Hello. Good evening, and thank you very much to the league for hosting us tonight. Hello. My name is ben matranga, and im running for district 7 supervisor. I want to fight for working families and ensure that our city emerges from this Health Crisis stronger than before. As a new father and firsttime homeowner, i know the stakes are high in this election. I know the city is calling out for genuine leadership, for common sense, and frankly, for people that will deliver on their promises. Let me tell you a little bit about my background. I was born and raised in district 7. I live in west portal seven blocks from where i grew up. I met my wife in high school at st. Ignatius, and were raising our young daughter in that district. Professionally, ive spent 15 years building largescale thank you, ben. Thank you. And now, well move to emily. Youre muted, emily. All right. Good evening, everyone. Im emily murase, and i want to be your supervisor. 2020 marks the millennial of womens right to vote, and yet, after the departure of supervisor yee from the board of supervisors, we will have two women on the board of supervisors. Im the only candidate whos been elected to office, serving two terms on the school board, including as president. My spouse and i have lived in the lake shore neighborhood of district 7 for over 15 years, where we raised our two now adult daughters. My priorities are bolstering Public Health, enabling voters, and accelerating Public Health. Well go to joel. Hi, everyone. Im joel engardio. I live in the district 7 neighborhood. Families care about the basics housing, schools, quality of life. The budget has doubled the last decade, and nothing is twice as good, and now, were facing massive deficits. We need to audit every program and only pay for what works. I grew up in the gm town of sag saginaw, michigan. Ive lived in San Francisco for 22 years, lived in district 7 for a decade. As a journalist, i held city hall accountable and gave people a voice. Ill do the same as your supervisor. Its time to get it right. Clean streets, smaller deficits, and better services, and id be glad to be your candidate. Thanks, joel. Ken . My name is ken [inaudible] we lived off of every muni met metro line, and for the last 14 years, ive lived just a couple of blocks up in district 7 on ocean avenue. Ive been successful here. Both my wife and i were able to build careers. One is at u. C. Davis and another ones at roll, and buena vista horace mann. I feel with my experience, i understand district 7 well. Families are important. Doct from cradle to grave, everyone should be able to live in district 7. Thanks, kenneth. Next will be myrna. Hi, everyone. My name is myrna melgar. Two years ago, i live in district 7 with my husband and family. Ive worked in the community for 15 years in housing and Economic Development and workers rights. Im running because our city is experiencing changes. Changes to our global environment, inequality and income inequality. Im running because i want to use my skills and experience to plan for those changes. The policy changes that we make today will have a profound effect how we get out of this pandemic, and whether we continue to be that city of opportunity and that shining example that we have always been to the world. I would appreciate your support, and i am the candidate with the most experience. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be stephen. Youre muted. Steven martin pinto. I live in district 7. I just want to ask one question. Are you better off than you were five years ago . Ladies and gentlemen, im running on a campaign of straight talk. When i began my campaign, it was just me, myself, and i, and one promise. Tell it like it is and dont hold back. Ive been one of the most successful nondemocratic candidates in the last decade. The reason why is because i tell it like it is, i speak the truth, and i have a lot of credibility. Im a firefighter, a fifth generation san franciscan, a veteran of iraq and afghanistan and the war, and ive seen a lot of the effects of homelessness. Vote for me in november. Thank you, steven. Last one will be polasca. Hi. My name is polasca. I loved growing up in a union household. My mother worked the post office, the graveyard shift, her entire career, so they really instilled a deep value for Public Service and hard work. I came here to San Francisco, u. S. F. School of law, where i met my wife. We currently live in parkmerced, and my kids go to school or they did before covid right across. Im proud to have the endorsement of the nurses and people in the sierra club. I ask that you allow me to be your champion at city hall and standup for working class families. Thank you, velasca, and thank you all, candidates. Well now move onto the questions for tonights forum. Question one. What type of forum will you support to increase housing availability in district 7. Do you agree with the approaches that promote more housing density . Just yes, which approaches. If no, what other approaches do you favor . And we will begin with joel, and joel, you have one win. Hi. So theres three areas of district 7 where more housing is coming. Par merced, balboa reservoir, and stonestown mall, and those are all appropriate areas for housing. I do not support anything that would restrict singlefamily zoning. We have 40 communities, and theyre all gems. West portal has a five story art deco thats been there 90 years. We can match the height of that without harming any single neighborhoods. We have a plan for seniors to age in place so they dont have to leave the home they love. We have a plan to keep singlefamilies in San Francisco, and the housing along train corridors can support those needs. Thank you, joel. Thanks. Next, well have kenneth. Hi. Joel said a lot, and i agree with what he said. The transit corridors and the housing around should grow. I dont agree with scott wieners bill. I think we need to be smart about it. I think we just gave away the deal of the century. Less than 600,000 an acre for balboa terrace, so im ready to put a stop for future development. I want to see hwhats going to come out of that and how thats going to affect district 7. Thats a district 7 deal. I want to be smart when we have housing, but i want to remind people this is district 7. We are built on singlefamily homes in small neighborhoods, and i do not want to lose that character, so it has to be an equal balance. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Next is stephen. Okay. So kind of what a lot of people have been saying. Im im for increasing density along transit corridors. I feel like theres plenty of space to add a story to onestory buildings along west portal. It wouldnt change minimal impacts to the neighborhood. It wouldnt change much to the neighborhood if we do it right, but theres also one thing that i think we also need to reduce the [inaudible] weve found out that telecommuting is possible. Recent survey said that two thirds of all tech workers would leave San Francisco if they could. Theres a latent demand to get out of San Francisco. If they had a chance to get out of San Francisco and still work here, they would do so. That would make it easier for those who want to live here to be able to afford houses. Thank you, stephen. Now well move to question number two. How would you address providing more Affordable Housing in district 7 . Do you support programs that encourage the building of more accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats or inlaw units . And well start with myrna. Thank you for the question. Yes, i absolutely support building more accessory dwelling units. I will point out that just because we think its a good idea and put together the legislation rights the state has doesnt mean it will actually happen. We have to do more that. We have to support homeowners to adapt their housing spaces and age in space. To do that, the city can help by making the process easier, friendlier, more expeditious, and more affordable. Its not just about development, its also about money because access to wealth is not equal in our society. If youre on a fixed income or youre a women, you tend to have woman, you tend to have less abhe is sccess to the mari support all of those things. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be emily. Can you please repeat the question . Yes. How would you address providing more Affordable Housing in district 7 . Do you support programs that encourage the building of more accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats or inlaw units . Yes. I do want to start out by saying d7 is primarily singlefamily homes, and that keeps families here, not retreating to the suburbs, so its a very important part of our contribution to the city. We have over 40 neighborhoods that are very distinct from each other. Lakewood is different from Forest Knolls which is different from westwood park. And within that, there is a state law that allows for two accessory dwelling units within a single property. I do think there is an opportunity to be creative. Not only a. D. U. S, but coHousing Units and other ways to live together. Primarily, im looking at the new development for housing density. Balboa reservoir appropriates 1500 units, of which 50 will be affordable. Parkmerced and stonestown also promote ideas for more housing density. Thank you, emily. Next will be polanco. Im in favor of supporting housing. My concern is in terms of providing the Housing Units we need. I think there are sites here in district 7 where we can begin from day one after the election to really dedicate Affordable Housing to the working class families like educators. Back in 2018, the leadership of uesf, our educators and teachers actually identified a space that is owned by the School District at somerton and lawton. This is the per expect area where we dont have to treat these like theyre mutually exclusive, meeting the character of district 7 while still providing housing that will make a real impact and still provide the time thank you, polanca. Well move onto question three. Will the planned guidance of the guidance center, also called the juvenile justice center, provide an increased housing in district 7. If so, what type of housing would you favor . And well start with ben. So the closing of y. G. Yc. , think its the perfect example of the sugar high we see at city hall. Ive walked the facility several times. Over half of the board of supervisors voted to close it, but theyve never been there. Folks voted to close the facility but didnt know all the great programming, all the rehabilitation that was happening there. If you talk to the folks in capital planning, they say you cant use that site, so i think its fiscally responsible to do that. It would cost too much. The taxpayers are still paying off the rebuilding of the participation of y. G. C. From a decade ago. We need to figure out how to keep young kids in San Francisco that need that rehabilitation. Thank you, ben. Next will be joel . Yeah, i dont think we should have closed it in the first place. Juvenile haul, you know, you know, is a place that has good programs thats, like, helping kids get back on their feet and be more productive members of society, and we shouldnt give up on that. I dont want to put housing there. I dont think we should have closed it in the first place because obviously, you risk shipping kids out of county. Thats not going to be helpful for them, and theres good programs there already. I think we need to be mindful of the use of the land allaround that area, laguna honda. We want to make sure that were not using up land that the hospital might need. Thank you, joel. Next will be kenneth. Hi, thank you very much. I think ben hit it on the nose. That is a sugar high. The idea that juvenile crime is down forever and we are in some magic wonderland. The reality is that were heading into a recession thats already showing its teeth. California is now flattening at 11 unemployment. We know that during times of recession and high unemployment that crime does go up, particularly with youth. We likely have pressed it with the lows in Violent Crime that existed. So the magic that were going to be able to deal with our juvenile problems without Juvenile Hall is a sugar high. When we have a problem that manifests, we should look at fixing and solving that problem, not necessarily shutting it down. Thank you very much. Thank you, kenneth. Well move onto question number 4. What are the primary issues regarding homelessness in district 7. What programs or services would you bring to the community to address these issues, and well start with stephen. In my experience as a first responder, every day i go to work, im right there in the trenches, dealing with homelessness. I worked at some of San Franciscos busiest fire stations, where i ran up to 20 or 30 calls a day, most of which were homeless calls, and in my experience, the homeless crisis in San Francisco is very much closely tied to a drug and mental Health Crisis. We had nearly 300 fentanyl deaths in 2018, nearly 400 last year, and the number is on pace to be even higher this year. So one of the biggest things we can do to solve the homeless problem not only in district 7 but citywide is really crack down on these drug dealers who are imprisoning people in a cycle of poverty, misery, and drug addiction. Thats one of the biggest things we can do to start. The other thing is lobby for those increased conservatorship laws, and im willing to go to sacramento to do that. Thank you, stephen. Next will be myrna. Thank you, dee. Your question was about district 7, and i just want to point out that district 7 is very different than district 6 or district 5 in terms of our homeless epidemic. The majority of folks who are experiencing drug problems are not drug addicts, theyre working people, living in homeless encampments and vans. The other day, my friend who owns a coffee shop called me and said there was a young woman on the street with no place to go. Hes, like, myrna, what do i do . We dont have the Wraparound Services that exist in other districts, and we need them. We need to have shower sites where people can dispose of our waste so that it doesnt go into our sewer drains and people can be treated with dignity. Thats what we need. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next will be emily. Yes, i believe strongly that its a human rights violation to let people sleep on the streets. Were one of the wealthiest cities in the world. We cannot tolerate this situation anymore. Unfortunately, homelessness is not just a d7 issue. Its a citywide issue. Ive been on the record opposing a Navigation Center in d7 because its too costly. The embarcadero Navigation Center is 12. 5 Community Funds for 200 beds. Families and women are not well served by tents or cots. I advocate for the flexible subsidy pool that aims to provide 200 apartments with a door and a key and an address. And i want to make sure that women dont get lost in this. Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness on the streets. We need to Fund Domestic Violence services. Thank you, emily. Well move onto question five. What programs do you support that address homeless and Mental Health problems in San Francisco . Well start with polasco. Mental health access, if its fully funded, i think we can make a visible impact on our streets. This goes hand in hand with the reform that we want at the criminal justice level. If Police Officers can be focused on just reporting to crime, we can actually have social workers and folks that are really trained and know the nuances of deescalation and Mental Health intervention, and that really stems from Mental Health sf, and i think it is a much needed program citywide. I think here in district 7, i think we can all echo the same underlying issues that, you know, the unhoused issue is very different from the other districts, but that is one program and policy that im fully in support of. Thank you, velasquez. Next will be ben. Thank you. I had a young kid that worked for me four years ago that died of a Drug Overdose. Was born and raised in San Francisco and died of a Drug Overdose on our streets in San Francisco just two months ago. We have an epidemic on our streets. We need to make sure we have treatment on demand and the services that actually deliver for folks like that. This is an issue that hits folks of all backgrounds, of all neighborhoods, of all parts of the city, and i think the city has been slow to respond. You see it in the numbers, you see it in the raise in fentanyl deaths. Mental health sf is a good program, but in a way, its a repaneli repackaging of the services that already existed. It really is just the first step forward, but we need new services, and thats what ill do as supervisor. Thank you, ben. The next is joel. We will be solve our homeless crisis until we deal with our mental Health Crisis. In San Francisco, theres something called the Mental Health court. This is if someone attacks someone while having a Mental Health attack on the street, they dont get jail time. And this is a good thing because we dont want jail to be the de facto services. I think we should be supporting conservatorship laws. This doesnt mean going back to the awful days of nurse ratchet and the mental asylum. I know thats a reference to netflix and a show in the 70s, but its a new idea that will give people the treatment they need. Thank you, joel. Well move to question 6. The increase in crime, including burglaries and breakins have become a concern to the residents of district 7. What actions would you propose to the police and the City Administration to handle the increase in property crimes . Well start with kenneth. Hi. Thank you very much. Our current district 7 supervisor and president of the board held a meeting for our neighborhood. He lives here in westwood park, and i was surprised at the feedback. It was specific to crime, exactly what youre asking about, and it was predominantly property crime, and the conversation moved onto home invasion. What i could tell in that meeting was people were scared. They were scared about the change thats occurring now. You ask what we should be doing. First of all, we need to be much tougher on car breakins and home invasions. I agree that we need to help these people, but as soon as we have those Property Damage that actually scare people from wanting to go out to their car as night, from locking their door at night, triple locking, triple checking, we need to make sure we have a beat cop on the street and my time is up. Thank you, kenneth. And next is stephen. One of the things i think we can do right now as a community to help make our neighborhoods more safe is form Neighborhood Watch programs, and theyve actually shown great success. There is a particular block in Diamond Heights where the Neighborhood Watch program is wired very tight, and its actually an anomaly of no crime in the middle of a neighborhood which has signature criificanto thats one thing we can do. The other thing we can do is join programs like sf safe, which teaches residents how to be safer and look out for each other. Im always a big proponent of hiring more cops. Im one of the few candidates that have gone on record saying defunding the police is the wrong way to go. We need more training, more police, and the crime thats happening times up. Thank you, stephen. Next, well hear from myrna. Thank you. There have been other communities who have come up with really innovative communitybased approaches to keep better eyes on the streets. Folk who are embedded in the Community Know their neighbors, who know the patterns, know the businesses. One that im fond of in chinatown is the peace collaborative. Its young folks and retired folks who have been trained to do that. When things are kind of off, they have a person to call, and then, theres a person thats already been Building Trust in that community. I am a big proponent of programs like that. They are actually quite Cost Effective and less violent than, you know, having folks with arms on the street, but it also builds trust and a knowledge of the community and theyre remarkably effective. Thank you, myrna. Now well move to question number 7. How would you approach potential proposals to reallocate funds from policing excuse me to Mental Health and social services while still prioritizing Public Safety . And well start with emily. So ive been on record opposed to defending police, disbanding police. We have had an uptick in property crime, home invasion. There was a suspected arson of one of our local businesses, dragon printing. There was a robbery at miracle cleaning on ocean. We cant expect an Immediate Response if were going to cut the Police Budget. Now within the Police Budget, i do believe im very data driven and evidence based, and u. C. Berkeley did a study of foot patrols in sfpd. In 2017, when chief scott reassigned more officers to foot patrols, there was a 20 decline in assaults. Thats evidencebased interventions. We need more foot patrols, community policing, crime spotting, and antibias training in the Police Department. Thank you, emily. And next is polasca. Yeah, i agree with emily. I think when were being smarter about our Police Budget, we dont need Police Officers responding to noncriminal Mental Health crises. There is a world where we can be smarter about our Police Budget while reallocating that saved money to folks and social workers at the department of Public Health that can actually do that outreach for those folks going through a mental Health Crisis. Its unfortunate that weve gotten into slogans into defunding the police, abolishing the police, but i think if were truly committed to police accountability, well see our Police Budget getting smaller, and we can use that money for much needed services here in San Francisco. Thank you, velasca. Next is ben. We can certainly all agree, if you would have watched this same debate when i was growing up 20plus years ago, it was the same concepts that came out. We want more beat officers. Over the years, the same promises get made, and nothing changes. Right now, four out of ten positions at one precinct is vacant. Theres some very basic times around response times and now that correlates to staffing in the Police Department. I think chief scott when talking about the budget this year was accurate. We want a Police Department thats more diverse, speaks multiple languages. We have young kids coming through the department thats coming through with advanced degrees in criminalology, and we only do that by funding by the Police Department. Thank you, ben. Now we move to the next question. What specific changes would you support in defunding the police, and what changes would you like to see . Well start with ben. I agree with joe biden and governor newsom. Calls for mentally ill people can better be handled by social workers. Im Vice President s of a Victims Rights Group called stop police sf. I see that home burglaries are up 60 this year. Homicides and firearm shootings are both up 30 , so we still need police to do the detective work. We need police to protect the public, and we cant forget about the victims of crime. I do not believe in defunding or disbanding the Police Department. The New York Times recently featured our Police Department as a model of reform, so we should continue that process, and takes more funding, not less, but we should recruit more officers from Diverse Communities and those who only serve at the highest standards. Thank you, joel. Next will be kenneth. So lots of smart people, and i think if you vote for any of us, youre going to get a good supervisor. So velasco said it well. Defunding the police is a bad term. Its a horrible term. It sounds like you want to get rid of them, but in reality, its a reallocation. Im with our current chief. He has some really good ideas about how to use funding for Mental Health and Domestic Violence in particular, and i think those are two areas absolutely that we could have specialists that dont need to be police. That being said, i am a metricdriven individual. I come from the business side, and i believe firmly if we are going to allocate funds into just about anything, you track what occurs, and then, you make decisions about how successful it is, and if it doesnt meet the metrics you put in place and the goals you put in place, you take that money back, and you put it to better use. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. And next will be stephen. I want to be very, very cautious about replacing Police Officers by Mental Health workers to deal with people with mental Health Crisis because human nature is very, very unpredictable. When youre high on drugs, even more so, and i have personal experience with this. Ive been on multiple calls where people have overdosed, and theyre sedated or passed out. You give them narcan, and even the smallest personal temporarily displaced can have super human strength. It happened to me, but this is the thing. People can act very violently very quickly, and a Mental Health worker alone by himself is not trained to deal with that. So while im not opposed to having Mental Health workers and Homeless Team outreach people to accompany police, i dont believe at any time they should be a total replacement for the police. Thank you, stephen. Now well move onto question number 9. How will you ensure that residents of district 7 have access to services and resources that will help them meet their basic needs as they struggle with the challenges of covid19, and well start with myrna. Thanks for the question. I think that district 7 has, for many, many years, been short changed in the services that we receive. Theres a perception that were all right. Were wealthy, and theres nothing that we need when, in fact, we have a very Large Population of folks that are elderly, immigrants, people who dont speak english. Were a quite diverse district that has a lot of needs. I think in terms of my priorities that you asked about are food security. When the pandemic started, we started working at the food bank thattum emily has started and my daughter, as well. We thought we were going to see 200, and we saw 700. Foot security, transportation, housing, all of those services are needed in district 7, and i will prioritize them. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next is emily. Yeah. So among the 40 different neighborhoods in district 7, there are varying degrees of organization. So, for example, i know ben has worked very hard to help the west portal neighborhood be organized. Lake shore was not very well organized, so actually, joel, whos a neighbor, and i helped standup resilient lake shore, and we put out hundreds of door hangers with resources for covid for our neighbors. Id like to make sure theres seed funding for every neighborhood to band together, whether its crime or covid, and really create Community Within the neighborhood. We have the strongest along access ordinance in the country, and we are obligated to provide services to english language learners at the same level as native speakers, so i will make sure that services for example, briefings by the police are in multiple languages. Thank you, emily. And next is velasco. Im extremely proud of my criminal justice experience, being a public defender going on my 16th year now. Every day, walking into court, that is a phenomenal responsibility to provide a voice to those who are forgotten and marginalized. I think as an extension of my advocacy as a public defender, we need a leader at city hall who is going to speak up and advocate and really ensure that district 7 has all the resources that our community needs. Myrna and emily touched upon some of our most vulnerable, particularly the elderly. And with the population and communities being comprised of 17 chinese, particularly a lot of elderly folks who dont have a lot of family support, we need a mixture and every resource available to make sure that theyre not isolated, and to make sure their health and wellbeing is taken care of during this pandemic. Thank you, velasca. Now well move onto question number 10. What is your plan to bring back business and encourage new businesses in the west portal and 9th and irving shop districts . Well start with ben. Thank you. And i would expand that question to include both ocean avenue, lakeside, taraval, and 19th. Our neighborhood commercial corridors are amazing. They are the envy of so many areas of San Francisco, and theyre a Gathering Place for so many in our community. And frankly, theyre not getting enough attention, and, you know, what we early on in covid, i helped set up the largest covid19 response effort in district 7, and one of the things that we did right at the beginning was we brought in the merchants. We knew how difficult it was going to be. That type of Small Business advocacy doesnt take place right now. The city loves to tout being in partnership with Small Business. Im a Small Business owner. I dont think that anybody in the city feels genuinely that the city is in partnership with them. Theres a lot of fees that you just dont know about. Theres an opportunity to have clarity, and i will certainly champion Small Business. Thank you, ben. Next, well hear from joel. Even when the economy was booming, our Small Businesses were in trouble. We have to remember that last year, 500 restaurants closed in San Francisco, and why did that happen . Its because city hall was killing Small Businesses with all of its permits and fees and regulations. So we need to acknowledge that Small Businesses were dieing before the pandemic because we cannot go back to the way things were. The chronicle reported that San Francisco is one of the most difficult cities to open a food truck. We should be the easiest city to open a food truck, especially during a pandemic. Some regulation is necessary to keep people safe, but beyond that, we should let an entrepreneur with a good idea try anything they want. Give them a long runway to see if it works, and we need to foster that creativity because we dont know what the great new idea is thats going to save our economy, but we want to make sure that we create the economy where that can happen, and were not stifling it. Thank you, joel. Next, well hear from kenneth. Hi, thank you. So excellent points already from joel and ben. Very consistent. I will tell you this, that the San Francisco does not city a Small Business as a help to the city, they see it as a tax base. The burden to open up a business is ridiculous in this city. It is easier, less regulation to put a satellite in space than it is to open up a basis in San Francisco. Thats a bit of a joke. If prop 13, this new amendment, passes on commercial development with commercial debt lessening that burden, some of that is going to be passed onto Small Businesses. The reality of the day is weve got a lot to change. Weve got a lot of regulation to get rid of. The last thing is this city may have changed. Look at whats happening downtown. And if the Office Workers dont even come back to 80 to 90 , the Small Businesses there are going to get hurt, and its going to permeate itself through the city. Thank you, kenneth. And next, well move onto question number 11. There is concern that the California Environmental act, ceqa, regulations are being used to create significant delays in the revenue of city projects. How will you approach this issue . And well start with stephen. Okay. So i think that the ceqa may have become a little bit convoluted. It was meant to be protecting the environment and ensuring the wellbeing of people, but i think its kind of become a little bit weaponized at times. People use it to stop other businesses and really burden new startups from ever happening. So one thing id like to see is if theres a way to simplify the processes, if the community has the ability to speak on behalf of their community if theres a new business coming in. I feel like we can do a lot to simplify the process, reduce the time that a business spends in approval, and really, i think that would go a long way to improving the economy, at least more Small Business startups. Thank you, stephen. Next will be myrna. Ceqa is a good tool, its an important tool. Not only does it help us protect the environment, it also helps protect our historic resources. It can be cumbersome and lengthens the time that a project takes to completion, but i am a Firm Believer in democracy, and this is the way our communities have had a say in whether we preserve something or we clean something up before something gets built. It is very important, and i think we need to not shortcut it or cut people out of the process or only let the loudest voices or the people who have the most resources weighin. I think we need to keep using it as a way it was intended, as a democratic tool for people to weighin on development. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next is emily. Yes. So my approach is generally to listen and lead for our neighborhoods. Community Stakeholder Input is essential in things like the ceqa. Were seeing sort of the negative impacts of environmental unsustainable behaviors with the fires and with the pollution, so ceqa is very important. Neighbors must have a say in things that go up in the neighborhood. On the other hand, it shouldnt be the case that a Single Person can halt a project. So there was a big article in the chronicle. A project should be halted by at least 50 people. I agree with that, and it shouldnt be at least one person. Thank you, emily. Okay. Well move onto question number 12. San francisco has a significant deficit in the upcoming budget, which, due to covid19, will likely persist in the future. What specific policies will you champion to address the likely current and future issues related to budget decisions . And well start with vela asca but in 2008, i remember being calling into my offices conference room, and i remember my boss asking if anyone wanted to take an unpaid voluntary leave. And i remember being shocked, angry, and pretty scared for about a year as a relatively new lawyer practicing. And im not comparing what we went through over a decade ago to this unprecedented pandemic, but it did serve us in terms of the rainy day funds that we prepared for this particular scenario. Im looking out the window, and it is absolutely pouring. If this is not a scenario to rely to those rainy day funds, i dont know what is. But we dont have to rely only on those rainy day funds. There are measures on the ballot in november that will enable us during this pandemic to survive. Thank you, velasco. Now well hear from ben. Were in an economic crisis, certainly in the state of california, and certainly in San Francisco. The challenge is the district 7 supervisor has historically been a leader on the budget and really been a longterm thinker. I think fundamentally in this race, voters are going to make trade offs. Because in a city that has a 13. 6 billion budget, there are 8. 6 billion of asks. I come from a 15year experience asking for money and getting results for causes. Whether thats large scale housing, whether thats building in ports, whether thats access to the internet. I think those skills are absolutely needed. Theres a misconception somehow that were one audit short from Better Outcomes of homelessness. It is a workmans journey thank you, ben. Next is joel. We have to acknowledge that the budget was too big the past decade. It doubled, and nothing got better. City hall just spends whatever it wants, and it uses residents like its a nonstop a. T. M. That needs to stop. The hard truth . We need to cut salaries and cut jobs, just like mayor newsom did during the great recession. Back then, we had 26,000 employees, which was too many. Today, we have 40,000, which is not sustainable. Theres never going to be enough revenue for what we need. We talk about rainy day funds. It was irresponsible yesterday or today to use our rainy day funds to give City Employees raises. We should be saving so we dont have to lay people off. Thank you, joel. Well move onto question number 13. Many residents take advantage of open space and nature for recreation and health benefits. How would you ensure that these resources are maintained not only for district 7 but for all of san franciscans, and well start with kenneth. At this, thank yhi, thank y. I really wish i could have answered that last question because ive got a lot to say here. Certainly, the open space in this city is fantastic. Actually, in district 7, its reasonably limited, so i am a huge fan of the parks. I think the parks are one of the most wonderful things that we have here in the city. Golden gate park running from the middle of the city to the ocean, mclaren park being the biggest park in the city over here not too far from the district. What i think we need to do is maintain them. Theres been calls to open up some of the nonused areas for development, and i am completely against that. What i want to say is the twablt to actually access them and for people to feel safe. I think its one of the biggest issues for mclaren. You can look at it statistically as the biggest park in the city. There are safety concerns in the city that we really dont need to anymore. We need to use those parks and fund them. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Next, well hear from stephen. Im a huge proponent of open space. As a kid, i grew up within walking distance of mount davidson. Glen canyon park, one of the few creeks left running through the city. Whatever we can do to preserve those treasures, im all about it. One of the things that i want to say is some of our open spaces are looking a little bit rough. Mount davidson in particular, its overgrown with eucalyptus, thornberrys, ivy. I think from a safety toppstan approximate point, you need to open it up and let people access it to enjoy. Theres been talk of using our park open space for development. Im totally against it. Theres so little of it left. Thank you, steven. Thank you, myrna. Im a little surprised, steven, that you dont have a lot of open space in district 7. We have a lot of really great space. For the past four years, ive been on the planning commission. I was the president for the last year, and in conjunction with the recreation and parks department, we approved a plan for the maintenance of the wilderness areas, some areas that are open space in the city. As steven pointed out, we are experiencing some nonnative species that have taken over our parks. Like Everything Else in San Francisco, it is contentious, whether we get rid of the eukal eucalyptus, whether we keep it, but its one of the things that makes San Francisco a great place to live. Thank you, myrna. What would you do to cut down on the amount of emissions caused by fossil fuels . Well hear from emily. Thank you. We need to promote public transit. We need to get mouny back where it once was precovid. Since the pandemic, ive become an expert avid cyclist. We need to encourage walking, but i also want to acknowledge that there are some folks in the community would have to rely on who have to rely on cars. Perhaps theres people with disabilities, seniors, young children. So i dont envision a 100 car free environment, but i would like to see more options. For example, for rental bikes, if there are families that cant afford to rent those bikes, we should subsidize those, really, and encourage bike traffic. We also need to address our eating habits. Im a big proponent of meatless mondays perhaps in the schools and the city, and to buy local. Thank you, emily. Next. Well hear from velasca. I like the idea of meatless mondays. I think im going to adopt that. We need to get to a point in our city where taking Public Transportation is the preference in terms of efficiency and the first choice. I mean, i drive my minivan and my two kids around out of necessity, and i dont like this dichotomy where people are blamed for depending on their cars here in district 7. I think we have a long way to go in terms of improving our Public Infrastructure and transit system. I think theres a world where we can get there. Its going to take a lot of work, but i think in terms of starting with meatless mondays and then taking this as a top priority in terms of improving our infrastructure will be a long way, but we can get there. Thank you, velasca. Now well hear from ben. Im a father, and i have a young daughter thats 15 months old. When i think about our city, i think about our planet, it rightfully causes alarms for people across the planet. If you look at the fires raging across california, people are concerned about that. San francisco has consistently taken a leadership approach on this. I think one of the key elements is actually pushing towards a transit first city, and how that becomes possible is when muni is clean, safe, and reliable. Its very simple. You know, for 15 years, when everyone looked at the ridership surveys, it says clean, safe, and reliable. Right now, even before the pandemic hit, people did not feel that way on muni. We have an opportunity right now to be able to change a lot of the things that were thank about the Transportation System and move toward that. It starts with replacing some of the basics, and thats what ill champion. Thank you, ben. Final question for all candidates. What would be your top three priorities for your term as supervisor, and what is the boldest idea that you think that you will bring to the table . And so this is for all candidates, and well start with kenneth. Great. I really like this question. Thank you very much. So so so accountability. We can talk how much time do i have . Its just one minute. So ive got a lot to say. So accountability on the budget. The budget was a joke that we just passed. Its based on data that income is not going to come in if we dont pass all these measures come november. I think we need to hold these supervisors accountable, but of course they wont be held accountable. The one plan that i would like to see done is every public official in San Francisco take mass transit, public transit, for 80 of their work and be fined if they do not. If these Public Officials do not back public transit, they dont have a willingness to ride that public transit, then they should vote that way when theyre in office. Im all for every elected official taking Public Transportation for 80 of their work and fined if not. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. Now well hear from myrna. Thank you, dee. Actually, the boldest idea that i have is we are going to have a woman as supervisor for district 7. Thats pretty he had bold. It would be the first time that thats happened. I also have lots of ideas about housing production. I think that we are remarkably uncreative with how we do this. The biggest area where i think that we could make progress is in workforce housing. We have a lot of major employers in San Francisco that dont have this as part of their business plan. I think folks could, you know, put some of their money into a fund that would be more flexib flexible and more patient than what we could get from wells fargo bank. I think its an idea that needs infrastructure and capacity, and i intend to push it forward. Thank you. Thank you, myrna. Next, well hear from velasca. Its supremeextremely scary think what our environments going to look like in the next ten years, and we need to focus on Environmental Justice if were going to take care of our city and our environment. I believe that working class families really make this city go, so ensuring that working class families can afford to live here and earn a living wage is going to be a top priority. But being a public defender, i am proud of my work in terms of criminal justice reform. I think on day one, one of my boldest plans would actually be to write policy that would essentially outline Police Officers not responding to noncriminal offenses, and i think that would be a first step in terms of really improving our Police Department but ensuring the safety of our community. Thank you, velasca. Next, well hear from emily. Yes. So modelled after president obamas american recovery and reinvestment act. I would call for a San Francisco recovery and reinvestment ordinance. The bold part of this is i would ask my colleagues, the mayor to set aside political differences and work towards a single goal of getting San Francisco back on track, to get businesses reopened, get people back to work. I would call for expanding child care resources, investing in neighborhoods, more foot patrols. But another big idea would be universal free wifi, to have it be government owned but bid out to operations. I wouldnt want the government to run the wifi system, but this universal free wifi could be an engine for new businesses, new connections, new economic activity. Thank you, emily. And next, well hear from ben. You know, the boldest thing that i would do is actually deliver. I think all of the things that we care about in San Francisco, the fundamental challenge is the announcement, and then, the day after, nothing seems to go forward at the same pace. And i think what we see in a lot of these debates in city hall is what i like to call policy popcorn, and idea, idea, idea. All the big challenges that we have in San Francisco, whether its homelessness, whether its tackling corruption in contracting, whether its pushing back against affordable, it takes experience, and it takes showing up every day. One of the things that i tell everyone is i work for you. I think a lot of times, we have supervisors that are chasing the next announcement, not chasing the end result thats g going to make your life better, so im running, and im fighting to deliver on that. Thank you, ben. Next, well hear from stephen. Okay. So ive got a couple of, i think, pretty good ideas. Well, first of all, i think the three biggest issues that were facing right now is San Francisco is corruption, homelessness, and crime. So for the corruption part of it, one thing that i want to do which i think is pretty bold is call for term limits. Two terms, and youre done forever. We have john avalos and aaron peskin that have served before, and now theyre running again. I feel like theyve had their time in the sun, sand now its time to step down and let somebody else run for a little bit. As far as crime goes, im going to call out our d. A. I think hes failing as our d. A. Its time we get somebody in there that knows what theyre doing and is not afraid to do it. I think we need to have stronger conservators. Im willing to go to sacramento and lobby and enforce to get it. Thank you, stephen. And finally, well hear from joel. Were facing a lot of challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, but this is an opportunity, and i think we need to get city hall to focus, focus, focus on the basics. Less crime, better services. Until we get those right, Everything Else is distraction. I want fiber for all. Im not talking about the fiber you eat, im talking about internet for all. Work has changed forever because of the pandemic. We need fiber infrastructure, and its something basic. I think fiber is the 21st century version of filling potholes. I think the city should lease it out to private enterprise and make money on it, and then make sure that everyone has access to subsidies because this is whats going to save our economy and allow us to be plugged in and open for business. So thats the bold idea. Thank you, joel. That concludes our questions for this evening. And now we kpcome to the candidates closing statements. Well do the statements in reverse alphabetical order, and well start with velasquez. I think when it comes down to district 7, it comes down to who do you trust to represent the voices here in district 7, and also, who is going to be Strong Enough and unafraid to push against the status quo . I am proud to be the only candidate that is supportive of having a Navigation Center in district 7. I was equally as proud to be a candidate to support supervisor mars public advocate. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what were going to see as the corruption unfolds, and more individuals are indicted. And i also am extremely proud that when i started my campaign, i was the only candidate that objected to the mayors nominee of the police commission, a prosecutor who wasnt dedicated to criminal justice reform. I am the leader because i am unafraid to take bold action and represent the folks out here in district 7. Thank you, velasca. Thank you. Now well hear from steven. As long as were talking status quo, i dont think theres anybody less status quo or business as usual than i am. Im not afraid to speak truth to power. When i began my campaign, i made one promise to myself. That is always tell the truth and dont hold back, and the response has been tremendous. I started my campaign with myself and my accountant, and people have come out from all over the city to say, thank you, stephen, for speaking the truth. Someone thats not afraid to speak their mind and identify the problems in our city and talk about them honestly and frankly, and thats me. Im offering a different approach. Im offering common sense politics. Im no b. S. I dont have time for political correctness. Ive only got time to make good decisions and speak truth to power. Thank you for voting for me. Thank you, stephen. And next well hear from myrna. Four years ago, we had a National Election where a guy that convinced millions of american that policy experience and lemgs lay tiff experience were unnecessary in gorcvernin and that has not worked out so well for us. I will tell you that i have decades of experience in Public Policy, and i have more than just opinions about the things that really are affecting san franciscans. I can show you programs that ive developed and legislation that i have written, organizations that i have worked on that have produced results for thousands of families, housing projects that have been built and financed, and i think thats what we need. We need someone who has experience, who has relationships, who will be able to do the things that we need for district 7, to drieliver services for our community. I hope you pick me as your number one choice. Thank you, myrna. Next, well hear from kenneth. Hi, thank you very much for having me today. Youve heard a lot from all of us, and think any of us would be fine. Ive also heard a lot of platitudes. And it didnt take long to bring up trump. The idea of having business in government is incredibly important. Take a look at what people are expecting. Rather than solving a business crisis, you want to chase reality. You want someone with a good solid business background that can solve problems. What you have is people who have been receiving government checks for a very long time who want to keep doing so. I hope i get your vote for district 7 supervisor. Thank you. Thank you, kenneth. And next, well hear from joel. Hi. Im joel engardio. Ive lived in San Francisco for 22 years. I was a journalist, and my role was to hold the city accountable, and ill do the same as supervisor. I think city hall should be treating residents like customers because without them, we dont have a city. Kids should be able to attend their neighborhood schools, and entrepreneurs should be able to open a business without facing road blocks. City hall should be focused on the basics and getting the basics right. I have 24 years left on minority gage, so mortgage, so i wonder what San Francisco is going to look like by the time its paid off. We need a combination of innovation and common sense. Im joel engardio, and i would love to have your number one vote. Thank you. Thank you, joel, and next, well hear from emily. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my ideas and platform. I served 28 years under five mayors. I was held accountable for every public dollar i spent. I already have relationships with police chief scott, Health Director colfax. Ive been twice elected to will school board. I served as president when the School District put together its long range Strategic Plan, and im so pleased to say that plan is paying off. San francisco had a Graduation Rate of 89 , exceeding the state rate of 86 , and black graduates exceeded 90 for the first time. Im supported by assembby nume officials, and i respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you, and last, well hear from ben. My name is ben matranga, and i respectfully ask for your vote. Im endorsed by Public Safety leaders like sheriff vickie hennessy, former district 7 supervisor susie loftus. These are going to be a series of difficult decisions over the next four years, and some people arent going to be happy. You cant fund everything, and what i come to the table with is a life thats been grounded in district 7. I come to the availabtable wite of delivering products for people that i think creates the best scenario where we can actually move our city forward and recover from covid. Thank you. Thank you, ben. Okay. On behalf of myself and the league of women voters of San Francisco, our thanks to the candidates for participating. And thanks to each of our attendees for taking the time to inform yourself about your choices on november 3. Its coming right up. Please remember to register to vote if you havent already registered, and please urge others to registered. I just heard today, one in four is still not registered, so we have work to do. If youve changed your name or youve moved, you will need to reregister, so please check that. And if you will be voting by mail this year, please ensure your ballot is dropped off at a polling place or Voting Center early. Early is the keyword there. If you have any questions about voting, go to our website, lwvsf. Org. Thank you so much, all of you, for attending and participating. Good evening, and vote. Hi. I am alia, and i am running for San Francisco city college. I never knew that i would one day grow up and oversee the Free City College program at the department of children, youth, and their families, increasing access to Educational Opportunities for our Community Every day. In this role, i also monitoring the entire budget for the program. My passion for education started at a young age. I grew up in a lowincome household and have experienced firsthand the transformative nature of education both as a student and teacher. But over time, i realized how Education Systems failed our most vulnerable students. As a former legislative aide, i worked on legislation to ban the box on private college applications, making San Francisco the first city in the nation to do so. During this time of a Global Pandemic and a social movement to dismantle systemic racism, city College Needs a new voice and a proven leader in education. My lifes mission has been to ensure institutions are accountable to the people they are built to serve. I am running to make sure city college remains the peoples college. If elected, i will fight to invest in a permanent Emergency Grant Program for students, establish a jobs guarantee program, with clear career path days, and grow free city. I will advocate for increased transparency and further education resources. I would be honored to have your support. Please vote alia chifsky. You and are four your time. Hello. We have a choice of two paths. The road ccsf is traveling is one of financial challenges, instability, and a decrease of 18 in enrollment. I see a second healthier path. With strong experienced guidance, ccsf can gain financial stability, and reengage as an important and diverse institution. Ccsf is in danger of closing, creating a crisis in San Francisco. Ccsf must be saved, but electing the same type of candidates, politicians beholden to stakeholders will result in the same outcomes. I have declined all offers of consideration for endorisment by stakeholders so that i can focus on slufl doing what is right to save ccsf, i will not be beholden to interest groups. Im the only candidate who has raised over 40 million for educational and other causes and will bring creative funding ideas and other opportunities to ccsf. Im the only candidate who has served on a finance committee of a fiscally fit company. I believe that ccsf is a gem that must be preserved. I will be your independent and experienced voice on the board. Thank you, and please vote for me. Im juanita martinez, a family poor in money but rich in family history. My family came from northern mexico. My father was especially proud of his indigenous roots, comanche and navajo. We moved to california when my father was forced to retire. That opened up Higher Education for me because Community College was free in california. I studied at delta college, earned an associates agree. I transferred to s. F. State, and i was often the only student of color in any of my classes. My grassroots activism started in the ethnic strike. We didnt win all of our demands, but ethnic studies is now included and growing in area schools. In 2019, i was invited to speak at the city college ethnic studies teachin during black history month. I told the students that as a former student and Community College teacher and administrator, i was passing the baton onto them in the struggle for social justice. As i finished speaking, i should and could go one more lap on the City College Board of trustees. Im running with the support of students, faculty, and trustees that are just as concerned as i am. Too many classes have been cancelled, outcomes for black and brown students need to be improved. My campaign is not me, its about sharing what i learn frd my work experience, being a student, teacher, and vice chancellor at city college. Its about keeping city college a Community College, a college of and for the community. Hi. Im dr. Vic trolgary. Im a former Senior University administrator with 15 years of experience in Higher Education. I i am grated to the United States when i was 12 years old. My parents never even finished high school. I struggled through the e. S. L. System, and we were quite poor. I know just what our students are experiencing because this was my old life. I worked hard to transfer to a fouryear school. I worked hard by earning pell grants, and scholarships, and taking out some student loans. I went onto get a ph. D. In political science. I taught at a university level, and i game the chief of staff at the university of california riverside, and since then, ive helped manage universities, ive guided campus master plans. Ive helped hire some of the diverse faculty members across the state of california and directed budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars. This is everything that city college desperately needs to be doing right now. Im still a professor of political science, because i will always return to teaching, but i have directed a workforce of companies here in San Francisco. Im currently serving as cochair of the California Democratic party, but i have worked on 600 resolutions to drive some of the best policies in the state. I have endorsements across the Democratic Party in San Francisco. Check out my comprehensive plans at victorforsf. Com. My name is jeremy peter, and im running to represent you on the ccsf board. Many people ask why im running in this years election. I have a great job at an efficiency project manager. I love spending time with my partner, eric, and i love living here in the bayview. Education has afforded me opportunities, and i believe that education is a human right. Advancing tuition Free Education allows our most vulnerable students a chance to make a difference in their lives. The Climate Crisis was my call to action. In march, San Francisco voters approved 845 million bond for ccsf infrastructure improvements. Using this deal, my greparty w put the green plan into action. Environmental, financial, and educational sustainability are intertwined. With students as our guide is principle, we will appoint a Community Oriented chancellor who is committed to implementing a Strategic Plan that is interested in sustained eligibility and the sustainability. Now more than ever we must be laser focused on providing transparency on board matters and education for students that have been displaced by covid19. I will am asking for your support to protect Free Education, upgrade our learning spaces, and camp i dont know the opportunities ccsf offers. As an ally of if a stoplight associations and student organizations, i will fight for you. Im tim chronicle, and im proud to serve as the vice chair of the board of trustees. I know how important it is to have access to quality well funded public education. Community College Classes helped me get back on track when i got sick and had to drop out of high school, allowing me to graduate and enroll at San Francisco state university. This experience inspired me to run for the board of trustees in 2016, when i was elected to a fouryear term. During my last four years serving as your representative on the City College Board, ive worked with students, teachers, and staff to secure important victories for city college. I i ensured that our accreditation was reinstated for the next decade. I worked with if a ultimate to create the cannabis studies program. I helped create the workforce and education fund, and i fought for new resources and policies to support undocumented and lgbtq students. Over the next four years, city college will need to combat severe funding cuts at the state and local level, put in place new support services to help our communities succeed during this challenging covid19 environment, and create workforce programs in areas Like Health Care and technology to meet the needs of our changing economy. I have experience solving challenges like this and hope to continue to bring that experience and leadership to city college. Im alan wong, and im running for College Board to ensure it serves working and immigrant families like my own. Im supported by a. F. T. Local 2121 and seiu 1021. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and my entire family went to city college. When my dad came to this country as an immigrant, he was laid off from his factually job, so i went to city college to improve his english. He learned about the city College Culinary program, and he supported my family as the sole provider for two decades. The training my dad received enabled my dad to afford housing in the sunset and get health care. My mom took e. S. L. Classes that improved herself confidence and talking to family members. As a senior going to s. F. High, i took ccsf classes when i was a junior, helping me to graduate from u. C. San diego when i was just 19 years old. I expanded city college into the sunset by working with city college, sfusd and local nonprofits, and i spent a year writing the city College Workforce and Recovery Fund education legislation to ensure that we provide opportunities for our working families during covid19. Today, my dad has been played off, like many other Service Sector workers. City college is a place of hope and opportunity, where my dad was able to start a new career. Im running so city college can once again be that place where miraculous things can happen for working families like my own. My unanimoname is han so, a running for the board of trustees because it was education that changed my life. I immigranted to the u. S. When i was six years old. My mom was the first person in her family to go to college, where she studied Public Health, and my dad and i and my two grandparents were able to come to this country. The five of us lived in a onebedroom apartment for the first five years. Like a lot of immigrant families here in San Francisco, my grandparents took care of my while my mom worked to pay the rent and my mom focused on her studied. I still remember my mom teaching me the words hello and bathroom before putting me on the bus and sending me on the way to the first day of school. My first job was at asian law caucus where i worked to bring Education Services to asian and a. P. I. Families as well as undocumented immigrants. As executive director of the Democratic Party, i staffed the agenda. City college is hugely important to our community and towel all immigrant and working class families, and as trustee, i want to bring my experience and my background to ensure that post pandemic, the communities that have been most affected by the shutdown can use city college to learn new skills in a new economy. Im proud to be endorsed by the democratic property, and a majority of the City College Board of trustees, and ii woul love to have your support, as well. Thank you. [ ] good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the october 29, special meeting of government audit and oversight. I am the chair of the committee joined by vice chair and Committee Member haney. Thank you to the clerk and i would like to thank sfgovtv for