You today, it is that we deserve, we need to feel two more things pride and hope. Pride because we have pulled together to weather storms like weve never seen before. Hope because we can see a brighter future. The fact is, the state of our city is resilient. And it is resilient because of what all of us, every one of us, have accomplished this past year. Im speaking to you today from asconi center, but i want to start a few miles from here at lagoona honda hospital. One of the Largest Scale nursing facilities in the country. 155 years since it was founded to care for aging pioneers, its served the neediest people of San Francisco through thick and thin. My grandmother, miss Camillia Brown spent her last 12 years in that hospital. Dementia had taken her ability to speak before she arrived, but it had never taken her personality, not all of it anyway. Miss brown loved chewing gum. She lost her teeth by then, but loved chewing gum the nurses and staff there would bring pieces in their coat pockets and handed it to her to brighten her day. Miss brown was particular about her hair and nails. She was a southern lady at heart. The staff painted her nails and left each other careful notes to make sure her hair was done just right. She couldnt speak, but her caretakers were making sure we understood our grandma was still in there. We all have been reminded of something in the last year. Something that i think ive known for a long time. The men and women at lagoona honda, nurses, doctors, paramedics, staff there, along with all of those taking care of people in need across the city, they are heros. They are the best of us. At the outset of the pandemic, we saw frightening news accounts of outbreaks in Nursing Homes all around the country. Some called laguna honda a ticking time bomb, a powder keg. Its true, the virus could have easily swept through laguna honda and kills hundreds, thousands. Thanks to the frontline workers and department of health and everyone that had done their part, covid was contained at laguna honda. Its relief and pride only a couple of weeks ago we saw the staff and residents of laguna honda get their vaccinations. Our most vulnerable san fransiscans among the first to get vaccinated. That filled my heart. Thats who we are. A year ago. He declared a state of emergency. Ten months ago, with our neighbors around the bay, we implemented the first shelterinplace order in the country. From there, we continue to make difficult decisions, heartbreaking decisions, all year long. Today im standing in the beating heart of our emergency response. It was here where city workers from so many different departments came together to do whatever it took to protect this city. When we didnt have enough test to go know where the virus was, they were here. When we didnt have enough p. P. E. To go around, they were here. When we didnt have a federal government ready or willing to lead the way, they were here. The hours were long. The days were chaotic. And any sense of an ending to all of this was impossible to see, but day after day, rain or shine, our City Employees came and did the work. And i want to thank each and every one of them who has walked through these doors or been out in the community. And those who are still here working today. Back in march, a neighbor in Midtown Terrace wrote this when you go out and see the empty streets, empty stadiums, empty train platforms youre seeing love in action. What youre seeing is how much we care for our each other, parents, grandparents, doctors nurses, people we may never meet. Take a moment to look into all that emptiness and marvel. Its the most remarkable act of solidarity we have ever witnessed. San franciscos response to covid19 has been hailed as a national model. We have the lowest death rate of any major city in the United States and though every life lost is a tragedy, we have saved thousands of lives. And now, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We were able to do this not just because our City Government was collaborative, flexible and full of dedicated public servants, though it is, we were able to do this not just because our hospitals, Nursing Homes and medical professionals are some of the best in the world, though they are. We did this because of you. We did this because of the sacrifices you made, losses you endured, the love you showed for people you may never meet. Years from now, people will look back on what weve done, and i hope they will remember not the frustration and pain we feel now. But the love we show. The lives we saved take pride in that, San Francisco find hope in that. Each of these lives is precious. Every one of them. Each is one more grandmother, grandfather, mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, who will be there for the next birthday, the next wedding, the next anniversary. Each life saved is precious. So yes, it has been hard. And no, were not out of the woods yet. But we have been fighting for something real. We have been fighting for each other. Dont forget that. And theres reason for hope. On monday, the stayathome order for the bay area was lifted. Today, San Francisco can begin to recover. Today, we can begin to reopen our doors, reopen our businesses. Begin to resume our lives. With some restrictions and many, many precautions, of course, but we are reopening. Were vaccinating more and more people each day. And very soon, we will open another large vaccination site right here at the center. And with support from the state, and thank god, the new Bidenharris Administration in the white house, we have a plan to administer 10,000 vaccinations a day. We can see the light. Folks, our recovery starts now. So i want to Say Something to all the people who are writing us off. To those who are writing obituaries of San Francisco, we have read all of those before. Weve proved them all wrong before. And well do it again. Cities arent a collection of buildings. If they were, the year 1906 would have been our last. Cities are people. Working from home doesnt spell the end of urban life because cities arent merely a collection of jobs. Cities are people. Cities are passion. Culture, vibrancy and change. Look, we san fransiscans have thick skin. Well show the rest of you how we bounce back. When you get restless and want to come dance to live music or see steve curry do his thing on the court, eat at the best restaurants, drink at the best bars, start your next business, host a convention right here, or just watch the giants from your kayak, well be happy to have you. San francisco has always been and will continue to be a magnet, a destination, a place that draws people. We are the city of pride. Today, with hard Lessons Learned and so much yet to do, i believe we are at the start of an incredible recovery. We arent just going to repair. Were going to reinvigorate. To come back Even Stronger. We will put people back to work. Our businesses will flourish. Opportunities will expand. And as we do all of that, our recovery will focus on moving our city forward. The and putting people first. We will continue our work to cut the red tape for Small Businesses, because its more important than ever. For example, in november, voters passed our Small Business streamlining measure, propositionh. And its already working. One small immigrantowned business that wanted to convert a hair shop to an ice cream shop, saw their approval time cut from the normal six to nine months down to one day one day well build on this success. And make it even easier to turn an idea into a thriving Small Business. Bureaucracy cannot keep getting in the way of people. Our recovery also means building housing. Now during this economic downturn. As we rise again, lets not repeat the mistakes of the past. We will put Affordable Housing dollars to work, and streamline the approval process. Even if it means going to the voters to do it. We will keep pushing to meet our goal of building 5,000 new homes each year. And can we finally put to rest the fantasy that supply and demand doesnt apply to our housing situation . You may have noticed rent prices went down, way down last year. Why . Because demand went down. When it goes back up, and that is a when, not an if, lets be ready with more supply, more housing, so everyone can afford to live here. We will continue to aggressively push forward our homeless recovery plan. Which includes the largest expansion of permanent supported housing in the last 20 years. And we will implement Mental Health reform. So we can get more people off the streets and safely indoors. We will continue to divert 911 calls from the police through Innovative Solutions like our street Crisis Response team. So people struggling with addiction and Mental Illness get better care. And just as importantly, so our Police Officers can focus on their work to address Violent Crime and the burglaries and breakins happening in our city, we want nothing more than to prevent crime from happening in our city. And sadly, when it does, it is just as important to hold people accountable for the crimes they commit. We will continue to enliven our neighborhoods through Outdoor Dining on our sidewalks, streets, and public spaces. We will do more for families starting with getting our kids back in school. Our city cant fully recover until our students are supported and our schools are open. I will continue to do everything i can to help get our kids back in the classroom. We will invest in people by investing in infrastructure. We can put san fransiscans back to work by harnessing the power of public investments. We will strengthen our seawall, build parks, police and fire stations, Mental Health facilities, and improve Public Transportation. Yes, Public Transportation is the life blood of a great city. And making muni work better than ever is critical to our economic recovery. In all, i plan to move forward on more than 3. 5 billion in city projects. Just this week, for example, we opened our new Navigation Center in the bay view. This 200bed shelter will serve some of our most vulnerable residents. But the project also created 330 jobs during the height of the pandemic. Thats 330 people who can provide for themselves and their families. And our recovery also needs to be about the arts. Our cultural institutions. And culturaldiverse neighborhoods, and the public spaces we all miss so much. We will also help music venues, clubs and bars who have lost so much, get reopen and back on their feet. 2020 was a year like nothing weve ever experienced. This terrible pandemic tore our neighborhoods, tore through our businesses, tore us from one another. Its taken lives, destroyed businesses, our economy, and tore at the very fabric of community. We suffered months of wildfires that choked our air. We always told ourselves, the sun will still rise tomorrow. Until one day, it didnt. The streets of San Francisco and cities around the country, erupted with protests. As our nations legacy of racial injustice, white privilege, and violence against black people boiled over. I will never shake the image of george floyd on the ground. A knee on his neck. That knee, that knee has been on the next of black americans for 400 years. And its the knee of the chinese exclusion act, the briggs initiative, japanese internment, red lining, urban renewal, children in cages and Transgender DiscriminationSan Francisco is in many ways a collection of people, who were tired of living under someone elses norms or needs. And came here to find common cause. Our diversity, our acceptance, our spirit, is what makes us strong. And no virus, whether its named covid or hiv will ever take that away. Quite the opposite. It will only make us stronger. It is in times of crisis that San Francisco has shown its true grit. Weve been tested before. Earthquakes, fire, recessions, shocking assassinations, aids. Every time we were shaken and tested, and every time we didnt just bounce back, we pushed forward. Out of ashes, we built an even greater city. Out of despair, we formed Even Stronger alliances. Out of tragedy, we forged even greater humanity. Lets not remember 2020 only as the year we suffered. It was the year we learned what matters most. What binds us together. It was the year we sacrificed to save each others lives. The hard winter is almost behind us. And hope lies ahead. As Amanda Gorman said just two weeks ago at the inauguration even as we grieved, we grew. Even as we hurt, we hoped. Even as we tired, we tried. And when day comes, we stepped out of the shade, a flame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms. As we free it. For there is always light, if only were brave enough to see it. If only were brave enough to be it. My fellow san fransiscans, there is light. Lets be proud. Lets be hopeful. Lets be brave. Thank you. I want to thank you for joining us for this very important conversation about covid19 vaccine. Im joined by San Franciscos Health Officer and the Deputy Director of health to discuss in more detail San Franciscos plan to distribute vaccines as quickly as possible. The doctors are medical experts helping to lead the citys response to covid. Were lucky to have them here to help answer the questions that many san franciscans are asking. I know this is a topic on everybodys mind. Weve neveron