Transcripts For SFGTV Small 20240703

Today we will begin with a reminder that the Small Business commission is the official public forum to voice your opinions and concerns about policies that affect the Economic Vitality of Small Businesses in San Francisco. Before item one is called, id like to start by thanking Media Services and sfgovtv and of course, our staff for helping run this meeting, please call item one, item one. Roll call. Commissioner benitez. Commissioner cornett, present. Commissioner. Dickerson. Present. Commissioner herbert is absent. President healy is absent. Commissioner ortiz cartagena, here and Vice President ozunas present. Vice president. You have a quorum. Thank you. Okay, now i will read our land acknowledgment. The San Francisco Small Business commission and the office of Small Business staff acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land , and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never ceded, lost nor forgotten their responsibility as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramaytush Ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. Thank you. Item two. Item two approval of legacy business registry applications and resolutions. This is a discussion and action item. The commission will discuss and possibly take action to approve legacy business registry applications. Presenting today is richard carrillo, Legacy Business Program manager with the office of Small Business. Our favorite item. Welcome, rick, and welcome everyone. Thank you. Good afternoon, Vice President , citizens commissioners, city staff and members of the public. Im richard carrillo, Legacy Business Program manager. I would like to acknowledge michelle reynolds, my colleague in the office of Small Business who provides beneficial assistance to the Legacy Business Program. Sfgovtv i have a powerpoint presentation. Before you today are two applications for your consideration for the legacy business registry. Both applications include a staff report, a draft resolution, the application itself, and documents from the planning department. The applications were submitted to planning on march 20th and heard by the Historic Preservation commission on april 17th. Item two a is gaslight and shadows. Antiques the business is an antique store founded in 1976, in the richmond neighborhood. Visit gaslight and shadows antiques for a delightful journey into the past, where you can explore a store brimming with thousands of treasures, including antiques and collectibles of many types. They specialize in vintage jewelry, porcelain boxes, ethnic items, San Francisco collectibles, art, and much more. Consignments are welcome. They also offer a professional photo Restoration Service to help preserve old family photos, memories and historical photos. The core feature tradition in the business must maintain to remain on the legacy business registry is antique store. Item two b is nihonmachi street fair, inc. The business is a nonprofit 500 1c3 organization that was incorporated in 1988 to produce the nihonmachi street fair that was founded in 1973 and to engage young Asian American leaders. Nihonmachi street fair, inc. Celebrates the diverse, diverse Asian American Pacific Islander communities through sharing traditional Asian Pacific influences and cultural activities. The nihonmachi street fair is a two day event that takes place every august, including up to 100 vendors, nonprofit organizations, local entertainment, the doggy world parade, the asian artisan area, childrens world, and the sounds of thunder car show. The core featured tradition the business must maintain is production of nihonmachi street fair. Both businesses met the three criteria required for listing on the legacy business registry, and both have received a positive recommendation from the Historic Preservation commission. Legacy Business Program staff recommends adding the businesses to the registry, and has drafted a resolution for each business for your consideration. A motion in support of the businesses should be framed as a motion in favor of the resolutions. Thank you. This concludes my presentation. Im happy to answer any questions. And there are business representatives present who would like to speak on behalf of the applications during Public Comment. Commissioners, does anybody have anything . To say before we open the floor . Okay, then i will call Public Comment. Those of you who are interested to speak, please form a line. And, we welcome you to come to the podium. Does that mean now . Yes welcome, welcome. Good afternoon. Commissioners and thank you all for supporting the Legacy Business Program and Small Businesses. We greatly appreciate you. And thank you, richard, for everything that hes amazing. Hes really amazing, okay, so i got three minutes. I am phyllis nabhan, proud owner and founder of gaslight and shadows antiques, a cherished establishment in San Francisco. Bursts with vibrancy, warmth and charm. The store welcomes all it deserves to be a legacy business. I have poured my heart and soul into the store for nearly five decades. Born and raised in San Francisco and still live in the richmond district, ive witnessed the citys evolution firsthand. My dedication to the store has remained steady. Gaslight and shadows. Antiques is a living tapestry of history. Every item holds a story, a link to past errors that enrich our understanding of the present, offering affordable vintage treasures. Enthusiasts of all ages are invited. Young people, in particular, find inspiration in the teachings as knowledge is given about each artifacts, origins and craftsmanship. The store is dedicated to recycling, repair and preservation of treasures from forgotten times. Services like consignment and photo restoration ensure that Cherished Memories are preserved for generations to come. Gaslight and shadows is adored by many, having earned numerous awards, recognition and triumphs over the years as gaslight and shadows antiques serves as a sanctuary of serenity, a place where time slows down and the past comes alive. I am filled with optimism and continued preservation and celebration of the store. It stands as a vital cornerstone of San Franciscos cultural landscape. The support of Small Businesses like this is paramount to maintaining the citys vibrancy, beauty and diversity. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. Hi. Good afternoon, commissioners, angelina, you, on behalf of supervisor connie chan, thank you for considering this item. Thank you. Good to see you, phyllis, as well, the business before you gaslight and shadows, is not only a great spot for treasure hunting, some of the most unique finds in the city. I think its actually one of the anchors and one of the hubs that defines the central pocket of the richmond. I think for all the neighbors and even the visitors alike, if they stumble upon the shop, theyll quickly find that theyre enamored with all sorts of goods. But what keeps neighbors and fellow merchants going and popping in regularly is the fact that phyllis opens up the shop as as a de facto community hub. So folks are regularly connecting with her about neighborhood happenings, finding out about lots of not just the history and the past of the richmond, but, all of the all of the current happenings and ways of kind of enhancing the neighborhood. So i think its going to be were hoping that there will be many more decades of the shop being, a space that folks continue to visit regularly. I think its something that has something for everyone. It reflects some of the local culture and local color of San Francisco, and its these spaces that we hope to, we are the 27th coolest neighborhood in, in, in the world. And i think some of that is attributed to spaces like gaslights and shadows. And so thank you for your consideration. Thank you. Welcome good afternoon, commissioners. My name is grace horikiri. Im the executive director of the nihonmachi street fair. First and foremost, huge thank you to rick, and to nikki yoshikawa, who has, you know, really nudged us forward, to applying for the legacy business. Its a great program. And in japantown, we have 14, two businesses have closed, but we have 14. So if approved, today will be the 15th legacy business in japantown, street fair means a lot to me. You know, i grew up going to the street fair as a kid, so the Mission Statement that we, you know, really hold dear to our heart to mentor young people. I am a reflection of what we are able to achieve and this year is our 50th year. So if we are approved for the legacy business, im going to blast that thing on our website and on our social media too. So i have a lot of folks here with us today that wants to speak from their heart as well. So thank you for, you know, hearing from us. And thank you. Just thank you for everything. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. Hello, commissioners. My name is nick footracer and i proudly serve on the nihonmachi street fair board of directors. And id like to thank the commission for consideration of nihonmachi status as a legacy business. So nihonmachi has a historic past, and this year will continue that historic run. As grace said, were celebrating our 50th year, of illuminating traditions and the culture of the Asian American native hawaiian, and Pacific Island communities. Nihonmachi also provides a place for our youth to grow, to develop a sense of pride for their in their culture, and to gain valuable experience while progressively taking on more and more responsibility and learning new skills. And i speak of this directly from experience, as my own son began as a volunteer at nihonmachi, which helped him to learn responsibility and leadership which helped him to take a risk and apply for a political internship. And from there, graduating from a university. Recently and most importantly, pursuing a career in community and environmental policy, giving back to communities, coming back full 360. After having started at nihonmachi. And he isnt the only one by far. Weve we have countless children or youth, i guess you could say that come through every, every single year. So i hope you will fully consider nihonmachi application as they exemplify, as we exemplify maintaining the citys cultural identity and so that nihonmachi can continue to be a pillar of the City Community and of culture in the bay area. Thank you. Thank you. Hello and welcome. Good afternoon, commissioners director tang. I also wanted to thank you for previous approval on 15 business vacancies in japantown. We call it new honmachi japan street jtown to us, i wanted to acknowledge that because as a former executive director of Japantown Task force and as a former cofounder of kimochi senior center, one of the privileges of being a community activist, a community organizer, is what you can do in your community. And so i have the privilege of being one of the cofounders of the homeless street fair with ron kanzaki and kenny jen psaki. And the amazing thing about going into 50 years is that were all still alive. So in terms of that celebration, i think its going to be pretty profound. And just to give you a little bit of history in terms of it, is that it started with a combination of Asian American studies at San Francisco state after the state strike. I was one of the instructors at the japanese american studies department, introduction to japanese American Community. I was also part of the Japanese Community Youth Council in japantown under jeff mori. And part of that, too, was trying to tie in the combination of some of the alumnus who used to call from chinatown. There was an Organization Called leeway incorporated some years ago. Im just running down some history because nyholm ahsha schriefer was a combination of us sons. The actors at the time declaring our culture, history, interpretation as we wanted to. Not that Cherry Blossom festival doesnt do that. They had a great, successful weekend. Two weekends in a row. I love the ancestor that created it. But for us in your home as a street fair during the 6970, it was a declaration of culture, history, identity and for us in jtown, it was part of our Asian American community that incorporated chinatown, chinese american, but the filipino American Community as well. Truly a definition of what we wanted to do in art, in music, in terms of interpretation. I mean, you can tell us nothing. We organized it. We owned it. And the city and county of San Francisco was part of that phenomenon. I just want to reiterate that as we go into Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month, that, you know, my street fair and the leadership and the auspices, richard ju, the president , grace kitty, pat fong, the executive committee, the members zhaobao says to me, are you talking about the history because we the future and you no doubt about that. So i just wanted to say that please support them. I want to acknowledge phyllis and gaslights and the shadows as well, 50, 75 years old. Its just very important. Thank you so much, commissioners, for your support and all that you do for newhall street fair and the leadership there. The future. Thank you. Amazing. Thank you. Welcome good afternoon, commissioner director tang. Im one of the products. Im rich ju. Im the president of the board. Ive been the prison, the board for the past 15 years. Now ive also been the first, youth who was part of the nihonmachi street fair since i was 13. And im still here today, 50 years later. My son is a participant in the street fair when hes here back from college, hes been a part of the japantown, community for since he was little, ive been involved with, japantown Community Since i was ten, i continue to be there as a board member. When i was for the Japanese Community Youth Council. Thats where where mr. Nakajo was talking about when the inception of nihonmachi street fair was here. He was had his class at the Japanese Community Youth Council, and i was there when they started planning it and started to learn how to organize it. So me being a product, learning how to organize, how to talk to folks, how to conduct meetings and pass the skills on to the next generation is a is a great pleasure for me to keep continuing, to keep doing this. So i, i am here today to talk about that. And we are also besides, you know, inviting musicians and other artisans and everything, everybody else to come, other community organizations, we also are now, invigorating the business in that community, especially during the pandemic. And when there was very low japantowns business was not getting any business at all. At all since we they reopened, we have always encouraged the Business People to people to come and support the businesses all around the community. As you hear now, japantown is probably one of the three communities that has 90 now business happening right now. So im happy to see that, did you consider our legacy so we can continue this for the next 50 years . Thank you very much. Right on. Thank you. Is there anybody else who would like to speak . Please dont be shy. We love to hear from you. Okay. Is there any, no one online. Okay. All right. If nobody else is, here to speak on this item, we will close Public Comment on this item. Okay. Do i have to hit the gavel . Public comment closed. Next item, please. Oh, any any, commissioners . Yes. We need to vote to end, take comments. So sorry, i jumped ahead, okay, i see commissioner ortiz cartagena, please. As my Co Commissioners can attest, this is like the best part of being a commissioner. Both both businesses today. Like, how sentimental for me. Because they were introduced to me by some of my mentors. Gaslight, one of my mentors, john, from johns consignment. When hes in the city, he always comes out there and he introduced me, and its one of those gems im born and raised out there, you know. So i was taught by somebody outside the city of your wonderful place, and its a hoot when we go there. So i appreciate you for that, another mentor of mine that has since passed away is sfpd officer, brian ogawa. And he introduced me to, to the fair and just the treasure that it is and everything you do over there, and, you know, theres one kind of japantown and theres the other kind of japantown. And i appreciate that. I got the opportunity to experience that and that we will continue to experience that. So i appreciate both the both of you today. Thank you. Commissioner dickens dickerson, go ahead. I always consider it an honor whenever we have the chance to have legacy businesses such as yourselves come in and were able to acknowledge you and celebrate you recognize the work. You know, i, i for this particular these these two businesses here i would want to call it the heritage legacy business, recognition. Just because when i hear about your you were once youth and now your children are in the same program. That is the heritage and the legacy that we want to leave behind. Its one of those things that, you know, when you when you invest to, you know, have a Succession Plan to be able to, you know, further along what you all are doing. Theres so much involved in that. And and i hate to just yes, were celebrating the legacy. But while its so much richer than that, i the other thing is, i love when im seeing businesses that i have not yet visited or have not been a part. Im coming to sit in your shop. Just were just going to talk. All right. Well, you know, im going wherever i go. Im going to buy. But i just want to say thank you so much for your love and labor, for the city of San Francisco. It goes. Acknowledged and recognized with great celebration and i just want you all to continue to do what youre doing and keep bringing on those young people to further along what you all are doing. So thank you. Thank you, thank you for all that you have done. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner. Commissioner benitez, go ahead. Well, congratulations again to both businesses, phyllis, you know, when that when your business becomes a hub for the neighborhood for something more than just retail and for people to shop, i think thats something to be applauded for, being a Small Business owner myself and, you know, you know, the business transactions, they keep the lights on and they keep the inventory fresh. But its that human transaction that keeps the people coming in and keeps the neighborhood alive. So congratulations on that. And then for the nihonmachi street festival. Gosh, so many memories , we dont live too far from the neighborhood there either, my wife and i, and weve been going even before we had our little one. Shes nine years old now, and she has so many memories, now going there. And its inspiring now to, get her to volunteer and get her involved in the community. So thank you for doing what you do and keep doing what you do and inspire the, the neighborhood. So thank you. Any other commissioners . Do we have a motion then from from anyone . A motion to pass all of these businesses. Is there a second, second . Motion by commissioner dickerson, seconded by commissioner benitez. Ill read the roll. Commissioner benitez. Yes, commissioner. Cornet yes, commissioner. Dickerson. Yes commissioner. Herbert is absent. President huey is absent. Commissioner ortiz cartagena. Yes. And Vice President. Yes. Motion passes. Congratulations Woohoo Woohoo yeah thank you, thank you, thank you. Guys want to pass this to coming up here . I think he wants to come get him. Thank you all for coming. Yes. Thank you. Okay. Item three overview of office of Small Business commercial leasing services. This is a discussion item. The commission will hear presentation from the office of Small Business commercial leasing specialist about the services they provide and any major trends or takeaways regarding the current Real Estate Market presenting. Today we have iris lee commercial leasing specialist with the office of Small Business. Welcome, iris. Thank you so much for coming. We really appreciate everything you do. So were excited to hear from you. Thank you for having me. Im happy to be here and share a little bit more about my services and how i can help. I have a slide or a presentation. Okay, cool, cool. We can just start out. These are just photos that ive taken in the field and sprinkled throughout the slides. We can talk about the agenda and outline a little bit of the scope of what i do in a daily, part of it is educational training space, matchmaking, loy lease review, community outreach, and just a recap of some current general trends, within the educational training, theres an intake call that happens with a business, either their complete start up or even a legacy business to kind of assess their needs and their stage. Right. And how to help them, we go into discussing and explaining the general commercial leasing processes that are offered, and then helping them understand and discuss the space needs and requirements and then sharing various resources, with sharing the services that i offer with them. Its, you know, letting them know that they have the support, with me from the during the loi negotiation process. So theyre not alone in that. I cant obviously advocate on anyones behalf, but if they need someone to talk it through, they need some advice. Thats what im here for. And they can use me as a resource, and then resources that i share. Theres a bunch of different grants that are available during the time the loans, support through different offices if they need specific, assistance with their business plan, with financial marketing things along those lines. So making sure theyre well aware of all the services that our offices offer. And beyond, the matchmaking. So its , sharing the resources that they may not be aware of to look for the space, craigslist loopnet are always the go tos. Theres also biz by cell if theyre open to buying a business, you know, if they havent have a neighborhood that they want to go into, its really sometimes its going into that neighborhood and Walking Around, meeting the merchants associations, meeting the other Business Owners, because yall are on the ground, you know, whats vacant, who the Property Owners might be, who might be looking for a businesses to come into the space. Also the cbds, also, its a good resource for them, and then reaching out and then i also researched the broker database that i have access to, which is costar, sometimes there are some listings that are on costar that are not publicly listed. So when there are times im able to search for that and share it with folks who are looking, and then they can reach out to the broker directly and start that conversation and go toward the spaces, sharing the listings. And then im able to help them attend as well. So if theyre, for example, a business thats looking to open a cafe and they want to do a build out and they just want another set of eyes, im happy to go out and help them kind of assess the space and see, point out things that they might not see right off the bat. Ive been doing this for ten years in the city. So, you know, this comes with some experience with that and helping them direct them to the right department, permitting. Right. Our permit specialists at 49 south venice, so that they can know everything before they even sign a lease. So its the goal is so that they, during the loi process, are able to understand how much time and money it might take to open the space and then what kind of deal can be negotiated, whether or not stuck paying rent when theyre not even operating for business, and then, yeah, collaborating, referring to permit specialists, the support through the loi, as i mentioned a little bit earlier, is helping them assess the space, provide talking points for negotiation. I have a loi template that i share with folks who are not familiar and who may not be working with a broker whos representing a space, or if theyre working directly with a Property Owner, making sure that they fully understand the permits and the zoning and the work that it would take to get open so that they know that, you know, we need to negotiate six months of free rent in order to be able to get that finished right before youre paying, and just off oftentimes just being there to talk through scenarios to you all are great at your craft and you know it in and out. And im here to know this side of it so that you can ask me as many questions as you have and that i can help you answer. And if we dont know the answer, we can find it, and then i can also help review leases so i can offer a set of eyes to review the lease. Im not able to offer any legal advice, but i can review the lease kind of call out any red flags, you know, suggest things that they should negotiate or change the language or even talk to an attorney. We have the Legal Resources that we can refer businesses to who can have a legal review. And then oftentimes its also, calling out dates to be aware of, specifically your option to renew and then marking that on your calendar just so that you know, that, you know, theres a process to renew things. And oftentimes the process is also written into your lease. Either you have to send it via Certified Mail or a courier, you know, within a certain time frame. So all those things are really important for a business to be aware of when theyre assigning their lease and to making sure that theyre reading them as well. Commercial lease. So these are just some terms that come up that i thought to bring up that i often bring up with businesses, especially when theyre looking at leases. Right. So sublease or assignment terms, ive been seeing a lot of sublease and or specifically assignment terms recently where Property Owners are taking 100 of key money sales and rent that is leased above that, original lease terms that wasnt there prepandemic. And now it is there. So thats just something that im advising folks to think about and talk through and try and negotiate that, because obviously we dont want a business to not be able to get key money, especially if theyve done a complete build out of a restaurant, lets say, different insurance requirements, general liability. You know, your employer is insured, insurance are all pretty standard sometimes and leases it gets pretty specific of what type of leases a business should carry and not some folks arent paying attention. So its really being able to understand those and then striking out the ones that do not pertain to the business or you know that you dont need, the responsibility of repairs and maintenance understanding who whos responsible for repairing what typically, the Business Owner is responsible for everything inside, and the Property Owner is responsible for everything outside of the four walls, six walls, and then the option to renew, as i mentioned earlier, negotiating that option to renew, potentially trying to negotiate the terms when it comes time to renew. So its set in, definitely. Thats definitely preferred for a Business Owner, but if its unable to be obtained, then making sure that theres language on how to determine that and that theres guidance on how to get to an agreeable option to renew for the rent schedule, how to give notice. So oftentimes the communication between yourself and a Property Owner or property manager, you can text or you call, right. Its pretty friendly. But then when it gets to some legal aspects and you try to go the same route, it doesnt hold up. So making sure that when you are making those important decisions for your leases that youre writing, notice youre sending it via Certified Mail and making sure youre covering all your bases so that if it does end up in court, right, theres documents and everyone knows how youve tried to initiate a conversation to do something. And then maybe they didnt answer, utility, utility responsibility. Knowing what spaces are separately metered or not, depending on the use of the space. If its a cafe or restaurant space, you definitely want to make sure there is a separate meter for electric and water use because thats going to be significantly more, and of course, if youre in a larger building, you want to make sure youre only paying what youre using. So how are they calculating that if it isnt separately metered, its good to understand that and ask for that, because that is a right for a Business Owner to know, from the Property Owner and then understanding the difference between a gross and a triple net lease. So a gross lease is your typical 5,000 a month. Thats what you pay your Property Owner. And then you pay your utilities. A triple net lease could be a base rent of 5000 and then your additional cam fees. So property taxes, property insurance and common area maintenance fees, that could be an additional fee that is built in and then build on top of that. So making sure folks who are especially green to leasing know all of these main points, so that when they are making the decision to lease something, they know all the potential costs that are associated with it, community outreach. Our team has done a lot of merchant out merchant walks, and its really great to get out to the corridor and see the meet the existing businesses that i havent met, meet new businesses and just talk to them and share the services. As im talking to the merchants associations and the cbds and then understanding priority vacancies in neighborhoods. So sometimes there are certain cbds or merchants associations who have relationships with Property Owners within that corridor, and the Property Owner is really motivated or interested in in bringing Small Business and supporting them through that. So that has been really important and really key in helping to matchmake, right. And to get businesses who are looking to open a barbecue joint and, you know, a neighborhood saying that they want a barbecue joint and theres a supportive Property Owner. So understanding those are also really helpful, there are often times that i also partner with our mchd or hom, and our supervisors, officers, and Nonprofit Developers to understand the current commercial vacancies and the upcoming vacancies and new developments. So, just being aware of those, sharing those resources, usually those are at least a couple of years ahead of time, and they have those fliers that theyre able to share and they are actively looking for folks. And sometimes those buildings and develops developments are offering, more affordable deals, and then partnering with existing Property Owners, there are sometimes well meet Property Owners who say they have spaces and theyre really interested in really leasing to Small Businesses and really working with them. Right, because they have a passion for that. Some general trends that im seeing. So the asking price of commercial spaces are still being quoted quite high, but i am hearing that a lot of times that folks are going out to look at spaces, you know, theyll express how high it is and brokers will say, well, you know, we can make a deal. So it sounds like deals are being made and theyll be able to come to their senses as far as making making sure their rent is something that the business can sustain, there are a lot of businesses that are looking to start new and expand, and theres a lot of restaurants, multiuse flex retail and personal services that im seeing that are coming through my queue at least, some Property Owners are really coming to terms and offering attractive deals, as you all are probably aware, the Emporium Center in sf, right . Theyve had a few leases and theyre really offering good deals, i just visited the market on market earlier today and they have quite a few vacancies, a few restaurants now with the hood space, and theyre willing to activate and fill those vacancies, im also noticing a good amount of restaurants that are for sale. And what ive noticed are businesses that are fairly priced with pretty good rent is really what folks are buying in these cases, and those seem to be going pretty quickly, especially if, you know, all parties can come to agreement. Yeah. And then just continue general trends. There are just some businesses who have specific neighbors that the neighborhoods that they want to be in, so they know their demographics and theyre pretty focused on, for example, the western side of the city, and they know that they only want to be there. So theyre theyre very interested in being there, downtown, theres been a mixture of folks who are interested in going downtown and see an opportunity to get in on spaces and really be able to build their business and build their brand and grow there. And then theres still a good amount of folks who think its dead and do not want to go there and want to avoid there, i think its an opportunity to locate downtown with the good deals that Property Owners are offering right now. They might be short tum right now, but i think theres potential to negotiate, especially you know, if theyre able to touch base with myself, its really helping them know and educate them on how to advocate for themselves when it comes to leasing and having that conversation. I think thats all. Do you have any questions . Thank you for that. Commissioners director. Oh, i just want to say how excited we were to share iriss services with all of you. As you can tell, since weve added this position to our office, its just been incredible. Valuable to Small Businesses. I mean, theres so much that, again, Business Owners, you know, you may be focusing on, on your craft, as iris said, or other things. And, just to be able to have this, survey free available to all city wide, Small Business owners is just incredible. So im sure we could use like 3 or 5 more irises in our office, the queue is quite long. A lot of review, a lot of really deep engagement in the community, a lot of detailed technical work. And so just want to publicly express my appreciation as well. And were just so fortunate to have, iris and the service here, thank you. Agreed. Commissioner dickerson, please. Hi, iris. Thank you so much for your presentation. You absolutely very timely as well. So funny. I had a conversation just the other day with a client who was interested in opening up their business, and they started talking to me about the commercial rent. And does it cap and is there a certain amount . I mean, they started asking me all these questions and of course i want to act like i know everything. I couldnt answer the question. So could you give me a general idea how, our Property Owners governed by how they charge for rent and is there a cap in what they can charge per square foot . Is that regulated here in the city of San Francisco . It is not. And there is no regulation for commercial spaces. Yeah. The best bet is just being able to negotiate and have that conversation and making sure the Business Owner is well educated and knows what the you know, fair market rents are in the nearby vicinity of their space. Theyre looking in. So i feel like my head just exploded when you said no regulation is that something that is in any type of talk or conversation . I know, lawanda, you talked about the city of San Francisco. Is there is that something that is in conversation at all about, not that im aware of as far as like commercial rent control . Yeah. Not that im aware of. I dont know if it exists elsewhere either, yeah, i think it get very difficult. I think theres some legislation trying to, get some traction about some controlling as far as Security Deposit and more, trans currency about cam fees that are being charged. But i think its a very large battle. Yeah. Because im thinking, you know, San Francisco goes through waves of economic highs and lows and the highs are really high. And sometimes it seems like the high stays high too long. And now were in a situation where were wanting to, bring higher level, more occupancy. Were wanting people to take more space, but to not have any regulation. And, you know, the owners just can charge whatever they want to charge. And it just seems it needs to be a conversation, right . Yeah. I mean, they can charge what they want to charge, but theyre going to sit vacant. So what ive been doing is having conversations with brokers and just, you know, and the conversations im having with brokers theyre saying is that were telling them the same thing, is that were just saying that this is outrageous. For example, for this space in this neighborhood. Yeah, this isnt realistic. Yeah, were 2024 and people are still trying to charge 20, you know, ten rent or so. Anyway, i wish i had better news. No no, i know at least you answered my question. I appreciate that. Thank you. Of course. Commissioner ortiz cartagena, thank you for the presentation. I just wanted to give, like, kudos to you, i know you and i havent really worked directly with a client, but, like, peripheral. I hear what clients say. And also, you know, weve worked in, like, some capacity to help cbos. But, what the real feedback and what what your. Excellent. Not only that, youre a subject matter expert. I would you know, know what you do, but, theres not that pushiness. Right. Because if youre with a broker, theres a commission in place. So youre like, here, eat this, shove this down your throat. Or if youre with an attorney, its billable hours. So, like, youre very approachable and theres not like an agenda, you know, like thats what the feedback has been to Small Businesses that im like, oh, i know who you, you know. And im like, yeah. And i was like, i know thats in my heart, right . So, its a great program. Like it definitely. I concur with, director, we need more of you, but more of you. Iris. Like, because youre friendly and welcoming to Small Business. And this is very intimidating. Yeah, and this is sometimes the make or break for the business. You could be the best chef in the world, the best whatever in the world. But if you sign a lease that you dont really understand and youre done from the day before you even start, so absolutely, youre saving a lot of businesses before they even start. So appreciate you. Thank you. Commissioner please, iris, first of all, i want to thank you for all the work youve done, with the leases, with just everything you do. Youre just amazing, ive worked with you in the past on a couple of leases and, youve just always shed light on areas that just. You kind of overlook. And with leases, its such so much gray area things that we just dont know. And, you know, we can kind of get into hot water sometimes with, you know, not knowing these things. So i want to thank you for all the hard work youve done and always just been a, a such a valuable asset and a great person, i have a question for you. Are there any penalties for landlords sitting on properties, because in the past ive kind of seen landlords just like, okay, i just want to keep it empty because i dont want to fill it, but are there any, like, penalties that the city is , has, has to like kind of like motivate them to not sit on that property. There are two vacancy taxes, one from the tx office and one from dbi. I believe, and i believe the one from tx, theres only within certain neighborhood corridor, transit districts as well. So yes, there are. I dont know how motivating it is for some. For some ive heard that it is some brokers ive heard complain about it, but its really not that large in the grand scheme of things. Okay. Do you know the like the like the rate of the penalty. Its per linear square footage. The one from tx is actually its a, its i think 780. Its like an annual fee. Oh thats dbi sorry. Its an annual fee. And you kind of voluntarily add yourself to the vacancy registry or its complaint based. Okay. So somebody complains, then youll get added to the registry. And thats like a set amount of what, 780 something i believe. And then if the lets say the Properties Sit Empty for a while, and theyre on that registry when coming off of that registry, do the landlords have to kind of bring it up to code before releasing it . Or now the new tenant would have to lease it, releases it, have to bring it up to code. It doesnt specify. Yeah, yeah. So just to clarify, the commercial vacancy tax which the treasurer and tax collectors office, they were the ones who enforce on that one. So theres a, a form that is sent out every year to both the Property Owner and the tenant. Information also has to be filled out. So if you keep a commercial space vacant for more than 182 days in a calendar year , then youd have to be subject to the tax, and so and again, it was based on the linear linear feet. And im sorry that im blanking on. Oh, lets see the tax rate for 20 2023. The tax rate is 250 per linear foot of frontage for a taxable commercial space that was not kept vacant, in the 2022 tax year. And 500 per linear foot of frontage for taxable commercial space that was kept vacant in the 2022 tax year, and i think yeah, to the earlier question about whether the Property Owner has to bring it up to code, that those are not part of any of the dbi or the treasure tax collectors programs. Its simply just to collect on the vacant property. Lease, you have the floor. All right, i think i got the mic right microphone this time. Thanks for pointing that out, this is probably just more of a comment and a question. Well, its a comment and a question as well. I wish i had known about this when we had opened up our business very long ago. So i think this is great. I think its a great resource for our Small Business owners and people who want to eventually start their own business and kind of helps break down that barrier of intimidation from that perspective. So this is, i think, a really wonderful way to approach it, secondly, i was just curious really, how far along does the city go into the negotiations or how far along do you go, into the planning with these businesses should they decide to go forward . You know, is it from beginning to end, or is there a certain aspect or a certain part where eventually you do step out, and then secondly, you know, i was i think director tang already alluded to this. I was just going to ask if you had different contexts for different corridors or just kind of see which corridor has a high priority right now, or is there one thats on top of your list that you know, the, department is looking to fill more faster than the other . Or is there a certain priority of a corridor that, you know, you you would like to see, eventually, you know, through through through this program . Yeah. Downtown is probably a priority to fill, right now. I would say, where the vacancies are, there are, you know, there is a healthy vacancy rate, too, within corridors. So there are some corridors who say, oh, we have this many vacancies, but we dont want it to be completely full because then that would just drive everyones rent up, you know, so there is a healthy vacancy rate, but i think downtown is pretty empty, fishermans wharf, for example, is also pretty empty, and then for your earlier question, basically from the beginning until they sign a lease and beyond, if they want to be, you know, the assistants, im not i cant, be the inbetween person to talk on their behalf. But if they need that support, thats what im here for is a very scary, document to read and understand and sign. If you dont do it on the normal. Right. And theyre i would say also, you know, there are morphing language too, that goes into these leases, that theres new language, excuse me, that i sometimes see that pop up that, you know, attorneys and Property Owners are just thinking of to include. Yeah thank you, ill ask a couple questions. So i know that you got a lot of experience. Also working in the tenderloin specifically. And youve probably seen some of the worst case studies since i know what was happening a lot is, developers approach businesses saying you have a great business, can can we partner and move into a bigger space . And i know a lot of, a lot of businesses kind of got caught up in, these sweet promises that ended up, you know, not coming to fruition and not really understanding, you know, their obligations in those agreements. And, im just curious, you know, if theres, any, any kind of protocols or best practices when it, when it comes to these extra kind of things that developers add in to, to deals or, you know, incentives. Because, you know, i think its also come up where businesses are now in deferred rent and deferred sba Loan Obligations situations. And theres, you know, now landlords are saying, you know, well, were owed that money that you got from that grant, you know, and people dont know what is actually obligated of them in these kind of, special circumstances that i felt like happened a lot during the covid, years. And up until now, as, as people are eager to, to fill vacancies and trying to work with, with businesses. But, yeah. So i guess thats kind of just open ended. But ive seen those, those examples, and just i know were at a head, so whats the situation with the deferred rent and deferred kind of, economic recovery loans that businesses are facing. Is there any, any leave that you feel like is happening . I personally have not seen any of those cases come by to me while being here. So i dont know. I dont have an answer for you. I think its, you know, i refer a lot of folks to our, our legal nonprofit that exists in sf, and then the San Francisco Bar Association for mediation. I think its most important for them to not go through this alone and to get legal help, where they can, especially if it is pro bono, so that they understand the situation and they can have someone either represent them or assist them with that communication. But im also here to talk through different scenarios and kind of get a whole scope of the business and seeing what is ideal. And, you know, i think there are a lot of different options potentially for them to exit, if that is the wish to exit, for example, to finding someone else to take over or, you know, yeah, i dont , i guess im sorry. I added a whole bunch of different examples in there, but youre not. You dont have any examples of deferred rents. Businesses that are now, you know, stuck with this kind of situation with where they owed a lot of background. That was only during covid that i saw that when i was at the cbd, yes. That like, yeah. Before joining osb is when i did see that. Yeah. And a lot of those folks went to mediation or Legal Assistance because it was pretty much beyond my scope. I mean, i can help them negotiate before that, but i, you know, truly legal help is where youre going to get the most attention and the most answers from them. Yeah. Okay. And then, i know that you said you referenced the costar platform and are keeping track with some of the bigger, property listing things. How are we keeping track of small Property Owners who are maybe not, you know, posting on those types of sites or dont even have brokers or, hopefully they find our office. Theres been a few that have come to and, you know, weve met through our office last year, and theyre a really great to keep in contact with, and its just really maintaining that relationship, you know, similar to a traditional real estate, and i think once they find out about our office, they get really excited because then they know there is a queue of business who have the support of our osb offices and beyond, right, with whatever resources they choose to take advantage of outside of that. Okay. And last kind of question for me is when businesses come into buildings and i know we discussed how they dont have to bring anything up to code when theyre giving a lease. But, i feel like a lot of businesses, especially immigrants, they think, oh, im grandfathered in. Its an old building, you know, and they just have an assumption that they dont need to, as a business, do any type of ada accessible business, entryway upgrades or, is there a clause that you try to flag with people related to that . Yes what does that look like . Yeah, its the disability clause first and foremost. Usually that is even in the loi. I believe i have that in my loi template. So its even discussed before getting to a lease so that, you know, we dont even bother getting to the lease with the Property Owner is not open to having that conversation, and its really just making sure that they are well aware. Fact finding as much as i can with my colleagues at the permits, desk center. And, you know, so that i know everything to as much as i can at least and then having them find out the information from the broker or the Property Owner , and then making sure its written into the leases and making sure that they have Legal Assistance to write those clauses in of the responsibility and those details, and making sure theyre reading it too, especially if they, you know, have the ability to i really want to make sure that they are reading it, so they know that these are their responsibilities or the Property Owners responsibilities, thats super helpful. Thank you. Any other commissioner questions. All right. This is discussion item. So then we can, move on. Thank you all. Oh, wait. No, wait. Seeing we need Public Comment. Even though its discussion, anybody in the. I think that was the old one. Yeah. Anybody else in the floor . Okay. Iris, thank you for your time. Thank you. Public comment is closed and the item is number four. Please item four. Resolution declaring Small Business week may 6th through may 10th, 2024. This is a discussion and action item. The commission will review and possibly take action to declare may 6th through may 10th, Small Business week in 2024. Okay, we do need to take action on this one. But first well hear from our director. All right. Thanks everyone. This is just part of our, key responsibilities as commission to officially declare Small Business week. So this week it will. Or this year, it will be may 6th through 10th, our staff has a lot of, exciting ideas in store for Small Business week, so theyre currently in planning phase, and so when it comes closer to that time, well of course invite you to some of those events, including, i think i mentioned previously, this year were bringing the Small Business pop up event to the transbay terminal by salesforce as a way to really attract people to fill some of the vacancies actually, in that area, and weve heard from some of the employees who work there that theyd like to see more options. And theres plenty of commercial spaces sitting empty right now. So thats what were going to be doing this year. So ill send an invite to all of you in the inbox. But there are also some other events that were looking forward to. So, with that, this is again, simply just, an official declaration of when Small Business week will take place this year. Good stuff. Thank you. Director and does anybody have any questions on this item . Okay, is there a, is there a, no, anybody want to make a motion on this one . Hold on. Oh, yeah. We got we got commissioner ortiz cartagena, please, no, this is just. I think cynthia hueys name is on twice on the letterhead, on the. Oh. Thank you. And that its the best week. Okay, great. Anybody want to make a motion . Ill make a motion. Second. Motion. Declare Small Business. I second that motion. Yes. Small business week. Motion. Do it. Motion to declare Small Business week by commissioner dickerson, seconded by commissioner benitez. Ill read the roll. Commissioner benitez. Yes commissioner. Cornett. Yes, commissioner. Dickerson. Yes, commissioner. Herbert is absent. President hughes absent. Commissioner ortiz. Cartagena. Yes. And Vice President ozunas. Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Next item, please. Item five. Approval of draft meeting minutes. This is a discussion and action item. Anybody have any questions on this one . Edits okay. Any motions . We have to take Public Comment. Oh yeah. Did i forget. Sorry. Public comment on. On our draft meeting minutes. Theres no Public Comment. Okay all right. Any motions . I try to give yall a chance. Ill motion for the approval of the draft meetings. I second great motion to approve the meeting minutes. Commissioner dickerson, seconded by commissioner cornett. Commissioner benitez. Yes, commissioner. Cornett. Yes commissioner. Dickerson. Yes commissioner. Herbets. Absent. President. Hughes. Absent. Commissioner. Ortiz. Cartagena yes. And Vice President. Yes. Motion passes. Item six. General. Public comment. This is a discussion item allowing members of the public to comment generally on matters that are within the commissions jurisdiction, but not on todays calendar. Seeing that theres none, no one in the audience, lets say Public Comment is closed. Item seven directors report. This is a discussion item. All right, good evening everyone. So lighter on the updates this week, we mentioned Small Business week in an earlier item, already spoke about the pop up event at trans bay terminal by salesforce tower. Also wanted to share and thank you to rick carrillo, who has launched a legacy business passport project and so just wanted to give you a heads up that he and michelle in our office have reached out to all the legacy businesses in San Francisco to see who would like to participate. So during Small Business week, there will be a fun a booklet that looks like a little passport, and you can go around and collect stamps as a as a consumer and if you collect, i think its 25 stamps. I could get it wrong, hopefully im correct in 25 stamps that you then get a prize from our office. And so just a fun way to really showcase the legacy businesses throughout the city and just get people to participate and interested and to learn a little bit more about their neighborhood legacy business. So thats really exciting. And then also as part of Small Business week and part of the regular heritage happy hours on may 9th, will be cohosting, heritage happy hour slash Small Business week event at zeitgeist. Thats at 199 valencia street. And so that will be the legacy business mixer, and then following month, just if you want to mark your calendars june 13th, the heritage happy hour will be at el rio, also in the mission 3158 mission street, so those are the kind of events coming up. Also i wanted to just very quickly, with regards to business tax reform, conversations have continued on, with some of the, the non Small Businesses with regards to some of the proposals that the city has been contemplating. And so those currently its just negotiations continue to be underway before deciding whether to move forward with a ballot measure, that voters would vote on. So again nothing much to update. Content wise for the Small Business community at this point, so but just wanted to let you know thats still going on. And if you hear of anyone who has any questions or concerns about the current proposals to let us know, and were happy to put you in touch with staff from the treasurer tax collectors office. And youd, weve also got several legislative items and efforts underway, but i will reserve on announcing those until those are a little bit more public and introduced, but just letting you know, we continue to, investigate and look into ways that we can improve the experience for Small Businesses citywide. So, those are my updates and happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Director commissioners, any questions, any comment from the public on this item . Seeing none Public Comment is closed. If anybody has anything else well move on to the item next item. Item eight commissioner discussion and new business. This is a discussion item allowing the president , Vice President and commissioners to report on recent Small Business activities, make announcements, make inquiries of staff. Thank you. Commissioner ortiz. Cortana. Go ahead. Thank you, Vice President , ill start off with some of some of the stuff, like the work, and then ill do the nice stuff and the happy stuff, the first one is, one of our legacy businesses. Pancho. Mama. I think theyre having difficulties. Im wondering if weve reached out from our office with. Okay i figured our office has has been, engaged, but i think theres still some issues to resolve between the business and the Property Owner. Theres a broker involved right now, and so lets just say weve been engaged. Okay . Perfect. I appreciate i figured that much, second, a little bit of update on the mobile food as ive always said, ive been saying it to go on record that, you know, we as a city need to get the permit going. And we have like gps has been going the office the Mayors Office has been doing good a lot of the organizations in the mission, a lot of the cbos, were really putting our strength behind that right now. Weve been meeting to ramp up and work in collaboration with the city. So we are proactively trying to engage. So when it does roll out, its seamless. And it it takes Community Input as much as you can. Regarding the state legislation, but as much as you can. So weve been working diligently on that. And even our office, ive asked them to help me with some resources and theyre helping me with that. So thats with, mobile food. But i think what did you say, director . Its really a compact mobile food. Thats right. It sounds like what youre interested is in the compact mobile food program, which has been allowed under state law. But San Francisco currently does not have a program, we do have the mobile food facility program, which is what you all know as food trucks. Theres also the temporary food facility permitting scheme, which allows for street food vendors at events like street fairs, art walks and farmers markets, and then also cottage food permitting, which allows you to make certain types of foods in your in your home kitchen for sale with certain regulations in place. So yes, but it sounds like youre interested in conventional food. Yeah. And thank you for that because i, i know in my head what im talking about, but i just say everything is mobile food. Right. And its, theres so many different layers and i just put them all in. Yeah. Right. In mobile food. So thank you. Thank you for the support and looking forward to working with everybody on that, okay. Now the fun stuff. The excelsior, the excelsior has a cbd and the excelsior is just a happening spot right now. They got a lot of new locations and like tyler wines, the halfway club, the corner store, the new rocks den, which got into a bigger location. And its just its just happening over there. And i just i need to shout out the excelsior because their Small Businesses are just really doing it, and its fun. Its a fun place, you know, affordable and its family oriented. So i just wanted to do that, for the mission, we got a big anchor tenant called home bargain, which is exciting for Small Businesses because they draw a lot of the foot traffic thats necessary. So its a perfect fit for a huge space thats been empty for a long time. I think it was like 30,000ft s, which no Small Business truly can, like fill. So theyre really like bringing in that anchor space that creates the foot traffic. So were excited for that. And it also the price point fits in within our constituency in the neighborhood. So its a its a perfect fit. And lastly this weekend was the salina cruz i unfortunately first time i couldnt be in it, but i got all the posts and all the participations. And i did hear back from our Small Business because these events are home run things for Small Businesses. These are like the few events that they sell out. This is what makes the day. This is what pays for christmas. This space for the holiday trip. And in addition, el tiangge, which was one of the Street Vendor locations, had closed this week and they were allowed to vent on the 24th street capp street location called la placita. And it was just a bonanza, like everybody sold out. Everything and i just want to highlight that because, i know i brought it up when the super bowl, when we were thinking we were going to go to super bowl and they were planning on on closing down streets if we won the super bowl and they probably jinxed us because of that. But this was a ton of people cruising, a ton of people in cars. And, you know, Police Officers engaged with community with the lowrider clubs. And we were able to get this massive amount, like statewide of people into the mission. And its just a bonanza for Small Business. So i just want to highlight that because its the same thing as if the super bowl or the world series or the warriors. Like if we do it right, its really beneficial for Small Businesses and we have the blueprint because nobody got hurt, nobody got shot, no. You know, thats a thats almost a stereotype. Thats kind of messed up. Right. Like these are very expensive cars. These are like pieces of art rolling down. Nobodys going to, you know, mess them up or throw bottles and stuff and Small Businesses sell out, sell out, sell out, sell out. So i just want to highlight that. So thank you. Thank you. Go ahead commissioner benitez. Oh cool. Just a little highlight from our neighborhood the davis corridor, there is a business thats actually wanting to look for a new owner or selling a business thats a device right on the corner there at hayes. And davis, so just two questions, i guess. Kind of just going back looking at the commercial leasing services, is that something that the commercial Lease Services would be able to help with . But its an existing business. Its not a new business, and then second, i just wanted to put it out there. I mean, we, you know, its a its a wonderful store. The owner is looking to hopefully keep it as it is, its really great for the corridor. Its high visibility, the drop off drop on busses are right there, right in front, alamo square is right down the street. So its a really great way to expose even the tourists to Small Businesses, theyve been there for ten years, and i think giselle, whos the owner, had bought it from the previous owners who were probably there for about almost ten years prior to that, so just kind of the happiness thats going on in the neighborhood. But, you know, being close to, you know, being on the commission here, if theres anything that might be relayed back to her to just either kind of look into or work with the city on, that i can help with at all. Yeah, absolutely. Please always feel free to refer businesses to us, and we can talk a little bit more details with them to better understand the situation and assist. Yeah, absolutely. I do want to reinforce about the show for the selena, lowriders this weekend. I love it that it goes right in front of my salon every single time. And what i love is that one, it it brings out so much community, retail sales. Everythings really good. But also it creates awareness, because sometimes clients will come from far and wide and they didnt know. But then theyre spreading the words and theyre Walking Around and seeing the arts, seeing the different vendors, and it just keeps like blowing up and blow up and multiplying. So i really do love it, also, im noticing, i dont know if you noticed on in casa guadalupe, i think theyre taking over the location where walgreens was. Yeah so im excited to i spoke to one of the employees about that, they did mention it, so i want to kind of fish a little bit more, but. Yeah, but its nice to get that big space occupied. Any other commissioners . Okay. Ill just also say its also arab heritage month and Armenian Heritage month. So i know we have a lot of businesses in the city, and i loved that, today we had such a strong representation of, how businesses uphold, you know, create Community Infrastructure and really represent cultural diaspora community. So love that, but i have no other announcements. So is there public . There is none. Okay. Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Next item. Item nine. Adjournment sfgovtv. Please show the office of Small Business slide. Okay. And we will end with a reminder that the Small Business commission is the official public forum to voice your opinions and concerns about policies that affect the Economic Vitality of Small Businesses in San Francisco. If you need assistance with Small Business matters, continue to reach out to the office of Small Business. Thank you. Meeting adjourned [music] opening this space with my sister, and being able to continue the very deep literary lineage that exist in the mission is part of the fabric of the neighborhood. This is neighborhood of poets and litary readings. You see the writers from the neighborhood, their books are here. Paul flores books are here. That is what we are doing, keeping the litary lineage alive and going, you know . [music] San Francisco is actually the only place that i can do this. In its quite way, something i can actually do that is a benefit. Sure, i like to open up a really cool well curateed spot. It would be beneficial but not the same beneficial it is here. When i say young folks that remind me of us, when we were that young, and they come in here, they can relax. Nobody is following them around like they are going to steal anything. That means they can be a little more free and little more of themselves and i can do some small thing that helps them do that and that is part of what lets me know im doing exactly what i want and need to do. [music] we have events here that focus on the deep neighborhood history here on the artists and writers. If you look now there is antany, his exhibit and focus is on neighborhood people. Artists muralist, the space was basically a gift given to us in a really weird way. We had to work our asses off for, but it was that opportunity for me that chance to be that link in the long literary chain of the neighborhood. It is a blessing to be here. Chinatown. music . Welcome to San Francisco historic chinatown a place with a past, present, and future merge with the street culture and cuisine join us as was take you on a journey. San Francisco Chinatown is a feeling testament of chinas immigrants and arrived in 1950 during the gold rush but hardship built a 35 community that served for generations. Today San Francisco chinatown is a burtonsville neighborhood brimming with history and culture. One of the highlights of this vibrant is worldwide can i intervene aim first and the oldest. We are known for handmade our claim to fame is our unique food and few places in the world. speaking foreign language. chinatown is a food louvers paradise with a rich engrave and cuisine. Back requires and moon contacts and every fine dining. Welcome to unintelligible . Sandy spring . speaking foreign language. whether youre an ad veteran urban forester chinatown has something for everyone. Chinatown is not just again food also a hub of creativity and take a stroll down the street with murals as culture exhibitions to celebrate the heritage of this city. What the sun sets schoun truly come alive. Its night life is old and new a myriad of bars and you can distance the night away with friends. The museums and culture nonprofits play an Important Role in chinatown to teacher us about the past, present, and future and providing a platform for artist to engage in conversations and welcome to the chinas holistic the mission so collect and preserve Common Council in america any person of my background can see themselves in chinatown for all people. And our founders help to create the studies. And usa with a was an amazing collector. Chinatown center was founded no 1965 an art center for infer served for people for education and the center is an exciting place for dialogue and engage with the actor right now have a exhibition present tense playground that looks the development of chinatown and also with the vast asian with taiwan and honk con. Welcome to the square a new culture hub celebrating chinatown a gateway tell stories of chinatown the people here the culture and the history and past, present, and future all through arts and culture. That is a 35 community there is so many to see shopping and buy food and suv inferiors and we welcome, everyone to come in and see what is going on here. So whether or not youre a history buff foodie an art person or simply looking for a night of excitement San Francisco chinatown has something for you come and explore and experience the heart San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by water, the fire boat station is intergal to maritime rescue and preparedness, not only for San Francisco, but for all of the bay area. [sirens] fire station 35 was built in 1915. So it is over 100 years old. And helped it, were going to build fire boat station 35. So the finished Capital Planning committee, i think about three years ago, issued a guidance that all city facilities must exist on Sea Level Rise. The station 35, Construction Cost is approximately 30 million. And the schedule was complicated because of what you call a float. It is being fabricated in china, and will be brought to treasure island, where the building site efficient will be constructed on top of it, and then brought to pier 22 and a half for installation. Were looking at late 2020 for final completion of the fire boat float. The historic firehouse will remain on the embarcadero, and we will still respond out of the historic firehouse with our fire engine, and respond to medical calls and other incidences in the district. This totally has to incorporate between three to six feet of Sea Level Rise over the next 100 years. Thats what the citys guidance is requiring. It is built on the float, that can move up and down as the water level rises, and sits on four fixed guide piles. So if the seas go up, it can move up and down with that. It does have a full range of travel, from low tide to high tide of about 16 feet. So that allows for current tidal movements and sea lisle rises in the coming decades. The fire boat station float will also incorporate a ramp for ambulance deployment and access. The access ramp is rigidly connected to the land side, with more of a pivot or hinge connection, and then it is sliding over the top of the float. In that way the ramp can flex up and down like a hinge, and also allow for a slight few inches of lateral motion of the float. Both the access ramps, which there is two, and the utilitys only flexible connection connecting from the float to the back of the building. So electrical power, water, sewage, it all has flexible connection to the boat. High boat station number 35 will provide mooring for three fire boats and one rescue boat. Currently were staffed with Seven Members per day, but the Fire Department would like to establish a new dedicated marine unit that would be able to respond to multiple incidences. Looking into the future, we have not only at t park, where we have a lot of kayakers, but we have a lot of developments in the southeast side, including the stadium, and we want to have the ability to respond to any marine or maritime incident along these new developments. There are very few designs for people sleeping on the water. Were looking at cruiseships, which are larger structures, several times the size of harbor station 35, but theyre the only good reference point. We look to the cruiseship industry who has kind of an index for how much acceleration they were accommodate. It is very unique. I dont know that any other fire station built on the water is in the united states. The fire boat is a regional asset that can be used for water rescue, but we also do environmental cleanup. We have special rigging that we carry that will contain oil spills until an environmental unit can come out. This is a job for us, but it is also a way of life and a lifestyle. Were proud to serve our community. And were willing to help people in any way we can. Gned b it took the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire and 500 city blocks burning to the ground for the people of San Francisco to realize they had an inadequate water supply. The earthquake allowed nation sin a neuropathy for San Francisco. Whatever this stricken city wants as a country, we should help them with it. Years before, mayor james feland explored the sierra for a source of water for a city run water utility. His search led him to a pristine valley along the tuolumne river. Hetch hetchy valley seemed to be the obvious place for this. It had steep perpendicular walls, 2500 feet and a flat floor. All you would have to do is put a dam across it. However, hetch hetchy was in Yosemite National park and in order to build the proposed system, San Francisco needed federal permission. Jon mural opposed the dam and blocked progress for years but in 1913, congressman john from money george would clear the way. Signed by president wood row wilson, it created a relationship between Yosemite National park and the city of San Francisco that continues to this day. Take them to the its an imperative for collaboration with the National Park service and the Forest Service for our ongoing work as well as maintenance projects and Capital Improvement projects. We have a Strong Partnership with the National Park service aimed at protection of the watershed, its for the natural values for it, and wilderness area for the park service and protection of water quality. For a century now, this dam in a National Park brought fresh water to the San Francisco bay area which shared stewardship, it will continue to do so for generations to come. This will is the moment. Its made possible the call to order. Call to order. The april 23rd, 2024 meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities commission. Can we have a roll call of officers . Roll call, please. President paulson here. Vice president rivera. Here. Commissioner ajamie. Here. Mr. Maxwell here. Commissioner stacy here. We have a quorum. So id like to announce that the San Francisco Public Utilities commission acknowledges that it owns and are stewards of the unseated lands located within the ethnohistoric territory of the ohlone tribe and other familiar descendants of the historic, federally recognized Mission San Jose verona band of alameda county. The sf puc also recognizes that every cin