Transcripts For SFGTV 20140516

I will be chairing this meeting. Joining me will be supervisor katy tang. The clerk today is alisa miller. The committee would also like to acknowledge the staff at sfgovtv jennifer low and jim smith who record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online. Madam clerk, are interest any announcements . Yes. Please make sure you silence all cell phones and electronic devices. [speaker not understood] should be submitted to the clerk. Items acted upon today will appear on the june 3rd board of supervisors agenda unless otherwise stated. Okay. Can we have a motion to excuse supervisor campos from todays rules Committee Meeting . So moved. L okay, with no ok, motion is passed. [gavel] madam clerk, can you please call item number 1 . Item number 1 is a hearing to consider appointing one member, term ending march 31, 2016, to the commission on aging Advisory Council. There is one vacant seat and one applicant. Okay. There is one applicant for just one seat and, Eleanor Lurie called in and said she was going to be sick and ive read her bio on this. So, is there any Public Comments . So, through the chair, i also do understand that dr. Lurie is not able to make it here today. She ha been appointed by supervisor mark farrell. I also did get a chance to read her Background Information, has extensive background which i think qualifies her for this commission on aging. So, although she was not able to make it today, do appreciate her reaching out to us before hand and happy to receive Public Comment on it. Very good. Is there any Public Comment on this item . Two minutes. And how are you today, supervisors . My name is [speaker not understood]. Im a member excuse me. I live in district 6 and im very active in the community and i really appreciate the applicant for getting in touch with the supervisors and letting them know that she was sick. And i would ask you to please approve her for her seat. Thanks. Any other Public Comments . Seeing none, Public Comment is now closed. [gavel] is there a motion . Id like to move to make a motion to appoint elinore lurie to the commission on aging Advisory Council and send that to the full board with recommendation. Okay. Positive recommendation. With no objection, the motion is passed. [gavel] madam clerk, can you call item number 2 . Item number 2 is a hearing to consider appointing one member, term ending april 30, 2015, and three members, term ending april 30, 2016, to the commission of animal control and welfare. There are four vacant seats and 7 applicants. Okay. So, why dont we call the applicants up in the order thats on the agenda. Amy van nest, if you could if you like, to say a few words about yourself. Good afternoon. I live in San Francisco. Ive lived here for about six years, [speaker not understood] about 12 years. I have volunteered with different animal [speaker not understood] organizations in San Francisco as well as the east bay and Northern California. [speaker not understood] arc, Animal Center and when i lived in southern california, i volunteered at the San Diego Zoo and wild animal park. I currently have two pets in San Francisco and animals have always been a concern that they get proper care and treatment in that they just are protected. And, so, im interested in this so i can give back and help do that in San Francisco. Any questions . Supervisor tang. Sure. So, thank you. I heard that you still [speaker not understood] broadly about your interest and why you want to serve on this commission. But can you speak orctiontion you know, are there any specifics youd like to work on if you are appointed to this commission . ~ speak on any kind of issues you see currently, what we could do better in the city . I used to be a Police Officer in a different city and saw a lot of animal abuse that went on, animal cruelty. Some animals were abused so bad that they had to be put down because of the abuse. It was just horrific what people could do to animals. And if i can help in any way to get knowledge out there to the community, let people know if they are unable to take care of their animals, what is the main thing to do with the animals. Whether its evictions or just like issues that theyre no longer able to take care of the animals. I have a cat thats 22 years old. Like when i was a Police Officer, [speaker not understood] chopped off her foot and fortunately shes been a wonderful cat. And i want people to know that there are options. There are [speaker not understood] if you take on an animal, you need to know that its a privilege and what you need to do to, to take care of those animals because theyre dependent on us. And i just want to make sure that in San Francisco that were enforcing laws and giving People Knowledge to know how to take care of them in the city boundaries. There are adoptions for [speaker not understood] discounted veterinarian care. And if they do see a injured animal what to do or if there is a ferel cat what to do because some of the ferel cats do have [speaker not understood] in San Francisco. So, just getting more knowledge out to the community i think is lacking. It could be helped. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Nanci haines, are you here . James yorck or is this nanci haines . So, my name is nanci haines and i am interested in a seat on this committee of animal control and welfare. A little bit about me. I am a native californian. I have i grew up in the bay area and ive lived in the bay area most of my life. So, i have experienced a number of different cultures within the San Francisco bay area. I currently reside in the Mission District and i do have a dog and a cat. Im also one of the founders of a new Organization Called ride a ranch rescue and its a not for Profit Organization thats being set up to care for special needs animals. And at present its new and its a Virtual Organization where were just now trying to raise funds and draw attention to special cases. Our goal is to have a Northern California location in a few years, provide a safe haven forespecial needs animal. As a part of the ranch we hope to also establish a Veterinary Internship Program where veterinary students can care for the incoming animal. Theres longer term plans for that, kind of fun, bed and breakfast, where you could adopt the animal for a night. So, anyways, im also active an active volunteer in a number of animal organizations, one being the underground kitty railway which is a really cool program where cats can be taken from kill shelters anywhere in the state and then they are basically shipped or taken to the forever home possibly in some other state. And also we use that to reconnect veterans with their pets or find homes for vet pets while theyre away and then theyre reconnected with them when they come back. I do volunteer at the San Francisco spca and you can definitely see my face every christmas at a macys windows trying to find homes for dogs and cats. So, i think hopefully this shows you that i have a strong interest in the welfare of animals. And i have listened to and read the minutes of the Commission Meetings and there are a number of issues well, the majority of the issues that are currently happening with this commission are of interest to me. And im hoping that if im selected, my service on this commission will make me a stronger advocate for animals. Im hoping to build alliances in it connection with this community to have a future stream of animals come our way and [speaker not understood] more effective rescues. I believe these experiences [speaker not understood] make me an asset to the city as a Commission Member and i appreciate your consideration on this matter. Okay, thank you. Supervisor tang . No questions. Thank you. Okay. Next applicant, james yorck. James yorck. [speaker not understood] 19th century, karl marx, he he said through conflict there is growth. And ive been going to the commission for the last four years and i have been kind of a thorn in their side. I used to own a pet store and i think its always good to add a different dimension. Unfortunately nowadays the commission is all nonprofit and it just [speaker not understood] same old stuff. I would like to be on the commission to help it go forward and help do sane and rational thing. Personally, id love to see in the Commission Push for veterinarians to publish you go to a veterinarian and your pets die. They should be published online to the person, which isnt done nowadays. Your doctor does thing the veterinarian doesnt. Im sad supervisor campos isnt here. Two years ago i was here and enteredctionv ~ supervisor elsbernd gave me a rousing support and mr. Campos brought up what he had heard was that i had been investigated for animal cruelty. And there was also an animal control officer here who verified it. I went down that day to the animal control and i talked to vicki [speaker not understood] and they looked at my record and there is nothing unwarranted in my record. Yes, i got complaints like every pet store, but i was never investigated for animal cruelty. You mentioned you wanted to put things how else would you like to see things move forward . Working with pet stores is much better. San francisco has this long tradition of working only through, through nonprofits. We gave a suggestion for pet store gave a suggestion to acc to, to use pet stores, and they are using one, pet express, and that could be expanded. There is not a great number there is a large number, but not an unbearable number of unwanted pets in the city. It is always a problem, but the spca is bringing in from the Central Valley about 2,500 dogs and cats. So, its now we could expand the number if we used stores as adoption centers, too. Okay. Okay, thank you. The next applicant would be davi lang. Good afternoon, supervisors tang and yee. Thank you for this opportunity to present to you my background and qualifications for a seat on the Animal Welfare commission. My name is davi lang. I am 27 years old. I am a San Francisco native born and raised and currently living in mission bay. I am of mixed descent. My mother immigrated to San Francisco from cambodia in 1980 and my father from new york. I went to [speaker not understood] high school and then u. C. Berkeley where i first discovered my passion for Animal Welfare. This began when i was asked to sign a petition to get prop 2 on the ballot in 2008. I spent a semester in washington, d. C. And while interning in nancy flowtion is office i also interned at the Humane Society of the United States farm Animal Welfare division. Interning for both congress and hsus inspired me to write my senior thesis at cal on the deterioration of [speaker not understood] over the past 40 years and its connection to factory farms and Animal Welfare. Then after graduating from cali spent a year working for the Peta Foundation also known as the foundation to support Animal Protection an affiliate for the people of for the ethical treatment of animals. [speaker not understood] i learned to recognize the various signs of animal abuse such as neglect, dehydration and animal siting. In the evenings after work and on weekends i spent most of the time with other peta employees and volunteers educating the public on various Animal Welfare issues. During the cold months in d. C. I spent weekend volunteering for the Animal Project in norfolk, virginia where petas headquarters is located. We he drove around in impoverished areas where animals live outdoors [speaker not understood]. We delivered straw bedding to dogs chained in backyard or fenced in small enclosureses. We educated their guardians on how to properly care for their dogs, encouraging them to bring their dogs inside especially during winter and summer. We spoke to them about making sure their dogs had fresh clean water at all times and encouraged them to sign up for petas free spay and neuter vaccination program. We also rescued abused animal. One of the things i learned working for and volunteering is how to effectively communicate people and open eyes to the importance of Animal Welfare. One rainy day [speaker not understood] we encountered a sweet pit bull changed to a pe toshibation a dog house with a heavy chain probably weighing 25 pounds. I was able to convince his reluctant guardian to replace the heavy rusted chain with a lightweight tether allowing the dog to move more frequently. After 10 minutes of conversation i convinced the same guardian to surrender his old blind and deaf dog to deliver his house to give him a warm dry house to sleep away his pain and memory. [speaker not understood] i moved back to San Francisco, i only pep a year in d. C. And decided to volunteer for animal care and control as a dog walker. During the 6 to 7 month period i came to the shelter several days a week. Sometimes 3 to 4, sometimes 5 hours a day to make sure the dogs were walked, socialized and felt loved while they were waiting sometimes months for their forever families to find them. I made sure to walk and spend time with dog who were overlooked [speaker not understood]. But when i wasnt there, i knew they were in safe hands at animal care and control. I chose to volunteer there because it is our city and county Shelter Agency that take in all animals no matter their condition, personality, adoptability, and as long as animal care and control is around, i know that our citys animals are well taken care of and always have a place to go. And i know that animal care and control always set up and care for those forgotten animal. If i am appointed this is what i will continue to support animal care and control. And finally in semi graduated from a Masters Program at usf, continuing my Public Service education and career and for my thesis i analyzed the impact of mandatory spay and neuter laws on the unwanted Dog Population as well as the governmentrun animal shelters in various cities across the u. S. I chose to study this issue after supervisors tang and wiener called a hearing on the [speaker not understood] which is over worked, under staffed and underfunded [speaker not understood]. I wanted to examine what could be done to relieve some of the burden on our city and county animal shelter. Please seriously consider me for the commission. I would really like to work with this group of compassionate people and help out in whatever way i can. I want to engage the younger audience and i hope to relieve some of the burdens on animal care and can control. I still have a lot to learn, but thank you for your time and attention and im open to any questions. Okay. Supervisor tang. Sure. I actually dont have any questions but really just feel impressed by your interest and your educational background and what you have done in terms of volunteer time. Ive actually personally got to witness davis volunteerism and, again, your commitment to really Animal Welfare and safety. So, i actually just want to thank you and for stepping up and applying for this and im surprised that you havent been on it already. So, thank you for sharing all of your Background Information with us today. Thank you. Thank you. Next applicant is amy fuller on the list. I understand she wont she wouldnt be able to come. She had a prior engagement. She just sent a statement that i looked at. The next person would be annemarie fortier. Good afternoon, supervisors. My name is annemarie fortier. I currently serve on the commission as secretary, which i have done for a year. Ive been on the Commission Two years. This is my first opportunity for reappointment. Over the course of the two years, i have learned a lot and i was just telling my colleague on the commission that it feels that i am only now able to understand fully what the commission is capable of and maybe where it might take me and i might take it. My background is ive lived in San Francisco since 1995 in district 2. I have been a guardian of dogs of since 1997. Currently a parent. My interest in animal has always been strong, but has slightly changed over the years with my involvement obviously with my children and interaction with the parks around our area. And where before maybe my interest was mostly focused on how we treat animals with dog bites and pets, as a parent i see how important it is to make sure that our public, especially our children, are educated about how to interact safely and respectfully with pets and wildlife in our city. And on the commission we have had speaker come and educate us and reach out to the community on ways to protect some of those animals, not feeding wildlife, et cetera. So, i appreciate your time and your consideration and i would love to continue serving our city, our animals, and our citizens on this board. Okay. Supervisor tang . So, since you are up for reappointment, are there things that youve seen that you would like to do differently on the commission, things that can be improved, just to get a better sense of what are some of the additional goal that you have if you are reappointment . Excuse me. Like i said, it feels that in two years i am only now understanding how how the Commission Works and what opportunities lie ahead. I think for myself thing that i would like to see and work on, perhaps bring in front of the commission is more ways to reach our community. Work on outreach. We post the minutes of course, and we post the agendas. Attendance is usually quite low. Maybe there are other ways we can reach out to san franciscans about whats happening on the commission and what were doing for our animals. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next one is shari oneal. Good afternoon. My name is dr. Shari oneal. I am a resident of San Francisco for the last 12 years. I live and work in the sunset district. I am currently practicing veterinarian. I practice excuse me small animal medicine since 1999. In addition to my veterinary degree, i also have a masters degree he in Public Health and im Board Certified in preventive medicine. Ive served on the commission for one term already so this will be my first opportunity as a reappointment. I have a special interest in Disaster Preparedness, particularly with the overlap of Public Health interest and animal interest in a disaster situation. Ive worked with animal care control on volunteer training for [speaker not understood] Animal Response Team volunteers. I also am the secretary of the San Francisco Veterinary Medical Association and on a state level i serve on the Disaster Preparedness committee for the california Veterinary Medical Association. Okay. Supervisor tang . Great to see district 4 as well thank you for your service through the avenues pet hospital as well. Again, im just going to ask some of the same questions especially for the people being reappointed. Potentially get a better sense of some things that youve learned from your time serving as a commissioner and what would any specific goals or things that youd like to zim proved or to be worked on. I would agree with commissioner fortier, it take a bit of time to understand how the process works. Ive never been on a commission before. I agree that Public Outreach seems like an important topic we should address as far as more turnout and more involvement from the public. I also agree with one of the previous candidates about supporting our municipal shelter and animal care control has a lot of responsibilities and pretty limited resource in which to work with. So, a number of our topics have come up is related to that. So, certainly there is more work to be done there. My personal interest is Public Health and Disaster Preparedness and certainly i think living in San Francisco is an important topic as well. Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. Thats was the last one. So, i have a few cards for Public Comments. As i call your name, please come on up. [speaker not understood], [speaker not understood], and chris [speaker not understood]. Good afternoon again, supervisors. My name is [speaker not understood]. Im a resident of district 6 and i consider myself very active. Im in the community, but im learning something new about the animal control and welfare. One thing i was worried about was when the gentleman, mr. Yorck was talking about nonprofits, i was wondering was it ever run by nonprofits because it was it was, it would be a big problem to me because i know the nonprofits in my neighborhood can be kind of pushy and getting things they want done and not what the Actual Community wants done. But i ask if you would consider appointing ms. Lang, annemarie, and shari oneill and nanci haines to the commission. One thing i liked about what ms. Haines was saying about with the cultural competency, because every neighborhood and every culture, we have a rich history of different cultures in San Francisco and one thing that we have to reach out to is the different cultures of the city. So that everyone can be respected. Thank you. Rule committee, hi. I hope youre an Animal Commission appointments turnout right and i hope that big moon is big and bright and you keep the animals alive id like to see them dancing animal in the moonlight dancing in the animal moonlight and the city is its gonna turnout right its a fine and supernatural animal sight holy animals dancing in the moonlight and i hope these Commission Appointments turn outright and they dont [speaker not understood] so they dont bark and they dont bite and they keep the animal alive and i hope the city really thrives dancing in the moonlight all the animals and theyre gonna be bright fine and natural animal sight all the animals are going to be happy tonight applause chris . And then theres dayna [speaker not understood]. Thats a hard act to follow, but im [speaker not understood] im on the sunshine ordinance as a citizen. Im also nanci haines fiance. Like to disclose that. But if you were to select her for this commission, i think youd find a fearless and tireless fighter, advocate for animal. Ive often walked in and seen her on the internet or on facebook in tears. In fact, we had to ration her to 10 minutes a day on those sites. We all know what were talking about. I think she didnt really tell you a little bit about how active she is in following legislation and looking at Animal Rights and that whole landscape is changing right now. There are interesting caseses on the east coast that were following closely