Transcripts For SFGTV Mayors 20240703

The union square alliance. Thank you and briefly this group come to make suggestions to get on the same page at the same table to understand our needs for San Francisco. Make recommendations to the Mayors Office the Mayors Office is listen to many requests. And that is part of where we are going today. Thank you for coming and i want to turn it over to mayor breed. [applause]. All right. Is it still morning . Okay. I have been at a few things fwrit to be here with all you have. Is this working. Testing 1, 2. You guys dont have a microphone . First, thank you all so much for being here temperature is has been a long road to recovery and i want to take us back a bit because San Francisco needs to be reminded of who we are. And many of you were at this state of address where i talked about challenges we over come and consistent low whether it is after the gold rush. After the quake. After the various pandemics, upon often times people consistent low have tried to write a different narrative about San Francisco. And when we are. Now, like any major city, we know we have problems. We know we need to combat the issues around crime and Public Safety. And afford at. Im optimistic about the future when we are see nothing San Francisco is Something Like nothing else. We have the poltd to be when we want to be and to reminds us what we used to be. Think about mission bay and had mission bay used to be. Mission bay was nothing but railroad tracks. Golf shooting range and an e spree outlet now the newest, hottest neighborhood in San Francisco. Concerts occur and so many things helping. Testifies flooded with people overnight weekend had the grateful dead did the second or third final concert. And the fact is people want to be here they are excite body San Francisco and im sure you spent time out and about at events and activities and enjoying park and open space and neighborhoods and seeing a revitalization of our neighborhoods. With, let of new businesses. A let of places to eat. And excitement. The excitement in the air where do we go. Thank you for the work on the chamber and comments about recommendation its is add vo kaes. We need your support more than ever because often time what is is happening, policy are being made without an understanding of the impacts it is creating on businesses. I have been talking to companies all over the San Francisco. I have been meeting with mall Business Owners trying to get at the heart what are their issues. And, let of their issues center around uncertainty about Economic Future and the ability to survive in San Francisco. Especially for our start ups and for our new businesses that are all over our neighborhoods and community. What do we need. Of course, we need revitalize downtown and push upon the various strategies we plan, in fact, in my state of the city this february, i made it clear that our economic recovery, specific low relating it downtown needs to center around a number of things which Sarah Phillips will highlight and talk about today. Not just when i said we would do but when we have been doing. Im excite body the progress we made around supporting businesses and removing barriers around taxes to create economic certainty and my hope working with this group well take real tax reform measures to the ballot next year. Im excite body when we have done about first year free. Almost 5,000 new Small Businesses have opened their doors all over San Francisco because of first year free and the investments we make it to make it easier for people to do business in San Francisco. And so we have we know a lot of work to do, i gotta just highlight a couple before i turn it over to sarah. Many of us talked about the deficit. How are we going to provide incentives taxes and how are we going to transform Public Safety and close a 780 Million Dollars budget deficit. Guesses what . We d. Did it with maintaining the promise, prosecute voiding tax incentives and investing in Public Safety like never before. We saw recently one of the Largest Police Academy Classes since before the pandemic. My hope is we will begin to see the numbers increase with our increase in pay, Retention Bonus and other incentives we saw less officers retire. And we are looking forward to continuing to do our recruitment in order to increase our Law Enforcement agency because the end of the day with ambassador and programs and having eyes and ears on streets; there is a need for Police Officers. To be out there but also to dot investigations and the work necessary to keep the people of San Francisco safe. You hear about a lot of the incidents that occur. Oftentimes what you dont hear is the hard work this go in overing merchandise and making the arrests. And making sure this people understand they will not be able to get, way with the crimes that i have committed in our city. From a learning are perspective we upon this a lot of Violent Crimes and other things are done compared to other major cities in the country row. We have, let of work to do around burglars in the staechl my hope is working with increasing the police force. The cameras we will be implementing all over the city and some of the great work and tell help to transfwhorm we need to do around Public Safety. Im looking forward to that. So when we are see nothing terms of of a change with this new hope and optimism and the great weather. We are seeing an increase in Office Attendance by 42 . We are looking forward to folks returning i think people are tired of work home in pajamace they may not want to come back 5 days a week but they are fear of missing out. Missing out on the great things helping in the city. We are no longer a financial district downtown. Wore activating downtown with events and creating entertainment zones. Where people are able to the have great events and not deal with show much bureaucracy with the city. Supporting downtown mall businesses and react have aing our plaza, trance forming them and think burglar what is possible. And look, i get temperature people want something nouchl they want fast, instant and so tuck burglar for example, a soccer stadium in the future does not seem like within reach. Electric at chase center. It was talked about years before it was built and now it is home to the initial champions the golden state warriors. They won before. Dont worry well be back. So not only that, concerts and other activities. We are seeing an increase in office demand. Artificial intelligence is ticking flight in San Francisco like no nothing else and it is in the happening anywhere in the world. In fact, of the top 20 companies of Artificial Intelligence the top 20, 13 in the bay your and 8 in know front. Will and all of the investments are happening here in San Francisco in the First Quarter of this year over 15 billion dollars of investment of ai they are on the hunts for 800,000 square feet. Open the doors and be willing to be creative on the other hand how we use space in downtown San Francisco. Speaking of using spaces, we made it easier for people to convert. So office space may be the ceilings are low to do a building like this. But lap space and office space requests housing on the rise in downtown. So we have you know a 30 vaccance we office space but for the Life Sciences and biotech and the folks creating the now alternative medicines and foods and the other things, 3. Upon 7 vacancy rate. We than if we make adjustments and we allow our new are buildings to be adapted there could be possibilities. And im looking forward to easier and sarah will talk about the changes we already made for conversion to housing and lap space. More importantly the victory changing the inclusionary numbers to get more housing built in San Francisco. We expect 23. 3 million visitor in 2023 up 6. 2 from 2022. I believe next year we will be back to prepandemic levels we have conventions and activities planned. Including dream force a hit in San Francisco. Nothing will be like apeck the Asian Pacific economic collaborative this event is going to be a significant can event. And just to help you understand the magnitude of apeck. Now about 40,000 people number San Francisco that is the same for dream force butt difference is we have 21 heads of state. We are about 1200 ceos who are committed. We have thousands of delegate and others from countries all over the world. And in fact, will this is the most Significant International event San Francisco has ever seen no event of this magnitude ever exist instead city since 1945 when the United Nations was established. That is the other global significant we had heads of state and International Events but not of this magnitude with 21 heads of state what this means for San Francisco is significant. When you been it and when that will do to drive the economy. When it will do to open the businesses especially frequently arab enthusiasm asia is a place where many visitors when you electric at the tourism numbers hotels this are from my understanding close to the 80 occupancy rate it was before the pandemic. Think about if the doors were open from asia what that would mean for conventions and visit sxors all the things necessary to get San Francisco on the road to recovery. Our head of state our president as well as the president of china plan to do a meeting here that will happen with many other great things and opportunity around growth and develop and want business. It is our opportunity to shine as a city. We will have over a thousand foreign press. Our opportunity to present San Francisco in a way had demonstrate when is we are capable of and get people excite body coming to San Francisco. You have been hearing from visitors who said San Francisco is in the what people are saying it is. Lets be clear we have problems. They are like this is like other cities i have been to. Than i have the same problem in some case worse i will not put a city down and use an example. The fact is like any major stele we have challenges but people are surprise when than i are coming to San Francisco and they are having the great experience. So. Im excite body had we are doing and what we will continue to do to improve San Francisco for the future. I want to touch a bit on transportation. And muni. We are seeing increasing in the number of people riding mount tow 33,000. Bart up 25,000 daily riders. More people rely on Public Transportation it get to the downtown your temperature is why we brought back the one california and creating easy options for people to use Public Transportation to come downtown because i think people want reliable transportation. They want to make sure the bus are safe and clone and those are things we are working of the people have better experiences Public Transportation system with our plans to do a number of Public Safety initiatives. Quick build where we are able to do bulb outs. More important low the red bus listens to move people from the west side of the city and dun town your, quick and efficient so than i dont use their vehicles. Im excited about that. I want to touch on the most pressing issues this seem to get, lot of attention in the city that is the open air drug deal and using. The fact again i go back to this is in the a problem unique to San Francisco. There are other cities all over the country dealing with this. And i have been in touch with mayors to figure out way in which we can collaborateerate through the u. S. Conference of mires i got cosponsors for resolution asking the Biden Administration to do more to help with us this problem temperature is in the a San Francisco problem. It is a world problem. It involves a number of other countries and involves our verse federal, state and local Law Enforcement agencies. Who have been working very heard to help us combat temperature im grateful to Speaker Pelosi who has been really incredible in providing support with drug Enforcement Agency and support from the u. S. Attorneys office and they have been working hand in hundred with the california Highway Patrol and San Francisco Police Department. Their efforts have been amation. And just to give you a few numbers this is the prepare. Year to date. 502 arrests for drug possession of sales. That number has exceed left years numbers in total. So year to date numbers now for arrests for possession and also for public into beingcasion increased. We are arresting pep for committing illegal actos street whether selling or using what have you, with a goal of getting people in treatment of the but accountsability. Because that is a big piece. Puzzle missing. And when i appreciate about the department is all the w they have done to really get us to a place where the chp and seizing fentanyl and drugs and weapons with the w they do. Specific low targeted to the south of market area and tenderloin community. Made a world of difference. Police are doing incredible work as well. We are grateful to the dea because a lot of their work leads to rests that involve the federal court system. Of rather than the local court system it has been challenge to get accountability introduced in the foeldz that hen a game changer. We believe with that along with un plaza and investments we make to credit a skate park. A carnival starting thursday will be amazing. Activating a luing fells to not just come to a Farmers Market but twice a week but do more every day in the your this is when will be a game changer for when we need to do to turn the plaza around and deal with the crisis this challenged our streets significantly. I can go on and talk about so many great things happening in the staechl i know sarah wants to talk about our progress on our recovery. So our progress really is this is what i said we would do this is when we have done and how much more we still have to do. And the reason why this was important to in to the San Francisco chamber it talk about it especially with so many of you who represent the various agencies is we need more than a letter of support. For policy this is we try to push through. We need advocacy. We need it in a very aggressive way. Because i do think that it is important that not only you as a leader had understand when is going on but you as leaders you have a number of people you represent. And those people should be made away in how easy it is for them to sends an e mail or call the members of the board of supervisor when is we try to push things through. When we fought for the over time budget for the Police Department before the budget, we got support from community. And a number of Community Organizations rallied folks to get people to submit letter and advocate and that was notteen for it was to keep had we had at the very basic level and my goal to get us to a better place. Of course. We need advocacy and support and people to write letters and send e mails and need them to show up to board meetings and make sure people understand the impacts of the decision this is we are trying to push through and what not just means for downtown but for the city as a whole. If downtown does in the recover, all the programs that the board is approve andment to pay for, those programs dont happen. We have to cut, cut, cut. This year we balanced the budget next year tell be harder to balanceful cuts will hurt more. My hope we work to get city on the right path and make sure that the Business Community is at the foreupon front of helping us not only craft the decisions but get those decisions through. We will have to take a number of things to the bell on the and a number of things to the board of supervisors and my goal again is to work to help them understand the significance of this. I think than i are starting some get it more than others. I think they are starting to get it buzz this was a struggle for them to make a decision around the budget this past year. My hope is we will move forward. And as i said to remind people of who we are as san franciscans, we took the embarcadero a freeway and took it down and jim is smiling he was a part of the effort to push for this. But, you know San Francisco was built different low over the years. From being horse and carriage to cable cars special the cable car was invented in San Francisco. And it went to the rail cars and then vehicles. The western edition was taken apart and split up with item an town and western edition to credit a freeway like geary boulevard. This was the financial district. Now San Francisco very well with all of the changes and the things, is important to remember that when change happens, we did not say, San Francisco is doomed or themmings are over t is in the coming become. Retail is different now. People shop on line and shop different low. But luxury retailers are doing great in San Francisco, in fact many of them are expanding. It is still different how retail changed in our city. As things e involve how do we come up with the creative idea to transform San Francisco in a way to get people excited . I go become to this in terms of a soccer stadium in the heart of downtown. And will when that can mean not just soccer but concerts and events. How do we make downtown more then and there a financial district with housing and other space in the a place that is a guest town at night or the weekends. How do we revitalize it and get more living here this is why i invited uc. Not just ucsf butt uc system, berkeley and others educational institutions to think about how we repopulate the downtown with students and activity and excitement every day like any other neighborhood in San Francisco. The place that looks at something going on now and creates a possibility of nothing something that can be done bfrment pier 70s was in the available to the public for over 150 years the power plant, those are neighborhoods wield never touched and electric at had they will become for San Francisco. Thats where i did nile state of the city to prove a pointful important to remember when were not as others define us about but roll up or sleeves to get work done for this city. Im excited work with the chamber and the various organizations here to get it done. Left but not least, i think, i think i said that i will say it again. I want to just talk a bit about apek and initiatives around community and the public and people all overnight world our message whatting San Francisco is. One of the things that we are doing is we are getting the communities and people excited about how they can participate how tell be an economic engine by talking about San Francisco as a city. The place this invented the television. The place this invented the cable car. Place that inknow vented leave eyes den they meant actually enjoyed and everybody roadwayed perfect it. It start in the San Francisco. I talk about this it does all start here it start in San Francisco. When we talk about innovation and creativity. Clap on and chi a pet star in the San Francisco everybody wants a smart home to turn on lights or whatever condition they inspect their homes or beds or whatever you call it. When i think about creativity and technology it starts here. It starts in San Francisco. And we need to make sure that we are reminding the public and through efforts around campaigning and talking about and advertising and getting people to love San Francisco, we have to Start Talking about it different low. W with advance sf they are work to create another campaign that out lasts the push but a campaign to get people excite body what San Francisco has been and what San Francisco will continue to be. Because it is in the okay for others to say when we are it is time we make it clear who we are and looking forward to dog that and turning the narrative around. Thank you very much. [applause] hi. Thank you. Mayor breed. I am Sarah Phillips i met men of you in the all of you. I joined mayor breed 2 months ago as director of our office of economic and Workforce Development. The mayor went over the most exciting point this wills be lack luster but there we go. Back one. Im here to talk about the 6 month in that we have done on road map to San Franciscos recovery. In february of 2020, covid hit. Impacts extend beyond public healing leaving permanent changes on the way we work, shop and interact. Recognizing that mayor broed and the team here released a road map at the end of the covid emergency in february 2023. To deal with the changes. As the state of emergency ended. We that road map and we will talk on 5 priorities, right economically diverse job engine. The welcoming clean and safe environment and you heard that in mayor breeds priorities. A dynamic destination active all the time. The world class transportation experience and thats a fight we will work on with you and equal economy this everyone can participate in. And i will go over each one of our 9 strategies the reason im here today and the reason the mayor came to make this important in front of you is this we want upon to road map to make progress and move us forward. We have made progress. You are our partners in getting the word out about that progress. You are our partners in helping to move the city forward on the next 6 months we need where we have more initiatives. And we needs to you help us on those upon front get the word out and move forward when you have is the 2 pager this will contain everything i will go over. We want to make sure that everyone of your organization his this. Tell be on our website we give you more and im happy to talk about it where needed we want something easy to be shared with the public and whefrn cares about where we are going and when we are doing and the progress we had so far. Everything i will cover is on that 2 page aril give you details so you feel comfortable with partners ask the out reach you do to your member organizations and continue to spread about had is happening already in San Francisco. Strategy 1. Ensure downtown is clean, safe and inviting. There is a bunch improvements we made and the mayor touchod smchl a big part we strengthens sfpd funded 200 Police Officers. Expand recruitment and retention. Result of this you see this on the left was the Largest Police academy in 3 years. We increased starting pay so we are the highest in the bay area and very competitive to joint police foefrms expand ambassador programs deployed retired Police Officers on foot beat and budgeted 50 million to support the programs of nonpolice safety professional in thes streets as we move forward and homelessness, obviously will continues to be a prior for the city and addressing and tell be a challenge but we are making headway on that challenge. Sick00 new shelter beds funded. A thousands Permanent Mental Health Housing placements were funded. We have all capacity to expand addiction programs to deal with the services that mayor breed mentioned. We want people in the right place so they are success and we have success on our streets. Strategy attract and retain industries and employers, there are ways we do tht one thing that i of course read neil heard mow say and i will say it San Francisco is open for business. Everyone from our biggest businesses in technology to smaller coffee shops are part of our economic recovery and wore here to support themful progress we made extend tax relevel for the most impact friday covichld retail, restaurants and arts and entertainment. We passed part of the new budget and offer attraction benefit grow in San Francisco. And we launched this is exciting and the mayor mention woad need your support a tax reform press to make the business tax system more balanced and sane. This is important as our companies staying and growing here the mayor went over the staff that we are seeing they are encourage. Office attendance is not where we typeset and where tell land, we see more growth than any city in the left year. Year on year increase in Office Attendance exceed every other major city. We started further behind because of tech we are moving forward. Strategy 3 facilitating new uses and flexibility in buildings. This is everything not just residential conversion its is art use the most Creative Office and work place issues. Mayor lead legislation to prevent city codes to ensure c3 has flexible zoning. For example we got an Office Sector in the mission we will figure how we make that so that companies can grow and locate there and we dont have things on the books that stop the progress we want to make in our neighborhoods. We established an adaptive reuse for under utilized Office Building and housing. We mentioned the code changes. Permitting changes made there. What we are also trying to do is identify partners to if silltate individual conversions and with planning we got 6 response back of actual buildings and partners we can move forward on a conversion. And the player mentioned we are working to bring more Public Employees downtown. Weather through school, city collegeor city itself. Some of you may know the mayor sent a letter to agencies the school districts, city administrator and city college an among ago asking to exam whifrn we need. We got the reports from the Partner Agencies now we are workingllow that analysis and working with the partners to see what opportunity can we take advantage to feel groat real estate need in places we want to see activity. All right. Make it easy to start and grow a business. There is a bunch of anyone who ever tried to open a business in San Francisco knows how byzantine our system was. We are making significant progress on this. First year free program a dramatic success. 4, 873 businesses have taken advantage of new business starting their first permits throughout city. And that means new businesses like the don club you joined me and read no last week. That are open upon and thriving for business. Were matching aspiring entrepreneurs and vacant space downtown throughout program of glad simon is here we will launch the first cohort of that cest with sf new deal in assessment and got more cohorts to go. What you will see open nothing september is the first start of what we will be able to do through that vacant divide program. We are supporting our Small Businesses moving forward. We are providing grants, loan and train for example now and existing Small Businesses and i got an update we launched a program am 3 months ago. To store front opportunity grant program. So far awarded 1. 1 million in training grants for Small Business who want to grow. And got 20 businesses had reached out to seek funds to open a new stove front in a vacant space. We expect merchandise we have some Language Training going on for our entrepreneurs not english speakers. After that we will see more interests in the Vacant Store Front funds. You will see new businesses opening as a result of it. Last in terms of support, katie tang in office of mall business worked on great legislation facilitate a handled changes to ease the permitting of grounds floor commercial temperature is pending investigation and going to be for the Planning Commission in assessment. We want your support im happy to reach out to you to tell you who to sends letters to and we need to move them forward if we care about Small Business. All right. Grow and prepare our workforce. And this is across all sectors. What you see here im excited about i learned about workforce programs our out reach sxendzed in hospitality. And health care. And the Small Business sector and the construction sector. And a part that our access pointses we grown through Neighborhood Job centers and got 4 now continued to funds throughout mayors budget what you see here are Exciting Events you will see more it. Got pictures from the Health Care Academy we held at chase center. You see a couple of women if womens construction at mission rock near to my heart we had 33 women that would started career in construction and build this. We have our partners at mission bit here the last who provide tech and coding trin to high school and College Students to get them in the company this is are grow nothing San Francisco. We got our emt frank program the per inship with the dream and keepers program. We do more work for programs with deem Keeper Initiative we are serving africanamericans within San Francisco and removing barriers. And china town culinary program. Most of the people were in the native english peeshgs were work to grow and tap in resources we have through the inter~ national pop commission prosecute void that benefit we have through Small Businesses so residents tap in this great toed they provide and park stewards and a picture with mayor breechld points about that, in the first 6 months of 23 we enrecommended 2600 inference france in workforce services. And over 2,000 of those came from our Neighborhood Job centers. Those are actual people who are receiving jobs in the first 6 months of thissier in San Francisco. Strategy 6. Transform downtown to leading art and night life destination. We have work to do. This is an never the road map perform as it is you see successes. We have started so many act visions and events dun town and throughout the city. Images are night market we will have an event upon in september. We saw 10 thousand at the 2 events already. Those people spent 90 dollars on average what they came out to the festival. We got union square in bloom. Got the undiscovered sf block parties this happened last weekend. The watch parties were a great success. We drew crowds of over 4,000 to the village events with 3 venders when all sold out of their food and beverages. I discovered the partnership with fill pino that brought in 6,000 per event. Strategy 7. Enhance public spaces. Well is a let going on one will open on thursday our Downtown Civic Center carbon nal on thursday evening. And that will just be a lunch of a series of imimprovements including the new skate park that will recapture our spaces for san franciscans. Our shared Space Program permanent this year we are excited and will w with businesses through the pain points to make sure they are allowed use paces to support their businesses. Landing lead store will open in september that is another Downtown Public space that will recapturesllow robbies work in the partnership we are excited about this. And funding efforts to reini havingerate powell street. And the workshop for the street improvement system tonights. See maisa if you want to go and can go. Strategy8 invest in transportation. Funds for example transportation hen a challenge through the pandemic and will continue to. We are excite the fudging secured for Public Transportation. To prevent service cuts now and we are irrelevant thankful to senator wiener for his supportful we are working on his legislation for additional funding. So this we can not see further cuts. But tell be a xhfrj is need your passport on that because when makes downtown work is Transit System this is at risk we will need to fight for funds to move this forward through pain points. While we are going throughout pain points of fungdz, we lunched programs to increase downtown accessibility. We launched the one california pilot. Increased morning rush hour service we saw growth. We developed with golden gate transit to add for other Downtown Bound trip fist mirna and hallow get people in office. We launched the california line cable car day pass that sold close to 10,000 more cable car tickets on the california line than the normal operations. The result is we see muni boardings increase and bart ride areship increase. Wontment them to increase more and make sure we support that service so we dont see a decrease again. The last strategy had is big one and so many of you in the room are contribute to efforts on this. They are critical. Tell our story. Right. Our city as the mayor emphasized is not what the initial mead yald like to you believe. The anal gee i use we other yankees in a slump and everybody is excited point we need show the ways we are having success. We were success for a long time people want to see us fail. The always San Francisco visit are campaign sf travel is leading. Heart of sf social Media Campaign the w this we are doing on a peck am lunch in september and will be strong and show case San Francisco internationally. And some private sector efforts happening through local resident who is start social Media Campaigns the good things help nothing San Francisco. We need to contribute im thankful for the Media Supportive the left couple months we have seen progress. We need help tell had story the 2 pager we hand out is part of that. Reenforce when it come will be a part of that. Apeck is part of that. We need to expand our audience beyond this recommend so people with recognize that. That was a let. I wanted make sure you guys have the point when is you go out to your members you help trumpet this w were 6 mont in. We got more work to do in the next 6 months we are excited work with you. There is, let. We need n. The mayor hen out to a number of businesses already this summer we want to talk to as Many Companies we can. Both those here and those who want to be here to increase investment in San Francisco. We will continue to do this road show through the fall. We have our inclusionary housing amendments will simulate construction and wing on Affordable House know bond so some of the construction is toward our supportive and affordable how doing the mayor prioritizes as well. And the change the mayor mentioned to residentialize our tax system. They are big efforts we need to work on fall over the next 6 months. So stay tune exclude work with xus we are excited about the next 6 months. Thank you. [applause]. Next. Mayor breechld thank you this is exciting and we start it put it together in this 9 strategies. You see all of the work that is being done here the Business Group representatives companies and employees and employers and we get assignment to advocate it share this word and ghet out to companies and have them advocate for the tunes in San Francisco. There are a couple minutes near questions for the mayor or director phillips. [laughter] no questions. Yes. Great. [inaudible] the letter this mayor breed sent to [cannot hear question] just to be clear, well is interests from the uc system. We are not in a position to talk specific low about it. But we have been in touch with the uc administrator as well as conversations uc berkeley with the chancellor. We cant say, i know well is interests in housing. There are interests in lab space and for the most part, the conversations happening there. I think this you know the other conversation we are having with city college they have a camp that yous underutilize that is within the fourth and mission area. So we are definitely having conversations about the entire area. How we collaborate and Work Together and when we have something more tangible we will share it with the public. [cannot hear question]. There are active conversation and right now we ever working with the architect to develop preliminary design work on what potential low is possible. And im excite body you know when wore able to share that with the public we will. Im excited about what that will do. We want to give people an understanding when could happen and get the developer and others excited about making investments into this stadium as a way to diversify what happens in the downtown your we are talking about bart, muni,or Transportation System there. Cable cars there and the potential for a place that could not only host sock are matches including potential low matches with fifa. But concerts and other activity this is will come peat with the shore line and other venues because in chase center we have 18,000 seats this could serve 25 or more. We hope to share this information with the public soon. And get the bull rolling. There have been other interests in the west field mall. Interests in the hotels a couple months back. My hope we will see good news come. I want to mention i k ea is opening tomorrow. And the store looks amazing and that they had a friends and family weekend than i said it was pack exclude lines out the door. So when they open tomorrow i think this will be another exciting opportunity for mid market area in San Francisco my shope we start stealing a vision for transforming downtown in a different way. Mayor breed, you talked about municipal competence bart experience to downtowns recovery can you comment on the pause on senator wieners bridge toll the funds municipal and he bart how important was that it getting mount competence bart recover in the a place to support downtown in how worried you are about this measure Going Forward . I think that transportation and the xejs of transportation has gone up considerablely. And we are at a place where we have to start thinking about how do we fund this not just now and maintain a level of service and opened a new cents ral subway increasing capacity making sure we have the infrastructure necessary it move people under the housing element. We have another 82,000 units we need to build. And so how do we get them to use things other then and there their vehicle. Transportation resources are significant because materials and supplies and labor are expensive. And so as we continue to delay the option to get important resources like that. It puts us at a disvaj advantage. The last budget we had a life safer that will not increase increases to Public Transportation infrastructure. Somewhere exciteded somewhere skeptical using it as an opportunity to go back. [inaudible] what do you feel like make it success and will more companies. Joy will take credit for getting i k ea to come here it is trough they were here jerry brown had the event this summit around the environment and they were in town and they were looking around and we i immediately had a meeting and said San Francisco is where you want to be. Over the months we had conversations about the kinds of store. You know they furniture warehouses they wanted lunch a new option and especially sudden front in our history and record around sustainability and the environment is why they felt this was the place for them to do it. And people will talk about this narrative. It is unfortunate often times the same people talking about that and writing stories in the paper. Are in the people who live here. And who are experiencing San Francisco. Than i are taking the vos from i mobile home or the worse case of that is help nothing San Francisco and running with that. Rather than speaking from a place of experience. Directly. That is unfortunate. And it is why our local press is important because our local press cant be the 1s to need this narrative im not suggesting you dont be honest and report the new and do what is necessary to talk about this. But who in the press talked about this crowd event of beer, pizza come bagel in norths beach which you could not get in it was sold out. It was packed. Super excite pregnant. Had businesses all over San Francisco an amazing event long with so many other things that happened the past weekend. We need to Start Talking about what is happening in San Francisco. And our various experiences. I was on fillmore this weekend and upper fillmore i could not believe how much people were out and about shopping in the various stores ice cream, eat nothing restaurantses. It was im familiar with fillmore i have in the stein this pack in the i really long time. So there are a lot of great things happening all over San Francisco. And it is important that along with reporting the news that we report what is actually happening. We report you know like soon as a store closes like all of the sudden like no conversation around the challenges of retail, whether or not anybody is stepped not in nordstroms i dont know how long they talk about the closure. We are not talking about channel who are expanding stores in the downtown area. Expanding their fop or Neiman Marcus better then and there they have done in a long time in the luxury brand retailers. And now i k ea. All the things dwoel and work with people who are living in the tenderloin and struggling with poverty. I k ea will be a perfect fit for a lot of different people and their goal is not to not include the surroundings community they want to be a part of the community. They want to work with the community they have been working with number of Community Based organizations trying to figure out ways they can be a partner and give become and hiring from the community. I think between the ambassadors, staff and other things they are dying think tell be a huge success are we going to work hard for mid market . Yes. We have Property Owners and that area and including the folk who is the family who owned the Flood Building who are committed to making changes and investment in the area. And i am optimistic about what tell deliver. I say instead of guessing when it might do lets wait and see. Mayor, what do you think about the [inaudible] i think the cost building in San Francisco is expense you have now since 2018 we passed by voters another 14 tax, i believe like every time you look a tax for this and de feo for that. A this and when you look at the cost. Developers will make money the business communities. People in business to make money they are not going to shy away from their expense of what think they will walk away with. Upon where does this money get taxod . To the various units and all of the other things that come with this including all the citys expenses fee and requirements and everything you can think of. This is not help us get housing built. This is the first most environmental sustainable buildings we build in San Francisco that provide office and business but also housing. It is like the perfect use for mixed and Green Infrastructure stuff this they are doing with the building. It is a ream loss to the city they had to pause and will not beably to move forward. Because of of the expense related at this Time Development of the project. So i thank you when we have done with the inclusionary housing fees will be of help to this project. But we gotta do so much more. We have companies saying, it it is not worth it for you to come become in the office because it is cheaper for us to not have employees in the office. Based on the citys tax structure and when we charge people. We cannot continue to addon the expenses just because president companies, they can probably ford to pay it but than i dont have to pay it they can choose to go other places. What does this money . We lose the taxes and the benefit of the people of San Francisco having job opportunity. In our city, we lose so much when we pile on tax, tax, tax, fee, fiching you can pay it because you are rich. You know what, i wish they would but reality is that will not happen. We have to make adjustments and my hope is that the changes will get this project on the right path the developer said we are committed and want to finish this project. Financial low now it is in the possible. I want to make a correction to mystery things i said earlier i dont think i put them in the right context about the narcotics arrests. Year to date 2023502 rests. Left year the entire total of narcotics arrests were 273. So this gives you perspective. The fence not seized left year total 71. 6 pounds this year 197 pounds. Of fent until this is 44. 6 dose. These are just sfpd numbers not Highway Patrol. These are not the department of the Drug Enforcement numbers. These are just San Francisco Police Officer numbers. And the ability to do that has a lot to do with the changes we made in investments in the department of i wanted correct the referred on this and nut in perspective. Mayor, over 14 from [inaudible]. Lets not talk about me talk about anybody who the mir. Yes. Anyone who is mayor. And has more [inaudible]. Easier to help know front recover. If than i inform place. I have not read the report i cant speak to had it said. But the end of the day mayors and members of the board of supervisors come and go. Butt impact of the decisions this are made can live with us for decades. And it is important for my perspective no matter had the mayor is an executive is able to do the job of being mayor and decisive, make decisions and move as aggress testify solve the problems of the city based on what people expect. I can use the Covid Response as a perfect example when i had the ability to make decisions we were able to move fast am we use experts. We had like a whole set up and we saved lives. Did unpopular things the Business Community was not happy. But, but came long and made hard decisions and San Francisco got praise for saving lives because of this global pandemic. The ability of the executive office to dot job of being mayor without dealing with layers of bureaucracy of a bunch people and people who are not elect exclude held accountable to voters. So, the Police Department is i will use the Police Appointment process as an example to explain where this does not work. So years ago. Supervisor supervisor peskin before he was on the board again. Took to voters a ballot measure from the mayor a poisoning members of commission to now the board gets reappointments and the mayor gets 4 but all of them go through the board of supervisors for approval. And i will not talk about the number of quality candidates i cannot through the board rejected. But who is being held, countable for Public Safety . The mayor. People like why dont you do this or that. And im held accountable the people who have the ability to send a recommendation of a chief to me are the commission. I cant say i want to hire this person or want this person to be my chief. They are appointed if the mayor will be held, countable for Public Safety the mayor should hire and Fighter Police chief if the mir accountable for transportation, and when happens with infrastructure the mayor should have aint to hire and fighter director. Im not implying but the fact that so many of the Department Heads naw for the city are not directly accountable to me in a way that delivers for the people is when the problem is. With the current system. Buzz there are too many cooks in the kitchen. 2 many. Everybody is the head chef and this is per of the problem. To be clear about this in the process and. I think this the Police Commission is needed. There needs to be the thing around developary action and public inpump officer involved shootings reforms we do when it come to the leadership of the department or any department in San Francisco, any mir in this position this way than i are successful investigate ability to held accountable for the Department Heads they hire that is how you move to a better direction. Companies are wondering why wont cant run San Francisco like a business we cant because of bureaucracy. Public input is important. Advocacy is important. Commissions are important. But they have got so complex this even you know the ability to be as effective as you want and move things faster has been impacted in my hope well get on a better place. You had you are with the press is this no. Bay area counsel i k ea organizing tomorrow sdpt ninth circuit. Thank you. About this injunction that prevents i stele from referring people unsheltered pep to shelters and the key part of your strategy one i wonder if you had comments about the case. Words of warning. Well, i do and i will be at the rolly tomorrow to advocate for the of we have a Court Decision made about the tenderloin that says have you to clear all encampments and clone the streets the other hundred we have case that say us cant move people unless you have a place for everybody. This hen challenging because the way the city workseen if we have something for everyone, we still cant force people in to shelter or housing or what have you. Since have been mir since 2018, we added you know another 5 ,000 place ams on top of the 10,000 we already had to help people of am why we saw a reduction in unsheltered homelessness at 15 left year a reduction because we have been building up our capacity. But we cant upon just have a place for everybody nor can we force everybody if we did in a place. I think the biggest challenge is we need the aint to at least clear sidewalks and try to get people this treatment. We never clear unless wore offering an althoughive and you know the the case just to use an example of a bit of the, bus is you know the person who is at the pot row barn on castro come market who refuses to move we got in shelter and decided to leave. And you know when we were trying to move the encampment and clean the let mow call my lawyer before i do anything. Right. And my problem with this is i get people suffer from mental ill expense, diction and than i are complicated but if we have a place for people to move we should not be forced allow people to be on the sidewalks and street. We could not let the beer, pizza bagel festival use the walks a way during their festival but we can let people live on our sidewalk . And thats okay . This is a problem. You know, so our plan is to try to get them to reverse their decision. And wore proached take this to the supreme court. We are not backing down. David chu and his team doing a great job and we have to be able to clear and clone up the streets. And it is in the okay what is happening now. Is making difficult for us to remove encampments i want to remember under the fricome in certain yours and the freeway entrance and exits we have been able to clone and clear them out and get people in treatment and shelters we built. So we are not saying move. We are saying come with us and let us get you on the right path. And this is continuing to be a struggle. But if you can yoin us there tomorrow at 9 a. M. I think it is 7th and mission . Yes. Join us there we are rallying and get people fired up because you know we are not criminalizing homeless. But we are saying this is in the going to continue to help in the same way. We have been a compassionate city and tolerated a lot for too long at the expense of able to develop the resources necessary to help the people we are trying to help. All right. Appreciate it. [applause] thank the mayor come director phillips for coming out and we will see you soon. Thank you. Clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear clear im anthony im owner of scoop ice cream in the bayview. The environment sit down environment to enjoy a bananasplit. Root beer floot. Shake, et cetera. Just creating that environment for people to come and enjoy. They can experience this is cultural driven. We pretty much replicate what our culture means in the bayview. A back story me and my siplings my aunt took us out for ice cream all the time. Spend hours eating ice cream and talking and catching up with friends and family of came with an idea. Why dont you bring the ice cream shop back has not been one here in a time since the 90s. I thought it would be good to bring Something Back to a community where i grew up and something with me in Business Community. My fate is the apple pie flavor made from french cashew milk it is vegan. Homemade cashew milk and cocoa nut milk. Apples upon cinnamon and nutmeg and create a great desert. My great grand mother made it from scratch. Made ice cream for kids in the neighborhood and made different flavors. Sugar free and dairy free. Got passion to do it being here in the community and from my family. [music] im alex the find and proprietor of willow on the green on ninth and irving innin are sunset, San Francisco. We are the only cheese shop instead west coast am focus on high quality luxury goods from uk and we have a fine selection of teas, chutneys bills quiets and product from thes uk we came up with the idea of the name. Willow is the tree that makes picnic basket and it is baskets that cheese are press in the the uk this. Shop is on a parklet and the british term for parklet is a common green. Willow on the grown is picnic in the park. I came up with the idea i lived in neighborhood for 8 years. 7 years ago we had a cheese shop. During covid there was a need have a new flavor and rejuvenate business. Located between 2 beautiful bakeries. I realized the shop opening next to the bakery we have a beautiful cheese shop in the area we started autopsy with british cheese and support local cheese makers in the bay area. But of course from the british perspect you have once you have cheese you need chutney and bills quiets and tea, jam. Cream and lemon kurd. Crackers and a bit of chocolate and all of the products are based from the uk. Our most popular product when wales the black bomber a cheddar. And our second popular protect is definitely the scarlett jam. Made with strawberry seeds. This is about supporting Northern California cheese makers and food growers in the bay area. Supporting women owned businesses from around the worlds. I wanted to support the community. We experience several concerts. We support charities that come to the aid of those in need. Such as the british society. And the st. Andrew society of San Francisco and the high land games in San Francisco if you mean never had british cheese i recommend you come in the shop every weekend, saturday and sunday free cheese tastings. We are knowledgeable about all products. We are passionate about when we do here. And it gives you a chance to explore our culture, food and our values. I encourage to you come to thein are sunset with a beautiful park, deyoung and academy of science here. Come in the shop we have picnic baskets and blankets to fill and up enjoy the nature and come to the neighborhood to support the businesses out here. It is one of the first steps families and step to secure their future and provide a sense of stability for them and their loved ones. Your home, it is something that could be passed down to your children and grandchildren. A asset that offers a pathway to build wealth from one generation to the next. And you need to complete estate plan to protect the asisets. Your home, Small Business, air looms and more. You and so many communities, black, indigenous, latino and asian worked so hard to make yours but estate plans could be costly and conversations complex proud to partner to bring free and low cost estate plans to san franciscans. By providing estate plans we are able to keep the assets whole for our families, prevent displacement, address disparities and Home Ownership and strengthen the cultural integrity of the city. Working with local non profit organizations and neighborhood groups bringing the serveess to you and community, to workshops focused on Estate Planning and why its important. Im 86 years old and you do need a trustee. You need a will and put who ever you want in charge of it. Thats why i wanted to be here today. That is why one of the first steps i took when become assessor recorder is make sure we have a partnership to get foundational funding to provide these resources to community. But even more important is our connection to you and your homes and making sure we know how to help you and how to protect them. If you dont have a living trust you have to go through probate and that cost money and depending on the cost of the home is associated the cost you have to pay. That could be 40 thousand for a home at that level. I dont know about you, but i dont 40 thousand to give up. indiscernible important workshop to the community so we can stop the loss of generational wealth and equity and maintain a indiscernible why are estate plans important . We were just talking before we started the program, 70 percent of black americans do not scr a will in place. As mentioning being in community we had a conversation with a woman who paid 2700, 2700 just for revocable trust. What we are talking about today are free or low cost estate plans that are value between 3,000 to 3500. Free or low cost meaning free, or 400 if you make above 104 thousand a year, and capped larger then that amount. Because we want to focus on black and brown households, because thats whether the need is, not only in San Francisco, not only the bay area but the region as well. And, i was excitesed to see the turn out from the Western Addition and bayview and want to make sure we cover all the different steps from buying a home to making sure homes stay within the family. Work with staff attorneys to receive these free and low cost complete estate plans that include a living trust, will, financial power of attorney, and health directive. Thats why it is so important to make these resources and this information accessible. So we can make sure we are serving you and your families and your generations and your dreams. We insure the Financial Stability of San Francisco, not just for government, but for our communities. On behalf of the office of assessor recorder, im thankful for all the support and Legal Assistance they have given that makes the Estate Planning program a realty for you in San Francisco and are thank all the Community Partners like San Francisco Housing Development corporation, Booker T Washington center and neighborhood leaders and organizations that help families and individuals realize their dreams of Building Wealth in San Francisco from one generation to the next. To learn more about this program email inquiries at har you are watching San Francisco rising with chris manners. Todays special guest, carolyn mante. Hi, im chris manners and you are watching San Francisco the stow about restaffing rebuilding and reimaging the city. The guest is carolyn manteto talk about the organization is helping to preserve the City Cultural heritage and architecture. Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me e. Good to have you here. Can we talk bat the history of your organization and the mission. Sure, thank you. San francisco heritage started 51 years ago and the main mission is to preserve and enhance the architectural and cultural identity of San Francisco. When it started out the focus was really on the buildings, historic landmark listings and really concentrated on downtown area with all the development happening. Our organization was raising a reg red flag with historic landmarks in danger and victorian mansions so a hallmark of our organization is moving these victorian mansions in the way of development to inWestern Addition neighborhood and other areas to get out of the way of development and preserve them. Our organization was around before there was the Historic Preservation commission of the city so we were at the forefront drawings attention to Historic Preservation, landmarking and over the last 51 years we have seen how there are more then just buildsings in safeguarding the City Cultural resources, there is also Small Businesses and the different neighborhood icons that make a neighborhood special, so our outreach has reallyit is really come full circle in a way because it moved downtown into the neighborhoods and now with the covid epidemic it is really going back to downtown again looking at how we can play a role in the economic recovery and revitalization of downtown San Francisco. Thats great. So, now i understand your organization is also responsible for maintaining a couple properties. Could you tell us a little about those . Yes, our non profit was gifted in 1973, the historic inaudible house. It is now a Historic House museum but this was a family since 1886 built this victorian mansion in the same family year after year and one of the last resident of the family when she passed way gifted the mansion to San Francisco heritage so since then we have been running this Historic House and the home of our office. In 2018, one of the long time members nor aa lasten gifting a building on the e has hate polk became a commercial corridor after the earthquake, the owner at the time, he raised the house and put 6 store front underneath in order to take advantage of the commerce so we are in charge of the house on the corner and it has been a wonderful way to get new numbers, new audiences interested in the work of our organization. During the pandemic, we have been using it as a artson residents and partnering with different bay area artists as well as cultural institutions, cultural districts and then one of the storefronts we converted into a pop up galleries so gives a opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the art and Cultural Resources in San Francisco. Thats fantastic. So, now, lets talk about legacy business. What does the designation mean . How does somebody get add today the legacy business registry and what benefits does being named a legacy business . I love this program. It was started by San Francisco heritage and adopt ed by the city and run by the office of Small Business but the program looks what are the businesses really contributing to San Francisco and the neighborhood. When we started the first focus was bars and restaurants but over the years it exb panded to include other businesses so these are places that contribute to the character of a neighborhood, so sams grill downtown, the amazingarian press in the presidio. Book stores like city lights oergreen apple recently named. This year we had a lot of attention on the legacy Business Program. We put out a contest to the public of what you think should be the next legacy business and one of the businesses that was recommended was the club deluxe, jazz club on the corner, and 2 or 3 days after we launched the contest, the owners announced they would have to close. The rent was driven up, they couldnt afford it, coming out of the pandemic so we worked at speed to get that application submitted with them and that status convinced their landlord to negotiate with them a lower rent and this way they have been able to stay, there was a lot of social Media Support around this, so when you become a legacy business, not only do you get marketing and business support from the office of Small Business, but you also eligible for grants and we work closely with the legacy businesses as we do our work for San Francisco heritage. Thats great. So, apart from architecture and buildings, you also work with cultural districts, and the castro theater strikes me as a place that is both. A beautiful building and cultural hub and center. What has been happening with the recent acquisition by new owners; it is leased to another Planet Entertainment and been in contact with Planet Entertainment by the castro theater is historic land mark building. It is recognized as a very important architectural monument. One thingone of the main activist organizations of the preservation of the theater we Work Together with supervisor mandelman on a interior landmark historic landmark designation for interior, but what happened over the is summer and people learned is there is a lot of concern not just by san franciscans but people all over the world, movie directors, stars who are very concerned about the risk to the lgbtq and film programming at the castro theater. Another planet hosted Community Stakeholder in august, and it was so moving to see the number of people who took the microphoneeveryone had two minutes to say their testimony of what castro theater meant to them and those testimonys showed this building is contributing not just as a architectural monument but plays a role in the Lgbtq Community that is irrelaceuble able. It is beautiful theater. It is. My involvement in the theater raised awareness to not only the castro theater to be emblematic of the lgbtq culture and history but also there are many other sites in the city that also contribute to the identity. That is why so many people come to San Francisco as a place of freedom and diversity so in my previous work i worked at the World Heritage center, so when i joined San Francisco heritage i was thinking why isnt San Francisco a World Heritage city . For the architecture alone it could be inscribed. Golden gate bridge to name a few but the city is so unique in the architecture, the mansioned and historic landmarks so hoping to start a conversation on that with city stakeholders this year. That is great. Lets talk about your relationship with other agencies. You mentioned economic and office of Work Force Development and Planning Commission. How do you unt integrate to them . These relationships are essential. We are working with office of Small Business for the legacy Business Program and the Planning Department is really one of our most crucial relationships. We meet quarterly with them and we really see how we can support not only historic land mark listings and historical cultural context statements, strategy for culture districts and city survey among many other activities that really are of concern to both of us. For the office of Workforce Development, i attended a etmooing recently that the chamber of commerce organized with them on the Downtown Revitalization and a key goal in that meeting and in the Downtown Revitalization is to make sure that the City Historic culture resources play a key r0e8 in the economic recovery and revitalization especially after the pandemic. The office of Workforce Development has the city build program which is admirable program where youth are trained in construction techniques for rebuilding and especially with the new housing legislation, and we really want to see how can that workforce be expanded to include training in Historic Preservation. We have so many victorian homes, Historic Buildings and other places that really need a Skilled Labor force to make sure that they are preserved and that they help keep the special identify of the city. We really value these relationships, we meet quarterly with the various organizations and we are really grateful for grants of the arts we receive and other supports so definitely that is a key relationship for San Francisco heritage. The city build is great. I like that a lot. Thank you so much for the time you have given today. Appreciate you coming on the show. Thank you so much raising awareness about San Francisco heritage. We hope the people watching will join us in the mission to help keep San Francisco special. Thank you. Thats it for this episode. Well be back shortly. Im chris manners, thanks in meeting will come it orders. Welcome to the monday, september 11 meeting of rowels of the San Francisco board of supervisors. Welcome become to our first meeting after summer recess. Before we get started it bears mentioning today marks a somber day in american history. 22 years ago terror attacks. Claimed lives of 3,000 people from 100