Questions on many of the presentations, and weve gotten very thorough and thoughtful answers from staff, so hopefully that means we can go through our agenda in a very efficient way and we can go to our different activities of the evening. First item is the minutes. Are there any additions or corrections on the part of the commissioners . Okay. Any comments from the public . Clerk if youre on the Public Comment line, please press star, three if youd like to make a comment on the minutes. No comments, commissioners. Okay. So is there a motion to approve the october 20, 2020, minutes of the commission . So moved. Second. Can we have a roll call vote . Clerk yes. [roll call] clerk just for everyone to know, if the if youre not speaking, then please mute yourselves, and commissioners, if youre making rustling noises, and youre not muted, i am going to mute you. So i apologize, but we want to keep the sound quality good. So well move onto item 3, the directors report. Hi, commissioners. Gra
But i wanted to take this opportunity to just start with, really, how far weve come. Its been a very, very challenging seven months in San Francisco. When this pandemic first hit, we had to make some really hard decisions. And with those hard decisions, we knew it was not only going to hit our economy as a whole, but it was going to have a tremendous impact on our Small Businesses, especially businesses in the community. We saw, within the first time that we closed in the month of april, we saw unemployment go to over 60,000 people, and as of today, we have over 200,000 people who have filed for unemployment. Weve seen businesses close, and some that we have gone to our entire lives, weve seen them close permanently. Weve had to balance a 1. 5 billion budget deficit in San Francisco. Its been hard. Our unemployment before the pandemic was less than 2 , and at its height, went to 12 , and today, its 8 . So yes, from an economic standpoint, we have had some really challenges in our city,
A mess weve made of our justice not just in the last few years, but the foot from the century. We spent time just, you know, looking people up for no reason trying to criminalize drugs with no good to be want and even put children in prison as you know from the police, just insane. So we have a completely dysfunctional system, and i spend all the, shes working on the side of the system. I just think its about time that people on the outside notice like, you know, we covered the plight of julian assange, the world famous journalist, the un special rapporteur, meals meltzer has been on this program, alleging he was being tortured at belmarsh prison in london. You know, some people, i dont know, some Mainstream Media newspapers call it all in a camps these british presence. You begin the book in belmarsh. I do and its a horrific place. Its terrible to be easy. As a visitor, as a lawyer, it takes a long time to get even as a visa, but to actually be an inmate there. So destroy, you know, m
A mess weve made of our justice not just in the last few years, but the foot from the century. We spent time just, you know, looking people up for no reason trying to criminalize drugs with no good to be want and even put children in prison as you know from the police, just insane. So we have a completely dysfunctional system and hospital all the shes working on the side of the system. I just think its about time the people on the outside notice, like, you know, we covered the plight of julian assange, the world famous journalist, the un special rapporteur, meals meltzer has been on this program, alleging he was being tortured at belmarsh prison in london. You know, some people, i dont know, some Mainstream Media newspapers call it the holiday camps, these british presence, you begin the book and bell much. I do understand horrific place. Its terrible to be easy. As a visitor, as a lawyer, it takes a long time to get even is a busy time, actually be an inmate there, its soul destroying
Welcome do going on the ground. A lot of people talking about britain, possibly breaking International Law rove a break said, but your new book is so beautiful and eloquently written about Britains Justice system. How difficult was it even to write a book at such a damning account of the judicial system . Here from the inside to be honest with you, to spend a bit of time last year, just thinking about what a mess weve made of our justice not just in the last few years, but foot from the century. We spent time just, you know, looking people up for no reason trying to criminalize drugs with no good to be want and even put children in prison as you know from the police, just insane. So we have a completely dysfunctional system and hospital all these years with the only side of the system. I just think its about time the people on the outside notice, like, you know, we cover the plight of julian assange, the world famous journalist, the un special rapporteur. Have neils meltzers been on th