Its absolutely beautiful. Thank you. [applause] so mayor breed made reference to all of the partners, the Mayors Office of housing. Kate hartley and her staff are here today, provided a lot of money and lets just say moral support. But bank of america has had an outsized role in this r. A. D. Program, not only in westside court, but in every development of the city, providing virt reall of the debt and equity financing. And i think the total financing is up in the 700 or 800 million range, which is pretty remarkable when you think that one institution has been responsible for that. With that, id like to call to the podium liz minnick, an executive with bank of america in the bay area. [applause] thank you, and good afternoon are we on . There we go. Thank you and good afternoon, everyone oops. I can talk really loud. I can probably do it without it. [inaudible] all right. Okay. Thank you so much, and bank of america is actually so pleased. Its actually 2. 2 million in financing. So when you think about the rental assistance demonstration and the ability of Public Housing within this amazing city of San Francisco, bank of america was so proud to be able to step up and provide that commitment of the 2. 2 million. Just to put it in perspective, we financed 4. 4 billion around the country, and 2. 2 came right here in the city where we were founded. Its so exciting to see the rehabilitated westside court, and be a part of it. Wed like to continue the work with the Mayors Office, with kate and her team at the department of housing, and all of our Wonderful Bank of america teammates that made this possible. Thank you so much. [applause] how often does a state official come to an event like this . Fiona mah has a long history as a san franciscan of serving this city, as a supervisor, state emly, in the board of equalization, and now as recently elected treasurer in the state of california. Just so you know, its the treasurer who facilitates all of the lowincome bonds and tax credits that finances this and all other projects like it. So shes a really good person to know. So its my pleasure to introduce a really good friend, state treasurer fiona mah [applause] thank you so much. Its my honor to be here. Some of you know, i started out as a District Representative to john burton back in 1995. And back then, you know, i was just learning and many of the people that i was working with are still here, the reverend mccray, reverend townsend, amos brown, and todd clader are still here, and we are still here, right . Still here. And then, to the new leaders, our dynamic mayor, london breed, and supervisor vallie brown, thank you for continuing to lead us here in San Francisco. Ive been living here in San Francisco for 30 years, but bill witte was here actually longer, and he was one of the senior consultants, advisors to Dianne Feinstein when she was mayor, and his commitment to lowincome housing, bar none, is one of the best examples of what developers should be doing, could be doing, and we welcome doing more. To the members of the westside tenants association, welcome. Everyone is going to be sending you text messages, emailing you, calling you. So welcome. I was a Tax Collector on the state board of equalization. Now that im your state treasurer, i have money, and i have grants and bonds and loan programs, and i am just so honored to be here today working with all of you. I have to tell you, our tcac and cdlac, because of folks like bill witte, we are going to revamp those two agencies. We want to be forward looking and oriented and also forward looking. We had a meeting yesterday, and we talked about some of these properties, and how somethingment is not doing their jobs. Were putting together a list of the good actors and bad actors, and those that are bad actors are not going to get anymore tax credits moving forward until they cleanup their act. We also talk about displacement when these applicants come before us at tcac and cdlac, if you are going to rehab these units, where are the tenants going to go . And then also making sure that we are a onestop shop. So when Developers Come to us, and they have projects, we want to help. We want to put together the deals with you instead of thank you very much, you dont qualify, click. We want to say you dont qualify for 9 , but how about 4 . How about if you put housing along with daycare or a coop or food clinic . We have the money for all of this at the treasurers office. I just want to say call me any time. We want to be part of the solution. Thank you so much. [applause] there was of course a lot of work to get this development to the condition that it is today. And theres a bricks and mortar side, and theres a people side. And the bricks and mortar side, i want to thanks a few people. Particularly, lisa grady, our project manager. Lisa . [applause] and our Property Management team, one of the good ones, i like to think, our regional director, danny rivera, and site manager, shamika rochelle. [applause] and two people that weve worked with a long time on a lot of developments and are going to hopefully continue to work with a lot more. First of all, bob nibi, the president of nibi contractors. Bob . [applause] they have to work with the community, with some local subcontractors to get to where we are today. And Mimi Sullivan, the architect who labored with us, we were talking earlier about making sure we got just the right colors on the new building, and hopefully, the residents will tell us if we need to fix that, so thank you, mimi. [applause] but its not just about bricks and mortar, and early on, working with tabernacle, my friend of 100 years, reverend arnold townsend, and his partner, gary banks, it was about this has to work for the residents. And i say to you today that i hope and expect that five and ten years from now, youll hold us to this standard. This isnt just about finishing the project, this is starting the project. So gary, arnold, todd, and everybody, thank you for that. To conclude the program now, i think it is particularly fitting that my friend, reverend arnold townsend, come up and lead us in maybe a little bit of prayer. I mean, i dont know that anybody speaks for the Western Addition better or longer than arnold. Arnold . [applause] if you, and its just wonderful to see everyone, and let me just say a couple of things real quick. I know that you all are sitting, looking at me, and what youre thinking, ive been last on the program before. And when youre last on the program, you know that everybody in the office just wants you to hurry up. So i am going to try to hurry up. Let me say but a couple of things. Im glad you said the staff, bill, so i dont have to. It was some outstanding work going on. We had to be tough to get it done, but everyone did their job, played their role. Big and i like i said, we go back a very long ways. Hes not quite as old as i am, but hes close. Hes close. And really, you know, we knew each other around the times of the feinstein days, and the mon cone moscone and agnos days. But whether you know it or not, we used to play basketball, and bill used to have a pretty good point guard game. He played east coast style, you know. They dont do much outside shooting, but they can go to the hoop pretty good. He can go to the hoop pretty good. So he called me and said, arnold, im doing some work in the Western Addition. Im coming back to town to do some work, and i need you to come help me. I said bill, im flattered, but the days of me coming into the office at 9 00 is over. He said no, no, its pardon ti parttime. You wont have much to do. But he was generous and wrote me in, and i came back, and im so glad i did. I finally did something smart after all these years of living. I said bill, im older, and i dont do much heavy lifting. I have my friend and Association Younger brother that i need to have come on the project. He said who is he . I said hes gary banks. He said well, i dont know him, but we talked, and gary came on, and it was one of the most brilliant things ive ever done. Im serious. What gary put together here and at pitts plaza, but the people who worked directly with the residents, dealing with problems they had and i mean things you wouldnt think of, but everything from Child Support helping people that have Child Support issues, so people can go to work, help with g. E. D. S, they did it. It wasnt necessarily what they were told to do, but he put together a team, danielle banks, who kind of manages things, and then robin and darlene and now tiana. He put together a team that didnt look at the job description, but when a problem came into the door, they set out to solve it. And they were absolutely brilliant, and if i keep talking about it, im going to get emotional because i love seeing people uplifted. Let me say to the residents here, we can talk about all these people that have been in here before you. This development team, we can at some point come in and build you a howuse. We can do that, but it takes the people inside to make it a home. Thats your responsibility. But the point im making is do what you have to do so that you have a decent home to live in, and dr. Mccray was right, your number one priority for you, your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, is peace. You want peace at home because when i got tired of all the cacophony in the streets, i go home. So as we as we adjourn and theres food back there, i assume. I sure hope so why dont we do this. Whatever your discipline may be, whatever your culture requires, your faith culture, if youre not attached to anything that you believe is greater than you, then im going to pray for you to my god. And whatever name you may call god, do it now, and lets just ask blessings upon this event. We thank everyone for this event and blessings upon the food that we are about to receive, that it will nourish us, not only in body, but in mind and spirit, and that that spirit will not rest until it gets the amount of love out of each of us that it needs, and let everyone say amen. Thank you. [applause] well, first of all, arnold, thank you for dating me. But where i come from, east coast style is a compliment, so ill take that. [inaudible] but arnold youre right about that. Arnold, you dont get the final word. Todd clader from tabernacle has been involved in the bricks and mortar, and the people side, and everything in between. Hes been with us in the beginning and has kept everything together and is going to continue to do that. Todd . [applause] good afternoon. Well, i guess were still in the morning, so ill make this quick so we can get onto the afternoon. First off, thank you all for being here. I want to acknowledge mayor breed, supervisor brown and state treasurer fiona mah for their remarks and participation in this momentous occasion. Well, i had a whole thing, you know, mapped out about who i was going to mention and recognize this morning, and i really become so engaged in what everybody else said about the key players in this project that im not sure theres a whole lot more that i can add. What i will say is that this project has been a threeyear saga, and it has involved many planning and community and Team Meetings at various levels that have made it possible for us to celebrate today. Id like to refer to the history of this property as a world war ii era construction complex. And while the mayor noted that, you know, it takes a village to build a Community Like this, what i want to add is it takes an army to modernize a world war ii era concrete block set of buildings and grounds. And we had a fantastic team, you know, to execute this task. First off, i want to invite lisa grady up to the podium. Shes been the voice of reason when it comes to the redevelopment of this property. And i have to say through the ups and downs together, weve been able to make the lives of the residents better and expect that this is not just a statement about what we can do today, its a statement about what we intend to do, its a statement about the generations ahead. So what i want to impart to you is that our relationship has grown. You know, not just from work here at robert g. Pitt. So i want to embrace lisa for all that shes done. [applause] i also want to acknowledge some of the Ground Troops that have made this project a a success. In particular, with respect to engaging the residents, i want to acknowledge the f. R. H. Team, some who have moved on and some who are new to the property. As noted by reverend brown, darlene and arnold were very essential reverend townsend, darlene and arnold were very essential in allowing us to meet the resident where they are and allowing change. Because this is a thing change. Also, i want to acknowledge Alonso Torres and the maintenance team. Their work is largely unseen until you actually come back to the property after they have made their mark. Its really a statement to their commitment to this property. I want to thank our relocation specialist. That woman has had the probably the most arduous task of all, helping residents relocate to temporary quarters and all of the preparations that are necessary to get them out of their old units into temporary units and then back into their original unit. Thats jessica garlett. Is she here today . Maybe she didnt make it, but kudos to her. [applause] yes, she deserves a round of applause. There are a couple of key residents that i want to recognize for prevailing with us. One is the former Tenant Association president , emma casey. Emma was really my voice of the community because she never failed to pull my coattails to beat me down, what i needed to do and what i needed to do more of. Emma is a champion for this community, and i appreciate all of her service. [applause] i also want to recognize the work of randy walton, who spoke earlier. Hes now the treasurer. He was the Vice President and has been the coordinator of the food bank for these past three years that weve been here with this project. And let me tell you, having to move the food bank from one unit to another and coordinate, you know, the deliveries and make sure that folks get food who arent always able to attend the food bank when its open. You know, its its a monumental task, and i have to say he has been steadfast in his commitment to see to it that people have the food that many rely on, you know, for for their sustenance, and im looking forward to him and the community room, now that were looking forward to them moving in and operating there well into the future, so thank you, randy. [applause] so theres some design and construction folk that need recognition about this morning, as well. You heard Mimi Sullivan mentioned earlier, and her crew at her design firm. And i also want to acknowledge the other design team members, including dan morris of merle morris, our landscape architect, who did a great job lets just say breaking up some of this concrete. You wouldnt believe what a concrete jungle this was, but now, it looks like people live here. So thats a tribute to a lot of the work put in by dan and his team. Also, i want to acknowledge the construction engineer. If youve ever dealt with a world war ii era building, you know theres a lot of concrete put in that had to be over come from over the years. And then, boy, nibi contractors is one of the San Franciscos is a San Francisco treat. I just cant tell you how proud we are of having them be our contractor. They have been responsive they not only have been responsive to the developer, they have been responsive to the residents. Residents have stopped them in the middle of, you know, a hammer and saw activity to help them overcome whatever little, you know, nuance needed to be addressed, and i appreciate them, and i want to just mention kieran daly. Hes a brandnew dad, and so im glad he could make it. [applause] and then, i also want to recognize the guy, you know, who keeps all the contractors workers in line, jim galloway. [applause] hes the supervisor that worked with us at robert g. Pitt. [applause] then, theres colby, looking all skate boardish. He didnt go home sometimes at night, making sure everything got done right. Then i want to acknowledge dennis denman, the construction staff man with construction associates. She was the person who was looking over the contractors shoulder over these years, so thank you, devon, and our boss, harvey mendoza. So with that, i just want to conclude with this is only the beginning, folks. We are continuing to transform lives here at westside courts. We will continue with our commuter literacy courses sponsored by the citys office of digital equity. We have alex hahn here, whos joined us, who heads up that office to provide the not only Free Internet access for our residents but also courses together with c. T. N. , the Service Provider who is provider training to the residents on basic computer literacy, internet access, and advanced courses in computer training. So were really excited about that. And we are also going to continue to look to f. R. H. And gary banks and joanne, Antoinette Hopkins as they continue the work of providing job training and placement for our residents. This is about the holistic evolution about this community and this is the model that tabernacle and related are now carrying forward in our work in this in this city and across the state. And, you know, while ive got fiona sitting here, you know, with her rapt attention, yes, we will be calling you because this very rule of adapting the rules to folks doing the work, that is music to our ears because that has been the impediment. If youve got to check all these boxes that fit into certain protocols, thats going to eliminate a whole lot of others who are really capable and willing to do this work. So any way, i wrap up with that, and amos brown told me thats enough. [applause] oh, yes, and let me mention, we are going to be offering tours starting at 12 15 . 12 40. 12 40. So you can grab a drink or a bite and meet us at this table just over to my left if you care to join us for a tour, 12 40. Thank you. [ ] i am the supervisor of district one. I am sandra lee fewer. [ ] i moved to the Richmond District in 1950 mine. I was two years old. I moved from chinatown and we were one of the first asian families to move out here. [ ] when my mother decided to buy that house, nobody knew where it was. It seems so far away. For a long time, we were the only chinese family there but we started to see the areas of growth to serve a larger chinese population. The stress was storage of the birthplace of that. My father would have to go to chinatown for dim sum and i remember one day he came home and said, there is one here now. It just started to grow very organically. It is the same thing with the russian population, which is another very large ethnic group in the Richmond District. As russia started to move in, we saw more russian stores. So parts of the richmond is very concentrated with the Russian Community and immigrant Russian Community, and also a chinese immigrant community. [ ] i think as living here in the richmond, we really appreciate the fact that we are surrounded three natural barriers. They are beautiful barriers. The presidio which gives us so many trails to walk through, ocean beach, for families to just go to the beach and be in the Pacific Ocean. We also also have a National Park service. We boarded the Golden Gate National Recreation Area so there is a lot of activity to do in the summer time you see people with bonfires. But really families enjoying the beach and the Pacific Ocean during the rest of the time of year. [ ] and Golden Gate Park where we have so many of our treasures here. We have the tea garden, the museum and the academy of sciences. Not to mention the wonderful playgrounds that we have here in richmond. This is why i say the richmond is a great place for families. The theatre is a treasure in our neighborhood. It has been around for a very long time. Is one of our two neighborhood theatres that we have here. I moved here when i was 1959 when i was two years old. We would always go here. I love these neighborhood theatres. It is one of the places that has not only a landmark in the Richmond District, but also in San Francisco. Small theatres showing one or two films. A unique they are unique also to the neighborhood and San Francisco. Where we are today is the heart of the Richmond District. With what is unique is that it is also Small Businesses. There is a different retail here it is mom and pop opening up businesses. And providing for the neighborhood. This is what we love about the streets. The cora door starts on clement street and goes all the way down to the end of clement where you will see Small Businesses even towards 32nd. At the core of it is right here between here and 20 tenth avenue. When we see this variety of stores offered here, it is very unique then of the any other part of San Francisco. There is traditional irish music which you dont get hardly anywhere in San Francisco. Some places have this long legacy of serving ice cream and being a hangout for families to have a sunday afternoon ice cream. And then also, we see grocery stores. And also these restaurants that are just new here, but also thriving. [ ] we are seeing restaurants being switched over by hand, new owners, but what we are seeing is a vibrancy of clement street still being recaptured within new businesses that are coming in. That is a really great thing to see. I dont know when i started to shop here, but it was probably a very, very long time ago. I like to cook a lot but i like to cook chinese food. The market is the place i like to come to once a year. Once i like about the market as it is very affordable. It has Fresh Produce and fresh meat. Also, seafood. But they also offer a large selection of condiments and sauces and noodles. A variety of rice that they have is tremendous. I dont thank you can find a variety like that anywhere else. Hi. I am kevin wong. I am the manager. In 1989 we move from chinatown to Richmond District. We have opened for a bit, over 29 years. We carry products from thailand, japan, indonesia, vietnam, singapore and india. We try to keep Everything Fresh daily. So a customer can get the best out a bit. Normally during crab season in november, this is the first place i hit. Because they have really just really fresh crab. This is something my family really likes for me to make. Also, from my traditional chinese food, i love to make a kale soup. They cut it to the size they really want. I am probably here once a week. Im very familiar with the aisles and they know everyone who is a cashier cashier here i know when people come into a market such as this, it looks like an asian supermarkets, which it is and sometimes it can be intimidating. We dont speak the language and many of the labels are in chinese, you may not know what to buy or if it is the proper ingredients for the recipe are trying to make. I do see a lot of people here with a recipe card or sometimes with a magazine and they are looking for specific items. The staff here is very helpful. I speak very little chinese here myself. Thinks that im not sure about, i asked the clerk his and i say is this what i need . Is this what i should be making . And they actually really helped me. They will bring me to the aisle and say this is battery. They are very knowledgeable. Very friendly. I think they are here to serve not only the Asian Community but to serve all communities in the Richmond District and in San Francisco. [ ] what is wonderful about living here is that even though our july is a very foggy and overcast, best neighborhood, the sleepy part outside on the west side is so rich with history, but also with all the amenities that are offered. [ ] in november of 2016, california voters passed proposition 64. The adult use of marijuana act. San franciscans overwhelmingly approved it by nearly 75 . And the law went into effect in january of 2018. [ ] under californias new law, adults age 21 and over can legally possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants at home. Adults in california can legally give up to 1 ounce to other adults. In the state of california, we passed a law that said adult consumption is legal. If you are an adult and in possession of certain amounts, you will no longer be tried. You will not be arrested or prosecuted for that. That is changing the landscape dramatically. [ ] to legalization of cannabis could bring tremendous economic and social benefits to cities like San Francisco. This industry is projected to reach 22 billion by the year 2020. And that is just a few years away. It can be a huge Legal Industry in california. I think very shortly, the actual growing of marijuana may become the biggest cash crop in the state and so you want that to be a legal tax paying cash crop, all the way down the line to a sales tax on the retail level. The california medical industry is a 3 billiondollar industry last year. Anticipating that multiplier as 20, 30, 50 times in the consumer marketplace once adult use is really in place, you could go ahead and apply that multiplier to revenue. It will be huge. When that underground economy becomes part of the regular tax paying employment economy of the bay area, it not only has a direct impact, that money has a ripple impact through the economy as well. It is not just about retail. It is not just about the sensor. Is about manufacturing pick a lot of innovative manufacturing is happening here in San Francisco in addition to other parts of the state as well as the cultivation. We should be encouraging that. There is a vast array of jobs that are going to be available in the newly regulated cannabis industry. You can start at the top tier which a scientist working in testing labs. Scientists working at extraction companies. And you work towards agricultural jobs. You have ones that will require less education and you look towards Cannabis Retail and see traditional retail jobs and you see general management jobs. Those things that are similar to working at a Bar Restaurant or working at a retail store. We are offering, essentially, high paid manufacturing jobs. Typical starting wage of 18 20 an hour, almost no barrier to entry, you do not need an education. That means that people who do not have college educations, workingclass people, will have an opportunity to have a job at cultivating cannabis plants. Theres a whole wide array of Job Opportunities from the seedling to the sale of the cannabis. [ ] last year, they said 26 Million People came to San Francisco. The Tourism Industry continues to be very robust here and the city and county of San Francisco is about a billiondollar industry. If we use a conservative cannabis user Adoption Rate to 15 that means 4 million tourists want that means 4 million tourists want to purchase cannabis. And we need to be ready for th them. In 2015, as adult use legalization efforts gained momentum in california, the supervisors created the San Francisco Cannabis State Legalization Task force. This task force offered to research and advice to the supervisors, the mayor and other city departments. We knew that adult use legalization was coming to the ballot and stat that would bring with it a number of decisions that the city would have to make about zoning and regulation and so forth. And i decided at that time, at a know it was a great, that rather than have a fire drill after the ballot measure passes, as suspected it would, we should plan an event. So i authored a task force to spend a year studying it and we made it a broadbased task force. We prepared ourselves by developing a Health Impact assessment and partnered that with key stakeholder discussions with washington, oregon, colorado, to really learn lessons from their experience rolling out both adult and medicinal cannabis. Within days of the passing of the proposition, ed lee called on agencies to act decisively. He issued an executive order asking the department of public health, along with planning and other city departments to think through an internal working group around what we needed to do to consider writing this law. We collectively, i would say that was representatives from g. S. A. , as well as the Mayors Office, met with a lot of departments to talk through what prop 64 and the implementation of prop 64 it meant to them. The mayor proposed an office of cannabis, a onestop shop for permits allowing operators to grow and sell cannabis. He wanted a smart structure. He wanted a regulatory structure that ensured that kids didnt have access and communitys were safe and that consumers were safe. And he wanted to ensure, more importantly, it was a regulatory structure that encouraged diversity and inclusivity. This is an office that will be solely charged with a duty of wanting not only the policies that we create, implementing and enforcing them, but also executing the licenses that are needed. Were talking about 20 different licenses that will put us into compliance with what is happening on the state level. This is a highly, highly regulated industry now, at this point. We have anywhere from 710 departments that will be working with these industry participants as they go through the permitting process. That is a lot of work at a loss of coordination. We are creating a permitting process that is smart and is digital. It is much easier for the user and for community input, and is less mired in bureaucracy. For the First Time Ever in San Francisco history, standalone licenses are available for all aspects of the nonretail side of the cannabis industry. Now, a cultivator can go in to the department of building inspection and to the department of health and say, with this first registered and temporary license, and then what will eventually be a permanent license, this is the project, this is what i am going to do. Very rarely in City Government do we interact with industries that are asking to be regulated. These guys want to be regulated. They want to be compliant. They want to work with the city. That is rare. San francisco has created a temporary licensing process so that the preexisting operators here in San Francisco can apply for a temporary state licensed. We have taken teams of up to 12 inspectors to inspect the facility twice a day. We have been doing that with the department of building inspection and the department of public health. And the fire department. It is really important for the industry to know that we are treating them like industry. Like manufacturing. Like coworkers pick so that is the way we are approaching this from a health and safety and a Consumer Protection network. This is just the way practice happens with restaurants or manufacturing facilities. Because there are so many pieces of industry that people havent even thought about. There are different permits for each piece. You have to set up a permitting system for growing, for manufacturing, for testing. For delivery. For retail. You have to make sure that there is an appropriate health code. Certainly the regulation of alcohol in terms of restaurants and retail its probably a model for how this industry will be regulated as well, both on sale and consumption. It is completely uncharted territory. There is a blessing and a curse with that. It is exciting because we are on a new frontier, but it is very nerveracking because theres a lot at stake. And quite frankly, being San Francisco, being the state of california, people are looking to us. We hope that cannabis does become more of an accepted part of society in the same way that alcohol is, the same way coffee is. It is a very innovative fear, particularly around manufacturing. San francisco could be an epicenter. San francisco can be a leader here. A Global Leader in the Cannabis Movement and set a bar just to other communities and cities and states and this nation how it is done. [ ] my name is doctor ellen moffett, i am an assistant medical examiner for the city and county of San Francisco. I perform autopsy, review medical records and write reports. Also integrate other sorts of testing data to determine cause and manner of death. I have been here at this facility since i moved here in november, and previous to that at the old facility. I was worried when we moved here that because this building is so much larger that i wouldnt see people every day. I would miss my personal interactions with the other employees, but that hasnt been the case. This building is very nice. We have lovely autopsy tables and i do get to go upstairs and down stairs several times a day to see everyone else i work with. We have a bond like any other group of employees that work for a specific agency in San Francisco. We work closely on each case to determine the best cause of death, and we also interact with family members of the diseased. That brings us closer together also. I am an investigator two at the office of the chief until examiner in San Francisco. As an investigator here i investigate all manners of death that come through our jurisdiction. I go to the field Interview Police officers, detectives, family members, physicians, anyone who might be involved with the death. Additionally i take any property with the deceased individual and take care and custody of that. I maintain the chain and custody for court purposes if that becomes an issue later and notify next of kin and make any additional follow up phone callsness with that particular death. I am dealing with people at the worst possible time in their lives delivering the worst news they could get. I work with the family to help them through the grieving process. I am ricky moore, a clerk at the San Francisco medical examiners office. I assist the pathology and toxicology and Investigative Team around work close with the families, loved ones and funeral establishment. I started at the old facility. The building was old, vintage. We had issues with plumbing and things like that. I had a tiny desk. I feet very happy to be here in the new digs where i actually have room to do my work. I am sue pairing, the toxicologist supervisor. We test for alcohol, drugs and poisons and biological substances. I oversee all of the lab operations. The forensic operation here we perform the toxicology testing for the Human Performance and the case in the city of San Francisco. We collect evidence at the scene. A woman was killed after a robbery homicide, and the dna collected from the zip ties she was bound with ended up being a cold hit to the suspect. That was the only investigative link collecting the scene to the suspect. It is nice to get the feedback. We do a lot of work and you dont hear the result. Once in a while you heard it had an impact on somebody. You can bring justice to what happened. We are able to take what we due to the next level. Many of our counterparts in other states, cities or countries dont have the resources and dont have the beautiful building and the equipmentness to really advance what we are doing. Sometimes we go to court. Whoever is on call may be called out of the office to go to various portions of the city to investigate suspicious deaths. We do whatever we can to get our job done. When we think that a case has a natural cause of death and it turns out to be another natural cause of death. Unexpected findings are fun. I have a prior background in law enforcement. I was a Police Officer for 8 years. I handled homicides and suicides. I had been around Death Investigation type scenes. As a Police Officer we only handled minimal components then it was turned over to the coroner or the detective division. I am intrigued with those types of calls. I wondered why someone died. I have an extremely supportive family. Older children say, mom, how was your day. I can give minor details and i have an amazing spouse always willing to listen to any and all details of my day. Without that it would be really hard to deal with the negative components of this job. Being i am a native of San Francisco and grew up in the community. I come across that a lot where i may know a loved one coming from the back way or a loved one seeking answers for their deceased. There are a lot of cases where i may feel affected by it. If from is a child involved or things like that. I try to not bring it home and not let it affect me. When i tell people i work at the medical examiners office. Whawhat do you do . The autopsy . I deal with the a with the enou with the administrative and the families. Most of the time work here is very enjoyable. After i started working with dead people, i had just gotten married and one night i woke up in a cold sweat. I thought there was somebody dead . My bed. I rolled over and poked the body. Sure enough, it was my husband who grumbled and went back to sleep. This job does have lingering effects. In terms of why did you want to go into this . I loved science growing up but i didnt want to be a doctor and didnt want to be a pharmacist. The more i learned about forensics how interested i was of the perfect combination between Applied Science and criminal justice. If you are interested in finding out the facts and truth seeking to find out what happened, anybody interested in that has a place in this field. Being a woman we just need to go for it and dont let anyone fail you, you cant be. With regard to this position in comparison to crime dramas out there, i would say there might be some minor correlations. Lets face it, we arent hollywood, we are real world. Yes we collect evidence. We want to preserve that. We are not scanning fingerprints in the field like a Hollywood Television show. Families say thank you for what you do, for me that is extremely fulfilling. Somebody has to do my job. If i can make a situation that is really negative for someone more positive, then i feel like i am doing the right thing for the city of San Francisco. Good afternoon and welcome to the hearing for wednesday, february 20, 2019. I would like members to please silence your cell phones and please state your name for the record. I would like to take roll at this time. roll call . Acknowledging your last hearing with us. Commissioners, first on your agenda is general public comment. At this time members of the public may address interests to the public except agenda items, your opporty