Transcripts For SFGTV Government Access Programming 20240714

Standard, for historic architecture, are professional degree in architecture or a state license to practice architecture. And one of one of the following two categories. Either at least oneyear of graduate study in architectural preservation, american architectural history, preservation planning or closely related field. Or the second criteria, at least one year of fulltime professional experience on Historic Preservation projects. And that experience or graduate study must include detailed investigations of Historic Structures, preparation of Historic Structures Research Reports and preparation of plans and specifications for preservation projects. Ms. Sow spoke about her experience on Historic Preservation projects. Ultimately based on her experience and the speakers who spoke about their knowledge of her background and experience, it is a decision for the board to determine whether in your judgment she meets these qualifications. And, of course, a policy decision for the board whether you choose to approve either candidate. Thank you. Yeah. Thats very helpful. You know, just to have that explained. And also publicly, too. Supervisor ronen i wanted to suggest something. It is there is no doubt that these two candidates are highly qualified, accomplished individuals, who have deep connections to the community. And have, you know, already given so much to the city and our city to get more. Thats not an issue at all. And, you know, i can see why the mayor chose to nominate these two candidates. Unfortunately the timing of this whole thing was that we got the nomination letter in the middle of our legislative break. And we have been struggling to get back and get caught up from being gone. So i personally havent had a chance to sit down with either candidate. It does concern me that s. F. Heritage, that is an organization that i have Great Respect for, who works, you know, daily on these issues, has concerns about one of the candidates. I think we take a couple of weeks to vet these and hear the concerns and make, you know, our opinions before we take a vote on this item. This is these are really important appointments. And theyre highly technical. And not being an architect or a Historic Preservationist myself, i feel like i need i need to do a little bit more studying on these nominations. So i would make a motion to continue this item two weeks to the september 23rd meeting. I did check with amy, at my office that will give us enough time on the c. R. To approve or take action on these items, in time for, you know, based on our legal requirements. So i would make that motion. Does anyone want to speak or can i take that . Go ahead, supervisor mar. Yeah. Well, i appreciate chair ronen, i appreciate your you know, your interest in allowing us, you know, more time to really, you know, vet these appointments. You know, i have to say, you know, after finding out about this, you know, to sort of have the hearing or consider these appointments, just at the end of last week, you know, i did speak the weekend a little bit just trying to get more up speed on these very complex issues around Historic Preservation and the role the Historic Preservation commission, as well as, you know, reviewing the qualifications of the applicants. So and i think through this through the hearing this morning , and i mean, i guess coming into the hearing, i still had some questions about yeah. About this. Hence even the question i posed to deputy City Attorney givener. But i actually feel comfortable, you know, that both nominees are qualified for the positions. And so and i feel comfortable supporting, you know, the mayors nomination for them. So im not going to support your motion to delay. Supervisor ronen okay. It looks like its on me. [laughter] yeah. I definitely take what s. F. Heritage has to say very seriously about candidates when they come before us. But i have to say, during this hearing, i was very impressed with both candidates. And after listening to the City Attorney givener, in terming what would make someone qualified, i was satisfied by what i heard from the candidates, the work that they have done, what they have demonstrated from their experience. And i do feel that it also matches with the intent of what the commission is for. So going out along with my colleague, supervisor mar, i think we should move these candidates forward and make an amendment for items 4 and 5 to remove rejecting and replacing it with approving of candidates for the mayors nomination of the appointment of chris foley and the appointment of lydia sow to the Historic Preservation commission. Supervisor ronen so i to make things easy, well withdraw my motion. I am going to vote no on your motion well, on your motion, supervisor walton, not because i necessarily dont support the candidates. But because i would have preferred to have more time. But i will do my best in the weeks to come to meet with you, both directly and to meet with heritage and to catch up on what i think about this. So ill be in touch with all three of but. And just want you to know that when im voting no, its not on the candidates. Its on i wish my colleagues had given me more time, because its very busy at the moment. But i will do my best to meet with you all before tuesday. So with that can we take a roll call. Yes. Clerk on the motion po attend to approve, to recommend. Vice chair walton . Yes. Walton aye. Member mar . Aye. Clerk chair ronen . No. The motion passes. Supervisor ronen thank you very much. Mr. Clerk, is there any other items before us today . Clerk that completes the agenda for today. Supervisor ronen thank you so much. With that, the meeting is adjourned. [gavel] manufacturing in cities creates this perfect platform for people to earn livelihoods and for people to create more economic prosperity. Im kate sosa. Im cofounder and ceo of sf made. Sf made is a Public Private partnership in the city of San Francisco to help manufacturers start, grow, and stay right here in San Francisco. Sf made really provides wraparound resources for manufacturers that sets us apart from other Small Business support organizations who provide more generalized support. Everything we do has really been developed over time by listening and thinking about what manufacturer needs grow. For example, it would be traditional things like helping them find capital, provide assistance loans, help to provide Small Business owners with education. We have had some great experience doing what you might call pop ups or temporary selling events, and maybe the most recent example was one that we did as part of sf made week in partnership with the city Seas Partnership with Small Business, creating a 100 Company Selling day right here at city hall, in partnership with mayor lee and the board of supervisors, and it was just a wonderful opportunity for many of our smaller manufacturers who may be one or twoperson shop, and who dont have the wherewithal to have their own dedicated retail store to show their products and it comes back to how do we help Companies Set more money into arthur businesses and develop more customers and their relationships, so that they can continue to grow and continue to stay here in San Francisco. Im amy kascel, and im the owner of amy kaschel San Francisco. We started our line with wedding gowns, and about a year ago, we launched a ready to wear collection. San franciscos a great place to do business in terms of clientele. We have wonderful brides from all walks of life and doing really interesting things architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, other like minded entrepreneurs, so really fantastic women to work with. I think its important for them to know where their clothes are made and how theyre made. My name is jefferson mccarly, and im the general manager of the Mission Bicycle company. We sell bikes made here for people that ride here. Essentially, we sell city bikes made for riding in urban environments. Our core business really is to build bikes specifically for each individual. We care a lot about craftsmanship, we care a lot about quality, we care about good design, and people like that. When people come in, we spend a lot of time going to the design wall, and we can talk about handle bars, we can see the riding position, and we take notes all over the wall. Its a pretty fun shopping experience. Paragraph. For me as a designer, i love the control. I can see whats going on, talk to my cutter, my pattern maker, looking at the designs. Going through the suing room, im looking at it, everyone on the team is kind of getting involved, is this what that drape look . Is this what shes expecting, maybe if weve made a customization to a dress, which we can do because were making everything here locally. Over the last few years, weve been more technical. Its a great place to be, but you know, you have to concentrate and focus on where things are going and what the right decisions are as a Small Business owner. Sometimes its appropriate to bring in an expert to offer suggestions and guidance in coaching and counseling, and other times, we just need to talk to each other. We need to talk to other manufacturers that are facing similar problems, other people that are in the trenches, just like us, so that i can share with them a solution that we came up with to manage our inventory, and they can share with me an idea that they had about how to overcome another problem. Moving forward, where we see ourselves down the road, maybe five and ten years, is really looking at a business from a little bit more of a ready to wear perspective and making things that are really thoughtful and mindful, mindful of the end user, how theyre going to use it, whether its the end piece or a he hwedding gown, are they going to use it again, and incorporating that into the end collection, and so thats the direction i hear at this point. The reason we are so enamored with the work we do is we really do see it as a platform for changing and making the city something that it has always been and making sure that were sharing the opportunities that weve been blessed with economically and socially as possible, broadening that growing up in San Francisco has been way safer than growing up other places we we have that bubble, and its still that bubble that its okay to be whatever you want to. You can let your free flag fry he fly here. As an adult with autism, im here to challenge peoples idea of what autism is. My journey is not everyones journey because every autistic child is different, but theres hope. My background has heavy roots in the bay area. I was born in san diego and adopted out to San Francisco when i was about 17 years old. I bounced around a little bit here in high school, but ive always been here in the bay. We are an inclusive preschool, which means that we cater to emp. We dont turn anyone away. We take every child regardless of race, creed, religious or ability. The most common thing i hear in my adult life is oh, you dont seem like you have autism. You seem so normal. Yeah. Thats 26 years of really, really, really hard work and i think thises that i still do. I was one of the first open adoptions for an lgbt couple. They split up when i was about four. One of them is partnered, and one of them is not, and then my biological mother, who is also a lesbian. Very queer family. Growing up in the 90s with a queer family was odd, i had the bubble to protect me, and here, i felt safe. I was bullied relatively infrequently. But i never really felt isolated or alone. I have known for virtually my entire life i was not suspended, but kindly asked to not ever bring it up again in first grade, my desire to have a sex change. The school that i went to really had no idea how to handle one. One of my parents is a little bit gender nonconforming, so they know what its about, but my parents wanted my life to be safe. When i have all the neurological issues to manage, that was just one more to add to it. I was a weird kid. I had my core group of, like, very tight, like, three friends. When we look at autism, we characterize it by, like, lack of eye contact, what i do now is when im looking away from the camera, its for my own comfort. Faces are confusing. Its a lack of mirror neurons in your brain working properly to allow you to experience empathy, to realize where somebody is coming from, or to realize that body language means that. At its core, autism is a social disorder, its a neurological disorder that people are born with, and its a big, big spectrum. It wasnt until i was a teenager that i heard autism in relation to myself, and i rejected it. I was very loud, i took up a lot of space, and it was because mostly taking up space let everybody else know where i existed in the world. I didnt like to talk to people really, and then, when i did, i overshared. I was very difficult to be around. But the friends that i have are very close. I click with our atypical kiddos than other people do. In experience, i remember when i was five years old and not wanting people to touch me because it hurt. I remember throwing chairs because i could not regulate my own emotions, and it did not mean that i was a bad kid, it meant that i couldnt cope. I grew up in a family of behavioral psychologists, and i got development cal developmental psychology from all sides. I recognize that my experience is just a very small picture of that, and not everybodys in a position to have a family thats as supportive, but theres also a community thats incredible helpful and wonderful and open and there for you in your moments of need. It was like two or three years of conversations before i was like you know what . Im just going to do this, and i went out and got my prescription for hormones and started transitioning medically, even though i had already been living as a male. I have a twoyearold. The person who im now married to is my husband for about two years, and then started gaining weight and wasnt sure, so i we went and talked with the doctor at my clinic, and he said well, testosterone is basically birth control, so theres no way you can be pregnant. I found out i was pregnant at 6. 5 months. My whole mission is to kind of normalize adults like me. I think ive finally found my calling in early intervention, which is here, kind of what we do. I think the access to irrelevant care for parents is intentionally confusing. When i did the procespective search for autism for my own child, it was confusing. We have a place where children can be children, but its very confusing. I always out myself as an adult with autism. I think its helpful when you know where can your child go. How im choosing to help is to give children that would normally not be allowed to have children in the same respect, kids that have three times as much work to do as their peers or kids who do odd things, like, beach therapy. How do speech therapy. How do you explain that to the rest of their class . I want that to be a normal experience. I was working on a certificate and kind of getting think Early Childhood credits brefore i started working here, and we did a section on transgender inclusion, inclusion, which is a big issue here in San Francisco because we attract lots of queer families, and the teacher approached me and said i dont really feel comfortable or qualified to talk about this from, like, a cisgendered straight persons perspective, would you mind talking a little bit with your own experience, and im like absolutely. So im now one of the guest speakers in that particular class at city college. I love growing up here. I love what San Francisco represents. The idea of leaving has never occurred to me. But its a place that i need to fight for to bring it back to what it used to be, to allow all of those little kids that come from really unsafe environments to move somewhere safe. What ive done with my life is work to make all of those situations better, to bring a little bit of light to all those kind of issues that were still having, hoping to expand into a little bit more of a Resource Center, and this Resource Center would be more those new parents who have gotten that diagnosis, and we want to be this one centralized place that allows parents to breathe for a second. I would love to empower from the bottom up, from the kid level, and from the top down, from the teacher level. So many things that i would love to do that are all about changing peoples minds about certain chunts, like the Transgender Community or the autistic community. I would like my daughter to know theres no wrong way to go through life. Everybody experiences pain and grief and sadness, and that all of those things are temporary. They are joining us today because we know this work is not easy. Im joined here today by the director of Mental Health reform, grant colfax who is our director of the department of Public Health as well as yolanda who has been a client here for some time and she will be speaking to you later today. Thank you for being here and all the folks who are doing the hard work. We know that Mental Health there is a Mental Health crisis here in San Francisco and i know that we often times hear that were being thrown around loosely. But the fact is that as someone who grew up in San Francisco and know that we have had challenges in this city, including issues around homelessness, what i see is something that ive never seen in my lifetime of growing up in the city and that is people who are in serious, serious crisis. Serious need. And the fact is, in Historic Preservation<\/a> projects. And that experience or graduate study must include detailed investigations of Historic Structures<\/a>, preparation of Historic Structures<\/a> Research Reports<\/a> and preparation of plans and specifications for preservation projects. Ms. Sow spoke about her experience on Historic Preservation<\/a> projects. Ultimately based on her experience and the speakers who spoke about their knowledge of her background and experience, it is a decision for the board to determine whether in your judgment she meets these qualifications. And, of course, a policy decision for the board whether you choose to approve either candidate. Thank you. Yeah. Thats very helpful. You know, just to have that explained. And also publicly, too. Supervisor ronen i wanted to suggest something. It is there is no doubt that these two candidates are highly qualified, accomplished individuals, who have deep connections to the community. And have, you know, already given so much to the city and our city to get more. Thats not an issue at all. And, you know, i can see why the mayor chose to nominate these two candidates. Unfortunately the timing of this whole thing was that we got the nomination letter in the middle of our legislative break. And we have been struggling to get back and get caught up from being gone. So i personally havent had a chance to sit down with either candidate. It does concern me that s. F. Heritage, that is an organization that i have Great Respect<\/a> for, who works, you know, daily on these issues, has concerns about one of the candidates. I think we take a couple of weeks to vet these and hear the concerns and make, you know, our opinions before we take a vote on this item. This is these are really important appointments. And theyre highly technical. And not being an architect or a Historic Preservation<\/a>ist myself, i feel like i need i need to do a little bit more studying on these nominations. So i would make a motion to continue this item two weeks to the september 23rd meeting. I did check with amy, at my office that will give us enough time on the c. R. To approve or take action on these items, in time for, you know, based on our legal requirements. So i would make that motion. Does anyone want to speak or can i take that . Go ahead, supervisor mar. Yeah. Well, i appreciate chair ronen, i appreciate your you know, your interest in allowing us, you know, more time to really, you know, vet these appointments. You know, i have to say, you know, after finding out about this, you know, to sort of have the hearing or consider these appointments, just at the end of last week, you know, i did speak the weekend a little bit just trying to get more up speed on these very complex issues around Historic Preservation<\/a> and the role the Historic Preservation<\/a> commission, as well as, you know, reviewing the qualifications of the applicants. So and i think through this through the hearing this morning , and i mean, i guess coming into the hearing, i still had some questions about yeah. About this. Hence even the question i posed to deputy City Attorney<\/a> givener. But i actually feel comfortable, you know, that both nominees are qualified for the positions. And so and i feel comfortable supporting, you know, the mayors nomination for them. So im not going to support your motion to delay. Supervisor ronen okay. It looks like its on me. [laughter] yeah. I definitely take what s. F. Heritage has to say very seriously about candidates when they come before us. But i have to say, during this hearing, i was very impressed with both candidates. And after listening to the City Attorney<\/a> givener, in terming what would make someone qualified, i was satisfied by what i heard from the candidates, the work that they have done, what they have demonstrated from their experience. And i do feel that it also matches with the intent of what the commission is for. So going out along with my colleague, supervisor mar, i think we should move these candidates forward and make an amendment for items 4 and 5 to remove rejecting and replacing it with approving of candidates for the mayors nomination of the appointment of chris foley and the appointment of lydia sow to the Historic Preservation<\/a> commission. Supervisor ronen so i to make things easy, well withdraw my motion. I am going to vote no on your motion well, on your motion, supervisor walton, not because i necessarily dont support the candidates. But because i would have preferred to have more time. But i will do my best in the weeks to come to meet with you, both directly and to meet with heritage and to catch up on what i think about this. So ill be in touch with all three of but. And just want you to know that when im voting no, its not on the candidates. Its on i wish my colleagues had given me more time, because its very busy at the moment. But i will do my best to meet with you all before tuesday. So with that can we take a roll call. Yes. Clerk on the motion po attend to approve, to recommend. Vice chair walton . Yes. Walton aye. Member mar . Aye. Clerk chair ronen . No. The motion passes. Supervisor ronen thank you very much. Mr. Clerk, is there any other items before us today . Clerk that completes the agenda for today. Supervisor ronen thank you so much. With that, the meeting is adjourned. [gavel] manufacturing in cities creates this perfect platform for people to earn livelihoods and for people to create more economic prosperity. Im kate sosa. Im cofounder and ceo of sf made. Sf made is a Public Private<\/a> partnership in the city of San Francisco<\/a> to help manufacturers start, grow, and stay right here in San Francisco<\/a>. Sf made really provides wraparound resources for manufacturers that sets us apart from other Small Business<\/a> support organizations who provide more generalized support. Everything we do has really been developed over time by listening and thinking about what manufacturer needs grow. For example, it would be traditional things like helping them find capital, provide assistance loans, help to provide Small Business<\/a> owners with education. We have had some great experience doing what you might call pop ups or temporary selling events, and maybe the most recent example was one that we did as part of sf made week in partnership with the city Seas Partnership<\/a> with Small Business<\/a>, creating a 100 Company Selling<\/a> day right here at city hall, in partnership with mayor lee and the board of supervisors, and it was just a wonderful opportunity for many of our smaller manufacturers who may be one or twoperson shop, and who dont have the wherewithal to have their own dedicated retail store to show their products and it comes back to how do we help Companies Set<\/a> more money into arthur businesses and develop more customers and their relationships, so that they can continue to grow and continue to stay here in San Francisco<\/a>. Im amy kascel, and im the owner of amy kaschel San Francisco<\/a>. We started our line with wedding gowns, and about a year ago, we launched a ready to wear collection. San franciscos a great place to do business in terms of clientele. We have wonderful brides from all walks of life and doing really interesting things architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, other like minded entrepreneurs, so really fantastic women to work with. I think its important for them to know where their clothes are made and how theyre made. My name is jefferson mccarly, and im the general manager of the Mission Bicycle<\/a> company. We sell bikes made here for people that ride here. Essentially, we sell city bikes made for riding in urban environments. Our core business really is to build bikes specifically for each individual. We care a lot about craftsmanship, we care a lot about quality, we care about good design, and people like that. When people come in, we spend a lot of time going to the design wall, and we can talk about handle bars, we can see the riding position, and we take notes all over the wall. Its a pretty fun shopping experience. Paragraph. For me as a designer, i love the control. I can see whats going on, talk to my cutter, my pattern maker, looking at the designs. Going through the suing room, im looking at it, everyone on the team is kind of getting involved, is this what that drape look . Is this what shes expecting, maybe if weve made a customization to a dress, which we can do because were making everything here locally. Over the last few years, weve been more technical. Its a great place to be, but you know, you have to concentrate and focus on where things are going and what the right decisions are as a Small Business<\/a> owner. Sometimes its appropriate to bring in an expert to offer suggestions and guidance in coaching and counseling, and other times, we just need to talk to each other. We need to talk to other manufacturers that are facing similar problems, other people that are in the trenches, just like us, so that i can share with them a solution that we came up with to manage our inventory, and they can share with me an idea that they had about how to overcome another problem. Moving forward, where we see ourselves down the road, maybe five and ten years, is really looking at a business from a little bit more of a ready to wear perspective and making things that are really thoughtful and mindful, mindful of the end user, how theyre going to use it, whether its the end piece or a he hwedding gown, are they going to use it again, and incorporating that into the end collection, and so thats the direction i hear at this point. The reason we are so enamored with the work we do is we really do see it as a platform for changing and making the city something that it has always been and making sure that were sharing the opportunities that weve been blessed with economically and socially as possible, broadening that growing up in San Francisco<\/a> has been way safer than growing up other places we we have that bubble, and its still that bubble that its okay to be whatever you want to. You can let your free flag fry he fly here. As an adult with autism, im here to challenge peoples idea of what autism is. My journey is not everyones journey because every autistic child is different, but theres hope. My background has heavy roots in the bay area. I was born in san diego and adopted out to San Francisco<\/a> when i was about 17 years old. I bounced around a little bit here in high school, but ive always been here in the bay. We are an inclusive preschool, which means that we cater to emp. We dont turn anyone away. We take every child regardless of race, creed, religious or ability. The most common thing i hear in my adult life is oh, you dont seem like you have autism. You seem so normal. Yeah. Thats 26 years of really, really, really hard work and i think thises that i still do. I was one of the first open adoptions for an lgbt couple. They split up when i was about four. One of them is partnered, and one of them is not, and then my biological mother, who is also a lesbian. Very queer family. Growing up in the 90s with a queer family was odd, i had the bubble to protect me, and here, i felt safe. I was bullied relatively infrequently. But i never really felt isolated or alone. I have known for virtually my entire life i was not suspended, but kindly asked to not ever bring it up again in first grade, my desire to have a sex change. The school that i went to really had no idea how to handle one. One of my parents is a little bit gender nonconforming, so they know what its about, but my parents wanted my life to be safe. When i have all the neurological issues to manage, that was just one more to add to it. I was a weird kid. I had my core group of, like, very tight, like, three friends. When we look at autism, we characterize it by, like, lack of eye contact, what i do now is when im looking away from the camera, its for my own comfort. Faces are confusing. Its a lack of mirror neurons in your brain working properly to allow you to experience empathy, to realize where somebody is coming from, or to realize that body language means that. At its core, autism is a social disorder, its a neurological disorder that people are born with, and its a big, big spectrum. It wasnt until i was a teenager that i heard autism in relation to myself, and i rejected it. I was very loud, i took up a lot of space, and it was because mostly taking up space let everybody else know where i existed in the world. I didnt like to talk to people really, and then, when i did, i overshared. I was very difficult to be around. But the friends that i have are very close. I click with our atypical kiddos than other people do. In experience, i remember when i was five years old and not wanting people to touch me because it hurt. I remember throwing chairs because i could not regulate my own emotions, and it did not mean that i was a bad kid, it meant that i couldnt cope. I grew up in a family of behavioral psychologists, and i got development cal developmental psychology from all sides. I recognize that my experience is just a very small picture of that, and not everybodys in a position to have a family thats as supportive, but theres also a community thats incredible helpful and wonderful and open and there for you in your moments of need. It was like two or three years of conversations before i was like you know what . Im just going to do this, and i went out and got my prescription for hormones and started transitioning medically, even though i had already been living as a male. I have a twoyearold. The person who im now married to is my husband for about two years, and then started gaining weight and wasnt sure, so i we went and talked with the doctor at my clinic, and he said well, testosterone is basically birth control, so theres no way you can be pregnant. I found out i was pregnant at 6. 5 months. My whole mission is to kind of normalize adults like me. I think ive finally found my calling in early intervention, which is here, kind of what we do. I think the access to irrelevant care for parents is intentionally confusing. When i did the procespective search for autism for my own child, it was confusing. We have a place where children can be children, but its very confusing. I always out myself as an adult with autism. I think its helpful when you know where can your child go. How im choosing to help is to give children that would normally not be allowed to have children in the same respect, kids that have three times as much work to do as their peers or kids who do odd things, like, beach therapy. How do speech therapy. How do you explain that to the rest of their class . I want that to be a normal experience. I was working on a certificate and kind of getting think Early Childhood<\/a> credits brefore i started working here, and we did a section on transgender inclusion, inclusion, which is a big issue here in San Francisco<\/a> because we attract lots of queer families, and the teacher approached me and said i dont really feel comfortable or qualified to talk about this from, like, a cisgendered straight persons perspective, would you mind talking a little bit with your own experience, and im like absolutely. So im now one of the guest speakers in that particular class at city college. I love growing up here. I love what San Francisco<\/a> represents. The idea of leaving has never occurred to me. But its a place that i need to fight for to bring it back to what it used to be, to allow all of those little kids that come from really unsafe environments to move somewhere safe. What ive done with my life is work to make all of those situations better, to bring a little bit of light to all those kind of issues that were still having, hoping to expand into a little bit more of a Resource Center<\/a>, and this Resource Center<\/a> would be more those new parents who have gotten that diagnosis, and we want to be this one centralized place that allows parents to breathe for a second. I would love to empower from the bottom up, from the kid level, and from the top down, from the teacher level. So many things that i would love to do that are all about changing peoples minds about certain chunts, like the Transgender Community<\/a> or the autistic community. I would like my daughter to know theres no wrong way to go through life. Everybody experiences pain and grief and sadness, and that all of those things are temporary. They are joining us today because we know this work is not easy. Im joined here today by the director of Mental Health<\/a> reform, grant colfax who is our director of the department of Public Health<\/a> as well as yolanda who has been a client here for some time and she will be speaking to you later today. Thank you for being here and all the folks who are doing the hard work. We know that Mental Health<\/a> there is a Mental Health<\/a> crisis here in San Francisco<\/a> and i know that we often times hear that were being thrown around loosely. But the fact is that as someone who grew up in San Francisco<\/a> and know that we have had challenges in this city, including issues around homelessness, what i see is something that ive never seen in my lifetime of growing up in the city and that is people who are in serious, serious crisis. Serious need. And the fact is, in San Francisco<\/a>, the frustration is that we have a lot of resources. We have a lot we have a lot of dedicated revenues to help spousht support people, but we have discovered that the coordination has to be better and more efficient to really help people that we know are struggling. So we have people who have, as we unfortunately know, theyre homeless. They have challenges with addiction. They have a number of other ailments, including Mental Illness<\/a>, and unfortunately have nowhere to go but the streets. We need to make sure were prepared to meet people where they are. We know that people are cycling in and out of our Emergency Rooms<\/a> and only to be released, to be back right on the streets where they came from. Our jails and theyre having trouble staying stable in our Shelter Systems<\/a> and trouble maintaining housing. When i was on the board of supervisors, i had a number of clients that i was specifically dedicated to, to have a better understanding of how the system was working and whether or not it could help to reach them and, sadly, those three clients who im still connected with, are still struggle on our streets. We have to end the cycle. We have to do more and we have to be prepared to make the hardest decisions that weve ever made before. Residents like yolanda are amazing Success Stories<\/a> and she has been a client here since 2009 and has really turned her life around and im really happy to have her here today. The good news is that, you know, when the city focuses and works together to address these issues, we can actually accomplish great things. Back in march, i announced that we were hiring a director of Mental Health<\/a> reform because that is exactly what we need to do with this system. Dr. Anton will be speaking a little bit later about what hes been doing suns he has taken over this role back in march to get us on track. Today, we are launching an initiative to help those who are the most in need. At those Cross Sections<\/a> of homelessness, Mental Illness<\/a> and Substance Use<\/a> disorder. And our plan is to better coordinate the care. Now i know youve all heard about the numbers. But the fact is the data with the numbers and the information wasnt necessarily clear. And that is a big part of what we want to talk about today. What is actually we see it. We know it is happening. We heard that there was data, but the fact is there wasnt really data in really clear, coordinated efforts. And so the ability to address this issue comes with understanding what is going on with the people and that includes the data. And analyzing the folks who are in and out of our system, understanding if they were offered services or why they refused services and where theyre located after their refused services. Through this analysis done by the health department, through dr. S nagusaplan and the department of Public Health<\/a>, we have been able to identify 4,000 people with the characteristics of the population who are really in need through these various diagnosis. And of the 4,000 individuals that weve identified who struggle with these particular challenges, 41 are in crisis, which is demonstrated by their high use of the Emergency Psychiatric Services<\/a> and 95 suffer from alcohol use disorder and the sad reality is what were seeing is there is a real issue of equity because 35 are african american, despite the fact that we have a population of not even 6 of African Americans<\/a> here in San Francisco<\/a> overall. This is just the beginning. The first step of this initiative that we are proposing today is understanding the data, analyzing the data, and also making direct impacts on the particular population and really digging deep into those particular issues with those particular individuals. And now as a result, what we plan to do about it, this is just the beginning of several initiatives that we planned to announce to ream get deep into the weeds of addressing Mental Health<\/a> in San Francisco<\/a>. I want to be clear. There is not one thing that we will be able to do to address this issue. There are a number of things that we will put forward over the coming weeks to help the public better understand the issue, to help the public better understand and appreciate the people who are working in this industry, the ones who are helping us deal with these issues every single day. To help People Better<\/a> understand that there are folks that weve been able to help and to support and that many of the programs that we have in place do work. But there is a need for reform. There is a need to increase capacity and to better examine, you know, new ways to address this issue. The first step in the initiative that were proposing today is to expand individual care coordination for those we have identified. So of the 4,000 and doctor bland will go into a little bit more detail, but to just really center in on those who are most in need and that population and to really target them with individualized coordination. We also will definitely need to get them stabilize and stream the housing and health care process. Because we have to have a safe place for them to be, to recover, to go through whatever process they need to go through to get back on their feet. And we also need to understand that this challenge is not a 9 00 to 5 00 issue. Were going to expand the hours of our Behavioral Health<\/a> Access Center<\/a> so people can access these services on nights and weekends. Let me be clear that the three elements of the initiative are just the beginning. And so we know we have more work to do to improve transparency and the efficiency of our system and to enhance our services and improve what we need to do for the most vulnerable of our city. We are committed and we are ready to roll up our sleeves and to do the work. Because this is not a political issue. This is about peoples lives. And this is about understanding this population so we can get to the root causes and to help people. It comes with a number of various layers of things that we have to do. And i know some of you are familiar with whats happening with our conservatorship legislation and how its gone through the board and how that is going to hopefully help individuals who are refusing treatment, but in desperate need of services. That is one approach. This is another approach. Weve already opened a new 100 Mental Health<\/a> stabilization beds and our goal is to open 100 more by the end of this year and focusing on specific things to target this population in a way thats going going to help turn around what we know we see on our streets every day is something that is so important. Im sure you have this same example. You may see this same person on the corner every day, screaming and yelling. And i have a particular individual who removes his clothing and when i see him, i cant help but think this could be my father. This could be my grandfather. This could be my uncle. This could be my family member. And i want to help him. I want to make sure he gets the support he needs. It is not humane to continue to allow this to occur on our streets and that is why we have to move forward with a number of initiatives to help address this. Now what were proposing will not n many ways, be able to solve the issues that we know everyone is facing. Were not going to be able to force everyone into treatment. We know that locally the laws make it difficult to do something of that nature. But we do need to try. We do need to kaord nate our services and we do need to make sure that we are better prepared to meet people where they are. We cant assume that when they walk into the doors of a place like this that they know what to do. We need people who are going to be able to help them understand people who are going to understand what the challenge is and be able to address the challenge and that doesnt include, here, fill out this paperwork and take care of this and bring your i. D. That is not the way we are approaching this particular issue. Its about getting the kind of results where you can see and feel a difference on our streets every single day. So we have work to do in here to talk a little bit more about what were proposing and what hes discovered since hes taken on this role as of march of this year is dr. Nagusabland. [applause] thank you, mayor breed, for your support as we embark on this multiyear effort to transform Mental Health<\/a> and Substance Use<\/a> care for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco<\/a>. Thank you, dr. Colfax, for embracing the scale of the change we need in order to make a difference for this population and for the entire city. Thank you also jessica for your partnership in this important work as we endeavor to trace safety and civility for our neighbors. I also want to acknowledge the communitybased providers and philanthropists, clinicians and researchers, advocates and clients who dead indicate themselves to improving and saving lives in San Francisco<\/a>. We will need everyone working together if were going to make the kind of impact that this population in San Francisco<\/a> needs. Heres what we found out about our population. We looked very closely at who used San Francisco<\/a>s health care and social services in the most recent fiscal year. And as the mayor pointed out, out of nearly 18,000 people experiencing homelessness, we found that close to 4,000 of them also have both a history of serious Mental Illness<\/a> and of Substance Abuse<\/a> disorder. We found racial inequity in the population. 35 are black or african american. When just 5 of San Francisco<\/a>s population is. 41 of these individuals are high users of urgent and emergent Psychiatric Services<\/a> and 95 suffer with an alcohol use problem. Now we have seen other large cities analyzed our high use of Emergency Services<\/a> usually from a cost perspective. But as far as we know, San Francisco<\/a> is the first to [inaudible] health diagnoses of people experiencing homelessness to identifying a population and tailing solutions to that populations needs. This is how we solve problems in medicine. When a patient comes to us with a complex set of issues, we are not haphazard in our approach. We test. We collect information from collateral sources. We diagnose and we treat. We use data to precisely target our problems. We inknow vaitz and, most important of all, we persist. We are here to solve problems for the entire population and confront a crisis for our city. These are the people who need help the most. Helping them will make the biggest difference for them, for our health system, and for the entire community. When we talk about Behavioral Health<\/a>, we mean Mental Health<\/a> and Substance Use<\/a>. We know that when someone is suffering from a Mental Illness<\/a> or addiction, it is a lot like a Chronic Health<\/a> condition such as diabetes or even hypertension. When people are in treatment, they do better. When they have a setback, we dont give up. And when 4,000 san franciscans find themselves in the intersection of Mental Illness<\/a> and Substance Use<\/a> disorder, business as usual does not work for them. We have to find ways to use the system to bend in their direction. Im happy to say that this work has begun. As we rolled out the first in what will be a series of recommendations we can say we are entering a new era of collaboration with the department of homelessness and supportive housing. Jointly identifying the people in greatest need and relentless about getting them on a path to civility and wellness. With other city partners, we will be able to keep track of these individuals and wherever they touch our system a Care Coordinator<\/a> will respond. When we say were increasing access to Behavioral Health<\/a> care and we can promise, we promise that were going to focus on these 200 most Vulnerable People<\/a> in this group right now. And Work Together<\/a> to get them connected to housing, treatment and care. We will be meeting weekly to discuss each of these individuals and tracking their progress. We will outreach to them wherever they are. We will problem solve and remove barriers to accessing care and the lessons that we learn will ultimately help us improve the system of care for more people. Going forward, the recommendations i will continue to deliver to mayor breed will be driven by clinical expertise, by data, by evidence and by the most innovative and best practices we can find or imagine. They will promote equity and transparency in our system of care, that they will advance Harm Reduction<\/a> and lower barriers. They will build on the legacy of addressing problems that might seem intractable and of making stability, wellness and recovery possible. The clients and staff here at the south of the Health Clinic<\/a> show us that perseverance every day. With that, id like to introduce Yolanda Morris<\/a> et. [applause] about 15 years ago, i came to San Francisco<\/a> because i was being abused and i fled that relationship. I didnt know anyone in San Francisco<\/a>, i left my clothes and i didnt look back. I was also an au addict and i was an alcoholic and i was homeless. I came here and slept in the alley. Ive been every street out here that you can name and through the years i did want to get help. I didnt know how. And so after more abusive relationships, i finally got a good guy and it was his choice for us to get clean. He said we gotta get clean in order to make it here in San Francisco<\/a>. Im going to stop doing what i can do so that you can get your act together. And so i decided because ive been in all the shelters out here. I know how the shelters work. I decided to stay next door. I stayed there for a year. And i behaved. From there, i went into an s. R. O. They placed me in a singleroom occupancy is what it is called. A room with a bathroom and i stayed there for five years and prior to me when i first moved into the s. R. O. , my mother was dying of cancer and she didnt tell me because she knew it would take me out. I had a year of clean on me and i didnt look back and thought thats not what my mother would want. Im going to stay clean and im going to fight. Soy went out and found everything that i could find. This is one of first places that i came to because i had a lot of stuff going on mentally and physically. They were able to help me get on medication. They were able to help me get therapy, to get to the root of the problem, what was going on because i had a lot of stuff going on and after doing that, i had a lot of anger issues, depression, suicidal thoughts. I had to do anger management here twice and i finally got it right and i started doing other programs. Glide was out there. Sage was out there. It is not out there anymore. I went to the womens reentry center. I didnt feel comfortable at first because they walk you over there. Ive also been incars rated out here in San Francisco<\/a> for drug possession and other things of that nature due to my drug use. And so i just slowly said im going to build myself up and started doing things for women against rape and violence. I got an award from the d. A. I like the write. I started writing here. I found out that im a pretty good poet and i do i do poems here every year for the black history month. They embrace me here. Ive been coming here since 2012 getting support and getting help. And i graduated from a lot of programs out there and i started doing peer mentorship through San Francisco<\/a> state. Ive graduated from ram, ive graduated from nami. I expunged my record. I got my drivers license back. Five years into my s. R. O. There was a program called brilliant corners. They came and gave out vouchers to people who are willing and ready to move out of the tenderloin and i had two weeks left and i fought hard and found me a onebedroom and i got out of the tenderloin. But i still come to the tenderloin because this is an ish yaoufm i know a lot of people here. I always want to do anything that i can to disclose support and help the people in the community. So i continued. Im still with my guy. Were getting married this year. And [applause] thank you. And also i want to say that i was able to get a really good job through help rights 360th called maps and its mentor and peer support. They give you a job and they give you schooling for that. So i was able to do that. And now i teach groups in jail. I teach groups to the men in san bruno on domestic violence. I teach groups to the deputies about crisis intervention training. I go out and volunteer. I do anything and everything that i can to support anyone. We work in all the collaborative court. Now i was an addict nine years ago and this is what im doing now. Through all the help that started here at south end market. You know . They really helped me out an awful lot. They were very patient. I went through several therapists and psychologists. But finally got it right and ill be flying away and graduating from here soon because i am moving on to other things. I have a nice fulltime job now. So, yeah. Thats about it. [laughter] [applause] well, thank you, yolanda, for sharing your story. Its amazing. It is an inspiration to us all. And we wish you the very best as you get your certification in drug and alcohol counseling. Amazing work. Also, by the way, were hiring. [laughter] just putting that out there. Were looking for right people. Im the director of health for the city and county of San Francisco<\/a>. I would like to thank the mayor and thank you, dr. Bland, and thank you to our host today, Natalie Henry<\/a> berry and the hardworking staff here. This is one of the places in the citys system of care where people can get their medical care, dental and Behavioral Health<\/a> care needs met under one roof. Ive seen what the staff here, with persistent compassion have been able to do by partnering with their clients on journey to stability and wellness. They are psychiatrists, pharmacists, Behavioral Health<\/a> clinicians, nurses and support workers who go out into the community and meet people where they are. Many clients are experiencing homelessness when they enroll in services here and most are diagnosed with both Mental Illness<\/a> and Substance Abuse<\/a> disorders. But the work makes a difference. And on my last visit here, i went out with the team. And this is a client, whos now housed, but was ton street for many years. Wheelchairbound, had chronic controlism, refused treatment for many years. But the team continued to engage him, continued to bailed relationship. Helped him when he was ready to get healthy. Helped him when he was ready to get treatment for his alcoholism. And this client, living in the tenderloin, is a valuable member of the community. Is actually continuing to move that forward just like yolanda. Hes now volunteering at the San Francisco<\/a> aids clinic providing Harm Reduction<\/a> materials for people who need them. He is moving the work forward and this is the kind of model of peers helping peers in a system that meets people where they are and does whatever it takes to help get them off the street w. This new data and focus on the 200, we can make a difference. I think when people are ready for treatment and volunteer for treatment, that is key. I also think we need to recognize that one of our challenges on the streets that some people will refuse treatment. Some people in the most dire needs of treatment will refuse treatment. So we need to be there when people are ready to go into the services and meet them. When theyre ready. But we also need laws like the conservatorship law to provide people with the support for shorttime conservatorship to help them save their lives. These are lifesaving interventions. And that persistent compassion is what we have seen here and what weve come to expect from our director of Mental Health<\/a> reform in. A few short months, hes transformed the way many of us think about caring for people experiencing the intersection of homelessness, serious Mental Illness<\/a> and Substance Abuse<\/a> disorders. This is a population, as youve heard of 4,000 people who require specialized solutions. Kit take a while. It can take time for them to achieve their goals. But we know that wellness and recovery is possible, as youve heard today. And with our partners at the department of homeless systems and supportive housing, thank you, jeff, for being here today and the Human Services<\/a> agency. We have agreed for the first tomb on ways to identify, treat and house the most vulnerable population in our city. And mayor london breed to spark the champion of Harm Reduction<\/a>, someone who understands the inequities that lead to core Health Outcomes<\/a> and that we must continually push harder to overcome. Under her leadership, San Francisco<\/a> continues to invest in health care and housing that our city needs. Thank you, mayor breed. And thank you all for being here today. Thank you to the team and lets move forward together. [applause] thank you. Again, thank you so much, yolanda, for sharing your story. And stories like yolandas is why we do the work. It is what we care about the most because the fact is, you know, people go through challenges. People go through struggles. And nine years being clean and sober takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of courage and to get up here and tell your story will have such a tremendous impact on so many other peoples lives and hopefully encourage them to get the help and the support that they need. And i think that is important to remember in having the conversation about the struggles and the Success Stories<\/a>. Because we are not going to give up. And i know that people in San Francisco<\/a> are frustrated by what they see on our streets. Im frustrated. But im not going to give up. I think it is important that we have ways to help people. That with our additional 53 million in investment and Behavioral Health<\/a> program that our additional 100 million in investment, the Homeless Supportive Services<\/a> indicates that were willing to make investments. Now it is time to put those investments to good use. And to understand that every dollar we spend on this issue is a dollar that can change someones life. And so we have to be deliberate in our approach to really focus on this and make sure it is not a political issue. This is a longterm plan of action that will deliver the kind of results that will help people, like yolanda, get really a Second Chance<\/a> at living a healthy, productive and thriving life. So thank you for all of you for being here today. And again, i want to express my appreciation to the team and the folks who are working with so many of the clients that i know things can be challenging, but the fact that youre here, i know that youve not given up. This work is rewarding, especially when youre able to get the kinds of results that show that supporting people like yolanda do yield and so it really means a lot to have so many incredible, dedicated people doing this work every single day because it is not easy. And ill tell you that, you know, because you all know that i spend a lot of time walking the streets and having the conversations and going out there with some of our teams and having the conversation. Within two hours of walking just four blocks, i was mentally exhausted with the conversations that i had and also trying to get people the help and the support that they needed and just work that the energy and the emotion that goes into trying to help people every single day is something thats admirable and i want us to really appreciate the folks who are part of, you know, our mental teams and our nonprofit organizations and our homeless out reach workers and even Law Enforcement<\/a> and the work that were out there doing to help change and save peoples lives. This is the first of many steps that we plan to take and, again, this is, i know, a very complex issue. Its not wraped in the usual political package that the press, i know, wants to see it wrapped in. But this is actually what we need to do. Get into the nuts and bolts, make the right decisions and get out there and make the changes that will help impact the people that we are here to serve. So thank you all so much for being here today. And dr. Colfax and dr. S blanlz dr. Bland will be here to answer any further questions that you might have. Thank you. [applause] [ ] i just wanted to say a few words. One is to the parents and to all of the kids. Thank you for supporting this program and for trusting us to create a Soccer Program<\/a> in the bayview. Soccer is the worlds game, and everybody plays, but in the united states, this is a sport that struggles with access for certain communities. I coached basketball in a coached football for years, it is the same thing. It is about motivating kids and keeping them together, and giving them new opportunities. When the kids came out, they had no idea really what the game was. Only one or two of them had played soccer before. We gave the kids very simple lessons every day and made sure that they had fun while they were doing it, and you really could see them evolve into a team over the course of the season. I think this is a great opportunity to be part of the community and be part of programs like this. I get to run around with my other teammates and pass the ball. This is new to me. Ive always played basketball or football. I am adjusting to be a soccer mom. The bayview is like my favorite team. Even though we lose it is still fine. Right on. I have lots of favorite memories, but i think one of them is just watching the kids enjoy themselves. My favorite memory was just having fun and playing. Bayview united will be in soccer camp all summer long. They are going to be at civic centre for two different weeklong sessions with america scores, then they will will have their own soccer camp later in the summer right here, and then they will be back on the pitch next fall. Now we know a little bit more about soccer, we are learning more, and the kids are really enjoying the program. We want to be united in the bayview. That is why this was appropriate this guy is the limit. The kids are already athletic, you know, they just need to learn the game. We have some potential collegebound kids, definitely. Today was the last practice of the season, and the sweetest moment was coming out here while , you know, we were setting up the barbecue and folding their uniforms, and looking out onto the field, and seven or eight of the kids were playing. This year we have first and second grade. We are going to expand to third, forth, and fifth grade next year bring them out and if you have middle school kids, we are starting a team for middle school. You know why . Why . Because we are . Bayview united. Thats right. This is the regular meeting of the board of education for the San Francisco<\/a> unified school district. It is september 10, 2019. 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