completed speaker cards and copies of any documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. items acted on today will appear on the february 11 board of supervisors agenda unless otherwise stated. >> chair ronen: and can you please read item number one. >> clerk: item number one is a motion to appoint catherine stefani to the transportation board for a term ending june 30, 2021. >> chair ronen: and i will excuse supervisor stefani. and is there any public comment on item number one? seeing none, wupublic comment closed. is there a motion? >> yes. i move to appoint catherine stefani to the golden gate bridge highway and transportation district board. >> chair ronen: thank you and we can take that without objection. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: would you please read the next item? >> clerk: item 2 is a hearing to consider appointing one member, indefinite term, to the children and families first commission. >> good morning. miss armstrong brings a wealth of information overseeing our child health program, particularly for our african american families. in the coming years, we're hoping to bring other initiatives into even greater alignment. there's also several exciting opportunities coming down from the state in home visiting so we're hoping to explore those together, so really excited about the work ahead of us, and again, just really strongly encourage you to support miss armstrong's nomination to our commission. thank you. >> chair ronen: wonderful. thank you so much. >> chair rone is there any public comment before i hearing a motion on this? seeing none, public comment is closed. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: is there a motion on this item? >> supervisor stefani: i would like to forward this to the full board with a positive recommendation for -- let's see -- i should put my glasses on -- ellie armstrong. >> chair ronen: thank you. we can do that without objection. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: mr. clerk, would you please read the next item. >> clerk: item three is a motion approving president norman yee's nomination of maria theresa imperial to the planning commission for a term ending july 1, 2020. >> chair ronen: okay. do we have anyone who wishes to speak on this item? >> yes. my name is maria theresa imperial, and i go by theresa. as part of my community work in 2009 as a volunteer to manila town heritage foundation, as a result, i learned the rich history of manila town and the filipino heritage in san francisco. in 2009, i also volunteered and worked together with other community members and cofounded a housing program in order to provide tenants' rights, education, and access to affordable housing which we believe was a gap in our community and citywide. it is in my community work where my issues are deeply grounded. socioeconomic issues are always grounded in people of color communities, especially in issues of equity and access. when i look back, i always look at the elders in the filipino community and others who have affected my position. i am deeply honored to be considered for this position, and i have not told my family about this yet. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. are there any questions? supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: yes, thank you chair ron thank you, chair ronen, and thank you, miss imperial for wanting to be one of our commissioners. i just wanted to follow up with a few questions, and i wanted to make a few points before getting into the questions. as we discussed our growing homelessness issue and sky rocketing housing costs in san francisco, it is clear that we know that we are experiencing a housing shortage, and it's been my position, of course, that we must take responsibility and act locally to move the city in the right direction to provide housing for people at all levels. that's why i advocated for 3333 california, i advocated for 133 permanently affordable homes for low-income seniors, and why i advocated recently for the lucky penny project that i recently talked about, and thank you for indulging me on talking about all of those issues. i wanted to just follow up on a few of the questions that we had discussed. i talked about the fact that there are about 72,500 units that have been entitled that have gained approval from city department and planning commission but are not being built, and it's something that i mentioned to you with regard to the lucky penny site. i'm wondering again, what do you think we should be doing to ensure that homes in the pipeline actually get built? we talked about it a little bit, and i just wanted to see if you've given that anymore thought. >> yes. in terms of the 72 housing pipeline and in terms of already entitled, we know that there is that -- there is a big affordability crisis. definitely in terms of, like, as to where our 72,000 housing are being built, that is something i will look into, including where is this being built, in which neighborhoods? because i've seen the housing development report and there's much more happening on the eastern side than the western side, and there's much more affordable units on the eastern side being built than the western side being built. so that's something i would look into, of course. i would look in the housing report, and the balance of where housing units are actually being built. >> supervisor stefani: and these are units that have been entitled, and they go through the process and they're approved. they go through e.i.r. challenges at the board of supervisors, and yet, the time it takes to get through the planning department and the department of building inspection, by the time they get through all that, construction costs have sky rocketed and they're not able to build. so that's something of focus that i think that you should be aware of that planning commission focus is on, as well. another focus of the planning department is to provide proposals to the board of supervisors. and again, we talked about transit-rich corridors and housing and zoning and -- when we met. i'm wondering if there are any other places in the city along transit corridors and those types of things that you believe that zoning should change to allow for greater kinds of housing. >> yeah. i'm glad we had that discussion when it comes to transit-oriented construction. i believe before we do that, we need to look at infrastructure proposals. so if we're going to change the zoning, we need to look at the infrastructure around that area. i believe our issues in our community, the south of market community and the issues that i have seen in the mission, as well or the eastern part of the city, as well, we create these kinds of zoning amendments, but there's actually no planning when looking into not just the planning, but transit, as well. even the effects of climate change, and even the effects of it historical. so definitely in all of the zoning amendments, there will be studies, and i would look into studies, you know, sufficiently. >> supervisor stefani: okay. thank you. the charter also tells us that one of the primary responsibilities of the planning commission is to provide the mayor with at least three qualified candidates for director of planning and we're in that search right now, selected on the basis of administrative and technical qualifications with special reference to training and knowledge in the field. again, we went through your resume, and your work has been great, but if you would go through the process that you would select as planning director. >> i would like to see a planning director that has experience in working with people of color community and has a racial and socioeconomic lens. that's how i would like to see the planning director. >> supervisor stefani: okay. and also, i wasn't extremely familiar with your organization, bishop before, and it's a great organization before meeting you last week, so i took some time to better familiarize myself over the weekend with it, too, and i notice that bishop helps people find and stay in affordable housing, which is great. and also for advocating for and against legislation. and what -- if you could just give me some examples of your advocacy work and whether or not bishop -- i know there's a lot, and whether or not bishop opposes or supports individual projects. >> you mean, in the past, for bishop? >> supervisor stefani: in the -- continuing. >> so my work, maybe let's start with the work. i've done a lot of housing -- advocacy when it comes to housing legislation and when it comes to community development -- or community planning, as you can say it. i worked in the ellis act campaign, also in creating the housing balance report. also in the creation of an antispeculation tax. also, the copa tax that was passed last year. also, in the loan and finance for rehabilitation for -- you know, for small sites. in terms of, like, right now, you know, bishop in the past, we have -- yes, we have -- i mean, we have advocated against a development that leasing is going to be detrimental in the south of market community. that -- one example is the shadow impact around the -- on the victoria manila park. even though the shadow will be, like, in certainly parts of the year, but it's still going to affect the youth program in the south of market. which, you know, d-6 doesn't have a lot of open spaces. in terms of right now, we are not working or talking, so it is in our -- actually in our mission is not to -- not to meet with developer, so we don't make deals with developers. we believe, you know, in community planning process. but in terms of like, you know, any kind of projects that are being put forth in planning commission, no, we are not doing that. and i have also talked to the city attorney in terms of what, like, bishop can do and what i can do. >> supervisor stefani: okay. that's great. and these are questions asked of most planning commissioners that come before us. i think we've seen other planning commissioners before us have rigorous questioning, as well. and i just want to make sure, given your advocacy work and a lot of projects going up to the planning commission, do you think that you will be able to remain neutral when projects come up before you? this is a question i'd ask of anyone. >> you mean, neutral in terms of recusing myself? >> supervisor stefani: no, neutral in terms of projects that come before you? >> oh, yeah. you have to look at a lot of things. one is the community input. they're the expertise in the community. the second is the analysis and the reports that are being given to me by the planning, as well. so i would look into the code compliance in that neighborhood or in that corridor itself, and, you know, definitely there's going to be a lot of factors you need to weigh-in. but you know, there's the community input and the information being given to me by the planning department. >> supervisor stefani: thank you. i have nothing else. >> chair ronen: thank you. supervisor mar? >> actually, i just wanted to thank supervisor yee for putting such a qualified individual before us for the planning commission and also for your dedication to housing and the at risk communities in our city. it's obvious that you bring a depth of knowledge in planning and housing issues, particularly in the south of market neighborhood which has been ground zero in the tech tech development boom that's been playing out here in the last decade, but also that you're a resident, and i think that's good information that you bring to the role of a planning commissioner. i just wanted to ask your role in the west side and the role that the west side can play in addressing the housing availability crisis. on one hand, we have sb 150 which are trying to provide ke blankets, but then, on the other hand, as you mentioned, when we actually look at the data and something like our housing balance report, we see that the west side and my district, for example, has by far the worst housing balance in the city in market rate versus affordable housing development. and we're also seeing high rates of displacement and loss of rent control units in district 4 and district 1. so -- actually, and one final point. you know, we -- recently, the board of supervisors passed legislation that -- that was sponsored by myself and supervisor fewer that expanded priority areas in the city because there is opportunity for development there, such as -- yeah, we'd like to -- actually, i'd like to hear a little bit more. >> yeah. i mean, that's -- i've been living in d-7 for the last ten years. i believe i lived there back in 2010. the -- as you have mentioned, the housing balance report, when it comes to the west side, there's actually not much or not at all when it comes to housing units being built, and that's something i would like to see. i hope the community would like to see that, as well. but we know that there's affordable crisis in the city. i know that there's a lot of renters in the west side, and which is hard to see it in the rent board when you look at units being taken out. that's why i would like to defer a lot in terms of community people, especially on the west side, in terms of, like, how many communities are being taken out. if there is a disproportionate review on the west side being taken out, i would definitely defer to somebody living there. because we cannot afford to take a unit out, especially if it's rent control, and there is no affordable buildings being built, whether it's a renter or home ownership. so that's something i would like to see more of, as well. >> thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. i really appreciate you for being willing to take on this role. we know that it's a huge commission to be a planning commission. it's not a paid position, it's a volunteer position. and anyone who's willing to put in the countless hours per week is really -- is dedicating themselves to the city in a way that needs to be commended, so i just want to thank you for your willingness to do this job which is so important to us. so my -- one of my questions is about map 2020. it grew out of the eastern neighborhoods plan, and the fact that so many folks in the mission district were being displaced from the community and to try to figure outweig w to impact the displacement that's occurring there. but we have sb 50 and the housing accountability laws and the state laws that are really limiting the power of local jurisdictions to play a role. so i'm just sort of wondering your vision of how you're going to deal projects that might deal with further displacement given all of these constraints that we have around us. >> i think that's when i would also get your help as supervisors, as well. yes, there are the statewide laws that limiting ours, and i heard, you know, that, you know, the state center is also pushing forward with new legislations, but that is something that i -- you know -- you know, what i see, you know, what i will bring in the planning commission is what i see in the ground and what the people says in the planning commission. and in terms of, like, you know, how to -- you know, what if a development is using a state -- you know, a state law, you know, i will speak out of my expertise and what i see, but i will also need help from your offices and how to counter that, as well. in terms of will the city be willing to go against a state legislation, so that's something i definitely would have to work with you guys on that. you guys represent the constituents, so -- and i will bring what i see in the ground, yeah. mm-hmm. >> chair ronen: and then have you had the opportunity to learn about the planning department's racial and social equity initiative? >> no, not yet. i'm not -- i'm going to -- not yet. i would -- but the thing is, i would like to read that, yeah. >> chair ronen: okay. and then, i serve as the board's representative to the metropolitan transportation commission, the m.t.c. and i would love to see more direct interaction between the city planning department and regional planning efforts, and i'm wondering if you have any thoughts on how to make that happen? >> actually, i am aware of the m.t.c., the plan bay area 2030 -- now it's turned to 2050. i know that the city nominates, you know, a proxy at the m.t.c., as well, and if -- you know, if there's a way, you know that, you know, whoever we nominate in the m.t.c. also has a background here in san francisco, that has worked in sfric san francisco, you know, that would be great. because in terms of -- what i'm thinking is, in terms of the transit and the housing. what i would like to bring or what i would like to envision of the planning commission is to provide -- you know, provide input or analysis or something that would be taken or considered by the m.t.c., as well. i will have to study in terms of like -- or, you know, have to study the dynamics or processes around it. and i have to admit, i am new to this, but i'm not new of, like, the way of issues that are surrounding san francisco. so i would definitely have to, of course, learn this process along the way. >> chair ronen: and then, last question before we turn it over to public comment. it -- i know you are knew new lot of these concepts, haven't working with the nitty-gritty of the planning department, but you have unbelievable experience working in the communities and fighting for housing for residents of the city, for working people and for their families. just wondering why you think you're the best person for the planning commission at this point in time? >> yes. i believe i'm the best person -- it's kind of weird. i'm not a -- you know, i'm a pretty lay low type of person, really, and it's weird for me to be in this position, but at the same time, you know, i know i have my experience. i see what i see, i know my truth. i know what my community says, as well, so -- and i have been at the planning commission hearings many times, and there are times that i feel like the planning commissioners don't really ask substantial questions that actually impact the every day life of people. when we look into the amendments of the codes or even if it's just discretionary review, that affects every day life. that affects a mental health of a person. so with my work in the community, and, you know, i was the first case manager in bishop. like, the every day interaction is really important, and i think it's something that needs to be heavily considered in the planning commission hearings, you know, when there's a development coming in, did the developer think about this, did they think about life in the streets? simple as that, you know, did they think about the pedestrian? did they think about -- you know, as minuscule and really, as broad. the planning commission is a very unique position is it can go in every day life and in the bigger picture, so you have to balance the details and see in the bigger perspective, as well. so yeah, i do feel that, you know, i have that, you know, lens of background because i have deeply worked in the community. and also, i have learned about the history of, through manilatown, the history of urban development and how it impacted our community, and that's why we're here today, unfortunately, so yeah. >> chair ronen: thank you. and then, i think supervisor stefani has a question. >> supervisor stefani: yes, thank you. one last question. this is something that i talk about a lot, the fact that in san francisco, really, even on the board of supervisors, we have so much more in common than we don't. what divides us is not as much as what, i think, unites us. and on the planning commission, things can get heated. you've been at the planning commission several times, and maybe between your colleagues on the planning commission. and for me, given what we see happening at the federal level, given what we see happening sometimes here in san francisco, i think it's so important