our clerk today is victor young. mr. young, do you have any announcements today? >> clerk: yes. committee members will attend this meeting through video conference and participate in the meeting to the same extent as if they were physically present. public comment will be available on each item on this agenda. both channel 26 and sfgovtv.org are streaming the number across the screen. comments or opportunities to speak during the public comment are available via phone by calling 415-655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 146-684-6771. and then press pound, and pound again. public comment will be available on each item on the agenda -- sorry. i just repeated myself. when connected, you will hear the meeting discussions but be muted and in listening mode only. when your item of interest comes up, dial star, three to be added to the speaker line. best practice is to call from a quiet location, speak slowly and clearly, and turn down your television or radio. alternatively, you may submit public comment to myself, the rules committee clerk at vic r victor.young@sfgov.org. >> chair ronen: thank you. can you please call item 1? >> clerk: item 1 is hearing to consider appointing one member, term ending november 19, 2022, to the bicycle advisory committee. and i am admitting her right now. >> chair ronen: i don't know if miss yu from supervisor ronen's office wants to speak. is miss tieche here? >> clerk: she was, but she's having issues. she logged in, but then, she just logged out. >> chair ronen: why don't we call item number 2 as we wait for her to call back in. >> clerk: yes. and just for some of our participants on the line today, we ask that you turnoff your camera and mute your microphone until we call on you to speak. thank you very much. item number 2 is the motion approving-rejecting the mayor's nomination for appointment of john l. burton to the port commission for a term ending may 1, 2024. >> chair ronen: mr. burton, how are you? >> i'm wonderful, madam chair, and members of the committee. >> chair ronen: how are you? >> i'm fine. >> chair ronen: wonderful, and we'd like to hear anything that you'd like to share with us about your appointment. >> well, i'm very honored that the mayor appointed me. when i first got interested in the port, we were a port. we received matter into the area, but a lot of our ships went over to oakland because our piers were what are called finger piers, and they couldn't deal with the modernization. now, it's almost like a tourist attraction and a real estate development almost, and it's kind of different than the port that i grew up with, but i'm very interested in learning from the other members and from the staff and see how we could just improve the port as far as economics are concerned because it is, as you know, the port does not receive money from the general budget. it's got to be self-sustaining. and with the covid, if you rely on tourism and restaurants, self-sustaining is damn near impossible. >> chair ronen: thank you. your reputation precedes you, of course, senator burton. >> i'm sorry for the words. >> chair ronen: it's no problem. supervisor mar or supervisor stefani, do you have any comments before we open this up for public comment? if not, we'll open this up for public comment. are there any members of the public who wish to enter public comment? you'll have two minutes. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to offer public comment, call 415-655-0001, and enter the meeting i.d. 146-684-6771, please press pound, and pound again, then press star, three to indicate you want to speak on public comment. mr. coe, do we have anyone wishing to speak in public comment? >> operator: yes, i have one member in the queue. >> clerk: public commenter, do you -- are you on the line? mr. coe, do we still have the public commenter on the line? >> operator: no, that caller has hung up. >> chair ronen: okay. then public comment is closed. you know, i just want to thank you, again, senator burton, for your willingness to do this. i can't imagine a more capable and experienced person to serve on this commission, and i wanted to have the opportunity to thank you for your decades of service and for expiring a whole new generation of politicians like myself to fight hard for people that are generally left behind and who deserve the same dignity and respect as all of us. you've been an example to me throughout my career. and don't laugh at me about that. i mean it. with that, i make a motion to forward that to the full board with a recommendation -- >> supervisor stefani: chair ronen, my name is on the roster. >> chair ronen: thank you. supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: thank you, chair ronen. you described yourself, when we spoke the other day, as a political icon still on the move. for so long, you've been a champion for san francisco values, congress, the legislative in california, and, of course, as chair of the california democratic party. i think it's important that you're being appointed to the port commission. i don't think many people might know this, but you were responsible for transferring the port back to san francisco control one year before i was born. i think we're in challenging times in our city for many reasons, but when we look at the climate change, the waterfront, the port, there's so many issues we need to address. and with your leadership at the helm, i think that we're so lucky that you're still willing to serve, and we can benefit from your passion, your experience, and your knowledge of san francisco. and i'm just thrilled to be able to support your nomination today. >> chair ronen: thank you. and with that, can we have a roll call vote? >> clerk: yes. may i suggest that we amend the motion to delete the word "rejecting" throughout the legislation? >> chair ronen: yes. >> clerk: on the motion to delete the word "rejecting" throughout the legislation -- [roll call] >> clerk: the motion passes without action. >> thank you. i'd like to thank the member of the committee very well, and i'll do my best to live up to all the hyperbole you were laying on me. >> chair ronen: thank you. can we please return to item 1, and i understand that angelina yu from supervisor fewer's office is here. >> clerk: chair ronen, i'd like to request that participants please turnoff their mics and cameras until called upon. >> chair ronen: okay. thank you. miss tieche, are you here? >> yes. >> chair ronen: okay. why don't you make your comments, and i know that angelina yu from supervisor fewer's office wanted to say a few words on your behalf. >> oh, yes. thank you, supervisor ronen. my name is kristin tieche. i am a resident of district 1 and am serving as a proud member on the bicycle advisory committee and was recently selected by my colleagues as vice chair of the committee. so it's with great honor, hopefully, with your approval, that i get to continue to represent district 1 and all the bicyclists of san francisco to help make the city and not just my neighborhood, but my whole city, my favorite city in the world, you know, more safer for all vulnerable road users. and it's such an exciting time to be representing the bicyclists of san francisco during this time when so many of the streets are being converted into more safer and sustainable streets. and i think that that is what i have to say. >> chair ronen: thank you very much. is there any questions for kristin tieche? okay. and is angelina yu here from supervisor fewer's office? nope? then we will open this item up for public comment. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call 415-655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 146-684-6771. then press pound, and pound again. if you haven't already done so, please dial star, three to lineup to speak. a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. please wait until the system has indicated that you have been unmuted, and then, you may begin your comment. mr. koe, do we have any public commenters on this item? >> operator: madam chair, we have one caller. >> [inaudible] for having served for the past two years as the chair of the bicycle committee. kristin has done a great job of bringing an equity lens to the committee [inaudible] including seniors and people with disabilities and kind of informing the direction of the guidance as we make our streets more sustainable in the district. we had [inaudible] many as we talk about a safer school, a safer san francisco, and a safer school. [inaudible] we know she has a lot of expertise and she's really capable and is really committed to getting the job done. we're excited to recommend her for another term on the bicycle advisory committee. thank you. >> chair ronen: is there any other public comment? >> clerk: madam chair, that completes the queue. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. then public comment is closed. >> operator: that completes the queue. >> chair ronen: i am happy to make a motion to forward miss tieche's recommendation to the full board with a positive recommendation. may i have a roll call vote? >> clerk: yes. i believe that would be to seat one. >> chair ronen: yes. >> clerk: on the appointment to miss tieche to seat one -- [roll call] >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: thank you. thank you, miss tieche, for your service. we really appreciate it very much. mr. clerk, can you please read item number 3. >> clerk: yes. item 3 is an ordinance amending the administrative code to amend the regional disaster employee support program to cover employees regularly assigned to work at city facilities located in tuluomne, stanislaus, and san joaquin counties, and i am in receipt of information that the chair intends to entertain a motion to refer this item to the full board as a committee report. >> chair ronen: okay. i know there are several people present that want to make remarks. mr. [inaudible], did you want to make any remarks? >> yes. paul [inaudible]. the regional disaster support program was passed in 2018 in response to the wildfires in october 2017. it provides up to 20 hours of p.e. release time when the mayor declares such a disaster. with the impacts of climate change clearly showing every day, the program is needed now more than ever for employees. this year, over 4 million acres of california -- in california have burned with wildfires, and this morning, even as the glass fire is growing in containment, a new evacation order was issued for parts of napa county. the purpose of the program is to allow employees to take care of personal matters in their lives in order to facilitate a return to work as soon as safe and healthy as is possible. i'm here to ask to amend the program to kintu rom negat-- t stanislaus, and san joaquin counties. there are approximately five to ten employees that are impacted by the august 2020 fires that are unable to access the benefits of this program. john scarpulla is here to answer any questions, and we ask that you move this to the full board as a committee report, and we thank you for your support. >> chair ronen: do any of my colleagues have any questions or comments? no? then can we please open up this item for public comment. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call 415-655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 146-684-6771, then press pound, and pound again. if you haven't already done so, press star, three to raise your hand to speak. please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted, and you may win your public comment. mr. koe, are there any members of the public on the line to speak. >> operator: madam chair, there are no callers in the queue. >> chair ronen: okay. then public comment is closed. would one of my colleagues like to do the honors? supervisor stefani, would you mind? >> supervisor stefani: sure. i would like to move this forward to the full board with a positive recommendation. >> chair ronen: as a commit see report? >> supervisor stefani: as a committee report. >> chair ronen: thank you very much. can we please have a roll call. >> clerk: on that motion -- [roll call] >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: thank you so much, and thanks for bringing this forward. we appreciate it. much needed. you have a good day. mr. clerk, can you please read item number 4. >> clerk: e. item 4 is a hearing to consider urging the city and county of san francisco to declare that june 19 shall annually be observed as juneteenth, urging the president of the united states and the united states congress to officially designate june 19 annually as a federal holiday to honor the black community, and encouraging all businesses in the city, both public and private, to either close on june 19, pay workers overtime pay that they would typically get on a paid holiday, and/or allow the many workers and students in the city who want to attend juneteenth events to honor and celebrate juneteenth celebrations and commemrations that take place to take the day off or leave work and school early with no adverse academic or employment consequence. >> chair ronen: and i believe we have someone from supervisor walton's office for a presentation. >> thank you all for being cosponsors on this resolution. this resolution is a product of collaboration between the district 10 and district 5 offices, and we want to thank supervisor walton and his staff for their work and support on this resolution. this resolution is important because juneteenth as a black people, we as a country and city honor black people, including those who have gone before us, many who have paved the road and paid with their lives. juneteenth is a celebration of the day that the american slaves were officially set free on june 19, 1865, three months after the end of the civil war and president lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. this resolution is the call to action to the board of supervisors to work together with labor, businesses, and our city employees to work together to fully recognize juneteenth as a recognized holiday. this resolution specifically asks that the board of supervisors dlier june 19 shall annually be observed as juneteenth in the city of san francisco, and asking the president of the united states to declare juneteenth as a federal holiday. thank you again for allowing me to speak on this matter, and allowing me to urge this holiday. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. do any of my colleagues have any questions? seeing none, can we please open this up for public comment? >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call 415-655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 146-684-6771. press pound, and pound again. press star, three to enter the queue to speak, and wait until the system indicated you have been unmuted to begin your comment. mr. koe, do we have any caller in the queue at this time? >> operator: madam chair, there are no callers in the queue. >> chair ronen: okay. then public comment is closed, and thank you so much to the district 5 and 10 supervisors for bringing this forward. i believe all the supervisors have signed on, and if there's no questions or comments from my colleagues, i'm happy to move this to the full board with a positive recommendation. with that, can we please take a roll call vote. >> clerk: on the motion -- [roll call] >> clerk: motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. thank you, preston. mr. clerk, can you please read item number 5. >> clerk: yes. item number 5 is a hearing to consider appointing four members, terms ending june 1, 2022, to the reentry council. i would just ask that members or the applicants turn off their camera and mute their microphone when they're not speaking, and chair ronen, that completes my announcement. >> chair ronen: okay. thank you. we have an incredibly long list of applicants, 36 members for four seats, so we're very, very lucky. i will ask each applicant to speak for two minutes, and to tell us why you should be one of the four applicants recommended forward to this very, very important commission. and with that, wear just going to go in alphabetical order by first name, and we'll start with aaron burris, who has applied to seats 1, 2, and 4. good morning, mr. burris. how are you? >> good morning. how is everyone? >> chair ronen: good. thank you. >> my name is aaron burris, and i believe that my qualifications for this reentry council comes from my ability to shift 22 years inside california department of corrections and coming out and becoming a community advocate up until my discharge of patrol and continuing in san francisco. i've been very supportive of the community. what i do is i bring the corporate executive that i do on my national programs around juvenile reform, and i also bring in the housing case manager down here to cover the survival network. i work with lou gordon, and my parole advocate. i piloted the peer entry program in alameda county for parole so that lifers would have people who could steer them through the reentry process. as a former veteran, a disabled veteran, i have ties to addiction circles. it's a really big problem, and veterans are a huge homeless population. what all of this has done for me is it's allowed me to vel an understandian -- develop a program for working in the community. i've got a unique way that i can tie people into the services. i run three national program teams in illinois, new jersey, and georgia, that supervise a cohort of young men that are being released 18 to 25. our recidivism rate right now is .025%. we're working with the gang members, we're working with the hard men, and we're being successful. this ability that i have to weave everything i do i think is a benefit. i look forward to creating leadership and team benefit together. i want to work with this team. i know five or six people on this call that have worked with me. i know whoever you pick, they're going to do an amazing job. but this is home, and i want to help build my community after my incarceration. thank you guys so much. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. really appreciate you. thank you. next, if we can hear from aaron chandler. >> good morning. >> chair ronen: good morning. how are you? >> i'm good. yourself? >> chair ronen: good. thank you. >> good. thank you. thank you, supervisors, council, and others. although i do not currently reside in san francisco, i definitely lived there for several years, neighborhood such as soma, lower haight, and others. as a homeless addict in the streets of san francisco, i faced violent crime and incarceration. i know a great deal about the san francisco criminal justice system, social systems, and other systems of support that most san franciscans don't necessarily engaged. i've utilized all of these systems at one point or another. but i did not just utilize these programs that comprise the tier of services in san francisco, but i worked with them, where i engaged with individuals that are experienced what i have. i provided mental health treatment, employment, and support for persons with disabilities and persons living with hiv and aids, just to name a few. at 33 years old, i decided to pursue my higher education, ultimately obtaining my master's degree in 2018. during my master's degree program in 2017, i learned more about how policy impacts the criminal justice system and those affected by it, particularly those returning home. i submitted my master's program to the director and was allowed to develop additional services. additionally, i gained further research in data mining research [inaudible] a research organization focused on improving the lives of boys and men of color, founded by my brother in 2015. i participated in continuing education activities and have obtained other certifications. for example, i'm a mental health first aid responder, certified by the national council of behavioral health in 2019. i obtained my certification as a registered alcohol and drug technician, certified by the california consortium of addiction programs and professionals. additionally, i have earned personal and productive hours as a member of the second chance haight in 2019. currently, i am an oakland fellow with the oakland rehabilitation fellowship in oakland. during my off hours, i am building an on-line portal of bay area resources supporting low-income and criminal justice system that affects boys and men of color. i look forward to working with the council to give returning citizens the support they need. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. we appreciate you and appreciate your application. thank you. next, can we hear from aaron lowers? >> clerk: before mr. lowers begins to speak, i'd just like to remind the members that you do have two minutes to speak. i am timing, and you will hear a soft beep when the time has expired. thank you very much. >> can you hear me? >> chair ronen: we can hear you. good morning. >> good morning, city council members, and thank you for this opportunity. my name is aaron, and i've resided in san francisco since my release from prison from 2017. prior to my release, i received a copy of the san francisco release guide. i was the biograph -- it was the biographies of individuals who achieved success in san francisco after coming here gave me hope. a community that took the time to put forth such a publication might embrace me. i was correct. san francisco did embrace me. i have built a business, a support system that welcomes me and serve society. the most fulfilling opportunity has been helping other formerly incarcerated people in society, sometimes enrolling them in my class, aiding them in the use of technology, and often, i've been able to connect them with social or professional networks . i cofacilitate monthly meetings and help coordinate individual and pier resources. i also had the honor of working with close friends and district commons in second life. this has been the most fulfilling opportunity. we hold weekly support circles, and in one instance, we were able to house an individual who was released as a result of s.b. 1437, the change in the fell murder rule that resulted in the release of [inaudible] after 27 years of incarceration. he was released with $200, the clothes on his back. we provided a home to him and helped him find a job. i would also like to expand the opportunities to those on surprised release, be it patrol, probation, or some other form of supervision. thank you. chair ron>> chair ronen: thank. thanks for your application, and thank you for doing this. next we're going to hear from bobbie jones-hanley. >> clerk: good morning. before you begin, i'd like to ask other members who are logged in to mute your microphones and turnoff your camer cameras before and after you speak. thank you. >> no problem. good morning, supervisors. i'm humbled and thankful for the opportunity to apply for this system. last year, i was released from prison with $78 in my pocket, homeless, and no idea what i was going to do with my life. [inaudible] to be a part of this to be able to help shape, you know, our continued reentry efforts and to help shape the criminal justice reform that we are continuously a part of. over the past year, i've had the pleasure of working with several of the participants that are applying here today, and as supervisor ronen had mentioned, it's an incredibly, incredibly talented group of individuals. the competition is high, and the pressure is on, and so i really wanted to commemorate and -- all the individual success stories that you see here today. each one of us has overcome tremendous hardships and willing cha challenges, and we want to be able to give back. but it's what i can bring to the table, what values i have to offer to the reentry council. for the last 1.5 years, i've been working with hospitality house, a great program serving homeless individuals in the workforce development. i've recently begun work with american workforce, helping people to be able to get into the workforce and to be able to start using work to be able to rebuild their lives. i bring a spirit of collaboration, right? i've also just recently launched an organization called pier 1 reorganization. i'll be presenting this later on today as well as wednesday at the arch diocese of san francisco's reentry conference. you'll see the purpose is to be able to collaboration with other organizations, individuals that other organizations can't serve so we can have a greater impact in the lives of individuals and to be able to create safer and healthier communities for all. i'd like to leave you with a quote. never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, dedicated citizens can change the world. indeed, it's the only thing that has. this reentry council, to me, embodies this notion, to have a small, thoughtful group of citizens who wants to change the world and have a great impact on the lives of returning citizens and our communities. thank you for this opportunity, it's a pleasure. >> chair ronen: thank you very much. it's a pleasure. next, we're going to hear from cedric akbar. mr. akbar, are you here? >> clerk: he should be. hold on one second, supervisor. let me just call him. >> chair ronen: sure. >> i just wanted to say, i just am joining the meeting. this is ennis johnson. >> chair ronen: thank you, mr. johnson. >> clerk: mr. johnson, can i ask you to turnoff your camera and mute your microphone until it's your opportunity to speak. >> chair ronen: while we're waiting for cedric akbar -- >> supervisor ronen? >> chair ronen: yes. >> this is steve adamy with probation. he's having trouble getting through. is there a number that he can call in? >> clerk: yes. the call-in number is on the teams invitation. >> okay. can we just skip him and come back to him? >> chair ronen: absolutely. no problem. >> thank you. >> chair ronen: mr. tatum ii, are you with us? >> i am. >> chair ronen: thank you, and welcome. >> thank you. i apologize for not having the audio portion so you can see-- portion so you can see me. i only am calling in, so you can't see me. i grew up in the bayview, and i've spoken at the county jail as well as other neighborhood sponsored gatherings. i think my main qualifications is that i've spent a total of 28 years, four months, and 12 days in federal prison, and so i've come home four times. working as west side, i participated in job fairs, i've counseled men and women returning from incarceration, and i've arbitrated with unrulely clients at our mental health -- unruly clients at our mental health facility. i've served four sentences, and only on my last go-round did i participate in a reentry program, and that is because i participated in the federal bureau of prisons residential drug abuse program that included a post release drug treatment program. it's possible that i didn't hear of anything because i wasn't really interested in doing the right thing and was more interested in continuing with my criminal activity. but as i look back, i don't recall the feds offering any programs. given the opportunity to participate with this council, i hope to offer men and women that have travelled troubled paths similar or not similar to mine some solutions to the challenges or pitfalls that they might face as they transition back to their communities. i came home october 13, 2013. i gained my employment with west side november 8, 2013, so i've been on parole supervision for eight years, incident free, complying with all requirements of this supervision, and still, they've offered no reentry programs. i think that my main qualifications are my life's experiences and the desire to see others not repeat my mistakes. i'm a good communicator, both orally and written, and i'm a good person -- i said this before -- reentrance to society four times. having run the streets all my lives, i'm connected to many of the individuals who still engage in the wrong activity, and so because i've done this reentry thing four times, i have some strong ideas about what didn't work for me in my previous efforts. i appreciate the opportunity to apply for this, and i want to thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. really appreciate you, and everything you said. thank you for applying. mr. cedric akbar, have you been able to -- >> clerk: one moment. i'm admitting a few additional people at the moment. >> chair ronen: okay. >> clerk: mr. akbar, are you on the line? >> yes, i am. thank you so much. >> chair ronen: good morning. how are you? >> i'm fine, and thank you so much for your patience. my name is cedric akbar, and i've been serving the san francisco community over 28 years in various capacities both in the san francisco county jails to substance abuse treatment, and everything in between that, mental health and all. i also am a member of positive directions, equal change, which is a group of men and women who have organized to give back to our community because we're all ex-felons, ex-drug addicts. so we've been giving back for the last 28 years. that's a product of people coming out of san francisco incarceration, getting them employment, social skills, and just learning how to live life. family reunification, and helping to assist people. the most important thing is just to empower people. as i look around the city now, and looking in san francisco, and looking up and down the streets at the problems of addiction and mental health, it makes me want to go more and harder in the paint to serve our people the best way we know how. the best way to serve the people is to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem, and that's not just being out here on the frontlines, on the streets every day, but making decisions that affect people's lives. people's lives are tender. they should be treated precious, and that's why i truly believe i can be a big part and assistance on this board, and also just to continue to be able to serve the people of san francisco. thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. really appreciate you. thank you. is elgin rose available? >> yep, how you doing? >> chair ronen: good. how are you? good morning. >> good morning. thanks for receiving this application. i'm frustrated with my city. i've been that person on the streets. i just think i can be the voice of people who are in trouble and make it better. i think i can be a part of this applicant bunch right here. thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. really appreciate you. thank you. is ennis johnson here? he -- >> clerk: he is here. he did log in. you can turn your camera back on, if you'd like, mr. johnson. >> okay. can you see me now? >> chair ronen: we can't you, but we can hear you. >> okay. can you see me now? >> chair ronen: yes. how are you? >> great. i'm going to talk through my phone, if that's okay. hello? >> chair ronen: go ahead. >> yes. i've heard a few great, great stories, and, i mean, i get amazed by the things that are happening in the city. san francisco is my home now. i've been here almost 40 years. i was in the military, and i got discharged in treasure island in 1979. i lived in oakland about six months, and my first main job was at the post office. i worked in bayview's post office and then at the main post office for 14 years. i had a substance abuse program and problem with alcohol probably even before i got in the navy. it continued through the navy and into the post office. i eventually lost that job and started going into the jails. i went in and out, and i was able to [inaudible] and i got my b.s., and i got my m.b.a. and that was 1989, in silicon canyon. the dot-combubble burst in 2000, and i spent my time trying to stay out of the system. i went back to school for substance abuse. i'm a certified substance abuse council, and in 2018, i got my ph.d. and so i've had the opportunity in both the business world and how the homeless substance abuse can try to -- building themselves because i'm a part -- like he told you, i'm a part of the homeless people here in san francisco. i know [inaudible] i've lived on sixth street. and then, i had the good fortune in 20 -- like 2016, just before i got my ph.d. i was working at the jail as a mess -- meth peer counselor, and i worked there for two years. during that time i was a counselor, i went into the jails meantime and was able to [inaudible] mostly, i talked to individuals with [inaudible] this was my thing: get out and stay out. everybody wants to get out, but you don't want to stay out, and so that was my whole message is how do you, you know, have a plan on staying out? and so i -- my last job -- or not. i just wanted a new job two weeks ago, but up until then, i worked in the mission area, and i never had that much exposure to the mission area, and there was a lot of the lgbtq community in the mission neighborhood health and the mission neighborhood resource center. so that was a good opportunity for learning there. both my children were raised in san francisco. my son, unfortunately, was murdered at 21, and so i know about the current violence, but i was a little bit older, and i didn't have too much of a problem because my son was raised up in sunnydale, and my daughter was raised up in sunnydale, too. i guess in the 80s, sunnydale and the bayview had a little beef going on. i know both worlds. i -- you know i think people need to go to school, but they need to have a plan on something they're really passionate about. i will work in the homelessness subject field until the day i day. this is my passion. i want to be the michael jackson of homelessness and substance abuse. i know the spiel. i know the pain because i've been out there. i've been homeless just about everywhere in san francisco. when you're walking the streets of san francisco, it gets into your soul a little bit more than driving, and so i walk all these areas, going back and forth, and, again, i know i have something to offer. whatever my future goals, i'll be satisfied. thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. really appreciate you applying. thank you so much. next, is georgia buie here? mr. clerk -- oh, here you are. >> hi. good morning. how are you? >> chair ronen: good, thank you. >> it's a pleasure to be here this morning. thank you for including me. greetings, supervisor mar. i am relocating [inaudible] so i can hear better. >> chair ronen: thank you. >> i will read something i put together for you. i am a formerly incarcerated african american mother of two. i was not successful until i was offered a reentry program with a housing offering. i've been awarded recognition by the san francisco housing development corporation [inaudible] of 2020. i am also the american legion chair president of the auxiliary [inaudible] with the new leadership foundation [inaudible] and the african american chamber of commerce. [please stand by] >> i heard about the council because there are several members that use to volunteer in my pod and they explained the essential work that this council provides re-entering citizens, which is my community. it became my exit plan's bible. it was not only the base of my research, but the tool that i used to help so many women create an exit plan that works. that was why the goal of mine was to join your council. it happened so quickly after my release. i have been for six months, i am free today because of the legislation sb1437 and because of that i am even more interested in being a part of the change makers today in the criminal justice reform. there are so many people that are wrongly incarcerated because of their co-defendant and it's so sad. i work two jobs. i'm a full time case manager with with us -- epis cable, i work full time with the recovery network. they have been so welcoming to me as i have been so new to the free world and they have been so supportive. i have earned certificates through their online programs and i'm also a member of many resource sharing groups, such as solutions for women, women's empowerment, the gathering with positive direction and the flak network, which i just found out about, which is amazing. upon my release, i moved into the nova transitional housing and now i'm a proud apartment renter through the step up to freedom program. so i have firsthand knowledge of being release with nothing, having a warm place to go and open arms to go out and get a job immediately and the support that the network provides and quickly being able to have my own place to live and i know from firsthand experience what is needed -- [inaudible] >> and what kind so support you need and what continued changes that san francisco should be making to continue to support people. through my incarceration, i did five consecutive years of drug and alcohol programing with the sisters program. towards the end of it, i was co facilitating many of the groups, especially self-esteem, anger management, and it gave me the confidence to help others and knowledge of the baseline issues that women have from the difficulty of leaving abusive relationships, the pimp-prostitution dynamic, and self-esteem issues that keep women in their addiction and the vortex of violence. women have a unique position that they're affected inside and out. we need to address it top to bottom. i'm so excited to hopefully join in and make these changes. thank you so much for letting me talk to you today. >> thank you so much. we really appreciate you. thank you. just a reminder that if you're not speaking to put your computer on mute and to not show your screen. sorry, i'm forgetting all of the terms. excuse me. next if we could hear from iyabo williams. is iyabo available? okay, we'll come back and ask one more time before the end. is jabari jackson here? >> yes, i am. >> good morning. hi. >> good morning, good morning. first and foremost, blessings to you all and thank you for including me in this powerful, powerful gathering of great people. my name is jabari jackson and i feel that i am qualified because i represent everything that this council stands first. i guess you can say that i'm homegrown. i represent both sides of the fence. i am a survivor of addiction that lasted over 20-plus years that had included crime, violence, destruction to my family, community, homelessness and most of all incarcerations state and county. so without a doubt, i don't look at that as convictions or anything to hang my head low for. those are life lessons in my life that has led me to the other side of the fence. with the help and support and guidance of many organizations such as watering house, which helped like 360, support groups such as positive directions equals change, the mentor and men's movement, inside circle. you know, i know community based organizations, nova program and the health of the san francisco probation department and the people and the staff at the cass service building. today i stand before you a proud responsible and accountable person. today i am thrilled to give back to the people that i taken so much from all this time. today, i'm a mentor, i'm a facilitator, i'm responsible, i'm a community advocate. i'm an activist. my ear is to the street, i have a finger on the pulse of the people that i been in struggle with. i'm a product of the people who took me under their wing to show me the better way of life. you know, there are many great people that are on this line and they're vying for a seat on this council. many of them are my mentors, a lot of them are my peers, a lot of them are shoulders in arms in this struggle that are out here dealing with this today. you know, the great advantage about being out and having been out here on the streets and being out here still involved with the people that are trying to overcome this madness is i have the opportunity to gain the feedback of knowing what's working and what's not working, what people are gravitating towards, what people are steering away from. we sit down and have an opportunity to talk to them and see what their needs and wants are. that allows me to explore every avenue of recovery, of rehabilitation. you know, some like harm reduction, that's a fact. an -- what can do to get past dramas. so i take all the tools and put them in my tool box to be able to fellowship and help these individuals. i facilitate many processing groups. i facilitate many healing circles. when things go wrong in the community, i'm out there trying to be a negotiator and cause peace amongst the xhoocommunity i try to put an input into a system that is geared to help people going through the same struggle. i'm only one man. i know that all my efforts, our efforts will not help everybody. we may not see the results today but i know for a fact that our efforts in this fight will help the next generation. we're building a foundation to help build up. i'm all about the community. i will have my reentry certification as a reentry worker and community health worker. this is all about group rebuilding this city i call home. i'm a product of, i am san francisco. thank you for your time. thank you for your patience. thank you for hearing me. blessings for all the people going for these four seats. a lot of them are mentors and lot of them are friends, it doesn't matter which fur you pick, we all represent the same cause. thank you for your time and have a blessed day. >> thank you, you too. i really appreciate you. what an inspiring waing warninge privileged to hear from you. thank you. is james walker available? james walker? nope? jeris woodson. >> hi, good morning, can you hear me? >> we can, hi, how are you? >> i'm doing well. thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to participate this morning. i was born and raised here in san francisco public housing. i still reside at patrol hill. some of the things i am doing currently, ima community leader. i'm part of a resident warriors where we facilitate trauma informed healing spaces weekly. i am with sister circle and i'm a case manager for san francisco's misdemeanor health court. so i am actively providing services to people coming out of custody. i think that i will be a good part of this council because of the relationships i built around san francisco, doing the work, starting off with just me working on myself. i have almost four years in recovery now. i know many of the resources that san francisco has to offer people coming out of custody. i also am a survivor of a really violent crime. i know what that court process is on a victim's perspective and i'm able to help navigate people through that system. also, because of the community work that i do, a lot of the people that i am able to serve, i know personally so when they see me, someone who has gone through the struggle, right in your face and been in my diction and committing crimes when they see me now and see the work i'm doing now, they know there is a system in place that can actually work. i think that it both inspires and motivates people to try to give it a try themselves. so thank you guys for your time this morning. i look forward to working with everyone. >> likewise, thank you so much. we really appreciate you. next we want to see if jerry smith is here. >> yes. >> good morning, how are you? >> i'm fine, good morning. >> good morning. >> my name is jerry smith and actually i was at some protest in front of city hall and someone gave me this flyer. that's how i got here. i'm like six months from 23 years. i originally came here to go to sffu and was. since i've been in san francisco, i have been able to do the work that i'm going to school for. they allowed me to work with the youth and things like that and i have been able to get in the community like they do with hanging out -- [inaudible] >> that's kind of why i'm here. that's my story and that's about it. thank you for hearing from me. >> thank you so much for applying. we appreciate you. thank you. >> have a nice day. >> and i just wanted to remind anyone who is not speaking if they could put their phone on mute or their computer on mute. next is john grayson. is john grayson -- >> yes. >> hi, how are you? >> john griffin you said? >> oh, you are next. let me just call john grayson real quick. is he with us. >> i'm sorry. >> okay, go ahead john griffin. >> john griffin, okay. thank you for accepting my application. thank you for your time in hearing me. so i heard about this seat thing in november and what i do -- i have a personal mission that i'm doing trying to get employment for this franchise. so it's been a journey and i'm on a quest to do this. i haven't really, you know, had the experience like what i heard. it's great. i know a couple of the people, you know, that have spoken already. they have great qualifications, great people. i don't have those types of qualifications, but what i do bring to the table is you know, i got multiple incarcerations, struggled, i got my first legitimate job when i was 56 years old. i struggled in the regular world all those years but i focused and now in, you know, coming to san francisco and working a year in my first job and then i couldn't get a job for another year. i started my own business. [inaudible] >> i did workday labor for a year in doing that. so through the years, i started -- once i was out for five years, i started going to the county jail in san bruno and did that for about five years. the pandemic is the reason i'm not going today. now i feel like i'm being underutilized there because i have a goal, i have a mission and that is to bring employment to the prison franchise. when i saw this position that was open, i think that it would be a win-win situation because i would be learning, you know, what type of people would be coming into the system that i helped create that could possibly create employment for individuals. so what better way to get the experience and training in doing it myself and working with people would be my future to ensure candidates to comment. that's what i bring to the table, the desire to just to do something better. you know, i have five rules that i go by. one is to see and energize -- feed and energize my mind, and number two, find good mentors and that's why i think i would be a good fit. in there, there will be somebody i can work with that can help this go along and help these guys create deployments. number four is proximity, you know, you got to be around the people that are doing it. that's where i am at right now. i am at a couple of dead ends and i think this could rejuvenate me, as well as being really able to do something good, you know, in the system. number five is always give more than i expect to receive. if i can do those five things, then you know, i feel like my lives -- i will succeed in my life. [inaudible] >> all the people i heard, wow. when i applied for it, i didn't realize how great the people that are going after this. anyway, i appreciate the opportunity and if i don't have the qualifications, i feel great that i applied and thank you for your time. >> thank you for your time and for applying. appreciate you. thank you. >> if john robles here or available? >> yes, i am. >> hi, thanks for joining us. >> hi, good morning to everyone. you know, i watched and i'm humbled to be in the presence of everyone here and hearing everyone's stories. i believe i have much to offer to the council based on my personal experience. i'm a survivor of domestic violence and street violence. i was formally incarcerated, 28 years incourse ration -- incarceration and i am currently on active parole. i have been successful on parole, continuing to work and move forward. i work for health right 360 where i started as a volunteer. up until today, i am now in the community resource management position where i am able to work with the probation department here in san francisco. i also work with the parole department. i'm also working with the pretrial division of court. with all that being said, i used my personal experience to work with others, to work with those who are coming out of custody and looking to reintegrate with society. i was fortunate enough to reintegrate and be on a positive path. however, i know that is not the normal experience for everywhere coming out of custody, which is why i need to be a part of this council because using my personal experience and speaking with others and helping to direct them down the same path i took, i know it's not a normal path. most people are not given the same opportunity that i was fortunate enough to fall into. i would like to use my experience to help those less fortunate, who have gone through -- who have been incarcerated and are looking to reintegrate successfully into society. many of us want to come out and not many of us want to come out and be successful because we don't know how and simply because we're not motivated with the right mentors in our past. i hope to be able to be a part of this positive change where i could give back, not only give back to the community, but assist those less fortunate and help those looking to reintegrate into society. i thank everyone for your time and this opportunity to speak before you. thank you. >> thank you so much. really appreciate you. thank you. next is juthaporn. thank you for joining us. >> i'm originally from bangkok, thailand. i'm a proud graduate of university state. i was a drug addict for over 20 years and i was homeless in the city of san francisco for 15 of those years. i'm a mother of six boys, all boys are well taken cared of. i do have a 5-year-old kindergartener here at home. my experience with drug addiction and homelessness, i was in and out of jail. i can bring the firsthand experience of someone that has gone through the criminal justice system. when i was part of the reentry program when i was granted early release. i was incarcerated for over a year and i had a five year probation, after completing the program, i knew i never wanted to go back to jail and i started to make a change in my life. when the clean slate program began, i was one of the first residents who was granted a clean slate. [inaudibl [inaudible] >> i am waiting for an exception from the state. i decided to go back to ccsf and pursue my certificate and secure my dream job. please select me. i'm open, honest, and committed to helping the community. i live currently at one of the community housing, supportive housing. i am a member of the committee for chp. i'm part of the community organization of policy change. [inaudible] i'm a proud alumni member of project rebound, an organization that helps people that have been incarcerated ensuring they graduate. they are my biggest supporters. i was the 28th success ambassador at the organization. i'm one of carmen's -- [inaudible] >> i love san francisco and this community here. it would be my honor. i was a client of homeless pair natal and project homeless connect, w.i.c. so here i am doing something i never thought i could do and be part of the leadership that has given me my second chance. i want to personally invite everybody in the board of supervisors to please join me in this community partnership. i september y-- sent you all my flyer who i will be the performer and show my story of success. thank you so much. i really appreciate you. >> thank you so much. really appreciate you. >> thank you. >> is lisa strawn with us? >> yes, good morning everybody. >> good morning, how are you? >> i'm good. i'm lisa strawn. [inaudible] >> can you pause one moment. are you in a room with a lot of background noise? >> no. there is no noise here. >> a lot better, thank you very much. >> good morning everyone. >> good morning. sorry, we couldn't hear you very well, so if you wouldn't mind starti starting over, that would be good. >> hi, i'm a transwoman. i was released in july with covid-19. i was on quarantine when released. my experience getting out has been challenging. there was a lot of the police communication. i was lost by parole, was put into a hotel for eight days. fortunately i'm a smart person. i spent three terms in prison, this term 25 years to life because of burglary. because of my age and coy -- covid, i was released early. the first week being out i became the representative for the cares act, for those incarcerated and those outside. it's historic. i'm a very proud person to have been one of two people of a male dominated system of the prison semi- this money will help everyone and especially myself because as a trans woman, i do not have the opportunity that regular people have. so i'm really fighting out here for this. i really believe that there should be more opportunities for women and trans women out here. i think there will be better communication on the inside, especially with the councillors. i think within a year of going to the board, services should be readily available. there are a lot of misinformation, a lot of outdated information. i went to board in may and i was given information in june and it wasn't soon enough. yes, i did my homework. i wanted to be in san francisco. i worked enginxtremely hard to here and i was told that i would go back to crime. i did not want to go. i have contacts and i am in constant contact with them. they put me in a program. the program failed me because there were no services for a trans person so within two months, i got out of the program and it's been very successful because now i'm able to navigate and to be around my own people, the elderly for services and everything i need to better my life. i think moving forward, it's going to take to me, i see a lot of work still needs to be done inside a prison. again, it's the lack of communication. there needs to be a smoother transition out of prison to help those in the county where they want to go and not where people want to place them. if there are services for you specifically, this is where you should go. i just really feel that i'm a good candidate for this because i don't fail at anything because i attempt everything. i think again, more focus needs to be on women and trans women. it really needs to happen. i'm on time, reliable, honest, and very dependable and i'm up for any challenge. thank you. >> thank you, we appreciate you applying. thank you very much. is mianta mcknight here? miana mcknight? okay, next we'll go to michael brown. >> hello everybody, can you see me? >> yes, we can. hi, how are you? >> good, how are you? >> good. >> okay, my name is michael brown. a little bit about me, i'm born and raised in san francisco. i grew up in the mission before it was a million dollar neighborhood. throughout the -- i have done numerous work throughout the city. i went through all the non-profits, mission neighborhood centers. i'm still in admission. i'm still one of the only to be here amongst my friends. i'm a product of sfusd. i graduated from mosconnie and san francisco state university. i am also a grad, a 2020 graduate and student rebound myself. i work with road map to peace based on the mission. i'm an incustody case manager. i am reentry. that's what i do on a daily basis. i am reentry. i work with our women and men in county jails. now there are only two of them, county jails 2 and 3. i work directly in custody, providing reentry services to the men and women that are currently incarcerated. growing up, i witnessed a lot of my friends brutally murdered. my uncle was murder. my best friends was murdered. there was an altercation. i was walking home from school and i got jumped by other gang members. i went to o'connell, walking home, they beat me up with baseball batses. prior to that. let me backtrack a little bit. i was in custody for something i didn't do. i happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. i was treated really horribly because of a medical condition i suffer from. that sparked the change in my life i wanted. as i was making that change, i suffered a lot of barriers. i was a victim to street violence and police violence. i was stopped and frisked all the time. it gave the law enforcement the right to stop us, take pictures of us, and kind of incriminate us. i'm part of the mission peace initiative. i'm applying to the reentry task force and i'm part of the latino task force. i'm at the hub wednesday and thursday. we offer covid testing every thursday. i distribute food to those who need it and i'm offering resources to families as well. so far, i want to say i helped an estimated 300 families, linked them to resources that the cities have provided us. prior to my work to the lay -- latino task force, i started an undocumented group. we had multiple pop-up restaurants and long story short, we created a scholarship for undocumented youth, graduated from high school who want to go to college. i know i'm speaking fast so slow me down if i am because i know there are only two minutes and i have a lot to say. i was first incarcerate in juvenile hall -- sorry, for charges that were not true and later dropped. i'm so sorry. i'm reading something and it keeps going up. however, while in custody i was feeling really bad because of a medical condition. i joined the program to share these experiences and later in life i became a teen parent and because of where i live, i made some wrong decisions, bad choices and experienced the criminal justice system as a brown man. i vowed to change my life and help others not to experience the experience i went through. i founded the father's group that is still practiced today to help people understand and know their rights. my daughter was in court for two years. i have experience with criminal and family court. now i have joint legal and physical custody and as are father, i'm committed to help other fathers they connected with their children because i know that's a vital component in preventing incarceration. i volunteer with midnight basketball. before i currently worked for five keys under the road map, i chair the reentry committee. we work for programing back in the jail so please help us with this. if you can, we're trying to get back in custody because the men and women don't have a voice because we're not allowed in. we don't get their sincere, their true information because of the lack of trust they have with the monitoring with phones. i just want to say that i heard from a lot of great people today and i'm glad there are so many people like myself willing to step up and if you pick me, i bring this new young leadership, a connection to those in custody. those voices are so important and i will elevate those voices and find their need to be selected. thank you so much for your time an consideration. >> thank you. thank you very much, appreciate you. next is nicholas parise. hi, how are you? george. >> george. i'm nicholas parise. i'm a san francisco native. i'm interested in this position because about five years ago i was in jail and i decided to turn my life around after being in jail about 25 times and prison about 10 times. i got out and used the resources from san francisco and i went back to college and i got a community health worker certificate and from there i applied to some jobs and i was case manager for hospitality house for a year. now i'm current the program coordinator for hospitality house and help people who are homeless, incarcerated, getting out of jail, i help them all day, everyday. i feel i'm a good person for this because i spent 20 years on the streets, and had a life addicted to drugs and i am living proof that the san francisco resources work. i was a knuckle head and then i started to do things and listened to people and took their advice. now i go to work everyday hoping to make up for all the harm i caused in san francisco. i love this city so much because it is my hometown. i want to continue to show people that life doesn't have to end because you've been behind bars. it's harder sometimes and i got the tattoos. i have been putting in a lot of effort and now i went from case manager to now i run the case managers. i'm working with limited schooling but a lot of street experience. i'm able to reach the people that i spent the time with. a lot of people see that if i can do it, they can do it. i want to help the people to make up for all the pain i caused in my city. thank you. >> thank you so much. we appreciate you. thank you. >> thank you. >> next is oscar salinas. are you available? >> good morning, can you hear me? >> we can hear you. good morning. >> my name is oscar and i'm applying for seat 3. i qualify for both parts of it. i have been released from custody in two years. my story begins on may 6, 2019, being released from san francisco county jail. once i was released, i went straight into the tax program, which helped me enormously. i'm a 49-year-old latino male. i am very passionate about our latino community and i done work around with the black community also. as soon as i was released from san francisco county jail, i literally took as much advantage of the things that were given to me. these were gifts to me. i joined friendship house in the mission district. i was there for 7.5 months. from there i transitioned to serenity house february of this year, which i am still residing at today. i have 16 months of sobriety. right now i am a sponsor for other men here in san francisco. it's some of the things that are being given as a gift to me. one of the other things that has helped me through the program is working with mental health programs to address a lot of the things that have happened. i taken advantage of the goodwill system. they helped me get one of my first jobs. based on my background, i applied for a customer service supervisor position at san francisco health plan and i was offered that position. as incredible as it sounds, telling the truth of my story, i'm still on probation but i'm a customer service supervisor. i've been involved in the cash grant for the city, which we provided $500 to over 15,000 people in san francisco i'm very proud of. before my incarceration, i did a lot of social justice work and i did a lot of work for the coalition and the organization l led by rudy corpus. i have really strong ties with hernandez and john who led the latino task force. he's a huge leader in the latino community for the work he's done. he was one of the young guys that was with us during the justice for alex nieto organization at the time. i worked directly with our mission, no eviction. i'm very honored to be here in front of you today to do this work. i'm very passionate to be working around the commission community. our black and brown communities right now, this is a challenging time. for what i seen in san francisco, there are so many services that have helped me to get where i am at so i know that any young man, to even the age of myself, being 48 coming out of san francisco county jail, that these services are there to make sure that you're a productive person of society and be able to give back. that's why i'm here. i'm willing to give back to the community like i did before my incarceration and i'm looking forward to being part of this council. i have so many ideas and lot of passion. unfortunately these are trying times now with covid-19. with our folks that are incarcerated right now in our prison systems, and the high infection rates and the mission district and lot of the gang violence is happening in our city, no matter what happens in the city right now. it's still continuing on. i've seen a lot of folks i seen in alcohol anonymous. i'm proud and honored to see them on here. again, my name is oscar salinas and i hope you will consider me into your reentry council. >> thank you oscar, really appreciate you. next, regular knolled -- reginod daniels. so good to see you all this morning. >> i recently graduated from the university of san francisco school of education program where i was able to conduct a three year study on rehabilitative programs through the county jail community works non-profit. i'm a resident of san francisco and i live in district 10, which is riddled by gang violence. i'm a second generation native of san francisco and i struggled with addiction and reentry. i'm the father of six children, which range from 34 to 6 years old, two of my sons struggled with incarceration in san francisco and are currently working and the graduates of programs and are doing well. i'm currently a supervisor for the mayors gang prevention task force. i graduated from the high school here in san francisco at the age of 17. i was the victim of a gang related shooting. by 22, i was shot twice and did not expect to live to be 25. i became involved in gang activity, addiction and street violence. i have four years of experience at the city college in the drug and alcohol program. i started a non-profit, which focuses on reentry called transitional miracles incorpora incorporated. i'm a d.j. in san francisco and i deejayed several graduation ceremonies and the george floyd rally on the floors of city hall and fundraisers for rudy and the united players organization. i'm a graduate of rose recovery and met a lot of specialists where i graduated from the program, as well as became a director of the youth services where i organized a group called the transitional youth group to stop the violence project and in custody program. i directed a youth intervention program. i'm currently on the chief african american advisory board. i did work with the cass center. my work was highlighted by local heroes award. i have been -- i'm now a professor at the university of san francisco. i'm part of the pace class, working with the non-profit and now as a professor. we brought usf students into the san francisco county jail. i am an active member of the men's mentoring movement, a rehabilitation program. i worked with glide memorial, naacp, and young developers, and also attended the university of san francisco and worked with projected rebound and city college. yeah, that's my story. i'm really glad to be here and proud to have that experience that i had at san francisco. i would like to serve my city in a greater capacity. thank you for having me. >> thank you so much, congratulations on your graduation. take care. is rhody mccoy with us? >> yes, i am here. good morning. >> good morning, nice to see you. >> great to be seen. i'm in good company with this meeting. thank you board of supervisors and the rules committee. whoever gets selected, i'm sure they will be a great impact to the committee. basically, what qualifies me for seat 2, actually in '76, i graduated and started to work in the private sector. unfortunately at the same time as i was doing that work, i was developing a cocaine habit. in the '80s, i bottomed out. i lost my family. i started cycling in and out of jails and became homeless. eventually i went to prison. i paroled two times. the first two times as soon as i got out, i went straight back to what got me in there. the third time i went into prison, i was really lucky. i went into a prison where there is a substance abuse program. i started working on my addiction prior to leaving the prison. i was told that the individual coming in from logan house, which is now health right 360, that if you wanted me to make it, you need to pick me up at the gate. the individual picked me up at the gate and delivered me to walden house. since then, i committed myself to staying sober, to having an impact, to being a good father and good man. i started working at an asian neighborhood design. i went to northern california service league reentry job fair and i met somebody at asian neighborhood design since i had a construction background and they were running a youth build program for those. i was a good match. i started as a case manager and soon became the program manager. i became the program manager through hard work. i understand that a lot of the work from the committee comes not 59 the committee, but in between the committees, whether late at night doing research, making connections with people and those types of things. then i became a contract specialist for the private industry council in san francisco and where we administered workforce development programs. i was a technical assistant for our young community developers and their workforce development programs, catholic charities and the tenderloin housing program as well. after working with the council, i started working with an organization that was providing servic services, teaching them to reunite with their families. i owe a lot of my success and my career to individuals that i developed relationships with and make sure that i connected myself with. dr. mendez is part of the reentry initiative for alameda county. that was happening concurrently with san francisco, becoming the san francisco city and county reentry plan. there were a lot of coordination and lessons learned between myself and with alameda county and the emerging san francisco reent reentry. so working with the urban strategies and little bit nervous. i apologize. i'm going to take a deep breath here. i'm working with the national trust. i took a job at rubicon program where i currently work, and that was in 2010 running a reentry program. i leveraged all my work and developed a program that worked with people to meet them where they are with funding and it was a long-term. i knew reentry is a lifelong journey. i use my experience to create programs. i have 30 people that report to me under my division. as a matter of fact, i was one of the original members after the system advisory board. [inaudible] >> initiatives like reentry council equity is important to me, identifying policies and systems and moving to change them and it's really important that i think one of the things is understanding collective impact and the beauty of healthy friction where individuals can actually have differing opinions and still find common ground and build consensus. one of the reasons i don't currently live in san francisco and i got custody of my youngest son. i am a single dad. i couldn't afford to live here anymore. the second thing is that i was working in alameda county and i needed to spend more time with my san. i moved out of san francisco as a necessity. i would contribute my success to positive directions equals change. when i went through health right 360, they helped me with all my needs and they helped me learn the value of having a strong support group, the importance of relationships and being able to talk to people who understand people's history, understanding how your culture impacts your ability to reintegrate into the system and i still remember i was a board member for quite a while. i use to be on the hill and now it's a live meeting. we work with people that come out of incarceration and are involved in substance abuse programs. i attend community meetings. every member in positive directions. i'm also a member and participate in other reentry support groups and again, through relationships it's understanding the impact of incarceration and how support groups provide long-term health for people. right now i'm in the place in my career, i'm a director, i have space to commit to the hard work that being on a council would take, understanding the issues, doing the reading, doing the research and i just want to be involved in the larger areas that need to be developed. you know, working with the different systems and creating policies and programing with a lasting impact. >> thank you very much. appreciate you. is richard bronson with us? >> yes, ma'am. >> good morning or good afternoon it looks like. >> good afternoon. >> before you begin, you may want to turn off your other device. we're getting an echo from your microphone. if you have double screens up, please turn it off. if someone else is doing that, i appreciate if you can mute your microphone. please try again. >> yeah, i don't believe the problem is on my end. >> it sounds good now, thank you very much. >> good. so once again, thank you so much for having me. i'm excited to be here. my name is richard bronson. i'm really absolutely stunned about the quantity and quality of the people before you seeking involvement in the council. i don't envy your job to choose who makes the cut and who doesn't. i think every one of them who has spoken are outstanding candidates. i dare say that my approach or what i have to say is going to be different and maybe different good or maybe different bad, but you will be the judge. i'm from new york originally. i used to work on wall street. i was very successful there and i made a lot of money. i built a $100 million business. a long the way i broke some laws and despite having paid everybody back nonetheless, i was guilty. i was sentenced to prison, in a federal prison and along the way i also ended with a stay at eye kers island in new york. when i came out of prison, i was desolate and homeless like many facing reentry. i experienced first hand the daunting challenges of putting the past behind me and figuring out where i belonged in the world and getting on with a new life. i was definitely a changed person. of course i found my calling in life and that was to help my brothers and sisters coming out of prison, have a better time and more opportunities than i was able to realize in my reentry. i was very lucky. i discovered a non-profit in the reentry space called the five ventures in new york where i got a job and eventually became its director there. it was enormously satisfying work to me. it was good for my soul. the truth be told, if i had to assess as a business person the way i used to look at things, if i had to assess the impact we were having, if i were being honest with myself, i would have to admit that it was nowhere near what i hoped to ever achieve. with all of these wonderful people that have come before you, looking to get involved with the council, it's clear to me that the problems that exist with reentry in general and criminal justice in a broader sense, it is not because there is a lack of quality people, passionate people, smart, educated people who want to be involved and who indeed are involved. i don't believe that's the problem. i believe the problem is the approach that's been taken historically does not work. that may not be something ladies and gentlemen that you want to hear, but i believe it in my heart. pre-coronavirus when the country was enjoying historically low unemployment, 3.5%, the rate of unemployment around the former incarcerated was around 25%. it hovers around recidivism. these are not good statistics. any executive for a business who is delivering those results nationally, would not long hold on to the job. i don't believe that the way we've been doing things is the only way to do it. so i left my non-profit work and i decided that i'm going to shake this up a little bit. i launched 70 million jobs, which was the first for profit national employment platform for people with criminal records. when i did that almost immediately the city of los angeles, the mayor's office of reentry asked me to partner with the city to help with their recidivism and unemployment. i was also invited to participate in y combinatiocomb which is the early stage investor and accelerator program globally. it's some of the most successful companies in the world that went through that program. i went through it and i was able to raise money from the venture capitol world to pursue my business plan. i believed that is central to what needs to happen in a sustainable environment -- >> let's wrap it up. sorry, we're running short on time. i just wanted to see if you could wrap up your comments. thank you so much. >> well, thank you for listening to me. >> okay, if you wanted to finish your thought, that last thought, please feel free. >> i would love to bring to the council a different approach, one that is based upon accountability, one that employs technology, and one that calls upon the private sector. san francisco is blessed with some incredibly successful smart people who i know are keenly interested in the space, but they rarely get involved. i know based on my relationships that we could bring them to bear. i think we have an opportunity to send out that message to entire country, if not the world on how we can handle successful reentry. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. at the beginning we asked everyone to keep their comments to two minutes and we have been lax about it, and we will continue to be lax about it but the more you can keep your comments to around two minutes, we would appreciate it. thank you so much. is ronald thomas here? mr. thomas. >> yes, i am. >> hi, good afternoon. >> hi, how are you? >> good, thank you. >> thank you for accepting my application first of all. i wish you the best. as you mentioned, my introduction, my name is ron thomas. let me start out by saying i am a proud graduate. i stayed there for many years and after leaving, i became the coordinator of the san francisco drug court. with -- well, i worked hand in hand with the d.a. and kamala harris, the and the public defenders office. i stayed there until 2012. after leaving there, i became a program director for rubicon, a parenting program where i worked with the formally incarcerated, the reentry program there consistented of the parents of the piece that helped youths reunite with their family. [inaudible] >> i've spent a lot of time doing presentations in prisons through northern california. i presently am asite manager as well at rubicon. i work out of richmond. i lived in san francisco for a lot of years. a caller said it got too expensive and i had to move to east bay. i always call san francisco a place where i got place of business life together. one of the things i believe i could bring is that we usually blame the system. you get a better understanding of how you got to where you are. intervention is their relationship. the only way you can intervene is if you build a relationship with folks that are living in a life of desperate wait of doing things the right way. often times if we don't know the individual, the individual does not give you what you need in order to help them, there are small successes with all of that. so i hope that what i said to you today, what i put on my application will allow me to be a part of the reentry council. i have a lot to give. i have my own experiences. i don't want to down play a lot of things that other people have said. a lot of what i heard resonated with me all morning. with that, thank you and i appreciate. >> thank you so much. appreciate you very much. is shelly winner here? >> yes. >> good morning, or good afternoon. >> very excited and humbled to be here today. my name is shelly win per -- winner who was released in 2016. i was a parasite on my community for so long. by giving back, it's not an option for me but a way to make right of my wrongs. i am an addict to a completely transform my life. excuse me. i've done a lot of public speaking, even on the discrimination that formally incarcerated people face when trying to get a job. this is a huge problem in the united states. i have taken on that mantle to bring awareness to the public about this in hopes of changing the hiring policies of all companies. this passion to help formally incarcerated was ignited in me when i was discriminated against by my current employer, who is microsoft for my record and who i challenged by left raging the fair chance ordinance. i helped change the hiring policies of one of the biggest tech companies in the world. i have been a restorative justice advocate and want nothing more than to help returning citizens be successful. i teach a reentry class at the women's federal prison where i used to serve time. there is a spiritual based recovery program that helped formally incarcerated who are struggling with addiction and it's a program that i myself went through. i'm in a mentoring program, to mentor people getting out, as well as volunteering in various prisons to help teach entrepreneurship. i believe in second chances and that we are not -- [inaudible] >> san francisco is an amazing city that gave me unit thes to rise above my record that other cities just don't provide. i will be grateful to be part of this committee and serve my brothers and sisters that are returning at a greater capacity. it is my calling and my purpose to help and be a voice for the former incarcerated and help give them the support they need to be successful. thank you. >> thank you so much. very much appreciate it. susan lambert available? >> i believe that ms. lambert contacted us. she withdrew her application. while i am speaking, i will ask that applicants turn off their cameras and microphone when they are not speaking. it would be appreciated. thank you. >> thank you. is terrance blake with us? mr. blake? all right. is thomas wolf with us? >> i am. good afternoon. >> good afternoon, how are you? >> i'm good. thank you so much for taking the time to consider my application for the reentry council. my name is thomas wolf. i am a san francisco native and currently a formally homeless recovering heroin addict. i spent some time living on the streets in the tenderloin. i completed a six month drug treatment program out on valencia street and now i'm applying for a seat on the reentry council. why am i doing that? it's because of the instrumental work that the reentry council does to recommend and drive programs for those exiting custody and to improve outcomes and reduce resids -- recidivism. i kind of have an interesting perspective because in my past life before homelessness addiction i used to do outreach to the county jail. then i experienced being an inmate at the county jail. i seen both sides of it. i seen reentry up close. i experienced the issues of being an inmate in county jail and exiting out of county jail and trying to rebuild your life at that point. homelessness, drug addiction, jail, all of those intersect with reentry. i have experience firsthand with all of those things, along with mental health issues. currently myself, i hold a seat on the san francisco drug dealing task force where we're working to reduce both the issues of supply and demand. i worked mostly with veterans that are experiencing homelessness, to get them into supportive out of prison help those coming into the community. i spent 25 years of my life incarcerated and upon getting released in 2016, it was interesting. i'm especially going through -- [inaudible] >> the t.l. is a great community but it may not be the best community for that avenue of release. i really just want to say that upon my release i started volunteering at glide memorial, just working to help guys with their education. i was hired by five keys as an education coordinator. based on my -- on how i saw guys coming out of prison should be better prepared for the work force. i also work for bay area freedom collective, which also deals with guys coming out of prison. we pick them up out of the gate. we make sure they have all their basic needs, emotional support, show them how to get a driver's license and apply for their social security card and everything they need. i've been working for them for four years, still working on the street. i'm helping guys do whatever they need to get their high school diploma, g.e.d., apply for college. my vision is to see education being paramount and helping guys earn that wage they need to live in san francisco. even though i have a great job, i found it impossible to live in san francisco based on the wages, i mean what it cost to live there. upon completing my parole, i moved to oakland. it's not easy, but i can make it there. i just want to thank you guys for considering me and the rest of the guys here who are also applying for this position. i believe together we should all be able to make a change on reentry and how it effects the thousands of people getting out of prison on a daily basis. thank you for your time. bye. >> thank you so much for your time and appreciate you. thank you. tricia lee? are you here tricia lee? >> hello, thank you everyone for your patience. i appreciate you all. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> my name is tricia lee for the reentry council for the city and county of san francisco seat number four. my qualifications include i served time in the san francisco city jail, 2002, also in california department of corrections, 2004 and 2006. i'm currently on parole in oakland for an out-of-state compact from hawaii. i did a ten year sentence there. i'm currently on parole. i've been in parole for 3.5 years now. i am a business owner, a single mother and i am a mentor to many young ladies. i would like to aid and assist the committee, helping implement cities back and providing formally incarcerated inmates the tools they need to succeed in society and to continue a life that will keep them out of the prison system. i will also like to accomplish providing a full transition from prison to society and unite family that have been broken apart from incarcerations. family reunification is a big part of reentry because especially from a woman's perspective. there is such a small amount of women in the prison system and woman coming out of incarceration, it's hard to mend their broken family. when you have younger children, i was away from my child for 3.5 years. returning to california, my daughter was a teenager. it was hard to get her back on track. a lot of kids deal with the separation issue and they have issues of abandonment and that's a big part on reentry because the woman is trying to juggle all these things and then they have a child going in and out of puberty and they have all these emotions built up so they don't know how to deal with their parents or they act out and they don't want to go to class from that was a big part of my rehabilitation. it's just taking care of my child and also i was in school and i was also trying to build a business. so i now have -- i'm working on my second business and i like to provide -- i'm a licensedest -- licensed etc. the tigs and i like to help people with their self-esteem. i offer young women free services during prom time, so if you are a parent that doesn't have enough money to send their daughter to prom, i help with make up services and hair services for youth. also, if i'm appointed to this position, i would like to aid in providing resources to help people succeed in overcoming fear because fears a lot of men and women have fears of returning to society after having a criminal record. that was one thing with me. i have education, but i was scared to apply for many positions. it wasn't until i worked with the ywca in hawaii and the going places network and dress for success that helped me get the self confidence i needed to put myself forward to enter the field of business and continue with my goals and dreams. i have experience in the -- i have been in the correctional system for over 20 years. i gave birth to my daughter in prison. it's so many different aspects i can help women with as far as counselling and motivating them to keep going on and to know that they have other means besides crime, besides welfare that they can get out there and actually provide a good foundation for themselves and their families. >> thank you so much. really appreciate you. >> thank you for your time and consideration. >> likewise. is william monroe palmer with us? >> yes, that's me. >> hi. thank you for staying till the end everyone. >> good afternoon board of supervisors. i won't go through all the details that are on the application because that's what the application is for. i just want to remind the board that i went in at 17 years old for a botched robbery. they wanted me to die in prison and in 2015, i fought my way out by going to the law library and understanding why i was there legally. in that process, i found out why i was there mentally. spirits -- spiritually i developed a path of enlightenment and i was city thinking emotionally and not rationally. with that said, i went to a group called man up. i learned what that meant. in that process of serving a life sentence, i found out that i was actually in prison for the first time by looking down at my clothes and seeing cdcr prisoner. i never understood why i was a prisoner. i developed a program called the key. the key is just like a key that you have. you are that piece of metal. those grooves that sit in the metal is your higher power or way of life, whether it's 12 steps or a religious group. it keeps you on a straight path. the teeth of that key is integrity, accountability, responsibility, courage and so on and so forth. these are the attributes that if you have good loving parents that are educated and know what to do, thesey instill these attributes in you. for some of us, we don't have that guidance. i developed this key and i perfected a youth offender program inside the prison where i counselled or mentored younger men who had gone through what i had gone through and i wanted to save them. the 31 years i spent in prison. these guys were southerners, whites, blacks, native americans, and at the end of our program, risking their lives, they wanted to hold a spread together to commemorate what they gone through and learned because the facilitation was that impactful to them. just eating together with each other could have jeopardized their life in prison. so with that, i came out on parole to san francisco to be part of the five ventures. what i found was united players and i became a part of that clubhouse and my heart was planted in san francisco. so, what i do now, i live in the triangle, not because i can afford it but because i chose to live there. it spoke to me. i found two jobs to be able to stay in san francisco because i don't plan to go anywhere. when returning, i work in oakland for oakland private industry council and when i meet guys that get out and really have their stuff together, i friend them for 90 days and i teach them. i take them places, i show them how to stop being a survivor and to be a thriver because those are two different things that sometimes we don't learn in prison or on parole. so i know the ins and outs of reentry. i had my hiccups because of my case. i'm going to the supreme court this november to get out of parole. i know the ins and outs of reentry because i had two pat l patrol -- parole officers that were great and one that tried to send me back to prison. so with that, i want to impact further people getting out and let them know that i can guide them through their reentry and give them a life plan of success. sorry i went over my two minutes from i held my clock there because i understand time. thank you for this and have a great day. >> thank you, you too. appreciate you. thank you. >> all right. >> and yolanda morrissett. >> yes, can you hear me? >> yes, we can. >> can you hear me, can you see me? >> yes, both. >> hi, i'm in my car, sorry. >> no problem, thanks for your patience. >> my phone was about to go dead. i was like please call me, call me. good morning everyone. i just want to say this opportunity is an amazing opportunity. i have been on several panels on the reentry council. i was very excited about that. i am a product of domestic violence. i came across the bridge. i was in a domestic violence situation so then i came across the bridge to san francisco. i'm an ex-addict. i've been clean for ten years. i've been incarcerated throughout the bay area, was about to go to the pen, but never got that far and got a second chance on life. i came out here and decided to just do something different and to get my life together and so i am a graduate of sage. that no longer exists anymore but that's for women that have been sex trafficked and stuff like that, sexual exploitation. i was in that life for a long time due to the drugs and the alcohol. i am in internship now. i just finished the drug and alcohol program at city college and i plan to get my associate degree in health education and transfer to san francisco state after that. i have been a part of glides wom women's church. i done women against rape and violence. i done mental health things out here. i was the case manager for survivor restoration program on domestic violence. i gotten awards from the district attorney fit my -- for my writing and poetry i do. i did a press conference with london breed on homelessness. i'm a serious advocate for the homeless community, for my drug and domestic violence clients. i work for behavioral health court, so we work with community justice court, veteran court, misdemeanor court. i see my clients inside the jail. i bring them out of jail. i know a lot of resources out here. i'm a peer specialist. we work for mentor and spear support and we are all on lived experience. we know what it feels like to go through homelessness. i used to sleep off sixth street. from there, i got a one bedroom apartment and got a car now. i'm still helping out here in the community. so, it's a really big deal for me. if i had this when i was coming out of jail, maybe i would have made a different kind of discussion out here. you know, what we do is really important, which is why i feel like i really want to be a part of this. some of the people i seen on the panel i known out from the streets. whether i get it or not, someone amazing will get it. we can connect in some sort of way. i want to help my youth, people and women of color, i want to have that voice. i'm an african american with two sons. i know what that feels like on the streets. i pray for my kids daily. i want to be the woman that comes out here and i take it to the street. i want to get out and get my feet dirty. i know my community very well. a lot of people know me from then, they know me now and i still go out there and i'm humble and these people congratulate me and tell me i give them hope. that's what this is all about, not to be selfish with your recovery and say look, i know what that feels like. i've been here and i done that. there is hope and you can get help. so right now, i teach also crisis intervention to the deputies. also, to level them up on how they can treat people who are getting out of jail, not to stigmatize us, not to judge us. you know -- a lot of people that i meant that have been incarcerated are some of the smartest people i know. there is a lot of stigma around that. i want people to get better services, to get jobs and the things they need. san francisco is the place for all that to happen. things that are not connected and the pieces of the puzzle that are not fitting, i want to be the piece of the puzzle that fits. i want to be the one that connects the dots and i'm in my 50s, but i'll still young at heart. i do zumba and i'm ready to do some zumba out here and help my people. i'm passionate about what i do and not judging and being kind to others, that's something i want people to know that i'm here for you and i'm compassionate about what i do. i also teach groups inside the jail. i go in and i'm there. for a long time i didn't think i could do that, be around these deputies and be in these jails but it's what i do now and it's what is needed and i enjoy what i'm doing and it's making such an an amazing difference. that's why i want to be part of the reentry council. thank you. >> thank you so much. i'm glad that your phone didn't die out. and we could hear from you. >> thank you so much. >> and i want to give the opportunity to anyone who applied who did not get the chance to speak. we did call everyone but perhaps someone showed up late. >> i believe we have someone on the line. >> i'm sorry, who is this? >> john grayson. >> yes, hi. good afternoon. thanks for being here. >> hello, sorry i had class this morning from 10:00 to 11:40. i apologize. can you guys see me? >> we cant see you, but we can hear you. >> okay. >> you can see me now? >> yes, we can see you and hear you. >> good morning, or good afternoon everybody. my name is john grayson. i joined in when i heard five stories. i don't have as experience when dealing with actually working with people that come out of jail, but i have a long story of being in jail. i started in san francisco ygc and went to the california youth authority and then from there to present. so i have all the reentry stories in the world and what i put in my application was why all those years and every time i got out, my needs and my changes -- they all changed. i know this as we live in a society and people getting out of jail need new solutions -- >> sorry, is anyone -- if everyone could turn on the mute button, we would appreciate that. thank you. sorry about that mr. grayson. >> that's all right. people need the tools in order to find effective employment and it's one of the biggest things that a young lady mentioned earlier in her speech. support is one of the biggest things. a lot of people get out of jail and they do not have a strong support system. that comes with support mentally fin , financially and securing a job and that's one of the biggest problems that people have with reentry. that would be a focus. i don't mind, it's the devil's workshop so keeping a person busy and the tools on whether they need to be educated or job training. these are the things i will focus on, jobs and getting people housing and people go to the streets and they pick up the same habits. so i think a lot of people want to change, but they don't know how or they don't have the tools to allow them to change. an individual has to want to change in order to have change. you can have all the programs in the world and the individual doesn't, you know, want to change. you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink it. basically i'm a simple guy with simple alternatives and thoughts and simple words. i just think, you know, one of my sayings, you identify the problem, come up with the solutions, and then you implement them. that's basically it. it doesn't take a rocket scientist. i don't have the experience that a lot of people have. i haven't had -- been in any committees or anything of that nature, but i have experience. i have plenty of that to spare. >> thank you. >> yeah, so if i was allowed this opportunity, it would be a great opportunity for me because i can say i have experience in this type of work. i would really appreciate the opportunity to lend my support in any way i can and to help. >> thank you so much. appreciate you. thank you. >> i appreciate it. >> last call for any applicants that didn't get a chance to talk? okay. then seeing none, if it's okay with my colleagues -- [inaudible] >> sorry mr. grayson, we can still hear you. can you put it on mute? >> oh. >> sorry, okay. mr. clerk, can we please open this up for public comment. >> yes, members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item, meeting id. the system prompt will indicate you raised your hand. please wait for the system to indicate you have been unmuted and begin your comment. do we have any members of the public on the line? >> yes, i have five callers currently in the queue. >> good morning rules committee. my name is melissa hernandez. i'm calling in today to share my enthusiastic support for my cohort for seat four of the reentry council. i known bobby for only a year, but i can say without any hesitation that bobby is an incredible person and an incredible advocate. i know the city will benefit from having his voice as part of this important body. i don't personally know many of the applicants but i wanted to echo some of the comments that all the applicants seem to be well equipped to be on the reentry council. i heard great things from community members i trust about the potential appointments of mcknight for seat two, and michael brown for seat one. thank you so much. >> thank you, next caller please. >> hello, my name is tiffany tatum. i'm calling in support of charles tatum, who is my father. above all, as a daughter, as a child who has been affected by incarceration, i seen a major transformation in my dad and now me as a mother, i understand the -- what you do, the sacrifice you make for your children and i am so thankful that he made the best decision for myself, my children and his other children to re-enter into society and to make different choices. i believe he would be an amazing asset to the reentry council. i want to show my support for him today. thank you. >> hi, i'm a d5 resident and organizer and wow, don't i wish the reentry council could be full of the folks who spoke today and could lead the council in their direct experience. because i worked with him in the path year and can speak to that experience, i am calling in to support bobby for the reentry council. he has been an advocate for those currently incarcerated and those to be released and as an organizer with me and as a community member, bobby is always working hard to improve the quality of life for those around him. i can personally speak to his collaboration as i collaborated with several san francisco organizations. i trust he will bring an action oriented perspective and his personal experience which he shared to the reentry council. i think he will work hard to drastically improve the reentry experience. thanks. >> thank you, can we have the next caller please? >> yeah, i wanted to give my support to timothy wong. i known him for three years, working in a high risk community, getting out of jail, serving 25 years and getting out and not having a, what i would like to say a hard disposition on re-entering society. mr. wong is kind hearted and hard working, going to school currently and working with at risk kids. i think he would be perfect position to be on the council because he spent so much time behind bars and his demeanor. he got out and picked himself up and started running the same day he got out of prison. he got a job. he is currently going back to school. he works more than 12 hours a day with kids. he also picked people up from prison who are getting out. so again, i'm throwing my support for mr. timothy wong, mainly because of his demeanor. thank you. >> thank you, can we have the next caller please? >> hi, i'm calling in to voice my support for tom wolf. i think he's been an important voice in monitoring san francisco's human services agency and has dealt with the homelessness problem and drug dealing and i think he will be a very valuable asset to this committee. thank you. >> thank you, can we have the next caller please? >> madame chair, that completes the queue. >> i didn't get to -- >> thank you so much to all of the public commenters. public comment is closed. i will start with my colleagues for comments and suggestions starting with supervisor stefani. >> thank you chair ronen. i just wanted to add to the choir basically that everybody here is so qualified and it's going to be so hard to just narrow this down to four seats. i just -- i am impressed with all the presentations and i want to say a special shout-out to the veterans for your service. if i missed one or you served, thank you. i also want to acknowledge those that shared their story with us in terms of recovery and addiction and being clean and sober and helping others. i think that people that do that are actually superheroes and i can't thank you enough for what you do for others and for our community. a couple of people that stood out and this is to the slight of anyone else. everybody is so impressive. jaris woodson's work in transitional housing, behavioral health courts, as well as her advocacies on behalf of women is impressive. i think she would be a great candidate for seat one and these people have applied for different seats. i also like to recommend cedric for seat two. obviously he had so much hisz history in connecting people with services, with positive direction, and housing and treatment programs, he has done so much. jackson is active in community based work and churches and more. i know he would be a great addition to the council, maybe seat three. finally for seat four, i can't speak highly enough about tom wolf. we had a discussion on the phone. we reached out and talked to each other and i think his story of reentry and recover has reached many san franciscans. he has spent a lot of time advocating for recovery and he's open-minded to all recovery. i think his experience is extremely worthwhile for the reentry council. also he works with veterans, which i think is very important. so, those are what i was thinking. i wanted to shout-out to others that, the woman's point of view needs to be on the council, rhody, and palmer, there are so many people. that's what comes to mind. i could go on and on about every one of them because i'm so impressed. those are my comments and thank you to everyone for applying and willing to serve our community and for sharing your experience with us and everyone and for all those who called in. thank you. >> supervisor stefani, i missed the first person you were recommending. >> jaris woodson. >> okay, thank you. i got it. supervise mar. >> yeah, thank you chair ronen. i also want to express my really deepest appreciation to all of the applicants for the reentry council. thank you for sharing your stories and also sharing about all the incredibly important work that all of you are doing in so many different ways to support, you know, our community members to get on the right track after coming back to the community from being involve in the justice system. this is extremely difficult. yeah, i guess in taking note and coming up with the individuals that i think of for the four seats available, i think i prioritized the depth and scope of experience, in terms of accessing services once re-entering the community, but also more importantly as a service provider, as an advocate, activist and organizer, being my guiding principle. i had for seat number one michael brown. seat number two, rhody mccoy. seat number two, salinas and seat four, jabari jackson. again, i agree with supervisor stefani that all of the applicants would be very qualified to serve and it's really hard to make this decision. >> thank you, i just am trying to take down all these notes to figure out. of course this is going to be impossible of a decision because you all stood out incredibly, in incredible ways. i just think you know, there are so many prejudices and you know, stereotype of people who have served time in our society and i think that you all blew all of those stereotype out of the way today by showing your april genero -- bring generous, your diversity, your commitment, your understanding of the circumstan circumstances that you know, led down this path and how to get out of it with flying colors. i was just blown away during these really rough times, being so inspired by all of your stories and your stories of triumph and adversadversity. really, i think it has made me feel a lot better, these are hard times for all of us. so thank you, thank you so much for that. i too, i had a much longer list than four seats. when trying to narrow it down, you know, i got down to five and i'm having a really hard time getting below five. for me, it was yolanda, michael brown, bobby jones, jabari jackson, and oscar salinas that really, you know, stood out to me for various reasons and trying to get a good combination of people with difference experiences and skill. so in that regard, it looks like jabari jackson made all of our lists. is that -- i got that right, right? we have one person who touched all of us in a similar way. >> chair ronen, i forgot to mention yolanda, she was on my list as well. just so you know. >> fantastic. this is so hard. >> right. >> yeah, if i could just add yolanda was also on my list too. >> okay, here we go. so we have unanimous opinion about yolanda and jabari. both supervisor mar and i sugge suggested michael brown and oscar salinas. did i get that right? help me out here colleagues. >> uh-huh. >> i'm just trying to. >> yeah, i think that's correct. both of us had michael brown and oscar on our list. >> then i'm wondering if there is anybody -- again, i mean there is not a single person any of you mentioned that i wouldn't agree with. i'm wondering how we feel collectively just so we can get to a unanimous decision with jabari jackson, yolanda, oscar, michael -- supervisor stefani, feel free to chime in. >> thank you chair ronen. all of them are qualified and i speak consensus with you and i respect your opinion. michael brown was on my list too. i just think that they're all so qualified and i don't have an issue with anybody. so that's where i am at. >> okay. >> excuse me. >> sure, i'm so sorry. this is westbrook, we staff the reentry council. i want to make sure everybody is paying attention to the seats that each -- >> i am. >> okay, perfect. thank you so much. >> yes, no problem. >> okay. so with that, i will make a motion to forward the appointments of yolanda to seat one, michael brown to seat two, oscar to seat three, and jabari jackson to seat four and send that to the full board with positive recommendations. can we have a roll call vote? >> on that motion, supervisor stefani. >> aye. >> supervisor mar. >> aye. >> chair ronen. >> aye. >> the motion passes without objection. >> thank you so much again to everyone that came out today and shared your stories and your deep experience with us. we are humbled and appreciate you. with that mr. clerk, do we have any other items on the agenda. >> that completes the agenda for today. >> the meeting has adjourned. thank you, bye everyone. [♪] force >> the time is 5:00 p.m. the ringing of cell phones, pagers, and similar devices can still have been virtually and is still prohibited. please turn your devices off. due to the covid-19 health emergency and to protect commissioners, staff and members of the public," commission

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