. >> chairman: good morning. our clerk is mr. victor young. mr. young, do you have any announcements. >> clerk: yeah. to protect board members, cities and their families. our members will be participate engine the meeting remotely. committee members will attend the meeting through video conference and participate in the meeting as if they were present. sfgov tv.org are streaming the numbers across the screen. public comment is available by phone calling 4156550001. the meeting id is 187 6571979 then press pound and pound again. when your item of interest comes up, dial star 3 to be added to the speaker line. best practices are to call from a quiet location. alternatively, you may submit public comment to myself the rules committee clerk at victoryoung@sfgov.org. it will be included as part of the official files. that completes my initial comment. >> chairman: thank you, mr. young. can you please call the first item. >> clerk: yes. item number one is the appointment of susan philip to the of the city of san francisco. >> chairman: thank you. we had a special meeting at the board of supervisors to discuss this very important position that is a function of state law. the chief health officer in the 58 counties of the state of california is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the respective boards of supervisors in those counties including in san francisco county as we discussed at the full board of supervisors. historically and position alley the chief health officer was confirmed to the head of the department of public health. that was true in the days of dr. cat and dr. hernandez. but when barbara garcia became the head of the department of health, that decision was split because ms. garcia was not a doctor, not an m.d. and that is a prerequisite for the position at that time i believe in 2010. the board of supervisors conferred the chief health officer position upon dr. thomas aragon. and that position remained split when dr. colfax became the head of the department of health the department head was succeeded by a major pandemic which we are in the midst of. then the doctor left to become the state's health officer and dr. philip has been acting in that position since then and i think by all accounts including all of the members of board of supervisors and doing that job in the extremely important and difficult role and she is before us here today and she is before the official appointment as the chief health officer. dr. philip, good morning. >> good morning, chair peskin and to all of the members of the committee. i want to thank you all for considering me for this very important role. i was raised with a strong sense of public service and throughout my life and my training i've been fortunate to be able to train in some of the best institutions with some of the best people in medicine infectious diseases and public health and i can think of no better usage for that knowledge and skill than serving the people of the county and city of san francisco and throughout this pandemic. and, as you said, the pandemic has really shown the vital importance of health officers, but our role extends far beyond the pandemic to many other areas. i will just say that my goal is selected to this position by you all would be to continue to lead with data and science. however that may lead with a strong focus on equity and communities and decision making and then with clear and continuous communication about the challenges, about the data and the science and the decisions that have to be made because often there are series of trade offs and decisions that must be made in conjunction with community. so, again, i want to thank you. i'm here to answer any questions you may have and i'm very honored to be considered. thank you so much. >> chairman: thank you, dr. philip. any comment from committee members. >> supervisor chan: i have just a few questions. >> chairman: of course. >> supervisor chan: i think that i would love for you to either respond again or perhaps that giving some time that has passed for you to i think that my colleagues really talk about the decision making process and that i wanted to sort of repeat that question, but add an element that, you know, we've never been through a pandemic, i've never been through a pandemic before, you know, and we probably have a lot of lessons learned during this time because we're doing everything really for the first time. so we'd love to hear from you the lessons learned and moving forward based on the lessons learned, decision-making process that ensure like you said is data driven. and also, that data is inclusive of equity. i don't mean racial equity. i really mean equity across the board. but also at the social economic equity in the decision making process based on those equity values. not a concise question. but i think you kind of get what i'm asking and i'd just like to learn more about your approach. >> i think this pandemic continues to be a learning experience. so the different phases have given us different opportunities for learning and in the beginning, we didn't know very much at all and the little we had, we were trying to incorporate and i think you saw we did lead with data and science as we could. but the ability to gather the data and understand what parts of the city which of our residents were being most impacted has grown throughout the pandemic. i think it requires a lot of humility which i think you have seen from dr. aragon. i hope you elm body that as it comes in. don't mask and save those for our health care workers which continues to be an important consideration. this is one of the most important things each of us could do to stop the transmission of covid-19. it becomes very important to not feel that it is not my ego or reputation that i have said something and that is why it needs to be something always and determining how we do our best public health work that are incredibly important. and i think what this pandemic has really reinforced and having wonderful epidemiologist data, using the data that's available to us to understand where the most impacted areas are. and even within neighborhoods down to the census track level to be able to do that and so i think that is a commitment that i have and i know the department has is to continue across the city to be able to incorporate the best data possible. in terms of overall decision making, i think another lesson that i have learned throughout this pandemic is that decision making early on has to be directly with communities that are most impacted and the people that are going to be the -- who are going to be the ones to implement some of the science based interventions such as masking, testing, and vaccinations and i think that that has been a lesson that we've continued to learn and will carry forward meaning that communication piece that i talked about going to community leaders, speaking with them, sharing what we know about the science, but also working together collaborative 3 to say if we want to get our vaccination rates up in the city higher than the state level, higher than the national level which we've been able to do, we can only do that with community experience and knowledge and support of that goal. so i think it has shown that requires not only the health officer's expertise and ability, but also that continued partnership with so many sectors with officials such as yourself and the board but also with the economic colleagues at ucsf health and i think that's what's helped san francisco throughout this pandemic. with the other challenges that we face. >> supervisor chan. >> supervisor chan: thank you, chair peskin. i think this is going to be my last question that i didn't get a chance to ask. but i think kind of related to the decision making process, thank you so much for mentioning about the community being involved. there's also a part of it we are both city and county of san francisco. so there is a unique way that we approach many things because just the way how we are structured. what will be a decision making process again, approach, moving forward internally with city agencies, like department of emergency management or other city departments that you really need to work with to make sure the ground level really works but also so you balance out the inconsistencies. we do have a pandemic that's been going on for a little more than a year now, but we know other threats to our city still exist like natural just a question to see with that approach moving forward hopefully the variants for the pandemic is on the horizon, but given the lessons learn but just wanted to know how we balance it out so-called post pandemic phase. >> yes. thank you again, and i think that's a really important point. and this has not been the health officer's role has not been able to do all the things. it really has been the strength of so many city departments. all of the leadership that have devoted dsws to this effort and you mentioned the department of emergency one of it is really strengthening the ties and the understanding between the department of health to be able to work together and to collaborate in new ways and have those relationships continue beyond covid that we must continue to think about as a city. and, particularly, the health challenges that have cases continue to be too high and behavioral health, drugs and drug use, so there are many challenges for the city to face, for the health officer to deal with and it is going to require collaboration. so i think the relationships that are built will allow us to do that work more officially and constructively and that's something i will continue to work on. we still, as you said have a ways to go oregon that we have to adjust our roach as well. >> supervisor chan: thank you. >> chairman: thank you for those questions and answers. vice chair mandelman. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you. and thank you dr. philip for doing this role for the last several months and for all of your work over this incredibly challenging pandemic year i appreciate your clarity and your obvious commitment to the work and i'm going to support you and i'm very glad you're willing to do this. i do have a concern, a thought, you can respond to it or not, but one of the challenges that popped up along the way more towards the earlier side of the pandemic and that is as the city and the county with a board of supervisors but a strong mayor exercising but with a city administrator. we have complicated govern nance in san francisco. that was definitely reflected a little bit in the board of supervisors in other counties and it felt to me that having the public health director just kind of added to that because i don't think it's insurmountable. i'm happy to support you but i have this lingering nagging concern for those pandemic days. we have a complicated system. but any thoughts, dr. philip? >> thank you so much, vice chair mandelman. not necessarily the path forward and i recognize the challenge of the city and the county and the structure that i will be stepping in to and what i can say is that for my part, i am committed to through, we have excellent of course, folks that work with us and i'm very committed in partners with them to talk with the board to understand the board's priorities and to be able to really have an open channel of communication where you all understand that, you know, the health officer is, that the health officer would be available to speak about the priorities, the things that you were seeing and work that way. i think that we have we were able to have a good response as a city and county because we're able to see the science and the challenges i hope there was a once and a lifetime event it would be those challenges. but being able to relay the information. i don't think i have an absolute answer other than to say i recognize the challenges and mid commitment is continued to provide understanding based on my science and training to be able to relay what i see as the priorities and what will best serve the city and county and also to be able to get input from you all and incorporate that appropriately. if i'm chosen, we will see how we evolve this sort of tricky relationship overtime but i'm able to be fully available as your a body. >> chairman: all right. why don't we open this up to public comment. are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this. >> clerk: yes. members of the public call (415) 655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 1876501979. if you haven't already done so, a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand at this time, i believe we have approximately fifteen callers and five people in line to speak. >> chairman: okay. first caller. >> hello. i believe i am the first speaker can you hear me? >> chairman: yes. we can. >> perfect. i will be belief. i am a facility member with u.c.s.f. and i just wanted to speak on behalf of dr. philip. i think you will hear from many in the department of public health about her infectious disease expertise and how dr. philip has really stepped up during this crisis, but also the fantastic work that she was doing before as the director of communicable diseases. i also just wanted to let you know that dr. philip is a fantastic doctor and has been a wonderful and improve the health of all of our patients. dr. philip is really incredibly hardworking. and, her style is most definitely not dogmatic. as you heard, she says she will follow the science and she's really done that throughout i think she is submitted to making the decisions for all after listening to feedback from all stakeholders and she's really demonstrated a commitment in terms of roll-out and recently in terms of success across the city. so, lots of support for d. philip. >> chairman: thank you so much. next speaker, please. >> hello, i think i'm the next speaker. >> chairman: yes. you are. >> okay. good morning. thank you members of the rules committee for allowed me to speak briefly today. i'm pleased to be able to vouch for dr. susan philips to be able to serve as the health service for the city and county of san francisco. i first met dr. philip in 2003 and have had the opportunity to work closely with her since then and her seven-year term five year term as a board member and is a long standing member of the cdc funding california prevention training center. while i was at the state of the california department of public more recently our role has been while i was director of the division at cdc. during my many outstanding health officers in san francisco at the san francisco department of public health and later throughout california in the nation. i also recognize the critical role in the health of communities in a given local or state jurisdiction. based on my knowledge and experience i do not think the city and county of san francisco to appoint a more qualified individual. she leads by example. her actions and exceptional listener, communicator and passionate public health official and clinician and is of the highest integrity. i will conclude by saying that dr. philip is an exceptional candidate in the san francisco city and county would be lucky to have her as the next public health officer. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello, i believe i'm the speaker. can you hear me? >> chairman: yes. we can. >> i am speaking as an individual. i'm the director. dr. philip has both the expertise and the experience required to serve the residents of san francisco. as the spd controller, as the director of communicable disease of prevention and control. i have worked with and observed dr. philip for many years and she always puts the health and well being of san francisco residents first. she has the compassion and understanding and equally important respect from the public that's needed to do this job and in addition to her clinical and analytical skills, dr. philip has a particular strength in communicating to the public both through the media and also by working directly with community members. in the health officer position in the pandemic and before and after, the ability to translate complex technical medical information into plain language that people can understand is essential. dr. philip knows how important that is so that people have the facts they need to make their own health decision. during the pandemic and before, she was always available and accessible. she had the calm and caring demeanor and she inspires confidence and trust. those are especially critical attributes today. dr. philip has also demonstrated an effective commitment to equity and fairness. >> clerk: your time has elapses. >> chairman: thank you. sorry about that. we've got a lot of agenda left. so we've got to keep it short. next speaker, please. >> hi. i've been involved in the covid-19 and several different levels of government. i was also the state health officer under governor wilson. lots of health officers come and go in my ten year. and you could look far and wide and not find anyone. i also think she's exceptionally positioned to lead us out of the pandemic and into the next set of challenges whether they be opiates for homelessness or whatever major crisis come down the pike and also trying to solve things in the long run. a tremendously important quality in dealing with communities and she's an exceptional communicator as you've heard and she has real flexibility and won't stick to a position just because that's what's been staked out. she's willing to move. she's willing to be flexible aas the pandemic goes on. >> hello. >> chairman: go ahead. >> hello. >> chairman: yes. we can hear you. >> okay. this is brenda barrel. i'm a long-time public health employee and one of the things that stood out for me was when the nominee not that i think that she's not qualified, she is, but just put it on her mind that she said when racial equity was not like a priority for her, that's problematic for me and the person who works in clinics work sees what happens to patients, knows about the health outcomes. i think that she should reconsider that. >> chairman: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello. the best health care access possible. when someone was talking as of stds are on the rise. and make sure they are knowledgeable and they are prepared to have a healthy life style. if you put the most vulnerable groups thank you. next speaker please. >> hi. can you hear me? >> chairman: yes. we can. >> okay. during that time i worked in the std prevention program. and she was the at first medical director and then the std director. she is one of the smartest people i've ever met. she's hardworking. she's open she has an outstanding work ethic. she's an excellent communicator and collaborator and an empathetic and caring physician. she's an exceptional manager. she's also a really good leader and a consensus builder who works well. she's extremely knowledgeable about public health. definitely worked closely with our division and she's regularly sought one thing that hasn't been said so far that i think is critical is that dr. philip stays calm in a crisis. and i've first-hand been able to see her make decisions quickly and decisively and without hesitation. i really strongly urge you to approve her appointment. as others have said, i cannot think of another person who's better suited an incredible asset to the department. >> chairman: next speaker, please. >> clerk: i think somebody has their audio tv on at the moment and it's repeating what we just went through. we should have one last speaker. >> chairman: last speaker. >> clerk: that last speaker just dropped the call and that completes our list of public commentors chance of storm okay. so public comment is closed. thank you to the members of the public who testified on this item. and, colleagues, i think that after the committee as a whole that we had at the board of supervisors that all eleven members of the board were unanimous in our support to have dr. philip be the permanent chief health officer. so i would like to move that together with the waiver of the requirement that she be a resident of san francisco which is set forth in the motion at line 12 and on that motion, mr. clerk, a roll call please. >> clerk: yes. on that motion. [roll call] motion passes without objection. >> chairman: congratulations. dr. philip. we will see you at the full board of supervisors next tuesday. good luck saving us all this week. see you next week. and with that, mr. clerk, please call the next item. >> clerk: yes. item number two is there is a motion that this matter if it comes out it will be presented as a committee report. >> chairman: that is correct and as we heard last week we've had a slew of applicants for the remaining six seats. i believe one person withdrew after our meeting last monday and there are a couple of folks who we called last week that we did not hear from. i think i was clear and the committee was agreeable that if the applicant had testified last week, they would not testify again today, but there are two individuals who we called who did not testify. cloudell douglas and rubin sorrell. i would like to open it up. >> clerk: yes. i would like to ask mr. halifa if you noticed those two people have logged in. >> chairman: so that's. >> mr. chair, let's see. i'm not seeing those names. however, we do see a number of phone numbers that we have not been able to identify. if any of those two individuals have called in, you might be muted and you have to hit star 6 in order to be heard. >> chairman: okay. so cloudell or rubin -- >> hello. this is cloudell. >> chairman: hey. the floor is yours for a couple of minutes. >> yes. my name is cloudell douglas and i am applying for the commission for chair 13. i used to be a resident of san francisco. i signed up to be an applicant. i started this process in 2018 without any luck in going through this process as far as finding an incubator or finding property. i feel i could be maybe 300 or so applicants doesn't have any political ties to which afford the opportunity. in the process as far as owning a business. for those members as well which wasn't easy. and i just don't think that we have been represented in this process. >> chairman: thank you cloudell. >> really quickly about myself if i'm not still muted, i stood on the commission the eoc equity 800 grant for employment and housing in the community also, i'm also the chair excuse me the president of union. and that's it. >> chairman: thank you. is rubin sorell available. >> i do not see that name in the participant list. >> before we do that, i just wanted to kind of throw out some high level comments which are in accord with some of the comments that i made last week and we discussed and, again, underscoring that we have a remarkable set of applicants, but also reminding us that this is ail relatively new body in its infancy that because of covid and the expiration of terms now in december of last year, really hasn't had a chance to coalesce. and i do lean towards and i say this having to talk to the office of cannabis and at last week's meeting i do lean towards allowing the current confidence to continue i do note that supervisor mandelman expressed interest in one particular candidate and as that seat 14 which is a seat that requires subject matter excerpt tooes that that individual might be qualified for that seat. so we can change things up a little bit but obviously this is entirely up to the committee and of course we have remarkable candidates. so, with that, if there are no questions with committee members, we can open this up to public comment on this item and move on to item number 3 where we have 51 applicants for 15 seats. with that, mr. clerk, why don't we open this up to public comment. i will also add that as to seat 11, you will recall last week, we did not have any applicant for that seat due to a misunderstanding or miss communication. we now have one applicant for that seat, that's the only thing that's changed in the intervening week and that would be block for seat 11 which has to be a representative of organized labor who works in the cannabis delivery service labor force. so, with that, mr. clerk, why don't we open this up to general public comment. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call (415) 655-0001. the meeting id is 187 659 1979. then press pound and pound again. if you haven't already done so, please press star 3 to line up to speak. please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your public comment. currently, at this time, there's no one in public comment to speak at this time. >> chairman: okay. thank you. and public comment is closed. let's talk about it. i threw out a high level idea, supervisor mandelman. >> supervisor mandelman: i think that makes sense i think in general, allowing these members to continue to make some sense. the other other thought that i had i believe they applied for seat 16, but i think what you're proposing makes sense as well. >> chairman: do you want to make a motion? >> supervisor mandelman: i will move the reappointment of the members of the seats we have not filled and then, i guess for seat 11, doug walk. >> chairman: okay. just to summarize that that would be seat 11 residency waiver required. seat 13 leah nina parks wiss. seat 14 brendan hallinan and sarah payan and as i stated, ms. white, ms. so um, any comments, supervisor chan. >> supervisor chan: thank you, chair peskin. i can see we largely need institutional knowledge i mean, this oversight committee and i think that it will be just a good selection of folks i look forward to seeing them and making sure they're doing the work. so it's good to see some of the labor folks involved on this body and not just being a safe working environment for our workers but also fair wages and all that good stuff and then definitely looking forward to seeing the folks working on good policy and, you know, education and outreach. i think those are important components to the future of cannabis to also make sure that we have ongoing efforts on education, outreach, and research. so i look forward to appointing these candidates. >> chairman: thank you. by the way, i note as previously stated that the committee itself and staff from the office of cannabis as to exen tending that. right now, these seats only go through 2022 i i believe and, with that, mr. clerk, a role call on supervisor mandelman's motion. >> clerk: yes. on the residency waiver sean richards to seat 12. leah nina parks to seat 13 with residency waiver. brendan hallinan to seat 16. and sara payan. on that motion. [roll call] as a committee report. i forgot to clarify that. >> chairman: yes. as a committee report. >> clerk: yes. the motion is passed as a committee report. the motion passes without objection. >> chairman: could you please read our third and final item. >> clerk: item number 3 is the appointment to the african american reparations advisory committee. >> chairman: the office of legislation that gave birth to this advisory committee around an issue that is a pro found but at the state level where california and how it would actually work in practice and obviously at the federal level where this should really be undertaken in conjunction with local and state efforts. this last weekend was and supervisor mandelman attended the commemoration of the 106 armenian genocide and it was accompanied on a day that for the first time in u.s. history, the president of the united states acknowledged that what happened over a century ago, was indeed genocide and that actually paves the way for reparations and healing in that context. not in american context. so i think this is a pro foundly important and difficult and complicated discussion that is very timely so i want to thank president walton for his consideration. and with that, president walton, the floor is yours, sir. >> president walton: thank you so much chair peskin and to all the members of the rules committee. i want to thank you for taking the time to hear this. this is according to our past legislation and experiences working and living in the black community and will be housed under the human rights commission to research, develop and present a true reparations plan with the commitment of resources for the investment in the black with the commitment for all communities and with the organized collaboration between black people here in san francisco. the dreams of equity can only be realized with the and true community ownership. i would like to thank the work of the human rights commission with director cheryl davis and her chief of staff brutally i want to thank black wall street, the san francisco the entire black community, the burns institute and providing space to gather input on what a reparations plan could look like. i would also like to thank deputy city attorney for helping draft this legislation and special thank you to nelly g for this work on this legislation and, of course, to all of my colleagues for unanimously passing this legislation. as we know, our fight for reparations in this country has been a century's long fight. we have also suffered from the negative impacts of slavery and a system designed to keep us from accumulating generational wealth. i want to thank every single african american for wanting to step up and serve on the first reparations committee legislated by law in any u.s. city to my knowledge. i also want to say that we only have 15 seats and we will not be able to accommodate everyone who applies. but that does not mean that if you're not selected to serve that your input, your expertise and knowledge won't be included. the real test is doing the work in unity as one. i 100% appreciate all of you. this is not going to be easy as many of you have participated in the reparations forms, completed surveys about how to address what we need in our community and worked for us to get to this point. but we must end up with a 15-member working group only. on the bright side, we will be making history with the final plan here in san francisco and we will all be a part of that history as a city and as a black community. looking forward to hearing from each of you hod as we have to make a hard decision moving forward. thank you, chair peskin. >> chairman: thank you. and why don't we have ms. davis speak next. >> hello, chair peskin. thank you for the opportunity. i know there are a lot of folks here to speculate so i will say first and foremost thank you, president walton for all his effort and the also thank you to the board of supervisors for unanimously voting to support this there is so much work to be done. i look forward to it and president walton, you talked about the ancestors and the history of america and slavery and so i will just leave with a lot of folks know i am a lover of poetry, so i just wanted to share a couple of lines from a couple of poets. one is maya angelo. getting beyond the "i have a dream" speech and what dr. king looks forward to, maya angelo, "i am the dream and the hope of the slave." and so we have this opportunity right now to make good on the dreams and the hopes of the ancestors of the past and to also stay hopeful and believe that something is possible which has been happening through this effort and through this work. gather out of so i look forward to advancing the dream and moving forward. >> chairman: are there any comments before we visit with the 51 applicants from committee members? seeing none. why don't we start in the order that they appear on the rules committee agenda and um, why don't we do two minutes per applicant, but if anybody wants to keep it shorter, don't be bashful. we'll start with ajwang rading. my apologies. >> no. thank you, president walton. thank you, chair peskin, supervisor chan, supervisor mandelman. i consider this a great opportunity. i grew up as experiencing homelessness living outside in my dodge neon. so i know first-hand the failings of public policy and the need for economic restorative justice. fortunately, i overcame being housed particularly black folk. i started out my process of working on the first iter rations of reading franchise formally encarson rated folks and so i have a feeling i have a good sense of what i was also fortunate to to investigate over 4,000 lynchings. working at the equal justice initiative. i helped design the national institution memorial. my segregation in america report which was published as well as a video who i helped through alabama and other southern states. so i know despite for a very long time. today i'm actually an attorney empowering and protecting. advocating for technological equity in redirecting educational capital as well as ensuring their intellectual property. and, so right now i'm working with professor dorothy brown on really drafting the country's first tax credit to change, to be introduced and hopefully be introduced to our congress this cycle and so i'm also studying how it can be constitutional muster. so, on that note, i want to say i'm this will as i know its effects a little too well. >> mr. clerk, if you can run the timer. next is alicia rose mayo. >> hello. i'd like to acknowledge the supervisors and committee members and thank you for the chance to apply and speak. i want to also acknowledge my brother and father killed this month in san francisco. to a degree. they came from mississippi to help build a bridge. we owned a janitorial company and a beauty salon. commended by state senator henry stern for we, the people building trust for the first time and the bay area mental health hour. i should be the owner and general manager of a radio and tv broadcast operation. but we've been heard by inequality in all areas of life in san francisco. my dad was an engineer at motorola but overdosed. my brother was a cannabis operation owner but was murdered, an unsolved murder, that is in san francisco. my mother a drug addict, mental illness and cancer patient. i am here, the first generation college graduate and founder of clarity media and i believe that out of chaos comes clarity and as a journalist, i offer the committee my resilience, my commitment. my research skills, my >> to live out being a progressive and we have an opportunity in this instance to work as a dream team to a deliberative process, come up with common sense, substantiate and will demonstrate that know how to correct our past deals which are many and as a historian i feel that it is encumbent upon us to be apart of history. other cities such as evanston, illinois. small cities in north carolina are far ahead of us. so i'm just waiting for the actual plan and action of a group. >> clerk: speaker, your time has expired. >> and allow the contact to get the wealth to make sure americans get their share of this promise of a good democracy. >> chairman: thank you, reverend brown. very much appreciated. our next speaker is aniet ekanem. >> hello all. very close. i want to say thank you to president walton and supervisor peskin. i am a baby resident. in the past, i owned a company called wireless. i brought that technology back and actually did work in oakland and also in various neighborhoods. i have launched one bayview and a number of outlets ago at the thousands of residents in the bayview specifically. more importantly, i want to talk about what i can bring to the committee my focus will be a couple analytics, big data with our stores to provide an unavailable in store my we're unstoppable in that way. to be part of the story i truly believe will help to live over the hearts and minds of reparations moving forward. there are many tools that we should be using and i just want to be able to be part of that. i believe the reparations are necessary and well past time. please allow me to be part of this great process and specifically when i talk about trouble. i'm also the chair of the advisory committee where we focus on issues of equity and hiring policy and health moving in air quality throughout the city of bayview. >> clerk: your time has elapsed. >> next up is art burton. >> greetings board of supervisors, rules committee and attendees. thank you for allowing me an opportunity to speak for this hearing between philmore and webster. as a full-time entrepreneur and business owner and decision and finance base one of my primary reasons is due to a lack of and my community growing up. i remember early on in my career participating in community health care. how to properly access all the free i quickly thrust myself into a leadership role of our pr committee. within my first year of the organization. i was able to forge new scholarship relationships coin based. i also served on our mentoring committee as well as our fun development committee. and, currently, i am the cofounder on demand. i think my skill sets that i have will be well-used being on this committee. thank you guys for taking the time to hear me out and and i look forward to serving on the committee. >> chairman: thank you. next up is ata 'ataoletaeao mcnealy. >> hello everyone. i am an. i have seen racial disparities first-hand in the classroom. i have been a victim of racism and discrimination in the work place. and don't know where i would be without housing in the city. i believe i am a strong candidate for either seat number 6 or seat number 16 on the federal level commission and study development for african americans act. the right to petition for government is a fundamental right. the rights outlined in our constitution are not earned, but guaranteed. reparations is not a charity, but is a debt that's owed to black americans for slavery, legalized apart segregation and the ongoing racial disparity and stigmatizization. by 2053, the wealth and net worth of black americans will be zero according to the guardian. and, according to the brookings institute, the media net worth is 17,000. discriminatory laws reached their aplaintiff's exhibit in the mid 20th century when housing policies engineered the wealth gap. unfortunately, the city and county of san francisco has been complicit. being the only i would like to be apart of this exhibition so i can lend my knowledge towards reparation that will benefit the black americans of slavery in this city. thank you very much. >> chairman: thank you. next is carletta jackson-lane. >> clerk: yes. before the next speaker proceeds, i would like to ask that anyone who is not speaking if you can turn off your camera and mute your microphone. thank you very much. >> chairman: so, reverend brown, if you can just turn off your camera, that'd be great. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. can you see me? >> chairman: we can. >> thank you. all right. i would like to thank. i would like to apply for seat 4 and seat 10. i have been a resident of san francisco for more than 45 years. we moved to the philmore on page and webster. which had the first african american principal where i attended. i am the executive director of the family service agency incorporated and serve low income average children youth and families predominantly african american for more than 30 years and i am currently located in the village. appointed by supervisor haney and mediator for the san francisco police department, department of police accountability. previously, the office of citizens complaints since 2010 and a mediator for community board. san francisco state university and my doctor from to bring about an equal playing field that will bridge the opportunity gap between 22,000 and 25,000 per year. versus the white population. the impact of gentrification due to redevelopment for example has resulted in a five%, some phase two percent of black community residents. i would like to be a member of the african american reparations advisory and contribute to a strategic plan about the african americans of st. francis. >> chairman: next up is coy gibson. >> hello. can everyone see and hear me all right? >> chairman: yes. >> okay. hi everybody hi to the commission. my name is coy gibson. i should start off by saying i grew up in san francisco from the earliest i can remember, i lived with my mom on the 3rd street side and then my mom was able to live in the sunnidale housing project. i spent the majority of my life in sunnidale. i graduated from hillcrest elementary. my mom. in 2004, i believe i committed a violation that we had the leave the san francisco housing project. since then, i'm now married. i'm a father of four. all young ladies. i think my addition to this board on seat 15 is due to some of the things that i've experienced and witnessed while living in the city and county in san francisco specifically the sunnidale housing project. at a certain time in that area, you know, i've always witnessed two bus lines coming through that area, not to mention as me growing up over there, there was a certain time to where we couldn't order pizza. we had to lie about our address because people were so afraid and just to my experiences as living in san francisco, growing up with the experience of living in that type of environment i think would be a really good addition to this board. and that's it. that's all i have to say. thank you. >> chairman: thank you, mr. gibson. next is craig joseph. >> hello, and thank you for the invitation as well as the opportunity to be considered for an appointment on the african american reparations advisory committee. what are the fact that my family were in san francisco. she had a home on dalone street which was taken by the 280 freeway. she didn't there were things within that and surrounding that because of the fact that my grandmother's a black woman which did not enable her to keep her home. the standing position that i had i feel more lakeview sunnidale. i would often do outreach in the different areas of outreach throughout the city and i would see the disparities between ourselves and other races of people. i also had the opportunity to work with several millionaires in the city, one of them being a black man and i was able to see the differences between the treatment that he received versus the treatment that the other millionaires received who had not black we would need to address internally and externally and also a level of transparency that would need to be held accountable to which have a lot to do with the lack of finances, the lack of information, the lack of wealth that we have as a people and so it's important to me that. >> clerk: speaker, your time has elapsed. >> thank you. >> chairman: okay. after mr. joseph, daniel landry. >> can you hear me now? >> chairman: yes, sir. >> greetings, board of supervisor peskin, supervisor mandelman, and supervisor chan. thank you, cheryl davis, and president walton for this advisory committee. my name is daniel landry and i applied for this position for a lot of reasons. the big reason is because i think being born and raised in san francisco for 52 years, now my mother moved here in 1958 and similar to what mr. gibson said, we were immediately faced with hardship from the san francisco redevelopment agency. so we were displaced and that's pretty much a lot of what i remember growing up is always moving in the fillmore western addition. just briefly about me and qualifications it's pretty much in the last 30 years, i've spent volunteering and being an activist and advocate in the fillmore communities and i've heard about institutional knowledge. we also need people in this committee that bring credibility and street knowledge and i think that's what i would add and that would be an asset to us making a decision as a body here in san francisco. a lot of things that i participated in one was helping craft f in 2008 because i knew then even after the situation with my family and us being displaced here in the fillmore area. one of the things we got to recognize and represent with this reparation advisory body is housing and i dedicated many, many years in supporting housing and community action for housing and the similar conditions that it's hard for our community. one being community proleasing which i participated in 2005. i think a lot of things that i want to -- >> clerk: speaker, your time has elapsed. >> thank you. >> chairman: okay. we will move to denise powell. >> hi, are you able to hear me? >> chairman: yes we are and see you. >> awesome. grateful to be amongst so many great people today. and within the social justice committee of the black caucus at ucsf. as an eighth generation recipient, i came to san francisco in 2019 following in the steps of my family who moved to the bay area in the 1950s and 60s. by connecting with family, friends, and community partners. within a health perspective and beyond. my experience with this community would have a health and central justice lens. the candidate for vacant seat 10, my goal is to ensure san francisco invest inned city. through the prior work at the board of supervisors, i'm inspired by the idea of using sources like certain city taxes to compensate african americans. i agree that true reparations includes building generational wealth and achieving equity. the ideas of pathways to free education, grants for business and providing for down payments on homes are all things that can contribute to wealth. on march 22nd, 2021, to make reparations available for the country's history. the city council voted to allocate $400,000 to eligible black households. there would be qualifications like being the direct from a particular time span working towards the 1940s, 60s, and even beyond that. in which we suffer discrimination and housing because of city ordinances, policies or practices. we can also reach out to groups for those in the anti-black housing policies. overall, i just want to say i'm once again grateful to be here and i'm inspired by all the work that's already been done and even if not on this committee, i would like to help in any way possible. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next is dennis bishop jr. >> hi. thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. so a little bit about me i'm really a third generation san franciscan. my grandfather came here in the 50s and was a prominent business and property owner in the bayview hunter's point district. i applied to join this committee because, growing up, i've seen first-hand a lot of the disparities in our community, you know, plague of drugs, you know, black people being basically housed on top of nuclear waste. and, i think that in my humble opinion, our way forward is to and i, you know, i want to echo mr. brown that we need to, you know, come with common sense policies to, you know, solve these issues which have been -- they haven't been addressed in my opinion, they haven't been addressed correctly. so i'm a tech entrepreneur. san francisco software engineer. and so the reason why i want to join this committee. our representation in tech is a way to go forward and, yeah, to be honest, i don't have -- sorry. >> chairman: thank you. diane gray. ms. gray? >> through the chair, it's a possibility that ms. gray has joined the meeting over the phone and might be muted. so, ms. gray, if you are calling, you may need to hit star 6. >> chairman: and, if not, we can circle back around while we're waiting. so i'll call her again later. ed donaldson. >> hi, supervisor peskin and rules committee and also thank you to president walton and the entire board of supervisors for your support in terms of bringing such an issue to bear upon us. the gravity of the moment is not lost upon me. i think about martin luther king's book "where do we go from here" and "operation bread basket." to tell you about myself, i was born in bayview hunter's point. also affordable housing. currently participated in the cannabis equity program. i'm applying for seat 5 and 8 to talk a little bit about my qualifications for each seat. during the height of mass incarceration of 1993, i was arrested and convicted for 153 grams of crack cocaine which amounts to 5.5 ounces which is a relatively small amount. the notorious crack cocaine 100 to 1 garnered a sentence for 35 months which i did 9 years. my story is documented and outlined along with many others in michelle's alexander's book "the new jim crow." in present, i received a certification in a paralegal service where i found myself studying the contradictions that are found in the law and being a student of history, i understand the contradictions are there and i was able to rebuild my life and through a knowledge of what i call and study in history and whatnot through sf state university, studying my family's genealogy, i traced each of my family lines back to the plantation and can tell you each of those plantation owner's names. my qualifications for seat 8 -- >> clerk: speaker, your time has elapsed. >> chairman: 10 seconds. >> we were pushed out of bayview hunter's point and fillmore. i began working currently i serve on ocii certificate of preference working group where we're working on the program attic changes around the preference of this legislation and i look forward to your consideration for this committee. >> chairman: thank you, mr. donaldson. eric mcdonnell. are you there, eric? >> yes. thank you so much, chair peskin. i appreciate it. president walton, director davis, thank you. supervisor chan and mandelman. i appreciate the attention given to it. this is a historical and present moment. i appreciate being in this conversation and under consideration. applying for seat 3 on the advisory committee. for a couple of reasons. one, i'm a native san franciscan because my mother fled to san francisco from macomb county, mississippi for her very life to then arrive at and experience what was then the hay day of the fillmore, the harlem of the west only to watch its demise and experience the impacts of that growing up in public housing and all of the transitions we had to make as a result. in his testimony before congress, virtually every institution with some degree of history in america has a history of extracting wealth and resources out of the african american community and behind all of that oppression was actually found. we have an opportunity now in this context of reparations to right those wrongs, to repair the harm. i would be honored. you have a whole list of worthy candidates and so i'd be honored to serve and would bring my leadership both in fundraising specifically to seat 3's qualifications, but also in leadership in rebuilding the harm, we building the path of opportunity for individual family and community wealth that can see san francisco return to those hay days of the harlem of the west. so thank you for your consideration and i appreciate this entire process. >> chairman: thank you, mr. mcdonnell. good to see you and then we'll go to felisia thibodeaux. >> good morning, super walton, peskin, mandelman and chan. thank you for the opportunity to bring before you my qualifications for the reparations advisory committee. i'm a third generation san franciscan currently the executive director of community center where we champion the causes of seniors in marginalized communities. i've worked in san francisco housing homeless working to find their preference holders for the willy b. kennedy and the con listic heights community. i've worked to formally house individuals and give them their first opportunity of employment after overcoming homelessness and currently, i still keep my finger on the post of the aging seniors of the o.m.i. which the average senior over here is 87 and give many stories about red lining. i'm able to purchase real estate trying to form their businesses. my family was a business owner owning johnson and johnson locksmith in the western edition. i've been in and about san francisco for 20 years. born to a mother. my grandfather came from louisiana to the shipyard and my paternal grandfather was the head custodian at the company. i helped to rehouse the geneva taro residencies after the implosion and subsequent demolish of those buildings. i've trained individuals from homeless to house and worked directly with jesse rasinski. i bring to you the voice of aging seniors of san francisco and their stories and would love nothing more but to be part of bringing reparations to that community as well as others in san francisco. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next up is freddy martin. >> okay. excuse me, i was having issues unmuting myself. my voice is a little scratchy, so please bear with me. i am currently a housing organizer with senior disability action. five years serving on the board of tenderloin neighborhood as a community representative and just last year, i became the vice president. i'm also the cochair of the mid market coalition working on the building and maintain of. i'm a survivor of incarceration and have lived in huddousing. i'm applying for seats 2, 5, 6, and 17. and set the stage for these atrocities to happen in my community since my ancestors have been enslaved here. and, for quite some time, i didn't know is existed. i've been able to turn some of my messes into messages that we as black people must lead the way and the change that we want must and need to see. reparations to me means when people have paid their dead to society for crimes committed that they should be fully integrated with the same rights back into society. a seat at the table for all of us. i feel that housing should be affordable to everyone. so that must be reversed. equal fair housing for all. policy changes must happen and have gotten and i've also gotten my entire organization and some allies to participate in the housing element 2022 with the sf planning department against racial discrimination and to reverse those things. i have been able to cocreate the first ever juneteenth celebration in my job. it's as much needed as well as this. also, i developed the first ever african american racial social justice to address racism in the community. >> clerk: your time has passed. >> chairman: thanks. next we'll go to gerald harris followed by gina fromer. >> mr. harris? hello? mr. young? >> clerk: i am checking to see if mr. harris is logged in. i do not see a log-in for mr. harris. he may be on the phone line. if so, you can press star 6 to unmute yourself. >> chairman: and we can circle back. why don't we go on to gina fromer. ms. frommer. and, while we're waiting on diane gray, gerald harris, and gina fromer. why don't we go to gloria berry. and, i understand that gina fromer has apparently withdrawn and diane gray was not supposed to be on the list to begin with. so we'll circle back around to mr. harris. if mr. harris is available. if not, let's go on to gloria berry. >> good morning. >> chairman: good morning. >> good morning rules committee, president walton and director davis. i am applying to seat 7, the qualifications for that seat states that someone that has experience or is homeless. i was homeless -- well, actually, my first time being housing in 1988. my family was evicted from d5 after living there 18 years so they could turn our apartments into condominiums and then i was inclined to extend to the navy because i had nowhere to live. back in '97, i actually married for housing, that's something a lot of women end up doing because of housing insecurity. then in 1998, i was evicted from the army base because my husband's in the navy and, finally, in 2012, i was diagnosed with a rare cancer and i was arrested for marijuana as well as i lost my house. so i ended up in the shelter system. i visited next door and detox even though i don't take drugs and i spent nine months on treasure island and transitional housing. i want to be on this reparations committee because the damages i've seen over the years since '69 with redevelopment, urban renewal, jim crow and even hope sf in the midst that affordable housing will trickle down to the black community. i'm also very concerned about the only solutions being things like home assistance, payment which a lot of us can't afford a monthly mortgage and definitely not homeowner's association dues. i'm interested in things that oppose to trickle down and actually get to the hands. i believe if san francisco starts caring about the black community, us as a city will. and other things. >> clerk: speaker. your time is up. dhrm thank you. all right. we'll go on to james lance taylor. is. >> i think he's muted. >> we can't hear him. >> chairman: can you unmute. >> clerk: both ms. brown and mr. taylor are unmuted. they will need to unmute themselves. >> chairman: okay. so, ms. brown. >> i'm here. >> chairman: okay. >> thank you, chair peskin. i want to take full advantage of my time. those children raised us up in long island, new york. when crack hit in the 80s, i fled to i came to california. i have been at usf for 20 years working. i worked in the community that entire time. i worked for every mayor from newsome to currently mayor breed. i wrote the legislation on record right now for san francisco for reparations. it's called the "slavery closure ordinance" me. ronda colters, al williams and the african american historical society wrote the legislation and it was adopted by the city attorney and his law. i also wrote a book that was rated the number one book on black politics. the national organization of black scholars. the national association of black scientists i've been a professor there for political science. i've also headed african american studies at usf. both pieces of literature or research that i've done were put on mayor breed's desk as she considered the reparations redistribution of $120 million recently in the city of san francisco. i have 500 years of history and knowledge. for the entire city. i have a strategic plan of sfpd right here that's not even public yet. i also am familiar with all the national issues in terms of the reparations issues. >> clerk: caller your time has elapsed. >> one last second. i've actually, you know, worked with the community leadership foundation. i've been on the san francisco achievement program and i'm glad to be apart of this and would be glad to serve in this committee. although i'm not a resident, i've been working in san francisco for over 20 years. >> chairman: mr. taylor. thank you, sir. is ms. brown unmuted? >> yes. i am. >> chairman: okay. please proceed. >> good morning supervisor peskin,, chan, mandelman and director davis. my life's work has been dedicated to improving quality life issues. currently, i'm the director of inner cities. we've been existence since 1997. in 2018, we went under the and my great aunt who was an educator in the san francisco unified school district. so i'm a second generation community servant trying to adhere to the economic legacy development for black san franciscans. today, my work includes for black san franciscans. one of the main reasons why i applied for the reparations committee is because when i was 20 years old my father made me buy a home. so you can imagine the equity that i have in that building today. the reason why he he said you've got to create your own retirement plan. i was able to purchase other property. so i'm in a very decent position in comparison to most of my counter parts that i went to high school with and even college with. and so my main purpose is to build equity for black san franciscans and my generation. so thank you very much for your time. >> chairman: thank you. now we'll go onjiarani haynes. that hello everybody i'm applying for the vacant seat 15. i am a public housing resident here in hunter's point in san francisco. i'm getting ready to graduate with my criminal justice degree from san francisco state. i do believe i am a good candidate for this position to bring forth equality for justice and the city and county of san francisco. i've been paying extra attention to the communities that need it the most. we are descendants of our community. i'd also like to anything from scholarship to waiving fees or initiatives to offset. over a long period and course of time. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next is jocelyn perry. followed by julian o'neil. >> hello, can you hear me? >> yes. >> i'll try to keep this short. i live in district 5. i believe i'm best qualified for seat 12 i left my job as a research janitor in january of this year i worked at city slicker farms and saw the positive effects that has in our community. which my family came face to face with. they were forced to move around and most of them out of the city. i believe any sort of reparations package must include an equitable housing solution or provide housing to those who are forced out for one reason or another. president walton has discussed many potential funding routes over the last year and i believe every avenue must be researched. bold and actionable steps the city can take to get the san francisco reparations plan moving. i believe looking at the work other cities have done. thank you again for considering me. thank you president walton for working so hard to get this going and i look forward to working with and learning from all the amazing people we've heard from today. >> chairman: thank you. and is jocelyn perry available? if not. why don't we move on to kai forsley followed by larry jones. is kai forsley available? if not, is larry jones jr. available? >> clerk: this is victor clerk for the committee. if you have called in and you are calling in via telephone, you can press star 6 to unmute yourself. >> chairman: okay. why don't we move on to like i homelessness and addiction. i have a 3.67 grade point sxavrj i'm looking forward to continuing my education in health education so i can be able to help my brothers and sisters that are still sick and suffering and that's what i bring to the table and that's one of the reasons why i want to join this task force. because i'm about solutions and helping the people that are inflicted. so that's what i have to offer this taskforce. it's my experience and my skill and overcoming these overwhelming barriers that a lot of people of color have to live by every day. so i apply for seat 15, 5, 6, and 7. and my name is larry martin and thanks for letting me share. >> chairman: thank you, mr. martin. and congratulations. i'm just going to circle back and if we have gerald harris or jocelyn perry or kai forsley or larry jones available. why don't we move on to erving. okay. how about leontine collins. >> hello. how are you doing. when they tore down the fillmore, i've seen houses go up and down the block that were moved to other places. i think the school system where i was distreated in the school system, i see when i went to -- when i was going to when i was like in kindergarten before i used to go to the black panthers breakfast. help other people roll and educational wise and that has stopped and so i ended up doing it in my own community when i was standing there. i applying for community step for my community with young girls and in gang violence and stuff. i reached out to parents that i knew and i also. so i've been homeless on and off like seven years. i'm still facing homelessness for the last two years and i've talked to grow and give back. i'm still going to give back right now. i'm a head case manager which i do if i can't place i try to get them into job readiness and jobs and just go on to get sros or something like that. i think i'll be a good fit for this because i can go all the way back around the redevelopment and also, around homelessness just experiencing the people that walk in and how difficult it is to maneuver around the system for homeless today. >> chairman: thank you. [please stand by] >> is this -- are you hearing me okay? is this committee will allow me to continue. i'm a proud to be a part of a committee that will allow me to address this from my ancestors, the community leaders and advocates who are no longer here. i know that there is an honor to see this coming. i feel that i can bring my lifelong experiences to this endeavor working in our community for over 44 years for the benefit of our community will help because the history i can bring will be invaluable. i wish this community nothing but the best because africa has always been a trailblazer. next -- okay, how about the next person. >> i'm here. good afternoon and thank you for having me. can you see and hear me well? >> yes, we can. >> i want to thank all those on the call. i am first grateful and honored to be here and to listen to so many grateful people's stories we are is the change. we want to shout out to all those and good to be on this call with you. i qualify for discrimination in the workplace. i'm a county employee and i'm suing the city and county of san francisco i did put my case number in the application. i have questions about that that is from public knowledge. my goal is to share my experiences, my belief, and my strengths as a black woman raised in san francisco. i have a black husband, a black ex-husband, and a child and a black son. i'm worried for my daughter and son and those who are connected because we are not safe. as far as what i want to get from this committee or want to offer, whether i'm not on the committee or not. i don't know that we need to have reparations for just right now. i'm thinking let's have reparations that will help our offspring 400 years from now, such as given our property. not having student loans. having schools from k through 12 paid for. also for four-year colleges to 10-year colleges paid for, for black people. also not having to pay taxes as a black person. the white people planned out a way to hinder black people. we need to strategically sit down and plan how to help our people and to reverse the hurt and harm that was done. taking care of the mental, physical, and financial -- [indiscernible] -- >> if i've already called your name, now is your opportunity. we will move on. >> my name is omarid. hamilton. i am a san francisco native born and raised in the western edition. i've been here my entire life. i'm considered a unicorn. i'm so happy to be a part of this process. i am currently working for the san francisco human rights commission as a specialist. i am a co-founder of raw talk. i think with this committee, the difference is going to be 100% amazing. i'm a former member of the san francisco re-entry council. with that experience, i have gained a wealth of knowledge of how to create and reform things. also i want to be a part of the process. san francisco is one of the most innovative cities in the world and i think we need innovate ideas and new thought processes on how to create reparations and equity and not just opportunities, but equity that can push equity forward. san francisco has a long history of creating equitable opportunities, but doesn't push forward. i want to be a part of the process and thinking outside of the box. i have worked on the ground for 17 years after being incarcerated. i want to be a voice of the community and bring them to the process. thank you and i yield my time. >> we'll go on to patrina harrison. >> i'm patrina harrison. i am speaking on the african-american reparations committee. i have experienced discrimination in the workplace and homelessness and i am in the shelter-plus program. i am a native san franciscan. i have experienced lifelong discrimination in the workplace. i have a master's in dispute resolution. i bring specialized fields and knowledge. further, it's convincing that african-american reparations at the federal and state level can never be realized until our struggles are identified and our struggles are heard and identified. life experiences on discrimination are very different than the life experiences of incidental african-american experiences. thank you. >> thank you. next is pauletta jona-wickliff. >> hi, can you hear me? >> yes. >> i am a native san franciscan. thank you for the opportunity to speak today. i am a native of san francisco. i have a master's in social work. i currently work as a medical social worker. i was the first african-american social worker hired at ucf and pediatrics in 2011. my father is a long-term business owner of business maintenance. in addition to my family start-up, one of the founders of the school is specific in western edition to serve. i have a primary school and that is in the district. i was the first graduating class in that school. currently i'm here in san francisco and i've been back since 2011 raising our daughter who attending an independent school. i would welcome the opportunity to address reparations as it relates to race and equity in san francisco. i have a sound mind and have participated in a lot of different opportunities with regards to the research and development and what that looks like for san francisco. i am proud to be a san francisco native and will know this committee will do what it needs to, to address the wrongs and make them right. it will trickle down to kefer family in the city. thank you so much for the opportunity and thank you for everyone else who has applied. this is a wonderful experience for all. >> thank you so much for your testimony. next is randal seriguchi. >> good afternoon, commissioners. everyone hear me? my name is randy seriguchi. i am from a non-profit. we want to place one male black teacher in every other school in the city. we started a committee to do that. this academy was founded 10 years ago as a black saturday school that built an ecosystem around black children, black men, volunteers, and staff. that vision that i thought was special because of the tools in this state, that vision spoke to a higher platform, which was to place a black male in every school. my tenure has been growth for this year and that is what i want to impart on my comment. when we talk about reparations, we're not just talking about some money. this is about the moment. when we talking about the next 10 years of moments, there are $300 billion spent on racial inequity. no one knows what that means. what i'm talking about is this nether world of money and we're talking about all the ills we need to fix. we have a really big problem on our hands or an opportunity. this is the first major u.s. city too try to do this. in my job i have opportunities and chances to talk to a bunch of folks. there are those on what it means to put new capital boo the black community and lots of ways to do it. i want to have a chance to dream and go bigger. this opportunity could help maximize prop 47 opportunities. it could get more efficiency to the doctors. the financial -- >> [indiscernible] -- there's a lot of things that i would likely to connect the city dots to. >> thank you, sir. next is ranon ross followed by robert mitchell. >>. >> hello. >> we can hear you. >> my name is ranon ross and i work for the city and county of san francisco, at the district attorney's office for the last 33 years. i was born and raised in san francisco [indiscernible] -- i am currently the executive director, president [indiscernible] -- organization. learning opportunities [indiscernible] throughout san francisco. that organization is a volunteer organization. i present myself to the committee because of my ties to san francisco, because of my belief in san francisco. san francisco [indiscernible] -- talk about reparations, it is more than just about a dollar amount, but it is a holistic approach with a concept that encompasses a lot more than just money. we're talking about equity as we're moving forward. we're talking about atonement for what has occurred in the past. i believe with my experience and my background and my legal acumen, i can help this committee forge and create a product that this county can be proud of, not just because [indiscernible] -- but because san francisco is a leader in this country and almost everything that we do and this would fall more in line with the type of products that we produce. i present myself to you and hope that the committee can agree that i can something to offer in the process, to the city. i will do that. thank you. >> thank you, mr. ross. and i understand laticia erving is now available. the floor is yours. ms. erving? okay. we'll go back to other folks who have been called in a little bit. we'll go through the rest of the applicants and then go back to anybody who hasn't spoken. robert mitchell. >> hello? >> hello. i apologize. i'm on a bus. just about to get off. i absolutely [indiscernible] -- i come from mississippi. [indiscernible] -- i volunteer with various organizations here in san francisco and around the bay. i myself have been a victim of homelessness. i volunteer with the aid foundation and under that umbrella [indiscernible] which addresses h.i.v. and the awareness of that, particularly geared to black leaders. i have had the opportunity to serve in many ways and would really relish the opportunity to continue. i believe that the trauma that has created trauma is very profound and i would like to take the steps to help keep us from repeating that trauma. also, if our people were used to build this country, if they stepped on our shoulders, they should compensate us for that. my parents are not here to receive it, but i would use it in such a way to make a better future for myself and a future for the families that we are producing right now. i'm sorry, i'm jumbling around. >> that's fine. does that conclude your comments, mr. mitchell? >> that would. thank you so much. >> thank you. next we'll move on to shakeyla o'cain. mr. mitchell -- yeah, perfect. is shakeyla o'cain available? let's move on to shelly lenard. how about starr williams. >> hi, i'm here. i would like to start. thank you to everyone who developed this committee for reparations for black people in san francisco because we need it especially with everything that happened to us back to the 1800s. i would like to introduce myself. i am starr williams. i am looking at seat 12. i am a second generation san franciscan. my grandmother came here from the south. i am a junior in high school. i am homeless living in transitional housing. i grew up giving back to my community because no one else has a community worth doing it. my mom had to find a school that served my sister and i due to our disability. the housing companies didn't know how to handle people who struggled with drug addiction. i'm now seeing the current effects of gentrification. [indiscernible] -- the residents of the tenderloin and also the surrounding areas. there is a re-entrance for former drug addicts. [indiscernible] this organization has multiple themes, but recently i've been using my skills to create covid vaccine infographics because there is a lot of distrust in the governments. by giving out information they are vocal to take the vaccine. let me outline what i can bring the committee [indiscernible] -- to housing and all the way back to injustice for black people in the medical field [indiscernible] -- >> my name is tachelle and i was born and raised and live in san francisco. i would like to be considered to be on the african-american reparations advisory committee and occupy seat 14. my overall goal and experience have always been centered around connecting back people and their communities. creating a bridge to foster relationships towards college. i have a rich history of actively participating in multiple projects as a student leader alongside great political figures. i attended san francisco university and earned my bachelor's degree with a focus on equity and social justice. while attending san francisco state, i was selected to be on the dean of students' committee. during that time, i effectively represented 30,000 students as i served in creating inclusion campus events and building relationships between students, faculty, staff, and our local communities. i was also involved in student engagement initiatives, including but not limited to the remodeling of our annex, revamping our gym, [indiscernible] -- leading to the building and reconstruction of our beautiful wellness center. based on the needs of students, i was successfully active as a liaison to the dean of students so we may have a better place in our population. i have an active reputation with being involved with historic student populations. often while employed in a non-profit organization in san francisco which values the same values, i was able to offer mentorship to students, provide campus tours and encourage future gators [indiscernible] -- >> thank you. next is tasha spencer. >> tasha has indicated she is unable to attend due to a work conflict -- >> i'm here. >> my apologies. >> no problem. welcome. >> thank you so much. can you hear me okay? >> yes, we can and we can see you. >> good afternoon. thank you. i would like to start by saying thanks for the visionary leadership and the supervisors in attendance also for your time and consideration today. my name is tasha spencer. i was born and raised in san francisco and i work and reside in the city. the qualifications that make me eligible for the seats i am asking for consideration is i'm a mother of seven, all seven going through the school district. i also successfully brought civil legislation against the city and county of san francisco for discrimination in the workplace in 2017. i am going to yield my time and i thank you for this opportunity today. >> thank you. next is tiffany walker-carter. >> hi, everyone. i'm tiffany walker-carter and i am a proud [indiscernible] -- small business owner with growing locations throughout san francisco. i am also the co-founder of [indiscernible]. reparations is important to help bridge the wealth gap and giving african-americans the opportunity to build wealth and achieve the american dream. americans have benefitted from slavery and that makes america the successful country that it is today. i represent the next generation of black leadership in san francisco and i have not been [indiscernible] in the city i was born and raised. black americans are 200 meters behind other groups [indiscernible] -- we have helped build san francisco and it needs to be re-established in the black community. >> thank you, ms. carter. next is tinisch hollins. >> can you hear necessity? >> yes, please go ahead. >> i apologize. thank you so much for allowing me this time. my name is tinisch hollins i am the executive director of california insafety and injustice one of the largest organizations. i am an s.f. native. i have been displaced for two decades due to the astronomical costs of living. i've been an organizer for public policy. i didn't learn about public policy and budget since school. i learned about it through lived systems and how the policy and budgets are intentionally designed to fail people p i want to make change. i've served in a lot of different capacities over the years. i was a member of the african-american out generation task force. i'm also leading conversations around state policy change that is influencing national reforms around the country and removing barriers of those coming directly back to the community. i hope to support san francisco in doing the same thing. thank you and i yield the rest of my time. >> thank you. the next is toni hines. >> greetings, supervisors, and to all of the other agents. my name is tossie long. i am a third generation san francisco native from mississippi. i am a general contractor who built many homes here. i am the creative director of a performance company that consults, creates, and curiositiates events for social initiatives and movements. we engineer change by centers technology, harnessing entertainment as a strategy for impact. [indiscernible] -- a global biannual festival where we celebrated black artists celebrating many art forms. i am also a co-founder of blood and bone. this is an honoring of our ancestors who never had the chance to do so. we will provide a vital impact on the life, legacy, and impact in san francisco. i am retracting my application for the seat since i don't qualify. there is no better use of my talent and skills. thank you for your consideration to be a part of this restorative monumental moment. >> thank you. our next speaker is yolanda harris. >> good afternoon. thank you, board. director and the mayor for her leadership. i am yolanda harris and i am applying for seats 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14 or 15. i am a second-generation born in the bayview hunter's point. i grew up in bayview communities. i watched other family members migrate to the city from louisiana. i also got the opportunity to watch other elders in the community such as dr. george davis, ms. shirley jones and many more. with that being said, i am happy to say that i had a gift for service at an early age. in school, i attended bayview elementary and then went on and graduated from makateer high school. . i worked for 25 years in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the city. i've been an administrator in many areas. i have provided an array of services in the department of housing and community development. i worked at mayor brown ice district liaison and housing liaison many years ago. i graduated with a master's degree last may. i have volunteered my time in the communities, connecting people with the covid pandemic, i have also been appointed as a san francisco housing authority commissioner. i am also in discussions to be a long-term care housing coordinator. i feel that all of my experiences have been working with diverse communities and populations. however, my work has included the advancement and uplifting of black people. thank you for your consideration. have a great afternoon. >> thank you, ms. harris. why don't we circle back to the names i called where people have not net testified. gerald harris, gwendolyn brown, laticia erving, linda ross, i think we were told ms. gomes could not attend. shelly lenard. i think that's everybody. if any of you are here, that is your opportunity. >> shakeyla o'cain is here. i am a native san franciscan. i am a descendant of [indiscernible] -- with that said, my grandparents -- i was born and raised in philmore and lakeview. in all of these areas, as you know, was once upon a time mostly african-american home owners. that is not so at this point in time. as jen ri at the casing comes about, more african-americans are not owning homes here. i provide housing services to those 18 to 24 in san francisco who areexperiencing homelessness. i want to be a part of this to ensure that the youth are involved because they have the power and they are also struggling -- they are also experiencing a lot of barriers because of the discrimination and racism that has been -- that has been happening in our city and has been continuing to it happen. that's why i want to be part of this board. thank you for your time. >> thank you, ms. o'cain. anybody else? ms. erving, are you there? okay. why don't we move on to general public health measure on this item number 3. >> before we do that, if i may -- >> hello? >> hello? >> who is that? >> who is saying hello? >> my name is linda ross. >> excellent. go ahead, ms. ross. >> i'm applying for seat 4. i am over 60. i believe that the issues of the district -- the issues [indiscernible] in the city of san francisco [indiscernible] -- >> thank you, ms. ross. does that conclude your comments? >> no, my comment is i'm an activist, a native san franciscan [indiscernible] -- lack of education and more mobility in jobs as well as education [indiscernible] -- wages have not met the economic needs of the people. that is my statement and my time. if i'm selected for this position, i will do my best to serve the people with which i am attempting to serve. thank you very much. >> thank you. are there any remaining applicants who are available to testify. >> this is laticia erving. i have lived in public housing in district 10 and i currently reside [indiscernible] -- i have the honor of being the parent and caregiver of two african-american children who have gone through the school district. my oldest child has defiance disorder and my youngest [indiscernible] -- has been exhausting, but the other children in san francisco. i also serve as an employee of the african-american achievement initiative in the district. as a member of the community, a resident, and an educator in the san francisco unified school district, i have whole-heartedly served the community for under 25 years. this task is important to me because black families are underserved historically in this community. we deserve a voice in this conversation and i understand that things will not change unless we are at the table. we need a fair and equitable chance to succeed in san francisco. i want to make this a chance and an opportunity. i look forward to hearing back. >> thank you, ms. erving. any other remaining applicants who have already been called? all right. why don't we -- yes, go ahead. >> i'll make one final comment. regardless of whether or not -- >> what is this? >> this is dennis bishop. >> you've already spoken. this is not a repeat. this is for those called who did not show. if there are any more of those, please testify now, otherwise we'll go to president walton. >> thank you so much. if julian o'neal and starr williams are here, i would like to ask a question. >> yes. >> yes. >> this question is to both of you through the chair and we'll go in order if that's okay with you, chair. >> of course. >> what would reparations mean to you? julian, i believe you were the first one. >> quick question. it means a lot. it can mean a lot. to me personally as nice as actual money put in pockets of descendants of slaves would be, i think the best course to be investigating in -- like i said, housing, education, a lot of it has to -- i thought a lot about what you said over the last years pushing for this committee. marijuana taxes, i think that's a great place to look, raising money there, raising it in specifically housing. i think housing is a big one for me. also reversing the decline in [indiscernible] -- we're down to 5% and it was double that not so long ago. >> reparations to me is the acknowledgement that we put people through this and we're going to give back. to me necessarily -- for me, like, direct payments because i don't feel like that is necessarily going to do anything or give people money. into the black community and they were oppressed. san francisco housing, central health, drug addiction, education, and stuff like that. we're basically in reversing -- not totally reversing, but trying to reverse how the black community or somebody was oppressed by. >> thank you both so much for not making this any easier on us. [laughter]. >> chair. >> no, i appreciate your line of questioning. why don't we go to general public comment. are there any members of the public, not applicants, who would like to testify on this number 3. >> clerk: members of the public should call the number on the screen and the i.d. code. if you haven't done so, dial star 3 and the system prompt will indicate you have been unmuted. >> i have learned [indiscernible] -- i have worked with the group of accountability. i have the honor of being with him. i don't know if you know it. he writes about these experiences. this is a group that we form about our community and the problems in our community. freddy brings everything to that group. i think he is perfect for this position. he is an understanding position. he has compassion. he has not an angry bone in his body. this is a person that can set you here and bring real advice and make changes. he is not a talker. he is a doer and an awesome person. thank you for listening. i'll yield the rest of my time. >> next caller, you can proceed with your comment. >> thank you very much. thank you chairman and the board of supervisors. i am speaking on behalf of dr. amos brown. after relocating to san francisco, i've been involved in civil rights, human rights, and the communities at large. i feel it is important we have the african-american reparation advisory committee appointed to make the difference. we need to address this as well. i have experience in [indiscernible] that took our m.c.i., the redevelopment. i am currently the member of san francisco and w.c.e. i have served for many non-profit organizations. i am currently the president of a corporation development that strives to keep affordable housing in san francisco. i speak for dr. brown, again because he's the president of the naacp and he is on the national board of the naacp. he is a civil rights, human rights, a theologian. dr. brown is a seasonal historian and is very knowledgeable in the african-american reparations. i -- he will be an excellent candidate. thank you very much. have a good day. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. next speaker, you've been unmuted. >> go ahead. >> why don't we go on to the next speaker. >> hi. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, we can. please proceed. >> i am a native of san francisco, a second generation. my father came out from arkansas and he served in world war ii. i am a certificate of preference holder and my family suffered from the red lining and urban renewals during the 1970s. i'm calling to support freddy martin. he is a tireless and generous commitment and selfless commitment to the community. he has provided me resources for mental health. he is not afraid to hit the ground and provide education and resources to people. i have worked with freddy on the alex street fair where we organized together a community fair for 6th and jesse ali street. i was part of the lead project where he recruited me for the social justice league class and supported me in facilitating. i engaged my community and neighbors because of freddy. he is an awesome, genuine person. i work with him also. he is an artist with sky watchers. he is tangled and there is a tremendous amount of work ethic. he is a great person we need to be a part of in monumental moment and i yield my time. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker. >> hello. >> [indiscernible] -- to the president, board of supervisors. i am the president of [indiscernible] black school educators, long-time educates in the city and county of san francisco. i am here to speak on behalf of my naacp president dr. brown. he needs no introduction, but he has hit the ground running [indiscernible] get themselves in trouble, someone needing housing or a job. reverend brown is always there to advocate for our citizens in san francisco, whether that is renaming the school or making sure the educators have their say. reverend brown is has always been a member of this board. i do recommend that going forward there is a stream lined way busy in a body of people there needs to be some kind of streamlining process. i want reverend brown to sit on this committee. i also want to recognize others, you have a hard job because all the candidates we heard this morning have something good to offer this committee. i grew up in a small farming town in west tennessee. my farmer was a farmer and received reparations. he was not alive when it happened, but my mother was and shared the resources with her children. the reparations do work. america owes us a debt and i'm looking forward to have san francisco be a forerunner and giving reparations to every african-american in this city and serving all african-americans going forward. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello, good morning, supervisor and the rest of the team. my name is shelly lenard. >> go ahead. go ahead. we can hear you. >> oh. i'm the president of sunnydale community resident board. i worked with san francisco county jail inmates and also i advocate for the residents in sunnydale. i really was not prepared for this meeting today because i had a death in the family. i really can't talk too much because i'm driving back to san francisco. i wasn't prepared today. [indiscernible] -- >> mr. young is here, but we can all hear you. you're giving public testimony and we can hear you. >> i'm giving public testimony. so what i'm saying is i'm for african-americans and low-income for the residents of sunnydale community and [indiscernible] -- thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> chair, i would like to note that ms. lenard was an applicant. >> thank you for that clarification. >> clerk: we have toni hines on the line as well -- >> [indiscernible] -- >> [indiscernible] -- thanks for noting that. go ahead next speaker. >> may i speak now? i'm not making public comment now? >> yes, you are. >> i am angela jenkins. thank you for this important meeting on reparations. i am overwhelmed with such inspiration to see so many african-americans in san francisco coming together in the 30 years i've lived here. i can't say that i've seen such unity. it feels like there is a third reconstruction. some scholars are saying since the summer of 2020 where focus has been on the true tragedy of being descendants of slaves and being tortured in san francisco and in the united states, i can't endorse anyone. everyone was just beautiful and i'm wanting to say thank you very much and i'm hoping that we move forward in san francisco and we will see things that we only hoped for. thank you. >> thank you. >> clerk: could we have the next speaker, please. >> yes. my name is joel yates. i am a fourth generation sfrin. i would like to thank everyone for this momentous occasion. [indiscernible] been able to witness his tireless dedication and [indiscernible] in this pandemic. a few words for disability rights. he has contributed to the protests and the protections for the community. he can exemplify the pride necessary for consideration for all members of the [indiscernible] -- thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hello. can you hear me? >> yes. >> this is diane gray. >> go ahead. >> good afternoon, commissioners and board president and director. this is diane gray. i'm a native sfrin and a bayview resident. i've worked on a number of initiatives here in our city and also been a former commissioner of the southeast community associate commission. i would like to recommend and highly hold up gwendolyn brown for seat 10, laticia erving

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