Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to the October 28th, 2025 regular meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Supervisor Chan.

Chan present, Supervisor Chen, Chen present, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey present, Supervisor Fielder.

Fielder present, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Mahmoud present, Supervisor Mandelman.

Present.

Mandelman present, Supervisor Melgar.

Melgar present, Supervisor Sauter.

Soder present, Supervisor Cheryl, Cheryl present, and Supervisor Walton.

Walton present.

Mr.

President, all members are present.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatushalone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory.

As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland.

We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatush Alone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples.

Colleagues, will you join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States in our public stands.

One nation is under God, indivisible liberty and justice.

On behalf of the board, I'd like to acknowledge the staff at SFGov TV, and today that is especially Sue Enos, who record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online.

Madam Clerk, do you have any communications?

Yes, Mr.

President.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors welcomes you all to attend this meeting in person today in the board's legislative chamber in room two fifty within City Hall on the second floor.

If you are unable to make it in person, you're able to watch the live stream on SFGOVTV.org or on Channel 26.

You can submit your public comment in writing by either sending an email to BOS at sfgov.org or use the U.S.

Postal Service.

Just address the envelope to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the number one, Dr.

Carlton B.

Goodlitt Place, City Hall, Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102.

If you need to make a future reasonable accommodation, or if you need uh language assistance, please contact the clerk's office at least two business days in advance by calling 415-554-5184.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Let's go to our consent agenda, items one through eight.

Items one through eight are on consent.

If uh these items are considered to be routine, but if a member objects, an item may be removed and considered separately.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

On items one through eight, Supervisor Walton.

Walton, I, Supervisor Chan, Chan I, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey, I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder, I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman, I, Supervisor Melgar, Melgar, I, Supervisor Sauter, Sauter, I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I.

There are 11 ayes.

Without objection.

Mr.

President, my apologies.

There are 10 ayes.

With 10 ayes and without objection, these ordinances are finally passed.

Madam Clerk, let's go to unfinished business.

Please call items 9 and 10 together.

This ordinance amends the building and planning codes to comply with California Government Code Section 66007 by postponing the collection of development impact fees for designated residential development projects to the date of the first certificate of occupancy or first temporary certificate of occupancy, whichever occurs first, to affirm the CEQA determination and to make the appropriate findings.

Item 10.

If you recall, this item requires eight votes of the membership.

Item 10, this ordinance excludes from gross receipts tax the gross receipts of low income housing partnership received from the lease of residential real estate beginning with the 2026 tax year.

Suspends the business registration certificate and fee requirement for those partnerships beginning with the registration year commencing April 1st, 2026, exempts from exempts the city from the commercial vacancy tax, retroactive to January 1st, 2025, and exempt persons holding property to be used for city sponsored affordable housing projects from the commercial vacancy tax, retroactive to January 1st, 2022, and refunds the commercial vacancy tax paid by exempt persons.

Please call the roll.

On items 9 and 10, Supervisor Walton.

Walton, no, Supervisor Chan.

Chan I, Supervisor Chen.

Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder, no, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman I, Supervisor Melgar, Melgar I, Supervisor Sauter.

Sauter I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I.

There are eight ayes and two no's with Supervisors Walton and Fielder voting no.

The ordinances are finally passed.

Madam Clerk, please call items 11 and 12 together.

Items 11 and 12 are two items that pertain to the Treasure Island IRFD.

That's the Infrastructure and Revitalization Financing District Number 1.

This is an ordinance to appropriate approximately 5.8 million to fund affordable housing projects to the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development and placing these funds on controllers reserve pending the sale of the tax increment revenue bonds and the receipt of proceeds in fiscal year 2025 through 2026.

Item 12, this resolution uh supplements resolution number 7-17 and authorizes the issuance and sale of San Francisco Infrastructure and Revitalization Financing District Number 1 of one or more series of bonds and an aggregate principal amount of $31 million.

It approves the official statement for one or more supplements to indentures of trust and the continuing disclosure certificate, one or more bond purchase agreements with the joint exercise of powers authority, and the bond underwriter and other related documents as defined herein and makes other related determinations as defined herein.

Um can you please call the roll on these items?

On items 11 and 12, Supervisor Walton.

Walton I, Supervisor Chan, Chan I, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman, I, Supervisor Melgar, Melgar I, Supervisor Sauter, Sauter, I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I.

There are 10 ayes.

Without objection, the ordinance is passed on first reading and the resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 13.

Item 13, this is a resolution to retroactively authorize the fire department to accept and expend approximately $2.3 million in grant funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agreement Agency, assistance to firefighters, grant program to purchase personnel protection, protective equipment, September 12, 2023 through September 11th, 2025.

And we can take this item, same house, same call without objection.

The resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call items 14 and 15 together.

Items 14 and 15 are two resolutions that authorize cooperative agreements with the California State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Item 14 authorizes the fire department to enter into a cooperative agreement for the firefighter property program with California State Department Forestry and Fire Protection, under which the department may receive temporary loans of property in providing fire and emergency medical services to include disaster relief activities for a three-year term effective upon execution of the cooperative agreement for item 15.

This resolution authorizes the federal excess personnel property program to uh to enter into a cooperative agreement with San Francisco and the California State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, under which the Department receives temporary loans of equipment for fire suppression and pre-suppression use for an initial term of five years effective upon execution of the cooperative agreement.

And we can take these same house, same call without objection.

The resolutions are adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 16.

Item 16.

This resolution retroactively authorizes the police department to accept and expend in an approximate amount of $63,000 a grant from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services for the Paul Coverdale Forensic Science Improvement Program to train and procure equipment for the criminology laboratory April 1st, 2025 through March 31st, 2026.

And same house, same call.

Without objection, the resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 17.

Item 17, this resolution approves an award of professional services agreement for airport contract for operation and maintenance of the airport baggage handling systems between Boymir Life Cycle Management LLC and the City and County for 30 million, a three-year term, November 1st, 2025 through October 31st, 2028, with a single option to extend for two additional years.

Same house, same call.

Without objection, the resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 18.

Item 18.

This is a resolution that approves the Fourth Amendment between the city and Universal Protection Services LP, doing business as Allied Universal Security Services for Unarmed Security Guard Services at San Francisco General Hospital to extend the contract by five months for a total term of February 15, 2023 through June 14, 2026, and increases the contract amount by 2.2 million for a new total amount of 12.18 million.

And we can take this same house, same call without objection.

The resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 19.

Item 19, this is a resolution that authorizes the mayor's office of housing and community development to execute the standard agreements with the California Department of Housing and Community Development under the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program for a total award of 46 million to include 33 million dispersed by HCD as a loan to the Balboa Gateway LP for 100% affordable housing project at 11 Free to Call Away and 12.7 million to be dispersed as a grant to the City for Public Transportation Improvements near Eleven Frida Colo Way for the term starting at the execution date of the standard agreement through November 30th, 2043.

Same house, same call.

Without objection, the resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call items 20 and 21 together.

Items 20 and 21 are two resolutions that pertain to 1303 Larkin Street.

Item 20, this resolution authorizes the execution and delivery of multifamily housing revenue notes in one or more series in an aggregate principal amount of 19 million for the purpose of providing financing for the construction of a 68 unit multifamily rental housing project located at 1303 Larkin Street, known as 1303 Larkin Street LP for an aggregate loan amount of 18.5 million to finance the acquisition, rehabilitation, and permanent financing of a 100% affordable 68 multifamily rental housing development for low-income households located at 1303 Larkin Street and affirms the CEQR determination and to make the appropriate findings.

And we can do these same house, same call without objection.

The resolutions are adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 22.

Item 22, this resolution approves and authorizes the mayor and the director of the mayor's office of housing and community development to execute loan documents related to a loan with Meta, Procedus Small Projects LLC, in a total amount of not to exceed 38 million.

To finance the acquisition, rehabilitation, and permanent financing of 15 multifamily rental housing buildings for low to moderate income households, consisting of a total of 89 residential rental units and nine ancillary commercial units, located at 3329, through 3333, 20th Street, 3182 through 3198, 24th Street, 3353, 26th Street, 1500 Courtland Avenue, 35 Fair Avenue, 3840 Folsom Street, 642 through 646 Guerrero Street, 63 through 67 Leipage Street, 2217 through 2221 Mission Street, 3800 Mission Street, 19 through 23 Presida Avenue, 344 through 348 Presida Avenue, 269 through 271 Richland Avenue, 380 San Jose Avenue, and 1015 Shotwell Street, pursuant to the small sites program to affirm the secret determination and to make the appropriate findings.

And we can take this item, same house, same call without objection.

The resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call items 23 and 24 together.

Item 23.

Thank you.

This is a resolution that authorizes the issuance and delivery of multifamily housing revenue bonds in one or more series in an aggregate principal amount, 60 million for the purpose of providing financing for the construction of a 136 unit multifamily rental housing project located at 2970 16th Street, known as the 2970 16th Street.

Item 24.

This resolution approves the approves and authorizes the Director of Property and the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development to enter into a ground lease for real property owned by the city and located at 2970 16th Street with 1979 Mission Street, PSH Associates LP for a lease term of 75 years and one 24-year option to extend and an annual base rent of $1 in order to construct 100% affordable 136 unit multifamily rental housing development as permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless households or households at risk of homelessness to approve and authorize an amended and restated loan agreement in the amount of 61 million.

And again, same house, same call without objection.

The resolutions are adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 25.

Item 25, this ordinance amends the labor and employment code to revise the healthy airport ordinance to require beginning on January 1st, 2027, that contracting parties employing certain airport workers make irrevocable health care expenditures on behalf of their employees at tiered rates, reflecting the employees' household size.

This item has been kicking around for a while.

Supervisor Walton and I introduced it back in March.

It made its way to GAO a couple weeks ago on October 16th, 2025.

I see there are speakers on in the queue, so I will um allow them to speak, but um I am inclined to think that it is appropriate to give a one-week extension.

I don't think we should do more than that.

Um Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

I would move to continue this item for one week.

To November 4th.

Um is there a second for that?

Supervisor Cheryl?

Um, all right.

This uh motion to continue one week November 4th has been made by Supervisor Dorsey and seconded by Supervisor Cheryl.

Uh and I think we can take that without objection, Madam Clerk.

All right, without objection, the motion passes.

Uh and Madam Clerk, please call items 26 and 27 together.

Items 26 and 27 are two resolutions authorizing behested payments for various departments.

Item 26 authorizes a six-month waiver of the city's behested payments ordinance for the mayor and designated members of the mayor's office to solicit donations to support core initiatives.

For item 26, this resolution authorizes the office of the mayor, the office of the city attorney of the city administrator, and the head of each division, office, and department under the supervision of the city administrator to solicit donations from various private nonprofit, philanthropic, and other entities to support the urgent provision of legal services related to the creation and enforcement of immigration laws, regulations and policies, including litigation and regulatory reform efforts at the local, state, and federal level, and non-legal services, and to support the city's immigrant communities for goods and services, including legal services related to defending and supporting LGBTQ rights, goods and services, including legal services related to defending and supporting reproductive rights, goods and services, including legal services relating to defending environmental protection laws and promoting environmental protection efforts.

Goods and services, including legal services related to racial equity initiatives, all notwithstanding the behested payment ordinance.

And I think we can take these two items, same house, same call without objection.

The resolutions are adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call it 28.

Item 28.

This resolution authorizes the assessor recorder, the deputy assessors, and directors of policy and government affairs in the assessor recorder's office to solicit donations from various private nonprofit, philanthropic, and other entities to support the urgent provision of legal services related to the creation and enforcement of immigration laws, regulations, and policies to include litigation and regulatory reform efforts at the local, state, and federal level, and non-legal services and support for the city's immigrant communities.

Goods and services, including legal services relating to defending and supporting LGBTQ rights, goods and services, including legal services related to defending and supporting reproductive rights.

Goods and services, including legal services related to defending environmental protection laws and promoting environmental protection efforts.

Also, goods and services, including legal services related to racial equity initiatives, all notwithstanding the behested payment ordinance.

Supervisor Fielder.

Thanks, President Melman.

Colleagues, in 2022, voters passed Prop E, the behested payments ordinance, which functions as a check against governmental conflicts of interest and serves to build trust between the city and its residents.

The ordinance allows for waivers approved by this board, which is what we're voting on now.

I think it's been lost on some people that we have the ability to fundraise from non-interested parties.

And there are thousands, if not millions of those kinds of entities in the Bay Area.

As well, we don't need a fund a waiver to fundraise if city officials are making what's called a quote public appeal.

A public appeal can be a message on television, radio, billboard, and online platform, the distribution of 200 or more identical pieces of printed material, the distribution of a single email to 200 or more recipients, or a speech to a group of 20 or more individuals as long as they abide by disclosure requirements under state law.

Any waiver approved by the Board of Supervisors must also include a finding that the waiver would not create an appearance of impropriety and would be in the public interest.

By voting to support these waivers, we are endorsing that finding.

Most of the waivers we are voting on today are renewals of six-month waivers.

In order for me to feel comfortable endorsing the finding that the renewal waivers would in fact be in the public interest, as chair of the government audit and oversight committee, I asked every department to report back to the committee what amount of funding they've directed to the city.

And I'm weighing that consideration with the requesting offices, potential number of interested parties that they are exposed to in their day-to-day decision making.

The assessor recorders office makes decisions on assessed property values, which to me exposes the office to hundreds, if not thousands, of potentially interested parties.

Same goes for us at the board of supervisors, which uh we make hundreds of decisions every year, and that opens us up to hundreds, if not thousands of interested parties, which is why, even though I know well we desperately need funding, I am not for having even supervisors be eligible for waivers.

I appreciate the work of our assessor recorder to make connections between the city and funders, especially for immigrants' rights work to set up the Bay Area Emergency Fund.

And while part of that work is done, uh no money has come directly to the city under this waiver.

And the city administrator and office of civic engagement at immigration affairs, whose work involves supporting immigrants, already have a waiver for soliciting these sorts of funds, and I believe can continue that work for immigrant communities.

As a result, I don't think this particular waiver is necessary and is not worth the risk of the exposure.

That said, I am watching the other waivers that we have approved for renewal today, and will not be inclined to support their renewal either if they do not materially benefit the public interest or create an appearance of impropriety.

That's all thank you.

Uh thank you, Supervisor Fielder.

Um I do want to thank you for uh forwarding this item uh to the full board uh for consideration even without recommendation.

Um so thank you for doing that.

Uh if no one else has anything to say, I will say that I do uh support this waiver for the assessor recorder.

Um I think the the very breadth of the definition of interested parties and the fact that there are so many potentially for either the assessor recorder or for us, frankly, means that if we are going to feel safe fundraising and be sure that we are within the bounds of the law, then we need, or in this case, he needs the coverage of the this waiver not to engage in uh in corrupt fundraising, it will be disclosed regularly.

Any asks that he makes that that result in contributions, that will be publicly available.

People will see that that will act as a deterrent to bad action, but because of the very large number of potential interested parties and the difficulty of the assessor recorder himself figuring out if he may be inadvertently running afoul of that.

I think he does need this umbrella of protection if he is to um be doing uh fundraising for these causes, which I think he can do, and it is important to allow him to do.

So that's why I will be supporting this item, which I have also introduced today.

Um with that, Madam Clerk, could you please call the role on this item?

On item 28, Supervisor Walton.

Aye.

Walton I, Supervisor Chan.

Chan, no, Supervisor Chen.

Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Torsi, I, Supervisor Fielder.

Fielder, no, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Magmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman, I, Supervisor Melgar.

Melgar, I, Supervisor Sauter.

Sauter, I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Aye.

Cheryl, I.

There are eight ayes and two no's with supervisors Chan and Fielder voting no.

The resolution is adopted.

Madam Clerk, please call item 29.

Item 29.

This is a motion to appoint Hans Howe.

Kudret Contilis, residential residency requirement waived.

Laura Padilla Edubu Treore, residency requirement waived, terms ending June 6, 2026.

Anasil Farah, Mario Paz, residency requirement waived.

Celine Canelli, Yu Pock Eng, or Jose Eng, Sarah Souza, and Lucia Obregon, terms ending June 6, 2027, to the Immigrant Rights commission.

And please call the roll on this item, Madam Clerk.

On item 29, Supervisor Walton.

Walton I, Supervisor Chan.

Chan I, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey, Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder, I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Magmouth I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman I, Supervisor Melgar, Milgar I, Supervisor Soder, Soder I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I.

There are ten eyes.

Without objection, the motion is approved.

Madam Clerk, uh, let's go to committee reports.

Please call item 30.

Item 30 was considered by the public safety and neighborhood services committee at a regular meeting on Thursday, October 23rd.

And item 30 was forwarded as a committee report.

A resolution that authorizes the district attorney and the district attorney's chief of staff to solicit donations for prosecurial prosecute excuse me, prosecutorial operation, uh, and technology needs, and to support public safety prevention and intervention initiatives for six months, notwithstanding the behested payment ordinance.

And I believe we can take this item, same house, same call.

Without objection, the resolution is adopted.

And it is still 229, Madam Clerk, so please call item 31.

Item 31 was considered by the land use and transportation committee at a regular meeting on Monday, October 27th.

This item was referred without recommendation as amended, but with the same title.

Item 31, this ordinance amends the planning code to eliminate the North Beach special use district and consolidate certain controls into the North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District, expand allowable uses and increases use size limits in the North Beach neighborhood commercial district.

Affirms the CEQA determination and makes the appropriate findings.

Supervisor Sauter.

Thank you, President Manaman.

Colleagues, this legislation will help fill empty storefronts, allow existing small business owners to grow and bring reform to complex, confusing, and inequitable planning codes across District 3 neighborhoods.

District 3's reputation as the hardest district in San Francisco to start or run a small business is not something anyone should be proud of.

And I think this legislation will go a long way towards changing that.

A few highlights of what our legislation does.

It will allow faster reviews for small business owners who want to open by adding North Beach into the city's priority permitting processing program.

This allows more certainty and less wasted rent by guaranteeing a permit review within 90 days.

It removes bans on uses that currently exist across district three.

For example, you are currently not allowed to open flexible retail in North Beach or parts of Russian Hill and Knob Hill.

So for example, if you wanted to open a bookstore and have a fellow business owner run a coffee shop in the same space, you would not be allowed to today.

You also are currently not allowed to even have a pathway to small storefront mergers in North Beach or Polk Street.

This prohibition has led to one off special legislation in the past.

Instead, we're creating a transparent pathway that allows public notice of storefront mergers.

Arts activities on Knob Hill are currently not allowed, meaning you wouldn't be able to open a ceramic studio or a dance studio in the area.

Finally, it consolidates two separate layers of rules in North Beach from a special use district and neighborhood commercial district into one instead, the North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District.

We have developed this legislation in collaboration with the Office of Small Business, Planning Department, and Small Business Owners across the district after hearing about the impacts that current exclusionary rules have on small business owners who are trying to open or grow in District 3.

We've been working with community groups to refine our legislation since June.

We have made a number of amendments in response to feedback, and we are proud to have earned support from a wide range of small businesses and organizations, including Jackson Square Merchants Association, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Knob Hill Association, Discover Polk, North Beach Neighbors, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Russian Hill Neighbors.

Sometimes we craft legislation in these chambers in hopes of future usage.

But in this case, we literally have small business owners that are waiting on this legislation to pass to grow their business, to sign leases, and to fill empty storefronts.

Examples of this include Milana Rahm and her husband Hamanshu, who want to open a cafe on Lombard Street to serve their families' coffee from India.

This would fill a storefront that has been empty for seven years.

Shadi, a beloved merchant in North Beach who wants to expand a small market and grocery store into a space next door that has been vacant since 2018.

A gelato shop run by Italian immigrants who want to open their second location in San Francisco, and they would fill a storefront that has been empty for eight years.

A one-woman food truck who now wants to open her first brick and mortar but is nervous about permitting delays.

With our legislation, her application would now be guaranteed to be reviewed in 90 days.

A barber who wants to merge with an empty storefront next door so they can add an additional chair to grow their business.

Butter and crumble, a popular bakery who wants to grow but stay in the neighborhood by opening a new store for their cakes in a space that's been empty for four years.

All of these examples of real small businesses that want to open or grow would literally be illegal unless this legislation passes.

That is the reality of what this legislation does.

This legislation only makes changes to the planning code in District 3.

In other words, colleagues, it does not make any changes to any of your districts.

You have a chance with today's vote to pass legislation that will fill empty storefronts and make life easier for small business owners.

I hope to have your support.

Thank you.

Supervisor Chan.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

I do want to thank Supervisor Souter for his effort in really working with the merchants and trying to figure this out for uh an unprecedented time to figure out what to do and how we can uh continue to support our merchants coming off from COVID and now.

But we also have witnessed uh robust public comments at the two land use committee meetings and reflected um there's a significant number of opposition letters, um, and I wanted to articulate uh what my approach and thinking is for today, because it is very rare that I, as a colleague, uh would challenge the wishes of the district supervisor.

Um, I do have to admit that I do have personal feelings and attachment to the neighborhood that I grew up in, uh, North Beach and Chinatown, and this particularly is impacting North Beach.

Um, and so I I just want to articulate my concerns on behalf of many of those that I know uh on a personal level because how I grew up and where I grew up.

That uh I want to point to a letter that we received today from Stuart Watts, the president of North Beach Business Association, uh, in the letter actually articulated the support uh of what uh Supervisor Sauder is trying to attempt to do here with the legislation, and it's not pertaining to any of the areas that the supervisor indicated, such as Russian Hill, Knop Hill, or Polk Streets, or even Lombar Streets.

This one is specifically addressing concerns for North Beach and Jackson Square neighborhoods, and it seems to be the most controversial parts of the entire legislation.

Um it is unusual to propose this, but I wanted to be able to articulate again, you know, to walk through the concerns articulated in President Watts' letter, and that it has articulated um specific points that here is number one, preventing unlimited restaurants conversions that would oversaturate our market.

And I understand that I grew up in North Beach, understanding restaurants and bars, overcrowding and competing with each other, and I think there was that's the reason why there's a long-standing ratio to make sure that there are other shops, bakery and uh laundromats, and many other neighborhood um anchoring business can remain um beyond just restaurants and bars.

Um, the second uh amendments that um they're suggesting is restricting storefront merger that price out small businesses.

It's the same concern that I have um previously um thinking about what that could mean uh for small business and versus a vintage that formula retail would gain in some neighborhoods in this case particularly for North Beach.

Third is to reinstating the U-size CAB.

And again, I think this is a concern about competition with formula retail and chain shop that's coming in and usually be able to take up bigger space and leave behind small business that may or may not be able to afford the kind of rent uh or utilize the entire space and be able to start their business or maintain their business.

Last but not least is to create pathway for vacant retail spaces through a different section, which is sections 186.4.

Um they're very specific, and I really appreciate the North Beach Business Association articulating those.

And so with that colleagues, it's um I wanted to say that we do have a responsibility to listen to some of San Francisco's most iconic renowned business that actually are posing supervisors from district three's uh changes proposed today.

Uh that's including City Lights Booksellers, Tony's Pizza, SPACs, and Sotomare, which all shops and stores and and restaurants that I grew up with.

Um so I have to say I agree with them that North Beach is thriving, and this is something that we ought to consider.

Um, and the motion that I am proposing is to divide the file and to for us to consider um the following sections and uh refer the North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District and Special Use District and Jackson Square Special Use District back to the committee.

Uh and if I may, I'm gonna read out loud that motion and and specific sections that we're trying to divide from the file, which is section two, article one, sections one oh two definitions on page two, lines 15 through page four, line three, section three, article one point two, sections one to one point two, non-residential use size limits on page four, lines five through page five, line thirteen, sections four, article one point seven, sections one eight six, exemption of limited commercial and industrial non-conforming uses on page five, line fifteen through page six, line six, section five, article two, sections 201, classes of use districts, page six, line eight through line 19, sections 249.25, Jackson Square special use district, from page eight, line seven through page 10, line 17.

Section 6, article 3, section 303.2, C9, and sections 304, Planned Unit Development Development, page 10, lines 19 through page 11, line 24, section 7, article 7, section 703, neighborhood commercial district requirements, and section 722, North Beach Commercial District, page 12, line one through page 19, line 17, section 70780, North Beach Special Use District repealed from page 23, line five through page 27, line five.

Um I know uh clearly I need a second for this motion uh to in order for us to move this forward, but I'm articulating the reason uh of why I would make this attempt and uh colleagues I understand that you may have other questions and thinking.

Uh I'm simply representing um the neighbors that I know, the merchants that I know on a personal level, and uh speaking uh on their behalf, while not as their district supervisor, but certainly as a representative who grew up in that neighborhood.

Thank you.

Through the president, Supervisor Chan.

Can we get a copy of that?

Thank you.

Alright, Supervisor Chan has made a motion.

Is there a second?

Seconded by Walton.

Okay.

Uh Supervisor Mahmood.

Colleagues, I wish to speak in support of item 31, Supervisor Sauter's District 3 Thrives Legislation, and we'll be commenting briefly in opposition to this amendment for a couple reasons.

We've been through two land use committee meetings on this item.

And over the course of both of those hearings, which were quite thorough, it was clear that our system of rules and regulations disorients would-be shop owners and restaurateurs and stymies the growth of homegrown favorites across the city.

And these rules in District 3's commercial districts have been especially problematic.

This legislation trims back the spider's web of rules that have contributed to storefront vacancies in the vibrant neighborhoods in the northeastern San Francisco.

Improvements include allowing North Beach businesses to be eligible for priority permit processing, allowing for arts activities on ground floors in Knob Hill, and raising the use threat use size thresholds that trigger the need for a conditional use authorization.

It also makes it easier for bars, restaurants, and flexible retail uses to open and combine duplicative sets of rules that currently govern business uses in North Beach.

Importantly, this legislation does not modify formula retail requirements that help keep regional and national client chains at bay.

The beneficiaries will be businesses looking to add the unique character of the district, not big box stores as some have feared.

Supervisor Sauter and his team have worked closely with the neighborhood and business groups from across his district over the course of the year, and he has made several adjustments already in North Beach, Jackson Square, Knob Hill, elsewhere, based on feedback from the community as recently as yesterday.

And it is because of that collaboration and consensus building that Supervisor Sauter has bridged collaboration and endorsements from organizations like the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and neighborhood associations like the North Beach Neighbor Association.

These fixes clearly are not a solution looking for a problem, as some have said.

It is as Supervisor Sauter has identified actual small businesses that are ready to go and are awaiting these changes to open or expand their businesses.

We heard in public comment over two sessions, multiple hours, a majority, if not a supermajority of the small businesses that came out were in support of Supervisor Sauter's legislation.

We can always cherry pick to find opposition, but it takes a lot of effort for a small business to come out and support at a land use committee in the middle of a day when they have actual businesses to run, and to come out in support of a legislation clearly when a supermajority of those businesses are coming out in support at our hearings, it is because they know that this will be a significant boon to thriving in this neighborhood.

That is why I'm happy to support this legislation and respect Supervisor Sauter's continuous amendments that he has made in consideration of the community.

And I would ask, and I'm curious from Supervisor Sauter, were you aware of the amendments that were just coming to us today right now?

And if not, I'm curious why these were not presented to the land use committee in the two sessions that we already had, and with these comments that were already provided, because that should be the process that we go through.

We had two meetings on this already.

We should have heard these amendments before.

And in light of that, I think there's been robust discussion, community input, and this legislation is ready to move forward as is.

Thank you, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Supervisor Walton.

Thank you so much, Chairman.

And I just want to lend uh my two cents as to why I support the motion made by Supervisor Chan.

I think that out of respect for community input around any changes in areas with dissent in areas that would have a negative impact, it makes sense for us to allow for those further conversations.

And these proposed changes in the ordinance to amend the planning code will have a lasting effect on entire communities and should be only possible through a thoughtful and inclusive process.

I think we're all aware of what can happen if we ignore community voice and want to learn more about what they feel is necessary in this conversation to possibly gain support.

Businesses have reached out to our office.

Individuals have reached out to our officers, our offices with concerns, and I think that they should be heard.

I personally spent a lot of time in North Beach and have heard concerns of oversaturation prior to this legislation and just in general.

Also just want to add that if our focus is to really fill storefronts, then we should not be providing vacancy tax waivers and use the tools that we have to support occupancy.

And so I again want to lend my support for Supervisor Chan's motion and really want to allow community input from areas that are not excited about this legislation.

I think that the motion made by the supervisor respects the district three supervisors' intent and allows for this to move forward in a good chunk of what's being proposed, but also allows for voice from community.

Thank you, President Medleman.

Thank you, Supervisor Walton.

Colleagues, I believe that our city attorney and our clerk would enjoy having a little bit of time to think through how to deal with this motion before we vote on it.

So we do have two people in the queue.

I'm gonna call on them, then I think we'll do our 230 special commendation and let uh let our clerk and attorney work with uh the maker of the motion on um on it, and then we can take it up again after the 230 special uh special order.

Um, all right, Chair Melgar.

Thank you.

Uh thank you, President Mandelman.

I will be supporting the ordinance as written by the district three supervisor and not supporting the motion to divide the file and send it back to committee.

We had two hearings on this ordinance at the land use and transportation committee.

Uh, I just want to add a couple things.

Uh, first, when you say community supports it or doesn't support it.

Um, in the five years I've been on the board of supervisors, I can think of a handful of things at where community on contentious issues all fell on the same side of the issue.

By definition, we uh argue about things in San Francisco.

We are not all in agreement as to uh where to proceed, but we have a democratic process, and we do have district representation.

Uh so uh in the land use committee, we in the at the board of supervisors have a long tradition of deferring to the district supervisor on land use decisions specifically because we trust that the district supervisors know their district the best.

Um, I think that this is a slippery slope uh going down uh this path where uh other district supervisors uh want to write legislation for a different district, puts us on a path that I frankly don't want to be on on the land use and transportation committee.

Uh but um for that reason I will not be supporting the motion, and I support uh the ordinance as written.

Thank you.

Uh Supervisor Sauter.

Last word before we go.

Thank you, President Random, I know we have a lot of amazing honorees.

I will be uh fairly brief.

Um I will not be supporting the motion or amendments.

Um, you know, my colleagues' comments are interesting, but they're not accurate to what is in this legislation.

It does not allow for more restaurants and bars.

We are maintaining the control for North Beach, saying that restaurants can only go into a space that was previously a food or beverage establishment.

Bars can only go into a space that was previously a bar, keeping the conditional use requirement for both restaurants and bars.

The change is limited to limited is limited to limited restaurants, which are the smaller scale footprints.

It does not uh allow formula retail as was suggested, and it does not change a use size cap that was removed in previous legislation.

It is not in this legislation.

Uh so the concerns are uh largely inaccurate.

Um there have been a number of amendments specific to North Beach into Jackson Square, five separate, in fact, which have been uh made over the past month.

There's been two extensions or continuances.

There's been dozens of meetings with neighborhood associations and merchant groups and a lot of really good productive back-and-forth and feedback in.

Um I think you know, we have to live in the reality of what this legislation is.

Uh I read out a handful of the small business owners that this will actually allow to grow, to expand to come to District 3, and that's the reality.

Uh, and I would rather live in the reality rather than get into inaccuracies about this legislation.

So I ask for your support again, and I will not be supporting a suggested amendment by the district one supervisor.

Thank you, Supervisor Sauter.

And with that, we will we will return to this item after our after our 230 special order.

Madam Claire, can you please call our 230 special order?

Yes, the special order at 230 is the recognition of commendations for meritorious service to the city and county of San Francisco.

All right, uh we have some great ones today.

Um, and we are going to start with District 6 Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

Colleagues, in celebration of Filipino American Heritage Month, I am honored to recognize a remarkable organization that has been shaping the global story of Filipina leadership for 25 years, the foundation for Filipina Women's Network or FWN.

For a quarter century, FWN has been a strong voice for empowerment and equality.

Under the visionary leadership of Marilee Mondhar, FWN built a worldwide sisterhood of Filipina leaders.

And is Merrill Marile, why don't you just come up to the to the podium?

So I can see while we're uh under Marile's uh visionary leadership, um, FWN built a worldwide sisterhood of Filipino leaders who fearlessly speak out, who tirelessly uplift one another, and who continually demonstrate that when Filipino women rise together, they change the world.

Since 2003, FWN has been leading one of the nation's most celebrated and courageous anti-violence movements with its production of the vagina monologues, also known as Usaping Puki in Tagalog, the award-winning performance piece by the celebrated playwright Eve Ensler, now known as V.

From the earliest days of F FWN's performance uh productions, they were controversial, with some among those easily offended, dismissively referring to Merrily as that vagina vagina lady.

But what became what began as a provocative performance would become a tradition and then become a movement of visibility of healing and of empowerment, turning stories of trauma into stories of strength and sparking conversations about domestic violence that all communities desperately need to take part in.

From those performances came vagina love brunches, safe spaces where women women could connect, share, and heal together.

From there grew a powerful campaign for justice, education, and support for survivors.

Work by FWN, which continues to this day.

Through their disrupt leadership book series, FWN has amplified the voices of more than 160 Filipino authors from 16 countries, telling the stories of women who overcame poverty, discrimination, and violence to become leader to leaders in a multitude of fields.

Over the years, the Global FWN 100 awards have honored Filipino Trailblazers in 33 countries, building a global network of mentorship and a collaboration that continues to inspire.

And here in San Francisco, where FWN began, they've been an outstanding and trusted partner to the city and county of San Francisco, working with local leaders to advance gender equity, to promote civic participation, and to strengthen the voice of our entire Filipino community.

However, far better than to listen to a municipal elected official like myself describe the vagina monologues would be to experience the performance in person.

So those interested are urged to seek what limited seating may still be available.

To join FWN tonight, 7 p.m.

at the Herbs Theater for the 25th anniversary performance of the vagina monologues like FWN itself.

The stage performance is a powerful heartbreakfelt, an inspiring celebration of courage, community, and the unstoppable power of Filipino women.

Marily, as we bring our annual celebration of Filipino American History Month to a close, and on behalf of a grateful city, as represented by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, I proudly present this commendation to the Foundation for Filipino Women's Network in celebration of 25 years of leadership in changing lives here at home and around the world.

Congratulations on your remarkable milestone.

Before you well, all right.

Now you're gonna get lots of applause.

And before you speak, Marile, I would just like to add my my own congratulations.

It has been such a treat getting to know you these last few years, and you are so impressive and had done such great things.

So thank you, Supervisor Dorsey, for doing this uh commendation.

Thank you, Supervisor Dorsey and Supervisor Mandelman, for honoring us.

As you know, I brought our members who come from six, twelve countries.

We are convening our annual Filipino summit in San Francisco.

And this is such a treat for you to recognize us.

Good afternoon, everyone at the Board of Supervisors, especially President Mandelman and my supervisor, Matt Matt Dorsey.

My name is Marilyn Mondahara.

I'm the founder and CEO of this Filipino women's network.

This board has long championed equity, economic vitality, and community empowerment, and those values perfectly align with FWN's mission.

For 25 years, we've been connecting leaders, creating opportunities, and proving that when you invest in women's leadership, entire communities thrive.

Twenty-five years ago, right here in San Francisco, FWN was born from a single but powerful realization.

Filipino women's stories were being told.

At that time, when I searched the word Filipina online, the results were devastating.

We were called male-order drive uh male ordered brides.

We were stereotyped, submissive wives, exotic and slots, and invisibility in leadership.

So we set out to disrupt the narrative.

We launched the shape the Filipina Image Campaign to amplify voices and to ensure that the world also sees Filipino woman women as we truly are leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

Don't misunderstand me.

Have nothing about male order brides.

We in fact have members who have now become very successful in business or in their careers to get out of poverty.

They were able to marry some nice men, and establish families and created families.

San Francisco gave us our start, and we've never forgotten that.

We work closely with city agencies, including the Commission, the Status of Women, the Mayor's Office, Collaborative Against Human Trafficking, the Domestic Violence Consortium, and I myself have served the redistricting task force and the community OCI Commission, the successor agency of the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission.

We've been appointed to commissions, members, many members have been appointed commissions by Mayors Willie Brown, Gavin Newsom, and the late Ed Lee.

This city shaped us, and we've worked to give back in meaningful ways.

Today, FWN has grown into a global movement, over a thousand awardees across 33 countries.

Today, we have delegates who travel from Dubai, London, Sydney, Perth, Manila, Cebu, many states across America, and of course, a dedicated local uh San Francisco-based members.

These are professionals, entrepreneurs, government leaders, mayors, doctors, CEOs, and they're shaping policy.

We have some elected officials here.

And supervisors, they came here despite concerns about entering San Francisco.

They came because they believe they believe in the city.

They're staying in our hotels, dining in our restaurants, experiencing our culture, contributing to the economic recovery.

This board is working to strengthen.

That's the power of purpose-driven driven gatherings.

Our entire Canada contingent purposely boycotted our conference because of what's happening here in the U.S.

But there's one thing that I want to address that cannot be ignored.

Filipino and Filipino representation in San Francisco's leadership remains inadequate.

This board has the power to change that.

The talent is right here.

Many of us are talented.

Jason Chen, one of the our male allies for the last 25 years, founded the Filipino American History Month when he was with uh Mayor Gavin Newsom as the API community outreach coordinator.

As I understand, he's interested in being appointed supervisor for District 4.

And of course, there's Marjan Philhour who has tried to three times to try to outseat Supervisor Connie Chan, but she's still trying.

And you know, we never stop, right?

We just keep going.

The opportunity is there.

We're invincible, the Supervisor Chen.

And I know you're being groomed for something else.

Maybe I can support you with that.

Merrill unplugged.

Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm not, I don't mean to endorse that, to endorse him.

We already have Filipinos and Filipinas breaking barriers.

Jessica Calosa was uh elected last year.

First Filipino to the California State Assembly.

As many of you know, the Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Tani Kantil Sakawi, served for 13 years.

We have uh many others who are running for office.

In 2001, there were very few or hardly anyone running for office or in public service.

We're not asking for favors, we're starting just stating a fact.

Effective governance requires diverse voices in the rooms where decisions are made.

I think you will benefit from a Filipino or Filipino woman voice.

And we are leaders and we'd like to be part of the decision table.

Otherwise, we will just go have get a seat.

So our work spans critical areas.

We have entrepreneurship training, we work with girls who will one day influence the world.

We have the Filipinas against violence, and we have raised over almost 500,000 to benefit domestic violence agencies.

We have we were funded by Google for an AI training, and ATT has us also for financial literacy.

So what we're saying is San Francisco bet on us 25 years ago.

Today we're a global network of women, proving that what's possible when women lead.

We're here to thank the board for recognizing our work and to remind you that Filipino and Filipino community is ready to serve at every level in the city's government.

And yes, you're welcome to come and attend the vagina monologue.

It's gonna be the last show we're gonna have in San Francisco, and they don't hate us anymore.

Thank you.

I'm gonna humbly suggest there might be opportunities for photographs of the whole group outside too.

Thank you, everyone.

Yes, yes, so maybe we can have you, especially in this one.

Doris, you don't want to do a photo on the road in the rotunda, outside, yeah.

All right.

Supervisor Chen, we're gonna give folks a minute to come in.

So you're gonna be next.

That's a tough act to follow, but uh, good, and then it stopped.

So it might be something wrong, but we'll see.

Let's give it a try.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, and I believe we are making a little bit of an accommodation for um Supervisor Chen's uh honoree.

Uh so District 11, Supervisor Chen.

Yeah, thanks.

Thank you, President Manelman.

Um, may I invite uh Josanny to the podium?

Teacher, colleague, today I am very proud to honor Josanne Futo, a second-generation Filipino American and a teacher at Longfellow Elementary School.

Hi, born and raised in District 11, Josani attended Longfellow himself.

And after starting his teaching journey in 2009, his passion and heart for the community led him back there to Longfellow.

He teaches in the Filipino world language in elementary school program with a team of dedicated teachers, most who also grew up in the neighborhood.

The program teaches ethic studies with cultural competence and its focus on building community.

Families are engaged in and often gather for cultural celebrations.

As a proud Filipino-American teacher, Josani empowers you to learn about their culture and history, fostering a scenes of community in students, even for those who are not Filipino.

With his leadership, students explore the vibrancy of Filipino culture, building affinity for the language, and develop deeper understandings of the diverse heritage that are vital to San Francisco's cultural vibrancy.

As an advocate and a leader, Josani fights for programs like the Penal World, this is like W L E S, WLES to help students secure safe space to connect with their heritage roots and understand the legacy of resistance.

The Filipino WLES program at Longfellow, it's one of the few of its kind.

We are lucky to have ethic studies curriculum focused on Filipino culture, language, and history in our elementary school in District 11.

The impact led by educators like Josanne go far beyond learning in classroom.

Through your dedication, compassion, and half-help leadership.

Teacher Josanne Futo, you continue to connect students to their heritage, to their community, fostering a more resilient, inclusive, and thriving future for all immigrant students in San Francisco.

Thank you.

I happily accept the award in behalf of my uh for Longfellow Elementary and the Filipino World Language Elementary Schools program.

Um I don't know how I could taught the previous person, but I as a first grade teacher, a parent, and a graduate of Longfellow, I carry my love for the Filipino World Language Elementary Schools program literally around my neck.

We are humbled by this recognition.

Coming from Longfellow, uh often those that do visit us, they they refer to us as a hidden gem.

Um located in the outskirts of San Francisco, bordering Delhi City.

I can see how we are often overlooked and seen as hidden.

But today we are not.

We are seen, we are heard, and yes, we we are we are here.

Umfellow is one of, as you mentioned, what Longfellow is one of two public elementary schools in the entire nation that teaches Filipino.

Um the other is our sister school, Bessie Carmichael, FEC in the Soma.

And to that, it shows that our um, sorry, I'm getting thrown off.

Um that in itself shows that our value goes beyond the borders of San Francisco, knowing that Filipinos are one of the largest Asian ethnic groups in the entire country, and we are only one of two.

That says a lot.

Um, with that said, we are we are going into our 14th year teaching in this program, serving our community.

Um, and just like our Filipino-American history, it's a beautiful struggle.

So, with that said, I also want to pay uh respect to those that have gone before us, uh those that allowed us to stand on their shoulders to be for us to be where we are right now.

So I want to appreciate those, um, like Miss Sidon, uh Rest in Love, Miss Lindsay Agal, my colleagues, Jeffrey Lapitan in kindergarten, miss uh my um my mentor, uh, Miss Hell Helen Serafino Agar in second grade, Miss Daisy Villarde, uh, Miss Joanna Madarazo, Miss Cheryl Carrillo Abad for all of the passion and love that they put into their craft every single day and every single year at Longfellow.

I also want to uh pay respect to um Pep Pinoy Pinai Educational Partnerships, FCC Filipino Community Center, and our community for constantly supporting us and just in our existence.

And most importantly, I want to show uh appreciation to our families right here as you can see our families for trusting us teachers and choosing us to teach our children, teach their children Filipino language, Filipino American history, and just allowing us to teach them to appreciate and love themselves and others.

Um, our story is a Philippine Filipino American story, and it's also an American story.

Um so I just want to appreciate you for allowing us to be heard, to be seen.

With that said, thank you.

I'll take care of everyone.

Go outside.

Let's go outside for a picture.

District 10, Supervisor Walton.

Thank you, President Man.

If I could have Mr.

Derek Brown come to the podium, please.

Colleagues, today it is my honor to present this special commendation to a man whose life's work embodies leadership, service, and an unwavering commitment to the people of San Francisco.

Derek Brown's story is one deeply rooted in the neighborhoods that shaped him.

The Fillmore and Western Edition, and all across San Francisco, plus the values that continue to guide him, equity, integrity, and community.

Over the course of more than two decades, Derek has built a remarkable legacy of civic leadership and mission-driven service that bridges the worlds of public policy, higher education, philanthropy, and community action.

Today, as the chief advancement and strategic partnerships officer at the YMCA of Greater San Francisco, Derek leads with both vision and heart.

His work has strengthened the Y's ability to serve families and youth across the Bay Area and drive transform transformational change through authentic partnership.

Before joining the Y, Derek's leadership at the Leo T.

McCarthy Center at the University of San Francisco inspired countless students to pursue lives committed to justice and the common good.

His time as a trusted advisor to San Francisco's mayors, Ed Lee, Lyndon Breed, and Mark Farrell speaks to the depth of his expertise and the respect he commands across our city.

Whether serving at City Hall, the university or within the nonprofit sector, Derek has always brought people together, turning shared purpose into meaningful progress.

Derek is not only a skilled strategist and fundraiser, but also a bridge builder.

He is someone who brings institutions, communities, and individuals into alignment towards the greater good.

He has led multi-million dollar campaigns, served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards, and mentor with the next generation of leaders with humility and grace.

Through it all, his guiding principle has remained the same to uplift others, build community power, and create systems that truly serve everyone.

Derek, your leadership as one of San Francisco's own continues to remind us that change doesn't come from any one person or organization.

It comes from the collective, from people working side by side with shared vision and love for their community.

My office and so many others appreciate all that you continue to do.

We thank you for your steadfast service, your wisdom, and your enduring commitment to equity and inclusion.

Congratulations, Derek, and thank you for continuing to make San Francisco stronger, fairer, and more connected for all of us.

And like you always say, keep crushing it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is May.

I know we're waiting, Mr.

Brown.

Hold on.

Oh, oh.

Okay.

You have too many friends.

Oh, boy.

Supervisor Melgar.

Thank you.

Derek, you um definitely have fans.

Um and I count myself as one of your fans as well.

Um, I've had the pleasure of working with you not just here on the board, but before that, when I was at Jamestown, and you always bring excellence and community to everything you do, and I've always appreciated that.

Uh, one of the things I just want to point out, since I knew you, you know, and from the youth development world that you're going back to now again, um, is uh how many opportunities you have opened up for young people for like many, many generations of young people in San Francisco.

You have opened doors.

You have provided opportunities, you have introduced, mentored, you know, fundraised for, and you have changed the world, my friend, because you have provided that for our young people.

So I am profoundly grateful.

Uh, I can't wait to see what you do with this uh new role, but I know that whatever you do, you will keep bringing excellence and community, and I'm so grateful for you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Supervisor Chan.

Thank you, President Mendelman.

Truly, I want to say, Derek, when you just have such like presence, and also you're always just so kind.

Um, everywhere you go, and it doesn't matter who you meet and who you greet, and I know that because when you join the YMCA and you came to the Richmonds YMCA's first fund run, the staff were just so excited to see you there, and that you made everybody feel so welcome.

Uh, you brought that energy and like really early in the morning.

Yeah.

Well that I'm run.

And you you just brought that.

But I think that another thing that probably a lot of people didn't quite see is the change that you didn't just make in the community, but the people that you serve with.

Um, we recently went to the University of San Francisco, um, new president, um, inauguration, and all these um Catholic uh important people were in their rope and very serious.

But the moment that Derek stepped into that church and they saw him and their eyes just brighten up and they're making the motion and gesture, and they can't wait to hug him.

And that's how you know.

That's not just on the surface.

You you go deep as a human and as a person of like just integrity, and that I'm just so appreciative of you.

I'm just so grateful not you consistently um working in the community.

You didn't just leave to go for a better job.

You somehow just stick to it and be able to um stick to that commitment, serving our community and the most vulnerable.

And I agree, uh, with uh Supervisor Walton, you are a bridge builder, and I agree with so as a Melgar that you really do change the world and one young person at a time, and that we are for that we're so grateful to you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

Derek, I just uh am so appreciative that we got to be colleagues at the San Francisco Police Department.

And I strongly suspect that the reason you wanted to work for Bill Scott was the same reason I did, and that was the chance to do some work um on police reform, uh fulfilling the promise of President Obama's task force on 21st century policing and the work that Bill Scott did as what what would end up being the only city in the nation that when Donald Trump pulled the plug on police reform, there was only one city that went back to the drawing board, started from scratch, and did the whole thing over again, and that was San Francisco.

You were a part of that for the community engagement division, which was a foundational element of police reform.

It was an honor of my career to be a colleague of yours, even if it was only for six or seven months.

But just really proud of you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Matt.

Thank you.

Supervisor Mahmoud.

Derek, I just wanted to acknowledge again um not just the organizations you serve for, but a theme that I feel I've seen across your career has been that you give back to the organizations that you were a part of, you are leadership of, and you keep giving back.

Um I know you spent some time growing up in the tenderloin, that means a lot to the community as well.

Uh you worked for the Boys and Girls Club, which is still thriving at Don Fisher Clubhouse.

Um, probably one of the best boys and girls club uh in the in the city.

Um, but also in Coral Fellowships.

Uh my chief of staff, uh Jessica knows you all from working together.

Um, and you were a core fellow and you've continued to serve and mentor the next generations after.

I think that's what it takes a lot of us, and it's a good reminder to all of us that we have to keep giving back.

And thank you for your example and contributing back to the filmmore, Western Edition, Tenderloin in San Francisco.

So thank you for all you do, and you set you you make us all look bad a little bit.

Try not to.

We work together, baby, make it happen.

Thanks for everything.

Appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Derek Brown, I want to extend also my just congratulations to you.

You deserve this.

This is um uh you have contributed so much to the city, and it's great to see you getting honored in this way.

And now the floor is yours.

Thank you so much, really pretty.

Come on, let's make some noise.

Make some noise.

Uh, President Mendelman, thank you so much.

Uh, no, I'll see you tomorrow as well at our mission branch on the tour.

So looking forward to that.

Um, Supervisor Shaman Walton, thank you.

Thank you for recognizing me.

Thank you for seeing me uh to each and every one of these amazing Board of Supervisors.

Um, it's been amazing working alongside each and every one of you.

I can go down the list.

I know, I don't know, I know I'm pressed for time, and I know everybody's been waiting for a while, so I won't go on and on and on.

But um I had um the opportunity to work with each and every one of you, connect with you, uh, whether it's, you know, strategy conversations, hanging out at events.

Uh, uh Danny, remember eating some crab at uh in Chinatown, remember a couple weeks ago holding it down.

Um, but this is what I do.

Uh, I'm all about the community, all about the people that we serve.

Um, like I say, you guys done a great job talking about me, so I really don't have to say too much.

So I'll keep my comments brief.

Um but I have to give a huge shout out.

Shout out to the flower that pollinates my garden, uh, my beautiful wife, Tracy.

Thank you.

Thank you, baby.

Thank you.

Thank you for putting up with me.

I mean, as you guys know, I'm always out and about doing my thing, but um thank you for allowing me to continue to have an impact to the community in the city that we've both you know been born and raised in the Western Edition, so to be here.

So I appreciate that.

Thank you so much.

You know, you don't feel more ace on a case, I see.

Um, and then and then also, like you you touched on before, uh, you know, I've been at a lot of different organizations all within the city, um, even starting off at the Boys and Girls Club, working with City and County, um, you know, also USF and currently here at the YMCA of Greater San Francisco.

Um, so huge shout out to our CEO, Jamie Brunan Miles in the house.

See him over here.

Oh, there you go, there we go.

And we have uh, you know, our leadership team, our executive directors, um, you know, board members, uh, a lot of folks that showed up and showed out.

Um, we also have folks from uh the boys and girls club as well here representing um USF, go Don's in the house.

We got our USF folks in the house.

Um also my Coral family, they're here as well, our board members and colleagues.

Uh we have our SFPD, was representing there, wasn't it?

We're in a house as well.

Uh Chief Paul Yep uh came by, had to slip out, uh Paul Miyamoto as well with the Sheriff's Department.

Um the list goes on and on with the leadership that that's coming out, and you know, like I say, we all have could come up, but I remember all of us, you know, in the trenches, on the grind, making it happen.

Uh for so for me to be in a position that I am today, it's incredible.

Uh, but I stand on the shoulder of giants.

Um, like in particular, I have uh one of my mentors that's been a mentor to me since I was six years old, uh Nate Ford when I was at the Boys and Girls Club.

Give it up for Nate.

Very easy, yeah.

Exactly.

And then fast forward, you know, 20 years later, when um I was inspired to go back to school with the youth that I served at the Boys and Girls Club.

Uh I taught this um these programs for teenagers, and I created a college prep program, and day one of that program, I tried to encourage the teenagers that I work with to go to college.

But they looked at me and said, Dee, wait a minute, why should I go to school if you never been?

Those 11 words changed my life for the best.

I enrolled into City College the next day and continue to crush it there, make it happen.

Um, but when I got there, you know, I was eventually uh elected to the Board of Trustees.

That's where I got a taste of politics and student trustee.

Um but then there was one individual that uh saw my potential before I saw it.

And he's in here right now, and going back 20 years ago, I don't know what he saw in me.

I was just young cat running around, sweats, jeans, t-shirts, not really thinking about the future.

Uh but Dr.

Mark Robinson saw my potential, and doc, I want to say thank you so much for all that you, he's back there hiding over there.

But seriously, he saw something in me, and um again, everyone here today, I mean, all of my colleagues, all of my friends, all of my family that are here today.

Um, huge shout out to my daughters, uh Dariana and Layla as well.

Um, and again, I just want to continue to lead by example, continue to do the amazing work that we're doing, um, and continue to work shoulder with each and every one of you.

So, again, to all of my loved ones, my family, my colleagues, um, all of the boards that I've been on.

Um, I mean, everything that I've been doing, seriously, I just want to say thank you.

Um, and I want to start, I guess I want to end the same way I started this uh this brief chat um by just saying thank you.

Thank you again, again.

Uh Supervisor Walton, thank you again.

And again, this was something I'm about to get off too, but I'm getting comfortable now, so I'm feeling it.

So if this is this, this is so much of an honor.

So I've been on the other side for years and years and years, watching others get recognized.

Uh not once said, What about me?

What about me, me?

But no, I don't do this for the recognition.

But um, I mean, I know that's funny, but I don't, I don't.

Um but for Shaman to see, the work that I was doing, and then all of you supervisors uh say yes, absolutely.

We have to appreciate Derek, we have to recognize him.

Again, I'm gonna take my seat, but please, please don't forget to keep crushing it.

Thank you so much.

Really appreciate it.

Or how I look, I'm good.

Thank you guys so much.

All right.

I didn't know what I'm saying.

I'm just mad, right here.

Okay.

District one.

Supervisor Chan.

Thank you.

Uh President Mandelman.

It looks like I'm keep stepping on our colleagues' toast all day today.

That's now I'm stepping on yours because my next uh next honoree is actually a district eight residents apparently.

For crying out loud.

I know, right?

Um, so colleagues, um, uh please join me and welcome um Kiki Lopez, also known as Miss Kiki Crunch.

I have been so inspired and encouraged by Kiki's presence and organizing work at every community event, um, and especially this year, that even though she's not the District One resident, um, I knew that we have to recognize Kiki at today's Filipino Heritage Month special accommodation from our Chinatown Pride Parade uh and the queer trans Asian Pacific Islander strong rally and march to gay um Asian Pacific Alliance's runway and this year's first, very very first Soma Filipina Pride event.

Kiki's presence is felt everywhere.

Kiki's migrated from Philippines to San Francisco in pursuit of a life that she deserves as transgender woman.

She arrived without a safety net, and rely on San Francisco's sanctuary city status for critical immigrants' rights and community health services through the AIDS Foundation's wellness center, Stroud.

There she met with a clinician and an HIV health navigator who provided her with critical medication, link her to long-term care, check laps, sign her up for health insurance through Medi-Cal, and provided referrals to gender-affirming care and immigration assistance through the LGBT Asylum project.

Today, Kiki is so amazing, so amazing, a community engagement coordinator at the San Francisco Community Health Center, paying forward the care and services to new immigrants, people living with HIV, and those in transition who are seeking safety and belonging in our community.

As many of you already know, Kiki is also a drag mother, imperiled crown princess, Daphne Dorman, trans artist awardee, and a community grandmarshal for San Francisco Pride nominee.

No matter which heel she's wearing that day, she wears them with joy and pride to lift up others around her.

This is why I am so honored to be recognizing her today.

Her pure existence as her authentic self, joy and story as an immigrant, a transgender woman, a person living with HIV is the perfect embodiment of resistance and the power that we all need to counter the oppressive policies coming down from the Trump administration right now.

And so for that, I'm so grateful that she graced us with her presence today in the chamber.

And I will just say, Supervisor Jan, um thank you for honoring uh Mix Kiki Crunch, who uh is such a phenomenal human being and does so much for the community and uh sometimes, if I'm lucky, is willing to be in a selfie with me.

Umgratulations, this is well deserved.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, uh Supervisor Chan and Ah, okay.

And thank you so much, uh, board president supervisor Mandelman.

And I also want to recognize the rest of the members of the board.

Shout out to Supervisor Fielder.

I'm admiring you from afar.

Thank you so much for all the work that you do.

Um I also wanted to uh recognize a few folks uh who are with me right now.

Um I know they have work, but they chose to um be with me in solidarity and support me uh in this moment of commendation from the supervisors.

Umer, chief executive officer of San Francisco Community Health Center is here.

Uh Kate Franza, managing director of SFCHC is also here.

Uh Christina Gunnhaus Vigil, director of workforce transformation is here.

Uh Tita Rosali Aquino, Chief Financial Officer.

Um, of course, my dearest friend.

He's also my work supervisor.

He's the one who promoted me this year.

Um, Roland Mendoza, associate director of prevention services.

I also have my Imperial Court of San Francisco family here with me.

My drag uh mother and also the current reigning Empress of San Francisco, Empress Africa America.

John Brett of the Imperial Court of San Francisco was also here.

And uh I would like to give a huge shout out to my other colleagues, uh Rupert and Chris, who are also here, and my Mabuhai, am I allowed to say bitches?

My Mabuha Bitches sisters, um Didi Marie Holiday, Drag Race Philippines season two, and my eternal sister um Natasha, and of course, my loving, loving partner.

He's a tall, white, handsome man, my partner Wyatt.

Thank you so much for coming.

My name is Kiki Lopez, also known as Mix Kiki Crunch, you can catch me uh on the BART station, Munis Station, doing drag, or sometimes in other sidewalks here in San Francisco.

I am a proud immigrant trans woman of color living with HIV.

I am not ashamed of my status.

I serve as one of the program managers at the San Francisco Community Health Center, as Imperial Crown Princess for the Diamond Court of Diversity, Excellence, and Joy of the Imperial Court of San Francisco, and as the social chair of GLBTQ Plus Asian and Pacific Alliance, also known as GAPA.

What a privilege here to stand before all of you today.

And whenever I speak, I make it intentional.

I make sure that I carry the voices of transgender luminaries who came before me.

Those who paved the way so people like me could live, love and fight a little louder, especially in this current political climate that we have.

And I make sure to echo the voices of my trans siblings who cannot speak for themselves.

Their strength and resilience guide me every single day.

Being here inside this historic chambers of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is more than just a milestone for me.

This very space holds the spirit of and power of trans women who have stood before me, like Nikki Kalma, Tita Aida, one of my mentors, Cecilia Chong, Hani Mahogany, and many more who speak the truth to power at a time when being visible was an act of resistance.

It also carries the powerful legacy of Asian and Pacific Islander HIV advocates and community leaders like Lance Toma and Vince Chrysostomo of San Francisco AIDS who fought for care and justice during the height of the HIV epidemic, a time when our communities were pushed to the margins but never gave up the fight for survival.

This chambers also hold lots of Filipino women earlier, as you've seen, hold the voices of Filipino leaders and cultural bearers who organize and fought against displacement, protecting the soul of Soma Filipinas, the Filipino Cultural Heritage District, some parts of the tenderloin, and other neighborhoods where Filipino families built their lives.

Their fight for housing, cultural preservation and dignity has kept our stories alive in the city.

The courage of this community leaders and advocates made this chambers historic.

Their voices opened the doors that allowed people like me to stand here today, not just to survive, but to lead and to be celebrated.

It belongs to the queer and trans community, to folks living with HIV, the Filipino, and Asian American Pacific Islander immigrant communities, and to every person who has ever had to fight to be seen and to be heard.

I stand on the shoulders of countless elders, community leaders, and chosen family who made this moment possible.

So I wanted to specially thank Supervisor Connie Chan for this commendation.

It is an honor to work alongside with you in launching projects that uplift the AAPI and LGBTQ communities in the city, and to everyone who continues to stand with us, especially at a time when trans rights and lives are under attack at the federal level.

Thank you.

I saw that video last week of Mary Louie addressing the city, and I saw Supervisor Matt Dorsey behind Supervisor Mahmoud was also there, and of course, board president, supervisor Mandelman.

Thank you, because in moments like this, performative activism has no place.

So your genuine actions of solidarity and allyship matter deeply.

Thank you to Roland, Tita Aida, Lance, and Christina for always hearing my wild, crazy, super gay, glitter-filled ideas and making them real.

Beyond my professional work, my heart is deeply rooted in the community.

I am one of the co-founders of QTopi Strong, queer and trans API strong, alongside folks from the Office of Transgender Initiatives, including including Cherry, and folks from Transgender March Organization, Lana and Nico, a movement to protect and uplift queer and trans API communities.

Both events were launched this year and will continue annually because our stories and celebrations deserve permanence.

And because I have community leaders here and public officials listening to my speech, I know that this folks would support this community events.

Can I get an amen up in here?

That's right.

And as one of the matriarchs of an all-Filipino drag troupe, I have witnessed the power of art, performance, and drag to build solidarity and tell our stories on our own terms.

Tomorrow we will be witnessing the new drag laureate.

And that couldn't excite me more.

Our existence is a revolution.

This commendation is a reminder that representation is not a privilege, it is a right.

And when the world refuses to give us a seat at the table, we will build our own table with glitter and rainbow colours.

And to every young queer and trans person watching this moment, you have a family here in San Francisco.

A community that will help you not just survive but thrive.

So thank you for seeing me, and thank you for seeing us the rest of the transgender community.

Thank you so much.

Amos Brown, so good to have you here, sir.

And next up, that's an applause line.

And next up from District 2, uh Supervisor Cheryl.

Thank you.

We okay?

Really?

Okay.

I think we I think we're gonna make it.

Uh thank you, President Mandelman.

Would Janet Alvarado please come forward?

Yeah.

Um colleagues, today I'm honored to commend Janet Alvarado, founder and executive director of the Alvarado Project in celebration of Filipino American History Month here in the city and county of San Francisco.

Janet, as many of you know, has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing Filipino American heritage through the powerful photographer father, Ricardo Alvarado, whose work documents Filipino community life in post-World War II San Francisco.

Ricardo immigrated to the United States, stage 14, later serving as a U.S.

Army medic during the war in the Presidio, located in District 2 before settling in the city.

His photographs capture everyday Filipino life from celebrations and gatherings to the quiet moments that define an area of resilience of resilience and community.

After his passing in 1976, Janet discovered his archive of nearly 3,000 images and saw a cultural treasure.

In 1998, she founded the Alvarado Project, a nonprofit dedicating to preserving his legacy and promoting multicultural understanding through art, storytelling, and education.

The project's exhibitions, including Through My Father's Eyes, which debuted at the Smithsonian in 2002, and of course, more recent ones in the Presidio, are now part of Stanford University's library's permanent collection.

And most excitingly, there is an exhibition currently featured at SFO Terminal 3 on through May 10th, 2026.

So buy your airline tickets and go see it.

Together, these works continue to inspire community and deepen awareness of Filipino American history across generations.

Janet's leadership exemplifies the spirit of Filipino American History Month.

What a family legacy and community.

Through her work, she ensures that the stories and contributions of Filipino Americans remain visible and celebrated in our city's cultural fabric.

But on a more personal note, Janet and I met in May.

Not at an event for the Alvarado Project, but an event where the Alvarado Project and specifically Janet herself were raising awareness for cancer through lights of hope.

It's that kind of engagement in the community, not just saying this is my thing, I will carry it forward, but saying this is my community, and I will help carry all of us forward together.

It's that attitude, that spirit, and her tenacity that inspires me as well.

So today we honor Janet Alvarado for your vision, your dedication, and your tireless advocacy in uplifting the Filipino-American community and uplifting all of San Francisco for all of our future generations.

Janet, congratulations to you and to your family, and the mic is yours.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So 28 years of doing this work.

First of all, thank you very, very much for recognizing the latter part of the chapter of this journey for me personally.

Thank you.

That means the world.

So as everybody had prefaced, this is a magnificent space to be in.

And it's a great day in San Francisco to be recognized for Filipino American Heritage, last history month.

And I'm really proud to tell you that I am the daughter of an immigrant, an early immigrant, unlike a lot of my newer contemporaries.

So I am from this city in this county.

I grew up here.

I was born and raised here.

And the reason that the Presidio was especially personal and a great place for me was because that was my father's improved employment place of work for his life after World War II as a civilian cook.

And Stanford does carry the collection now.

And before I go a step further, um, yeah, I have stage four metastatic cancer and it recurred in 2023.

So I would be remiss if I did not stand up here among you all to say thank you on behalf of my family.

This project has been an incredible lifeline to so many wonderful things.

And um, yeah, I'd like to just stand behind me and you know, I have a mentor now.

Because I'm old now, I'm an elder, and I'm listening to all these younger people come up here to the mic.

And when I was born and raised, there were probably two other little Filipino people in my classroom at Monroe elementary school in 1965.

So in my eyes, there we were the global Filipinos.

I have my friends here, I'd like to ask them to please stand who've been continuing to carry this legacy forward for myself and my dad and this beautiful city with so many districts he captured here.

I think I worked with you in 2022, right?

Babe you okay.

So again, I hope to continue to do these kinds of projects, whichever it bridges.

My personal uh advocacy for some of the cancer things I'm very involved with.

I have a vision to do something with the Presidio district.

I'm from District 9.

I haven't yet met my supervisor yet, but hi.

I'll pay you a visit soon.

And I hope to um talk with you on Oxford Street, FYI.

And I I just stopped by your office.

So I'd like to ask people that are involved with my project to please stand up or just wave because I don't know how much longer I have to continue this beautiful legacy project.

This is there are eight photographs hanging at Terminal 2, and I brought extra copies for each and every one of you.

And just to give you a visual point of reference, this is probably the image I grew up learning about in Asian studies in the early 90s.

This farm workers raw here to do labor.

My father was not cut out for that work.

And I, again, I'm just taking time today because I'm having a good week.

I'm still on active treatment.

I have my makeup done because you know that beautiful girl that just talked before me.

Well, what can I say?

Um I wanted to show my best foot forward to honor my ancestors who have been coming to San Francisco, who landed here in the 1910s.

They were houseboys on Washington Jones.

So I was born and raised in San Francisco.

My parents lived on Baker and Pine, where I was conceived.

I'll be buried at St.

Dominic's Church.

I decided I was baptized at Alhalos.

I went to the Excel shirt, and then we firmly reside now.

I do by myself on Oxford Street, District 9.

So I encourage everybody to take a copy of this.

This is what my dad looked like.

And his life was cut short also by leukemia.

So my vision is that hopefully the project will continue to thrive.

These important documents, there are 3,000 glass plate images of blacks, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, people, living, partying.

It's a very beautiful collection.

And I'm not just saying that because he's my dad.

Because I've had people helping me for the last 30 years and they've all gone forward.

So people like Mick Del Rosario.

I was still healthy, 20.

That's Mick, stand up.

Um, and the last time I was here was for Filipino American History Month.

I took an entourage of 30 people back to Leighty for another important tie-in to the Presidio, which was the World War II liberation, and that was in October.

And then I became ill.

And once I got past my first round of treatment, I went on to do a show for the Bayview.

And that almost killed me.

Because I don't know what I was thinking.

And then we did the Stanford show.

And it's only been three short years.

So again, I'm here today because I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you.

Really thank you.

Um, and I hope the cancer doesn't come back, but that's okay if it does, because I'm here right now, and I want to again just thank Estella.

She's been in the trenches teaching for decades.

And we don't get overlooked.

People won't forget me because the city and county has this sitting up in all its glory at Stanford University Special Collections Library.

My dream is for this city to be connected and build more partnerships with the districts.

I'm not a teacher.

I'm not academic, I'm a creative person, and I love doing these projects because the power of this project is in the narrative, in the stories.

A heartfelt thank you to each of you.

Um that's it.

Thank you.

Colleagues, today it is my honor to recognize Sherry Young.

Can Sherry come to the podium?

Sherry is an extraordinary artist, visionary leader, and tireless advocate whose work has transformed the cultural landscape of San Francisco for the past 30 years.

Sherry is the founder and executive director of the African American Shakespeare Company, which she established in 1994, to provide actors of color with the opportunity to perform classical works and to reinterpret them in ways that resonate with diverse audiences.

A graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre's MFA program, Sherry was inspired to create a space where black artists could thrive, a stage where stories could reflect the richness and complexity and beauty of our communities.

Over the past three decades, Sherry has directed more than 16 productions, developed signature programming, including the beloved annual holiday tradition of Cinderella, and has grown the African American Shakespeare Company into a vibrant hub for artistic expression, education, and community engagement.

Under her leadership, the company serves over 7500 patrons annually and has expanded its reach through youth programs, school tours, and innovative reinterpretations of classics like Julius Caesar and A Midsummer's Night's Dream, each infused with rhythms of humor and heart of black culture.

Sherry's leadership extends beyond the stage.

She has served as a commissioner for the San Francisco Arts Commission under Mayor Gavin Newsom, and continues to speak nationally about theater, equity, and cultural representation.

Her work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, Seven by Seven Bay Area, and she received the Silver Jefferson Award for Community Engagement.

Perhaps her most profound impact is the one she has had on generations of young people and then long-standing community members who see themselves reflected in the stories she brings to life.

As Barbara Wilson put it, Sherry is amazing.

She is an outstanding asset to our community and the filmmore, and we look forward to many, many years with her.

This month marks 30 years since Sherry founded the African American Shakespeare Company.

For three decades, she has shown us that theater can be bold, brilliant, and transformative.

She has built a home for creativity, a platform for black excellence, and a legacy that will continue to inspire artists and audiences for generations to come.

Sherry, thank you so much for your artistry and your leadership and your commitment to making theater a space where everyone belongs.

Through your work, you tell the story of our commun of our city, its culture, and the power of creativity and community.

Thank you for all you do, and the floor is yours.

If I could just also extend my congratulations, it is wonderful to see you.

I got to know you a little bit knocking on doors for Kamala.

In Nevada.

In Nevada.

But uh it's this is so well deserved.

Thank you, Supervisor Mahmoud for uh for doing this honor.

Thank you, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Can I ask my staff to come around, those from our left?

Kevin Jazara, you guys should come down, and um Alex, because this is not my story.

This is really about sorry.

Oh, Clara.

Clara, you come up here too.

This is about the people who have supported me.

And a time where I had no money, I didn't know what I was doing.

I still sometimes don't know what I'm doing.

But that's what theater does.

Theater gets you activated.

You dream about things, you have people and supporter, and you're my hope.

So I stand before you today, not just as a founder, but as a witness to the extraordinary gen- Sorry.

I don't know why I'm so emotional.

I apologize.

No, no, no, I don't apologize.

I don't apologize, but I guess this means a lot more than I thought.

I was just like, oh, recommendation, thank you so much.

But this is about the talent and resilience that have sustained us for 30 years.

This milestone belongs to these heroes that built this company with their hearts, hands, and hope.

And these people who are in the gallery, Barbara.

I mean, I can't name enough of you guys.

Denise, Brian, uh, even Reverend Amos Brown.

You know, I was with Third Baptist when I was a kid, so you know.

So it means so much more.

And Clara, who's not standing up, and Gwen Metcalfe.

Yeah, I'm calling you out.

So we had steadfast supporters who gave us significant donations when we didn't know how to ask for help.

Um, and they are the quiet force behind our curtain rising.

To our artists who I sat down and met with over the years, and I said over coffee one day that I don't even remember, but they do.

Rico Anderson, who is in a Muhammad Ali movie as Muhammad's father, came into town to celebrate our 30th, and he said, I remember when you and I talked in a coffee shop and you had this idea.

I don't remember it, but I believe it because any ideas that come in my head tends to come out of my mouth.

And my um staff would know that because they've done a lot of crazy things for my ideas.

Uh David Moore, uh Jazara, Kevin Myrick, Chico Perdaman, Glory Bonnie Stingley, Victoria Evans Irville, Peter Temple, and Coleman Domingo was with us before he became Coleman Domingo.

Um, they gave us their gifts when we had so little to offer, and they made magic anyway possible.

I was paying our actors 200 for the whole rehearsal and project.

Now they're getting paid a whole lot more.

But this is what is dreaming of an institution like African American Shakespeare.

We've had angels that loaned us costumes, rehearsal space and belief, San Francisco Shakespeare, California Shakespeare, Mills College, USF, Maria McVarish, they gave us room to dream.

Um our predecessors from the mayor's office, London Breed, the African American Art and Culture Center, who used to be the Western Edition Cultural Center.

When I met Manny, you could tell from Civic Joy Fund, he helped us with our 30th anniversary.

Some had to go and teach a class, but Devin Cunningham, James Mercer, Stefan Ben, if you see our graphics at 460 Golf, that's Stefan.

Where is she?

Oh, she's over here, she's hiding too.

Uh uh, Darien Kane, Alima, Eli McIntyre, Benjamin, Atlantis Clay, you are the backbone and the brilliance of this organization.

And to our partners, such as USF, Play On, San Francisco Shakespeare, Booker T Community Center.

I mentioned Barbara Wilson, I think, Hayes Valley Merchant Association, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, Andrew with the Promenade, you all have helped us grow.

And to our board members who do not get paid anything, and yet their leadership guides us through every season, whether there'd be torrential downpours or sunny skies.

I cannot thank enough people like Bernice Brown, Wayne Metcalfe, Wayne Kitchen, Lynette Lockett, Everett Alexander, Maurice Brewster, Walter Freeman, Lolita Morrow, and Don Harris.

There's a whole group of people that has made this organization what it is today.

But I cannot end this without thanking my father, who's sitting in the aisle at 89 years old.

He's like, what?

Like, don't tell my age.

He was the um, my mother, bless her heart, has passed away, but my father was the one that championed me behind the scenes when my mother was afraid about someone going into the arts that's not a stable career, you know, who's going to trust you if you have multiple jobs.

Well, I mean, I foresaw the gig economy years ago.

And but my father would always be in the background saying, I'm proud of you, you.

You could do this.

You're learning, you're growing.

Keep on.

My sisters who encouraged me when I was in broken tears, that nobody was showing up to the shows.

My uh cousins, my uncles, my aunties, my uncle just left.

He had to go get his car before it got towed.

So they all gave me the momentum to keep pushing forward.

So this is a celebration of community of legacy of love.

Thank you, especially you guys and you guys in the gallery.

Thank you all for believing in African American Shakespeare Company.

And here's to the next 30 years, and then the next generation of leaders.

Thank you so much.

Well, Madam Clerk, that was all too enjoyable.

Let's go back to item thirty one.

Okay.

Oh no, there's more people on the queue.

Supervisor Cheryl.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

Um back to item thirty-one.

Um first I want to thank Supervisor Sauter and his team for their hard work on this.

Um, you know, a few things are prompting me to speak.

Um first at a high level.

Um I believe we need to become a city of yes.

Um in general.

The more onerous the hurdles, the higher the bars, the harder it is for young entrepreneurs, for immigrant entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs who are fighting to scratch out a living, fighting to start their careers, who do not have a huge bank account behind them.

It is just harder for them to succeed, and San Francisco has always been a place for people to come and start careers and start businesses and build the future, and we need to be clear eyed about that.

Um the next two things I want to mention here are related to the not one, uh, but the two times this was heard at the land use committee.

Um one of the things that has stood out to me is obviously there are differences of opinion here, um, not only among us, uh, but also among some of the merchants uh in these neighborhoods.

But uh I was personally overwhelmed by the number of people, as my colleague from District Five said who took time away from their storefronts, away from their businesses, away from their livelihoods to make their voices heard in support uh of this legislation.

That was very, very moving to me, and I think we would be remiss to ignore that, um, while acknowledging that obviously there are differences of opinion.

Uh but the final thing that I want to mention is again, there were not one but two times that this was heard at the land use committee.

I don't quite understand why these amendments were not put forth before the land use committee.

Why they were not why they were they're not considered um uh uh to be put forth.

Uh there was plenty of time for this to happen.

Um we have processes, we have committees.

If I could understand if they went forth, but maybe we're rejected.

I could understand if they hadn't been considered, but there was plenty of time for this, and I simply don't understand why we're waiting this long, going outside of this.

This is very unusual.

Um, and I think it serves to be less about policy at this point and more about other things.

So I would encourage us to continue to engage in substantive policy discussions.

But at this point, this seems less about policy and more about other things.

I will not be supporting the amendments.

I will be supporting the legislation as it's been introduced.

Um, and I commend my my colleague in district three for working so hard um and and fighting for his neighborhood despite the objections of some and in support of others, and I do know that he will stand up for for all of those individuals regardless of where they stand on this issue, Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

Um colleagues, I intend to support the planning code amendment as Supervisor Sauter wrote it with considerable input from the community and businesses he represents, and I won't be supporting the motion to divide it.

The process of amending our planning code is intentionally uh deliberative with many checks and balances and many opportunities for input.

This legislation went through that deliberative process with a planning commission hearing, a small business commission hearing, and two land use commission hearings, committee hearings.

Um there have been ample opportunities for engagement on the legislation, and it has been refined by the inclusive and collaborative process that it benefited from.

Given that this legislation was introduced back in June and has gone through a robust deliberative and participatory process, I see no rationale to reopen the hood on it now at the last minute.

The changes Supervisor Sauter uh is proposing uh are sensible and frankly long overdue, and I know Supervisor Sauter well enough to have every confidence that he is well representing his district and legislating conscientiously honoring the needs of today's many small business owners and residents who are anxiously awaiting these needed reforms.

Thank you, Supervisor Dorsey.

Um, all right.

So uh we have in front of us a motion to well, it's not even a motion, and in any, I think any member of this committee, and I'm gonna lean on the clerk and this oh, Supervisor Chan.

Indeed, I mean we don't need a motion to divide um the file um as we propose, but we do need a motion to send it the divide a portion back to committee, and that was my intended motion to send it back to committee of the divide a portion right out lao.

Okay.

So, and this is partly for my benefit, partly for the benefit of my colleagues, so we understand how this place works.

Am I right, Mr.

City Attorney?

Any member of the board can divide a question.

The point of that is that, or divide a file.

The point of that is it may be that there are things that any other people want to vote for, don't want to vote for, we've done this in the past.

That is a thing generally that is the privilege of any member of this board to vote on stuff in front of us separated out if we want to.

Uh good afternoon, Supervisors Deputy City Attorney Brad Russian under the board rules.

Any member of the board can request to divide the question, which would mean that the board would consider the original the stripped out portion separate from the um the rest of the ordinance.

In order for that to be okay, both portions have to stand be able to stand on their own.

In this case, due to the complexity of what Supervisor Chen has requested, it's not possible for me to determine whether both parts can stand on their own at this time.

Um if the board wanted to consider this question, we could it could continue the item to next week.

But I would suggest that in order for us to be certain that these are two ordinances that can stand on their own, that we work with Supervisor Chan's office over the next week so that she can propose amendments to this ordinance to accomplish um the changes that she's trying to make here.

So, based on hearing from the city attorney, um I believe that we would need to have the right to vote on this in a divided way.

If if they if if we can, and we cannot do that today, and so if the desire is to do that, and if there's a majority of the board that wants to do that, we would need to continue this a week.

Okay, Supervisor Chan.

I mean, um, I'm I don't see the difference between the divide a port.

Well, I mean, I think that if we were to do that, then we are basically, well, first of all, we don't need a motion and the vote to divide the file.

And the fact that I already divided the file with specific portion.

What I'm trying to actually do is that to make sure the and the there's a ver there's a version of the file as original coming out of land use.

The divided portion specifically read out loud, it's divided from the file, that which then we can vote on, and however way we want to vote on either continue for a week or send it back to committee, that should be no difference.

Well, we can't uh and and I mean if if this is too like if this technically doesn't uh you know stand, then it's to then duplicate a file, which again I can do all on my own, and then with the duplicate of file, it's then to have just a portion of the Norbeach and Jackson Square to send it back to committee.

Like, I mean, it's really just different approach to the very same and but like it shouldn't be that difficult to divide.

So I guess as the presiding person on this on this board, I think that we cannot this body cannot vote on a piece of this legislation as described because we're because we are not sure what's in there and the city attorney is not sure what's in there.

So to do that, if that's what the body wants to, if that's what a majority wants to do, we need to continue this a week.

In that time, the city attorney can verify whether these two pieces stand on their own.

We can do whatever we want to.

If we want to duplicate some of it, so it we can continue this item for a week.

If we're voting today, we're voting on the undivided file.

Supervisor Chan.

How about this?

Let me make it easier to duplicate a file, and then we can vote on one to allow it to uh to one senate back.

Then I will make the motion to send the duplicated file.

It's an entirety back to committee.

That will be my motion, then I think that's much easier.

Okay.

Sounds good.

So through the president to Supervisor Chan, just verbally say you've rescinded your motion to duplicate the file.

Thank you.

I well, I resent.

So to divide the question.

To divide the questions.

I rescinded my motion to divide the question and send up the divided portion back to committee.

I rescended that motion, and instead I'm proposing a new motion.

Well, and instead, first I duplicate a file, and then I'm making the motion to send the duplicated file back to land use committee.

That would be my motion.

Okay.

And so that has that motion has been made and seconded.

Yeah, right.

Uh seconded by Supervisor Walton.

Um I'm gonna ask the clerk and the uh city attorney to tell me order of operations if we vote on the original file first and then what to do with the duplicate.

And you would send the uh duplicate to committee first to take that motion first.

And then vote on the original.

If eleven members are fine with that, then you can do that without objection.

If the 10 members are fine with that, then you can do that without objection, just to send it to committee.

Okay.

Uh Supervisor Mahmoud.

I'm curious to get the perspective of the original author of this legislation who represents district three on what he would prefer to do on both items on this uh ordinance.

Uh thank you.

And um could I just for everyone's uh understanding?

Could I ask for uh your proposal to be read again?

And could I ask for the city attorney to weigh in, please?

Well, I think at this point, the motion to do to divide the to divide the file up has been rescinded.

So we have is the you know we have the legislation in front of us.

There's also desire by some members of the board to work on to continue working on it.

So there is going to be a vote today on two things, and I understand the order to be first, we're gonna vote on whether to send a duplicate to land use committee for people to continue to work on it if they would like to.

That duplicate will survive as long as the original.

Well, how does that do what what happens with that duplicate, sir?

Deputy City Attorney Brown Rusty.

The duplicate will survive until the original ordinance becomes effective.

If the duplicate would need to be amended before that date in order to survive.

Okay.

So it goes to the committee.

Folks want to do something with it in the committee, they can.

If not, it goes away.

The original file will also get voted on here today.

So those are the two things that are gonna happen.

So we're voting on duplicating the file and sending it to the duplication happens because anybody wants to do it.

And the second vote is the original file to pass it or not.

Okay, very well.

Thank you.

Okay.

No, sir.

All right.

So on the motion to send a duplicate of the file to the land use committee.

Madam Clerk, please call the role.

On the motion to send the duplicate to land use committee, Supervisor Walton.

Walton, I, Supervisor Chan.

Chan I, Supervisor Chen.

Aye.

Chen, I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey, no, Supervisor Fielder.

Fielder, I, Supervisor Machmood.

Machmood, no, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman, I, Supervisor Melgar.

Melgar, no, Supervisor Sauter.

No.

Soder, no, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl, no.

There are five eyes and five no's with supervisors Dorsey, Mahmoud, Melgar, Soder, and Cheryl voting no.

So the motion fails.

Five eyes.

The action is by a majority of the board, which is still six votes.

So the motion fails.

Madam Clerk, please call the role on the original file.

So Ms.

Just for the record, since the duplicate has not gone to committee, it will just fall to the floor.

Okay.

On item 31.

Chan, are you?

Chen.

Chen.

It's not Chan.

Sorry.

Thank you, President.

Thank you, President Mendelman.

I I want to weigh in for this item as well.

Um I know that Supervisor Salter is being in the committee for two hearings, and I've been engaging with uh a lot of uh district three merchants and merchants association and community member, and also having um been having ongoing conversation with Supervisor Salter's office.

And my understanding is that uh Supervisor Salter is responding to very specific requests from small some of the small businesses in his district, and I want to be supportive of his effort to problem solve and try new approaches.

I want to also champion our city's small business and ensure that they can thrive in San Francisco.

I am hearing that in North Beach, existing businesses want access to tools that enable them to be secure, and I also hear that they are new businesses that want tools to be able to expand.

And I believe it is critical that we find a balance to between these two goals.

When this legislation came before the land use committee, again, I heard so many different voices, including fares and concerns from small business community.

This stateholders are grappling with how to protect the equal system of small business to prevent an over-saturation of specific kinds of establishments and maintain a diversity of use and a diversity of uses and small business.

They believe that North Beach is successful, it's a successful story worth it protecting, that is string, it's coming from enabling the diverse mom and pops enterprises that make it so special.

This is why in the committee repeatedly, and I would like to see data that actually shows how the existing control are working or not working.

I haven't seen much of the data that could help me to justify the change that are being proposed in a way that achieving a healthy balance.

Without data, I would really defer.

I would really prefer to see some of the change to be more specific.

I think real-time needs of particular projects.

We are open to accommodating this requests that come forward to advance particular projects.

That's some of the protections on additional restaurants and store fund mergers to be restored.

And with that all said, I it's really um at the moment where the community, it's um the small business is still having different voices, but I also have so many conversations with uh supervisor Salter, and he it's committed.

It's committed to continue to monitor the concerns and continue to engage with impacted merchants, and I am giving faith to my colleagues with more time, and his office is committed to craft something that will be more uh balance in the next couple months coming.

And I also want to say that accountability and trusts and partnership with our community and uh also with this board will go a long way.

And as someone also spent a lot of my youth time in in the North Beach in Chinatown, I also love the North Beach.

And with that, I would like to say that I'm gonna support this uh legislation.

All right, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

On item thirty-one, Supervisor Walton.

Walton, no, Supervisor Chan, Chan, no, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey, Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman I, Supervisor Melgar.

Aye.

Melgar I, Supervisor Sauter, Sauter, I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I.

There are eight ayes and two no's with supervisors Walton and Chan voting no.

The ordinance is passed on first reading.

Madam Clerk, please call item 32.

Item 32 was considered by the rules committee at a regular meeting on Monday, October 27th, and was recommended as amended with a new title to identify the name of the appointee.

Item 32 is a motion to appoint Jesse Ruiz Navarro, term ending June 6, 2026 to the immigrant rights commission.

Please call the roll.

On item 32, Supervisor Walton.

Walton I, Supervisor Chan, Chan I, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey, Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

I.

Mandelman, I, Supervisor Melgar, Melgar, I, Supervisor Sauter, Sauter I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl I, there are eight, there are ten ayes.

Without objection, the motion is approved.

And Madam Clerk, let's go to roll call.

Supervisor Walton is first up to introduce new business.

Thank you so much, Madam Clerk.

Colleagues, today I have two resolutions in memorium.

I am introducing a resolution reaffirming San Francisco's Watch Act.

Across the country, we are seeing a disturbing rise in government surveillance, data collection, and targeting of communities under the guise of security and public safety.

Federal agencies continue to expand their reach into local information systems, often without warrants, transparency, or meaningful oversight.

In times like these, reaffirming San Francisco's Watch Act is not symbolic.

It is essential.

It reminds us that local governments have both the right and the responsibility to protect the privacy, civil liberties, and constitutional rights of our residents.

The Watch Act was created in response to growing public concern over the sweeping powers granted under the U.S.

Patriot Act following 9-11.

In 2004, San Francisco voters approved a charter amendment that gave the Board of Supervisors the power to review and respond to federal or state demands for city records that could violate individual rights.

The board then enacted the Watch Act, Ordinance 51-05, co-sponsored by former supervisor Jake McGoldric, to put this protection into law, ensuring that San Francisco would never be complicit in unconstitutional surveillance or data collection.

The Patriot Act remains the only law ever designated under this safeguard, reflecting San Francisco's long-standing leadership and upholding due process and civil liberties.

San Francisco has always stood on the side of freedom and accountability.

Reaffirming the Watch Act ensures that our city departments will not comply with any state or federal order that violates due process or individual rights.

The Board of Supervisors remains vigilant against any misuse of power that threatens our immigrant, LGBTQ, activists, and working class communities, and all of our residents.

This resolution makes clear that San Francisco will continue to lead with transparency, courage, and the rule of law, especially when those values are being tested at the national level.

On November 1st, SNAP benefits will be disrupted, leaving 42 million people across the country food insecure and unable to purchase basic necessities like groceries, and San Francisco alone, 111,855 people will be affected.

This includes workers and families with young children.

Food banks are already sounding the alarm as families brace for an unprecedented crisis.

This is a crisis that could have been 100% prevented.

While our federal government continues to take money from every single worker who owns a paycheck, earns a paycheck, they have stopped services that serve the people, including installing federal dollars for food assistance, health care, education, infrastructure, and public safety.

This is not fiscal responsibility, it is moral negligence.

Communities are being held hostage by political dysfunction and the most vulnerable are paying the price.

In California alone, more than 250,000 federal employees and contract workers, many of them union members, are being forced to work without pay.

There was a time in history when working without compensation was called slavery, and the echoes of that injustice should not be tolerated in any form today.

As local leaders, we are always accountable to our constituents, but when federal inaction disrupts services and stalls aid, this undermines public trust and the ability to serve our communities.

Cities like San Francisco must continue to step up where the federal government has failed by protecting our residents, standing with workers and fighting to keep families fed, housed, and safe.

That's why I'm introducing a resolution to stand with the SF Labor Council to call on federal leaders to fund the government, fix the health care crisis, and put working people first as soon as possible.

And lastly, I have an in-memorium for the legendary Ms.

Belva Davis.

When CBS Sunday morning recently paid tribute to Belva Davis, they ended with her own words.

Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality.

If you can dream it, you can make it so.

Those words capture who Belva was, a woman who dreamed big and against all odds.

Born in Munro, Louisiana in 1932, Belva came to the Bay Area as a young girl fleeing the Jim Crow South.

From humble beginnings, she became a trailblazer.

She was the first black woman to anchor television news on the West Coast.

She didn't just report history.

She helped shape it.

Belva's voice carried us through some of the most defining moments of our time.

From the Civil Rights Movement and Black Panther era to the AIDS crisis and the wars abroad.

With poise and purpose, she told the stories others ignored, giving voice to the unheard and visibility to the unseen.

Across five decades in barrier newsrooms from KPIX to KQED to KRON.

Belva's brilliance, integrity, and empathy changed journalism forever.

Her interviews span icons like James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Mohammed Ali, and every president from Reagan to Bush.

But whether she was sitting with world leaders or neighbors from her community, she treated every story with equal care and respect.

Beyond the newsroom, Belva was a tireless advocate for equality, the arts and education.

She broke barriers for women, for women and people of color in media, fought for fair labor standards, and helped build institutions like the Museum of the African Diaspora.

Belva's accolades from Emmy Awards to Hall of Fame inductions only began to measure her impact.

She was, as Mayor Willie Brown once said, not only the best journalist I ever knew, but one of the finest human beings.

She shared 62 years of love and partnership with her husband Bill Moore in a union of pioneers who opened the doors for generations to come.

Belva Davis leaves behind a legacy of courage, grace, and conviction.

She taught us that truth telling is an act of love and that dreams, no matter how distant how distant, are worth pursuing.

May we continue to walk through the doors she opened, as I have had the opportunity to do, and keep her light shining in every story yet to be told.

The rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor Walton.

Supervisor Chen.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

First, I want to share my sentiment concurring with Supervisor Walton and would like to join in in the memorium for Miss Velvet Davis.

I met her when I was A2, our then District Attorney Kamala Harris, and was just in awe of her presence, and I couldn't agree more about how she inspired a whole new generation of women, women of color and leadership, but particularly in journalism.

She gave all of us hope and the space to dream and be better and to believe that we can do all those things and beyond.

So for that, I'm just so grateful for her legacy.

Colleagues, also I would like to introduce an immemorium for retired assistant chief Frank Blackburn of the San Francisco Fire Department.

A San Francisco native assistant chief Blackburn was born in 1933, a Baba High School alum, U.S.

Navy veteran, and a dedicated 35-year member of San Francisco Fire Department.

He came from a family with long careers as firefighters.

His father, battalion chief, FP Blackburn, and his two brothers, Captain Richard Blackburn and Lieutenant Robert Blackburn.

Assistant Chief Blackburn joined the department in 1956 and soon distinguished himself as a bright and passionate student and steward of San Francisco firefighting history, tactics, and strategy.

He developed an incredible understanding of the department's water supply requirements and the infrastructure that deliver it to the hydrant.

An early career in the 1950s and 1960s, before fire was a stiff construction and sprinklers system, and coupled with the broad mix of residential, high-rise, and industrial structures.

Assistant Chief Blackburn integrated his practical firefighting experience with his understanding of engineering due to his Navy training.

Combined with his natural and great creativity and great mind, San Franciscans and future generation are now the beneficiary of his insights and discipline.

With plans dating back to 1895 for the proposal for a high pressure auxiliary hydrant system, Assistant Chief Blackburn began to study earthquakes and the fires that destroyed San Francisco in the 1906 earthquake.

In the mid-1980s, Assistant Chief Blackburn, after about two years, and with the help of the city's machine shop developed a prototype for a portable hydrant to adapt to existing fire hoses that could be deployed as needed to different locations throughout the city.

In addition to managing the hydrant expansion project, assistant chief Blackburn also managed to complete four portable water supply system host tender units.

A week after a comprehensive series of training drills to endure all fire department members that are now familiar with how to deploy and operate the new portable hydrant system, the October 17, 1989 earthquake happened.

But with the water main rupture in the marina, portable host tenders were implemented to address quickly as the quickly escalating fire.

Because of his invention, we really be able to save large part of San Francisco.

Assistant Chief Blackburn retired in 1991, spending much of his time in Europe when visiting family in San Francisco.

He was often called upon by our fire department to consult on matters of disaster preparedness.

His legacy of public service inspired a culture of preparedness, encouraging effective training and innovatively designed equipment, ensuring that almost any, any firefighting emergency in San Francisco could be addressed.

He'll be greatly missed.

He was a legend, and that we all should be so thankful to his legacy.

And the rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor Chen.

Supervisor Chen.

Thank you, Madam Kart.

Colleagues, today I am introducing a hearing request and letter of inquiry to multiple city agencies about their protocols and training for interactions with federal immigration enforcement.

I am making this request as due to the significant increase in federal immigration enforcement and subsequent fear, chaos, and misinformation that it's impacting our city's immigrant communities.

Concurrently, the federal government has been shut down for nearly a month, cutting off access to essential services that individuals rely on for education, food, health care, and more.

The departments that I am asking to respond and requesting appear at the future hearing are responsible for entities, buildings, or vehicles that civilians go to or utilize for services or for information.

This includes the public library, health clinics, police stations, buses, and more.

As a century city that has committed to protecting, stabilizing and supporting our immigrant communities, it's imperative that our residents know that it is safe for them to visit city-owned and operated facilities, and that our city agencies and staff have been trained on protocols and protect them from harassment or abuse.

The questions I'm asking include what policies and procedures are in place when ICE agents enter a facility, or public transit, whether or not city staff received trainings on how to interact with federal immigration agents, if department staff are fully trained on all applicable recent state law changes, whether or not policies are posed on sites or online in language and more.

I want to thank Supervisor Mammoo for his collaboration and early support of this inquiry and hearing requests and the rest I summit.

Thank you, Supervisor Chen.

Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

I would just like to add my voice alongside Supervisor Chanz to the beautiful in memorium Supervisor Walton offered to the late Belva Davis.

I have probably worked with hundreds of journalists over the course of my career, and I think only one intimidated me.

Not because of anything she did, but just because of her gravitas and class and the institution that Belba Davis was in Bay Area Journalism.

In addition to her contributions to journalism, of course, she was also instrumental in founding the Museum of the African Diosport Diaspora in my district.

And the rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor Dorsey.

Supervisor Fielder.

Colleagues, today with a heavy heart, I request that we adjourn this meeting in memoriam of Daniel Casanova, who passed away suddenly on July 2nd.

Daniel was a beloved husband, father, and an inspiring leader in our community whose work leaves behind a legacy of powerful advocacy and justice.

In 2024, Daniel became the executive director of the Eviction Defense Collaborative, an organization serving over 3,000 at-risk San Franciscan tenants each year.

During his 14 months leading the organization, he engaged in tireless advocacy for the network of homeless prevention agencies across the city.

He made his mission to keep San Franciscans safe and housed.

Daniel's direct work helped hundreds of San Franciscans at risk of eviction with legal representation, keeping them in their homes.

Daniel's family and co-workers have shared with me that what made him stand out was his open mind, accepting heart, and deep appreciation for different cultures.

These qualities allowed him to form strong relationships throughout his life and long career in nonprofit and community-based organizations, which over the years traverse the globe.

At EDC, Daniel worked to provide rental assistance, legal assistance, and advocacy for shelter clients and help prevent homelessness.

His leadership was critical in keeping thousands housed.

Daniel was a dedicated mentor to staff and was known for developing creative solutions to problems, thinking outside the box, and valuing the experiences of the community members and strengthening his work.

Daniel's one true superpower, what made his work so effective was his ability to connect to people.

He had a contagious enthusiasm and passion for life that was grounded in a foundation of love and acceptance for everyone.

He was able to quickly build relationships with people, friends, clients, co-workers, community partners, because his radiant love made each person feel special and important.

He valued the experiences of the community members, his agency, and others served, and their input helped shape his approach to the work he did every day.

Daniel was larger than life, a man with unbounded confidence, infinite energy, and wild and creative ideas.

He is deeply missed.

I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to Daniel's family, friends and co-workers.

Rest in peace and power Daniel Casanova.

The rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor Fielder, Supervisor Markwood.

Colleagues, today I'm introducing legislation establishing the second District 5 entertainment zone, this time on Fillmore Street.

The Fillmore has long been known as the Harlem of the West, known for its jazz, blues, and dance clubs.

As time has gone on and the character of the neighborhood has changed, many of these venues have unfortunately since shut down.

Nevertheless, the entertainment potential of the Fillmore has never waned.

We heard loud and clear from the community leaders about the need for creative ways to support nightlife and entertainment options in the Fillmore.

The heart and soul of what made Fillmore the Harlem of the West is still embedded in the neighborhood's spirit.

The entertainment zone legislation will allow alcohol serving establishments on the Fillmore Corridor to sell drinks to go during specified events.

The focus at the start will be around larger events like the annual Juneteenth celebration, but the business community will explore other events to activate the corridor as well.

These events will help businesses like Mini Bell's Soul Movement and Shiba Jazz Lounge better connect with events going on in the neighborhood and create an entertainment ecosystem that will help revitalize this corridor.

Our office is also partnering with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to explore ways to support entertainment zone events as part of a larger strategy to help new businesses open and existing businesses stay open on Fillmore Street.

I want to give my express thanks to Reverend Dr.

Amos Brown for his advocacy on this issue, as well as Majed Crawford and Erica Scott for their leadership that they've shown on the entertainment zone for work for the work and the work they will continue to put into this to make this a success.

I also want to acknowledge that we've heard from the community loud and clear about the urgency for such actions as well, because it shows a commitment from the city that the Fillmore deserves as much attention as the rest of the city, as much as downtown, as much as any other neighborhood.

And based on that urgency, I will be requesting a 30-day waiver from the president to hear this entertainment zone as fast as possible to show and continue that long overdue cycle of rebuilding trust with this community to show that we are serious about investment in the neighborhood.

I believe the president has uh offered to grant that 30-day waiver as well.

Lastly, I want to thank Ben Van Houten and Kelly Varion from the OEWD's nightlife team for helping with this process and Larry McClendon, also from OEWD, for help his work supporting businesses on Fillmore and coordinating future support for entertainment zone events.

I also want to thank drafting attorney Vicky Wong, Captain McCormick from Northern Station, and my legislative aide Rainell Cooper for their assistance as well.

And excited to work for everyone in the community who's come out today and continuing to support here as well.

Second, colleagues, uh, want to talk about how San Francisco has long prided itself on being a sanctuary city, a place where everyone, regardless of background or immigration status, deserves to feel safe.

But last week's news left many of our residents feeling anxious and uncertain about what comes next.

While the federal operations in the Bay Area have now been called off, my office continues to hear concerns from many of our neighbors because we know that ICE has already been here for months.

Just last week I got a call from residents in the tenderloin, worried about their friend who hadn't come home after getting his fingerprint work done at immigration court.

Our office connected these folks to the SF Rapid Response Network, which, in tracking the case, learned that he had in fact been detained.

We must do more to protect our residents.

That's why today, alongside Supervisor Chen, we're co-authoring and introducing a drafting request to explore legislation around ice-free zones in San Francisco to protect city-owned property from access to ICE and other federal agents.

This is all part of a broader Safe Cities Blueprint, a plan to strengthen local protections against ICE and federalized National Guard, reaffirm our sanctuary city values, and defend our communities from federal overreach.

Through the Safe Cities Blueprint, we're working closely with city attorneys, board colleagues, and partner cities across the country to share ideas and learn from one another.

The hope is that together we can build a model for how cities can strengthen their laws to protect the residents so we never lose sight of our shared values.

Wanted to thank Supervisors Walton, Chan, Chen, Melgar Sauter, and Mandelman for your early support for this blueprint, and to my legislative director Sam Logan and Chief of Staff, Jessica Gutierrez Garcia, and in my office, as well as Deputy City Attorney Brad Russian for the many late calls last week reviewing this blueprint and legislation.

What our residents want most is to feel safe, to feel protected, and to know that their city has their back.

That's exactly what this work is about, and I hope to have the board's partnership in this goal in the weeks and months ahead.

The rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor McMood.

Supervisor Mandelman.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Uh, first of all, I want to thank Supervisor Walton for the memorium for Belva Davis.

Uh, if it is all right, I'd like to ask that that be done on behalf of the full board, and we can do that without objection, Madam Clerk.

If I gavel, I will gavel.

Yes, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, and secondly, I do have a resolution I am introducing to recognize November 1st through the 9th as restaurant week in the city and county of San Francisco.

Restaurant Week is an annual event that celebrates San Francisco's vibrant food culture, promotes small businesses, and encourages residents, visitors, and tourists to explore new dining experiences at discounted prices.

The culinary scene in San Francisco plays a vital and internationally recognized role in our local economy, representing 9% of the city's workforce, attracting tourists and contributing to the vibrancy of each of our neighborhoods.

This year, 188 restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week, each offering specially curated prefix menus, showcasing their originality.

This week is an opportunity for these businesses to engage new customers and welcome back old regulars.

SF Restaurant Week is a big job that requires complex coordination among owners, chefs, sponsors, and customers.

The result is a fantastic event that celebrates and enhances the city's culture, cultural, culinary, and social fabric.

I want to thank the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, especially Lori Thomas and Amy Cleary for pulling this off annually for more than a decade, well more than a decade, and the rest I submit.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Supervisor Milgar.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

I have uh two in memoriams.

Um, first, uh San Francisco mourns the passing of Father Tony La Torre, a beloved native son whose warmth humor and faith touched generations across our city.

From his early days at Lincoln High School to his ordination at St.

Patrick's Seminary.

Father Tony devoted his life to ministry, compassion, and connection.

His presence at many Westside Parishes, St.

Stephen, St.

Monica, St.

Thomas the Apostle, St.

Vinbar, and parishes across the Bay Area brought comfort and warmth to the faithful and friendship to all.

Even in retirement, he continued to visit the sick, baptize babies, and celebrate Mass with joy.

Father Tony's love for his community, his dogs, his family in his city of San Francisco was as boundless as his generosity.

May he rest in peace.

The second colleagues, I would like to close today's meeting in honor of John J.

Bouvier the Third.

John was lovingly referred to as the mayor of Sixth Avenue, a title he absolutely deserved, or was it beautifully written in the NJUDA Chronicles blog by Greg DeWar, the richest person in San Francisco.

The richest person in San Francisco was not a tech titan, nor a member of the wealthy elite, and does not have any buildings with his name on them, or an expensive yacht to race.

He was always the richest person in San Francisco because he leaves behind a priceless legacy of kindness, friendliness, and community involvement that was a source of positive energy whenever he went.

His impact on the world around him is almost impossible to calculate, and why it hurts so much to have him go so suddenly.

John had a special gift for bringing people together, not just for events, but in everyday life.

During the isolation of the COVID-19 lockdown, when so many felt alone, John took it upon himself to foster connection through Friday outdoor meetups outside his home.

The Friday meetups became a beloved tradition of the inner sunset community and continued for 280 Fridays until John's passing.

Whether you lived on Sixth Avenue or were just walking by with your dog in the inner sunset, he created a space where everyone belonged.

Recently nominated by many of his neighbors for the inaugural Good Neighbor Award.

And he was more than just a neighbor.

He was someone community members could always turn to for help, advice, or just a listening ear.

Neighbors describe John as a true ray of sunshine, the heart of a block, and simply the best.

John turned a lonely and uncertain time into something joyful and lasting, and that's the true mark of a community leader.

We will miss you deeply, John.

Your presence will live on every time neighbors gather, share, laugh, and reach out to help one another.

May we continue your legacy by keeping that spirit of connection and kindness alive in our own hearts and our own blocks and at the pie contest in the inner sunset.

Thank you, John, for reminding us what community truly means.

This past Saturday, the Inner Sunset community came together for a memorial procession, led by the Sunset Community Band, and we marched from John's home to the County Fairground Building.

And just a sheer number of people who showed up in the rain demonstrated just how much John meant to so many people across San Francisco.

In addition to the many, many organizations John was active with, he was also an ordained member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, known as John the Aptus, purveyor of SMUT.

May his memory fee for a blessing.

He was a touching tribute, and his legacy lives on through kindness on every person that he inspired.

So to his sister Kristen, his family, and the community who he brought together, you have our deepest condolences.

San Francisco lost one of its very best.

The rest I submit.

Thank you, Supervisor Milgar.

Supervisor Starter.

Submit, thank you.

Supervisor Cheryl.

Submit, thank you.

Seeing no names on the roster, Mr.

President, that concludes the introduction of new business.

Let's get a public comment.

All right.

At that time, this is the time if you're here to provide your general public comment to the board.

You can line up on your right-hand side of the chamber.

We're setting the timer for two minutes.

Mr.

President, Madam Clerk, members of this august body, and especially my supervisor, Magmoon.

We thank you for introducing that entertainment legislation.

Mr.

President, your predecessor.

Sat in that chair.

And voted.

To lead this body.

And giving an apology for the enslavement of African Americans.

And also for the discriminatory practices.

More specifically, the redevelopment agency.

And the displacement of black people from the city and county of San Francisco.

We thank God for Supervisor Walton, who carried the legislation.

When we established a reparations task force.

Now is the time for action.

Action for a community that has been far too long excluded.

And now we will hear from the executive leadership of the fellowship that has come together to ensure that without delay and with deliberate speed, we will revitalize the Feelmore and the Heritage Building.

I present to you now my great successor, the Reverend Mr.

Devon Crawford, who will still be the prophet in the line, making sure that you do justice.

Love mercy, and walk humbly with your God or your principles for living.

Good afternoon.

My name is the Reverend Devin Jerome Crawford.

I serve as the senior pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, the oldest African American Baptist church west of the Rocky Mountains.

We've had a continuous presence here in San Francisco for 173 years this year.

Honorable supervisors, I rise today not only as a pastor, not only as the successor of the Reverend Dr.

Amos E.

Brown, but I rise today as a son of a tradition who believes that memory is sacred.

The Fillmore Heritage Center and the Fillmore community is one of the last standing vessels of African American presence, creativity, and community in San Francisco.

To lose it would not only be a loss to a neighborhood, but it would be an erasure of sacred ground itself.

For generations, the Fillmore has been where jazz and justice walk hand in hand.

It has been a place where people from across diaspora come together and continue to find each other and call each other neighbor.

And this place is a refuge for expression of wisdom, a place where kind joy can meet each other every day, and where we hear the sound of our music in each other's voices.

To allow another anchor institution of black life to vanish, is to wound the fabric of the Fillmore itself.

It is to say that our story, a story that is woven through exile and endurance, no longer matters.

But I stand here today to say that it does matter indeed.

Our presence here is a testament to the fact that it matters.

Because when the Fillmore thrives, San Francisco remembers who she is.

A city of resilience, of art, inclusion, and radical hope.

And so I appeal to this body today, not merely to preserve a building, not merely to preserve relics, but to revive a heartbeat of a community.

The Fillmore is not only about what it was, but about what it can be.

A living testament for us all.

Thank you, Reverend.

And thank you to the Reverend Amos Brown for your comments previously.

Okay, welcome to the next speaker.

I'm uh Archbishop Franzo King of the African Orthodox Church, Global Spiritual Community.

We've been serving this city now for 56 years, speaking for justice, serving the people, dealing with illegal foreclosures.

But most of all, we've been dealing with the art and the culture of this city because we are the institution that has been known for canonizing one John Will I am co-trained as a saint, and that John said that he had a spiritual awakening that was a lead to a richer, fuller, more productive life.

And at that time, he has to be given the privilege to make others happy through music.

And for us today, being happy is mean being acknowledged.

And we find ourselves in a very important time in the history of this city, and that you as board members are in the rule of city government, and they're having the opportunity to correct injustices that have been committed against the African American community.

We came together, and we come together in one voice, that we have raised voices that have been raised in the past, and voices you'll hear fresh and anew.

But we are saying there's a deliberate urgency that you move without delay, and return, or should we say that you correct what has happened to the devastation of the African American community and the Fillmore of the West by reinstating what has been put on the board.

Thank you.

Thank you, Reverend Archbishop King.

Welcome, Majid.

Thank you.

Um, just want to thank Supervisor Mamou for the Fillmore Entertainment District.

It's gonna be a very uh businesses and entrepreneurs and artists and cultural creators are very excited about the opportunities for this.

I also want to um my family came from Arkansas, leaving Jim Crow and everything they survived to come to San Francisco to make a better life for themselves.

And in coming here with nothing, our community, we turned the Fillmore into a uh something that was recognized around the world.

Um, something that that could be the economic power that you see in the mission district in Chinatown and other neighborhoods.

My great uncle played on Fillmore Street in the Harlem and the West Book, he's he's right there.

I got pictures of him showing me how to play when um when I was a kid.

My father also played the saxophone, but he went to the military.

But when he came back, he wanted to fulfill the dream of the legacy of our family entertainment in Fillmore.

But when he came back, the Fillmore was bulldozed.

It broke his heart, it broke our community's heart.

He left to go to France to play music because he learned that that's where you go to play music when you're African American, not in your own country where our corridors were bulldozed by urban renewal across the country.

He never came back.

He died of a broken heart out there.

It's emotional for me.

Um, and so the Fillmore Heritage Center is really the last thing we have as a community.

It's the last opportunity of the city to undo the the economic violence that was opposed on our community by Urban Renewal.

And so I want to thank uh Supervisor Mammoo because he's out there in the community, he's building relationships with a lot of people in the community, which is key to what needs to get done.

But this is an opportunity by the city to undo the harm of those community members that were economically and violently harmed by Urban Renewal.

So please open the Fillmore Heritage Center as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Thank you, Majid.

Welcome to the next speaker.

Hello, I'm Erica Scott.

Um, thank you, Board of Supervisors, for acknowledging us here today.

Um, Supervisor Bilau, thank you so much for your sincere action, as Reverend Brown says.

We we see it in action, and always want to say thank you to Supervisor Walton for his advocacy.

I grew up here in San Francisco, um, third generation.

My kids now are fourth generation growing up in the Fillmore.

I just came back from visiting my daughter in college at uh HBCU University in Texas.

Uh I recently I have shared this before, but I was shocked, but it's important for me to say it again.

I've been studying the documentaries and speeches of the Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

and Coretta Scott King.

And Martin Luther King said the most racist place he had ever visited in the world was San Francisco, California.

Coming, I'm sorry, walking on the campus of the school where my daughter attends, I understood that statement.

There's a place for black people.

There's a place for thriving black people.

Thousands of black students studying together.

You walk on the campus, you see professors, you see doctors, they're in chemistry labs.

It's a real tangible space for success.

We don't have that in San Francisco.

We are asking the city, the Board of Supervisors, to make that possible through the fair the Fillmore Heritage Center.

So we are very grateful for the introduction of the entertainment zone.

We can't have entertainment if we don't have a space.

So thank you so much for this opportunity, and I'm just imploring you all to fight with us that we need access to that building.

Thank you.

Thank you, Erica Scott, for your comments.

Just for those individuals, if this is your first time, there are no auditory sounds in support or against of speakers, please.

Welcome, sir.

Sean Richard, Brothers Against Guns, a San Francisco native, 57 years I've been here, born and raised in Fillmore.

I am the fourth or maybe fifth generation to be in San Francisco.

My grandkids, my kids come after me.

I want to thank Supervisor Balau for introducing this.

Thank you.

Also want to acknowledge all the supervisors here, along with our president, supervisor.

And I also want to give a big shout out to our supervisors, Shamal Walton, who's been a backbone fighting for San Francisco black folks in San Francisco across the city.

Born and raised in Fillmore, lost two brothers to gun violence, murdered in '95 and '99.

Watch the Fillmore Center get built when it was just a dirt pal.

Watch the Hair Center get built when it's a dirt pal.

When Ella Hill Hutch was a dirt pal.

Born and raised and seen things go up, and I look around and I see other nationalities getting things that they asked for.

But the black community have not received anything that we asked for.

And we're still fighting to get what we need.

Here it is, 30 years later.

That's unacceptable.

We do not have anything left standing but the heritage center that we want to back into our community, our hands.

And I ask you guys to please support this.

Move forward on this.

Leave us a legacy that we can have for our grandkids, our kids, our grandkids, and other kids to come.

So with that being said, support what we're asking for, and that's the legacy of the heritage center.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sean Richards, for your comments.

Welcome.

Yeah, I'm Ken Johnson, native of San Francisco.

And uh the heritage center means so much uh to the black community.

You all know what happened to the Fillmore, and this city is responsible for the devastation.

So this is our last opportunity, and there uh the mayor uh uh has established an uh entertainment zones or you know, entertainment.

We're known for entertainment.

We got so much entertainment, and the Fillmore shits in our bones, you know.

Like if you we want the city to be a great, and we want our community to be a great community.

So give us this opportunity.

The Fillmore Heritage Center was built for us.

It was built to help revitalize the community.

But now look at it.

The city have not taken care of the building.

The the sign, the the the posters of our great song song of singers and and uh people that the posters are falling down.

I mean, this this is awful.

Give us the opportunity to rebuild the Fillmore Heritage Center and bring back the entertainment uh to our community.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ken Johnson, for your comments.

Okay, welcome to next speaker.

Yes, we'll come collect that from you.

Good afternoon, Board of Supervisors.

Uh, for the record, my name is Chris Quirkline.

I also go by Sergeant Klein of the United States Marine Corps.

First, I wanted to applaud the board for ta tackling overreach of surveillance by the city, county, state, federal, and foreign governments.

So thank you.

I also wanted to compare.

The timer's not going, but thank you for the extra time.

Um I wanted to compare July 1969 to October 2025.

And these are from the New York Times.

July 8th, 1969.

103 heroin users died here in June.

That's New York City.

That number is double normal.

The average age was 22.

July 9th, 1969, U.S.

planes watching Soviet craft in the Atlantic off the coast of Maine and Maryland, heading to Cuba.

Major events happening during that week that impacted me and my family.

And it was the precursor to my grandfather, John Choca.

That last name is spelled C H O C H A, that went missing in July of 1969.

July 9th, 1969, a big brother keeps eye on speeding cars.

Electronic machine gets evidence by taking photos, just like surveillance today, speed cameras.

July 19, 1969.

Crowds still flow to Niagara with the water turned off.

Imagine the technology to turn off the Niagara Falls in 1969, but we have not moved forward since then.

July 24th, 1969.

The U.S.

thanks to Soviets for Apollo praise.

The United States, responding to a Soviet tribute on the Apollo astronauts today, expressed hopes that the fraternal spirit demonstrated by Soviets and American spacemen would lead to cooperation on the earth also.

More peace, less war.

If the technology was so great back then, why did we get rid of it?

Because people were using it for human rights violations.

What we need is strong individuals for stronger families that form the strongest communities.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

Yes, uh, good evening, supervisors.

My name is Ace.

I'm on the case, and uh currently I'm the Fillmore Corridor ambassador.

And it'll be remiss if I didn't get up and say something about the Philmore, particularly about the Heritage Center.

I stayed right across the street in Miss King's house, and I watched them as they started the Fillmore Center.

Okay, the bricks and everybody that came by.

I was there when they went through the different processes of the RFPs.

I was there when they submitted everything.

I got the documents and uh I planned to uh reveal it in the show called The Rewind the Tapes.

But I'm here specifically asking all the supervisors.

First of all, I want to thank my supervisor Balu for helping us out and the mayor, but and the rest of y'all gonna sign on too, I suspect.

But I just want to say that how important this heritage center is to the Fillmore and to my family.

I'm not only a father, I'm a grandfather, I'm a great grandfather.

Most people look at me and say, Hey, where you came from space?

No, I've been here in the film all my life.

And I'm saying this from my heart without any delay.

We need support from the rest of the supervisors and the mayor, and I'm sure he cares for the heritage, the addition, Yoshis.

We need that spot for the community in our younger generation.

What would it be if my generation under me said, Daddy, what did you do all those years and we don't have nothing to show for it?

I will be I'll be remiss about saying that I'm 71 years old, and I want to make sure that something is reserved for our communities, and that is the heritage of center.

My name is Ace.

Damn it, and I'm on the case.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comments, Mr.

Washington.

Next speaker, please.

Welcome.

Hello.

My name is Michael Kemp.

I'm a longtime resident of San Francisco.

I came here 40 years ago to attend law school at the University of San Francisco.

I'm also a current member and have been a member of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.

And one of the things that have kept me here in San Francisco has been its cultural diversity.

Japan town has its celebration, Chinatown has its celebration, the district has its celebration, Little Italy has its celebrations.

I used to read in the magazines about jazz centers.

Harlem, they had Lenox Street and New Orleans, they had uh uh Bourbon Street and Nephis, they had Bill Street in San Francisco.

They had Filmmboard Street.

So as I got older, I had a chance to visit all these places.

And I kind of noticed that the jazz was being played by white musicians, but that's okay.

They were preserving the history, preserving the culture.

So I'm asking you guys to support this entertainment in resolution because uh it's gonna bring people from all over the world to San Francisco, everyone loves your music.

It's also gonna be another source of tax uh revenue.

So support that resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments, Michael Kim.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Welcome.

Good afternoon.

My name's Mario Benton.

I'm not been here since two o'clock, sorry.

Um I'm Mario Benton, and I'm born and raised in San Francisco, writing the film or on Fulton and Buchanan Street, and every day um after school, I would play at the um performing arts of the Western Edition Cultural Center, where I would learn dance, modeling, acting, and um jazz, and I grew up in the creative arts.

And in me growing up in Fillmore, I was also displaced um early at the age because I came out the closet of being a gay person early, and I was kind of bullied and uh ran away from the filmmore and kind of ran down to the tinder line as a young youth who had been displaced in San Francisco.

But as um years went on, I was able to um find myself.

I went through trauma and drama, uh, but I was able to find myself, and once I found myself, I tapped back into the creative arts and in the arts.

I've been um traveling all over the world doing uh modeling and dance and performances and um I'm back in Fillmore and been working uh with the Jazz uh Juneteenth Festival.

I've been part of the Juneteenth all my life, and one of the organizers of helping develop the Juneteenth, and we've done such a great job at uh making it such a big big event now and um extending the blocks and just uh the new development of Juneteenth.

And I'm part of making San Francisco grow with our Juneteenth, and we want to see Fillmore Street as well as um all the other events.

I'm also part of um into the streets of doing events and into the streets and a lot of pride and all those events.

I'm connected to those events, and I want to see the footprint of Fillmore Western Edition grow uh just as well as all the other places in San Francisco, and I think Fillmore Street would be a beautiful place to bring the music and entertainment in the footprint of entertainment on filmmore street.

That's me, thank you, Mario.

Thank you, Mario Benton, for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

My name is Richard S.

D.

Peterson.

I almost fainted uh last week, and I want to apologize.

Uh Rich isn't here to uh he had left the building um last week when I almost fainted.

But in any event, I just wanted to re uh reaffirm my opposition to the mayor adopting his own uh commuter system as the citywide computer system.

Uh this gives him an unbridled power.

Uh that if you can, it's one thing to control the computer, it's another thing to control the operating system.

It's another thing to control the application.

When his company, let's call it tripping point, uh, has spent 10 years with an application program designed for tripping point.

He is intimately knowledgeable about that program, and that is gonna cost all of you your power uh to oppose him.

I usually talk about parcel taxes, but that's almost down the line.

Once he has control of the computer for San Francisco, he has control of what information is available, what information is released, and who can use the information.

I think you should be forewarned that this is an extremely dangerous precedent.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to our next speaker.

Um, when do I start?

No, okay.

Yes.

So regarding family zoning, I was unable to come to the planning land use rather committee last week.

Sir?

Yes.

Are you talking about the family zoning plan?

I was I called up your office and asked if I could do it during public comment.

They said yes.

I talked to Richard.

I called the clerk's office today, said, could I testify?

And he told me I could come during public comment because it's not on the agenda.

Your Richard.

Yes, sir.

You were correct.

You can speak about it.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Just draw that microphone a little closer for me.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

I checked to make sure.

So regarding family zoning, the criteria considered by land use last week, adding protections to rent control units applies equally to tenants living in regular non-rent-controlled units.

These tenants also should be protected.

Tenants and non-rent controlled units are equally likely to be struggling to pay rent and stay in San Francisco.

Tenants and non-rent controlled units are just as likely to be seniors, and we know this at St.

Vincent DePaul and North Beach, who are once evicted or displaced by prior demolitions or owner move instances where they found to live, and so they're living in a place that's too expensive for them.

Non-rent controlled tenants are as valuable to our cultural heritage.

We should treat them with the same respect and protections.

Artists, musicians, and poets graduate each year from college and high schools, and even without graduation, as artists, they take their unique talents and use them to make our city more exciting.

They add to our economy.

An artist arriving just one year ago in San Francisco might not be living in a rent controlled unit, but their rental is no less vulnerable to upzoning.

They should be protected with the same force and directness as rent-controlled units.

We can afford to do this.

And we know this at St.

Vincent DePaul and North Beach because we made a sunshine request and we're told on adultery that that uh there are no statistics, the planning department said on this matter.

They don't know what the answer is.

So we say protect all tenants.

Adding them is equitable, good for our city, and helps the economy.

And it gives stability to neighborhood because it tells all tenants who are renting, and that's what it means to live affordably, that they are going to be treated the same and looked out for government, whatever the label may be where they live.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to our next speaker.

Hello, my name is Amanda Maya, and I'm the program director for the lawyers committee for civil rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

A core part of our work is representing immigrants who are detained by ICE in San Francisco and securing their freedom with habeas corpus petitions.

We participate in the attorney of the day program in San Francisco immigration court, and just last month we sued the administration to end illegal courthouse arrests.

I have had the very difficult job of telling immigrants at their master calendar hearings that they are going to be detained when they exit the courtroom.

I have had the terrible job of having to contact their family members to let them know that their family members were not going to be returning home that night.

The individuals we represent are our neighbors, essential workers, and parents of children in our schools.

We come to you today to offer our strongest support for this critical budget supplemental.

We are speaking to you at a moment of a profound crisis as the administration, the current administration has an unleashed an inhumane crackdown on our immigrant communities.

Sanctuary cities like San Francisco are the last line of defense.

The $3.5 million allocated to the Immigration Legal Services Collaboratives is a lifeline of our work.

It will fund attorneys who stand between our community members and family separation.

San Francisco has a proud history of standing up for justice and defending our most vulnerable residents.

Today you have the opportunity to affirm that legacy in the most concrete way possible.

We urge you to approve the full 3.5 million to sustain our city's immigration legal defense network.

Our clients and our shared community and our shared community are counting on your leadership.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

We just ask that you hold your applause, please.

Welcome.

Hello.

We had quite the week last week, didn't we?

Uh, did anyone else notice that our mayor is actually a generative AI bot who trains on other mayors' responses and then spits out a shittier hollow version of a mayoral response to emergencies like that?

I did.

Um, well, he's still our mayor.

So we have another emergency coming up come November with the SNAP benefits not being funded.

Um, this is what our mayor said to the San Francisco Marin food bank when he was campaigning for mayor.

We need to treat food security as a core public health issue and use every tool at our disposal, including federal and state funding to ensure no San Franciscan goes hungry.

He also said I will prioritize ensuring that all San Franciscans have access to nutritious food.

We must strengthen our partnerships with community organizations like food banks to identify long-term sustainable solutions that go beyond emergency pandemic funding.

My administration would ensure that San Francisco actively seeks out and applies for every available dollar to tackle hunger and poverty.

We need to treat food security as a core public health issue and use every tool at our disposal, including federal and state funding to ensure no San Franciscan goes hungry.

Can I get an update on that campaign promise?

That would be like really awesome to know.

Right now, before November hits where where is he in this plan of his to keep San Francisco from starving.

Um, something that's very similar now.

Uh I just have these like 2020 COVID flashbacks of everyone sheltering in place, except now they're sheltering in place because they're afraid of ice and they're afraid of being kidnapped and deported to places they don't know where or tortured in concentration camps.

Um the billionaires are still hanging around hoarding their their wealth instead of like swooping in to save the day and like feed people and house people and stuff.

Um, and the reason that they're not doing anything is because they require this mass human sacrifice to be billionaires.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome.

Hi, my name's Brian Storr.

Um, I spoke to the city council about a couple months ago about this same topic.

I've sent some of you guys emails.

I'm here to talk about the most illegal genesis long-range acoustic killing device operators in American soil.

They're from Southern Oregon.

These operators continue to target my heart and head trying to resonate with my heart and cause heart failure as well as brain damage.

This has gone on since 2023.

They continue to commit felony crimes on military equipment 24 7 365, and nobody stops them.

They brag on the L Rads that the FBI won't be able to catch them.

They're basically untouchable.

The LRAD operators have said they will take three lives in the next year, me, my mom's, and my aunts.

They have also said they would put pay a hundred thousand dollars for someone to take my life.

They still haven't been charged or arrested for these crimes.

They committed them for over a week in San Francisco and over three weeks in the Bay Area on military equipment, and they're still free to commit the same crimes.

This is not about just being auto-tracked by the Genesis long-range acoustic killing devices.

Um they continue to use force and pressure from the acoustic weapons.

Since the last time I spoke here, my son's leg was injured by the Genesis long-range acoustic healing device operators and caused him to have a limp.

Um, nothing has been done.

They also continue to try and turn victims into suspects.

Law enforcement continues to let them commit crimes every day.

They also continue to brag on the L Rads about taking my aunt's life in Danville a couple months back.

I have FBI tips that I've made that I would like to put on the record.

Me and my family urgently need help getting this stopped and into a federal courtroom so these criminal long-range acoustic healing device weapon operators cannot follow through with their threats of violence against me and my family.

The public is in danger anywhere.

These operators can touch a L Rad.

If they're not stopped, there will be more victims.

They need to be arrested and tried in a courtroom for their felony crimes or military equipment.

Please.

Thank you for your comments.

You just did with your public comment.

Okay.

Would you like to submit a document?

We're happy to take that from you.

Thank you.

He's coming to break it up from you.

Welcome, Carolyn Goosen.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Supervisors.

My name is Carolyn Gusen, and I'm here on behalf of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office to share our strong support for the supplemental introduced today to increase funding for nonprofit immigrant legal services.

Thank you, Supervisor Chan, Chen, Walton, Fielder, Mahmoud, Melgar, and Mandelman for your co-sponsorship.

We greatly thank you.

These past few weeks and indeed this past year has reminded us of just how critical it is that all of our immigrant community members have access to immediate legal representation and resources.

Our public defender immigration unit has had a long-standing partnership with the nonprofit immigrant legal resources in San Francisco's nonprofits and coordinates closely with SFILDC, SF Island, and the Rapid Response Network to represent the maximum amount of people possible.

In particular, in this moment of chaos, fear, and a dramatic increase in detentions by ICE, we're working together more closely than ever before to provide rapid response immigration lawyer consultations to San Francisco residents detained at ICE check-ins or court at 630 Sansum.

The current enforcement trends under this federal government have presented a tremendous need for additional representation, specifically for petitions for habeas corpus for non-citizens unlawfully detained at 630 Samsung right here in downtown San Francisco.

It has also skyrocketed the incidence of detained San Franciscan residents.

We urge you to pass this budget supplemental to expand capacity for habeas petitions and other emergency legal supports to respond to the increased ICE enforcement as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

Uh my name is Adubu Traor, and I'm the director of the African Advocacy Network.

We do provide immigration legal services to African Afro-Caribean immigrants and we be with base here in the city.

But I will start with the personal note of thinking, you know, the board of supervisors because I'm of the new appointees on the immigrant rights commission that you know you did confirm uh this this very afternoon.

So thank you again.

Uh for giving us a chance for better representation on our commissions.

And uh we're looking forward uh working along, you know, other communities.

And I'm also here, you know, um to remind everybody the diversity of the immigrant community.

I know most of the time, you know, people will speak about Hispanics, I'll speak about API, but you know, the immigrant community is extremely diverse.

You know, it's the picture of the world.

And uh a few days ago I was here.

I was sharing that, you know, I landed in San Francisco without choosing.

And to me, you know, it was a wake-up call.

You know, finding myself in a world where diversity, inclusion, integration seems to be a reality.

And then here we are today.

We all of us know that what is happening is wrong.

You don't call other human beings animals, you don't treat other human beings like animals.

And I think that you know, you are in the right position to remind everybody in San Francisco that San Francisco is one and that you know, whatever is happening now is the thing is a thing for a time that is gonna go, but before it's gone, again, you know, we'd like to beg you.

So but you don't just support you know the supplemental.

The work has to continue, it's gonna continue beyond you know this this administration, but for the time being, the job needs to be done.

And again, you know, I would like to beg you, you know, to support you know the supplemental so while we continue the work, you know, taking care of our community members and for a better integration and inclusion in San Francisco.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Let's welcome our next speaker.

Hello, my name is Sarah Gavigan.

I'm a senior immigration attorney at the Central American Resource Center, Carecen, which is in the mission district.

I have been there for 10 years doing removal defense with the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative, also known as SFILDC.

So I'm here to talk in support of the $3.5 million supplemental that is going to be crucial going forward in this environment, which we saw really play out this week.

I also want to mention that I am a longtime resident of the marina district.

I also went to high school here in this in San Francisco and have a lot of connections that and friends and family that are still in San Francisco and that care a lot about this issue.

So again, I'm part of the Rapid Response Network, where when terrified family members call a dispatcher and they say my loved one has been taken or they didn't come back from this check-in with ice, I get the call, and so my colleagues who've already spoken as well, and we immediately dispatch to try to figure out where we can intervene, at least collect information, and then so the person the person's due process is not completely lost, they don't completely fall through the cracks.

And I can tell you in this last week, I've had longtime um San Francisco residents, families that maybe this hasn't always been on their radar, but they're now very concerned from the marina, from the Presidio, from Laurel Heights, from um uh many more neighborhoods, but I'll just say that they have called me to say thank you so much for the work that you're doing.

We're really concerned.

What can our city, you know, what more can we do?

And just thank you.

So I want to convey that sentiment from all over the city that now is the time to really lean into due process, and we'd love to see unanimous support for this um supplemental today.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to our next speaker.

Good evening, supervisors.

Uh, my name is Peter Habib.

I'm an attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

Um, we're a current member and one of the founding members of the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative, SFILDC.

Um, our office is right down the street at UC Law San Francisco.

Um, so I'm here to also urge you to approve the budget supplement for for critical immigration, uh, immigrant defense support services.

Um, as one of the legal, as one of the leading rather authorities on asylum in the country, we we provide critical support to the SFILDC collaborative.

And even though we have a national profile, our priority is and always has been our work here with the collaborative in San Francisco.

Uh San Francisco's our home and it's our community.

It's also because over the course of the last 25 years since we were founded, and the last 11 of which were through the collaborative, we've pioneered advances in asylum law by litigating key cases here in San Francisco, setting critical precedent, and creating a model for the rest of the country.

Um, this has been especially true in the case of securing asylum protections for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and domestic violence, uh, which is something that in particular the Trump administration has set its sights on obliterating.

Um investing in this collaborative of legal talent really couldn't be more critical than at this moment, as you've heard from others, in the face of federal cuts and aggression, fear mongering, unconstitutional raids, deprivations of rights, fundamental rights, and unmitigated campaigns of disinformation and malinformation coming from the federal government and its cronies, um, as well as the yet to be fully realized surge of mask agents arbitrarily abducting our neighbors off our streets.

It's essential that we fortify our core of trained and committed advocates to support and defend the rights of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Thanks.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

Thank you.

Good evening, supervisors.

My name is Yesenia Lacayo, and I'm here with Mission Action, SF Island, and Rapid Response Network.

And I'm also a constituent of District 9.

Thank you, Supervisor Fielder, for continuously holding space for us.

Um here, I'm here to support for the 3.5 million supplement.

Our immigrant community in San Francisco is under pressure right now, and we need this board to actively stand with us, not just in words, but in action.

When something happens, an ice pickup, a family in crisis, someone newly arrived with nowhere to s nowhere safe to sleep, it is community organizations who answer the phone at two in the morning.

Find emergency housing, send legal help, and keep families together.

We do that work every single day.

We're asking the city to meet the same level of urgency.

Some commitments we need.

Continue to publicly and consistently defend San Francisco's sanctuary values, that this board will not collaborate with ICE, and that immigrant families should not be afraid to access services, go to court, or ask for help.

Protect and expand funding for immigrant response, legal defense, rapid response, language access, and emergency housing.

Please do not cut those dollars, invest in them.

Treat immigrant housing as part of public safety.

People are arriving here and sleeping in crisis conditions.

We should be offering safe placements rooted in dignity, not sweeps.

If we call this a sanctuary city, people should actually be able to find sanctuary here.

I also want to remind you that thousands of San Franciscans have already taken to the streets in the mission this year to say we will defend our immigrant neighbors, and we expect our city to do the same.

Our message to you is simple.

No collaboration with ICE, fund community defense, house and protect immigrant families in San Francisco.

I'll close with this.

Immigrants are not a talking point in San Francisco.

We are the workers keeping the city running, the parents keeping the schools alive, and the tenants holding neighborhoods together.

We're asking you to show up for us the way we show up for this city.

La Comunidad Immigrante no está sola, and we expect the city to stand with us.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome.

Hi, Supervisor.

This is Jose and I'm the immigrant right program manager at Chinese for infection CAA, and I also serve on the Immigrant Right Commission.

Thank you earlier for your appointment to the commissions.

Here today, I'm speaking on behalf of CAA, Chinese for infection, and you know, we are also part of the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Education Network, SF Island and San Francisco Weapon Response Network.

First of all, I would like to thank the board, especially Supervisor Feuder, budget chair, Supervisor Chen's leadership in securing the budget supplementary to fund our city's immigrant right collaborative, San Francisco immigrant legal education network, SFIODC, San Francisco Weapon Response Network, for the much needed funding to expand our capacity to serve our immigrant community across the city.

This additional funding allowed us to strengthen protection for immigrants, including but not limited to increasing support for community friends work through the local representative to fund our immigration legal service as articulated by my colleagues previously, and also our community education neural rights workshop and education out, which just past week.

You know, I was walking in Chaitang with our supervisor, you know, uh Suvisor Sado here in Chaitang communicate with our community about advice in case of immigration rates happening in our city.

So we've all consistently changing immigration law and the landscape and the hyphen immigration enforcement.

The need is ongoing because the federal immigration enforcement and detention of our San Francisco Western will not stop within the six months.

So that's why we urge the board to continue to ensure our city is fully equipped and have the infrastructure to provide urgently needed services to our residents.

Thank you for her support.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

Good evening, supervisors.

My name is Millie Atkinson.

I'm with the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco, and we are the legal lead for the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative.

I want to thank you all for your support of this budget supplemental to increase legal services and immigration for San Franciscans.

And just like our clients are afraid to go to school, afraid to leave the house, afraid to go to work, they're afraid to come here and make public comments.

So I'd like to read a message from one of our clients who was detained at the immigration court in September.

I want to express my deepest gratitude for the dedication, professionalism, and commitment with which you handled my legal defense.

Your work was crucial in achieving my release, which represents not only the recovery of my freedom, but also the possibility of being with my family again after an extremely painful period.

It was very difficult for me to have been detained in immigration court as I have always sought to live righteously and comply with the law.

This situation affected me deeply on an emotional level, as being away from my family, especially from my son, without knowing how he was or being able to accompany him in his daily life was a very heavy burden to bear.

I came to the United States hoping to find the freedom to fully live my sexual orientation as a lesbian woman in an environment where I could be respected and authentic.

Thanks to your commitment and steadfit fastness to defend my rights.

Today I have the opportunity to reunite with my loved ones and to continue my life with the dignity and freedom I have always longed for.

I'm aware that there will still be more legal proceedings ahead.

However, I have full confidence in your ability and in the professionalism with which you will continue to represent me.

Knowing that I have your support gives me peace of mind and strength to face what comes ahead.

I do not have enough words to express the relief and gratitude I feel for what you have done for me.

I will always remember with respect and admiration your work as well as the trust you gave me in the most difficult moments.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Welcome to the next speaker.

From District 11.

Good evening, supervisors.

My name is Stephanie Munive, and I'm an attorney with the University of San Francisco Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic.

Um we are also part of the SFIODC collaborative.

Uh we participate in attorney of the day programs, and we were we represent many families here in the bay.

Like my colleagues today, we uh strongly urge you to increase funding for immigrant legal services at this time of heightened ice enforcement.

Um the demands on our clinic have increased on a daily basis uh given the new administration.

So again, we just ask you um to increase our funding so that we can continue to provide um legal services to the immigrant community.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Before the last speaker in line speaks, if there are any other members of the public who'd like to address the board during general public comment, now is your opportunity to get up and uh get in line.

Otherwise, this may be our last speaker.

Welcome, sir.

Board of Supervisors and Mayor Office of San Francisco.

The title of my speech is Beauty Is in the Eyes of a Beholder.

My mom was born in 1942.

She was among the six kids of her parents.

As a result, I have three uncles and two aunts, with my mom being the oldest.

Well, mom was 10.

My grandpa died of opioid addiction.

She cried for a year because my grandma was illiterate.

I was on her duties as a housewife.

She offered no sense of control to bring her six because up.

My mom had to carry the weight of carrying three uncles and two of my aunt.

I was born in 1972 in Vietnam War, was reaching its climax.

The Vietnamese citizen all fled their lives, along with two siblings and one cousin Galeo, were the youngest among both people who escaped from Vietnam to Malaysia as refugees.

How was that possible?

Although my uncle and my dad were always hiding due to war constriction.

My dad invented a machine to make buttons.

Every day my mom would go to a fleet market and sell bags and bags of button.

Eventually, my mom, my dad invented machines to make Christmas lights.

My mom became one of the most wealthiest and my powerful woman figures in Vietnam.

She single-handedly brought 100 people in a boat to escape the tyranny of the shores of Malaysia.

What drove her to leave?

The answer is the pain of staying, outstripped the pain of leaving.

So that's why she made the difficult choice.

All her choice brought down to me.

Being the oldest kid, she knew I have no viable future in a war-torn country.

When asked in 2005, will she have made the same decision had to known the pearls of the sea?

She thought of since she says no.

It was dumb, miscalculated idea, the odds were stagnant.

So in 2021, three months after my mom's passing, I have lunch of a Maggie.

However, she opens the idea of the weight of carrying Miss Chinese international.

So I so I said, I was afraid to be wrong, think bigger.

The leverage is top Uber driver.

I'm here to claim my stake.

As I'm here to deliver the worldwide constitution to Joe Biden, announce Alliance 22 Alliance International.

Why?

Thank you for your comments.

All right.

Are there any other members of the public who'd like to address the board?

All right, Mr.

President.

All right.

Public comment is now closed.

Uh Madam Clerk, I think we will skip over the closed session for now.

Take that at the end of the meeting.

Uh, please call our for adoption without committee reference agenda, items 36 through 47.

Yes, these items were introduced for adoption, but without committee reference, unanimous vote is required for adoption of a resolution on first appearance today.

Alternatively, a member may require a resolution on first reading to go to committee.

Supervisor Dorsey.

Could I sever item 38?

38.

Supervisor Chen.

38.

Supervisor Walton.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

I'd like to sever item 46.

46.

All right.

Uh Madam Clerk, can you call the roll on the balance of the items?

Yes, that would be items 36.

We have severed 37 and 38.

Only 30 38 was severed.

Okay, so then 3637, 39 through 45 minus 46.

I believe that's 47.

Yep.

Okay.

Supervisor Walton.

Walton I, Supervisor Chan.

Chan I, Supervisor Chen.

Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey.

Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder.

Fielder, I, Supervisor Mahmoud.

Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman I.

Supervisor Melgar.

Aye.

Melgar, I, Supervisor Sauter.

Sauter, I, and Supervisor Cheryl.

Cheryl, I.

There are 10 ayes.

Without objection, the resolutions are adopted.

Madam Clerk, can you please call item 38?

38.

This is a resolution to recognize the month of October 2025 as Filipino American History Month and to celebrate the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the city and county of San Francisco.

And before I call on Supervisor Dorsey, I should have said that the resolutions are adopted and the motion is approved.

Okay.

And now, Supervisor Dorsey.

Thank you, President Mandelman, and thanks to my colleagues for your co-sponsorship of this resolution.

Each October, we have the honor of celebrating the history and contributions of our Filipino community, and I'm proud to represent the Filipino Cultural Heritage District, as well as many Filipino community serving organizations in bus and businesses in District 6.

We've often heard it said previously by our former colleague, Supervisor Asafai, and now by uh Supervisor Cheyenne Chen that District 6 and District 11 uh have a special connection through our Filipino community.

I represent the cultural home of San Francisco's Filipino community, and uh as the district six supervisor and District 11's supervisor represents by far the largest population of San Francisco's Filipino community.

As any of us will tell you, this is an extraordinary extraordinary and resilient community with a deep history in our city, state, and nation.

From Filipino Americans' activism locally in the 1970s to save the I Hotel and their continued activism here in San Francisco ever since to Filipino Americans' foundational role in California's farm labor movement for better wages and working conditions, forging cross-racial solidarity in the labor movement that still endures to the extraordinary service Filipino Americans bravely extended to the U.S.

military, most famously in World War II, but historically as far back as the Civil War up to and including today.

Our Filipino American community carries a spirit of service and care for others, which shines through its presence in so many professions, from leaders who include California's Attorney General and its former Chief Justice to health care professionals and clergy and people of faith, artists, advocates, community stewards.

I want to express my appreciation for the work that nonprofit partners especially do to serve and uplift our Filipino community, but in particular those organizations serving Filipino immigrants in our city.

And I know we heard a lot of that from folks in public comment.

That work has never been more crucial than it is right now, with immigrants under attack and living in fear as they had never have before in our history.

Earlier today, Supervisors Chen, Sauter, Cheryl, and myself hosted a reception that featured food from District 6's own JT restaurant, one of the many incredible Filipino owned businesses in our city.

Our thanks to JT and Tess.

Thank you to my co-sponsors for taking part in this annual celebration, and thanks to the Filipino American community in San Francisco for all their contributions that continue to enrich our city.

Thank you.

Supervisor Dorsey, Supervisor Chen.

Thank you, President Mendelman.

It's a time for us to honor the rich culture, vibrant traditions, and longstanding resilience of our community.

District 11 has a vibrant Filipino community, thriving with culturally and historically relevant education program, Filipino owned small business and community organization like the Filipino Community Center, FCC.

They are doing great work to invest in, support, and uplift our Filipino youth.

And I'm so proud to recognize and uplift the contributions Filipino Americans have made to the city and recognize their legacy of resistance, compassion, and community connectivity.

Thank you.

Thank you, President Madeline.

I would like to be added as a co-sponsor.

All right.

And I believe that we can take this item, same house, same call.

Without objection, the motion the resolution is approved.

Madam Clerk, please call item 46.

Item 36.

This is 46.

Excuse me, Mr.

President.

Yes, this item is a resolution that urges the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Police Department to enforce the prohibitions of riding electric and gas powered scooters on sidewalks in order to protect pedestrians and advance vision zero goals.

Thank you, President Man.

And colleagues, I just want to say one thank you to everyone who co-sponsored this resolution calling for motorized scooter enforcement on sidewalks in order to protect pedestrians and keep people safe.

Our sidewalks are where everyone walks, whether seniors, children, families, people with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, need to feel safe to move about.

Also just want to clear something up.

This resolution is specific to motorized scooters and gas powered scooters, but there's already laws on the books that prohibit cycling on sidewalks and other forms of transportation that have been banned on our sidewalks.

And so those laws already exist.

So I want people to know that we're focused on enforcing laws already on the books.

We are currently working with the city attorney to explore potential legislative options to improve enforcement.

Currently, state law bans scooters on sidewalks, and at present, these violations are classified as moving violations, which means only SFPD is authorized to issue citations.

We are reviewing whether there are ways to expand enforcement authority or otherwise strengthen compliance mechanisms to address this concern.

Everyone, riders, drivers, and pedestrians, share responsibility for keeping our city safe.

We can support new forms of mobility, but never at the expense of those who walk or use their wheelchairs or other devices that are legitimate on our sidewalks.

Thank you.

Thank you, Supervisor Walton.

Let's take this item, same house, same call.

Without objection, the resolution is adopted.

All right.

Uh, Madam Clerk, um, could you please take us to the closed session matter, item 35.

Yes, given that item 47 has been approved.

The motion that the board convene in closed session on October 28th.

We are now going to read the title of the closed session in its entirety, mostly.

The closed session for the board to convene today, October 28th, for the purpose of conferring with or receiving advice from the city attorney regarding the following existing litigation matters.

There are various matters against Donald Trump in which the city is a party.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

And we will now ask that members of the public public exit the chamber while we go into closed session.

We're going to resume the meeting in open session after we conclude.

Madam Clerk, please let us know when the chamber is ready.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Okay.

In this episode, he's exploring for Golden Gate.

Hi, I'm Michael Baltazar, and you're watching Golden Gate Adventures, a show that highlights San Francisco's urban outdoors.

Today we're in Golden Gate Park.

We're going to highlight a few of the activities they have here.

First up, archery.

Let's shoot some sorrows.

Arrows.

We're here at 47th in Colton, the archery range here at Golden Gate Park.

And I'm here with my friend Jim, who's an expert at Archery.

He's going to give us a few tips.

First off, let's see.

I think safety is really important.

That's an excellent idea.

So uh number one, just uh with anything like archery.

You want to make sure that everything is pointed at the target.

So once we have an arrow on the bow, we wouldn't want to point it at somebody.

We would always want to make sure that what we're doing is pointed downrange toward the target.

So number two is.

Well, the number one is for mostly for protecting other people.

Protecting yourself is important too.

So you always want to use a tab, or a glove like the one you're wearing for uh finger protection when drawing and releasing the string.

Also, our arm guards keep the string from hitting our arms on the release.

What we're using today is a very modern and contemporary recurve bow.

So compounds, long bows, recurves.

Uh there are Asian, Asiatic bows, uh, Mongolian, Japanese, uh, Turkish, Syrian, uh, very distinctive uh shapes, totally different flavors of archery, just based on the let's try this.

Alright.

Archery is all about accuracy as you try to hit the target.

The sports roots go way back to hunting and battlefields, but today it's evolved into something recreational and competitive.

This range is in a chill spot tucked into a peaceful wooded area on the west end of the park.

This is a lot of fun, guys!

Whether you're just starting out or already a pro, it's the perfect place to practice.

There are well-maintained target bales at different distances, all surrounded by tall trees and lush greenery, creating a calm atmosphere.

That was awesome.

I think.

Well, can't get better than that, right?

Am I getting too close?

The range is run by volunteers and it's totally free to use, but you'll need to bring your own gear or rent some nearby.

Locals and tourists love it, whether they're honing their skills or just wanting to try something different outdoors in the city.

Oh, that was a bad one.

Archery can be very humbling.

Eh, not too bad.

This one's a little high because that was my second shot.

I couldn't really.

I I didn't really feel that one as well.

But once I got it honed in, I think.

Yeah, I got one in the 10.

So let's go that way.

Oh wow.

Farther back.

Oh, left again.

Just left.

Oh, just to the left.

That's the right elegation range.

Do it.

I saw that.

You got it, okay.

I visualize it.

Yeah.

Right at the last second.

Oh, so close.

I'd look so good in the air.

Alright, next time.

That's why you gotta come out here.

Practice.

That was very exhilarating.

I love archery.

Man.

Jim, why do you love archery?

What's not to like?

You can uh do what we just did, which was spend time together exploring it and working on it.

You can also have a blast going off into the woods by yourself.

Uh so all of the, you know, this range, any range, you can do it with friends.

You can do it by yourself, you can get the experience you want from it.

That was a lot of fun, and I thank you for being my buddy on this archery.

That's my pleasure.

It's good to see you, Mike.

That's great.

Now, we're gonna go rowing.

Now we're at the Blue Heron Boathouse.

We come at two different kinds of boats.

There's actually a pedal boat and a rowboat.

I think we're gonna go get a rowboat.

Let's go get on the lake.

Time to row a boat.

Surrounded by greenery, this man-made lake is a nice little escape from the busy city.

The key thing is to get into a rhythm and move in sync with the water and your boat.

It can have a calming meditative feel while still giving you a serious workout.

Alright, oh, how cool is this?

Whoa, look how big that tree is.

It's like nice and peaceful out here.

I'm the only one.

That means I think people really need to come out here.

It's actually really calm out here.

As you navigate the lake, you'll pass by Strawberry Hill, an island in the middle of the lake with a waterfall, trails, and tons of wildlife like ducks, turtles, and birds.

Strawberry Hill is connected by two bridges to the park, and it's the highest point in Golden Gate Park.

It includes Huntington Falls.

A 110 foot tall artificial waterfall that feeds into the lake.

There's also the Chinese Pavilion, a gift from San Francisco's sister city, Taipei, Taiwan.

It's a charming place to rest and take in the views.

But now I gotta work at the legs.

Let's go skating.

We're here at the skating place on Six and Fulton.

Beautiful day.

I think I'm gonna rent some rollerblades.

Let's get rollin'.

Get your skate.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, check out the skating place.

It's near Sixth Avenue in Kennedy Drive and has a great surface that's perfect for practicing or hanging out with fellow skaters.

Oh man.

This is uh.

This is very nostalgic for the millennial in me.

Nineties.

Playing with my boys, some street hockey.

I haven't ridden uh blades in a while, but it's gonna be like riding a bike.

Let's go.

I'm here at the freeze Sunday roller disco party from noon to 5 p.m.

The Godfather Escape brings his mobile DJ unit and plays groovy tunes for you to skate to.

And if you need skates, no worries.

Rentals are available nearby from 11 a.m.

to 6 p.m.

on the weekends, starting at just 12 dollars an hour for kids and 20 for everyone else.

The skating place has been here since 1986, and it got a fresh makeover in 2022 with new pavement and a stunning mural by local artist Amy Stevlin.

The mural called Psychedelic Golden Gate Skate features a colorful design that celebrates the park's roller skating history.

What?

Plus, it was created in collaboration with the Church of Eight Wheels, which is all about keeping the skating spirit alive.

This is fun.

I had no idea this is over here.

San Francisco has everything.

Oh, it's so nostalgic getting back on some rollerblade just like being a little kid.

This is Golden Gate Adventures, and I'm Michael Baltzar from SFG TV.

Thanks for watching.

District 10 is a place to be.

Having an opportunity to represent the last real black community here in San Francisco was very important to me.

Not only just the black community, but all the communities of color that we have in District 10 from Bayview Hunters Point to Patrail Hill to Visitation Valley to Dog Patch to Little Hollywood.

So my family originally migrated from Louisiana and they came and settled here in San Francisco.

My grandfather worked on the shipyard.

I had great uncles and aunts who either worked in the shipyard or they did some domestic work for other families here in San Francisco.

Most of my entire life, it was just my mother and I.

And so I was raised by a single mom, single parent family.

My mom and I lived in West Point with my grandmother.

We also stayed with my aunt in Patrail Hill, and that's where I spent my early years in San Francisco, as well as also spending some time living in the Hate.

Well, it was important to me to become the supervisor of District 10 for so many different reasons.

One, it's the place where I'm originally from.

It's the place where I actually had my biggest opportunity after graduating from college, coming and working as the executive director of young community developers, and having the opportunity to run for the Board of Supervisors and be able to affect policy, affect change in the very community where my family is from.

My name is Kelly McCord and I am the owner manager along with my husband Ken of Mission Blue.

Mission Blue really, we're neighbors first.

And so when we first came to the neighborhood, we entered the story, we got involved, and we learned that there was an opportunity to get plugged into the merchant corridor.

And so we see Mission Blue is kind of setting the table for the community to come together around good coffee, good pastries, and artists and gifts.

So when we moved to the neighborhood, we were volunteering in the gardens here, the beautiful greenways, and there was just so many butterflies, and I just asked, what's the butterfly of this area?

And Fran Martin uh says uh the mission blue, and we said, Well, if we ever open anything, we're gonna call it Mission Blue something because I was in the Chrysalis phase and because the neighborhood was already so beautiful and we wanted to be a part of the becoming along with the neighborhood, something beautiful, and we wanted to add value to that beauty.

One of the great, great hidden secrets of the valley is that we're where the crosstown trail starts.

If you're not familiar with Crosstown Trail, it's a 17-mile trail that runs across San Francisco and it cuts through not only our commercial corridor, but the greenways.

And there are six stacked gardens that were built by the neighbors for the neighborhood, and they've been here for over three decades, and they're an incredible treasure.

The rolling roots farmers markets arrives in our truck every Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

in the plaza, and there's fruits and vegetables, and they take EBT.

It's accessible to every one of our neighbors.

So we have our whole neighborhood meeting in the greenway for fresh fruits and vegetables.

And around that, we love to ask our local musicians to come.

So it's really like an ecosystem over there on Saturday morning, which is one of our goals and just what a neighborhood is all about.

My name is Lisa Russell and I'm co-owner of SF Dog Parler.

We've been here going on nine years.

Being that it's here in Visitation Valley where I live, it's a quick walk to work.

It's very diverse and everyone is friendly.

It's rewarding getting to meet a lot of new people, a lot of different dogs.

They love us being here, so that's a good thing.

We've done a lot here since I've been in office.

We opened uh another grocery outlet.

We have a new Lucky store right in the Bayview Plaza, which is exciting.

This facility that we're in right now, 1550 Evans, the brand new Southeast Community Center, is another amazing accomplishment for District 10.

If you come from Visitation Valley, uh cross Bayshore and come into Third Street, you'll see a nice baby sign that demonstrates and reflective of one that you are coming into Baby Hunters Point.

But also it's a it's an art project to make it more visually appealing when you enter into our community.

I'm Barbara Grata, and I'm the winemaker and owner of Grotter Wines here in Bayview.

We've started uh winemaking as a hobby, actually, and in our garage here in the neighborhood in 2006 and 2015.

We had the opportunity to open a tasting room, which we have done in this space, and here we are, we've expanded a little bit to add in food options and cafe-like experience.

I opened up the business in Bayview and was inspired by the community, having done a lot of pop-ups and events in the neighborhood, and we had amazing support and felt let's try to take this to the next level, and that was really what sort of drove us was the support that we got from the Bayview community.

You can expect to get a local Bayview hospitality and welcome.

You'll experience wine tasting without going to the wine country because we are a small producer and we have not only our wines but we've introduced some Italian varieties as well, so you can sit and enjoy all of that, plus uh some comfort style food.

My name is Anthony Womack.

I'm 24 years old.

I'm the owner of Wester Scoop Ice Cream here located in the Baby.

We used to spend hours just eating ice cream and talking, catching up.

One day my aunt came to me with an idea why don't you bring, you know, an ice cream shop back here to the baby.

Um it hasn't been one here in some time.

So I thought it would be a good idea to you know bring something back to the community where I grew up at and something I haven't seen recently as a new business, come back to the community.

I really want to create that environment, that sit-down environment that we can enjoy a banana split, a rhubarb flow, a nookshake, etc.

Just creating that environment for people to come in and enjoy.

Pretty much got the passion to do it from being here in the community and from my family.

This past Black History Month, we celebrate it with the parade that started at the Opera House that came down to 1550 Evan.

So as we talk about beautification, as we talk about promoting the arts, as we talk about the culture of Baby Hunters Point and the things that we've been doing to make sure that we preserve opportunities for communities to come together and it's also a larger amount of people and community that have had the opportunity to come out and see what is going on, and we will continue to do that every Black History Month to promote not only our corridor here in the Southeast sector to promote black people coming together during Black History Month, but also to just put on display all of the talent, all of the great and amazing residents that we have here in San Francisco that come out to support and promote black history during Black History Month.

My name is Lena Mills and I'm the owner of Creative Ideas, K-Win and Cafe.

What really inspired me to open my young company is because I was tired of working for somebody else.

We had Colombian and Mexican food, and with our kid in business, we have all diverse menus for any occasion.

The menu comes from everything I learned when I was a kid.

Growing up with my family, they always wanted to uh took all different things.

And so I learned how to do a lot of things that we now do here at the cafe.

The Bible in District 10.

It's it's amazing because uh we're in communication with supervisor uh Shaman Walton, especially when he does like coffee.

He talks with everybody in our neighborhood, you know, that wants to talk to him and ask about how things are going with our community, right?

And uh we we get together with other businesses that has organized like cleaning that um in doing that in our neighborhood, you know, on on our street, and people see that that all the businesses get together, they know what we were doing in the neighborhood.

Uh we open for breakfast, we open for uh lunch, we open for convenience, we do uh local events, you know, with the churches, with the schools, um, at the park, and and also with other businesses in the area.

My name is T-Minat, and I am the owner of Christopher's Books in San Francisco, Patero Hills Independent Bookstore.

We've been here for 33 years.

The bookstores housed in a Victorian, owned by Peter Lynenthal, who also runs the Patro Hill Archives project.

This space has been used for a number of different things over the years, the pharmacy being one of them.

What makes us unique is that we've maintained the original character of the space.

If you look up here, you see the you know ancient retrofitting.

So these little drawers and everything, these are the original fixtures of what was here in the early, you know, 1920s or so.

One of my favorite parts is sitting in that chair out front and saying hello to people when they come in.

Um, and one of my favorite parts is when someone asked me to recommend a book.

You have home, you have work.

Well, um, a third place is a place where you look for community and you build community.

And I think of Christopher's and other businesses like that as a third place.

You know, I've had kids who who come in that I knew when they were born, and they've come in and introduced me to their kids.

That's how long I've been here.

And that feeling of of history and connection and family, and just being a sole proprietor in one of the most amazing cities in the world, you know, I still enjoy coming to work every day.

You know, we definitely have a lot of amazing places to go here in District 10, whether it be some of the bars that have been around for decades, Il Parada and Petrello Hill, Bottom of the Hill, Connecticut Yankee.

Now we have newer spots like Gumbo Social, Cafe Alma that is located in the India Basin.

I'm just so excited about all the things that we've been able to do, but I wanted to make sure that as supervisor, I really addressed the concerns and issues that community had and left with tangible assets on the way out, but also with policies in place that will outlive me as a supervisor.

Some of the neighborhoods in District 8 are the Castro, Glen Park, Noe Valley, Diamond Heights, Mission Dolores, and Cole Valley.

Hello, I am Raphael Mandelman.

I am the supervisor representing District 8 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

I had always been interested in politics and public life, and I grew up in San Francisco, and uh when I was in high school, I had an internship working for a supervisor on the Board of Supervisors.

And as I got involved in uh in local affairs when I was growing up, um at some point it seemed like it made sense to run.

Um, and so I did.

So when I was running in 2018, we focused a lot on homelessness and mental health issues as priorities for me and priorities for the district and the city.

My mom suffered from mental illness for a big chunk of her adult life.

And she started getting sick when I was or very sick when I was 10 or 11 years old.

I moved up to San Francisco because she wasn't able to take care of me anymore, and I had a grandmother up here, but I, you know, of course, continued to follow her life and as I could tried to help her out.

But she she had a rough second half to her life.

She lived in institutions and board cares, she was in homeless shelter for a period of time, and I saw, you know, that there are folks with these significant needs, and I think that has informed my approach to governance and my priorities as a as an elected official.

Last year uh the governor Newsom and Senator Eggman and the state Senate and Assembly Woman Irwin worked to put proposition one on the ballot in March.

And that's a big investment in housing and treatment for people with severe mental illness.

Proposition one does a couple of big things.

One is it is a very large bond, six and a half billion dollars, for housing beds, placement, locked and unlocked facilities for people with severe mental illness.

That's important because we haven't had those kinds of funds available for that.

And of course, we used to have state mental hospitals.

We've largely closed those.

We have not replaced those.

So this is the most significant investment California will have made in replacing the state hospitals with something better and more community-based.

I think anyone who goes out on the streets in San Francisco can see that there are folks with real needs who are not having them met right now, and I'm hoping that Prop One and what we do with implementing it in San Francisco will help us to better meet the needs of some pretty sick folks.

I think the country club is a very special place.

The Castro is known for a number of things.

It's the place where you know Harvey Milk had his camera shop and where the queer uh civil rights movement and political movement of the last you know four or five decades uh started.

Um, it's also known for as a great destination for queer people.

A lot of that is about bars, uh the great nightlife.

And that's great.

There's also a darker side to that, which is there's a lot of addiction in the queer community.

Originally uh when we were founded in 1983, we were a coffee house that was helping folks recover from the epidemic of the AIDS crisis.

Over time, over the last 41 years, that has changed, and now what we are is we are a nonprofit that has a focus on the queer recovery community.

That's our focus.

But the center is open to everybody.

We host 46 in-person support groups a week, ranging from Crystal Method Anonymous, alcoholics anonymous, narcotics anonymous, overeaters anonymous, adult children of alcoholics, recovery dharma, smart recovery.

So we really try and cater to the entire community and all the things that they might need health and wellness from.

Community organizations, small and mighty, that are doing really good work to help people move forward.

I benefit from this entity because when I have questions about substance use disorder, about how to tackle the challenges in the neighborhood or in the city overall, I can turn to the folks at the country club who have lived experience with most of the addictions there are and can tell me, you know, what's gonna work or what's likely to work, what's not likely to work, and Cliffs Variety is another just great uh Castro institution, super committed to the neighborhood at a time when retail is struggling, not just in San Francisco but around the country.

This is a beloved store.

They provide jobs for lots of you know folks in the neighborhood.

It's a family that has seen the transition uh in the neighborhood.

They were here when it was a you know a more Irish working class kind of neighborhood.

Uh, and then they they saw and welcomed, you know, all these queer folks coming into the neighborhood and really changing the neighborhood, and they embraced that.

Do you think this is your context?

Wow.

That's amazing.

Okay.

Um, and how much are the gloves?

The store was started by my great-great-grandfather in 1936.

It started as you used greeting cards and magazine stand and evolved with what the neighborhood needed over the years.

My great-grandfather was a fix it man in the tenderloin and was in a motorcycle accident.

While he was recovering, he was fixing things in the back of his parents' store, and that's how we started carrying hardware items.

And and literally he could fix anything.

When you walk into my store, you're walking into the most fantastic place you've ever been.

Walking in the main store, you're going to be greeted by rows of board games and toys, and then all of a sudden you're in hardware land and house roots land and party and paint.

And if you walk into my annex, you're immediately greeted by drag queen eyelashes and shoes and fabric and all every gift item you could imagine.

It is kind of a throwback to a time of the general store when you would go to one store for anything you might need, ranging from your drag outfit that you might need for, you know, some party or performance to uh something you need to like fix your sewers or your walls or to repaint, or maybe just you know, a gift to take to someone for a holiday or a birthday.

So they got all the stuff.

Yay!

We like to say if we don't have it, you don't need it.

Literally, we have everything except for food and clothes.

Every neighborhood in San Francisco is struggling somewhat with the impacts of our failure to successfully address the mental health needs of our mentally ill population.

And so as I look 10 or 20 years into the future, I think it will be bright, it will be brighter to the extent that we have found a way to meet the needs of people with addictions, with um with mental health challenges.

That impacts each storefront, each store owner, the employees in those stores, and people just walking around the neighborhood.

And I'm hoping that, you know, today I think walking around in many of San Francisco's neighborhoods, people have to think about, you know, the why are we not doing a better job of caring for these people?

And my hope is that 10 or 20 years from now, because of work I do and the work other people do, that people won't have to constantly ask that question that we'll just be doing it.

And I think that will now allow for a flourishing of these neighborhoods.

These are beautiful neighborhoods with beautiful buildings and views, and we just we just have to meet the needs of the human beings who are kind of kind of been left behind and are on our sidewalks and in our doorways.

I am Supervisor Mirna Melgar.

I am the supervisor for District 7.

I am an immigrant to San Francisco.

My family came when I was 12 from El Salvador during the Civil War.

A bunch of, you know, war refugees.

This place gave us security, safety, and an opportunity to thrive.

So I love the city deeply.

And as a mother of three kids who have grown up as city kids, you know, I am grateful for everything the city has to offer to people like me and to families.

I have been politically involved my whole life, either in government or as a nonprofit worker, and I care about the community.

I care about people around me, and I want to make sure that as uh the world changes around us, other people have the opportunities that my family did.

We are back in San Francisco post-pandemic, so important to be out supporting our businesses, supporting our neighbors.

I'm the first woman to represent this district, believe it or not.

I'm the first Latina elected to the board of supervisors without an appointment first ever.

So I do think that diversity is important.

I want immigrants to be represented, women, moms, you know, people that have different experiences because that brings richness to our decision making, and I think that it makes for better decisions.

So that's what inspired me to run.

District 7 is one of the most diverse districts in San Francisco, both in terms of uh economics and also ethnicity.

It spans now all the way north from Golden Gate Park.

It includes all of the institutions in the park, the Ferris Wheel, the music concourse, the museums, to the south to the Daily City border and west to the ocean, includes the zoo, Fort Funston, all of those fun things, and then to eighty on uh the east.

So it includes a city college, San Francisco State, it has UCSF Par NASA, so it's very large geographically.

It is mostly single-family homes.

So it is the place where for generations, families set roots, sent their kids to school.

We have nice parks, Lake Morse, Mount Davidson.

This is like a village within the city, so we're very close-knit community.

We tend to band together and try to support one another, and and also it's just a friendly place for families and people to have a cup of coffee and check out the park.

Ocean Avenue, which is at the southern end of our district, is a very vibrant commercial corridor that mostly caters to our local neighborhoods, but also to the students.

And as you go further west, you know, you have Phil's Town Mall, which has some of the best pan-Asian food offerings, I think, in the city.

If you haven't been there, uh, it's really fun.

As you go up a little bit further, there's West Portal Avenue, which is a very old school, you know, a commercial district where you can still find antique shops and cobbler shops, and you know, as well as like more modern restaurants.

It is definitely hopping and full of families on any weekend.

I'm Matt Rogers.

I'm the co-owner of Pappenhausen Hardware on West Portal Avenue.

And Carl Aguilar, other co-owner of Papenhousen Hardware and West Portal.

We're a neighborhood hardware store.

It's been a community institution since it was founded in 1936.

We had a little bit of everything for do-it-yourself home repairs to gardening or gift buying.

Like my entire experience with San Francisco has been with this community.

It's a very small town feel for a big city.

That the community is really caring and connected, and I like that.

What makes me excited about doing business in District 7 is just that I know it so well.

I grew up here.

I know a lot of the customers.

I they were childhood friends or parents and childhood friends, and it's just a very comfortable place.

And it feels like home.

If you go up north, uh we have the Inner Sunset Commercial Corridor, which has an awesome farmers market on weekends, and a plethora of restaurants.

There's Iranian, there's Ethiopia, there's everything you need.

There's really friendly, and they stop and talk to you all about, you know, the daily base and I love that they bring their kids with them.

They teach them how to use their money, interchange.

And it's something that you don't see in too many markets and in other communities.

But I love to see the kids that coming and talking to you.

You know, it's something different than I see from all their markets.

What I loved about this district was the easy access to transit from the inner sunset and uh the ability to do a lot of our shopping on foot.

And now the improved biking with JFK being close to cars, because we have a four and a half-year-old who rides your bike, you know, we now have a safe place to go ride bikes or we don't have to worry about traffic.

So graffiti continues to be one of these things that um during the pandemic just got out of control everywhere in the city.

Um, and I do think that it is um hampering our recovery of commercial corridors.

So uh some of the volunteers on uh West Portal Avenue, some of the merchants got together with our interns at our office to do some just hands-on abatement.

Uh, and we've been doing it regularly ever since.

We're doing it once a week.

We have a wonderful neighbor, Carrie Sykes, who has been organizing and storing the paint and the supplies in her office on West Portal, but this obviously needs more than just a volunteer effort.

I'm really grateful for the collaboration.

We passed legislation at the board and put four million dollars in the budget over the next 24 months to help the Department of Public Works hire laborers and labor apprentices to abate the graffiti on private property on commercial corridors.

I think that for a couple years, this is a good uh recovery strategy until we can get back up as normal after this uh awful pandemic.

Participatory budgeting is a pot of money that is available every year for district seven neighbors to propose projects that improve the neighborhood in the district.

And so uh anyone, any organization in uh the district can propose a project.

And then it's a vote, it's a popular vote.

So we have 14 projects that were just approved, uh, and they span from um you know a vegetable garden at Apdos Middle School to uh, you know, pedestrian safety projects on Slowhurst Avenue.

Uh it just runs the gamut, but it's really wonderful because um it allows people to be engaged in a real way and then to see the outcome of their uh you know energy and work uh because the things you know get improved right in front of them.

I think I really like that it's really close to the both parks and like a bunch of businesses as well as just like a very calm feel, like it feels very peaceful still, even though it's close to a lot of things, which makes it feel just very serene, but then also not boring, you know, just like there's always stuff to do too.

So there's lots to see, uh taste uh inexperience in District 7.

Discover the heart of San Francisco in District 5, a tapestry of neighborhoods, each rich in history and unique character.

From the iconic Haight Ashbury and the cultural vibrance of the Fillmore and Japan town to the charm of Hayes Valley, the north of Panhandle, Western Edition, and the Tenderloin.

This district showcases the city's diversity at its finest.

I'm Kristen Evans.

I'm a resident and small business owner here in the historic Haight Ashbury neighborhood.

I own the booksmith and the Alembic.

Haight Ashbury is a unique place.

It was the most colorful part of the city when I was a kid.

The rock stars, Janice Joplin's house, Grateful Dead House.

People are very much free-spirited.

Here we have many second-hand clothing stores.

People are really echo-conscious.

And so we have people that are enjoying the vibrancy of the street, and it's as much a place to shop as it is a place to also people watch.

So while you're um doing that, stop, have some lunch.

That's really yummy.

I could go on about all the really great delicious places to try in the hate.

I'm part of the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association, and we work on really promoting our corridor as a destination.

People don't just come to Hate Street to one destination.

They come and they visit three or four different places when they when they come to visit.

So if we have vacancies, we have fewer reasons why people are coming to the street.

We had uh 21 vacancies going into the pandemic.

That increased to 32 during the pandemic, and so one of the things that we had been advocating for was a storefront vacancy tax.

So voters passed uh prop D, and that has really reduced the number of vacancies.

We've gone from 32 down to 14.

You should definitely come to the Haight Ashbury, enjoy our beautiful weather, get a meal on Haight Street, shop at our beautiful boutiques.

District 5 is proud to feature a network of slow and safe streets that connect our neighborhoods.

Page Street stands out as a shining example, now bustling with bikers and pedestrians and recognized as the city's most successful slow street.

Initiatives like the Golden Gate Greenway and Car Free Hayes have also turned previously traffic heavy areas into safe, welcoming spaces for walking and biking.

After having lived all over the city, I wanted somewhere where I never needed to use a car.

And I also wanted somewhere where I had a little bit of separation from my job, which was downtown.

So I kind of drew a 25 minute radius around downtown and Hayes Valley.

It seemed to fit the bill.

See a lot of people just hanging out outside and kind of past people, and you get to know people in the neighborhood.

It's a pretty pretty special environment.

One of my favorite landmarks is where we're standing, Patricia's Green.

You know, it's the former site of the freeway.

It's named after Patricia Walka.

She was part of a group of people that led the movement to get the freeway taken down.

And this with the embarcadero is one of the best examples of of what happens when you remove a freeway and give space back to people.

There's tons of places to to shop and eat.

Pretty much something for everybody here.

My friend's kid had their first birthday party last week, and I walked into Fiddlesticks and got a present for them.

If it's warm like today, you can pop over to hometown creamery and get some ice cream.

Another favorite is Mercury Cafe, which is a few blocks down Octavia.

And another favorite is Hayes Valley Bakeworks, where they not only have like incredible baked goods and breakfast and sandwiches, but they employ and train at-risk and disabled people.

So they there's a real social angle to what they do.

Every Friday Saturday since COVID, the 400 block of Hay Street between Octavia and Gough is pedestrianized.

So we open it up for people.

Sometimes we have bands.

It essentially doubles the size of our town square.

So for anybody in D5 or anywhere around the city, it's really a great gathering space to just kind of linger.

You don't even necessarily need a plan.

Just kind of come and hang out.

The Fillmore at the heart of District 5 remains one of San Francisco's historic black neighborhoods.

After enduring challenges like redevelopment and displacement, the community is experiencing a resurgence with new businesses bringing fresh life and vibrancy to the area in recent years.

I'm Erica Scott, and we are here at Honey Art Studio.

I grew up here in the neighborhood, and I feel really fortunate to have my business here.

We are a multi-purpose place.

There's a book, The Harlem of the West.

And that book depicts what the Harlem of the West was, which is the Fillmore and people really from all over the world, would come here.

It was a huge jazz scene.

I mean, just everything.

This was the place to be, to experience black culture and just to live, you know.

I definitely wanted to give honor to that.

Closer to my generation, there's new businesses.

We have something really special and really unique, which is uh in the black.

It sits on the corner of Gary and Fillmore.

It is a home to I believe 30 entrepreneurs.

It's like a marketplace.

Super cool.

A lot of the things are either custom or just really unique.

It's Jazzy's hair salon and Jazzy Hair Salon.

I believe they're applying for a legacy business ownership because they've been in business, I believe, for over 25 years.

There's lots of cottage and home-based businesses.

Brother Marquise Mohammed, known as Brother Mohammed here in Fillmore for since 1999, been established here since 1999.

Selling my products, as you see, my body laws and uh cosmetic items, clothing, etc.

So, how's it going?

It's going good.

Good, good to see you.

Good job.

I still have uh my old customers that still come and support.

So there's there's sales from them a sense of community.

We have little remnants of that old uh called the old vibe here.

So come visit the Fillmore.

It's the famous jazz district, and we still have elements of that.

You want to come and experience it.

Friendly, friendly people, and this is a place where you'll take a piece of San Francisco, a piece of the Fillmore right back with you.

Since the redistricting in 2022, the Tenderloin has become part of District 5, introducing a vibrant new community to the district.

The Tenderloin is rich in history with unique landmarks like Veterans Alley, which was renamed from Shannon Street to honor the mural project started by Amos Gregory.

What began as a blighted alley is now a meaningful gathering place where veterans express themselves through art and connect with one another.

The neighborhood also boasts the Tenderloin Museum, offering incredible programs that highlight the area's cultural and historical significance.

So the Tenderly Museum has a permanent collection about the history of the neighborhood.

And we also have a community art gallery featuring Tenderloin artists and other artists like working on projects in the neighborhood.

We've really become known for having historically inspired arts programs.

And that's something that makes us very unique.

We're currently producing a play about the Comptons Cafeteria Riot.

And we strive to work with as many like neighbors and neighboring organizations as possible to create really diverse programming for a diverse neighborhood.

Tenderland's like an incredibly close-knit community in just like the almost decade I've been working here.

You're able to like really make so many connections with people.

Aunt Charlie's is an incredible neighborhood working class drag bar, and it's the last queer bar in the Tunderland neighborhood, which was the first queer neighborhood in San Francisco.

Counterpulse is an incredible organization that shows experimental performing arts.

And they've been great partners and do a lot for the neighborhood.

We have a little Saigon and Saigon Sandwiches, the uh Vietnamese sandwiches, I think are one of the classic staples of Tenderloin cuisine.

And Yemen Kitchen is a restaurant that opened in the neighborhood, actually, that I highly recommend.

The Phoenix Hotel is like such a tenderline legacy business.

Yeah, that brings in like um people into the neighborhood that might not normally stay here.

There's so much more to the Tenderline than what you read about in the news.

Come visit the Tenderline Museum and hear more of the story from the people who live here themselves.

Probably the most unique feature in Japan Town is the Peace Pagoda, which was built as part of the Japan uh trade center.

The other is the Japan Center itself.

You know, it's the oldest indoor shopping mall in San Francisco.

Uh, built uh in the late 1960s.

Despite all the changes Japan Town's been through, it's really still an authentic Japan town.

It's you know, it's still a Japanese-American community.

So you could still find a lot of Japanese, Japanese-American food here.

Japanese ice cream stores that are really popular.

We have what's called matcha drinks here.

The other thing that become really popular here in Japan is all of the new raw men shops that have opened up.

You know, before every Japanese restaurant had raw men, it was just like anything you could order, but now it's all specialized raw men.

So they come from different parts of Japan, and they feature their hometown style of Brahmin.

You know, it's a really safe place to hang out.

But you know, you come down here and you'll get a sense of the Japanese American um history and culture just by being down here.

It's just one of the great places to visit in San Francisco.

District 5 is a vibrant and diverse area with so much to offer both residents and visitors.

It's a place where people can experience the amazing community spirit and explore the many unique small businesses that make this district truly special.

I think it's the most beautiful.

We have the Golden Gate Bridge entering the city right in the Presidio, which in and of itself is an absolute gem.

But this district is incredible because it's made up of all these diverse little pockets.

Down towards City Hall and Cathedral Hill, we have larger apartment buildings around Jefferson Square Park.

On Fillmore Street, we have a diverse merchant corridor right next to apartment buildings and single-family homes.

Just here in Lafayette Park, we have incredible views both to the north and to the south.

I'm Steven Cheryl, District 2 supervisor here in the city and county of San Francisco.

I am incredibly proud to live here in San Francisco in a fabulous neighborhood in Presidio Heights with my wife and our young kids.

So I moved to San Francisco, and the first apartment I lived in was on Broadway and Laguna.

District 2 is the only place that I've lived in San Francisco.

This is a historic part of the city, but it's also a lively part of the city that's got small merchant corridors on Union, on Chestnut, and it's incredibly lively place, not only to live, but also to work.

Hi, my name is Jessica Ann, and I'm the owner of Nico Nico Gifts.

We ended up in San Francisco when my partner and I decided to move from Los Angeles about two and a half years ago.

And we wanted to experience a new place and environment that had a lot of walkability and good climate because we didn't really like the heat in LA.

And also all the parks and green space because we have two dogs.

So that's how we decided to move here.

I think my favorite things about District 2 is that it's one of the most beautiful districts in San Francisco.

I think it's very historic.

It's got like the bay, the views, it's got the Golden Gate Bridge.

So I think when you look at San Francisco all together, for me, I think it's the most scenic.

I guess I didn't know much about the different neighborhoods in San Francisco when we first moved here.

We were just driving by and I happened to see the space, and I absolutely fell in love with it.

So Nikoniko actually needs to smile or be smiley in Japanese.

And if you look at the branding on the top, it'll say Nikoniko in Japanese, and then on the bottom in Korean.

So I wanted to represent my dual heritage in one space and offer a gift shop that has cultural like engagement, like representation of AAPI communities, but also of myself.

When I have family and friends visiting San Francisco, I have a full itinerary for them here in the district.

First of all, we've got to go see the bridge.

Now for lunch, I want to make a move and go to Rose's Cafe on Union Street.

We're gonna have a little bit of pizza.

Then after that, we're gonna go to Chrissy Fields, we're gonna get on the beach.

Of course, it's a sunny day, so we're gonna relax a little bit, then we're gonna take a dip, more of a cold plunge, but then we'll towel off and we're gonna make our way to Chestnut.

Maybe we'll do a little original Joe's, maybe we'll do Izzy's, a lot of great options for dinner, and then late night.

Maybe we're gonna have a cocktail at Brazenhead.

District 2 is an incredible mix of fabulous people and fabulous geography.

And when those two things come together, you get a lot of beauty.

We have some of the best neighborhood merchant corridors with some fantastic restaurants.

We have some of the best hiking here in the city in the Presidio.

We have some of the best beaches here in the city.

We've got a harbor.

I mean, there is so much to do here.

It is incredible.