Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting – November 10, 2022
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Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting – November 10, 2022
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on November 10, 2022, to consider two liquor license applications and the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) annual update. The committee voted unanimously to approve resolutions for both liquor license items and to forward the MHSA update to the full board.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Chez Brando Liquor License (Item 1): Mark Bruno, a 34-year neighborhood resident, opposed the license, citing the small size (under 300 square feet) and potential noise conflicts with upstairs residences, given the applicant’s plan to use shared outdoor space. He noted the area already has four alcohol-serving establishments and is near an elementary school.
- PianoFight Liquor License Transfer (Item 2): No public comments were made.
- Mental Health Services Act Update (Item 3): No public comments were made.
Discussion Items
- Chez Brando Liquor License (775 Filbert Street): Officer Samelson reported one letter of protest and three letters of support. The Alcohol Liaison Unit (ALU) recommended approval with conditions: no loitering and no audible noise at nearby residences. Applicant Brandon Jesse provided emotional testimony about his 23-year history in North Beach, the loss of two brothers during the process, and his vision for a quiet wine bar focused on French-American cultural connections and community education. He agreed to the conditions. Committee members expressed support.
- PianoFight Liquor License Transfer (144-146 Taylor Street): Officer Samelson reported zero letters of protest or support. The ALU recommended approval with the same conditions. Applicant Rob Reddy, co-founder, described PianoFight as a live performance venue and restaurant in the Tenderloin, deeply involved in community organizations. The request was to convert the type 47 license to type 48 to remove the food requirement, as the kitchen lost money. Committee members thanked him and noted Supervisor Preston’s support.
- Mental Health Services Act Annual Update (FY2022-2023): Tracy Helton, Acting Deputy Director of MHSA, presented the annual update. Key points: MHSA is funded by a 1% tax on millionaires, generating about $39 million annually for San Francisco. In FY21-22, the program funded 83 programs serving 46,355 unduplicated clients. Highlights included 12 full-service partnership programs for severe mental illness, 7 peer programs, 8 workforce development programs. Outcomes included 6,462 fewer days in criminal justice settings for justice-involved clients, and 95% of stigma reduction participants reported increased understanding of mental health recovery. A new $5.4 million innovation project focuses on culturally congruent practices for Black/African American communities. Peer specialists are critical; two certificate programs are funded (with R.A.M.S. and City College). The state restricts MHSA funds from direct substance use disorder treatment, but recent legislation allows serving co-occurring disorders. The committee asked about peer advocate roles and funding volatility.
Key Outcomes
- Chez Brando (Item 1): The committee voted unanimously (3-0) to prepare a resolution finding the license serves public convenience/necessity and to send it to the full board with a positive recommendation as a committee report.
- PianoFight (Item 2): The committee voted unanimously (3-0) to prepare a resolution and send it to the full board with a positive recommendation as a committee report.
- Mental Health Services Act (Item 3): The committee voted unanimously (3-0) to adopt the resolution authorizing the FY2022-2023 annual update and to forward it to the full board with a positive recommendation. (The initial motion to file the hearing was corrected; only the resolution vote was needed.)
Meeting Transcript
The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the Thursday, November November 10th, 2022 meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. I'm Supervisor Gordon Maher, the chair of this committee, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Catherine Stephanie, and we'll soon be joined by community member Mirna Malgar. Thank you to Alisa Samara and Stephanie Cobrera for um from the clerk's office for staffing this committee's meeting today. And I'd also like to thank Jason Gold Goldhammer from SFGov TB as well for staffing the meeting. Madam Clerk, do you have any announcements? Thank you. The Board of Supervisors and its committees are now convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The pub the board recognizes that equitable public access is essential and will be taking public comment as follows. First, public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. Those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, and then we'll take those who are waiting on the telephone line. For those watching either channel 26, 28, 78, or 99 at sfgovtb.org. The public comment call-in number is streaming across the screen. The number is 415-655-0001. Again, that is 415-655-0001. When prompted, enter the meeting ID 2487-069-5816. Then press pound and pound again. When connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but you will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, those joining us in person should line up to speak along the right, and those on the telephone should dial star three to be added to the speaker queue. If you are on your telephone, please remember to turn down your TV and all listening devices you may be using. As already indicated, we will be taking public comment from those attending in-person first. And when we go to our public comment telephone lines, alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. You can email them to me, the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Clerk at Stephanie.cabrera, C as in California, A BSM Bay, R E R A at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlitt Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of November 15th unless otherwise stated. That concludes my announcement. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Can you please call item number one? Item one is a hearing to consider the issuance of a type 42 on-sale beer and wine public premise liquor license to Shea Brando LLC, doing business as Shea Brando, located at 77 Filbert Street in District 3. Will serve the public convenience or necessity of the city and county of San Francisco. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call 415-655-0001. When prompted, enter meeting ID 2487-069-5816, then pound and pound again. If you haven't already done so, please dial star three to line up to speak. The system prompt will indicate that you have raised your hand. Please wait until the system indicates that you have been unmuted, and you may begin your comments when we go to public comment. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Brando has applied for a type 42 license, and if approved, this would allow them to operate a on-sale beer and wine public premise. There's one letter of protest, three letters of support. They're located in plot 120, which is considered a high cryo. They're in census track 10702, which is considered a high saturation area. Central station has no opposition, and Alcohol Liaison Unit recommends approval with the following conditions. And number two, that no noise shall be audible at any nearby residence or consideration point. Thank you, Officer. I'd like to welcome Representative from Shea Brando to speak. Is that um Brando Jesse? Yes.
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