Good morning and welcome to this October 20th, 2025 rules committee meeting.

I am your chair, Supervisor Shimon Walton, joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Cheryl, and soon to be joined by President Mandelman.

Today's clerk is Victor Young, and I want to thank James Kawana from SFgov TV for making sure that this meeting is televised and available to the public.

Mr.

Clerk, do you have any announcements?

Uh yes.

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda.

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please sign up to speak on your right.

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways.

Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR.yo N G at SFgov.org.

If you submit public comment via email, it'll be included as part of the file.

You may also send written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall when Dr.

Carlton be good lit place.

Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102.

Please make sure to send all cell phones and electronic devices.

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the board of supervisors agenda of October 28th, unless otherwise stated.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

Would you please call item number one?

Item number one is hearing consider appointing five members, terms ending June 6, 2026, and six members' term ending June 6, 2027 to the immigrant rights commission.

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone.

So we have 14 applicants in 11 seats.

I know we have a lot of folks who are here this morning.

So one just want to thank everyone for being willing to serve.

What we're going to do is call you up to speak about why you want to serve, and I'm going to go in order of how you are listed on today's agenda.

And if you are here, please come up to the microphone.

You have about two minutes to tell us about why you want to serve.

And we will start with, and please forgive me if I mispronounce anyone's name.

But is it Adubu Treori?

Not here.

Okay.

Then we have Asil Farrer.

Hello, Supervisors.

Uh, my name is Seal Ferrer.

I'm proud to stand before you as uh the first Yemeni American to serve on the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission.

Want to thank the Almighty for bringing us here today and you supervisors for this opportunity.

Uh I take this position very seriously.

I come from a war torn country.

Uh grew up in the tenderloin.

Father had to sell everything he had to bring my family and I into this country.

This city gave us opportunity and I've dedicated my life to giving back to it.

I've worked with immigrant communities both on the nonprofit and public sectors, always making sure our voices don't just get heard, but there but also drive action.

In my current role as a planner and community liaison uh for the tenderloin, I've had the opportunity to lead San Francisco's first neighborhood wide participatory budgeting process, addressing key priorities like access to public space and culturally competent services for immigrant youth and families.

I've also helped the ten uh develop the tenderloin investment blueprint, uh first of its kind resident uh driven plan.

On the commission, when I take on an action item, I make sure to follow through whether it's something small like elevating a small business, and yes, please check out Yemen Kitchen at 219 Jones.

Thank you, Chairs Sauza, or serving on the awards committee.

I make sure to follow through.

On the commission, I've always believed that we can't just react.

We have to anticipate and be proactive.

Before the travel ban uh was even announced, I organized a hearing and authored a resolution condemning any return of a discriminatory travel ban, which passed unanimously a month later when the administration rolled out its first travel ban, San Francisco was already on record, ready and united.

I also work with our state legislation committee to support AB 91, the Middle Eastern North African uh inclusion act, uh, making San Francisco one of the first cities to publicly stand behind this historic step towards data equity and representation.

The government recently signed this bill into law, which means that our Middle Eastern North African communities will finally be counted.

Uh I had more to say, but I do know we're on a timeline.

Thank you so much and looking for the opportunity to serve.

Thank you so much.

Celine Connelly.

Good morning, Chair and members of the Rules Committee.

I moved here in 1999, and I have had the honor and pleasure of serving on the Commission for 13 years.

The Commission, I actually want to start by commending the task force on the streamlining of commissions for maintaining and upholding the immigrant rights commission independent status.