Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the July 20th 2026 Rules Committee meeting.

I am your Chair, Supervisor Shimon Walton.

I am joined by Vice Chair Stephen Sherrill and President Rafael Mandelman.

And we also are joined today by Supervisor Mahmoud.

Our clerk today is Victor Young.

And I want to thank James Kawana from SFGov TV for making sure that this meeting is publicized and made available to the public.

Mr.

Clerk, do you have any announcements this morning?

Yes.

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

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line 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 dot Y O U-N-G at SFgov.org.

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

May you also send your written comments via U.S.

meal to our office in City Hall.

One, Dr.

Carlton B.

Goodlit.

Please, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102.

Please make sure the silence all cell phones and electronic devices.

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of July 28th, unless otherwise stated.

That completes my initial announcements.

Thank you so much.

Would you please call item number one?

Item number one is a motion approving rejecting the mayor's nomination for the reappointment of Joshua Arce to the Public Utilities Commission for a term ending August 1st 2030.

Thank you so much.

And Commissioner Arsay, would you please come and tell us a little bit about why you want to continue?

Thank you so much, Chair Walton, Supervisors Mandelman, Cheryl Mahmoud.

My name is Joshua Arseh, and I'm grateful to Mayor Lurie to be nominated for reappointment to an additional four-year term at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

I am coming up this October-November on what will be the my third year in the unexpired term from my predecessor, Commissioner Maxwell, who like me serves in the ratepayer advocate seat of the Public Utilities Commission.

For me, it was an opportunity when I was ratified and uh first nominated by Mayor uh previous mayor, Mayor Breed, and conferred by this body.

I'm grateful to earn the the nomination from from Mayor Lurie to continue to advance what I think are some of the most important issues at the Public Utilities Commission, namely as the ratepayer advocate.

Three things that I've sought to focus on, particularly in the current year that I've served as Commission President is really addressing the core interests of ratepayers around affordability and rates.

I know that uh uh Chair Walton, you asked us to be concise in our remarks, but I'm happy to talk into some of those headwinds and some of the challenges that we faced when it comes to rates, some of the ways we've done everything possible with our general manager and staff to make those rates as affordable as possible and even bring them down on the short term.

We have long-term challenges there, and if reappointed and confirmed by the uh rules committee and the board, I look forward to continuing to address in the long term because we do have long-term headwinds and challenges in front of us.

Second has really worked to really align our our the impact that we have, the economic impact of our investments to really leverage them to go as far as possible to respect to jobs that we create and respect to contracting opportunities through our LBE policies and local hire ordinance.

We're able to really move so many opportunities beyond just the investments we make, which are billions of dollars.

We have a 12.5 billion dollar 10-year capital plan at the Public Utilities Commission, can do so much good in terms of the economics.

Along the way, I'm really excited that we increased our investment in the partnership with SF Environment, our contribution to that agency's coordination of the citywide climate action plan.

I think it's really important that we're also not just leveraging for the people, but our climate objectives for the city and county.

And lastly, I've really tried hard to increase the community presence of the of the commission and the agency.

I've been to oh gosh, a a few dozen community meetings, and whether that's uh individual advocates who invite me to go join a community meeting, labor union conversations.

I've been to places like Millbrae, Burlingame.

Folks may not uh know this.

Well, you probably do.

You are the supervisors.

But uh we're the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, but only one-third of our water customers are San Franciscans.

Two-thirds of all of our 2.5 roughly million water customers are outside the city down the peninsula, San Mateo, Santa Clara, even into a little bit of the e-space.

So I've worked really hard to get out there, show face to the regional ratepayers and make sure they have access and I bring that back to staff and share the information with fellow commissioners.

I could probably stop there on be concise and know you got a long agenda.

Happy to answer any questions that you may have of me, supervisors, and I would be honored to have your support here at rules committee at the full board.

Thank you, Commissioner Arce.

President Madeline.

Thank you, Chair Walton.

Um, I don't have any uh hard questions.

I just uh want to thank uh President Arce for your service on uh on the PUC and to San Francisco over the last decade plus.

Um and of course I'm happy to support your reappointment and congratulations on your new gig at the Alliance.

Thank you, President Manelman.

And I want to thank you as well, uh Commissioner Arce.

I do want to say that I hope to see there was once upon a time where the PUC was providing tours for a lot of city leadership, a lot of community partners to see our water system as you mentioned, um, and to learn about what the PUC actually does, and so I would love to see something like that come back.

Um I think that's a nudge for whoever the leadership um next leader may be for before for the department, but that was something that was exciting, and it also just gave a lot of folks insight and provided a connection to the PUC with with the regular community.

So I appreciate um all your work and hope to see something like that come back.

Um I don't see any more questions or comments from colleagues, so we will go to public comment.

Yes, members of the public who wish to speak on this item should like speak at this time.

Each speaker be allowed two minutes.

Hello.

Um my name is Forrest, um, and I'm here to speak in support of Josh Arceus' reappointment to the public utilities commission.

Uh I've known Josh for about five years, and uh I think he's an incredible bridge builder, one of the few people in our city who I think can work with many different sides to bring them together.

Um I think he's been an incredible public servant, and I think that our public utilities are I don't know.

They I feel reassured that Josh is uh their steward.

So please reappoint him.

Thank you.

Not that I'm telling him what to do.

Good morning.

My name is Olga Miranda.

I'm the president of SCIU Local 87, and I represent the janitors in the commercial sector, and I'm also the Secretary Treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council.

Um I stand here today with my my brother, uh Abdohadwan, who's our vice president.

And I want to start it by saying you're welcome.

We didn't pack the room with all of our members and Layuna members to have long, long uh lit lines of folks wanting to testify on behalf of this brother.

Now, people say Mexicans love to work.

This brother will work for free on any commissions that you think are gonna be a better better the city and the county of San Francisco.

I'm here to speak on behalf of a brother that's done not just that, but has also stood up for the community in many more ways than just as role of the PUC.

Today I ask for your support in being able to re-appoint him to the position, his position at the PUC.

And I can't think of another um commissioner that has worked as hard on his own time.

You all know as elected officials that you sacrifice time with your family to be able to make sure that this the constituency is served.

But a lot of folks don't know that you gave up a baseball game or a mom's birthday or a holiday in order to be able to meet your commitments.

There's no other harder working commissioner that I'm aware of than Josh Oddsay uh that could serve the role.

And I also never talked to anyone before 10 a.m.

on a Monday morning for any commission except for Josh Ladse, who I said I will answer the call.

Thank you, supervisors so much for your time.

Appreciate you.

Are there any other speakers on this matter?

There are no additional speakers.

Thank you, saying no additional speakers.

Public comment is now closed.

And I'd like to make a motion to uh amend item one and strike rejecting, replaced with approving and send to the board with recommendation.

Yes, on the motion to amend to approve and to recommend to the full board.

Vice Chair Cheryl.

Cheryl I, member Madelman.

Aye.

Madeline I, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number two.

Item two is a motion approving rejecting the mayoral nomination for the reappointment of the DSO, term ending June 30th, 2030, to the Planning Commission.

Uh, there is a request that this matter be sent out as a committee report.

Thank you so much.

And Commissioner Sow, would you come tell us a little bit about why you want to serve and Commissioner?

Good morning, Supervisors.

Thank you for considering my reappointment to the San Francisco Planning Commission.

It's been a privilege to serve on the Commission since April 2024 to help shape the future of the city that I deeply loved.

San Francisco's strength comes from its diverse neighborhoods, its people, and its ability to grow while preserving what makes it special.

For more than 20 years, my careers has been focused on city planning, architecture, real estate, and development with an emphasis on arts, equity, and sustainable growth.

As the only Asian American women currently serving on the commission, I bring a perspective shaped by both my professional and lived experience.

Today my work spends architecture, planning, and commercial real estate strategy across the Bay Area.

My professional experience has given me an appreciation for the balance between thoughtful design, economic feasibility, and public interest.

Three considerations that are at the heart of every planning commission decision.

As a planning commissioner, I have worked to ensure our decisions reflect the voices for all San Franciscan.

During the Family Zoning Plan, I joined our planning staff and director Sarah Dennis Phillips at our Sunset Community Town Hall conducted entirely in Cantonese.

That experience reinforced my belief that good planning starts with listening and making sure every community has a voice in the process.

I'm proud to have supported projects and policy that are helping move our city forward that includes approving the Stonestown redevelopment, which brings more than 2,500 homes for residents at all income levels, advancing office to housing conversions, and adaptive reuse to help revitalize downtown.

Working collaboratively with the mayor's office, the board of supervisors, and our partner city agencies to streamline the process of opening new businesses and supporting the housing trust fund and to create a reliable source funding for affordable housing for generations to come.

I believe good planning is not about choosing between growth and preservation.

It is about finding thoughtful solutions that allow us to achieve both.

If I'm fortunate enough to be reappointed, I would continue working collaboratively to build more housing, support thriving neighborhoods and small businesses, modernize our planning process, and ensure every San Franciscan has a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our city.

I appreciate your consideration today, and I look forward to continue to work in partnership with you all, the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor's Office, and our communities to help build a more equitable, vibrant, and resilient San Francisco.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Soh.

President Manelman.

Thank you, Chair Walton.

And again, I want to uh thank the Commissioner for her prior service and her uh willingness to continue.

Um struck about uh Commissioner So is the breadth of her support across different communities, people who don't always agree with each other uh about various things.

Uh, do believe that um she is a good capable um uh planning commissioner who is serving our city well and who maintains uh importantly maintains relationships in the community and um of course has the professional expertise um to uh uh to assist her colleagues on the commission and making good decisions.

So thank you for your service and I would just ditto President Mandelman's comments and seeing no other speakers, I will call for public comment on this item.

Thank you.

Members of the public who wish to speak on this item should line up to speak at this time.

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

Hello, um Forrest again.

Um I'm also here to support the reappointment of Lydia Soh to the planning commission.

Uh I've also known Lydia for five years.

I think that she um is an incredible leader in our community as well as the Asian community.

Um I think that having um Asian representation on our boards and commissions is very important to me in my work, and uh Lydia has been on many commissions and has done a great job on all of them, and I think that another four years of planning would be well served with her leadership.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chair and members of the rules committee.

Uh my name is Brian Kwan, and I'm a San Francisco resident on the west side of the city uh organizer on a few different democratic clubs and amongst the Asian community.

I'm here today to strongly urge you to support the reappointment of Commissioner Lydia So to the Planning Commission.

We often hear about the need for balance and equity in City Hall, but Lydia actually delivers it.

As a professional architect of the former president of the commission, she brings an invaluable level of technical expertise to the dais.

She doesn't look at just the abstract zoning maps.

She understands the structural, economic, and practical realities of building a city.

She has consistently championed common sense solutions that create housing for everyone while actively protecting our neighborhoods and bus and small businesses.

Beyond her professional credentials, Lydia's voice is absolutely vital for representation.

She is currently the only Chinese American serving on the Planning Commission.

More importantly, she brings a rare deep cultural empathy and advanced native literacy in both spoken and written Cantonese.

Lydia doesn't govern from an ivory tower.

She is out on the ground, whether on Stockton Street or across the West Side or in the mission, ensuring that our hardworking monolingual immigrant communities and local merchants are never left out of the planning process.

At a time when San Francisco faces massive housing mandates and critical economic recovery choices, we cannot afford to lose her steady experience and deeply compassionate leadership.

Lydia balances a forward looking vision for our city's infrastructure with an unwavering respect for our neighborhood's cultural history.

Please move her reappointment forward to the full board with a positive recommendation.

Thank you.

Are there any other speakers on this matter?

There are no additional speakers.

Thank you, seeing no other speakers.

Public comment is now closed.

And Mr.

Clerk, I would like to make a motion to amend item number two and strike rejecting, replaced with approving, and move to the full board as a committee report with recommendation.

Yes, on that motion, Vice Chair Sherrill.

Cheryl I, Member Manelman.

Aye.

Manoman I.

Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton.

Aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, please call items three and nine together.

Yes.

Item number three is a motion ordering submitted to the voters at an election be held on November 3rd, 2026, and ordinance amending the administrative code to create a fund to receive and expend monies appropriating appropriate and any gifts, grants, or donations to be used to expand access to affordable, nutritious food for city residents.

Item number nine is a motion calling from the budget and finance committee pursuant to Board Rule 3.38, the proposed initiative ordinance file number 260693 to impose an excise tax commencing in tax year 2027 on persons keeping vacant or using differently parcels last use in whole or in part as formula retail grocery stores or formula retail pharmacies on or after January 1st, 2017, and scheduling the Board of Supervisors sit as a committee of the whole at a meeting on July 1st, 2026 at 3 p.m.

to hold a public hearing to consider the prospective initiative ordinance.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Clerk.

And we are joined by Supervisor Makmoot.

Thank you, Chair Walton and colleagues, and thank you to all uh for allowing us to hear this item today.

Uh beginning today's remarks, I want to note that across the city there is one topic on every San Franciscan's mind.

It's affordability.

Affordability of housing, of utilities, and of food.

I constantly have conversations with constituents and residents across the city about the impossible decisions they are facing.

Do they pay for their food or do they pay for their rent?

The fact that our city is still forcing our residents to make that choice is a policy failure.

We introduced the Affordable Groceries Act to provide a comprehensive framework to address this failure head on.

The price of groceries is growing exponentially year over year.

Milk, tomatoes, and more.

This is a national problem, but one that other cities are boldly tackling.

Compounding matters is the expansion of food deserts in our communities.

We see how large chain corporations are leaving our city.

They came in years ago, priced out local grocers.

They raised prices that contribute to the affordability crisis that we are in now today.

And then they left the neighborhoods they claim to support and maintain the properties they left as zombie stores to deter competition.

The Affordable Groceries Act was intended to address both of these challenges.

To address food inflation, we proposed the creation of an affordable grocery fund.

One that could subsidize the conversion of corner stores to affordable grocery stores, or cover grants for the build-out and tenant improvements for new stores.

Or buy property and lease it out to grocery stores that provide affordable pricing, like Merramam Dani is doing in New York.

To address the food desert problem, we had proposed the abandoned pharmacy and grocery tax.

It would tax large chain corporations and operators that intentionally hold their zombie stores vacant until they reactivate the store.

And help combat corporate land squatting and anti-competitive behavior.

We recognize that these solutions are new ideas to San Francisco.

We also recognize that not all of us may agree on the approach to address them.

That is part of the democratic process and one we are elected to put forward, debate, and discuss the merits.

Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago, the opportunity to vote on the abandoned pharmacy and grocery tax was blocked before it could be heard of the budget committee.

A circumstance which has, to our knowledge, not happened for a ballot measure before the board before.

I appreciate President Mandelman and Chair Walton for allowing the motion to be agendized this morning so we can discuss the issues our residents face on a daily basis.

That said, I understand that as of today we no longer have the votes to pass the fund or the motion out of committee today.

And so as a result, I will be requesting that both items be continued to the call of the chair.

And I recognize that while there is not consensus in City Hall on how to address this issue today due to ideological differences on the utility of taxation and corporate accountability as solution frameworks.

I know and believe that there is a will in our city to still address the underlying issues of food insecurity.

The people deserve immediate relief, which is why tomorrow at the Board of Supervisors I'm announcing a new affordable groceries act with the drafting requests for legislative proposals focused on components that are in our originally proposed affordable grocery fund.

These measures will include new ideas and expanding already existing programs that we know make a difference.

First, corner store conversion, restoring funding to the healthy retail SL program to convert corner stores into affordable produce stores based on a program that former supervisors Jane Kim and Malia Cohen had authored many years ago.

Grocery startup incentives, expanding the first year free program to exempt grocery stores from building and planning permit fees, as well as the expansion of the store for an opportunity grant to provide funding for capital build-outs of new grocery stores in neighborhoods that lack a full service grocery store.

And zoning reform, legislating new density bonuses for housing development that incorporate new grocery stores in ground floor modeled on New York City's own fresh program, as well as reforms to make subdivisions of existing vacant parcels easier for new grocery stores.

We have been in conversations with departments for the last several months on these respective solutions already, and now hope to legislate their resolution via the board.

Ultimately, I believe if holding large corporations accountable isn't where the consensus within City Hall is today, that's okay.

Ultimately, we should care about results over your ideology, and I intend to push forward and unite around the programs and tools we all know and agree can help.

Ultimately, the Affordable Groceries Act has shown that San Franciscans are hungry for bold ideas to tackle affordability.

I remain committed to working with anyone and everyone to advance the solutions we agree on today while continuing to push for the bigger changes our city needs.

I won't stop fighting until every neighborhood has reliable access to affordable healthy food.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Supervisor Mark Mood, and I appreciate you working with everyone to try to come with a solution to make groceries more affordable to our communities.

I know you may have talked to former supervisor Safai about a fund he and I pushed to make sure that we have resources for public grocery stores.

That could be something that you could possibly build off of.

I know you want to ask for continuance, but I see no reason to continue items that we won't be hearing anymore, so I'm gonna make a motion to the table after we go to public comment on these two items.

Yes, members of the public who wishes to speak on this item should line up to speak at this time.

Each speaker be allowed two minutes.

Please note that comments on item number nine should be limited to the discussion of the motion itself and not on the initiative ordinance.

Um you can approach the podium.

Good morning, supervisors, and thank you for this opportunity.

Um I'm gonna keep this extremely brief because I forgot my notes, but um we want to thank you for taking up this matter.

I really want to thank uh Supervisor Mahmoud for all that work and effort he's put into this.

And um we hope that this will move forward and that uh some meaningful affordable grocery uh legislation will come out of this process.

Um you referenced the affordability crisis.

And I was just reading the other day that uh Zillow has reported that um median rents in San Francisco have risen 19 percent in the last 12 months, far outpacing any other city.

We're not once again number one as the most expensive rental market in the country.

So doing something to address the affordability crisis and how it affects working class families uh in our communities is uh something that we at Indivisible SF have endorsed and fully support.

Um to place the uh uh importance on recognizing the importance of the health, nutrition, and well-being of the people in our communities.

Um we believe should be more important than uh prioritizing uh corporate interests.

And we think that a failure to do so uh is immoral.

So we urge you to do the right thing and um help make city uh San Francisco a more vibrant and affordable city for all of its residents.

Thank you.

Uh greetings, supervisors.

Good morning.

David Elliott Lewis, Chair of Tenderloin People's Congress.

We're a 10-year-long resident advocacy group.

We are we strongly support the need for this kind of act.

We want to thank the Supervisor Mahmood for uh proposing it.

Our neighborhood, the tenderloin has for years, actually decades been underserved in a lot of ways.

We don't have a single pharmacy, we don't have any grocery full service grocery stores.

The kind of groceries we have in the tenderline are small corner stores that sell high salt, high sugar, junk food, unhealthy foods.

We don't have the kind of nutrition we need to keep our neighborhood healthy.

We desperate desperately need this.

We're not the only food desert in the neighborhood.

There's other parts of District 5, other parts of the city that have become food deserts with the clo with the closure of uh major grocery stores, especially in the film war.

We we desperately need anything that could be done.

We have our Congress has been asking for something to help grocery stores for many, many years, and we're so grateful the supervisor has taken this up.

And I want to say something that I if I'm what I'm about to say is wrong, I hope you go on the record and tell me that I'm wrong.

But it appears that because part of this act would involve a tax against Amazon's very large 54,000 square foot property on Market Street, the closed grocery store Whole Foods, that they push back on the mayor to kill this, and the mayor pushed on Chan, Supervisor Chan, which now chems uh full circle to kill the kind of kill this legislation.

If what I'm saying is wrong, I'd like to be corrected and be told that I'm saying something inaccurate.

But I don't think I am.

I think corporate interests have tried to kill this measure, a measure that's desperately needed by our neighborhood for our nutrition, for our health, for our well-being.

And I hope you'll find it within you to support this and move this out of committee to the full board and let the full board vote on this and then let the people decide if this is the kind of taxation and legislation we need.

Thank you.

Thank you are there any other speakers on the matters.

There are no additional speakers.

Thank you.

Public comment is now closed.

And I'd like to make a motion to table items three and nine.

On the motion to table items three and nine.

Vice Chair Cheryl.

Aye.

Cheryl, I, Member Manam, and aye.

Madam and I, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number four.

Item number four is a hearing to consider appointing one member term ending July 1st, Torn E30 to the Sanitations and Streets Commission.

Thank you so much.

And I believe we have Kimberly Hartwood.

Yes.

Thank you so much.

Uh Chair Walton and Supervisor Sherrell and President Mendelman for considering my reappointment to the Sanitation and Streets Commission.

I would be honored to continue serving at the Commission.

I have called San Francisco home for the past 24 years and have worked for San Francisco nonprofits for the past 17, including 10 years at community benefit districts.

And through that work, I developed a deep appreciation for the importance of clean, safe, and welcoming public spaces and the impact that they have on the neighborhoods and quality of life.

Over the past four years, I have had the privilege to serve as a member, vice chair, and chair of the Sanitation and Streets Commission.

During that time, I have learned a great deal about the complex challenges facing our city and the critical work performed every day by the dedicated staff at public works.

I have been proud to help provide transparency and accountability to the public while supporting public works and its mission to serve San Franciscans.

I believe the Commission plays an important role in ensuring residents have a voice and that the department remains responsive to the community.

If reappointed, I will continue to approach this role with fairness, curiosity, and commitment to listening, asking thoughtful questions, and making decisions that are the best interest of the people of San Francisco.

Thank you again for your time, your consideration, and the opportunity to serve.

I respectively ask for your support in my reappointment.

Thank you so much, Commissioner.

President Mendelman.

Thank you, Chair Walden.

I want to uh thank uh Commissioner Hartwig Schulman for your service on this on this commission, which um uh is in uh is important um even if you are overseeing a department that no longer exists, but still the issue of streets and sanitation matters, and if we are gonna have this commission, we need to have good people on it.

Um and we'll see what the voters want to say in November about the continued existence of the commission.

But um thank you for your diligence in uh getting in serving and and get and getting us to reappoint you.

Thank you so much.

With that, we will call for public comment.

Yes, members of the public who should speak on this matter, should line up to speak at this time.

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

Are there any members of the public who wish to comment on this matter?

There is no additional speakers on this matter.

Thank you.

Seeing no additional speakers, public comment is now closed.

And I'd like to move this item forward with recommendation to the full board.

The recommendation is to appoint Kimberly Hartwick Schulman to seat number two, and for that to the full board.

On that motion, Vice Chair Cheryl.

Aye.

Cheryl Aye, Member Manelman.

Aye.

Manelman aye, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number five.

Yes, item number five is a motion approved and rejecting the mayor's nomination for the reappointment of Lindsay McLeese to the Building Inspection Commission for a term ending July 1st, 2028.

Thank you.

Commissioner McCleese is here.

And please tell us why you want to continue to serve.

Um yes.

So I'll start off briefly about my history since I've heard all the other speakers talk on that.

Um I have, as of this summer, 20 years of experience living and working and practicing in San Francisco as a structural engineer.

Um I am completing the prior term, so I've been on the commission for about nine months, so I'll say my desire to continue is both, you know, just getting my feet wet and starting to learn the process, but also a strong interest in the planned merger and how that will impact um services and things like that.

I am uh user of the system.

I actively get permits from DBI.

Um I think I also bring to the Commission the experience of getting permits in a lot of other jurisdictions and how those processes are and kind of how that can play in here.

Um I've been uh chair of the structural engineering association.

I'm currently a chair for Earthquake Engineering uh research institute and a chair at UC Berkeley.

So I also have that um public experience that I bring.

So I'll keep that brief.

Uh that's it.

Thank you so much, Commissioner.

And I don't see any questions or comments from colleagues, so we will go to public comment on item five.

Members of the public wish to speak on this matter.

Should I end up to speak at this time?

Each speaker be allowed two minutes.

Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this matter?

There are no additional speakers on this matter.

Thank you.

Seeing no speakers.

Public comment is now closed.

And now I'd like to make a motion to amend item number five to remove rejecting, replaced with approving, and send to the full board with recommendation.

Yes, on that motion.

Vice Chair Cheryl.

Sheryl.

Aye, Member Mandelman.

Aye.

Mandelman Aye, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number six.

Item number six is a motion to approve and rejecting the mayor's nomination for the reappointment of Eleanor Blum to the Public Works Commission for a term ending July 2nd, 2030.

Thank you.

And I believe Ms.

Blum is unable to attend.

She's uh out of state.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

We will call for public comment on this item.

Yes.

Uh members of the public who wish to speak on this item, just line up to speak.

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

Are there any members of the public who wants to speak on this matter?

There are no speakers.

Thank you.

This is a reappointment, and we've all had a chance to either have conversations or have our teams have conversations with Commissioner Bloom.

So I will make a motion to amend item number six, struck rejecting, replaced with approving, and move this item forward to the full board with recommendation.

Yes, on the on that motion.

Vice Chair Cheryl.

Sheryl.

I member Madelman.

Aye.

Madam and I, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton.

Aye.

That motion is approved without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number seven.

Item number seven is a motion approving rejecting the mayor's nomination for the reappointment of John Tresvini.

To the Board of Appeals for a term ending July 1st, 2030.

Thank you.

And I know Commissioner Transvina is here, so please tell us why you want to continue to serve.

Thank you, Chairman Walton.

President Mandelman, Supervisor Sherrill.

It's an honor to be before you.

Thank you for holding this hearing.

It's an honor to be uh nominated by Mayor Lurie for uh another additional four-year term uh to the Board of Appeals.

I've devoted my career to public service, uh having uh served under President Clinton, President Obama, President Biden, uh, and previously appointed by Mayor Feinstein and uh the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Education to various positions over the years.

This one I think is particularly important, uh the the Board of Appeals.

We largely cover land use matters, as you know.

I'm happy to see our our alumnus uh here as one of the members of the three uh uh uh uh uh of the committee.

Uh this past year we've we held we had 53 appeals.

That's a down by 50 percent over our tenure average, and it's indicative of the legislation uh both at the local level and the state level that you have passed to to reduce uh the opportunities for for the public to challenge uh various matters.

As I said, ninety about eighty-nine percent of our matters are land use matters.

Uh eighty-seven percent of our our cases are decided uh within 75 days.

So we reach our goals to be uh efficient and and and make sure that uh people have uh some finality.

Uh the the other day uh somebody asked me uh there are there any big cases coming before the Board of Appeals.

The reality is that every case is a big case.

It's either a decision uh about someone being able to put an addition onto their house that enables them to stay as San Franciscans, or it is a or it is a concern raised by a member of the public about an entertainment license uh or an addition to to a neighbor's house.

So all these matters are are very important to people.

Uh Mayor Agnos told me that it was his favorite commission because it was the considered the people's court.

And that's the philosophy that we take on as as I have been pre president uh this past past year, ably served by uh other other members of the board uh in in in a very collaborative effort to make sure that people are heard uh and that there is finality to decisions, so we want to increase communication with the public uh and encourage uh decisions that are uh quick uh and understandable to the people.

Happy to answer any of your questions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Transvener.

President Mendelman.

Uh thank you, Chair Walton.

Um I am uh an alum of the Board of Appeals and actually for a couple of months of the Building Inspection Commission, and I neglected to thank uh Commissioner McCleese uh for your service.

I also do uh want to especially thank um uh are you commissioners, appeal board board members, board member Tresvenia, um, for all of your service to San Francisco, but especially on the Board of Appeals, which is um the place where San Franciscans go when it seems like something is the city is doing something wrong, and that's the last stop to um to try and get it right.

Um it's important.

Thank you for being willing to continue.

Thank you.

Thank you, President Mandelman.

And I don't see any other comments or questions from colleagues, so we will go to public comment on item number seven.

Yes, members of the public, we should speak on this item, should line up to speak at this time.

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

Well, good morning.

My name is Rebecca Saroyan.

I am the Vice President of the Board of Appeals and have had the honor and distinct pleasure to serve with President Tresvinia for the last year and maybe two months.

And what I wanted to say is that I think that this reappointment from the mayor is incredibly important for the strength of the board and the continuity of the board.

President Triv Tresvinia listens very well.

He's organized.

He allows all litigants to come forward before us with respect, dignity, and honor of the law.

So I would be remiss if I didn't appear on his behalf today to say thank you for being the best tutor around.

I hope that he continues.

And I will say that President Tresvinha has a perfect attendance record for every board meeting.

And that is hard to do.

I don't know, you might take Christmas off this year.

Maybe we'll let him take Christmas off.

But he has a perfect attendance record.

And it's just my delight and pleasure to support his renomination from Mayor Lurry.

Thank you so much.

Hello.

I'm also here to support John Tresvinia's reappointment to the Board of Appeals.

Actually directly related to Stop Asian Hate, Lowell, and also the murder of Campbell Tanapakti.

I think he's a great ally to the cause.

And I think he's doing a great job on the Board of Appeals and is a great servant to our city.

So please forward his nomination to the board with your full recommendation, please.

Thank you.

Are there any other speakers for this matter?

There are no additional speakers.

Thank you.

And I'd like to make a motion to amend item number seven to strike rejecting and replace with approving and move forward to the full board with recommendation.

Yes, on that motion.

Vice Chair Sherrill.

Aye.

Sheryl.

I member Mattelman.

Melman, aye, Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton, aye.

That motion passes without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, please call item number eight.

Item number eight is the motion approving or rejecting the president of the Board of Supervisors, Rafael Mandeman.

Nomination of Robin Abadio for reappointment to the Board of Appeals, term ending July 1st, 2030.

Thank you so much.

And let's hear from Robin Acabillo and see why you want to continue to serve.

Good morning, Chair Walton, President Mandelman, Supervisor Sherrill.

Thank you for having me this morning.

I'll keep it brief.

I'm at the end of your long agenda.

But it's uh an incredible gift to be able to serve uh the city that I love so much in this capacity.

As you may know, um I was formerly with the San Francisco Planning Department for over 10 years, uh serving in various uh leadership roles, principally uh public policy and area planning um with a focus on public space.

So I do have experience in governance and um a long record of community work, and so together bring all of those to this role at the San Francisco Board of Appeals.

I'm here to answer any questions you may have of me.

Thank you so much, President Mendelman.

Thank you, Chair Walton.

Um I uh felt when when we when I first nominated uh um uh board member Akubillo um back uh in December.

Um I I I remember being just struck by the breadth of his experience uh doing various things in various parts of San Francisco and across the Bay and Oakland.

Um I refreshed my memory on those things.

It's it's pretty remarkable.

Ten years in the planning department, um, worked, of course, on our shared spaces program and our um and uh our response to the COVID epidemic, um, worked on the Central Waterfront and Dog Dog Patch Public Realm Plan, um, uh coordinated the Eastern Neighborhood's Community Advisory Committee and is currently uh an ombuds uh the citywide ombudsperson within the Oakland City Administrator's Office working on permitting reform, outdoor vending, um, and uh vacant store fronts and lots.

Um then, you know, prior to being with the city, he'd been with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, working on all sorts of uh worthy projects, and then um uh and then in his free time, he's been on the boards of the bicycle coalition, Lyric.

Um he volunteers regularly with the Pink Triangle folks um on Twin Peaks and Frameline, for he's done that for about two decades.

He's a founding member of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, um, has served on the boards of the Youth Art Exchange, Illuminate the Arts, Your Babuina Center for the Arts, um phenomenal San Franciscan, and uh I'm glad you're willing to continue to continue serving on the Board of Appeals.

So thank you.

Thank you so much, President Mendelman.

And with that, we will go to public comment.

Yes, members of the public.

We should speak on this item.

Should I speak at this time?

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I'm John Tresvenir, President of the Board of Appeals.

I want to give my enthusiastic endorsement and support of my colleague Robin Abado Cobillo to be renominated for a four-year term.

He's come on board in the past year and really added a lot to our our work.

While we work as a team, and I can say consistently, when we get 250, 400 page uh briefs on various matters for each meeting, we all come prepared.

Uh we all a number of us are lawyers.

Uh we all I think have a consistent uh view of making sure there is accessibility to the public.

But one thing that Robin adds in particular is his expertise in the planning planning world.

Pony walls, uh fire grades, excavation, uh, and and various fine points and and particularly important professional points, uh he brings that expertise uh in addition to the other values that you the that you you that you know, the community knows, uh, and and that had been expressed this morning.

So I want to add my support uh for his his continuation.

Thank you for nominating him in the first place.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Back again.

Again, good morning.

I want to support um my fellow commissioners' reappointment to the board, in particular because there's a before and an after.

So I have a legal background, but I do not have a planning background.

That is what he brings to the board.

And so it is such a pleasure to be able to rely on a board member with such a deep knowledge of planning, building inspection, and how it works in San Francisco.

So it is a wonderful asset to the board, and I would highly recommend you reappoint uh Commissioner Robin.

How do you say your last name?

Abod.

Obad Abisio.

Thank you so much are there any additional speakers for this matter?

There are no additional speakers.

Thank you.

See no additional speakers.

Public comment is now closed.

And I would like to make a motion to amend item number eight and strike rejecting, replaced with approving and sent to the full board with recommendation.

Yes.

Um on that motion.

Vice Chair Cheryl.

Cheryl.

Aye, member Manaman.

Madam Aye.

Chair Walton.

Aye.

Walton Aye.

The motion to approve the and recommend to the full board.

It is passed without objection.

Thank you.

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

Mr.

Clerk, do we have any more items before us this morning?

There are no additional items on today's agenda.

Thank you.

We are adjourned.

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