have always been at the forefront to celebrate. what went lose sight of for 20 years we have made tremendous progress but progress is not always interrupted. i certainly would have thought that we would be beyond now 20 years fighting a battle like it seems it never ends. as we look at what is happening around the country, what is happening internationally about those that want to turn back the clock, that is something that we can never do, and why san francisco has to be the conscious of the nation, and for every elected official and leader in this country to make sure that we remind folks that the battle does not end and we have to be at the forefront of making sure that progress continues to be maintained for civil rights equality for lgbtqia+ folks.

because it is unfortunately, there are a lot of people that want to turn back the clock. we are here to celebrate, but also to remind all of us and to remind the generation that comes behind us of what we all need to do to stay vigilant. i want to say the best way to stay vigilant and to remind folks is to focus on the couples. not just the legal battles. the legal battles were the legal battles but we fought them to let the people celebrate love. 20 years ago, the best part of what we did was not in the courtroom but to change the minds and the hearts of people and living a shared experience. walking around city hall and talking to couples that came from everywhere around the country to hear what we were doing, what it meant for them and their families and their

couples, and that is what we should always remember and celebrate because that is what we were fighting for. there were ups and downs in that battle. remember, we had a month of happiness, a great month of happiness and then it abruptly closed. but that didn't mean that folks didn't continue to fight. that's why i'm happy to be introducing the next speaker who lived the ups and downs of the problems better than anybody, and that is jenny rizzo and pauly cooper. many of may have known their story. they were unfortunately the first couple denied a marriage license here in california because they couldn't get an appointment to get married until march 11th. i asked why did you wait that long? they were flying on a plane and that was the first appointment they can get and they had 50 folks attending

their wedding and they were abruptly denied the marriage license and that the court came out with this decision. they made the decision to say we want to be denied. they walked up to the clerk's desk and were denied. that was gut wrenching, but it didn't make it without resolve because we fought in california and made sure we brought marriage equality in california. so it is great to have jeannie and pauly here. we fought that battle for folks like them, we fought alongside them and they were our entire partner throughout this entire legal battle and they represent many others through that battle

as well and they have been together for 35 years, and there is no better couple to talk about the ups and downs and continue to fight and that's jeannie and thank you very much. [ applause ] >> thank you, dennis. what happened here in san francisco is truly transformational. it took a lot of courageous people to stand up. on march when we were turned down, it was devastating, but great that these people stood in. all of these people that were here, i was so proud that they were part of this. the story that they wove, civil rights, marriage rights, discrimination.

they made it so easy for the judge to hear our case that we were on the right side of history and indeed we prevailed. if you are lucky to find a person that loves you, that you love, makes you laugh, spend the highs and lows, raising kids, parents getting sick and dying, we are those loved ones. and now being legally married as we are older, i have a sense of security that we will be able to look out for each other and i thank this team for making it possible for us. thank you. [ applause ] >> she does make me laugh every single day. i couldn't be more blessed. on march 11th, it was a very traumatic day.

we had 50 friends and family. everybody came to city hall and as dennis mentioned, we got this paperwork and saw all of these cameras coming to city hall and we thought someone famous must be getting married and somebody yelled, they are shutting it down. at the time i was 58. do the math. we went running down the corridor to the clerk's office. maybe we could beat it, maybe that wasn't true. when we watched couples standing there and turning away, we channeled a very dear friend of ours, bernice, the civil rights leader who taught me everything about social justice and activism. she would say when your name is on the moment, you have a choice. you stand in or you walk away. and we held that. and my son who at the time was

24, that we have been raising already for 15 years, came up and put his arms around us and we said we have to stand and be denied. being denied was very emotional. if any of you watch pursuit of equality, the film. you will see the sobbing. it was incredibly emotional to be turned down at that counter and to watch the press conference from mayor newsom. and would like to say what it was like when there was a cake in the corner that no one wanted to cut and there were gifts. should they bring them. how do they celebrate us. at the end of the night, we saw a stack in the corner and people didn't know how to embrace this moment. then we had an answering machine. remember those? there were

messages from aclu, lambda, and we had to make a decision, what would we do with that, what would it mean? it would mean that your life is going to be hard, public and difficult. we said okay. my son said, mom, we were the ones denied. we have to show up. as a grown man now in clinical psychology, he understand the wounds. we are here because of you. mayor, new mayor talking to us, bringing this celebration for us, thank you. it's just a privilege to have been a plaintiff and to represent. thank you for allowing us and supporting us during our

representation. matt dorsi was one of the first guys that came to us and gave us a big hug and said you are going to be okay and we held hands for about four thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, jeannie, pauly. it is hard to believe that it's been 20 years. this event that we are celebrating marked something that for me was one of the most moving and personally meaningful endeavors i have ever taken part in my career. as one of the two queer executive members in the administration office along with terry stuart, we were watching something unfold that would deliver marriage equality rights that we have never seen in our lifetime. had i known that this

would be on the table in my lifetime, i would have been a better boyfriend. [ laughter ] i want to say thank you to everyone, and dean preston. we had a unanimous sponsorship celebrating the winter of love and would like to express gratitude to our governor newsom. there are times where things may seem unclear, but in 2004, a relatively new mayor, in office a month or two, made the decision to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. it was worth the fight. politically there was no guarantee at that moment that it

was going to turnout well for him and his career. thank god he's the governor of california. thank you, governor newsom. similarly it's been the honor of my career to serve as fifth district supervisors and working for 14 years under the leadership of dennis herrera and terry stuart. the work that that law office did was extraordinary. when san francisco didn't just defend gavin newsom, it was a pivotal moment in history and anytime any government in the state to sue on the marriage loss.

he said i want a trial on the facts of the case. i want to see what the facts are, the trial that i have always been trying to get. we as a city and the city attorney's office put discrimination on trial. and we got prop 8 and the discriminatory marriage laws struck down. there is an unsung hero in that. part of why it changed the debate was because it was the first time a government was voicing a societal interest and why we have a common interest in ending marriage discrimination. we turned to san francisco's chief economist, ted eagan, are and said how much does it cost the city and county of san francisco, california, to deal with your discrimination and your discriminatory laws? we had pleadings submitted to the court and no court had seen this kind of stuff the argument we were making, it changed the

debate, it changed conversations around dinners around this country and it changed history. thanks to all of you for being part of that. i think there is also an enduring lesson on the part of couples that moved me to tears often and i don't think i will make it through the day without them. it is always for this san francisco city hall. we respect democracy and should disagree, but let's never forget that when we unite on something, we can change the world. [ applause ] in honor for me as i mentioned serving on the board of supervisors now, i never thought i would want this job but it really is an honor to be here and one of the joys that i sit

along one of my friends and a mentor, and that is my friend >> supervisor rafael mandelman: >> thank you. madam mayor, and matt dorsi, you brought it out of the park. i didn't know about the role he played in this story. san franciscans, we think pretty highly of ourselves. this building, this is a city hall, people. but clearly 100 years ago, people thought we were going to be doing big and important things and we needed a building that reflect that.

sometimes i will tell you as someone who finds myself on the pragmatic wing of san francisco politics, i'm a little annoyed by that impulse. can we make this in the city work without changing all the world, but sometimes san francisco earns its bragging rights. 20 years ago, many of you, former city attorney and now general manager herrera, former mayor and now governor newsom. and all led by justice and stuart, those that subjected themselves. you had to be perfect because you were going to be talked about and voted on. and for

everybody like john stuart and molly and all of these activists that made it their cause and worked for it not for a year or two but for like decades. the broader san francisco and california folks who engaged, who got arrested as i did on a number of times, who protested. as matt was saying, this is a city that likes to fight about a lot. we find a lot to argue about. but we agree about more than we disagree, and when work together to advance the vision that we share for a more just and more equal america, like san francisco can actual help deliver that. here we really really did. so as dennis said, it was a winding road. and arc of the

moral of the universe is long but san francisco fought for justice and in the fights we had, we will continue to do that even though we continue to take care of the potholes. there are so many of my favorite people in city government but who i'm going to introduce is the amazing person carmen. were you one of the people here? you were working for gavin in the budget office and works great to make this city better. i think you are in charge of the marriage licenses at some level.

carmen chu. >> thank you so much for bringing us together and for celebrating this occasion. i want to thank so many of the leaders, dennis herrera, so many that were part of this. i would like to share the story that were shared because it matters in people's lives. when i was the recorder, where marriages were allowed and we made the decision as a city to keep our doors open over the weekend so people didn't have to wait a minute longer to get married. people were saying, why is that important, why can't you do this on monday and why do this extra

thing? the reason is because people waited too long. there was a couple who were getting married and drove all the way to san francisco to get married over the weekend and they came because one was going to be shipped off to military service. when you think about the impacts people make, it makes a world of difference in the security and the lives and the love that were created. i'm happy to be recognized and to be acknowledged for the work. it is great to see kathleen right now. there are 200 couples who are going to get married today and

would like to celebrate for her continuing to making that happen. i would like to thank nancy alfaro. she served and did 4,000 marriages since 2004. thank you for your courage. and thank you for celebrating the winter of love. mabel was instrumental in reworking our marriage licenses and it was she who married our very first same sex couple. so i think the history of san francisco, the history of courage and fighting for what is right, will always be just.

despite the battles that we have, please know that your city stands committed to fight alongside you. thank you, happy valentine's day. [ applause ] i would like to introduce one of my colleagues who works with me on all property tax issues and a very strong advocate, jose cisneros. >> hello, everyone. jose cisneros. not only the longest elected official in office today in san francisco, but also here to be proud of the fact that my husband and i have been together for 33 years. we were married right here in

this building ten years ago. [ applause ] but i particularly wanted to tell you about that day, those days 20 years ago because i was here then too. i was not the treasurer. i was the city employee, and i was one of the many dozen of the city employees that got word of what was going on and what our city leaders decided today. i on that weekend among many others came down to this building and stood by all day to perform wedding ceremonies. i just want to tell you what that was like. each of us that were officiating ceremonies. we the city provided not only

the official, i got together and we performed that day 30 wedding ceremonies in one day. but i want to tell you what it was like. you've all been to this building i'm sure if not once, many times and you have seen lots of things happen here. you have never seen this building like it looked on that day. you have seen the pictures, you have see the videos. hundreds, thousands of people waiting in line for the ceremony to again. they went to the city clerk's office, got all their paperwork done, when their paperwork was in order, they stood by the light poles and dozens and dozens of ceremonies.

you couldn't look anywhere in this building and not see a wedding ceremony going on. we went to the top of the staircase and we waved and asked for the next couple to be sent up and as we walked up the grand staircase to join us and we said let's find a place to marry you. we did that. i remember many couples. i will never forget. two women said we have been together 35 years. we never imagined this would happen in our lifetime. how moving is that? i remember another couple that had flown here from north carolina because the weddings were going on for a day or two from when we were doing them. they were holding a cellphone and unbeknownst to me, they were

on in north carolina. at the end of the ceremony, that cellphone burst out into screams and yells and excitement because this couple had just gotten married. i will forever cherish the opportunity to be part of that weekend and to be part of san francisco, but i think as the mayor and everyone has said, all of this is about the couples, it's all about all of you who stood up, who were proud, who were brave and who were present and continue to be every day now and forever. thanks very much. [ applause ] >> mayor london breed: thank you, jose. i must say especially in hearing a lot of the stories and the history and the experiences that so many of the speakers talked about today, it just makes me so proud of this city. it makes me so proud of what we did to make this happen, and how it has

transformed lives of people across the country and the world. [ applause ] and as i said earlier, when others are trying to write a narrative about this city, it is up to each and everyone of us to tell the real story of san francisco. that this place has always been and will continue to be a beacon of hope of love, of prosperity, of opportunity. that's thanks to especially courageous leaders back then in 2004 and even now with many of the people that you see here today. our commitment has never been stronger than it is now for the things that we need to continue to do to support and you have lift our lgbtqia+ community in this city to set an example for the rest of the country to follow.

thank you to all of you. happy valentine's day

>> i don't think you need to be an expert to look around and see the increasing frequency of fires throughout california. they are continuing at an ever-increasing rate every summer, and as we all know, the drought continues and huge shortages of water right now. i don't think you have to be an expert to see the impact. when people create greenhouse gases, we are doing so by different activities like

burning fossil fuels and letting off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and we also do this with food waste. when we waste solid food and leave it in the landfill, it puts methane gas into the atmosphere and that accelerates the rate at which we are warming our planet and makes all the effects of climate change worse. the good news is there are a lot of things that you can be doing, particularly composting and the added benefit is when the compost is actually applied to the soil, it has the ability to reverse climate change by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil and the t radios. and there is huge amount of science that is breaking right now around that. >> in the early 90s, san francisco hired some engineers to analyze the material san

francisco was sending to landfill. they did a waste characterization study, and that showed that most of the material san francisco was sending to landfill could be composted. it was things like food scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells and sticks and leaves from gardening. together re-ecology in san francisco started this curbside composting program and we were the first city in the country to collect food scraps separately from other trash and turn them into compost. it turns out it was one of the best things we ever did. it kept 2.5 million tons of material out of the landfill, produced a beautiful nutrient rich compost that has gone on to hundreds of farms, orchards and vineyards. so in that way you can manage your food scraps and produce far less methane. that is part of the solution. that gives people hope that we're doing something to slow down climate change. >> i have been into organic

farming my whole life. when we started planting trees, it was natural to have compost from re-ecology. compost is how i work and the soil biology or the microbes feed the plant and our job as regenerative farmers is to feed the microbes with compost and they will feed the plant. it is very much like in business where you say take care of your employees and your employees will take carolinas of your customers. the same thing. take care of the soil microbes and soil life and that will feed and take care of the plants. >> they love compost because it is a nutrient rich soil amendment. it is food for the soil. that is photosynthesis. pulling carbon from the atmosphere. pushing it back into the soil where it belongs. and the roots exude carbon into the soil. you are helping turn a farm into a carbon sink. it is an international model. delegations from 135 countries

have come to study this program. and it actually helped inspire a new law in california, senate bill 1383. which requires cities in california to reduce the amount of compostable materials they send to landfills by 75% by 2025. and san francisco helped inspire this and this is a nation-leading policy. >> because we have such an immature relationship with nature and the natural cycles and the carbon cycles, government does have to step in and protect the commons, which is soil, ocean, foryes, sir, and so forth. -- forest, and so fors. we know that our largest corporations are a significant percentage of carbon emission, and that the corporate community has significant role to play in reducing carbon emissions. unfortunately, we have no idea and no requirement that they disclose anything about the

carbon footprint, the core operation and sp360 stands for the basic notion that large corporations should be transparent about the carbon footprint. it makes all the sense in the world and very common sense but is controversial. any time you are proposing a policy that is going to make real change and that will change behavior because we know that when corporations have to disclose and be transparent and have that kind of accountability, there is going to be opposition. >> we have to provide technical assistance to comply with the state legislation sb1383 which requires them to have a food donation program. we keep the edible food local. and we are not composting it because we don't want to compost edible food. we want that food to get eaten within san francisco and feed folks in need. it is very unique in san

francisco we have such a broad and expansive education program for the city. but also that we have partners in government and nonprofit that are dedicated to this work. at san francisco unified school district, we have a sustainability office and educators throughout the science department that are building it into the curriculum. making it easy for teachers to teach about this. we work together to build a pipeline for students so that when they are really young in pre-k, they are just learning about the awe and wonder and beauty of nature and they are connecting to animals and things they would naturally find love and affinity towards. as they get older, concepts that keep them engaged like society and people and economics. >> california is experiencing many years of drought. dry periods. that is really hard on farms and is really challenging. compost helps farms get through these difficult times.

how is that? compost is a natural sponge that attracts and retains water. and so when we put compost around the roots of plants, it holds any moisture there from rainfall or irrigation. it helps farms make that corner and that helps them grow for food. you can grow 30% more food in times of drought in you farm naturally with compost. farms and cities in california are very hip now to this fact that creating compost, providing compost to farms helps communities survive and get through those dry periods. >> here is the thing. soil health, climate health, human health, one conversation. if we grow our food differently, we can capture all that excess carbon in the atmosphere and store it in unlimited quantities in the soil, that will create nutrient dense foods that will take care of most of our civilized diseases. so it's one conversation.

people have to understand that they are nature. they can't separate. we started prowling the high plains in the 1870s and by the 1930s, 60 year, we turned it into a dust bowl. that is what ignorance looks like when you don't pay attention to nature. nature bats last. so people have to wake up. wake up. compost. >> it is really easy to get frustrated because we have this belief that you have to be completely sustainable 24/7 in all aspects of your life. it is not about being perfect. it is about making a change here, a change there in your life. maybe saying, you know what? i don't have to drive to that particular place today. today i am going to take the bus or i'm going to walk. it is about having us is stainable in mind. that is -- it is about having sustainability in mind. that is how we move the dial. you don't have to be perfect all the time. >> san francisco has been and

will continue to be one of the greener cities because there are communities who care about protecting a special ecosystem and habitat. thinking about the history of the ohlone and the native and indigenous people who are stewards of this land from that history to now with the ambitious climate action plan we just passed and the goals we have, i think we have a dedicated group of people who see the importance of this place. and who put effort into building an infrastructure that actually makes it possible. >> we have a long history starting with the gold rush and the anti-war activism and that is also part of the environmental movement in the 60s and 70s. and of course, earth day in 1970 which is huge. and i feel very privileged to work for the city because we are on such a forefront of environmental issues, and we get calls from all over the world really to get information. how do cities create waste

programs like they do in san francisco. we are looking into the few which you are and we want innovation. we want solutions.

[music] >> san francisco is known as yerba buena, good herb after a mint that used to grow here. at this time there were 3 settlements one was mission delores. one the presidio and one was yerba buena which was urban

center. there were 800 people in 1848 it was small. a lot of historic buildings were here including pony express headquarters. wells fargo. hudson bay trading company and famous early settlers one of whom william leaderdorph who lived blocks from here a successful business person. african-american decent and the first million airin california. >> wilwoman was the founders of san francisco. here during the gold rush came in the early 1840s. he spent time stake himself as a merchant seaman and a business person. his father and brother in new orleans. we know him for san francisco's history. establishing himself here arnold

18 twoochl he did one of many things the first to do in yerba buena. was not california yet and was not fully san francisco yet. >> because he was an american citizen but spoke spanish he was able to during the time when america was taking over california from mexico, there was annexations that happened and conflict emerging and war, of course. he was part of the peek deliberations and am bas doorship to create the state of california a vice council to mexico. mexico granted him citizenship. he loaned the government of san francisco money. to funds some of the war efforts to establish the city itself and the state, of course. he established the first hotel here the person people turned to often to receive dignitaries or hold large gatherings

established the first public school here and helped start the public school system. he piloted the first steam ship on the bay. a big event for san francisco and depict instead state seal the ship was the sitk a. there is a small 4 block long length of street, owned much of that runs essentially where the transamerica building is to it ends at california. i walk today before am a cute side street. at this point t is the center what was all his property. he was the person entrusted to be the city's first treasurer. that is i big deal of itself to have that legacy part of an african-american the city's first banker. he was not only a forefather of the establishment of san francisco and california as a state but a leader in industry.

he had a direct hahn in so many things that we look at in san francisco. part of our dna. you know you don't hear his anymore in the context of those. representation matters. you need to uplift this so people know him but people like him like me. like you. like anyone who looks like him to be, i can do this, too. to have the city's first banker and a street in the middle of financial district. that alone is powerful. [music]go. >> shop and dine the 49 promotes local businesses and changes san

franciscans to do their shopping and dooipg within the 49 square miles by supporting local services within the neighborhood we help san francisco remain unique, successful and vibrant so where will you shop and dine the 49 hi in my mind a ms. medina

>> good morning, the meeting will come to order. welcome to e