you, tell you how to do it. sometimes, you need to think about how the people feel and the residents feel. i think for a long and i think we need to turn around and look at what we need to do to make a better system, sit at the table with the residents and the people, not with city hall in the neighborhood. chairman nolan: saint you. next speaker, please. -- thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> i am with power. it is not really a choice for them. they are not likely to have cars, so their children are more likely to use public transportation. my mother has a car.

i do not. i use public transportation to go places, and i cannot get a fast pass because i do not have a job. that is something that i worry about every month. the fare increases affect day- to-day activities, which can affect the community in the long run. there are activities and programs which would mean there are more people without things to do, and they will miss out on parks, public libraries, and even the employment opportunities. i am not the only person affected. i have two letters from members who could not attend today due to the time scheduling of the hearing. although they could not attend today, they have expressed their stories in brief letters to let you know that it is just not what they want. i am here to express the youth

point of view in the crisis. this is only part of those who have been impacted by the fare increases. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] >> i work with low-income high school students in the mission and a few districts, and power sees itself as responsible for developing the leadership skills, to advocate for social justice, not just in our neighborhood but in the city. it is our role to connect them with opportunities and experiences that contribute to their leadership development as community leaders, whether it be action with community events and other free support services throughout the city. with the increase in fares, it becomes more and more difficult

for young people to have access to these things. for the people in bayview, it is really disconnected from other basic services like schools, grocery store, and health facilities. i know many struggle on a daily basis to have the money to travel, he and the majority of the families do not have cars and are very vulnerable right now an unemployed due to the impacts of the recession. we hear stories about them about getting in the back of the bus because they do not have us there, and they understand the risks that come along, -- they do not have bus fare. there is a daily choice of whether having enough money to eat or having enough money to get on the bus, so we are here today to deliver these letters and to also think you guys for your support for the implementation of this program. we really appreciate it. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker, please. secretary boomer: [reading

namees] chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> i am a sophomore, and i am part. >> hi, i live in the chinatown area, and i am also a part. >> the bus will be $60 this year. like many of the students who are testifying, my sister and i depend on me to go to school, similar to many of these youth -- depend on muni. i also use it to get to my after school internship. the same for many in the chinatown community, where a

volunteer on the weekends. we are not just students. we work jobs, and we commute. >> having a lifeline youth pass will remove barriers to access for low-income youths and their families. the mta would be facilitating and helping them to take advantage of in play opportunities, to use recreation facilities, and after-school programs -- to take advantage of employment opportunities. we urge you to do this today. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: are any of those folks here? secretary boomer: is ms. garza here? [reading names]

chairman nolan: ok. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. [speaking foreign language] thank you. >> hi, my name is mae. i am glad to be here to share my story today. i live in a residence, and my children need to take the bus to go to school, so thank you very much for considering giving the free bus passes for my children. thank you. chairman nolan: thank you. next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names]

chairman nolan: good afternoon. >> i am a member of the san francisco tenants union. i just wanted to thank all of you for working together with us and the unified school district. it has been a really good collaboration. i also want to thank our heroes, who were way ahead of us, who linked transportation with social justice 50 years ago. i want to say that a lot of families have been reduced to sharing fast passes. the grace period of the first three days of the month, the fast passes are like gold. people are jockeying, trying to borrow them from friends and co- workers, and people have been reduced to this. and i want to thank you again and just say that the recession is not going away anytime soon,

unfortunately, so i hope, as was said, we can continue working together, because the need is going to continue. thank you very much. chairman nolan: thank you very much. next speaker. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: are they here? i do not see anybody else. secretary boomer: rosa chan? ok, the last person is -- chairman nolan: i do not see anyone else. is someone else coming in? you might mention the names again, ms. boomer. secretary boomer: [reading names] chairman nolan: ok, good afternoon.

secretary boomer: could you state your name? >> i am -- part of the chinatown development. what i want to talk about is i just turned 18 like two months ago, so when i go to school, i used to take about -- i used a bus pass, and now, when i am 18, i have to pay more money for the bus pass, so i do not really take the bus anymore, and my friends also do not do this, so my friends and i, we walk to school, and we come late. i think you guys could save a lot of money if you allow seniors in high school that are 18 to have free bus passes. chairman nolan: ok, thank you. >> hi, my name is rosa. i go to george washington high

school, and i am with the youth from chinatown community development center, and what i am trying -- the three main points for today is basically economic hardship, how not everyone has for the fast passes, because they are getting more expensive, and transit dependent, how everyone uses the bus to get everywhere, from jobs to school to volunteering, and qualifications should not be based -- should be based on grade, not age, because some high school students are born early and are 18, but they still have to pay $60 for an adult bus pass, when they are still a full-time student. chairman nolan: thank you. >> hi, scott. i am from lincoln high school.

i also ride the chi-town bus. -- chinatown bus. i would like you to consider this very carefully and seriously, because we need a fast pass to go to school and job and for extracurricular. so i am here to thank you tonight. chairman nolan: 84 being here. anyone else, -- thank you for being here. anyone else, ms. boomer? oh, i am sorry. i did not see anyone. >> i really like to see this day today, because this is a good example of this community, and government agencies, what they can do together. i think if we can do things like that more closely in our

community and trying to look into a really well into the needs and all of the effort, everybody in the city can work together. i think this is something that i really want to see more and more often. some do not have the money to pay for the bus.

we would like to be a happy ending, like today. so thank you. and i hope we can work together. chairman nolan: anyone else care to address the board? all right, what more. >> my name is emily. i work for the chinese progressive association, and we represent low-income chinese families around to san francisco, and we are very happy with the steps that mta is hopefully going to take today, and this is one step. while we appreciate that there is efforts going on to disperse these 12,000 passes, it is not enough. when families are forced to

choose between paying for bus fare and paying for clothing and food, that is a kind of situation where we should be ashamed that our city is putting our residences -- this is not the type of community that we want to see our people living in, and i am sure, mta, we are looking for your leadership for more creative solutions, and as a community organization and with many residents, we can say the we are not going to take any more cuts, that this is the end of cutting as a solution, and we will look to you guys for some creative solutions for some progress of revenues, how you can reduce your bottom line without putting the burden on families, and we think this is a great first step and one of many more that needs to happen. thank you. [applause] chairman nolan: anymore? ok, public, will be closed at

this point. one more. i did not see you. >> you did not see me in the paper today? i do not want to be redundant. i will be very brief. the sheer quantity of numbers, the people who came out today, it should reflect that this is truly a city-wide issue, that this is something people really want, and i express my gratitude, and i guess we will be talking in three months. chairman nolan: very good. always good to have the last word from a commissioner. all right, this is the last speaker. we have heard about 40 speakers, ok. >> thanks a lot. hi, everybody. secretary boomer: could you tell us your name, please? >> yes, my name is -- and i am guys are putting this on your agenda. actually, i am a junior at a

high school. at the assembly, i told my whole school about this. they are excited about it. we just want affordable public transportation, and we need your support, and we thank you very much. chairman nolan: thank you, commissioner. thank you. members of the board? is anybody for this thing? [laughter] would you like to make a motion? director: i would like to make a motion to move this forward, but i have to say that i am very impressed with the support, the number of students who came out to support it, and i want to thank executive director ford and his staff, but i also want to give a shout out to abraham lincoln.

i am very impressed with that. chairman nolan: that is a very eloquent motion to approve. is there a second? director oka: second. chairman nolan: director oka. all in favor, say aye. congratulations, you won. [applause] secretary boomer: there is a motion to discuss whether we will have a closed session and to invoke the attorney-client privilege. chairman nolan: we will go into closed session.