there was a survey done. supervisor cohen: there were meetings that were conducted in poder. supervisor mar: we should ask for some of that data. my understanding for the richmond district where there is one of the fresh and easy stores, the number was similar to what you said about your district or the other areas. it was much lower than that 50%, around those said koets. i am hoping they can provide the data so we can talk more with fresh and easy about that. supervisor cohen: just for a moment of clarity. i imagine the issue would come before us anyway. but -- based on the surveys, what is the total population in the mission? >> i am not sure right now. i do not know. we went to different -- we went around the lot. we went door knocking in the

area. the park nearby which is a block away. supervisor cohen: how many grocery stores exist already in the mission? >> in the area? close to the store, there are seven or eight grocery stores. they serve small-business is. >supervisor cohen: like mom and pop stores. supervisor mar: sometimes workers have to be at a certain educational requirement. sometimes it is not as easy to hire the 50% goal they said based on the educational level or the experience of some people from around the neighborhood but we should urge them to meet the different numbers they said. if they are far off from the 50% they have set, we have to work more closely with them. it is the office of economic and

workforce development that will -- is supposed to be recruiting around these it codes on those -- around this different stores. >> good afternoon. i am an organizer with people organizing to demand economic rights. our nation -- we are based in the mission district. i was digging through some family stuff and i came upon my mother's old united garment workers of america constitution. it dawned on me like the big debate over the past years has been about family flight. and hal lot of our families are being forced out of the city. we were born and raised here. and this embodies below what it is to -- my parents came to this

country from al salvador. with a union gender's salary you cannot afford to buy something in the mission district. i feel we have here, this is important. we're trying to chase something new. we're trying to chase the silver bullet or give [no audio] or winning over these corporations that do not give their share back. i think what this hearing is important to think about, what is it that prevents family flight? what does create community stability and economic resiliency? it is important that we began to think about how do we mitigate and shift away from the decline in wages, the decline in community health and the declining community power. if you are interested about conditional use, it is the only leverage we have.

it is the only leverage we can strengthen and deepened the influence of communities. these are multi-billion dollar global corporations that can afford this process. where do we go as community to address and mitigate the decline and a lowering of these thresholds in wages and benefits, community stability, but public health? it is the conditional use process. where do we go to give government action -- get government action to prevent the siphoning of up to $250,000 a week that fresh and easy would do? that is $250,000 in weekly sales that -- the money they would be making, that is a few cents within a seven block radius within casa marias and casa lucas.

those are generations of families that have created the mission what is and what it continues to be. it is that stability that sometimes gets lost in the talk of these different numbers. we really strongly feel that our job as community, is to go beyond a silver bullet. the america's cup, to go beyond the tax cuts and public subsidies. also competing stealing the [unintelligible] we need to think about how do we prevent family flight? it is not just about the services that are being offered but it is also about a living wage, dignity. it is about conditional use process. those are things it wanted to share with you. supervisor mar: thank you. peter cohen is a housing

development for some --coordinae city. >> i wanted to offer to you. i was involved in the crafting of the 2004 formula retail legislation. i have -- a little bit of history. if there is anything in particular. i heard earlier stephen cornell, we work with these folks intensively to think this through. there has been some troubleshooting in the years since then but there were three big issues that framed the concerns. one was mentioned earlier. the first is a non competitive playing field between local

independents and corporate chain stores. the inability to be a strong negotiator on lease terms and what ever it is, it needed to be counterbalanced through the process of entitlement. the second is where the money goes. this idea that small independents, up more money bounces through the local economy. it has been critical in a working-class and poor neighborhoods where you could get value through economic investment. the third is this idea of neighborhood character which is more abstract. we know when we see it. there was a lot of concern that it be done+ we did not have is deeper analytical work. it was extremely politically difficult to get that ordinance passed and there was not much assistance from the city departments at the time. they're much more interested. we have the benefit of a lot of the economic analysies, the vacancy studies that have been

out there. i would suggest this needs to be done now. looking at the next generation. how do we analyze this more deeply and inform ourselves about how the policy is working? >supervisor mar: you mentioned three areas where property was being developed. what areas would benefit us in understanding how formula retail impacts our city? >> the three typical things i hear when their arguments being given for a formula retailer is that it provides economic investment in the city as a whole or the neighborhood. the scale of the store makes a huge difference. if it is a small coffee shop, it is different than a large box. i do not think we know. the counter argument is that takes away from economic activity. you heard that here today. i do not think we know. there are some metrics out there and studies that have been -- been done in austin and boulder

which can tell us that. the second is work force is often a claim, there are new jobs with better wages than the local independence. sometimes that is true, sometimes it is not. we do not know if they are jobs that have shifted away from existing jobs because some businesses are at competed. we do not know what the net gain is either in numbers or types of jobs. that again is a kind of analytical question we typically answer more empirically or rhetorically. the third argument i often hear, increasingly in the last couple years is we have a vacant space and we need to fill space. we need to build on that lot or we have a vacant storefront. it is true. it raises the question of why are the space is vacant? in san francisco, there is a tremendous amount of commercial real estate owned not by the merchants and not even by locals but by folks who do not live in

san francisco. there is a disincentive to reduce prices to fill space, and you will find that prices are held high and the leasing market so they are inaccessible until formula retail comes along which has that creek -- credit-tenet value added. there is a lot of question about why space is vacant. is it being held of the market? is there a stagnant economy in which case the argument could be made for formula retail as a -- a way to jump-start it. i have seen this for years, both ways and we often end up in a political process to answer them as opposed to having analysis to inform us. those are my ideas. supervisor mar: a number of different studies were sighted on the website as well. our next speaker, the vice- president of san francisco's labor council. thank you. >> think you for calling this very critical hearing -- thank

you for calling this very critical hearing. this is a coalition of 15 community groups and 10 labor unions that have come together over the past couple of years to try to enhance, broughton, and create the city of san francisco that we care about. that is -- it is difficult now. there is all lot of competing issues. we have members out of work. we have a lot of our members who are looking for the cheapest way to go, because they cannot make ends meet and cannot afford to buy things at certain stores. where are all about trying to balance the needs of every community and every community as you know is different and its needs are different. when we look about formula retail stores, we have studied this over the past several months and we agree with a lot

of things people have said. it is important to know that formula retail stores need to be thought about in the greater context of living in san francisco. we agree for instance, with the planning commission's comments about strengthening the formula retail legislation. it needs to be tighter. it needs to be -- closed loopholes so when stores come in they are good neighbors to our friends and housing partners and ourselves. they have to be good partners and what does it mean to be a good partner? they bring their services, yes, they bring their goods, but they create a workp of workers. they create a workplace that is -- has a living wage ordinance and has health care. as you have heard, it is not an extra burden on the city and the government in terms of supplying things like food stamps and other kinds of social services that many of these large retail

formula businesses lack as they come in. one thing in terms of policy, of strengthening the formula retail legislation, another is as the planning commission and the small business people say, the economic impact study. that study them on a business by business to make sure that as they are coming in, what are the effects they are having? are they bringing the revenue promised historically? look at what is happening in the other cities? are they bringing the kinds of jobs, are their burden to our city, or the adding something that can be done through the economic impact. the living wage ordinance is an important one. living wage ordinance, many of us were around for the beginning. it keeps growing, it keeps being amended, it keeps being better and why cannot be to the formula retail stores? why can it not be included so people will have a living wage? people will have health care,

people will have designated vacation and sick time which is all included now in a living wage. that is a possibility. they pass an ordinance like this in chicago. the mayor happened to veto it. i am talking about real possible things. another one possibility, a policy might look at which is closer and dear to my heart is giving incentive for some of these stores to come in. where there is a lack of resources. opportunities for people out there. we want to do both. we want to make sure that as businesses come in, they are

respectful of the community and if they provide decent services and their good neighborhoods and other neighborhood to have an abundance of them like the mission, like others, we want to be careful that the integrity of the neighborhood there is in place. it is a balancing act. we could do it all. the last policy has to do with the community benefit agreement. ensuring what moves in there is the best possible opportunities [no audio] to insure that with every single formula retail that comes into town and that is the community input that supervisor wiener was talking about and we would like to work more to ensure that community, what ever committee is, whenever the needs are, they come in to be good neighbors and respectful of their workers.

>> i was going to thank you for the different legislative ideas. i shall look more closely at chicago. there is a term used, the high road economy. they're using terminology like a high road economy. a booklet out -- government does not allow a formula retail and the store goes in and pretty much was different influence can override what the local city, we can do to protect its community. we will continue to talk with you about that. supervisor cohen: thanks for

being a trellis and relentless advocate. >> that has happened in other places. we are not talking pie in the sky. it is an incentive and we're looking for that out there in the shipyard. along third street and other places we need to do it. supervisor cohen: have you started to put your thoughts down on paper? >> we would like to submit that as soon as we get them. supervisor mar: we with love to -- would love to work with you on that. we have finished our cards. >> i am a native san franciscan. i traveled the world for many years and came back here about 10 years ago.

whereupon i got involved in commercial real estate. i come from a small business family background. my dad was an account. many of his clients were small business. i worked the small business -- circuit. i am in favor of protecting our local business that gives us the flavor that makes us what we are. as a practitioner in commercial real estate and supervisor wiener addressed it earlier today, as we think about making changes, strengthening, revising, what ever it is, please pay attention to the process because, for example, i know steve sarver who is a formula retail and does not want to do more stores in the city because it is too complex and maybe there is too many sf soup

co. stores. i have small clients, 1500 sq. ft. operators who have 11 stores sorels who will not come here because of the uncertainty and the cost, expense, time consuming things. what is important the time of year they opened up. they plan to open up in plan -- time for the holidays. it could be four months or six months. it could be longer still. it is uncertain. instead they have chosen to enter into san francisco. a lot of people think of san francisco being broader. i think the process needs to be looked at. you have addressed it that if you need input from somebody with a different perspective, i would be glad to offer it. supervisor mar: thank you.

anyone else? last call. thank you. >> i am second vice-president of the coalition of san francisco neighborhoods. i am excited about the work they have done. we are the excelsior. i want to make sure there is a distinction. we are very distinct neighborhoods and we have our own personalities and while we appreciate the work they do is in the mission. that being said, i am all about economic justice but we need to be careful when we start crafting legislation about big bucks realty. in district 11, we have to merchant corridors that are

barren. there is no activity. we have the excelsior corridor. i think -- lots of old stores. the kids are selling their property. we have dollar stores and wonderful fruit stands but we have no anchor stores. the purpose for having big box coming in is they are critical. i am excited about the work that jobs for justice coalition has put together. they have targeted the importance of being a caucus that look at things. not just there is too many so we cannot have any. i am hoping that in the process of doing this overhaul, and just to give you an example.

there is a gazillion starbucks downtown but there is not a starbucks within a mile of the district 11 border. within the borders. we have tons of starbucks cops there so there is a need for starbucks. whether we think they are the but the manner not. there is the in and out burger. the only one i know of is that the wharf and the other one is in south city. we're losing tax revenue. people from my neck of the woods and my neighborhood including visitation valley are taking their money and getting in their cars and going to south san francisco going to westlake and daly city. the park needs to be taken a hard look at before we craft our legislation. supervisor mar: is there anyone else who would like to speak

p? public comment is closed. that hearing has been useful. thank you for the data and map.s -- maps. i see janet clyde is here as well. the workers who have spoken from wal-mart and the small business owners. thank you for telling about your family's history. it has been very useful. thank you for the analysis as well. my hope is that we continue this discussion. a lot of issues have been brought up by supervisor wiener on the conditional use process and making sure it works right and supervisor cohen has raised issues of equity from different parts of the city as well and workforce development and the hiring of many of the stores.

we have opened up a lot of different issues and my hope is we continue this until later when we have more of the data. thank you to the small-business owners to -- for being here and talk about how we are revitalizing our neighborhood and merchant corridors. can we continue this? thank you. could you please call the next item? >> there are no items. supervisor mar: there are no other items. meeting adjourned.

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- [applause] >> i would like to report to you that this past year has been a whirlwind of activity as we continue to grow. bringing support and assistance to you, the members, who have so

graciously decided to join us today and for the next few days, with great breakouts from wonderful keynote speakers. certainly, a great opportunity to networking and figure out those best practices, sharing your knowledge with each other. we have done some webinars at low prices, you might want to check those out on our website. we also have a newsletter that has gotten quite a bit of circulation. we invite people to submit articles for that newsletter. about 14 months ago, we have less than 100 members. today we have grown to over 3000 members.

established in 2003 to bring greater focus for latino leaders and educational issues. now more than ever in these trying times, the needy exists to further establish partnerships and provide training, and support, for administrators, superintendents, and educators for those that serve hispanic students. my favorite news story [no audio] immigration laws passed, cannot get tomatoes harvested? that was too bad. one of our major goals was to start a superintendent leadership academy. i am proud to report to you that we are now in almost of the

third session, coming up in january there is another one called 17 candidates. they were selected after going through a rigorous process of being identified. administrators, with mostly their assistant directors, principles, they exhibited the passion and commitment needed to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to run schools and school districts across the country. we have 17 of those people. many of them are here today. please stand if you are a charter superintendent leadership academy participant. [applause] they will be introduced formally tomorrow.