fares for youth, who can wake up and not worry about how they can get the fair to go to school. family should not have to choose between buying food and paying for muni. we all know about the increase in poverty across the nation. especially in families of color. generally the money is not conducive to study, learning, or happiness. the problems of the transit police harassing you and demanding proof of payment must end. imagine the humiliation and embarrassment of this. i am sure that it has led to more than one young person quitting school. the san francisco unified school district will be cutting school services by 23%. we would like to give a special thanks in shout out to supervisor compost for identifying federal funds that can be used for free passes for the youth. this speaks to the importance of

the mta, board of supervisors, and youth working together to make free passes happened. >> the next speaker is [reads names] >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. welcome. in the chair of the san francisco interfaith council, here to speak on behalf of the many interfaith congregations in the city of san francisco. i want to speak to the issue of funding parking meter fees. i want you to understand the impact that this would have on our christian congregations throughout the city. most people do not have parking lots. some of them are historic churches that were built well before the use of the automobile. we can only imagine what would

happen, 15 minutes into the service, when there is an exit to feed the parking meter. some of these people have to walk long distances to find their cars. they would just give up, missing out on their worship experience and very important fellowship experience that happens afterwards. we understand the need for more revenue. one could understand this extension as a way for the law of unintended consequences that could have a serious impact on many communities of faith in our city. we respectfully ask you to reconsider your plan to extend parking meter fees during sunday's. thank you very much. >> keeping a brief, if the

parking meter leaders were able to facilitate longer periods of time if it was implemented near the various areas of worship, allowing for customers to purchase longer periods of time accommodating the service, would that address the primary concern of your coalition? >> it would. it would if it were three hours. quite frankly, some of our christian churches hold services that lasts three hours. they are not all 45 minutes masses. >> thank you for answering my question and making me feel guilty at the same time. >> you are welcome. [laughter] >> [leads names]

-- reads names] >> that afternoon. i am part of the free muni women's rights coalition. we are going to be organizing low-income youth past campaigns. we are participating in the revenue panel to look for revenue solutions. we want to be a part of that. we really want to see solutions that improved muni without cutting service. > the index affairs for any age level. muni has been a full partner in identifying funding to pay for the program in working with the office, as you have heard, and we have identified a full pending and for the pilot project in gives us years to work together on a permanent part source of funding. there are some in the city, county, in regional sources that are designed to improve climate change and air quality to improve mobility for low-income communities of color and making transit youth more affordable. more specifically, $5 million of

that will come from the npc, money that the city would not actually a normally receive and would lose the opportunity to apply for if they do not take action soon. for that reason, we urge you to move forward with conditional approval if possible, a contingent of course on the overall budget process in april in actually having the funds to move it forward. >> the next speaker is [unintelligible] >> good afternoon. >> [speaking foreign language] >> in a community organizer. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i have been recently speaking with a lot of parents and families about this campaign. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> i will share a story with du you of one of these people. >> [speaking for language] >> coming home from work, she gets off at the time that is not convenient. she has two children. 11, 10, but chilling as of monday to pay for one of the children. >> [speaking foreign languages] >> she lives on the hill and her children attend a school that is very far away. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> the children were returning from school, going home, and the driver asked them to pay the fare. only one of them could pay. >> [speaking for language] >> the child without money asked the driver if he could get on, he did not have the fair. >> [speaking foreign language] . >> probably it was a very busy time that was stressful for the driver, the driver yelled at the child to get off the bus. >> [speaking for language] >> one of the passengers offered to pay the fare of the child. the driver refused to accept the

fair, the children had to get off the bus and not ride home. >> [speaking foreign language] >> by the time that they got home, they were tired and frustrated. she was obviously very desperate. she had already struggled a lot to cover the fare for the one child that she could. >> [speaking foreign language] >> this is one of many stories that we hear when we do outreach in the community -- [tone] and talk about this as a possibility for muni. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> i think that as a community, we have a responsibility to find out what the options are to deal with this, because it is not right the children have to deal with this to get to school. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we need free passes for youth. thank you. >> the next speaker is [leads and names -- is [reads names] >> good afternoon. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> good afternoon, my name is [unintelligible] and i am here to ask you to pre -- please approve the free passes. the economic has really -- economic crisis has really impacted poor families. we have the responsibility to help our children into schools, museums, the library. so that they can study, work, and contribute to society. what [speaking foreign language] -- >> [speaking foreign language] >> and also, the school buses, the yellow school buses have been cut. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> so, it would be very grateful to you if you approve these passes for use -- for the youth. >> [speaking foreign language] >> that is all. thank you very much. >> next speaker, please. >> [read names] >> good afternoon. >> [speaking foreign language] >> hello, my name is -- oh, hello, my name this [unintelligible] from the family collaborative -- my name is [unintelligible] from the family collaborative. >> sfgov.or[speaking foreign la] >> i am really appreciative that the board is taking the time to hear this perspective.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> the free muni for youth proposal is something that we as parents and children all support. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we want the assistance to access transit, not only something that children of families received, but something that all children have. by [speaking foreign language] -- have. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> i have often seen children riding the buses where they are fearful of getting a ticket, but they needed to get to school. it is creating a bad image and experience for them, to be worried about writing transit. >> [speaking foreign language] -- writing -- riding transit. [speaking foreign language] -- >> [speaking foreign language] >> my son rides the bus every day. i want him to be able to ride the bus with his friends, and not be separated, to be able to access and contribute to the many things in the community. [speaking foreign language] >> we do not want me need to be

stigmatized as just for low- income youth, and we are supporting free muni for all youth. -- hence we are supporting free muni for all youth. >> [speaking foreign language] [cell phone ringing] >> we hope that you take action in you and make muni fever -- free for all youth. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker is ? >> [reads names] >> good morning. my name this [unintelligible] -- my name is [unintelligible] i would like to speak about free passes for all youth. we appreciate the progress of board of supervisors. however, we know that without

the mild voices of power and powerful allies speaking out, the way that they have come up things rarely get done, if ever. today it is all about funding for free rides for all youth. it is not a good idea to separate the poor and the more well-off children, for a number of reasons. icahn particularly relate, as i have been homeless and have needed to sneak onto trains and buses just to get around. this is a big issue. and now, i strongly urge you to make free transportation for all youth. at this point in time, i just feel that there is plenty of money in the budget for you to

be considering this and considering this seriously. i think that it is particularly important at this point. thank you. >> next speaker, please? >> [reads names] >> [speaking foreign language] >> good afternoon. my name is [unintelligible] >> [speaking foreign language] >> i have been here several times not to testify. for the folks listening, all the testimonials from families were struggling to meet the -- to

make ends meet are no longer seas gripping. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the point is not for anyone to feel guilty, as no one is guilty here. >> [speaking foreign language] >> for us, for people like us who are poor and are living in poverty, this is the reality. >> [speaking foreign language] >> again, i come to ask you to

approve these free passes for youth at a time that is critical and when a great opportunity to make this work is being had. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i hope that you are not offended by this and that you understand and that this raises awareness that sunday your children, who had the privilege to ride in cars, will someday be able to get on the bus as well and ride with us. >> who knows, [speaking foreign language]

>> i was not able to do this in my country. i could not interact with people of a higher economic status than me. but here in san francisco, we have a great opportunity for people, for youth to interact. rich, poor, young, old. for them to learn their differences and similarities.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> i ask you that you, in this time of capacity within your office, could please make this a reality. thank you. >> next speaker. >> [read the names] >> good afternoon. >> i am sorry that you cannot see this picture. bid is students crossing the brooklyn bridge in brooklyn bridge last year, 2011. this is not just happening in san francisco, it is happening all over the country and i hope

that it spreads. in a supporter for free muni for all youth. i was involved with different groups, as well as the group -- including the group power. we work really hard to get three months of rimini for low-income youth. it was extremely difficult to do. outreach for distribution. the m.t.a. was at a loss. it was a real obstacle to getting these passes out to students who could use them. volunteers did the distribution in the outreach. if it were free muni for all youth, people could just get on the bus. they would not have to go through the bureaucratic hurdles to get low-income youth. the other thing that people are talking about a lot is

tremendous growth in san francisco. we talked about it this past weekend. why is this growth? i suspect -- what is this growth? i suspect that it is high income people. san francisco has to show a commitment to keeping families and low-income youth, families, in san francisco. >> next speaker, please? >> [read names] >> afternoon. >> [speaking foreign language] >> good afternoon to all of you. >> [speaking foreign language] i am with power -- >> i am with power. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i am here to support the campaign of free muni for youth.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> i have done outreach in the streets. >> [speaking foreign language] >> especially with parents and young people. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the reality really is in the streets. anyone that watches knows how much stress can exist. >> [speaking foreign language] >> parents are very stressed because there is no work. >> sometimes the money is not enough to send the kids to school with a fast pass. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the majority of people i have

talked to said that if they were being truthful. >> [speaking foreign language] >> i asked you to please move this forward and take action. let's [speaking foreign language] -- >> [speaking foreign language] >> said that this is no longer a barrier for youth to get to school. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the reality in the street is now.

>> next speakers? >> [leads names] -- reads names] >> good afternoon. i am here to talk about some of my experiences. in a member of power. -- i am a member of power. one of my most important reasons i am here is because muni is important for me. my dad has not been working for months. my mother is the only one working. she had to struggle to get food on the table. i am one more young person the struggles with muni in the city. if it were free, it would benefit me in fact -- thousands

of other youth. if they do not have money for the past, they will not have money for the $100 fine. many youth would be able to go around the city without being scared of being harassed by police. here is one solution for where the money would come from. if the mta pays the police department $1 million to get on the bus, that would be money that you could put towards youth. i have been here several times, but every time we come they make a decision. if you do not take action now, we could boost the fund's the begot. thank you. >> thank you. >> [leads nam[reads names]

>> good afternoon. my name is joanne. i am a member of power and a small business, new business working in the communities on resources in ways that children can get educated and get jobs in different stop. i am speaking as an unemployed mother. i give my daughter $3 per day. one of my daughters refused that to get on the bus. so, she gets pulled off the bus by one of the transit agency. she does not want to give them the information. she calls me on the phone and asked what she should do. i said that she should go by the

law and tell them the name, but they do not have -- that she does not have money to pay for a ticket. she said she spent her money on a pizza. she refuses to save bus fare, because she wants to eat. they took 20 kids off the bus. when i got here, there were 20 kids lined up. they were given tickets on their way from school. i grounded her for something that i did not know was going on. i told her, sorry, i will have to speak about test. they need to get to school safe and get home safe on a daily basis to get educated. that education, they are our future children. they need to think about the education and how they will get there. the last driver said there was no such thing as courtesy rides.

i feel bad, because i volunteer my time for muni before. i feel like this. there is such thing as courtesy rides. if you do not have it, you do not have it. but if you have to get somewhere, you have to get somewhere. [tone] >> thank you. next speaker. quack's [breeds names -- >> [ reads names] >> we recognize the work here to speak about the entire budget. we are active on transit around multiple issues. what is important to note is that this is less than 1% of the mta budget and you have hundreds of people coming out here. that it is actually in the interest of the mta to have this interest of the mta to have this many parents who were working,