we went through -- this is just great. i want to thank all of you on behalf of, i think, the citizens of san francisco. they have a great gift. i think the family has always been a part of our city, and for them to remain here in this way is very elegant and great, so again, thank you very much. without objection, so move. -- so moved. madam clerk, item five please. >> item 5, resolution imposing interim zoning controls requiring authorization for a change in child care facilities. supervisor maxwell: i would like to welcome supervisor alioto- pier. this is your item. supervisor alioto-pier: i'm here today to ask you for your support on this resolution that imposes interim zoning controls to protect child care facilities here in san francisco. for more than two years, i worked to save children's

village, a program run by catholic facilities. i was disappointed to learn that there are no zoning projections for child care facilities. along with supervisors dufty and daly, i have introduced this resolution to ensure that when a child care center closes or is reduced in size, the new use would require a conditional use of the recession. if the project sponsor replaces the child care on offsite would like services -- with a like services, no cu will be needed. i wanted to note that because this hearing is during the day, many working parents are unable to be here. however, we have received numerous letters in support, and the small business commission has voted to support this legislation as well. we are joined today by michelle rutherford of the human services agency, who will provide a brief

overview of the city put the child care fixture, and a representative from the city's planning department to answer any questions you may have. thank you very much for being here today. >> thank you, good afternoon, supervisors. first, just quickly, for a brief overview, child care is a critical economic support for san francisco, both for the work force and for employers. child care is a significant economic sector in its own right, generating over $191 million annually in gross receipts and employing over 4400 workers. child care lays the groundwork in san francisco for huge economic success by preparing the next generation and helping for school success for children as they come out of zero-five child care. there are 300 licensed child- care centers -- centers in the city and 621 licensed family

child care homes with a total capacity of 18,246 serving children ages 0 to 13. i understand that this proposed resolution really is to address centers, but i present the full picture because families have choices about where their children use care, and currently, we have an unmet need for licensed care that exceeds 40,000 in the city with the greatest and men need for ages 0 to 5. that includes employees who come into the city who seek to care for the city, and that comes from a nexus study that was conducted recently. san francisco has a model child- care facilities fund, which hsa contract with a low investment fund of facilities in place since 1998, we have a program -- a subsidized section 108 program

we have done in partnership with moh the subsidized the build out into new facilities and new sites and expanded facilities. over the past 12 years, we have supported the expansion of 20 licensed centers -- actually, over 20 licensed centers, and dozens of additional sites have been able to maintain slots due to the fund. from 1998, 2002 -- from 1998 to 2002, through our section 108 program, the number of sorely needed infant/toddler slots where nearly doubled to 1000. yet, each of the centers has long waiting lists for infant or child have to care. sorely needed in the city.

hsa, in partnership with moh, as i said has a subset as program. that program, in order to be eligible for the federal hud dollars, the programs that they did not on the property themselves, had to have extended leases -- those leases are all coming up, which is a concern that as the payoff of the loan -- is term, then the leases will need to be renegotiated, and that is a concern for us since those are primarily programs in low-income neighborhoods as a condition of the hud loan. so we are concerned about any of those sites being jeopardized, and more pointedly, catholic charities children's village was really a flagship program. it was the largest, best space with a lot of outdoor space,

with certain mixed use of low- income children, homeless families. family and children protective service cases that are served there along with moderate and upper-income families that are working in the downtown areas, so it is really that how of a program being served, plus it has really come to be a tremendous community for the families there. we have been working with the communities trying to save their site and really are committed even beyond their own. i know how hard it is to look beyond your brood, but these families really stepped up to understand the importance of the city in terms of the city's investment in that site. that site was on an accelerated repayment program, and unfortunately, as soon as it was paid off, it was concurrently

targeted for closure and eviction. that has been going on over the last two years. in sum, the proposed resolution would provide a much-needed planning review to analyze the impact of the threat of loss of license of child care, which is much needed in the city. and if there's any questions, i would be happy to respond. supervisor maxwell: thank you. do you have any questions? supervisor alioto-pier: no, thank you. colleagues, if i may open it up for public comment period, not -- public comment. come on up, and let me read some cards as well. >> thank you. director of the child care facilities fund with the low- income investment fund. i first wanted to acknowledge

and thank supervisor alioto- pier for your leadership in putting forth this resolution. i think it is a lot of time in coming. over the last decade in which we plan for child-care facilities, what we need to be mindful of is as we are planning and thoughtfully planning in the city, thinking about planning for child care is critical. i think folks need to understand the fact that is not what you just read. has to be was sensible. some of the biggest factors we deal with oftentimes is the lack of adequate outdoor space. we know neighborhoods in our cities that do not have the 75 square feet per child in order to get licensed, meaning it is licenseda -- licenseable space. the need to be able charge affordable rates to parents working in the city. we are constantly playing catch- up. obviously, the supply does not meet the demand in the city, and

sometimes, parents come to us all the time in terms of trying to figure out ways to build new capacity in the city. i can think of all the work that was done with catholic charities to try to preserve that space. we have a group of parents come to us that look at some school district faces and we try to figure out ways of helping to partially fund and support development of that phase, so i think this resolution will go far in terms of helping us to look at and thoughtfully plan for needs for child-care in the community, for early care and education programs. at the same time, while we're doing that simultaneously, planning for the long term so we will be able to meet the often increasing demands that we face all the time in terms of quality child care centers. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i have been a resident of sand and cisco, luckily, for 21

years. i'm also a member of the nonprofit that the parents' group children's village organized to try to save the program there. originally in hopes of actually purchasing the property. obviously, i'm here in support of the ordinance, and i think it is really important that this passes so existing child-care facilities would have some protection from child care developers that seem to have no conscience around these items. when our group first heard of the impending sale, of the property where children's village was located, we immediately reached out to the developers in the hope we could reach some form of agreement to save the program or to have some sort of a transition plan to another location. after numerous attempts to look -- to negotiate plan with them, they just rejected one after the other, and this is even acted -- after the developers spoke with their consultants and said they

had no immediate plans for the site, so we saw that as an opportunity. again, our suggestions were rejected. what is left is 120 children and families that are left to find another solution for child care in the city is waiting list from a year and a half to two years long is really not suitable. all the slots for the low-income families that were being served there were lost, and this community that has been created over a decade is going to cease to exist. obviously, i'm in favor of development in the city and understand it is an important need, but at what cost? you know. so i strongly urge the committee to pass this ordinance. what happened is obviously quite sad, and it should not be allowed to happen again. supervisor alioto-pier: thank

you. next speaker place. supervisor maxwell: if there's anyone who would like to speak, we have a lot of things, so if you could just come right on up one after another. >> i am the seiu stood, and i will be expecting my first child and will be unable to unable to return to the workforce due to this -- due to the unavailability of affordable child care for my child. children's village have remained open, this would not be a concern. i'm in approval of this ordinance. san francisco needs quality affordable child care, and it is a shame when those needs go unmet due to the profitability of the land. our community needs this. thank you. >> i am a parent of one of the children that attends children's village.

having a three year-old attend children's village since she was four months old, i cannot imagine that this is a service that is not protected by any type of zoning rules. i'm a member of the tennis club, and i know that if someone was trying to evict us there, i would get comparable service somewhere else. yet, my 3-year-old does not have that same luxury. she has to go to another school or she could get some kind of nanny. i just cannot tell you how devastating it is to have to move your child and up through them out of the community that has been billed for them over the last few years, but speaking personally, i just cannot begin to imagine what our lives will look like in september when i have to explain to her that her friends and teachers and everyone that has cared for her is just no longer available. thank you. >> good afternoon, land use. walter. ♪ ooh, child

these are going to be easier ooh, child things are going to be brighter ooh, there's going to be more care facilities all around the city sunday when the city is much brighter la la la item 5 ooh, child things are going to be easier ooh, child things are going to be city writer someday there's going to be child care facilities all around one more money is found make it soon ♪ supervisor alioto-pier: thank you, walter. next speaker please. >> that was nice.

i like that. in a parent at children's village. my 3-year-old son attends children's village, and i'm here not because i actually have much hope that children's village will be saved, but because i really believe that child care is a critical service for the city, and i do not want other families to have to go through what we have gone through. as we have heard, child care is in scarce supply. my personal ability to work depends on my ability to find child care. as was mentioned, children go through an adjustment and bonding process with their care givers, and creating in a disruption during this critical developmental period is something the city should be helping to avoid whenever possible. creating quality child care centers requires investment from cities and states, and this investment should be protected. finally, disbanding a child-care center and disbanding a community. our son made his first close friendships at the school, and

as his mother, i have connected with people from across cultural or economic boundaries that i would not have been able to meet and bond with without this center, and it is something that i just would not have had access to, so i really feel like these kinds of communities are the cornerstone of a strong city, and as supervisors, i really hope that you will choose to try to protect it. our community work really hard to save our schools, but the developer refused to negotiate with us, and we had no recourse. we have nowhere to go, so i just want to be sure that the next community that is faced with this can kind of count on you and the city to support us and protect us. thank you. alioto-pier supervisor alioto- pier: of a comet ok -- supervisor alioto-pier: ok, next speaker please. >> i'm also a parent of a 3-

year-old attending children's village right now. the school has been great for him and for many others. the point i just wanted to stress is that the city really has an investment in the school, and child care is a critical resource for san francisco, and i think this measure does a nice balance of striking it -- a nice job of striking a balance between the needs of developers, which are legitimate, and the needs of parents and kids. certainly not to say that development should not go on, but when it does, the different communities affected by ought to have a voice in the process. thanks for considering it, and i hope you will support it. supervisor alioto-pier: thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i have been working with the children's