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 village family to try to help them save their beautiful child care facility south of market.

really good public policy for the city. >> ns really good public policy for the families. i want to fa the supervisors for bringing this forward, and thank the spfers for co-sponsoring it. i hope you will send it onto the full board with your recommendation for support. supervisor maxwell: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi, my name is george westlake. i'm director of the archdiocese of san francisco, and i have come to speak on behalf of the archdiocese against the proposal.

the archdiocese in the city of san francisco is probably responsible for about a third of the poor and vullnerable in the city. we are sincerely committed to that. in terms of working for families in the city, archbishop and myself and the cardinal have worked in partnership with san francisco organizing project for many years to keep affordable housing at the top of the city's agenda because some of the concerns that have been expressed here are our concerns, too. our parishes, the 44 parishes in the schools, our schools, our high schools, all need families to stay here, so we're very invested in keeping families

here. we're very invested in child care. we have about a dozen child care facilities. we are opensed to this item because we feel it is a layer of bureaucracy that is not needed and will, in fact, create a disincentive for people to try to build child care facilities. two blocks away from the present one at st. joseph's we are intending to put in a child care center. the archdiocese is intending to put in a mill to $-- a million to $2 million. we think it is needed. however, with this type of legislation, which we think is poorly crafted, we might step back and look at that again, because we're going to be tied in with another level of bureaucracy. if the mission changes down the

road somewhere, if senior services become more important or homeless services become more important and we have to change the venue or the place for the child care center, this will be, we think, an obstacle, especially if it becomes permanent. l so for those -- so for those reasons, we oppose the legislation. we understand the pain of the parents who have to move their children. we have, we think, been in negotiation with them. there has been a two-year window of this discussion. at any rate, we hope we can work this out. thank you. >> mr. westlake, a quick question for you. thank you for coming today. as a good catholic with a 4-year-old, i just do want it to be clear, the catholic church or i should say, catholic charities, which is a little distinct from the arch diocese,

right? catholic charities is the arm where you raise the money to put into the community? i just want to be clear that the comments that you are making, is it a statement that the arch diocese will reassess where they will build child care facilities in san francisco? >> no, i'm saying this kind of legislation makes it more difficult, we think, for people who are interested in building those facilities, not just ourselves, but other people who may be interested in providing child care. >> ok. >> and catholic charities is really a -- the way we think of it is the way that the catholic people in our parishes reach out and -- in an institutional way to the poor and the vullnerable, so it is very much connected to our mission. >> no, i'm not debating whether or not it is connected to the mission, i just wanted to clarify because i do think there

are people in the catholic church, parishioners, and if they understood what was going on right now with children's village in particular, they might find umbrage with it. i think these are important conversations for us to be having. frankly when you are looking at -- this is one example that has led us down this particular path. but when you look at examples like children's village where you have 120 families from all different types of economic settings in san francisco, it is a melting pot of sorts. it is what the catholic church is about, bringing all different types of people together to help them, you know, raise their children and their families in a healthy and safe environment. >> and that's why we feel so strongly about the child care centers that we do have, that we want to keep them active because it really does do a service to the community and especially to our families. the thousands of families that we have in our parishes that we want to keep here in san francisco.

>> thank you. chair maxwell: next speaker, please. >> thank you for talking with me today. my name is lisa finamore. i am a parent. i put my first child through children's village. she is now 7 years old. when i was pregnant with her my biggest worry was where will i put her when i have to work, because i do are to -- have to work. luckily she got into children's village. then i had my second son. he's there now. he's currently 3 years old. when i first heard there was a chance that children's village would close, i put him on several waiting lists. now fast forward, i still haven't made it to the top of any of those places. one place i'm 164 on the list when i called two months ago. so the fact is, there really is

nowhere to put our children right now that is any kind of environment that's safe and secure except for possibly, i did get offered a spot in south san francisco. i think it is a tragedy. i am a devoted san franciscoian -- san franciscoan. i want to stay here. i think this is another situation that forces families out of the city. if we are really family oriented , we need to push this through. thank you for your time. chair maxwell: thank you. next speaker, please. >> my name is gabriel. i work for catholic charities. we are a separate agency from

the archdiocese. on behalf of catholic charities, i will be reading an official statement. catholic charities c.y.o. has partnered with the city and county of san francisco to provide child care for poor families. catholic charities is actively working to construct a new child development center in partnership with mercy housing and in partnership with the archdiocese of san francisco and private donors. c.y.o. provides after-care services at this site at 10th and mission. the planned child development center is being established in response to the current need for chimed care within the city of san francisco. the proposed legislation would interfere with our ability to raise private funds if community needs were to change. catholic charities have responded to community needs since 19 -- 1907 and has

adapted as needs arise over time. because of the ricks imposed by the legislation. we appeal to the committee to not place restrictions on child care facilities which may inhibit the provider's ability to serve those most in need. thank you. supervisor maxwell: next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i will be brief. i wanted to stand with my colleagues and human services agency and the parents of children's village. i am supporting this resolution or others that may come before you to protect child care in the city. it is a vital supervise and industry, and i must say, i felt heart sick when i heard about the possible closure of children's village. it is one of the highest quality

programs that we have in the city and a model for lots of others. so please support the work and the resolution. chair maxwell: thank you. any other public comment on this item? seeing none, then public comment is closed. >> thank you very much, supervisor maxwell. the way this is used, we use conditional uses for everything. if you want a starbucks on union street, you need a conditional use. this is not some over-aare muching -- overarching awful thing that will stop child care in san francisco. in my opinion, that's a red herring. i consider it to be an joursly false statement. -- i consider it to be an outrageously false statement. the conversation about being

able to change the use in case the use changes? i mean, honestly, are you kidding me? cliled care centers? it is like getting into starn to get into -- stanford to get into a preschool in san francisco. there is, without question, the greatest need. if you are going to tell 120 families they will have to find a new child care center, it seems to me going through the conditional use process is not something that is, in my opinion, asking too much. i certainly hope that you -- that the committee will send this forward with full recommendation. >> supervisor chiu, comment? supervisor chiu: i want to thank everyone for a good change 20 -- change to our planning code. i have seen this phenomenon not just with the situation being

discussed today but within my district, and i have heard this is happening city-wide. i'm happy to support it and would like to be added as a co-sponsor to the legislation. supervisor maxwell: so would i. >> p [applause] chair maxwell: and i want to say to the parents, i have toured that facility, and it is really beautiful. i am glad you fought hard for it. because of your fight, we will do something for all of them. that's what this is all about. and i think that catholic charities is known for that, charity, so what we're trying to do here is to make sure that the facilities -- that if f facilities -- that if facilities have do close, that because they are important to the public and the people, that they have a say in it and at least feel they are a part of the process. so that's what we're doing here today. so without objection we will move this forward with recommendation. thank you. [applause]

and again, thank you for bringing this to us. thank you. next item, please. the clerk: item 6.