arbitrator for the financial industry regulatory authority. beyond that, in terms of civic participation, i was on the ethics commission for -- i think about three years. i was vice president and later president. i have been on the board of appeals for five years. i did serve as president there, and also obviously, vice president. i do not know what else you want me to say. a quick word about our board is that our board service somewhat as a barometer of this activity in sentences go in that for the last two years, we have heard on average 150 cases whereas eight years prior to that, we have heard 260 cases. the difference is about 40%. it indicates what is going on in the city in terms of business community. 78% approximately of the cases we here come from either dbi,

planning, or the zoning and ministration. your office kindly called me yesterday and asked me to be prepared to talk about whatever accomplishments i feel i might have been irresponsible for as a member of the board of appeals. we are not a policy body. on a policy body, there is something that might come of that you feel needs dealing with, but the one thing i would point to is the fact that when i was president of the board, we have a different type of commission. in the same year, the same term, we-and executive director, and i would point to her as my most significant accomplishment. she is fabulous. she manifest on a daily basis what a good choice our board made in choosing her. beyond that, the only other are, i would point to would be general in that i try very hard

any time someone comes before us -- something since -- sometimes things are very technical and abstract, but sometimes, people have serious problems and are concerned about the quality of their lives because of a project they want to do or a neighbor is going to do that they objected. i've tried to remember this is not a distraction. these are real people before us, and i try to keep that in mind. the other question your office wanted me to respond to is why do i want to be a commissioner? the first attack to be the association's i made by being on the board, fellow commissioners i've met that i would like to have live long relationships with, people who serve the city even in planning or -- either in planning or dbi. there is a concept i have where the word bureaucrat is a pejorative, and i've come to

feel very differently about that as a function of the people i've met a function in city government. particularly in san francisco. i do not know that i would make the same statement about people in new orleans. beyond that, the other reason i would list is why i would like to continue on the board of appeals. cases are intellectually challenging sometimes, and i thoroughly enjoy that. supervisor campos: thank you very much, commissioner. i do not have any questions for the commissioner. i just want to thank you for your willingness to serve again. i know there's a lot of work, time intensive work that goes into this, and i'm appreciative that you are willing to do it again. >> i thank you for having put me on the agenda. i know it will help our board because we will be able to have a quorum and not disrupt the

public. supervisor campos: we certainly want to work to continue. >> thank each of you very much. supervisor alioto-pier: 90. i just want to thank mr. garcia for his work -- thank you. frankly, when you said you had on the board of appeals for five years, i thought, "holy god, i thought we just put him on their -- there." his work at 6 was really remarkable, and i would be happy to support his renomination on board of appeals. thank you for your service. >> -- supervisor campos: thank you. why don't we open it up for public comment? if there is any member of the public who would like to speak. you each have three minutes. >> i currently hold the

honorable position of president of the board of appeals. it is my honor to speak on behalf of mike garcia today. he was president of the board when i was first appointed three years ago. he was thoughtful, prepared, and kind to the commissioners like myself. he also did a remarkable thing -- he admitted he could be wrong, and his opinion could be changed by comments of fellow commissioners, and indeed, he changed his vote. as you know, we are a hybrid board made of commissioners of various backgrounds and opinions. accordingly, there have been times that healthy debate, contentious disagreements, and even bruce feelings, but what mike's actions did was set a tone of respect and active participation. we are not merely a board of commissioners to provide one another hollow courtesy's, but we are honestly prepared and actively listen to one another. i do not know, during my tenure as president, if mike has yet admitted he was wrong and agreed with me, but i do know i said to set the same town established by

mr. garcia years ago. i'm honored to sit with him on the board of appeals. supervisor campos: thank you. is there any other member of the public who would like to speak? if so, please come forward. good morning. >> thank you, members of the rules committee. i'm honored and grateful to have the opportunity to speak on behalf mike garcia to speak on behalf of his appointment to the board of appeals. i currently serve on the juvenile probation commission, and i formally served with mr. garcia on the board of appeals from may 2005 to 2008. he exemplifies all the essential qualities necessary to serve on the board of appeals -- stands, impartiality, and integrity. it was a distinct pleasure to serve with him on the board. he was and is always thoroughly prepared for every case that

came before us, usually come in with extensive notes on the relevant issues at hand. no matter what the issue -- to back a premise coventry permits, neighborhood disputes, solar panel installations, two major city projects, might devoted equal time to learning the issues and fairly deciding the matter. he was always thoughtful in his questions of the party, focusing on the essential facts necessary for the board to make its decision. he pushed hard thinking. he made as to ensure that all the different aspects of the case were brought before us had always pushed the city and city departments in ensuring we have the necessary information before us. although there were many decisions on which we did not agree, i always found his decisions to be reasoned, there, and practical. importantly, mike always gave extensive reasons to the particular decision at hand. i cannot underscore this enough. parties come before the board of appeals when they are seeking

resolutions. they want a fresh set of eyes, and mike was able to provide that, a practice solution to the issues at hand so that parties could move forward in the resolution. i also had the pleasure of serving on the door when mike was president. in this position, he ensure that necessary decorum was present in the room, and for me, most importantly, he ensured that members of the public were treated with fairness, dignity, and given an adequate opportunity on the issues at hand. mike has a deep trust in the community and its members, and he wanted to learn different perspectives on the issues brought to him, and finally, my gloved san francisco -- its history, neighborhood, and vitality. the city is extremely well served by having my on the board of appeals. for all these reasons, i urge you to support his appointment. thank you very much. supervisor campos: i just know that it is not too long ago we were lawyers together at the school district, so it is good to see you in this new role.

thank you for being here. is there any member of the public who would like to speak? seeing none, public comment is closed. we have a motion by supervisor alioto-pier. commissioner garcia, you have an interesting and very impressive crowd. it is not often you get the range of individuals to speak on your behalf. so it is quite something. so if we can take that without objection. thank you. congratulations. send it as a committee report. madam clerk, please call item 3. >> item 3, resolution confirming the appointment cheryl brinkman. supervisor campos: this is a nomination that has been made by mayor newsom. thank you for being here. welcome to the committee. now, you have an opportunity to

make some introductory remarks to area >> thank you. good morning. i come to you as a member of the public that's what -- public applications processed. i have lived in san francisco for about 24 years and then every type of transportation user in this city. i have been purely a bus user, cyclists, driver, and right now, a combination. i am truly a multi modal street user right now. i have done a lot of work in the advocacy world on the board of livable cities. i did a lot of work for sunday streets. that was sort of a labor of love for three years and a great outcome, and i feel that i will have the opportunity to bring all of those experiences to the mta board. i know i have a lot to learn about the way it runs, and every all my background to that an absolute openness to listen to all sides and to get the cold,

clear facts and make decisions based on that. >> -- supervisor campos: and you very much. colleagues, do we have any questions? i do have just a couple of questions. i think for so many of us in this city, what happens at the mta is really critical, and probably, this is as important an appointment as they come. i am very happy to see that there was a public process that was followed in that the mayor considered a number of individuals, so i'm wondering if you could briefly speak to what you believe are the key issues facing the mta. as you know, there have been a number of efforts and one that will be on the ballot in november to reform the mta, and i'm wondering in your view with the key issues or critical

issues facing that issue are? >> i think the main key issue is that the budget and revenue, i know that everyone is focused on restoring the service cuts, and a lot of those cuts have been restored. i think the restoration of the service cuts is happening in a strategic manner, and i think that the public needs to know that we do take the transportation seriously and that the board of supervisors, the mayor's office, everyone is focused on bringing the service up to a level where people who we can depend on transit. i know what it is like to depend on that bus and to be waiting for it. issing we have made great strides in letting people know -- i think we have made great strides in letting people know to give people a certain level of comfort with when the bus is going to ride. one of my big issues is safety, not just on the bus, but for all

street users. i think it is a very important issue, and i think that is an area where we can continue to make improvements, and we can continue to save money, which goes back to the revenue part. i know it can be hard to continue to ask the public for more revenue without actually showing we are saving money in certain areas and increasing operating efficiencies, so for me, those are two of the key issues in front of the board. supervisor mar: thanks for your work, especially on sunday streets, and with others in livable city. some critics have said you are a light person. could you talk about your experience? >> i do ride my bicycle and a lot. i did go through a year where i rode my bike almost exclusively. i had a work schedule that was not a rush our base work schedule, so it was easy to get back and forth.

i work downtown, and i live in a lower haight, so it is only a two-mile commute. it is not a huge athletic endeavor by any stretch of the imagination. i do use everything. my husband and i have not owned a car in about 10 years. we were early adopters a city car share, so i probably drive once a month, which is probably good for everyone. i'm not the world's most fantastic fiber, which i do recognize. i take the bus and lot, and i walk a lot, and with this nomination, i have expanded my use of the lines. these days, i ride my bike to work in the morning because it is so time certain. i know i can get to work in 12 minutes. when i leave at the end of the day, i think a different bus line, i ride the bus somewhere in the city, and i ride my bike home from there. i like it because it gives me a view of the other bus lines that

i did not have. i have forgotten how great the express buses from downtown are. i think as a multi-modal user, i can appreciate all the points of view, how harrowing it can be to be on city streets that may be are not designed for all users. i can appreciate it as a bus rider. supervisor campos: if i may, just following up on a couple of additional questions -- one of the things that has been discussed at length here in city hall, has been the issue of the independence of the board of directors. supervisor mar and myself were two co-authors of a measure that

did not make it on the ballot that attempted to reform the structure of the board of directors because, without casting any aspersions against the members of the mta, some of us believe that the m.t.a. board of directors has not demonstrated the kind of independence that is really needed to have meaningful oversight of an agency of $800 million budget. because of that, many of us feel that the current structure where the mayor nominates all of the members of the board and where our only role was to vote up or down, is one that really limits the prospect for independence. so i'm wondering if you could speak to that. if you could speak to the kind of -- your view on that issue of the independence of this board and whether or not you would be

able to approach things independently, irrespective of what the mayor thinks or what the board of supervisors things. >> i have been thinking about that a lot, and it breaks into three areas -- independence, accountability, and what i call stubbornness or willingness to listen to other points of view and take this into account. we have all come across someone who is stubborn, who no matter what the facts and figures say, no matter the information available, is really not willing to change their mind, not willing to listen to other sites. i know for myself that i am very willing to listen to other points of view. i had such an education in working of the city in my work with sunday streets. we came in with one idea in mind of what we do and what can happen, and in talking to all the departments in city hall,

and understanding all of the little pieces that go into every day and how difficult it can be tedious things in the city, and that, for me, was a really good lesson about how each side -- all the participants, ourselves included, we came in thinking we knew the way to do it, and when you hear all the other pieces, everything that goes in, you just have a greater understanding, and it helps you come to decisions that make more sense. even my friends in the transportation average is the world, we do not always see eye to eye, and i probably will not see eye to eye with everybody on issues that are in front of us, but i do know that i am willing to learn because i have learned so much in my years just with liveable cities and my work with sunday streets. i know that i'm open to listening, and i know we have a job in front of us. i understand the concern about all of the members being nominated by the mayor.

i can say for myself, i absolutely have an independent voice and an independent streak. it does not mean i do not listen to people. it does not mean i do not line, but definitely will be a voice of my own. supervisor campos: i think is important to hear that. the concern, by the way, is not theoretical. we have, for instance, at least one example where a member of the mta board of directors was, whether directly or indirectly, remove because of the positions was taking with regard to where the mayor was, so i think it is important for us to at the outset make it clear that irrespective of what the mayor and with the board, for that matter, things, that independence is what we're looking for a period last question, though, because it is one that really -- independence is what we're looking for. last question, though, because

it is one that is a real concern. the mta serves a diverse population. looking at the board of directors, looking at the website, there is some adversity, but there are some communities not represented. i do not know that there is a latino member of the board of directors at this point. might be in terms of the representation of people across the spectrum, the socio-economic spectrum. there are people who speak many languages in san francisco. many of them ride muni on a regular basis. i wonder if you could speak to your ability to work with these diverse communities to make sure that their concerns are adequately represented. >> absolutely. i'm committed to making sure that any information, any changes, any benefits that we can bring to muni serve all communities, and that we can access all those communities. again, to my work with sunday streets, i know what a challenge

that is. we would translate our materials into several languages and inevitably miss something, get something wrong. it is a big challenge. we faced that on the livable city board. we would love to have a more diverse board. it is a challenge, and we did not solve that challenge on a livable city, but i do not feel that prevented us from addressing the needs of the entire city. on the mta board, i think everyone shares that commitment. we definitely need help with city hall and the board of supervisors to do that our reach to different neighborhoods of different communities, and understand the concerns. i met with supervisor chu and was a really reminded how the concerns of her district around muni with very different from the concerns of my district.

they do not really get to take benefit of that technology that other people have. i definitely think it is a big concern and one we have to address. supervisor alioto-pier: good morning and welcome to the rules committee. i just really have more of a comment. i'm really excited to support your candidacy. congratulations for the nomination. just two things to think about. a couple of years ago when proposition a was passed in san francisco, as members of the board of supervisors, we have had a lot of responsibility around the little things that make a difference on people's streets and neighborhoods -- stop signs and speed bumps and all of that. with the passage of proposition a, that was really taken away from the board of supervisors.

it has been a little bit of a struggle since then to accommodate the needs of our neighbors who call us because they do not call the mta when they need a stop sign was the bomb. they call members of the board. i just want to make sure you realize that your job, too, is very community service-oriented. the mta is picking up the slack for that. i really want you to understand it, to kind of embrace that. the other thing that i do want to mention is we still have major issues from people with disabilities in a public transportation system, so unfortunately, we are not able to easily jump on a bike and ride into work, and the options are very limited. the bus system, as good as it is sometimes, i do not think people understand the real obstacles people with disabilities are faced with.

there are a lot of very -- various issues, and if you would not mind, this special attention to those as you're going along your daily life. i'm assuming the investor. and looking at the needs of people with disabilities in san francisco, they do also translate into the needs of working moms and working dads who have strollers and children and are trying to shuttle from one place to another, soccer game with a couple of kids in tow and a stroller, and there are a lot of different needs that are out there, and consideration when making your decisions. >> absolutely. i am very aware of the challenges faced, especially with the disabled community and wheelchair users and the bus system. it is always so important to

remember -- to let everybody to have access to the system. there are times when i actually really enjoyed riding muni, and i would not want anybody to feel that they do not have that same opportunity. sometimes it can be frustrating, and sometimes it can be incredibly rewarding, and i think everyone should have the right to enjoy those rewards. supervisor alioto-pier: just something to throw out there, that our beautiful historic line down at the embarcadero, for example, is not particularly accessible. there are parts of our system that really are lacking, and i do not mean this in a flip way, but i do think that members of the mta, it would behoove them to take a wheelchair and spend a day in a wheelchair on san francisco public transportation system because it is a much different experience.

it would be a learning one, as well. supervisor campos: thank you. colleagues, any other questions? great, why don't we open up to public comment? we have a number of members of the public who have submitted a speaker cards. >> good morning, supervisors. i just wanted to say cheryl is outstanding. she has been an incredible board member. she has been an incredible president in terms of leading our organization and helping build it and tried to be responsive to all. she was our star volunteer for sunday streets here we really could not have put sunday streets together without her efforts. sunday streets and all, it really speaks to a lot of the

issues we were talking about earlier. the equity, the close of this, and so on. what could be seen in one way as a recreational event, with the leadership of cheryl, we really wanted to bring this event to communities that do not have a lot of outdoor recreational opportunities, so we really wanted to bring an environmental justice spin to it. we wanted to bring the opportunities to communities. much easier to do it on the beach, because there is no cross traffic, but that effort, even though it was hard and expensive to bring it into the heart of the city, i think it is very commendable. also local economic development. the idea that transportation and st. design can be an economic development strategy. these are all things cheryl is really aware of, and it is a

perspective we really badly need on the mta. transportation is big enough, certainly a multi-modal agency. i think her back on with little city and the pedestrian safety advisory chairmanship will bring a modal intelligence there. we're so focused on the city problems, but all the other pieces besides transit are very important, and need someone who is going to help sort out st. governance. supervisor alioto-pier, you made an excellent point about how fragmented street violence is. nobody knows quite who is in charge. that is certainly going to be a challenge for cheryl, but i think she will be an outstanding person to help bring that perspective, both accountability to citizens, but also helping design those great multi-modal streets. i'm sad to lose her as a board member and as a board president, by i do sincerely think that

liveable cities' loss is going to be the city's gain, and i encourage you to support her nomination. supervisor campos: thank you. we actually have been joined by commissioner bruce oka from the mta, and at some point, we will ask him to say a few words. >> i am cheryl's has been, and i want to come here today to say some kind words about my wife -- i am shall' -- i am cheryl's husband. she understands her dedication and experience with transit. everywhere we travel, everywhere we go, we take transit here we go to new orleans, we take the bus to the airport. she rides a bike and a lot as well, but we love transit. she lives and breathes it. we have seen systems all over the world. we have seen some of the creative things it can do with access. we have seen systwi