supervisor alioto-pier's caution in how we move forward, but as supervisor campos said, just knowing the reputation of the santa clara county council and miguel marquez in particular, his stellar background and knowledge of our charter, i think it is a very good recommendation, and i am very supportive of your recommendation to go with the county council from santa clara for the mayoral succession for the part of this reciprocal relationship we are working with with other local public law offices. but thank you. supervisor alioto-pier: can you tell me who else is considered for this particular role and what other offices were considered? >> no firms because we were again looking to the preferences expressed in the charter for

these types of situations, so we looked to the three that we have long established reciprocal working relationships with. supervisor alioto-pier: so we have not had conversations with anyone else? >> no. in part, that is because of this reciprocal relationship. that is the way in which we provide the work at no cost. supervisor alioto-pier: i understand that and appreciate that, but i think that's -- that if we are looking for someone who is completely -- personally, i think it would have been a good idea to have talked to a number of different offices, not just the three, especially because we talk to three offices and gave each of them a job, essentially. >> just to be clear, that is our recommendation.

it is not our call. we attempted to facilitate the availability of the council for these purposes, again, to minimize any impact on the general fund, but that is ultimately not our decision. supervisor alioto-pier: and i appreciate that and i certainly understand it. i am hearing comments like, "this is the best," and we do not know if it is because you have given us a recommendation for free -- really, one, since it is the one position we have any say over. we have one recommendation. no one else was considered. no other firm was talked to. >> we did consider the two other public law offices. >> and the decision was made that oakland fit more with campaign finance. san detail fit more with elections. so santa clara got mayoral succession. >> it was not exactly that they were the one left over and we

needed to allocate in that way, but in terms of looking at fifth, it seemed to make the most sense. also, i know from our work with all these offices that much of their work is bottom up. that is these offices with very good deputies, and they do their work similar to how we do our work, and that his deputies with the subject matter expertise work up the advice, and they do a very careful, thorough, professional job, and it is a bottom of -- bottom-up development of the advice, so that is why the office matters a lot. this was a thought about how to fairly advocate the work, -- fairly allocate the work, which we do not see as a huge amount of work, but in terms of limiting the burden on these offices, that we are very grateful for having this relationship with, we thought this was a good way to go. supervisor alioto-pier: perhaps

not a large volume of work, but work that could significantly have a huge impact. >> we recognize that. supervisor alioto-pier: in my opinion, it could take it to a different level in some ways, and it does look a little bit like pieces to a puzzle we are trying to put together. we have three firms and three issues, and we will fit the best three people into the best response as opposed to taking a broader look at what is offered in the state of california and different types of discussions other counties have had. i'm just bringing these up because these are the concerns i have one looking at the choice that has been made -- not the choice that has been made, but the recommendation to us for mayoral succession. supervisor campos mentioned a couple of times that this is not really about supervisor mar:, --

this is not really about miguel marquez, but this is about san the tail county, but your memo does say, "i recommend you hire the office of sen retail council, miguel marquez, who is prepared to provide legal representation without charge to the city." i understand he will handle these questions or directly oversee a deputy on his staff who will do so or a combination of the two, depending in part on timespan. we cannot really separate the two. it is not just santa clara being brought to us. it is also mr. marquez. i keep mixing him up with the artist, so i apologize. but i do think that is a point that needs to be made. we're looking at a very specific person.

also, i do want to say that, supervisor campos, we sit on the rules committee together. we have fun. wheat -- he thanks the city attorney's office for being proactive and having this conversation with us, and i'm grateful for that as well, but i will also say that i think it is his job to make sure that we are sitting here and having this conversation, so i do not look at this as an altruistic event. i think because he is running for mayor, the city attorney, he clearly cannot make these decisions or his office should not be making these decisions, and this is the kind of conversation we should be having here. supervisor campos: if i may, supervisor, i think you always have something very insightful to say, so i appreciate that. i think you make some very good points. the way i see this, for whatever it is worth, i do not think that any of us should have

investments in who specifically ends up doing this work. ultimately, it is up to the board to decide who that person should be. the question for me was simply -- is the recommendation made by the city attorney one that makes sense? if he had come to me and said, "by what san mateo to take the lead on the issue of succession, i would have been supportive of that as well. if you had said the same thing about alameda or the same thing for that matter. that is the point. for me, it is a question of whether or not there is the basis for this recommendation. i think there is, but again, the investment, for me, this is really not an issue that is that critical in terms of the kind of result that will come out,

the quality of work that will be presented because i think that's there are a lot of attorneys who could do that worked, so that is sort of how i see it. supervisor alioto-pier: i'm just curious -- did you ask for advice on this? >> we did not. again, we look at the public entity council but we had established reciprocal relationship with, all of which, just to reiterate, are fine, high-quality offices that can do a superb job on this, so that was the universe, so again, it is your decision. supervisor campos: any other questions, colleagues? why don't we open up the matter for public comment? is there any member of the public who would like to speak on this matter?

seeing none, public comment is closed. supervisor mar: i would like to move the recommendation miguel marquez and santa clara county council for outside mayor for -- outside counsel for mayoral succession on this. supervisor campos: roll call on that. >> alioto-pier no. mar aye. campos aye. supervisor campos: thank you all for your time. we will now move to item one. >> item 1, hearing to consider appointing one member, a term ending march 31, 2012, to the commission on the aging advisory council. there is one seat and one applicant. supervisor campos: thank you very much. is ken prag here? ok.

why don't we move to items two and three? we will come back to item one. >> i did two, motion approving the reappointment of gwyneth borden to the planning commission, a term ending july 1, 2014. item three, motion rejecting the reappointment of gwyneth borden to the planning commission, a term ending july 1, 2014. supervisor campos: we have a motion here to reappoint commissioner bordon. please come up. this allows you an opportunity to make an opening statement as to why you are thinking about seeking reappointment and what your goals and objectives would be if you were reappointed, and it allows also members of the rules committee to ask

questions. >> thank you for this opportunity to present before you buy reappointment in this special rules committee. i also want to thank those who have come here to speak in support of my reappointment. i can say that i have thoroughly enjoyed the two years i have been on the planning commission. i think one of the most fascinating things about being on the planning commission is you get to learn so much about every area of the city and every area in its uniqueness. you get to learn about so many people who are passionate about san francisco and want to make this a better city. i have also enjoyed the camaraderie i share with my colleagues. we have wonderful colleagues who are smart, intelligent, and the awful, and i think we have a great balance on our commission. in general what i have contributed is i am a consensus- oriented and fair. i try to make sure that when we are hearing a matter that the

due diligence happens in advance. i definitely stood up one project sponsors or the city had made a mistake, to support making sure we have additional time so that people in the community can be informed about things that matter. i have also been very much a consensus-oriented person working with my other colleagues, whether they be appointed by the board or the mayor jose appointed. i think it is important we look out for the best interests of the city and not a particular agenda to get accomplished. what we have work to do is figure out the best way to make the best things happen in san francisco. some of the things i would like to do in the next four years of my term is to drill down on the policy matters we hope we get to but never quite seemed to have time to do. we were fortunate to complete the neighborhood, which was an amazing feat. we also handled the hunters shipyard project.

we work hard and collaboratively throughout the process. we worked with the community, with project sponsors, with members of the city family, and i think we effectively did the city's business and got things done. i want to focus on neighborhood commercial corridors. that has been an issue that is a big concern. you have seen a lot of legislation come before you recently, and i think those are important issues we need to grapple with as we have high vacancies on neighborhood commercial corridors. a real need for neighborhood services in some areas, and a disconnect with property owners and real estate agents is -- agencies as to what we would like to see in our neighborhood. i felt we could bring together all the different stakeholders to figure out what our neighborhood was light. we also have not dealt with the issue of families in the city, and it is something that i have been very passionate about. the planning commission is limited. we do not all land.

people buy land, and they make choices about what to do with it and how we best support those and those choices, then supporting policies that help make it affordable, how families stay here, and how we understand what families action -- actually need. also, a more fun issue is the part that i love what has been going on with the new parcels we have taken over, some parking spaces throughout the city. what is so unique about those is that if you do not want to spend money, it is hard to sit outside. you want to be outside on a beautiful day, there are not a lot of places to do that, and i think this offers a unique opportunity for people to enjoy the streetscape without having to spend money if they are not in a position to do so. those are some of the issues in passionate about. i welcome questions and look forward to hopefully working

with you again. supervisor campos: thank you, colleagues. any questions? great, thank you very much. why don't we open up for public comment? if there is any member of the public who wishes to come forward on this item, please come forward. you each have three minutes. >> good morning. i'm here to speak on behalf of gwyneth borden's reappointment to the planning commission. she really hit the ground running when she was nominated and appointed two years ago. i have noticed, as well as to echo her statements, that she has found herself a true consensus-builder, to have the ability to strike a balance between a lot of different communities that are very often a contentious. it is no easy task being a planning commissioner, and to be able to be the consensus builder and try to balance is a very important role to play in that commission. some of the things she has

focused on that i have noticed that she has not mentioned is the need to make it understood by community people will come before the commission as to what the policies are in the city and how the planning commission translates that into important objectives that sometimes is in agreement with the community, sometimes is not in agreement, but she shows a passion for being very sensitive to each of the communities represented before her, and that is an important qualification to have on the part of a commission because there is very often disconnect between those people who are in front of the dais and behind it, and i think she serves the community well. supervisor campos: 90. i know there are also some members of the planning commission who are here. i see the president and commissioner olague as well. please feel free to come up. >> good morning, supervisors.

it has been my pleasure to be now in my second term as president of the planning commission, to be there for the majority of gwyneth borden tenure on the planning commission. the commission, as you know, is a diverse body. as it properly should be. there are times when, because of my age and the time i have been around, the city the time i am able to provide historic perspective on the items that have come before us. ms. borden, on the other hand, is able to provide a perspective from a demographic of the city, and age demographic, basically, that's i am less familiar with. probably my kids and grandkids are. it is all extremely valuable. we all participate in san

francisco in a different manner, so we look at it in a different manner. we approach it in a different manner. she also comes out of what i believe the current term is the knowledge-based industry, which has become extremely important to san francisco, so you have that perspective as well. it is that type of diversity that we need on a body such as the planning commission. ms. borden has proved herself to be an extremely quick study in grasping not only the concept of a planning commission, but the types of items that come before us. everything, as she mentioned, from the eastern neighborhood to the extension of someone's back check. the variety of what comes before us at any particular meeting is amazing, and she has proven herself able to grasp it, to grasp it quickly. the inside and the manner in

which she questions both staff, developers, land use attorneys has proven her grasp of this, and it certainly would be my pleasure during the last of my tenure, to have her join me again on the planning commission. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you, commissioner. next speaker please. >> christina olague, member of the planning commission. i just came to show my support for gwyneth. she has been wonderful to work with. although the planning commission is known as a political body, once we get there, we really try to do what is best for the city and try to look at all sides. we may never agree. we may not always agree, but in our hearts, i think we all make an honest effort to do what is best for the city. we are not motivated by

political forces. we really are not. i think that with gwyneth there, we have the able to discuss planning in a very intelligent manner. we can discuss. we can disagree. i believe it has raised the level of discourse are around issues that deal with transportation and these other things. also, as a woman of color, it has been a pleasure to be able to have someone there who i feel is an allied to me and to the communities of color that are sometimes under represented at these bodies. gwyneth has been a very supportive and honest voice in that. i encourage you to pass forward a positive recommendation. again, i look forward to serving with her the next four years, and my only comment to

the mayor's office is why did it take so long to reappoint her? she could be sitting with us this week, but instead, it is going to be a few more weeks. it has been great working with her. again, we do not always agree, and that is not the point. the point is that we can disagree in a respectful way. i really look forward to working with her in the next four years. supervisor campos: thank you, commissioner. next speaker please. >> good morning, supervisors. carpenters' union local 22. we are in support of the reappointment to the planning commission. although i may not always agree with the planning commission board, but she has always acted professionally, and she has always been fair and acted in an impartial manner, and i urge your support for reappointment. and i am like christine olague -- what took the mayor so long?

we ask for your support. thank you very much. supervisor campos: next speaker please. >> good morning. san francisco green party and our city. i think you probably know where i'm headed with this. i know this is an uphill climb. environmental justice, environmental advocates. we knew this was happening today. did not decide to turn out huge numbers of people, but i am here to the floor you to do something unusual, and that is not okay this reappointment -- i am here to employ you to do something unusual. i have fought on many issues in the last few years on the planning commission, and far too many of them, there is what could for lack of a better term be described as a party line vote when it comes to big developers and big corporations. we have 5555 washington, which

had to be cleaned up by the board, and the most important one that was recent was the hunters point shipyard phase two, where the planning commission, because of that party line vote, sent you an eir that you had to then put amendments on, and we are not even sure if those are going to work out. we have not heard from redevelopment whether they have agreed to go with those amendments, and the fact that they have the power to do so shows where we are at. environmental groups, environmental justice activists on the southeast side have been fighting lennar for of words of a decade now. there are going to be more decisions on both the shipyard and treasure island, and with all due respect to the commissioner who has voted in my favor on some issues and has been very even-handed on some things, especially the crucial

issue of the hunters point and the bayview hunters point community, that did not happen, and people might get sick, and we might have economic boondoggles on our hands if we do not handle these things properly. the reality of the situation is environmental groups and the environmental justice groups on this issue have been getting beat up. we are not on a level playing field, and even though many times commissioner borden has been a positive vote in favor of good things, we badly need a level playing field now that hunters point is moving forward. we need a level playing field on which to fight, and we do not have it. so i know it is an unusual step, but i am urging you to take it, to ask the mayor to send you an appointment is going to commit and has a record that proves that they can commit to be even- handed on things like hunters point and treasure island, which has similar issues with toxic

chemicals, etc., and former navy ownership. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you, mr. brooks. next speaker please. >> sue hester. i have been before the planning commission since 1970. i do not always win with gwyneth. she is many times not a vote in my client's favor. however, i understand that the commission appointments are made by the mayor, and the mayor has a perspective. it is what i value in gwyneth,, her willingness to do the work. a planning commissioner is a two-day-a week job. minimum. you give up one of your weekend days preparing.

they have the most massive documents in the city to review. any planning commissioner who comes on to the commission and who has an idea that you show up at 1:00 or 1:30 on a thursday and you go home for dinner is not going to be a good planning commissioner. it is a huge amount of work. if that work is not done by the commissioner, the public is short changed, and you are shortchanged, and you wind up getting all kinds of abuse. i believe that when it has the ability the thatgwy -- tha thin her. like i said, she absolutely does not always agree with me, but i support gwyneth. thank you very much. chairman campos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good morning. i9;uv"0&0

i think in that context, i