to be able to bring that background, along with my background in public policy and management, and my private sector experience and being able to look at alternative resources to transform communities in our city that cannot typically get that voice -- that do not typically get that voice, either at the table or in access to resources. i look forward to working with the city and county of san francisco in this capacity, and i look forward to working with you on the board to be able to advance some of the things we need to be advancing. thank you very much. supervisor campos: before you go, and the questions? i do have a couple of questions i wanted to ask you. what do you see are the challenges facing the redevelopment agency going forward? >> obviously, in our economy right now, there is a lot of resources that are required to

be able to implement change, and when you look at affordable housing development in the city, particularly near redevelopment project areas, financing to be able to bring projects to fruition are pretty difficult at this time, so i think being able to identify the needs of the community and being able to bring all the stakeholders together to determine what is the best need for that particular area, and identifying both the local, regional, and public sector resources and masking that with private sector resources to be able to make those projects happen. i say that particularly around affordable housing, but i think it is also pertinent to being able to look at developing commercial corridors and attract businesses in some of our most difficult neighborhoods in the city. supervisor campos: i'm glad you underscore the importance of bringing stakeholders together

and making sure there is community involvement. i think your background as a community organizer coupled with the extensive background you have in both the public and private sectors is something that is a very strong combination. i wonder if you have any thoughts about the involvement of the community and the diverse communities of san francisco. i especially want to make sure that communities that perhaps have been -- the level of involvement has not been as high as it should be, that those communities are also part of the equation. >> thank you for asking that. i'm very proud to say the i also am -- that i am also a filipino american. i think i might be the first filipino american woman to serve on this commission. that certainly is a constituency that is important to me and what i believe has not had a strong

voice in terms of public policy decisions or being involved in the political process. aside from that, i know there are many constituencies in the city, whether african-american, latino, asian, pacific islander -- communities that may not feel they have a representation in a public policy forum. my background as a community organizer and someone who has believed in having that access and bringing people together is going to be something i will bring to this commission, and hopefully, they will keep me accountable and also allow me to listen to all types of issues to be able to come up with the most sound policy decisions that impact their community. supervisor campos: any other questions? just a final question, if i may.

is there a specific goal or objective or objectives that you would like to focus on if you were appointed? >> no, i think coming from the background that i have, my goal is to be able to be that unique sounding board for the commission. because of my background as a former city employee he, i do understand the bureaucracy and the need to be able to make decisions in a public forum, but i also come from a background as a community organizer, and i think that what i would like to see is that we bridge the divide between those two communities and be able to come up with sound projects and sound decisions that impact all of our neighborhood communities, and for the redevelopment agency, there are some critical issues impacting the hunters point community as well as the south of market community that i have

a very strong passion about, especially around intersections between public safety and community development and economic development and community civic participation. hopefully, my role on the redevelopment commission cannot allow me to do the things that i feel like we should be doing as a city and hopefully advancing those efforts to make them successful. supervisor campos: thank you very much. why don't we open it up for public comment? if there is any member of the public who would like to speak on this item, please come forward. you each have two minutes. and we have been joined by the president of the commission. >> thank you. i'm president of the san francisco redevelopment agency commission. i'm here to speak to you in support of agnes briones ubalde 's appointment as one of our commissioners. she is the perfect puzzle for

our commission. her background with small business, background as an organizer pretty much prescribe what our priorities are for the next four years, along with the housing act transbay -- at transbay as well as the ongoing evolution of the neighborhood in mission bay. she has all those components. she is a perfect match for the need we have at the commission right now, which is why i support her appointment. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker please. good morning. welcome to the rules committee. >> i am the executive director for employment house south of market, and i'm here to support agnes. she has always been a good person, always called me and asked for my opinion.

as the service provider for the job referrals, i think her addition to the commission would be important. with the economy the way it is any need to get everything going as far as jobs are concerned, we need a really good, strong compliance program with redevelopment. they are the model for that compliance system, and i would like to be able to work with agnes on that, and i think she provides a unique perspective in the she balances out the membership. she will be the third woman in that commission. more importantly, filipino. we have had a long history in the south of market, and it is indicative that this is the only and first-time a member of that commission has come from that

community. so i urge your support. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker please. >> good morning. i came here also to speak in support of ms. briones ubalde's appointment. i found her to be a particularly strong advocate for the filipino community, particularly around access to jobs for the redevelopment that was going to be done, and concern about the displacement of that community, which, frankly, we development in this city and other cities does not always get right. she was a particularly strong voice for that. i most familiar with her through my work with homeless kids. not only did she support that program through her work and the mayor's office of criminal justice, but when she went on to become an employee of wachovia

and wells fargo, funding these programs and getting other people to be aware of their programs, not just simply cutting a check, but showing up at our vigils, at job training programs and helping advocate for young people, so she really brings a whole perspective of justice to her work and real sensitivity to young people and making sure that all people are brought to the table and all people and stakeholders are brought forth in the discussion. i also come here representing richard fuentes, my partner. he was the developer for mission economic development agency a few years ago, and he asked me to share with you that agnes was a leading proponent and one of the largest supporters of the program, so she really has her hand around the bay and in this city. her fingerprints are everywhere

in advocating for the community and bringing resources together for the community, so i urge you to support her in his appointment. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker. >> supervisors, i submitted a speaker card, so i was not sure about the sequence. i'm a board member of several organizations, including the san francisco filipino cultural center and the filipino american foundation south of market. i'm supporting the confirmation of agnes today for two reasons, and i want to underscore these reasons. first, as a filipina and someone who grew up in san francisco, my family was one of those families who migrated to the south of market, and we are one of the few families who live in san francisco. we have seen so much development and so was gentrification, which have displaced many latino families. i have to believe that agnes,

being organic to the south of market, is able to bridge all of those community gaps that are necessary in addressing gentrification and displacement of our community. in particular, she has already shared with you her background in the south of market as a community organizer. she has the trust of our community. she can forge relationships as needed and bridge any riffs -- rifts that might occur over the course of discussion. she has that ability to perform as a redevelopment agency commissioner, particularly all the projects the redevelopment agency has -- particularly given all the projects that the redevelopment agency has right now. secondly, on a personal note, i would like to share with you an honor and distinction that agnes and i share. under mayor willie brown, i was the first filipina and only

filipino department head as the executive director of the human rights commission, and under gavin newsom, agnes was the only filipino and filipina department head. i urge you to continue that representation -- supervisor campos: thank you. thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good morning. i'm the president of the filipino women's network and also the president of the friends of sand and cisco commission and status of women. -- friends of san francisco commission and status of women. i am here as a resident of district 6, and certainly, i really think that agnes would bring that voice that is needed in the san francisco redevelopment agency commission. i'm glad the president is here because i have both shared the benefits and advantages of the rapid growth south of market.

also, i want to share that my first job was in the south of market in 1981, so i have seen the growth of the area and have been to several commission meetings in support or against many of the policy decisions that have been made to the redevelopment commission. agnes brings that needed voice and the change in the redevelopment agency, not just as a filipino woman, but also as a mother and a daughter and a resident of san francisco -- not just as a filipina woman. her work at the social responsibility group in a fortune 100 company is very important to bring to the table, but most important is her voice as community organizer, representing many neighborhoods and bringing different perspectives to the table i think is very important. bringing a diverse group of stakeholders and many perspectives is one of the key

things and a key change in the commission. i urge you to support her appointment. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good morning. my name is dennis normandy. i have served in the administration from the last five mayors of san francisco, and i'm currently president of the civil service commission. i'm here to add my voice in support of agnes ubalde and want to speak in particular to her character and competence. i have seen her operate most effectively as community organizer and leader. as a family member, she brings a core set of values that are wonderful and i think will serve the city very well. i urge your support for her appointment. thank you very much. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good morning.

i am the artistic director of the performing arts organization located in the south of market area. also thanks to the san francisco redevelopment agency, we will be opening up a brand-new theatre in the summertime. i am here in support of agnes briones ubalde. i first met agnes back in our college days, san francisco state. dare i say 20 years ago. oh, my gosh, we are getting old. i have always admired her focused work ethic, her integrity, and her talent as a great communicator. i have witnessed firsthand her community organizing, in particular the south of market area, and as a proud filipino american, i have always been proud of her achievements with city hall and her overall talent to lead people and make right decisions, so again, i

urge you to support her. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> supervisors, my name is francisco da costa. i have known the candidate since she worked for criminal justice. having said that, supervisors, you do know that the san francisco redevelopment agency is a quasi-state agency, which use supervisors -- your hands are tied when it comes to auditing them and many of their dubious activities that i have participated in when i talk to you about hunters point or whatever. we need -- agnes is ok.

she would be a better candidate than having someone else, some clone, but we need somebody to represent the bayview visitation valley. there is a lot from here, and someone must know about the infrastructure, housing element, and so on and so forth. treasure island, with all the activities of tida that recently came before you all, so we need a candidate that needs to be astute. i love the filipino community, and i have taught for the filipino community, but this is about the housing element. this is about infrastructure. this is about the over $30 billion in the next eight years coming to this community and the experience that a candidate brings.

if she is a fast learner, she can catch up, so let her do the right thing for the community, so i support her. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you very much. is there any other member of the public who would like to speak? seeing none, public comment is closed. supervisor alioto-pier. supervisor alioto-pier: thank you. i just want to commend the mayor on this appointment. i was very excited about it. these larger, bigger, more important commissions have a real impact on san francisco, and i think it is really important that you get people investing in the city, in the beauty of it, the way it runs. we need to make sure we learn from our mistakes, and i think that the redevelopment agency is one of the commissions in particular that we need to pay special attention to. i'm thrilled to be able to support you in this, and your

work on the small business commission or department was exceptionally noteworthy, and i just want to congratulate you for the nomination, and i thank the mayor for putting this before us. supervisor, with that, if i may, i would like to make an official motion. supervisor campos: we have a motion to move this forward. first of all, thank you to the speakers who have come out and spoken about the application, and thank you to miss -- ms. briones ubalde for volunteering to serve the city and county of san francisco. i will be supporting that motion. let me say that what i especially appreciate about this individual is, i think, the history of commitment to community involvement and making sure that the interests of all of san francisco communities

are taken into consideration. i think that that commitment has been demonstrated repeatedly and that this is an individual who will reach out to all these communities. with respect to the filipino community, i think that this appointment is a long time coming and is something that should have happened a long time ago. my hope is that it will be a first step in making sure that that community has even more representation throughout city government, but i think ultimately, why this makes sense is that this is someone who i think will go out of her way to make sure that all views are taken into consideration. if we could take that without objection. thank you. congratulations. if we could now please call -- [applause] item number four. >> motion confirming the

reappointment of edwin lee to a five-year term as city administrator under charter section 3.104. supervisor campos: this is a very important item, and if i could ask edwin lee to come before us. good morning, mr. lee. >> thank you for the opportunity to speak with you about this confirmation. as you noted, i had in your city administrator for the last five years. i'm now in my 21st year of government, and i was pondering what to say today. honestly, i had been thinking about all the years i have spent here in government. just appreciating the fact that we have a great opportunity to work in this wonderful city. it is so diverse and sell dynamic, and -- so diverse and so dynamic, and i do often

compare us to oakland and all the other cities that surround us to all the major cities in the country and find that we are so lucky to be in this great city and to be working for it. 21 years ago, when i first started, i did not like the city government at all. in fact, i spent some quality years litigating it. i was challenged at that time and continue to be challenged by various mayors and members of the board of supervisors to come in and make those changes, and today, i'm proud of the staff i have assembled at the general services administration, proud of the 26,000 people i get to work with to deliver services to san franciscans and the people who visit here as well. there is anything i continue reflecting on that amazes me, --

if there is anything i continue reflected on -- if there is anything i continue reflecting on that amazes me, it is the diversity of our citizens. we need to make sure that we treat them equally and make sure that our cultural competence reverberates are around every single department of the city. that is what makes me proud to be part of this government and to continue doing what i can to contribute to it. with that, i am proud to serve with you and serve a number of programs. it would take all day to go through all of them, but that is personally how i feel about the time i have had here, my continued efforts to work with the mayor for all of san francisco. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you, mr. ne -- mr. lee. the one thing i would say about this nomination is the fact that it has not been a controversial

one or the fact that you do not have a lot of people here who are raising issues with this i think is a testament to you because you do play a very important role in the day-to-day operations of the city and county of san francisco. i think that oftentimes, we hear negative things about a specific application, but when there are positive things, those things do not necessarily get any airing, so the fact that we are where we are today i think illustrates the kind of job that you are doing. i appreciate the fact that you truly are trying to make sure that government works for all san franciscans and i think you have demonstrated repeatedly that you get it, that you get the importance of making government accessible for all people, irrespective of where you live.

there are a number of experiences we have had, and certainly with one of the most vulnerable populations in my district with the day laborers, i know you have been committed to making sure that we do right by that community in a way that also addresses the concerns of the neighboring communities that are impacted, and i know you will continue that commitment. i also appreciate the fact that you had a team that is representative of the diverse populations of san francisco. i think that is very important, and i know you will continue that commitment, so i want to thank you for that. i do not know why anyone what to do this job for another five years, but if that is their choice, i would be happy to support it. with that, why don't we open it up to public comment? if there is any member of the public who would like to speak on this item, please come forward. >> supervisors, jim lazarus.

i had the privilege of working with the board of supervisors back in 1995 on charter reform and crafted the position that end is being nominated to -- that ed has been re-nominated to. this is the type of person we anticipated when we created that position back in 1995. having the general administration of the city and competent professional management hand overlapping the mayor's administration's -- this is a great reappointment, and i know it is going to go forward unanimously. thank you for letting me speak. >> supervisors, first and foremost, let me say that mr. edwin lee and myself are very

good friends, and i have known him for a long time. i have access to him, and if you know me, i say things after studying the issues. never once has mr. edwin lee not stopped and listened to me. having said that, let me explain a little bit about the position. when willie brown came, they changed the charter. before that, you have the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the city administrator who has power. now you know how that goes. so when you say you wonder why anyone would take that job, it is because someone twisted the wings of the city administrator. having done that, someone like edwin lee knows how to play the

game. not only that, he delivers. this man, over the last year- and-a-half has brought a lot of those problems on track, dealing with a monopoly like pg&e. it is not very easy. so i wish him the best. he is a good friend of mine. i have access to him. i hope he brings a better sense of accountability and transparency, and that is a model, city employees. for those that do not live up to some standards, would just talk the talk but do not walk the walk. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker please. we have been joined by the

executive director of the arts commission. >> good morning. i direct the arts commission, one of the few departments that do not report directly to the city administrator, edwin lee, but does interface with his office on a regular basis to address many of the challenges and issues that we all have to do to do the people's business, and it has been an absolute delight to see the efficiency, the awareness, the fall through of his office -- the follow- through of his office. he is totally accessible, and i just want to take this time to lend my support to this appointment. thank you very much. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker. >> good morning. i am a member of the immigrant rights commission. i am here this morning on behalf of angus mccarthy