approach that in your job in terms of making sure that there is sufficient community input as those decisions are made. >> in my last comment, made a comment that i would be open to all stakeholders, and i think it is important because our decisions are made on the input we received from the citizens of this city. that is who we serve. i listened to all, and an open to hear from all stakeholders. i'm very concerned that we do not disadvantage neighborhoods, particularly underserved neighborhoods where we have a lot of seniors and minorities. for a long time, and i will cite an example -- for a long time, going to the bayview district, we had one bus service. that is not good. again, and underserved community. for me, it would be very important to listen to the constituents of those

communities to make sure they are not disproportionately impacted. supervisor campos: we have the example of my neighborhood, which is the 67 line, the only one that goes through the alamein the housing development, and they cut that line in have so if you are a resident now, you have to transfer buses to be able to get to a safe way. so where is the equity in that? those are the kinds of things that we are looking at. one of the things that i noted before about this appointment is the frustration that i had in the fact that this vacancy was open for a while and the appointment was not made until december 1. as you know, we have a new group of supervisors that will be coming in on the eighth of january, and many of them -- take, for instance, in district 8, supervisor elect weiner --

many of them ran and were elected on platforms that focus on public transportation. i wonder if you could talk about the kinds of conversations you had with current members of the board of supervisors and whether or not you would be willing to meet with those newly elected supervisors to make sure that they have a chance to speak to you and talk to you about the issues. i know you have been very open and very willing to speak with me, so i'm wondering if you can just talk a little about your conversations. >> yes, i have had various conversations with current supervisors, and every single supervisor has voiced concerns about mta. everyone has strong concerns, and i'm very willing to meet with new supervisors. i'm very open to hear their comments as well because at the end of the day, their constituents will come to them and complain about the services.

yes, i am willing to meet with them. >> before i turn it over to public comment, one thing i would say about this is i think there has been a disservice to you and to the public in terms of the timing of this appointment because i think if it had been made earlier, that it would have given you an opportunity to do all the things you have been trying to do in a very short time. in my sense, having spoken to you and been very impressed, is that the more people talk to you, the more impressed they will be. with that, why don't we open it up to public comment? i know that there are members of the public who are here to speak on this item. please come forward. you each have two minutes. >> good afternoon, supervisors. it is a fantastic afternoon in san francisco, isn't it? and aren't we glad we live in america where we have the freedom of choice?

i am dr. shelton, third vice president of the san francisco branch naacp, and 82-year-old organization in the city and county of san francisco. as you said early on, there is a lot of activity going on in sacramento, our president had to run up to sacramento, but we are here as an naacp branch in support of leona bridges for the position she is seeking and we hope you will confirm her to. i will not go into all of her credentials because the power that be have seen to the fact that she is here for you to put her in that position, and as you see, we are here to help you make the choice. [laughter] we are here to help you make the choice. please no that we are behind her 100%, and we will make sure

she does the best job for the city and county of san francisco and for all of us who live here and make this beautiful city our home. thank you for your consideration. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good afternoon. i'm a member of the san francisco alumni chapter of delta sigma theta. many of our sorority sisters are here in support leona bridges. i have a letter that i would like to read from another member of our surety. "it is with pleasure that i submit this letter to you on behalf of ms. leona bridges, nomination to the mta. it was my intent to deliver these comments to you verbally, but another obligation prevented me from joining you on this date. i have been in the transit industry for 32 years. san. muni as the trading manager, ac

transit as the assistant manager of administration, bart as the department manager of human- resources, and currently, as a member of the executive paratransit council. during these years, i worked with numerous elected and appointed policy makers. in addition to being a regular transit rider, i feel the phone skills are essential for any transit policy maker to possess. visionary, thoughtful and critical thinker, communication skills, management skills, independent thinker, ms. bridges has the expertise to serve with distinction with the mta. leona possesses all of the skills listed above. she is a quick study. she will learn the terms and transit concepts in short order. her background will serve her well as a policymaker prepared to address the issues facing

the mta in the years ahead. her life experiences will serve the city of sanford says go in setting policies that will enhance all transit-related issues. i live in san francisco for 29 years. i still own property in the city. i care about the city. we urge you to support -- to vote in support of her. you will not regretted." supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good afternoon. my name is mike williams, and i am a former vice chairman of barclays global investors. bgi was headquartered in san francisco and at the time was the world's largest global investment business. we serve over $2 trillion in assets. i have known leona bridges in a professional capacity since 1993 and seen her in a wide variety of roles and functions at the

firm. she managed the global financial markets operation, which provide significant income to our clients. she had responsibility for people management. she ran a large budget, audits, regulatory compliance. she was very successful in developing the global the apartment, and making certain year after year that our firm had clean audit results. when i became head of the global index and markets group, directly responsible for 14 $3 trillion in customer assets, leona moved into a role serving clients in a much more directed capacity. she brought a wonderful school to our clients -- the ability to translate the arcane language of finance to everyone broadly, so that the experience -- that her experience and knowledge was more accessible to our clients. in this role, she maintained

relationships with pension plans, as she said representing nearly $800 billion in assets. to work with everyone at the plan with a professional financial management down to the individual participants. bgi was a fiduciary business. our responsibility as a fiduciary was to manage client assets as though they were our own. as the financial markets became increasingly complex, it became very important to ask a highly experienced financial market professional to manage our client relationships. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> i've the executive director of what its san francisco. pedestrian safety is a big and important issue. 800 people a year get hit or injured -- hit and injured and killed by cars.

the media, recently, and there is a new executive director from the mayor to work on that, which walk san francisco worked with him on, and we are excited about it. this appointment was fairly recent, so we would really like to ask, as part of the sustainable transportation community, to have the opportunity to meet with ms. bridges and talk more with her about pedestrian safety, cycling, public transportation, so we would ask that you differ -- i guess the term is continue -- the nomination to give us a chance to do that. >> are there any african- american members of the board of directors of walk san francisco? >> not right now. it is a very small organization.

but we very much support diversity. >> right, but i'm suggesting is a two-way street. i think your organization, like many in the environmental community, could do a far better job of being engaged with the affected communities. [applause] my only suggestion is when you want to build a relationship, all you have to do is reach out a hand. i do not think he could - telehealth to her testimony -- i do not think you could have listened to her testimony and not been responsive, so i had a feeling. i do not want to be critical, but i wanted to bring that up. [applause] supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon. i'm the president of the san francisco alumni chapter of delta sigma theta inc., which has been a chapter in this city for 62 years. we are part of a national

chapter of over 200,000 women, predominantly african-american women. i would like the members of delta sigma theta to stand as i make my presentation. i have a lot of things i wanted to say, but people have said everything i wanted to say. i just want to tell you what i know of ms. bridges. i have known her for over 30 years. she is a warm, caring, compassionate woman. she loves this city. when she says she is going to do something, she does it. she is the rope. because we grew up in this diverse city, we work with all types of people, and she knows how to do that. she knows how to communicate, and she knows how to make you feel you are the only person she is talking to, she is listening to, and that she is going to take your interest to heart. ms. bridges -- she has the ability, when i'm lost or there is something i need to consider,

i can call and talk to her, and she gives me several different aspects to look at. she is not going to tell me what to do, but she is a wonderful adviser. when i grow up in the city, we had the best transportation in the city. it was affordable. we need to get back to that, and adding her on this commission will get us there -- at least it will be the start to get us there. i highly recommend, and i hope, as a former employee of the city for 35 years, that you will support her nomination, and you will not regretted. most importantly, the citizens of san francisco will not regret it. thank you. supervisor campos: 5 you very much -- thank you very much. next speaker please. >> good afternoon. i speak in support leona bridges.

i wanted to offer something that i found when i reached out and heard that she was nominated. i wanted to know where she stood on local hiring because at the time, the m.t.a. was actually in contrast to them.t.a. was a litn i asked mrs. bridges where she stood, she said we needed to enjoy local higher. i said, "this is music to my ears." as i continued to talk with her, i would say things like, "what about the bicycle plan? as the mta commissioner, you would want to be burst on the bicycle plan." a few hours later, she would forward me the resolution passed unanimously at the board in october, saying 20% bicycle rider ships -- writer -- ridership by 2020.

she learns like this. it is a testimony to her intelligence, her fiscal expertise. she is critical in dealing with the budget while having levels of service and like what went down on the 67. she learns quick. i think any issues can probably be resolved out in the hallway, to be honest with you. let us get her there. there is a lot of work to be done at mta. she gets so many aspects of this. she rides a 38 gear almost every day. mta is doing a lot of work. time is of the essence to get the local hiring language in all those contracts as well. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> my name is gregory reed. i am the speaker with the randolph institute. the philip randolph institute is here to support the confirmation appointment of leona bridges.

ms. bridges is a financial expert, as you already have heard, and muni needs her expertise, because at mta there is a $750 million agency with an anticipated budget shortfall to be balanced against community means and maintain consistent levels of muni service. on behalf of the local apri chapter and hundreds of working men and women from our community, it is without reservation that we wholeheartedly as could you support ms. bridges's nomination by supporting her confirmation. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you, sir. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, chairman,

supervisors. i am humbled and pleased i am standing as a witness. i work for the city and county of san francisco for 38 years, the health department. i retired as a complaint investigator. i have been at third baptist church for 35 years. i am one of the assistance to dr. amen brown, pastor. i stand witness because leona bridges is one i can say without hesitation has carried herself in a job, had a nation that worked in the banking industry. my niece often talked about leona bridges working in the back. i have witnessed her. i know a lot of for sisters. i know members of the family. i recently experienced at the church the pastor had a little illness and he appointed a committee, a committee that would help with the discharging

of the duties on sunday morning. and i just happened to be one of the creatures that received some calls from leona bridges, on time, regular. i am not really a cell phone person. i do not understand the cell phone. but she kept me on the cellphone, and i had an experience that i shall long remember. leona bridges is a well- qualified young woman, and i think it is an opportunity that she received disappointment. and i will be standing and supporting or rev. canon along with the pastor and the community. i beg of you that you consider supporting this appointment. thank you very much. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker, mr. paulson. happy new year to you. >> happy new year to you, rules committee.

♪ you found leona just-in-time you found her just-in-time your mta commission was running low your city bridges over crossed know where to go now here she is and i know just where you were going no more doubt and mta fear we found our way because leona bridges came just in time you found her just in time and made the mta better better today ♪ [applause] supervisor campos: next speaker,

please. [laughter] >> that is a hard act to follow, i tell you. but i will try. [laughter] first of all, keith jackson. i just want to say, supervisor dufty, thank you for your fairness and open questions and asking questions about things. you're going to be really missed on this board. i just want to thank you. i always thought there were two african-american supervisors on this board. you obviously are one of them. >> a man. -- amen. >> ms. bridges and everyone else here speaks to her commitment to the city and county of san francisco. this is not a political issue, and we should not make this a political issue. i think we need to move this item forward, because the

community has come out to support her. to continue this item does not make any sense. let us move this item forward. i encourage you to do so. with all your knowledge, thank you for serving on this board. it is complicated sometimes. but i think we also of -- i think we all have the responsibility when we have good folks that want to volunteer in this city. they could be using their energy for anything else, but they are using their energy to benefit the city. i just want to move this item forward and i encourage you to do so. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> floyd trowel, of the local development corporation. i had the privilege of seeing an individual in the person of leona bridges and i want to say she is a bridge builder.

how often can you find someone who can cross the sector of the financial world and a bridge into the community and do such a viable work? i think he would do great justice to this community to make sure to forward her name on and not pass turning by, but move forward with expediency. as has been stated, she comes qualified. and considering we do not want to make this a race issue -- as african-americans, we are only 5% of the population, and we do not serve in many capacities in politics. i would urge you to consider the fact that not many of us are on these boards or commissions. so as to start thinking about persons who come with qualities such as those which have been already articulated, i hope you would see fit to pass her name on for consideration as a commissioner. thank you.

supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am douglas haynes. and i rise in support of this nomination for leona bridges. as a 24-year employee of muni, i think that she will be an asset to the mta board. her skills and her experiences are vast and cover the full gamut we have to encounter in the muni and mta community. she is a community worker in the church community, in the sorority community, in the financial community. she is a rare person, and it is our opportunity now to bring her into the city government so that we can get the benefit of her skills and of her personality, and of all the experiences that she has. so i encourage you -- please do

not continue this nomination, but give it your full support now that it might go forward. thank you so much for your consideration. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you. good afternoon to the board of supervisors. we are here on behalf of the confirmation of ms. leona bridges. will not go through a whole lot of rhetoric in terms of what others have said. ms. bridges is experienced. she is engaged. her ethics are just impeccable. and on behalf of the baptist ministers and ministers alliance throughout the city of san francisco, i come out lawrence hart, of the paradise missionary baptist church, trust and hope

you will confirm this recommendation of ms. leona bridges. the city of san francisco will be the better because of what you will do at your earliest convenience. thank you very much. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> happy new year's again, supervisors. mining is deidre smith, apri san francisco chapter. we and the community find it imperative to support ms. bridges for mta commissioner for many reasons. one is her finance background, well over 15 years. two, a regular rider of muni. 3, understanding local hire. four, being an african american woman role model for our youth. we have many challenges we believe she will help overcome. for the record, we ask this board for your support for mr. -- for ms. bridges to be our next mta commissioner.

supervisor campos: thank you very much. is there any other member of the public would like to speak on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. supervisor dufty: i want to thank you again for welcoming here -- welcoming me here today. a supervisor, and a speaking for something does not always necessarily happen. but i felt warm and comfortable here with my colleagues and want to reflect on a few things. first of all, there is going to be a new mayor. one of the important qualities we want in an mta director is independence. i think that is something that the restaurant doesn't that -- that director-designate bridges is able to bring. if she moves forward, it is going to be because of public participation and the board's consideration today. i know both of my colleagues are committed to affirmative action, and we have the opportunity to act affirmatively to day and do

something positive for our city. when i packed my boxes to leave city hall, one of the things i put in was an out migration task force report. i do not even know if people would necessarily know what an out migration means, but we have had to have a city working group define for us why we have lost black population in san francisco over the past two decades. it is really a tragedy. i can speak to each of you and know of her deep commitment to the black community, how your careers have involved empowerment, diversity, exclusivity, and seeing that we are all part of one movement toward justice. we are not singular communities seeking justice. we are working together. supervisor mar, i have seen the you been courageous in taking on an issue for individuals in the justice system that no politician in their right mind would have touched. supervisor campos, you have

stood up for people who are immigrant in this country and recognized the unjust treatment they have received. supervisor alioto-pier, i do not know that i have known a mayor more popular in the black community than your grandfather was. all of you have your own unique -- [applause] your own unique relationships and connections. we want to go forward. we want a stronger community in san francisco. of course we want a stronger muni. but we should not have an mta board that does not have a representative of ms. bridges' caliber and background. when people said there might be better people, i cannot imagine there is going to be a better person. the individuals that serve in these positions are not allowed to be removed except for cause. you have to have someone in finance for this position. i would love a for a moment we

could suspend the issues of the day and really recognize how important it is to keep safe. for those of you that continue in this role, i would hope to years or four years from now that we would see a renaissance, the san francisco is viewed as being more receptive and more capable in fostering and nurturing and developing our black community. we must never again have an out migration task force have to look at those types of issues. having stakeholders' like ms. bridges is one of the most important ways to insure we do things right. i hope you would consider the nomination and move it forward. [applause] supervisor campos: thank you. supervisor alioto-pier: thank you, supervisor capos, -- campos, supervisor dufty. as eloquent and beautiful as always. i will miss seeing you every tuesday