class a friend was going to have a baby. she did not conceive of the money it would cost. >> there is no seat for you? >> if they are fall. >> what would your message be for the people who can make it free? >> i think it needs to be free. it is supposed to be free, because you can go to places and know where the place is. [applause] supervisor campos: thank you. let me read a few more names. mrs. chen, yushon banks, marisol bivac, theresa neighbor. >> [speaking spanish]

>> good afternoon. my name is manuela, and i am a member of power. i ask that in honor of love and valentine's day you open authorize the test passes for youth. i ask that we think about -- if we really love our youth, make this free for youth. make transit free poor youth. it should not just be provided to the more low-income children. that creates a stigma for them. that is a type of racism. i wish for this day that the test passes be implemented not just for the next three months, but the we can have free transit for youth for the future. i understand at this hearing

that the implementation of the fast pass it is expensive, but we need to make it free for youth between the ages of 5 and 18 who ride the buses every day. they should not have to show a fast pass. they should just be able to get on a bus, just being used. i think about my own children, who i give money to ride the buses sometimes. instead of buying their transfer, they end up buying candy, and they do not know the consequences of these decisions and what they could face as a result. we should think about the majority of the people who ride the buses. they are low-income poor people. i just want to say that i do

contribute to the community here in san francisco. we deserve fast passes. my children deserve fast passes. happy valentine's day. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is hillary liang, a youth commissioner. i go to school at all high school and worked at -- at lowell high school and work at noe valley. i live across the city. it is really hard and tough to get from my home to my school, even to work. not having to worry about bears is really relieving, even if it is only for three months. free transportation will benefit low-income youth. three months is a lot, especially for families who have more than one youth. it will be a lot better for

children. i have a 10-year-old little brother. he came up to me one day and told me he did not like riding the bus because we did not have enough money to buy him and myself a fast pass every month. he would either go in the back with my grandpa, or the bus driver would give him looks, even though he is young so that would let him pass. he told me he does not like to ride the bus. if we do have free passes or free fares, that would be really good for my family and other youth. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker. >> my name is eva venezra. while it might not be relevant to the vote or when to take this afternoon, in the same vein as supervisor elsbernd's point

earlier, it is important to include private and parochial schools to make this available for all youth. /13 ups -- 1/3 of kids in this city attend private or parochial school, more than any other city in this country. at my high school, 40% of students receive financial aid. the kids who need cheaper public transportation in the city are not limited to public schools. for this reason, i think it is integral that we keep private and parochial students in mind when structuring this legislation for the next fiscal year. supervisor campos: thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is jeff kaminski. i am a senior. i have to take the 29 cents at home. i hope to see this program be

extended to private and rokita schools. it is important that we include all the students of the city in this program eventually. today, i would like to focus on urging the committee to pass this legislation along. it would do the students of san francisco a great challenge by removing -- a great service by removing this from their daily lives. a solid education is really important. getting to and from school should not be part of everyday worries for san francisco students. supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is herbert israel avaron. i am representing the clergy for justice and the restaurant workers union.

even when you have budget meetings, i say that what we do with the resources of the city is a moral issue. it tells us where we allocate the resources we have. that is one reason why we support this. speaking on behalf of progress of religious leaders in our city that go to our mosques are churches, i feel like they cannot go if they do not have these passes. it is in our interest to have this pass. more than that, it is a moral issue. i take the muni every time. on weekends, you go to nice places in the city, but you do not see low-income families because they do not have the money to take their children to see our beautiful parts of this city. i think that should not happen. i am happy that there are a lot of young people here today. it is also teaching them to pay it forward in the future, teaching them a lesson that we want to provide these resources so that in the future they can

be kinder, gentler people, not like some people today in politics who would rather cut benefits for low-income families. as somebody working with the union, i took a spot for my union sister. we have done packed with workers across the country. we can at least pay the children of these workers well by giving them access to public transportation. we are already under attack with health care and pensions. help them enjoy our city, the beautiful spots. the with the family, be mobile. i think we should do this for all young people. supervisor campos: thank you, reverend. next speaker, please. >> [speaking spanish]

>> good afternoon. my name is gloria estefan. i ask that you implement these fast passes immediately. we should think about all the rights that will be expanded through the fast passes. we think about the youth. they have a right to go to school and they have a right to

try to get to recreational centers and different things the city offers without thinking about the fact that a lot of them have parents who work a lot but do not get paid very much. they do not get to reap the benefits of some of these things the city offers. this is a very important issue for youth. there are a lot of youth who

work. they need public transit. we are talking about poor people. we are talking about services that have been cut. they are forcing us to pay. in this way, the fact that services are being cut -- they are impeding our families from being able to support our families.

i want to say enough to the bureaucracy that is stopping us -- stopping this from being put forward. we have fought really hard. we need to keep fighting and demanding the implementation of the fest passes. enough with the excuses. i want to thank the supervisors. we count on your support. i feel we have the best supervisors of any city in this city. bowie also want to count on the school district to be representing the young people and families. supervisor campos: thank you. let me read a few more names. happy yang, joyce sung.

>> i am with the chinese progressive association. some of our families came all the way from chinatown. i want to ask them from -- ask them to stand up. they came through the rain and the wet today to attend. these are the real folks who trudged and battled the crowds. it is because of families like these that our organizations are out here. we know that with the budget cuts coming up this is just one tiny victory that might be a hopeful sign for the upcoming budget fight. also, this $1.4 million -- there is no question that it should be distributed now. it was not distributed last year. i know i am preaching to the choir, but the supervisors support the resolution with the community. to me, we should not even have to be asking for this.

it should be assumed that this will be distributed to the families that need it in san francisco. i know there is strong community support here. we will show the mta next month that this is the only position they can take on this. there is no other alternative. it is an important first step to creating accessible transportation for people in san francisco. three months is one tiny thing. will be fighting for better and more accessible trade protection for families in san francisco. thank you. [applause] >> my name is yashon banks and i am here supporting power. i believe public transportation should not be treated like a luxury if a person can afford it. it should be accessible for everyone. this is a small step. i have a sister who has four

children in the san francisco unified school district. she already is struggling to make ends meet to make 50% of her income. to also pay money for four children to go to school every day is very hard for her. there is no question we should have this for our youth and the people in our city. thank you. [applause] >> my name is naomi sierra. i attend high school in the sunset. i am a youth commissioner and community outreach officer. there is a perception that private and parochial school students are all financially secure and stable. however, i am here to represent those of us who are not afforded the economic luxuries that are perceived of this demographic. i am daughter to a single

mother and a first-generation immigrant. i have earned my way into a parochial college prep high school. however, i am still a young person born and raised in san francisco. regardless of whether i go to public or private school, i deserve equal access to resources afforded to my public- school counterparts. basically, i am here to echo the need to make sure that we take into account all san francisco youth, whether they go to private or public schools for the next fiscal year, although that is not being decided today. thank you. >> i am marisol, use rep port district 9 and one of the community outreach officers. i am 18 years old, and i attend

sacred heart. even though this lifeline pass would not directly affect me because i would not qualify, because i attend private school, i think this would be very beneficial for youth and allow low-income youth the opportunity for free transportation. i believe all youth deserve to have access to these passes, no matter what school they go to. thank you. >> my name is theresa. i represent a nonprofit organization that focuses around transformative youth development and employment. i am a resident and current representative of district land use commission. with this resolution before providing the opportunity of fleet muni passes, this would ensure that 12,000 low-income youth between five and 17 will have free transportation,

keeping in mind that around 70% of san francisco public school students currently take public transportation. this will save families and used in san francisco is staggering amount of $360,000 that it would not have to pay for just those three months. i am advocating for this resolution to pass. the families and children of san francisco are struggling. our youth of san francisco are important. this provides families release by ensuring that their children are receiving free transportation. thank you. [applause] >> i am a senior at balboa high school. i am from ymac, youth making a change, an organization within

pullman advocates. i think students having to make some much money to get to school is ridiculous. students cannot pay to get on the bus to get to school. the excuse of not having money to get to school should not be there. every student should go to school no matter what. that money should not be excuse, especially when you go to a public school for free education. san francisco has one of the best muni systems in the country. everyone praises our bus system, but it comes at the price of our citizens. we struggle to pay to get on these buses, whether it be not having 75 cents or not having $20. i have people from my organization here. we believe that since this is a

youth issue, it is not for the adults to come out and say what they feel. we need the user's voice to tell you how this is affecting them. adults just back up. thank you. [applause] supervisor campos: before you speak, and when to call a few more cards. the ellington, judy hwang, calvin trang, ernest stortz from power, cheryl chan, jesus perez. >> i am the district for youth commissioner. i go to school in the sunset. most students do not work. since right now there are no such things as neighborhood schools anymore, we all have to bus to school. school buses in high schools are

being cut right now. i hope a youth fast pass can be implemented. even though it is not for all youth in san francisco, i believe this is a great start. thank you. >> i am a youth commissioner as well as a student at balboa high school. i believe the voice of youth should matter and does matter in the democratic process of san francisco government. the duty of the commission, according to the city charter, is to meet the needs of san francisco youth and look for possible policy changes to meet those. that is why we are here today on valentine's day. i have met with mr. chu from the san francisco unified school district. i understand the hardship about how to implement this.

as a youth commissioner, i would love to work with the board of supervisors, sfmta, sfusc, and community organizations to make this happen. >> my name is judy. i am here to speak about the youth passes. >> my name is rosa. i go to washington high school. >> i go to lincoln high school. we are youth leaders from chinatown [unintelligible] i take three buses to sunset district. it takes one hour to get to school. i need to be in school by 7:30

am my family does not have a car. public transportation is important to us. the main importance for us is that muni is there. you must have a pass. but the rate to keep increasing. just make 20, 2009, increased 100%, from $10 to $20. it caused economic hardship for families. furthermore, the school district cut transport on the school bus. please encourage munich and the school district to follow through on the city's promise to provide transportation to low- income youth. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker. >> good evening and happy

valentine's day. my name is roger cue. i go to galileo high school. i am part of the youth organization aaa. every morning, i ride the 8x. i live on the other side of town. it takes about an hour. me and my brother both attend galileo high school. every month, we have to pay $20 just for a youth pass. i have known that this youth lifeline has been already there. the money is already there. i was wondering why you guys have not used it yet. we could be saving this money for other things to help pay the

bills. thank you. [applause] supervisor campos: thank you. next speaker. >> my name is kevin trang. i am part of the campaign academy, part of chinatown's muni development center. i am in a family of four, living in visitation valley and attending galileo high school. i ride the abx and 45 to my school. i am not qualified for free lunches, but i have many friends who qualify for free lunches. they live across the city and every month it is hard for them to pay for their fast passes. since there is only $1.50 million that was supposed to be used for the lifeline this year, i was wondering why in has not been used.

i would like this money to be used for free passes this year. there are currently three months left for this year. i would like to urge you to pass this this year to create the youth lifeline passes. i wish you a nice day. supervisor campos: i am good to call a few more cards. martino, maria luz-torre, jorge tohama. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am a volunteer for power. although i am here to ask that you pass the resolution for fast passes, i would also like to ask that you consider how public

transportation supports the economy of the city of san francisco. free bus passes are unimportant steps, but only -- are an important step, but only the first step. many cities offer free transportation to all of their residents. please consider how it supports the economy of san francisco. three fast passes are a first step. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> my name is jesus perez. i am from south of market. i hope you guys pass this and help the youth. thank you. [applause] >> my name is cheryl