put in instead. who is going to maintain them? is money going to be in them? are people going to get money back? it is anything like muni or anything else, the machines will not be maintained. we are worried about the homeless to offering the bins, why doesn't someone put a lock on the bins? that would really help. is really a big boon for our neighborhood. please keep it in place. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> i'm stepping forward early because i have an appointment. i live in the haight ashbury, and i own a home two blocks from the neighborhood recycling center. i have recycled at hanc for years. it is a popular, successful, neighborhood environmental center, an outstanding program, and it should continue. i recycle their to support the neighborhood green jobs, the

volunteers, and because the center gives grants to the community. the center gave money to restore the carousel in golden gate park. it saved the garden for the environment. it funds christmas lights on haight, children's halloween parties in the park, and many other things. opponents of the center present it as a cash cow for the homeless. that is a misrepresentation, disrespectful, and i really find mean-spirited towards people who are homeless. i kind of hate the term cash cow, but if you want to think about it, it could be considered a cash cow for green jobs, for paying benefits, for christmas lights, and for children's benefits. rec and park handled this eviction dishonestly and behind closed doors. there has been no public process, as you now know. this is unacceptable, and i'm asking you to please recommend

that the eviction be withdrawn and that a public process be initiated. i thank you, and i want to give you a little hand out, which is a picture of the halloween party. supervisor mirkarimi: put it right here please. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, gentlemen. i'm the president of next cycle, a beverage container recycling service. we provide beverage container redemption services to the majority of the california grocers who under the law are mandated to either redeem beverage containers and store or contract with a service provider. we operate over 300 gross a parking lot style facilities throughout the state. last calendar year, we received over 750 million crv containers and paid out over $52 million to over 2 million consumers. over the past 12 years, we are operating six beverage container

redemption centers in san francisco. these centers redeem over 32 million containers a year from 150,000 san francisco residents, who are paid over $200 million in cash. a convenience zone for the six centers are passed capacity, requiring us to double and triple staff the operation, and we are still turning people away. the proposed closing of the hanc recycling facility will further exacerbate the situation. the convenience zone consists of a half mile radius around it grow service profits exceed $200,000 annually. of the mandated ones, 18 are served -- i would say 19, but one closed last week. 20 are on serve, and 17 are exempted. i voted to increase convenience and reduced volume lows at our overburdened site, the city needs to explore and exempting the exempt zones exits with removing barriers for providing

service at the 20 and served zones. closing down redemption centers and relying on her side is not the answer. the citizens of san francisco have the right by law to receive their deposit be a convenient located state certified beverage redemption centers. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> i live in coal valley about a block from the haight ashbury recycling center. though i would love nothing more than to have additional community garden located just across the speed -- the street from me, i'm here to speak out against the eviction of the recycling center. a lot of my point you have already heard, but i figured i would repeat them once more. first of all, to be financially irresponsible. the recycling center does pay rent, and the community garden will not be paying rent. now you have the 10 jobs that will be cut.

also, the organizations that currently additionally benefit. but also in general seems to be a four location for a garden. esses been mentioned before, as well as a huge, very sun-exposed location. there is a huge field there and both seem like they would be much better suited for a community garden, especially when you consider how much redevelopment is going to be needed. thirdly, homelessness is an issue that tends to surround the recycling center, but currently, closing the recycling center is really only addressing a symptom of the problem. all you will end up doing is moving all those homeless perhaps to another location, so you are just passing off the issue again. thank you for your time.

supervisor mirkarimi: thank you, sir, for your time. i'm going to call some more names beyond the ones i have already called. [reading names] >> how do you do, supervisors? i want to focus on one particular issue, which i think is at the root of what is going on here. they are our neighbors that are uncomfortable with a portion of the center's clientele, who rummaged and scavenge material to take to the center and sell. recycling for cash is not only a san francisco phenomenon. it is a national phenomenon, and

it is an international phenomenon. it is the last vestige of personal dignity for the marginalize for -- marginalized poor, and it would be a tragedy to cut that last round of the debate from that segment of the population. the edge of society in a free world is edgy, not smith, a little rough hewn, and we have to live with that if we want to live in a free society. we may not -- we may feel a little uncomfortable with some of the people a struggle to maintain their dignity and get a little cash to spend as they see fit -- and, by the way, that does not include replacing cash with food stamps, so i'm saying,

it is very important for the city to show respect for the dignity of these people who do what they can and work independently to try to secure money. if we cut that wrung out, we will be faced with increased begging, increased to charity, and crime. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> i want to speak about -- the recycling center is the crown jewel of the city's recycling centers. it produces $1.5 million. we want to replace that with a community garden, which is going to cost $250,000? about 3000 people use the

recycling center. the community garden, which could be placed elsewhere, contains 46 blocks, which will be used by 46 people, perhaps 46 families, compared to 3000. the recycling center not only provides help in creating a green city that we all want to see, but it is also a symbol of that green city and has been for 40 years. it is actually the start of the recycling movement in san francisco in the heart of the recycling system. the park and rec board has been defying the will of the people, has been arrogant, has made their decision behind closed doors. i testified before them at a hearing where more than two to one, people not only passionately but intelligently pointed out why there should not be a community garden there, and

the wrecks center should stay -- the rec center should stay. despite the testimony, they voted unanimously to even. the people who spoke against the recycling center were mostly speaking to demonize the homeless. a lot of them did not even say anything about the community garden. they made up lies about owners wafting over to use our stadium, hypodermic needles all over the sidewalk. none of that is true. and basically, this has really been payback by the newsom administration for hanc's support of trying to defeat sit/lie and other anti-homeless measures. >> i'm a 30-year resident of san francisco and a multi-unit property owner. i use the hanc recycling center

constantly. in there at least once a month and now several times a month. it would be a big disruption for me and my business to not have it there. i would have to get in the truck, drive several miles, and maybe pay to get rid of it. it seems a real shame to me. also, anybody who knows anything about gardening can tell right away that that is a really bad location for a community garden. all of the points that have been pointed out in favor of keeping the recycling center there are very valid. the last meeting we were given, we were given a minute by the rec and park commission to speak. we sat there for hours, one person after the next, after which they unanimously agreed -- let's put two and two together there. we have a board here appointed by the mayor, accountable only to the mayor, and then, you have a mayor with a political agenda, one of which was to get rid of hanc. that is what this is really about. this is not about a community

garden or any of the paid employees that have gotten up and told a lot of lies. this is about the people who want to get rid of hanc, and any realtors or paid employees will tell you this information is just that -- it is just information. you really need to check out the facts. i use the recycling. i need the recycling. they tell me because of these people who are using the recycling to get money for alcohol is the big problem, but they readily admit that there is about 40 people who do that that they cannot control. because of those 40 people, i cannot have my recycling center? it really stinks. the process really stinks, and it has been a very divisive issue in the neighborhoods. ok? supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> i'm a resident of the haight ashbury neighborhood. i wanted to debunk a couple of things. it is obvious that first source

recycling is the way to do effective recycling. most of what goes through our system at this point -- you could talk about their version rates, but it is contaminated. it has to be put in the landfill. the rates are not really accurate. second, when you bring hundreds of chance to these vending machines that are going to give us back our money, i can only imagine how long that is going to work before 30 minutes into it, of handing one can added time through this machine, the thing is going to kick out, it is going to be broken. how long before it is fixed? and what is the resource center involved in maintaining those machines? but those judges thought that occurred while listening to the many hours so far today. i want to tell you about the people who use the center, and one of those is my family, including my 9-year-old son. he does not earn an allowance. he collects cans and bottles -- not stealing them from your blue bins, but getting them from buildings and neighbors and

getting about 20 bucks back. we have a great time doing that. we get to rub shoulders with rich and poor, all walks of life. this is part of the fabric of san francisco. we by native plants, and the recycling center and its native plants gardens donate time, volunteers, and plans to my son's school, a public elementary school in san francisco that would be without this benefit. has been a three-year greeting project. as a green schoolyard, and it is because of the hanc and recycling center that we can make use of the school yard and it. i wanted to debunks the myths about the homeless and problems. if you ever got to meet some people, you might find out they are just like you and me, and it is a great opportunity to share some stories and experiences, and is part of the growth of my son as a full human being to go there and be with people and not question whether they are worthwhile or not. they are all worthwhile, and it is a huge part of his social development. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you.

before the next speaker comes up, i want to read a few more names. [reading names] i'm sorry, kevin did speak already. those names, folks, just file in the center here. >> good afternoon. i'm waiting for the machine that takes cardboard because i live in district 6, the mission. by the way, in 1979, there was not really pick up recycling. i had a restaurant, a moped, and i used to take my moped, piled up with cancer and other stuff from my restaurant, over to

hanc, thank god for hanc. hanc i still go -- i still go over to hanc because my neighbor has tons of cardboard and all these fantastically big boxes, and there is no way that the curbside is going to pick them up, so i have a car, and i offered to bring them to hanc. nobody has talked about the cardboard issue. by the way, i happen to be disabled right now, and i go over there, and within five minutes, they empty out my car. i do not have to do anything. they come over and help me move this cardboard out of my car because it is very difficult for me to do that, so i'm very happy to have that center, and i hope

it stays there forever because my neighbor keeps on buying new furniture. thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. thank you so much for having this hearing. i think it is very informative. this is an issue that has been around for a very long time, so i will be brief. i support the relocation of the recycling center, the establishment of a community garden, and i strongly support the rec and park department and retaining the company to run the native plant nursery. thank you. >> good afternoon, gentlemen. thank you. i'm the program manager for building resources down on the third street corridor. i'm here to speak on behalf

hanc and speak against the concept that we can afford to get rid of an operating system + 10 jobs -- there is probably other jobs that will be affected as well at this time. we do not have the systems. we do not have the can machines. the can machines will not be enough. you can only put in bottles and cans. you can output in paper or cardboard or tin 4 tin foil. they are not going to solve the problem. they are not ready. to say that we are going to shut down the center at this time until something else is ready is absolutely foolhardy. i think it is going to be just a giant mess. i think that is pretty much what i've got to say. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you, sir. next speaker please. >> some of my neighbors said that hanc recycling center was

obsolete, that they put this stuff in their blood cancer, but i buy a lot of cranberry juices. i have a lot of meetings at my house, and i'm entitled to get that 5 cents back every time i buy cranberry juice. there are also larger items that people need to get money back from that you cannot put in the blue can. whenever i go down to sit with's recycle center, there are older women there who go through the chance just to get a little cash, and i think they need the cash for groceries or something. it gives them a chance to earn a little money. some people said that this would keep homeless people out of the park. homeless people will still take

a chance wherever they find them, and they could go down to a recycling center. let's see -- community gardens i'm in favor of, but parks are for public use. turn it into a park. the fact that it is commercial is sort of ridiculous to complain about. what about the keysar parking lot? that is commercial. you could get rid of that and plants and trees there. thank you very much. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please.

>> hello. thank you for having this hearing today. i'm a documentary filmmaker and have been working on a film about the hanc recycling center since 2008. today, i would like to tell you a little bit about what i've learned over that time about the diversity that exists among the patrons of the hanc recycling center. his been located behind keysar stadium, continuously reinvesting in itself an expanding its environmental and community impact. it is a community center that inspires individual environmental action hundreds and hundreds of times a day across all races and all classes of people. it keeps individuals connected with their personal contribution to the environment, and it is necessary for the global success in our grain movement.

the california bottle bill was created specifically for the individual, and it vigilantly increase the recycling rate since its inception in the 1980's. , of course, was recycling long before the bottle bill took effect. i have talked with hundreds of people, and i would like to show you just some of the folks you will find there. this is the aging population, especially seniors. this sweet woman regularly is driven to hanc on weekends by her middle class data to obtain containers for cash. this man ic weekly. he collects his containers at home before he brings them about once a month on his bike. this is melissa and chad. they live in a marina. they have a big old seed storage spot, and that is where they

restore their recyclables. these are children that help their parents. this is james, the guy you might think is homeless, but actually lives in an sro on $1,000 a month. makes $7 or $8 a day recycling. susan makes metal recycling and is the money back to the community, and there is many more. this is part of a video that was mentioned earlier that is on the hanc web site, and i would be happy to share more footage with the supervisors in regards to this issue. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> hello, supervisors. although i live in district 11 right now, i was one of the first people to be a volunteer coordinator for hanc back in the 1970's. that is where my son spent his saturdays, crushing cans and helping to learn about volunteerism and environmental issues. i'm here to support keeping hanc at the current site.

i'm also an avid park advocate, and i really love community gardens. in fact, i'm involved with one, but i do not feel that this is a good trade off. we should not be swapping one green program for another. we can have both. there are other places to put community gardens, either in golden gate park or other scraps of land throughout the city. we have places to do that, and i hate to hanc see the to would be displaced. additionally, i'm concerned about the money that rec and park has of the moment and the budgetary issues we are all faced with. we think the money that has been suggested, money to be spent on a new recycling center, could be better used maintaining, supporting, and improving the existing community gardens we have throughout the city. many are not ada accessible. many need repairs, and many need

the tender loving care that a few dollars could help them in that process. i also feel that the conflicts arising from the neighbors in the recycling center could be addressed and resolved without evicting the recycling center. there has to be a way. this is a strong city, and we learn how to get along. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: before i call it the next speaker, i want to read a few more names. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. i wanted to read a few more names. [reads names] >> my name is [unintelligible] cunningham and i am here on behalf of the san francisco urban and agricultural alliance, issuing the statement that we are in support of the native plant nursery at 70 frederick street. an alliance of increasing food within san francisco, we are

clearly in the support of creating more community gardens on parking and buckland. however, we do not support displacing an active garden plant nursery that offers garden education workshops and classes that donates compost for vince like 10-10-10 and cardboard for organizations like the caves valley farm. this issue has been divisive lee framed as a choice between recycling and gardening. this is a false choice. we are in support of hanc and another community garden. >> your name again? >> [inaudible] cunningham. supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am a long time haight ashbury

resident and i wanted to speak on a personal basis about what this center means for me and my neighbors. i wanted to thank the supervisor for his careful questioning about the ramifications of this move. i guess i will leave it on the record. i would like to emphasize something that has not been spoken about a great deal. the importance of the center as a defacto community center. this is a homegrown, organic institution in the neighborhood that i think most of the people here are extremely proud of. it is a place where people can work in a hands-on way to get back to their community, meet their neighbors, work with their neighbors. particularly the grant program

is one reason that many of us do take our extra recyclables down to the center. the grant program has helped any number of local organizations through the years. the open hand age emergency fund and the co-op nursery school. the former hamilton family shelter. on and on. i have always chosen to take my materials to hanc, but it is important to say that i would have had too many ways because i lived in a three unit building ready other tenants take up all of the blue been space. i do not have room to deposit my cardboard and pay for the materials that is the bulk of my extra recycling. this recycling center cannot be said to be obsolete, because i

need it to dispose of my materials. thank you very much. supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is jane murray and i am a resident of district 1. a few of us in 1970 got together to decide that we would think globally and act locally. we founded the richmond environmental action. it was in business until 1996 with a full-time staff on property at u.s. f that they've been needed for housing. after that i joined the san francisco community recycling board, which runs the market site. i am very proud of how hanc