price. the condition of housing, they can go someplace out of san francisco and for the same price by something in better shape. a lot of our housing stock has deteriorated over the years. i think that is more of an issue for a lot of people than the actual price, not that we don't want to try to keep the prices down. we want to make sure that what we are preserving or building is good quality. i have a question about the timing she brought up about having the time for comments and responses on the latest version. what is the time frame? will there be time for the public? maybe you can answer that about their concern. are they going to have time to respond?

>> as we heard comments last night, there might be a set of changes we want to take -- and make so that we get something you are all comfortable with approving a. it is the recommendation that we hold -- we have given another month until we are requesting adoption on march 24. it is the staff recommendation that we hold to that time line. we are one of the few cities listed on the web site as out of compliance. it makes it eligible for funding, one of the things that just came by my desk is the housing related parks program that allowed us to get funding,

which is one of the parks we will be constructing in the eastern neighborhoods that we were able to apply for several years ago. if we don't have an adopted housing element, we will not be eligible to apply for it or other funds. i might turn the question over to doug. i am not as attuned to what affordable housing funds are out there, but that is why we want to see this adopted as soon as possible. commissioner antonini: i welcome your comments, but i think the point is that the adoption of approved housing elements, there are more than just housing grants that are tied to it. there are all sorts of grants like infrastructure and redevelopment activity. we are required to have an

approving -- approved housing element. >> i would just say that when we started this housing element, i was in the third grade. the idea that we need more time is, frankly, insulting. the amount of parsing that is going on is not reasonable. i have been in government for five years and i have never seen the the amount of exaggeration and associated with a document like i have seen this one. out of respect to all of you, this is a policy guide. it is not dakota. the attempt to conflate these things and act as if the world is coming to an end because of this document, to may, is

everything that is wrong with working in california. i would urge you to move this thing forward. it is a complete waste of time to be spending any more time on parsing five words at a time on this document. that is the reason why i am not participating in most of the conversations about it. i have had it. i don't understand how we're sitting here and pretending the difference between a kleenex and tissue. they are the same. move on. my parents had tissue, i think it's a kleenex. commissioner antonini: they said they can send comments and, and they will be looked at. and that's all. >> at some point, you have to

this is not much of an action document. it is a place mat. president olaguecommissioner moo be mediators here. anybody else out there, they are an incredibly generous person. if there is any discussion he need have, use the next few weeks in order to have that discussion. this has been around for a long time. if there is anything urgent in your mind, why didn't you, earlier? there were some very powerful comments being made, and i have to ask you if you take responsibility to talk and get your last bit in so that you're

comfortable they were being heard. >> i have some comments to make. i can write them down. just to give you a sense of where they're at, i think some of the comments of mr. brooks are very important. i have always been perplexed by issues that are supposedly green issues and how they intersect or don't with transit oriented development as it relates to parking or transportation, if it is through the housing element or someplace else, i think that conversation needs to happen. i did not see language here that relates to shelters. until we come up with something that really is going to house homeless people, we will continue to have people that are facing struggles and economic

challenges. i think there needs to be some examination unhook of what the shelter use means. especially now that we have laws in place that are so draconian, it might lead to where people that don't have a place to stay go. there is the issue of keeping shelters open, operational costs. keeping shelters open during the day, that kind of thing so that people have a place to go. that is kind of a complicated issue, and i will defer those types of questions to the coalition on homelessness and folks like that. i notice that there is a lot of language in here that relates to families who are working families.

they generally earn less per capita, but require larger housing units. i think it is a question that needs to be looked at a little bit more. what is the income level of some of these families? is there any language that insurers -- not ensures, but keeping htem i - them in san francisco. some families in the '90s, it might be considered the development pressures for lack of a better word. those types of things, they were renters that had to leave the city. sometimes condominium conversions, those types of issues that came up.

demolitions, speculation. it pushed a lot of families that i was familiar with out of the city. it wasn't about parking. it was about affordability and access to affordable family housing, but some of that. i know is kind of disturbing, and there is no language for this, really. every year, there seems to be a lower number of african- americans that live in san francisco. i don't know what we do about that, really. i am curious to know what some of the issues that are forcing the population out or why they are choosing not to be here. it is a complicated issue. >> we have done a certain amount of work on this.

i am sure we can get you a copy. it is a very interesting thing. it is very upsetting. it is very complicated. it is disproportionately middle- class african-americans. we will give you a copy. commissioner moore: i read -- president olague: i realize that. ultimately, we start to look at some of these projects as they relate to the needs that have been established. and the reports would be good for us to keep track of. i don't know if that has to do with the housing element in directly. there are a few other things like seniors. i know the population is going to go, according to the housing element draft, 60 years and

older will be 30% by 2013. i am wondering what are the demographics. where do they live, what are the needs going to beat in the next few years? i have been looking at aging, and it is interesting to note that there will be an aging population in san francisco. i remember reading somewhere that it would be a higher percentage of aging population compared to some of the other major cities in california. i think there is certain preparation and mindful is that we need to have when it comes to looking at that issue or we will not be prepared for that. there is some language in here that addresses that. but i will look at that a little bit more closely.

that is kind of the gist of what i was thinking about. i think other folks raised the issue on density. there might be a few more comments that i might add to it. commissioner moore: i only have one question. you mentioned that the basis of your study relies on the previous and not the current census. are you going to a least find a way of comparing trends one with the other? there are many very basic assumptions. there is a huge shakeup in all areas of the population part --

partially based on the economy. are you very quickly analyzing anything that is very different? >> as you know, the long form of the census was eliminated. they have been using the survey that was more of an estimate and the data is not really the best where we have been getting bits and pieces of it. at this point, we are figuring out what the data is. there are 10 questions that were done last year. the data will be released either made or late march, and we are hoping to be quickly able to

read this and provide information to not just the commissioners, but also the board of supervisors. we are expecting a that the count may not be the best. we want to react as quickly as we can to correct the estimates. and we do not expect to have the information and ready before the march 24 hearing. i guess that is my response to that. commissioner moore: but you will be writing some kind of summary or synopsis? >> it will be based on the american community survey. it will be around the end of march.

or maybe april. commissioner moore: i am comfortable with you just explain that. president olague: looking at the overcrowded households, the information that you gave us, there are some responses here, but that is the kind of thing that i want to take another peek at. i would like to see the demographic shift in places like the mission, the filipino populations, and other parts of the city. i look forward to seeing those numbers. i think that is it. >> the motion on the floor is for initiation. commissioner antonini: aye. commissioner borden: aye. commissioner sugaya: aye. commissioner moore: aye. president olague: aye. >> the item is passed.

your ad general public comment. -- you're at general public comment. >> i'm eric brooks with the sustainable green party working group. the three members of the public that are at home watching this on tv, i like to clarify. commissioner sugaya said earlier, what happened to hydrogen? it is not really fuel. you take either methane or water, those are the main substances. and you use electricity to divide that methane or water into the component parts to you get hydrogen as part of it for what you would call fuel.

it is better to create that situation in the first place where you are splitting the water or the methane. it is better to look at hydrogen because it is called a hydrogen sell as a storage device or a battery. you are losing some of the energy. the only time you would want to use hydrogen to power the vehicles is when you want to make sure that a vehicle is reliable like a fire truck or an ambulance. and you will get a lot more efficiency. if you are splitting ethane, it

does not do a lot of improvement on that either. i know is the end day, it is a little wonky, but people should know that. president olague: any additional public comment? commissioner sugaya: thanks, i really don't care. [laughter] president olague: general public comment is closed and the meeting is adjourned.

>> good morning, everybody. i thank you for attending this, i wanted to share with you what my supervisor -- and thank you very much for being here. thank you, everybody, for joining on this occasion where i get to reappoint some very valuable citizens of san francisco who are sacrificing some very good personal time. i know what sacrifice and personal time is. i can understand that now.

we have six wonderful people that are going back on five of our very important commissions today. i wanted to begin by introducing a longtime member of our commission. thank you for taking out this job again. george has been a friend for many years. he has also been a friend of this commission for quite some years. he has been practicing law since 1960. you have been serving in a number of capacities including the american cancer society, the co-chair of the cherry blossom festival. the citizens league, trusties of the world affairs council. the japanese chamber of commerce as well as the leader of citizens -- citizzends leagu --

citizens league. you have also been part of our great cultural fabric including playing the piano and being able to do the j-town jazz ensemble. the key for serving again and we will be needing your help with this budget. -- thank you for serving again and we will be needing your help with this budget. i know you came from michigan, we both came from snow. he moved here and you have been here since. you own your own gallery, and you have been housed in a number of contemporary art there as well. you have been working with our hardest locally -- at ranging

from local to international. from working with yoko ono, it has been wonderful. you have been placing women in the spotlight. it has been a great value to us. the overall mission is to enrich the community with special projects and events. you have been a wonderful participant in our commission on aging. you have been there since 2007. your appointment this year has just reflected the wonderful level of service to us. to a master of arts, chair of the african american partnership.

it is a wonderful back drop. i know the will continue to be important to the backdrop on aging. sonya, i have known you since you have headed the hispanic pages. being on a health commissioned, at st. francis memorial hospital, you continue to work as a part-time worker. you have been a share of the laguna honda hospitals joint conference committee as well.

you have been serving on the commission since 2008. it will be heavily bras with financial constraints. -- barraged with financial constraints. you have had a long history of working with the city since the willie brown days. you have been part of public health, a focus on universal health care. you have been working with them for those years, working with the foundation. your also pointed on the health commission since 2008. we need you and your expertise

to try to close the gap. i want to thank you for stepping up and being part of this administration. this is your first reappointment to the commission. we need the services of lawyers. you have been a very good lawyer at the time. you are a member of the firm. you have expensive -- extensive experience. if i have to use that service, you know i am in trouble. we talked about my desire to make sure the families are well represented.

you contributed to that dialogue and dii want to thank all of you for coming out today for joining us as well. and with that, let us proceed to the official of that i have not yet memorized. if you would all stand and raise your right hand with me, if he would repeat your name, at the end, we will go through and announced the commissions they will be participating on. i do solemnly a firm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states in the constitution of

the state of california. that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california. that i take this obligation freely and without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. and the duties that i am about to enter, [unintelligible] for the city and county of san

francisco. thank you and congratulations. [applause]