looking no. 1235 on the waiting list. i am also proud of the fact i will be turning 60 this year because i have had friends that never reached 35. living back home on 10th avenue with my 94-year-old father, who retired from the san francisco police department, and my mother, who is 82, who retired from sears. i am here just to support senior housing and independence. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> hello, my name is michael job. i am 66 dead year-old resident of san francisco. for the last three years i have been battling the department of forestry, public works, and the mayor's office with the

americans with disabilities act. i loved hearing everything about seniors, but if the supervisors do not coordinate the other departments, there will be a big problem. i am referring to the sidewalks. come to the 600 block of schrader street. for seniors with disabilities, if you do not coordinate the facilities, things will be confusing. you have 49 inches of sidewalk space for people to pass. that is what san francisco says. if a wheelchair, 25 inches, goes down the street and something comes the other way, -- i am just suggesting that other departments court made when you work on senior activities. i am also a vietnam veteran and am up for suggestions. maybe tap into the veterans administration to get senior housing for us older veterans.

also, unions, the school district. we have buildings that can be converted. if you tap into unions and other things like that, there are other ways, churches, to get senior housing developed. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> council community housing organization. we are made up of 20 faith and community-based non-profit corporations and advocates for affordable housing. i just want to complement the staff in its comprehensive report and acknowledge, along with your staff, the principal and primary role of affordable housing in addressing senior needs in san francisco. i want to report to you that things are not good on that front. the removal of tax increment

financing at the state level -- which is a foregone conclusion -- the assault on cdbg homes, section 8 on the federal level, hazmat san francisco is going to have to ask some serious questions about continuing to provide the level of support to the principal provider of affordable housing opportunities for seniors, which are facing community-based nonprofit development corporations, either through new construction or acquisition and rehab. i hope in this year's budget process you will find in your hearts and ledger books the ability to put some money into affordable housing, especially for senior housing development. we have three large projects currently stalled for the lack of federal and state funds. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker.

>> good morning, supervisors. my name is douglas yepp. i have lived in san francisco for 59 years. i would like to think the committee for holding this agenda item. i would like to mention one aspect i do not see mentioned so far this morning, and that is the role of laguna honda hospital, for the issue of senior independence. according to my research, it seems like laguna honda hospital has been cast in a very negative light lately, especially in regards to its new construction. there has also been debate with certain watchdogs on whether the facility is being used for the benefit of longtime seniors in san francisco. maybe the issue of how laguna honda fits in with seniors in san francisco should be addressed, specifically.

the reason why i bring that up is that i notice my own district supervisor has still been reluctant to issue written statements regarding what has been happening at laguna honda, answered allegations to their vocal critics. in regards to this committee, i notice there are only two agenda items for today. i am of the opinion that if taxpayers are going to get their money's worth, we should be holding more agenda items. if the committee would like some suggestions, i would like to mention three items. child porn, medicare fraud, and public official corruption. thank you. but >> walter paulson. you give us a senior housing that makes poll city sing and all the independence that it

brings you are the neighborhood services and you give a house that is what it is all about will you give the seniors a house thank you. >> that was great. i think he should come last. my name is betty trainer. i am here as a representative from senior action network. in particular, their housing program. as you know, senior action network has always been concerned about low income seniors. in particularly, in housing. through our coordinator, we have convened a parallel group that has been discussing particularly seniors living in sro hotels.

that has been going on for at least six months, meetings, coming up with conclusions shortly. i wanted to be sure the committee is aware of this group. we are dealing with issues of who are the poorest of the poor seniors in san francisco, who, in many cases are living in sro hotel that none of us would want family members living in. we would like to give this report an excellent, but it was able to touch on the specific conditions of seniors in sro hotels, recommendations that this parallel group will also be giving you in the future. i would also like to briefly mention an alternate group to the village model called the community living campaign, who are also working with seniors,

helping other neighbors in their community. this group is very similar to what the village is doing. the only difference i am aware of is there is no membership. i personally know about the group because i live at st. francis co-op where there is a branch of the campaign working with our seniors, many of whom are aging in place at our community. i wanted to mention our group, seniors in sros, and we will be giving you a report on that with potential legislation in the future. thank you. >> i have one more card before you start. >> my name is linda. i would like to urge the board to look into the hud housing. it has become big business for nonprofits to run these operations. i am at one that is not senior

housing and the corruption is shocking, frankly. we are trying to bring democracy in. we do not have it right now and we are being bullied. we are trying to involve ross mirkarimi and supervisor jim to get some help. it is shocking to me. -- supervisor camerkim to get se help. there are always vacancies. people age and die. it has never been brought to some people's attention, housing that has become vacant. she has had nothing to do with who comes into the vacancies. it is being done by the management corporation. so please, hud is difficult, very corrupt. i urge you to look into this. there is a reason these lists do

not go down. nobody talks about it. if you do a survey, you would have to do it anonymously because people are afraid to speak out. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> hello, my name is karen mason. my partner turn 60 -- turns 60 next year. it took for six years to get on the section 8 program. after a few years in the program, she had to buy it to keep her apartment because section 8 wanted her to move into different housing. so we had to get doctors to talk to hud. we belong to neighborhood groups. i think it is important for everyone to live where they are comfortable. it is very important for people

to be able to go to their doctors appointments and things. if it is more convenient where you are at and they can bribe people to care for you, i believe they should be able to stay in their homes. i appreciate all of your time and attention to this matter. thank you. >> thank you very much. if there are no other members of the public that wants to comment on this item, we will close public comment. supervisor mar? >> i just wanted to thank ms. duffy for the great report. i know that it opens a lot of questions for other issues that people have brought up today. i also wanted to say, the desegregation of data to show the income levels of seniors is critical but also, at the demographic data that the senior population is majority asian, latino, african-american, or

image populations is critical. so culturally sensitive housing supports are needed. i also wanted to see the different models people raise from the s.f. millage model to neighborhood-based villages or rich will support networks is critical but with a key focus of empowering people so that they are happier and healthier as they aged in their communities. they are a critical part of our communities for as long as possible. the spirit of organizing among seniors, or other organizations spring, is encouraging and really amazing. from the grassroots-types of senior organizations to be more dominant nonprofits, there are a range of organizations. lastly, there are many legislative ideas that were brought up today, so i look forward to engaging authors and continuing to move for the efforts of the many individuals

that have been involved. the less point, lawrence from the department of building inspection has produced a great document that should be made available to a lot of the senior organizations. he gives practical suggestions for low-cost -- handrails to nonstick services, other improvements in housing. we are hoping to work with him and staff within the department of building inspections and other places to improve the conditions as we create a more friendly aging city. i want to thank your avalos for scheduling this as well. supervisor avalos: thank you for this hearing. also, kudos to the budget analyst. your work on the report, i read it on saturday night. captivated me. thank you very much for that. i can tell a lot of work went into it, gathered information

from a lot of places around california, the bay area. i also wanted to reiterate the announcement about rebuilding together, doing a build out day to support seniors in the ocean view merced neighborhood and they will be going into people's homes to put in rails, do minor improvements to make it more accessible. it is a great opportunity. that will be april 30. folks can contact my office, francis shea in my office, to get more information. with that colleagues, can we filed this item? very good. madam clerk, please call item two. >> resolution requesting the recreation and parks department and the department of the environment collaborate to establish a comprehensive parks recycling program utilizing the expertise, volunteer base and

facilities of the hanc recycling center in golden gate park, for the department of the environment to establish an independent recycling center master plan, and requesting the recreation and parks department to rescind the eviction of the hanc recycling center from golden gate park. cente >> i want to follow up from a well-administered, a thorough hearing two weeks ago about the possible eviction, termination of lease of the haight-ashbury neighborhood counseling recycle center, following that particular hearing, we used the information, which i thought was helpful in constructing a resolution before us today. i want to thank supervisor

avalos and mar for the co- sponsors of of the resolution. i do not plan on this being another in-depth hearing as it was two weeks ago, but as we were able to will document from that particular hearing, it seemed rather hasty and inconsistent 5 rec and parks department and the part of the environment and city to move on this termination of lease on the recycle center by using the premise that the recycling center is a nonconforming use for this park -- for this part of golden gate park, and as it relates to the master plan, yet not exercise any due diligence as the city had done elsewhere in trying to help a resource like the recycling center moved to a different location. that lack of due diligence, i

think, proves it was a rash decision in the way that it was processed by the wreck and park department, compared to the water recycling plant that is being proposed by the puc in golden gate park, which would also be categorically accepted as also a nonconforming use, where the city has realized perhaps there should be alternate locations for that particular service. in the same would apply, i think for the hit-. neighborhood council. -- haight-ashbury neighborhood council. yet when we search for an alternative location for the puc water recycling center compared to the hanc recycling center, it pales in comparison to whatever efforts are being led for our efforts. in helping to preserve and

sustain an important resource. that resource, some might argue, is obsolete, because of our blue been efforts half approximately 5% of the total contribution of what our overall objectives are, city-wide, towards our diversionary rates, as required by state law. of those independent recycling centers, hit after neighborhood counseling recycling center is the largest of that recycling center, and their contribution is not insignificant, but more importantly, quite profound with regard to the level of tonnage it takes in every year and the diversity of the recycling that it is able to help process from many communities, not just communities which have become the poster child for those who are looking at an exhibit a to give cause for the removal of

hanc, being that of homeless people who are distressed, down and out, who often cause concern to many neighborhoods in the surrounding area, of that part of our city, as well as other parts unrelated to the recycling center. people of middle class and upper means use the recycling center, too. it would be a mistake for us to lose this particular service that has been such a mainstay in our larger environmental goals for 30-plus years and to not think of a plan to have alternatively already in place. by the fact of there was no advanced thinking, before the rec and park commission moved on this, shows how intuitive the department and city is not synchronized with the department of environment. when it was well reported here that the concept of losing 1,600

tons per year and that is taken in byhanc, to only be compensated with 27 vending machines that would be distributed in areas nearby grocery stores so that people could singularly feed bottles and cans, was not well received in my opinion by the grocery stores, as we have called and asked them, nor do i think it was well thought out, if the goal was to mitigate that kind of distress caused by people who call for the blue bins or crew tried to resell those goods that has given rationale to what moved hanc in the first place. when wholefoods opened its doors in the upper haight, and i spoke to the vice president. they are petrified of the notion that they would all of a sudden

become the replacement facility. they had no idea this was coming. that they would be the replacement facility of multiple vending machines, not what they would not want to be a host to those vending machines, but that they would be left alone having to steer an usher in and around the people traffic that would be lining up, simply trying to feed those bottles and cans. so again, logic did not dictate the proper reasoning of what the city wants to do with hanc while it thinks it is responding to neighborhood concerns. so the resolution before us simply tries to provide, i think, a more methodical step that the city should undertake. we ask mayor kelly, dept. of the environment, rec and parks, real estate, to look at their reasons

and marriage as to why hanc should stay, and if not, provide that due diligence, which has been absent in the process. so that is really what is before us, colleagues. i would be happy to cover to public comment so that we can go and ahead and process what is on people's minds. keep in mind, how we got to this place, the natural tension that has culminated over the years between neighborhood and hanc, is not just on the shoulder of ofhanc, or competing member organizations, but it is also a big city hall but did not refer these tensions. over the years, it could've helped steer that unity that one might expect, even when there are diverging opinions in neighborhoods that are eclectic and well-known historical for

their civic engagement, like the operate -- upper haight. i think we are fortunate that previous administrations, and not so distant pats, have not use of aerosol and political capital to obtain a win-win in this. i am hoping that with this resolution, we can inject some sensibility that you cannot dismiss, the matter where one's opinion may lie on what hanc does or does not do for their particular neighborhood, but you do not on rightly discounted a contribution of a non-profit, of a service, somebody who helped elevate our environmental goals over all as being anachronistic or absolute, and therefore not as necessary. i do not buy that. by the lack of a plan that the

department of the pirate -- environment, certainly was not able to prosper in lieu of hanc's loss and other independent recycling centers them seem to be on the chopping block, only shows why these recycling centers should be stayed, and should be allowed to flourish in the city. the city needs to be that referee so that this tension is not simply shouldered between labor organizations, but also on the leadership of san francisco. it is our obligation. mr. chair, i would be more than happy to call their cards before us. [applause] thank you. [applause] i am going to call a few names.

joey came. calvin whelks. michelle welsh. jerry lastly. if you could just line up in the middle, i would appreciate it. >> thank you, supervisors. you pretty much summed it up. i want to reiterate, this notion that it is an anachronism, that it is unnecessary. we have over 1000 people who have used the recycling center in the last three months, who have written to the mayor. we have their addresses. 1000 people over a three-month period. the fact that we give out over $700,000 a year in buyback to folks in the kids this is a needed service. this mythology that has been voiced by some lame, suburban

columnist in "the chronicle" attacking a neighborhood organization is absolutely outrageous. it is bad policy to close the center down. thank you. >> neck speaker please. -- next speaker please. >> i will try to be brief. scheherazade's calvin while. i just want to stress, the fiscal facts. the pay-per neighborhood council contributed $1.5 million a year to the city's economy. directly, it contributes $700,000 of that to the city's economy by diverting these of cost to the city, of its 1,500 tons a year that it diverts from the solid-waste stream, $500 a ton. the fee that is generated for the city by being a

convenience-own buyback center. we employ 10 people. we pay full health benefits for those 10 people. it is astounding to me, at this time and day, 10 greene jobs are simply waved off as being meaningless. i have no idea how many grain jobs mayor newsom created. certainly, losing 10 would be a substantial impact on the number of green jobs created. also, for the last 20 years, the haight-ashbury neighborhood council has played an increasingly important role in the community garden movement in san francisco. our fiscal sponsorship of gardens for the environment, our ability to use recycle and surpluses to cover the notorious slope of the city on contracts to guard and the environment has meant we have

been able to keep their staff body and soul together as well. it is an important economic benefit to this city that should not be ignored. thank you. >> next speaker please. >> jerry lasley, a 30-year resident of the city. i own eight units. i use the recycling center very frequently. those machines you are proposing will not serve my means. there is no way to get the volume of cardboard and paper that i used to get into those things. i probably take 1 ton of paper myself. you are talking about a community garden to serve maybe 40 people. right now, there are 3000 of us using this recycling center. thank you, supervisor mirkarimi, for pointing out the rash decisions that have been made. they came in through the back

door and stabbed us in the back. there was the public combating. the one public meeting we had, no one from the other side showed up. this is really not about community gardens but about one group tried to get rid of another group. and for past problems. these things have not been vetted in the public. they need to be. this is unfair. it feels a little soviet union to read in the paper one lie after the next. i could not believe the column i had read or the weekend. this guy says last friday was the last day of the recycling center, and most people believed it because they have to trust our news media. these people have been busy convincing my neighbors that if they only get rid of these people who come and take their recycling, they will increase their property value. so it is