switchback at glen park. when i got on at 16th and church it said balboa station. and then when he announced it was just before randall he announced it. so i went up to ask him. he said i just got told i had to switchback. that is his answer. when i got on at 16th and church it said balboa to church. so i thought we were going all of the way up. luckily a train did come five minutes afterwards and took us out the rest of the way, but that was the first time i was on a switch back. usually you stand out there 15 minutes and beyond. thank you. >> good afternoon supervisors. i just wanted to thank you for calling this hearing. i am glad i came.

it was very educational. i think i look at my role on the mta board as the board not only sets policy and strategy but we are also there to support the staff when they do things to implement these strategies and policies. i want to thank you for coming to do this presentation. it was very valuable. as the transit effectiveness project continues to be worked upon and rolled out there are a lot of things that can help the reliability and the timing of all of our muni lines. not all of them will be easy and painless. and i remind myself of that when i think of stop consolidation and i think of parking strategies that will help us get rid of the double parked cars. i look forward to us continuing to have that conversation and it is a good reminder to us that we do want better service. thank you to the students who came. it reminds us what our students

go through to get to school on muni and we have to work to help them. thank you. it was very etifiying. i look forward to us continuing to worked for to improve the service on both of those lines and others. >> thank you commissioners. >> on friday -- thursday we took a survey of mission high school students of the j church. >> wonderful. thank you. we will make sure muni gets it as well. is there any further public comments? ok. hearing none can we file that to the call of the chair? >> you want to continue the call of the chair? >> yeah. >> we can do that. >> i want to thank everyone who came out today. and i really want to thank mta for the very thoughtful presentation. and obviously this is a

long-term project. as is all of muni. i know we are all committed to making the system run better and serve the people. thank you. >> and i want to thank the supervisor for bringing the hearing forward. we have a common interest on the j church and hope we can improve it for both of our districts and all of the san francisco residents who rely on the j service. thank you for moving it forward. and thank you for being here and your presentation today. of course thank you to the public for coming out. we will continue the call of the chair. and we will be adjourned. ok. thank you.

>> about four years ago, [inaudible] look at how beautiful this was. there is our relationship to the planet. these regions are the wealthiest, the most powerful. that really has impacted the planet. it is almost impossible now to go anywhere and had it really be completely dark. there are very few locations that you can find. that means our relationship to the sky, there is a way where we dominate the sky. we cannot see anything really. we are blinding ourselves in a way.

>> you can look at the images, they are beautiful. when i started four years ago, there was a conversation about environmental issues that was very different. this is not being talked about in the way it is now. . this has just been like an amazing growth. i anticipate the project to be something that opens a dialogue

to public interest in these ideas. so the work is really made to be seen in this environment. it's been show in museum, in gallery, but never in a public setting. and it's kind of ideal for both myself and the works to have this real dialogue with the public not only in san francisco but people coming from all over the world. >> since the dawn of electricity, that light is something that people feel connected to and inspired by. personally, there is space to keep that alive, just finding balance. the key is to find some balance.

supervisor kim: my name is

supervisor kim. we also have supervisor elsbernd and supervisor farrell. the committee would like to a knowledge of the staff that records each of our meetings and make the transcript's available to the public. my apologies for the late start, i was sitting on today's public safety committee and we just got out. are there any announcements? >> the items recommended will go to the full board on tuesday unless otherwise indicated. item number one, motion appointing supervisor scott weiner to the transportation commission. >> our office received requests

to continue this item. but before we continue this item, we can hear public comment. is there any public comment on this item? if there is public comment, please come out. >> i would like to show some graphics. i understand the could not try it out until the meeting began. i am going to comment on the discussion between two candidates for the position on the board of supervisors. a number of decades of experience, they are failing to

carry out the mission of achieving regional and coordinated transportation and doing everything possible to have clean air. earlier, i would listen to the pedestrian safety and there is just one big plays that the city hasn't considered in how it can address to the pedestrian safety matter. he that is through its appointment. i have searched for an opportunity that we can have the candidates for this position comes of that they can be asked questions by this committee and by the public. i find that they are excluded from participating so there is no opportunity to see what he answers would be. i know my time is limited, so i wanted to bring to you how

pedestrian safety relates. it is appointed agency. it has people from cities and counties as an extra little job that they can get more money for. and spend a couple of hours deciding how to allocate money. they can't do it. behind them, how the financing is a party or the developers. [chime] supervisor kim: thank you. >> ha we can do better. maybe the board can make a possibility, the public can ask questions of the candidates side-by-side before the board of supervisors. supervisor kim: is there any other public comment on this item? public comment is now closed.

is there a motion? supervisor farrell: motion to continue item number one. supervisor kim: can we do this to the color of the chair? without objection, we will continue this item of the color of the chair. >> nominating supervisor mirkarimi to the commission. supervisor kim: will open up for public comment. public comment is now closed. can we do without objection? we will move forward with recommendations.

can you please call item no. 3? >> the terms, there are three applicants. >> i believe of three applicants are here today. can we please have you, in the order you are listed in the agenda? thank you for your service on this council. >> although i have served since 2007, this is the first time i have appeared before the rules committee.

in the past, it has conflicted with the class that i teach. i am pleased to be here today and meet with the rules committee of like to read my letter of application and keep it in direct. i will review what i believe are some of my qualifications. thank you for considering my continued service for an organization providing educational research related to the board culture. and i hope to continue in this capacity with your approval. please accept the attached list of qualifications. the only significant addition is an additional service to the council itself, i should add

that the most significant aspect is that i am serving for the landmark committee. we have quite a bit of work in that committee currently. i also put more time and with city college. through the department of environment, i have provided instruction in water management. i believe my professional training and practical experience in a wide variety of areas qualify me for the seat. by years of professional service and experience working with the diversity student bodies, and the regional occupational program, and the young students of santa rosa high-school. i relished in drawing on his death for the service of the council. if there are no questions at

this point, i like to review some of the highlights of my qualifications. >> are there any questions from colleagues? >> there is a list that i submitted at my original application, and i like to highlight a few of these bullet points. my undergraduate teaching, my credential in agricultural enter -- education, not so much in forestry or horticulture related, but there was a lot of emphasis. i would like to point out that one of my instructors at that time was dr. richard harris was widely recognized as an authoritative researcher.

there was a lot of original research that we try to communicate to professionals. my experience and exposure to the research has served me well over the years. as i mentioned earlier, i taught at the high-school level for about six years. i taught in a vocational program working with both high school and adults. a transition to working with adults solely at the city college where i have been for about 20 years. the courses that i teach their, plant identification, landscape construction, and care. those of the courses that relate most directly. there are some other courses that teach as well. i would like to mention that i

have local experience working as an employee for local three companies. that is where i got a lot of light on the ground experience working out in the trees. with that kind of professional activity that the arborists are engaged in. we don't do much business these days, i am busy with my family in teaching responsibilities. i hold my contract license active. i still do some work as a consulting arborist and landscape installer. i am a certified arborist, and i have a couple of street trees of my own in district 8 where i decide -- reside. i still an active with my son schools.

and there were cultural activities. those are my qualifications. i would submit to any questions you might have. beyond that, my work with the council has been a pleasure. i feel like i am able to make a meaningful contribution. i appreciate your consideration. all of the work that has happened -- supervisor kim: i have seen all of the work that has happened in the elementary schools, and they are impressive. we don't have any questions at this time. i do want to know that you are also a certified arborist, you are also qualified for seat 3? >> i am embarrassed to confess that my certification at this point, although i am qualified,

it has technically lapsed because mike continuing education has not been kept up. far and away, i can say -- supervisor kim: that's ok. >> i don't spend my day to day work as an arborist. i have to make that clear. supervisor kim: thank you. next is bonnie, applicant for seat one. i wanted to recognize that you were not able to be at the last committee meeting. i want to thank you for your service on the forestry council. >> i would love to be able to continue to use of.

i am sorry i was not able to be here in the march meeting. i have worked in developing a link for a living library in chinatown to link with the san francisco's chinatown. i have over three decades of experience as an educator. planting and maintaining trees, [unintelligible] beginning in the mid-70s about an arts center that resulted in a new city park that transformed about 7 acres of their land -- derelict land into -- in those early days, we have

and gardens in the middle of the 101 interchange. since then, by nonprofit, the farm was an early life frame. it was used each month at six schools in san francisco in three neighborhoods. exelsior, vernal heights, they are transforming their neighborhood and school campus into a green, and unique living libraries. two of the branch living library and think parks are part of the watershed. another initiative that i am actively engaged in is developing a nature walk linking parks, schools, housing

developments, other open spaces and streets leading to the creek at the south end of st. mary's park. we have already planted over 600 california native trees that have been funded by the california department of forestry. this is just the beginning of the opportunities to frame the watershed that linked at least 11 neighborhoods in southeast and southwest san francisco. one of the initiatives or opportunities is to develop the urban forest that frames the watershed. i have been working closely and helping them with their plan to look at the watershed.

you may have heard of it. i think that this strategy can greatly increase the urban forest, and there are also opportunities to daylight and the creeks in certain open spaces such as parks. i believe that might be understanding, experience, and involvement with watersheds and creeks and underground systems -- in other words, planting trees that like fresh water. it is very important as they cn an be integrated with public education. this expertise is really significant for the urban forestry council.

for a working with and helping advise various city agencies. i hope to be able to work again with the urban forestry council. i understand there is a bit of a conundrum with the current situation. i certainly appreciate my colleagues and wish everyone well. i certainly hope that we could find a way to be back on the urban forestry council to do the work that i do. there is a lot more to do. thank you very much. if there are any questions you may have. supervisor kim: thank you for your service. we appreciate seeing you here today. next we have made in sutherland -- megan sutherland.

>> i'm megan sutherland, i'm a certified arborist and a utility specialist. it is a subset of additional criteria. that is through the international society of horticulture. i went to school in madison for a conservation ecology course that was called the biological aspects of conservation. i have a certificate in environmental studies. i moved back here to the bay area, and i have been working for a company that contracts with pg&e, actually. it basically supplies pg&e with trees specialists and arborists.

i have been working for them for a little over five years now. within that company, a number of different positions. i have spent time working as an estimated harbor as -- and they would contact me so i could work as the go-between between what they think they need in the city or the home owner or the property owner needs. that would make sure everyone is happy at the end.