of the fire department. we have a fire, unfortunately, in my district a few days back. it was a fire that happened in the evening, late in the afternoon, under very when the conflict -- windy conditions. the fire department and their personnel were very proud to respond. they were able to contain the fire under very difficult circumstances. our hearts go out to the residents who were displaced. about 60 individuals were displaced by the fire. i am very proud to note that the entire community in my district, in the burn all heights -- the bernal heights-mission area

came together to help those who were displaced. i want to thank the firefighters, beginning with the chief. those of you who have been able to see the chief in action -- you can see why she is in the position she is in. she has a unique ability to interact with the public. her presence was really appreciated. i especially want to think one of the firefighters who unfortunately was injured, although from what we understand he is recovering. that is stanley lee. our thanks to him and his entire family, and to all the firefighters who risked their lives to save lives in san francisco. supervisor avalos: colleagues, today i am introducing legislation enabling this year's small business week sidewalk sale. this year, the small business

week will be held from may 14 to may 21. a key event is the sidewalk sale. this legislation seeks a waiver so that we can encourage stores to participate and bring entire corridors together. this is the seventh year of sidewalk sales. each year, there is strong participation with many of our merchant organizations across the city. these sidewalk sales help drive attention to our commercial corridors and bring much-needed revenue to our small businesses. but his pitting areas include the -- current areas include bernal heights, north beach, marina, castro, valencia, and ocean avenue, where we are

collaborating to combine it with our annual art walk. the city is also partnering with sf-made to get items in local stores on consignment. this is an opportunity to promote local products and local businesses. i hope i will have all your support and am sure i will. supervisor mirkarimi: this is an in memoriam. willieam loenberg died peacefully in his home at age 84. he was born on august 14, 1926, in germany. he was an observant jew who lost most of his family in the holocaust. after surviving seven

concentration camps, he was liberated in dacko in 1945 and emigrated to the u.s. -- in dachau in 1945 and emigrated to the u.s. he served in the korean war. he has two children, david and susan. his love and family -- his love for family and community work shown. he was a leader in the jewish community in the u.s. and san francisco. he was appointed to the u.s. holocaust memorial consulting service and helped oversee the building of the holocaust memorial in washington, d.c. he was president of the san francisco jewish community federation. he was very proud of the san francisco community and gave back on the board of the san francisco opera, the commission

of agency -- the commission on aging, and the university. people were asked to send donations to the holocaust center and the jewish family children services of san francisco. up next, i am submitting a resolution in support of a resolution introduced by state assemblywoman nancy skinner. it would remove a major barrier to a successful reentry for incarcerated individuals. it would increase the opportunity and public safety by insuring more people are able to drive. it would allow people who have only non-felony vehicle code violations to drive after being

released to county jails. the realignment is likely to redistribute tens of thousands of inmates from state to county jails throughout california. this law would create uniformity in the rules for formerly incarcerated individuals. we strongly support this bill and it is requested that the board of supervisors support an advocate for the passage of such a bill. this thursday is the wonderful art walked in -- art walk in divisadero. thousands of people come out for it. it is very fun. come and check it out. it is thursday from 6 to 9. it is nice to see some any other art walks proliferating throughout the city. supervisor mar: an important day

is coming up this coming saturday. we have with us here today susan terence from california schools. thank you for staying so long to do this. i do not know if you love poetry like i do, but from reading allen ginsberg, rumi, langston hughes -- i love reading it to my kids into schools. the san francisco state poetry center, founded 46 years ago, a as an important project throughout the country. i want to acknowledge this important date is coming up. i think ms. -- i thank ms. terrence for being here so long. >> that concludes roll call.

president chiu: why don't we go to general public comment? >> the public may address the board for two minutes on item one, the mayoral appearance before the board, and other matters before the subject jurisdiction of the board, including the adoption without committee reference calendar, and excluding items which have been before a board committee. speakers using translation will be allowed twice the amount of time to testify. if you would like a document to be displayed on the overhead projector, please state such. remove the document, and the screen will return to live coverage of the meeting. >> [unintelligible]

[speaking a foreign language] finally, san francisco has a mayor with courage.

i see my mayor today. not only that. i talk with him when he goes outside. i had a chance. i talked with him, man to man. i asked him to support my district, district 6. he promised to do so. he walked in market street with his team to show that he has courage to change everything. more than that, he gave me his promise to support our young. supervisor jane kim -- i showed him your picture he thought you were a movie star. i want you to promise to support her. guess what? he did.

he signed it here on her picture. that means he promises he is going to support district 6. i believe he is going to do so. he cannot do it by himself. this young lady -- i tell her before not to give up. he liked to hear that. finally, two of our supervisors took my advice last week. they decided to eat fruit and vegetables like i tell them. thank you. president chiu: thank you. >> stop the corporate rate of the public library. do not give money to the foundation. if you have listened to my presentation even a little bit, you never they fall into three

categories. the first is the lack of library service the results from privatization and making fund- raising the highest priority. the second is a lack of accountability in the privatisation, which allows bidders to put their benefit before the public welfare. the third is what makes the other to work, the violation of open government and democratic principles. as long as money is more important than honesty, thieves and liars will always be in charge. the library commission has become the most egregious sunshine violator in the city because suppression of accountability and democracy does not give them anything for their money. when the president of the library of violated the right to the public comment, the sunshine task force found it so egregious it was a violation of the sunshine ordinance. after being referred to the ethics position, -- ethics

commission, it was fun to fall below the standard of decency required of all public officials. a victim of this treatment was not me, but it is typical of how many people have been treated. the case is still pending before the ethics commission. letters supporting sunshine violations should reference complete 100115. contempt for democracy and accountability has become part of library culture because raising millions from the corporate elite is its own reward. the damage to our society is a measurable. that is why the lies cost more than the money. president chiu: thank you. next speaker.

just lay it down, and sfgtv will do the rest. >> your time is ticking. >> it is not working. there is. i am glad to have this opportunity to speak to all men, especially those of the household of faith. you see what a large letter i have written to you in my own hand, from look and zechariah. you know that palm sunday is coming up this sunday. it says the disciples began to rejoice and praise god with a loud voice, saying blessed be the king met, in the name of the lord. the paris is said to rebuke the disciples. jesus said that if they should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cried out. why did he say that?

it says it was a loud voice. the 400-year-old prophesy said it rejoiced greatly. shout, o daughter of jerusalem. when god commits himself in writing to do something, it is going to happen. it is only a matter of time. god has said that someday he is going to raise the dead. god has said that. jesus said when you see the abomination and desolation spoken to you, that is the son of my coming and the end of the world. daniel said the abomination of desolation would happen in 1290 days. it is my firm contention you can interpret this. 9/11 was the abomination and desecration.

when they interviewed jesse ventura last night -- president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> i am susan terrence. i wanted to think the board of supervisors for letting me speak. thank you for introducing our proclamation. april 16, california poets in schools day, we are sponsoring nine free events in the city for the national poetry month in april. the book to proclaim april 16 as california poets in school stay in san francisco. you're celebrating many voices in the city, especially voices of five to 18-year-olds. i would like to read a poem written by a third grader. inside the universe our books. in such books are words.

inside words are meaningless -- are meanings. here is another. i and the daughter of bright orange california poppies. my voice is calm and sweet. you can hear it when it blows softly through your ears. i am the grass, the hills. we thank you for your consideration of this proposal. president chiu: thank you. if i could just mentioned, it in the board chambers unfortunately we do not permit applause or an expression of opposition. if i could ask you to please curb your enthusiasm, that would be appreciated. >> i am also with the california poets. this is a wonderful afternoon. i have not sat through at a meeting in a long time. i am happy to be here. in the packet, we send it out

to 1200 friends. i just wanted to read the poem that is written by a 12th grader, roberta taurus -- roberto torres. when i put my hands around my eyes and looked up, and it see only blue sky and clouds passing by. my eyes grew blue. my memory printed on you. blue sky, when we ate in the backyard under the tree. blue sky, i see it reflected. it is like a diary of everything that happened to you is written there. you are my only witness. happy spring. have the blue skies. happy poetry month. thank you. >> happy spring indeed.

i moved here in spring 1989. my name is eric foster early -- osberly. i represent the lgbt community. it tough to navigate six sex and sexual health with premise and honesty. it is a true symbol of my personal liberation and identity. to lgbt youth coming of age in the midwest or middle east, the eagle says hang on to your dreams and your identity. someday you will join us. this important gathering space says to us regardless of our gender or sexual orientation, you are beautiful, a whole, weird, and creative like us. welcome to san francisco. welcome home.

>> i am a south of market president, district 6. i think the supervisors who stepped forward to help us in our efforts to keep the eagle open. the eagle is a very old and venerable institution. it is the anchor for the community in soma. it is an anchor of the folsom street fair. this event brings millions of dollars to san francisco. if the eagles were to close, it would dampen the turnout for these events and the revenue flowing into the city. the city itself has an interest in doing what it can to keep the eagles open, keep a day, and keep it welcoming to the alternative communities of san francisco. thank you. >> i am anaconda. i am also a resident of district

6. i also have over 75 letters that were hand written last night. within a day, we were able to get 200 people out to the bar. we were also able to move a hundred of them over to the skylark to express how we could not lose the eagle. in 30 years, it has raised over $3 million for nonprofits just on sundays. i have been positive for 22 years. my anniversary was yesterday. 11 years ago, when i was in the hospital and would not be able to pay my rent, the eagle is the reason i was able to stay in san francisco. it is that kind of help and community effort that the eagle represents here in san francisco and to the crew community. there are creatures who want to

keep it open and working in the manner that it has been. if there is anything the board can do to smooth out the relations between the new owner who inherited the property, and help him understand that here in san francisco the clear community needs places like this -- when i left pennsylvania, driven out by my family, and arrived here in san francisco, it is places like the eagle that kept me alive. thank you very much. >> dee lightner. district 6 resident. i have been going to the eagles since i moved to san francisco five years ago. it is one of the few gay bars where i felt completely welcome as a career woman -- as a queer woman. at this point, we appreciate all the support we have already

received from the board of supervisors. perhaps we can move forward with historic preservation of the site of the eagle. i am not sure exactly where we need to go at this point. all i know is that it is very important to me personally and to the community at large to keep the eagles open. thank you. >> my name is brian morris. i am not sure which district. i wanted to speak out on behalf of the eagle. i did used to work there 14 years ago. it has been a rally point for our community. it supports all these charities. i heard you talking about whether or not to have a theme for the botanical gardens because that would bring in more money for recreation -- a fee for the community garden because it would bring in money for

recreation and activity centers. help us keep our community center. it brings in all sorts of things and community rallying points. please do anything you can within your power to get it declared a historic landmark somehow and to let us keep our community center there. thank you. >> my name is peter keane. the epidemic of closures underscores the point that even in a city where lgbt people have made greater strides than perhaps any other, our institutions require vigilance and protection. the life in the castro is vanishing because acceptance of gay people makes a bookstore's less necessary. in essence, the success of the gay-rights movement imperil its own accomplices and history. it is paradoxical that communities can thrive and be in jeopardy at the same time.

as much as we love san francisco, it is an expensive place to live. if the eagle disappears, the tragedy would mostly be because it is one of the last places to be a widow. -- a weirdo. it has been there as long as i have been alive. what if city lights bookstore lost its lease? what if the castro theater decided to go condo? with the city allow these institutions to fall to the market? i know you would not. it is more than pure sentiment. they are to imagine what san francisco is. if nothing else, i hope to come away with the grasp of the index credibility with the eagle and the lgbt community, and therefore the city itself. if you are not convinced, i invite you to come on sunday. this sunday, it is good to be a

party. >> i want to bring two points to the board of supervisors's attention. one is the fund-raising that allows some members of the gay community to continue getting support from the aids emergency fund or the aids housing alliance, which helped me and my husband be able to get better housing and move out of the place we were stuck for six years. the other item speaks to san francisco at large. it is the issue of diversity and having enough public places that are not only gay, but tolerate all kinds of people. whether you are gay, straight,

male, female, or transgender, it would be sad if this institution closed and no longer offer the diversity that i think exemplifies san francisco. thank you very much for this. >> my name is wayne ice. i want to continue on a theme in support of saving the eagle. it is not just a bar. it is important to our community. i have lived most of my life without the communities to support me as a gay man. i served 14 years in the marine corps. i have now been flying for a major airline for almost 14 years. i have always been one of one in most of my social life. i came here to san francisco and i am so joyful to live in a place that supports me and my

community as a gay man. the eagle is a place where we gather to rejoice and celebrate, where we gathered to mourn and he'll, where we gather to support each other. there have been countless fund- raisers not just for charities, but to support individuals who have been victims of accidents or medical emergencies. it is a community center for us. it is more than just a for- profit enterprise. it is more than a bar. it cannot be replicated. it is a unique space. there is a sense of history and heritage we have there. as a san franciscan, i ask for your support. please help us save the eagle. thank you. >> i am edmund larry. i would like to show you this. i will read to you. this weekend, we had the national trends gender

conference. it was great. just to show you a few of the faces out here -- aren't they beautiful? these are called the angels of change. they are fighting against prejudice. it is great that i am here today. the eagle is a great place i could go with my pink wig on or what ever. you of not been seeing me is because i have been doing my karaoke at the cat club. but i wore a pink wig and they told me i could not come back. you know what? it is wrong i had come there for a whole year. we need places like the eagle, who raise money for breast cancer. they do a lot. a lot of people think i am janet jackson. you thought i