very much. >> the you for being here. >> i tried to avoid falling him in speaking, i will do my best. i am delighted to be here and offered my support for the city and county of san francisco. i have known her for 32 years, and she is one of the most impressive leaders i have ever met. and as she mentioned, she has lived in san francisco longer than i have. i first had dealings with her when she was a banker, first city bank and wells fargo. and then she had major responsibilities with real

estate and lending, and she struck me as someone within the banking establishment who really understood the importance of community banking. she supported affordable housing and was an advocate of small business lending practices in city bank and wells fargo. i think this combination of knowing how important the community relationships are, combined with -- combined with business expertise, financial expertise, the knowledge of small business, the knowledge of marketing, trade and finance, will serve her well and the port of san francisco very well. you can see that she has a host of community relationships and involvement that keeper grounded. she was the commissioner for the entire city of san francisco and the people who need the port of

san francisco. she will be a great commissioner and i urge her appointment to be the next ports commissioner. >> thank you. and is there any other public comment on this item? >> i am -- the chief operating officer and i have known her in the past from having worked with her in a couple of different institutions. i have known her for 13 years, with distinct present -- pleasure, eight of those years being part of her leadership team. and i can probably provide some perspective on how her leadership style may fit into a commission. one of the things that she has an excellent mind, for getting not only the big picture, but keeping track of the little details that may get in the way of the big picture.

she is able to synthesize information very well. perhaps, most importantly, and i have seen this in action in both areas, she can take people with different opinions and get them to reach a consensus decision that they all feel good about. the decision reflects the best thinking possible at the time. she is highly motivated, and she is a person of integrity, not afraid to speak the truth when she believes that this needs to be done. she cares about the welfare of other people and those around her, even in challenging circumstances. she will still make certain to keep -- to take care of those around her. her skills as a leader are a huge asset, and i support,

strongly, that she joined the ports commission, and hopefully this will help you get some perspective on this. >> and is there any other public comment on this item? public comment is closed. the motion to move? i see no objections. i want to congratulate you on your nomination. if so impressed by your background. we heard about fiscal feasibility yesterday, the report with the cruise terminal, and i think your expertise and background will be very useful. and i am impressed by your dedication in this community.

this will be an asset as well, if you work with many of the neighborhood association merchants, small businesses and constituents in that area. completing the project -- we want to work in a partnership with many of the people out there. i am excited to support your nomination, and you'll be one of four women on the five-member commission. this is very unusual for any commission in san francisco. it is great to see strong female leadership on the ports commission. we will move this forward with the recommendation to the full board and i see no objections. can you please call item no. 2? >> motion to confirm -- to the transportation administration. could mr. ramos come forward?

could you spend a couple of minutes talking about your background and your interest in serving in this commission. >> thank you, members of the board of supervisors. i appreciate the time he gave me to have this opportunity to speak to you. i am happy to have been nominated to serve, and i have an intimate history with san francisco. in so strongly attached to the city. i remember coming down here as a little kid, he said, you have to check out the size, and this was true, it was about as big as my head was back then. and sometimes it would go over to market street, and my father

used to enjoy the beer that they would serve on tap. this was a time in the '70s where san francisco was a place for families, and it had tremendous potential. that is the kind of san francisco i would like to see come back to us. worst of the region where families can stay together, and where people of all incomes and education levels will be able to thrive. i see this as being a challenge and i would like to bring a vision to help get us back there, in an environment where small business and families -- working-class families can really flourish in the city. if i am appointed to the board, i will bring the experience i have had since these times. i've had the good fortune of being able to work on

transportation and land use planning issues that will make this vision a reality. whatever decision i would make, it would be in the interest of this particular vision. right now, i am someone who is dependent on the transit system and i know what this is like to be left behind on the switch back, that so many of these let light rail systems are going through. i know what this is like, being left out in the cold. i would also -- i also know what it is like to be a pedestrian, having your life laid out before you in these busy intersections that are too busy for many of us. at the same time, this is a phenomenal system. this delivers people on time to where they need to go. but this needs a lot of work and i am committed to making the system successful for everyone.

the system is overdue for an overhaul. this is a wonderful system that we have inherited, and i will make certain that we address these shortfalls to achieve a level of service to give us the system that we deserve. i know this will not come in a particular way. this is no silver bullet. this is not a particular a efficiency or parking a share. this is a little bit of everything. i am hoping to be able to make certain that these are distributed throughout the whole city, and i take great pride in the fact that i am the son of mexican immigrants. i have a history of working with the non-english speaking communities. it will be a priority to have the mark with this -- and i am

also very sensitive to the needs of seniors. my parents will be turning in their keys very soon, and they are able to walk around and maybe depending on the system more than they do today. this is a major component of our population. i hope that will be making a better future -- for the seniors that we can anticipate. for a child that is 8 years old -- this is safe enough for everyone. i live at the top of the hill, where i can see cars regularly come over 16th and there are traffic accidents there, regularly -- not every day, but frequently, car accidents that could've easily been prevented,

with better regulation that would actually make the streets safer for drivers as well. and when the street is safer for the drivers, the transit system will benefit and become more efficient. and there is even more of a need that we all share. i want to stress my history as an advocate and a clatter. i have made my purpose to bring more representation and people of different communities to come together for common ground, to make certain that the system and the opportunities that we have meet the needs of everyone. we are in a place where change is necessary and i know that change is difficult, but if we all make small sacrifices we can go where we need to be. if you are going over the side of a cliff, changes good. we need to do this. again, i want to thank you all

for this opportunity to speak before you, and i am happy to answer any questions about anything i have said. >> and are there any questions? >> i do have a couple of questions. i am very impressed by your experience and your background with public safety. do you own a car? >> i not own a vehicle. i am a regular transit rider. i was 30 minutes late because i was stuck on the end, and i experienced these frustrations every day. i may sometimes take this multiple times per day. my wife owns a car. she will give this up because of the system that i am describing. i recognize the value and the mobility.

i want to make this easier for the cars to get around. this is a serious priority for me. >> you have brought this up, the issue a pedestrian safety in san francisco. this is a major issue for the office. what do you think we should do to make the record better? >> i was fortunate enough to attend a pedestrian hearing in the decided that we did more resources directed to implementing pedestrian improvements in the infrastructure. a little bit will go very long way, to keep someone from getting injured or killed. i want to make certain that the system is critical of capitalizing on the small improvements so that the system obviously is as safe as

possible with a small effort that this may take. >> this has been a controversial issue for the board of supervisors. what are your thoughts about the request for the increased fees? >> the developer fees? >> just -- >> i think the transit riders pay too much as it is. it has been very difficult. i know people who can no longer afford to get the fast pass, where the things that they need to get. they have to neglect the deal and pay more because they cannot afford this price all once. i will see to it that we avoid the fare hikes, and the increase in the price of the passes as

much as possible. in a stand that there are some increases we cannot go back on. i will do everything i possibly can as a member of the board to make certain that we avoid this if all possible. i hold this very dear to make certain that people are mobile. >> thank you. we will open for public comment. i forgot to mention this. just please come forward. >> good afternoon. i want to thank you for letting us come up here and support joel ramos. i am a member of the san francisco transit riders union, which is a new organization, and the reason i am excited about

the organization, which joel is also a member of, is it tries to put together a group of citizens to help get over the problems we have. we are passionate about public transit and very interested in transit first, but we recognize there are issues in our transit system. i want to talk about two things today. we have only had one meeting so far, and i think we were both nominated at the same time, but he is extremely knowledgeable about transit issues, and i think that's he will bring the wealth of knowledge he has to the mta as well. second, i do not have a car. i do have two children. my youngest learned to read going out to the school and back. i really appreciate the idea that you actually can be a

family in san francisco and ride public transit. it does take a little extra push, and, yes, it is getting very expensive for families, so i appreciate the idea that public transit is not just for a certain group of individuals. it should be for everybody. that is the idea. the last thing i wanted to say is that we have -- i think it is nice that we embrace safe, diving, an inclusive, which is also our model for the neighborhood in the lower haight in the sense that safety is for pedestrians, for writers, and pedestrians -- for pedestrians, and for riders. i am pleased to be here to support the nomination. thank you. >> hello, good afternoon, supervisors. in the community planning manager at chinatown cdc -- i

am the community planning manager. i think the whole spectrum of transit improvements, also including recent advocacy for the central subway -- i really want to talk today about how we support jolt -- joel as a transportation justice advocate at how our communities of color are really the ones writing transit. in chinatown, over 80% of families do not own cars, not necessarily by choice, but by necessity that they need the transit system to get to work, to get to doctors of what it's come to see their family that lived in other neighborhoods, and really commend the mayor and sfmta to give these communities a chance to speak for themselves, to make decisions about what kind of transit they

have access to, what their neighborhoods look like in terms of crosswalks, traffic lights, all of that, and to really have time for there to be really dedicated outreach to these communities. i think a little bit of need for creative thinking about how to do it and appreciate, hopefully, working with him in the future on these issues. supervisor kim: thank you. >> hello. i have been a transit advocate for the last couple of years and just wanted to come forward as a member of also the transit riders union, until the zero weeks ago, we voted to endorse joel's candidacy -- two weeks ago, we voted to endorse his candidacy. he is really well spoken about transit, i just wanted to -- sorry, thank you. supervisor kim: thank you very

much. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am very pleased to bring you our support for joel ramos and his appointment to the mta board of directors. i want to thank the mayor for what we think is a really great combination, shaping up to be stronger and getting some great work done. joel is the real deal. you are hearing that. he is a transit advocate and transit lover, a champion for equity and social justice. he is very qualified to join the supporting body and led his intelligence to it. i have personally worked with him on a number of matters and always been deeply impressed, but not just as smart and strong advocacy, not just his commitment and diligence, but his skills as a team member and a coalition builder, and the great respect he earns from even those who may disagree with whatever the policy particular

is maybe at hand. again, we are very excited to see this nomination come forward. we hope you will support it, and again, we are really excited to see the mta board itself become stronger, more involved, and really, a more capable body. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. >> hello. i am executive director of walk san francisco. our city's charter says the san francisco is a pedestrian first city, but with 800 people a year are hit by cars and three people killed in four days last march, we have clearly not reached that goal of pedestrian priority. with that in mind, we are pleased to support joel ramos and his candidacy for the mta commission.

mta is the agency most responsible, among many, for the safety and walk ability of our streets. there has been a tremendous amount of attention to pedestrian safety and, i think, supervisor kim among others who paid a lot of attention to this recently, and the appointment of joel ramos to this board could be a step forward in making the real change we need, translating the synergy into real change for our streets. we feel confident that joel ramos will speak up for sustainable streets, and we also know he will speak up for underserved communities to face a disproportionate risk of being hit by cars on our streets while walking and who depend most on transportation and on walking, so we urge you to make joel ramos the newest member of mta's commission. thank you.

>> madam chair, fellow supervisors, i am with the san francisco transit riders union. rather than reiterate what has already been said, i want to just hit on one point in particular, and that is the importance of having someone on the board vote actually write strands it -- someone on the board who actually rides transit. a lot of times, i hear people bragging about how they ride muni sometimes as often as four times a week. that really bugs me. i feel like you need to really understand the issues. the transit in washington, d.c., is just light years ahead of what we have here. we really are a world-class city, but not when it comes to transit. i have spoken many times about this, and he has great ideas. he understands the connections between transit and land use and how also things like pedestrian

safety play into the whole picture of having walkable communities where everyone can really have a neighborhood. so i would definitely encourage you to confirm his nomination. he would be a great addition to the board and can really bring that transit riders perspective. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. is there any other public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is now close. ok, we have a motion to move forward with positive recommendation to the full board without any opposition. mr. ramos, again, congratulations on your nomination. i was very impressed when i met with you for your background and also for your excitement on serving on a challenging board of directors with a lot of very important issues at the majority of san franciscans care deeply about, so we appreciate your willingness to serve on the committee, and i look forward to

working with you, so we move this forward to the full board. thank you. so. please call item 3. >> hearing to consider appointing one member, a term ending march 20, 2012, to the pedestrian safety advisory committee. there is one seat and one applicant. supervisor kim: thank you. i believe mr. frausto is here today. if you could spend a couple of minutes introducing yourself and your background and your interest in serving. >> absolutely. first, thank you very much. to the other members of the border supervisors, i appreciate given the top -- being given the time an opportunity today to express my aspiration to being part of the committee. i am currently a member of the board of directors of walk san francisco, the largest

pedestrian advocacy group in san francisco. i also worked as an emergency medicine physician at highland hospital. it is essentially the same type of hospital. we focus on primarily underserved communities, and unfortunately, as a worker in the emergency room there, i constantly have to treat injuries that are suffered as pedestrians on a daily basis. as a resident of san francisco, i am committed to helping improve the safety of our streets and reducing the overall number of injuries and deaths that occur to pedestrians. i ask that you consider me to represent a pedestrian advocacy organization. i believe that my background in medicine and public health and my involvement through walk sf could be a big benefit. i have become very familiar with the community's work and also

with the numerous recommendations to the board of supervisors. i am also aware of the mayor's directive on pedestrian safety and would very much like to get involved in moving that forward as well. again, thank you very much for your consideration, and i'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. supervisor kim: thank you, and i'm sorry, doctor. are there any questions? at this time, i will open up for public comment. >> walk san francisco. not surprisingly, we are pleased to support kenneth frausto's application. he is a strong advocate for safer, healthier streets, especially for the seniors, the low income people, and the people of color who are most at risk on our streets. we strongly support kenneth as

an excellent candidate for this committee and a conscientious and committed advocate for pedestrians in san francisco, which, after all, is all of us because we are all pedestrians. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. any other public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is now closed. thank you so much for applying. as i mentioned, this is a really important issue for our office, so it is great to have really engaged committee members. i know there is a meeting next wednesday. maybe we could move forward as a committee report so we could have you start next week. so impressed that i did not have any questions. i think it would be great to have a position on board who gets to interface with many of the victims and injuries in hospital. i think it is an import the perspective do have. so i'm happy to support you serve on this committee. any other comments?

>> i'm sorry, supervisor, in order to move this forward as a committee report, we have to have a request supporting that. supervisor kim: ok, so, we will not be able to do that then. my apologies. you will still be able to attend the meeting, but not as a member. we have a motion to move forward with positive recommendation to the full board. so moved. thank you. madam clerk, can you please call item four? >> item four, hearing to consider appointing one member, a term ending october 19, 2011, to the eastern neighborhood citizens advisory committee. there is one seat and one applicant. supervisor kim: thank you. is mr. conde -- mr. grande here? yes. thank you so much for being here. again, if you could talk briefly about your background, your interest