it is something we need to move cautiously on. in this case, this location, our recommendation was it could work. i do not see it presenting a community problem for a police problem, and i really do not see it impacting competition because it is so unique and specific to them, and is more of an intimate relationship with the customer and them. i do not see people coming in there just to spend time in their wine bar. i think it is more of an invitation relationship. supervisor avalos: i guess -- we kind of joke about a moment ago when you were in office, but it is a little bit like a car dealership opening up a wine bar to help the make a decision about buying a car, or with a shoe store want to do that?

and can expand to other retail outlets in the city. those are some of my thoughts as well. i actually was inclined to support, and i am kind of questioning that a little but right now. i do appreciate your work on this issue. perhaps we could open up for public comment and we could hear from the owners as well. we will open this up for public comment. we will do three minutes. and additional questions necessary. >> good morning. shawn higgins. i understand the concerns you are having as you are voicing them, but i want you to maybe look at it from my perspective here first of all, in my business, which i have been in the jewelry business for 21 years, this is a common thing. to serve wine in the store for your clients. what we're doing is coming

before the committee to try to make it legal because we also understand that our high-end clientele is very much involved in the other high-end parts of the world, including buying fine wine, so we find that that is actually a marriage that works really well for our clientele. it is not going to be an open bar. we do not want people in our store -- we do not want them intoxicated in our store, to be frank with you, because i have over $1 million in liability, and that is on me because of the inventory we carry. that is not the idea of it. i would also point out to you back i do not know if any of you have never been into our money here in the city -- then into armani. he did this years ago. this is not far outside of what we have seen in luxury retailing.

again, we look at bringing in small sustainable winery's to pair with our sustainable jewelry. we are currently the only business of sustainable jewelry like this in the united states of america. we will not be the last one. it happens really fast. the sustainable wine part is really to allow us again to have some clientele abilities and not really use it as a bar. we have already shown great success in our business. we continue to pare the wine bar part of it so that we continue to grow the business. am i making sense at all? supervisor avalos: it makes sense. i guess, again, i get the position where i want to consider what is the city's overall policy of around pudding wine bars in retail outlets?

i know we do it in our galleries because we just approve one recently for an art gallery. i would say they your jewelry store is more on the art side. >> it is not a zales. it is not like a mass-produce store. [inaudible] supervisor avalos: i see it as distinct in that way from other places. but is that why it makes sense to put a wine bar there, compared to zales jewelry store or something like that? and will there be a zales jewelry store saying they want a wine bar now because it is happening somewhere else and is competitive that way? i understand your point of view,

but the other point of view that i think allows the idea of we will have more wine and liquor licenses in our retail outlets is one that concerns me. what is our city's overall policy about that? we do not really have one. i do think we need to consider what -- where do we draw the line in this? >> i am coming to you today with a unique idea. let's be honest -- is a different type of economy, and it will be some unique ideas out there, so i totally appreciate where you're coming from as far as setting the policy for the city. from our perspective, we think we are doing a pretty cool thing, and we are doing it with every intention of accepting all the conditions from the police department and not making this a bar scene. this is not the idea. supervisor avalos: right.

ok. thank you. like your have -- hat. what you see the likelihood of how licenses were transferred to or be made in the out like this here today? how often do you see these things coming up? have you seen a trend of these happening more and more? do you see that this is the distinct establishment? obviously you do, but what else are you seeing -- is close to something like this, that you would not consider. >> absolutely a lot of this is economy driven. there's no question out there. a contemporary example perhaps where we have seen it not work out so well, where we have seen restaurants morphing into bars in an opportunity to generate more revenue and impact on the community has actually gone up. police resourced the man has gone up. there is no question that every retailer looking for revenue opportunities -- that is kind of

the nature of what we deal with. we get the calls every day. a lot of times, it is not just having viewed the plan. it is having the right location. that is where we felt in this case, with the conditions we were imposing, we thought we had some balance. like the applicant stated, we do have retailers. some very large, that have bars and restaurants inside their establishments. and some that are small. a few years ago, we had a barbershop. it was specifically designed for men. it was a high-end business plan where it was kind of like a man's kind of gentlemen's club where you could go in, have a glass of wine, getting a shave, a hair cut, and that never created any problems. it has since changed hands, and

they have slightly changed the business plan, but it is similar to -- i'm trying to avoid using names, but since he did it, similar to the armani model where it is a high-end men's accessories store, and constantly, serves wine. i think the industry is morphing into so many segments of other products. i do agree with the applicant. that the card industry really values wine, and when you are into this type of jewelry, we really are talking to a great extent, especially in the sustainability component. this is part -- this is art to a great extent. there's a lot of demand still for the art gallery/liquor license concept. that was created actually before the recession hit, and it went into a lull for a while, and it is kind of sticking its head up again. like you said, we licensed one

recently, and even those, we move cautiously because we want to make sure that the art is incidental to the sale of alcohol. that is all we're trying to do, get a relationship here if somebody wants to open a bar, we need to understand that that is what they want so we can prepare for the impact of it. supervisor avalos: do you see, looking at overall city guidelines that you probably operate under, where would you draw the line? >> by statute, we have valid consideration voids -- proximity to schools, proximity to libraries, proximity to public parks, proximity to boys and girls scouts centers, and clubs, so those are all things that would be -. -- negative. government-supported housing. we could go on and on. in this case, this is a pretty vibrant -- pedestrian commercial

area. many times i have come before the committee and said we have a nice business plan, but it does not fit the location. we have a great operator, good business plan, but we're struggling with the location the strip -- they chose. in this case, it is the opposite. this is not a concept i would like to see all of the city, but if someone comes in with the right business plan for the right location, we are going to look at it. supervisor avalos: ok, thank you. this item is still open for public comment. with any other members of the public like to comment? seeing none come forward, we will close public comment. >> -- supervisor mar: i just wanted to, that the nine conditions makes sense to me.

i did want to say that i just scanned what is online for mr. higgins' business, so i could see the physical layout of the restaurant. looks like the wine bar could be created easily. i also understand it's not a high crime area and the concentration of other businesses that serves beer and wine is a concern as the letter protest races, but i think the condition laid out address my concerns. i also am understanding that it is sustainable jewelry kind of art store connection with wine and little bit better now. i think i will be supportive of this with the conditions, but i also agree with supervisor avalos that broader citywide

perspective on the number of hall licenses and in which parts of the city would be helpful for me as we proceed instead of looking at these case by case like we are now. thank you for the work, and i will be supportive. supervisor avalos: with that, we can forward to the full board with recommendation and acceptance of the conditions. we will take that without objection. ok. great. >> thank you. supervisor avalos: ok. if you could please call item four. that item four, resolution authorizing the municipal transportation agency to accept and expend a grant from the state transportation development act article 3 funds totaling $696,000 including $341,000 for the department of public works

and $355,000 for various pedestrian and bicycle projects in san francisco in fiscal year 2011-2012. >> thank you. i am the manager of finance, budget, and performance at the department of public works. before you is our annual tda article 3 application. each year, it is a joint application between the mta and dpw for bicycle and pedestrian projects. it is a relatively small amount of money, as you can see, that comes to us. the department of public works portion is used for sidewalk repairs around dpw responsibility sidewalks, and for design and planning activities in our curve ramp program.

both of these programs have quite a few other funding sources as well. mta is using this for bicycle projects. for a number of years, they were not able to apply for the funds because of the court injunction. their bicycle program is up and running. and representatives from the mta are here to answer questions as well as project managers from dpw. i'm happy to answer any questions that i can. supervisor avalos: ok, maybe briefly, if you could just talk about the general scope of the work specific to these moneys and where they will be. i'm sure is general all over the city, but if you could describe that. >> it is. with the curb ramp program, we have an americans with disabilities act transition plan

that lays out the order and priorities for curve brands throughout the city -- curb ramps throughout the city. the plan has been in effect for a number of years. we have been constructing -- i think this year, we are constructing around 2000 throughout the city. largely with general fund money. this money we used to do design for ramps then constructed with prop k sales tax money. then, the other thing we use it for is maintenance of our database. that is what is helping us track to make -- to set priorities, figure out where they still need to be constructed, where we have curve revs not in compliance with the latest code,

essentially. the sidewalk money is used to respond to particular places where there are trip and fall plans. if somebody has an accident on a street on a sidewalk, it is the responsibility of dpw, we tried to get out there and repair the lifting or the cracking that caused the accident as soon as possible. obviously, a second accident at the same place that we have not taken care of can be much more costly in terms of plans. i think oliver probably can best describe how mta is using the bicycle funds. he is on his way up now. supervisor avalos: sure. thank you for your presentation. >> good morning. regarding the portion going to the transportation development

act, he comes every year. and she was not eligible for several years due to the bike in junction. one of the requirements is to have an improved environmental review. we do have approved environmental review for the right plan. the project identified with the pipeline would be eligible for these funds. the specific projects -- there are several projects coming down the line right now. some of the projects that have not been installed yet that these funds could potentially go to, and i say potentially because we're moving quite quickly, and the landscape for bicycle projects is changing quite rapidly as conjunctions are lifted. some of the outstanding projects are projects like second, fifth, van ness -- those are some of the projects that have not been installed yet. some of the other emerging work we're doing in bicycle parking in relationship to bicycle sharing, so one of the key things is the environmental clearance act to be in place. would have to be something

identified with any bicycle plan. we are setting this projects, and the second thing would be that the project that are caltrans approved for the design manual. those of the stipulations, to ensure this project are eligible because of the two restrictions to the fund. supervisor avalos: ok, anything in district 11 that is being planned with these funds? that at this time, i cannot say specifically because of the pot of money we're using. i cannot say specifically. for the facility money, however, the safety money is used again throughout the whole city, so there would probably be saved the money occurring in your district. 10% of the overall ask -- 5% of the overall ask, 10% of the

bicycle fortune can go on to bicycle safety projects. supervisor avalos: ok, that is great. just as we look at implementing our by plan -- i know we are looking at city-wide, but i offered to see that a great deal of the resources go in the center part of the city, and a few would go out towards excelsior and son said, and to the extent that we are able to prioritize and make more things happen out that way, i think we will be getting our goals of being a transit-first city. to the extent i want to encourage you to do that, i would love to see that. >> ok, thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you. we will open this up to public comment -- or, supervisor, do you have questions? supervisor mar: i was going to, on that. looks like the repair for sidewalks and disability improvement programs are based on analysis and prioritizing of the areas that need it the most,

and also in conjunction with the mayor's office of disability. i know that a number of improvements i have been seeing already on different -- in different recorders, but my hope is that the neighborhoods with the most need are considered first, and it looks like that is the process. and then, for the mta proposals, it looks like it is based on input from a number of community-based organizations. i am guessing the bicycle coalition and other groups. my hope is that the jfk drive improvements, which i think the mayor committed to, and other city officials, to finishing by the end of the year, is a dedicated right lane. my hope is that that gets completed. i'm not sure if these funds are going to the specific project, but that would be my hope as well. i appreciate the work on this and in glad that the environmental analysis is done and that the lawsuit is behind us so that we can move forward

on these big bike lane improvements in the city. supervisor avalos: ok, thank you for your presentation. we will open this up for public comment. three minutes. seeing no one come forward, we will close public comment. this item we can move forward with recommendations. ok, so done. please call item 5. >> item 5, resolution authorizing the department of public health and san francisco general hospital to retroactively accept and expend a federal pass-through state grant in the amount of $999,999 from the california emergency management agency to support san francisco general hospital's non-structural retrofit activities for february 15, 2011, through february 14, 2014. supervisor avalos: thank you. anyone from dph?

just a brief summary on the item. >> thank you, good morning. in the executive project manager at san francisco facilities, and we are trying to complete one of the last pieces of seismic upgrades to the hospital through this grant acceptance. it will raise equipment inside the service building as well as utilities running from the facility to the existing hospital. supervisor avalos: ok. you have already started work on this. is that correct? looks like february 15 was the start date, or is that when the grant was approved? >> that is when the grant was approved. we have not yet started -- supervisor avalos: because you have not received it yet. >> we have not yet received your approval. >> i did not actually see a

retroactively accept and expend, so i was wondering about that. very good. thank you. we want to make sure the project is going to be successful and move forward. i expect that we will be approving it, but first, we will have public comment. we can open this item up for public comment period and a member of the public who would like to comment on this item, please come forward. >> good morning. i used to work at san francisco general hospital for 20 years. when i took a look at this item this morning, what caught my eye was the dollar amount. i thought it was interesting that it is only $1 but not to dollars short of $1 million.

according to my previous experience, it seems when you are dealing with $1 or $2 short of an actual limit, there is always the slight chance that this might be an example of what they called voodoo economics, which is open to translation, depending on who is practicing. what also caught my eye was that it mentions waiting in direct costs -- waiving indirect costs. an inexperienced person like myself does not know what that means or how much is actually involved. i would like to bring that issue forward for possible explanation. the third thing i would like to focus on is it mentions non- structural seismic retrofit. what i thought about that this morning, i was wondering -- is that open to manipulation by the

people that have control of these funds? the reason why i bring up the idea of possible manipulation is yesterday afternoon, i was at a gathering on folsom st., and i was very impressed by the discussion of transparency, especially by a certain labor speaker. i am just trying to translate that feeling of transparency because i would in a certain sense think that we should explain what non structural seismic retrofit is and compare it to what an actual retrofit is. the reason why i bring that up is because since the bond issue is such a large amount of the house bill, one would think that it will be covered by the bond issue, so we are going to go for $999,999, that seems to me

that that is money that maybe deliberately deleted from the bond issue and somehow put into this item so as to avoid public scrutiny. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. any other member of the public who would like to comment? seeing none, we will close public comment. this item we can move forward with recommendation. okay, without objection. if you could please call our next item. >> item 6, resolution approving the community needs assessment developed by the department of children, youth, and their families in accordance with section 16.108 of the san francisco charter. supervisor avalos: we have the director and staff from dcyf. welcome. >> thank you. what we want to do today is present a very quick overview of

our findings from the 2011 community needs assessment. of course, seeking your approval of the report, which will then allow us to move into our second stage of our planning process. i actually have our staff here, our senior policy analyst, who was in charge of the needs assessment for this year, and she will walk through all of the high level findings with you. >> thank you, and good morning. this is the first year of our three-year planning process, so the goal was to assess the needs of children, youth, and their families across san francisco, and that will lead to the next phase, which is the next. this is purely focused on needs. our approach was twofold. a mixed method approach, one looking at demographic and administrative data as well as collecting primary data about

community perspectives and what the needs are. in terms of the demographic data, we are fortunate to have the 2010 census, the first round of data available in march. unfortunately, we do not have all the data available yet in terms of the details about specific numbers of children in each age group, neighborhood, and other demographics, but we do have some high level findings. our approach together -- gathering community perspectives was kind of a multiple tubes strategy. we had 19 community meetings. several different meetings with parents and use city-wide grooves, met with a variety of city wide service providers. we also have focus groups with harder to reach populations, and then conducted a series of surveys to gather input from community organizations, high- school students, and public school principals. our main findings, again from

the 2010 census, the biggest finding is that the number of youth has declined. 5000 less since the 2010 census, where's the bureau had predicted that there would be a growth of about 10,000. again, we are anxious to get more detailed information to understand what each group -- what demographics were really impacted by that shift, especially in terms of the number of families, which is data we do not currently have. we organize our findings in a different age categories, so we look at ages 0 to 5, and we look at the kindergarten to eighth grade age population, and in high school and populationyouth -- high school and older youth. i will briefly go through findings and leave time for questions. see ratified, the big funding from both the administrative data as well as community input is barely care and education or child care programs continue to be a big need.