i think it is wrong that the city should negotiate for a sum of money to allow this project to go forward. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. any other members of the public that would like to comment on these items? seeing no one come forward, we will close public comment. supervisor mar: in my communications with of the clerk, i would like to amend it to a motion to calendar this before the full board on december 13 at 3:00 p.m., the general time that we schedule these committees as a whole. that is what i meant. supervisor avalos: colleagues? supervisor mar: my understanding is that there are two appeals occurring on that same day. it will be a long potential

evening. but i know that time is ticking of a lot of things before the sport. -- on a lot of things before this board. i just wonder at 4:00 is the right time. i imagine that this hearing will go for a long time. what about having this hearing, instead of at 3:00, after the appeals? we will be there late anyway as. >> -- supervisor mar: 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other -- supervisor elsbernd: 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other. supervisor avalos: someone is going to have to sit there for long time. supervisor mar: i do not know the order of who goes first. i leave that to the clerk and the president of the board. i know that it is a balancing act with different

constituencies. supervisor elsbernd: i will make a motion to table item number five, move item #6 forward for 3:00. supervisor mar: that sounds fine. supervisor avalos: do we not need item #five to go forward to the full board as well? supervisor elsbernd: no. 5 is our hearing right here. supervisor avalos: so, motion to table item number five, moving item #6 as amended, taken without objection. thank you very much. supervisor elsbernd: we do need item 5? supervisor avalos: motion to rescind the vote. dejection. supervisor elsbernd: we do need item 5? supervisor avalos: ok. so, we will be make that motion to move item #5 to the full board, as well as item #6, as

amended. we will take that without objection. good, that is what i thought. ok, great. madam clerk, please call item no. 7. >> item 7. resolution urging the united states government to reduce the military budget, end the wars in iraq and afghanistan, and redirect the savings for domestic needs. supervisor avalos: thank you, madam clerk. this is a resolution that i brought forward with folks out in the community and decided that i share, as well, after 10 years into the war that began with 9/11, we do not see an end to this war in sight. it is causing great, dramatic pressure on governments at the federal, state, and local level to respond to the needs that we

have around education, health, and maintaining the public well- being. a good portion of every dollar has approximately 68 cents on every federal dollar. every federal dollar is used to pay for military expenses. that is something that we cannot tolerate much longer, as a nation. it is important that we are able to speak, on a local level, up to the federal level, on the conditions that we are facing. trying to maintain the levels of service that our residents and citizens need in san francisco. i do believe that these resolutions, from time to time, are important, sending a message to the federal government that we need to be doing something different in order to have a future for generations ahead of us. i want to thank folks for bringing this forward. you can open this up for public

comment. i have a few cards i can read as well. if you are in the north court and want to speak on this item, item number 7, please come upstairs. i will begin by reading the names on the cards. michael, [reads names], amber, abdul, amber rose, -- if you her your name, please come forward. looks like debbie guy. joannie [reads names], kathy, will scott, sandra, delores perez, susan solomon, jeff

johnson, [reads names] if you lined up along the windows? -- if you could line up along the windows? i want to apologize for the folks who came to our last meeting thinking that we would have this item scheduled been. that was an error in my office. i apologize for that. >> good morning. thank you, supervisors, for giving us this opportunity. in the national communicator 4 u.s. labor against the war. i would like to make a few points regarding this resolution. first of all, u.s. labor against

the war represented a substantial portion of the labor movement in the city and county of san francisco. among our more than 30 affiliates, uesf, awe 2121, the san francisco labor council, and many others. number one, for every dollar that we invest in the military, more jobs could be created for the same investment in education, health care, tax cuts, rebuilding, or any number of other socially productive means. studies have been done that show, for example, education dollar for dollar produces 238% more jobs than the amount of money invested in the military.

no. 2, the wars are not over. despite the fact that we have a status of forces agreement, we will be leaving behind tens of thousands of private contractors in iraq. many, many more in afghanistan. clearly, our government is seeking to maintain a military presence as well. time that we put the pentagon on a diet, so that we can feed our communities. until that time, we hope that the council but advocate for this resolute -- for this resolution. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is susan and i am from

the united educators of san francisco. we heard over the weekend that there are 2200 homeless children in san francisco. for us, as educators, it is a huge concern. federal dollars would help to solve that problem. in terms of education, we are relatively fortunate. voters continually come to us, and we are told that we need to find how to do more with less. the money is going to war as well we have four children, homeless children, underserved children, killed with our tax dollars. families ruined in other countries.

when i first heard about this initiative, i assume that some people would probably say that this is a statement about policies that they cannot control. i disagree. it makes meeting of something that dundee -- gahndi said -- whenever you do, it is most important that you believe wholeheartedly that you should do it. we need to stand up to bring our dollars and soldiers home. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you. mike and hisanne. -- my name is anne. i work in a long-term care facility. long-term care beds are disappearing rapidly as the

reimbursement rates that do not cover the costs of nursing care in nursing homes. there is no doubt that the infirm and elderly on one sector are a terribly underserved population in this country. with reference to the last speaker, it is heartbreaking to breed of 2200 homeless children trying to attend school with that staple -- without staple shelter it -- without a stable shelter and reliable food. it is shameful and wrong that our money goes to destroy the livelihood and the lives of people, leaving in their wake orphans and widowers. these survivors of the so- called civilized society, if that is the truth, our days are numbered.

and we demand the changes that will appeal, rather than harm. supervisor avalos: next speaker. >> thank you for bringing this resolution forward. my name is jonathan. i worked as a paramedic for years in the city. i wound up retiring, taking a position with my union. the hardest job i have ever had. i am here, representing 50,000 members that belong to my union. several thousand are workers here in san francisco. i just want to say that the union expects this resolution to go forward. even the supervisor in a hallway. we expected to pass the board

unanimously. with supervisors and labour working together to creatively take the next steps that we need in order to cut the military budget and bring our troops home, and our money home, spending it on the things that are more important to us. thank you. think we supervisor avalos: thank you. the supervisor avalos: -- thank you. next speaker, please. >> i was disappointed to see, when i was given the new resolution, that one of the resolutions was dropped. it had been there. it was to hold hearings in san francisco to determine the effect of the exorbitant military spending on our local needs.

a good example of why that is important is that i received notice, recently, in the neighborhood that the san francisco housing authority has applied for a permit to operate a natural gas burning coal generation unit at rosa parks apartments in my neighborhood. it will go all over the city. the reason for applying for that facility is to save money. now, it does not make any sense for the city to be asking to save money on energy generation when the effects will be negative on the health of the citizens. especially since they have health programs that they have to pay for themselves. at any rate, we would not be

pacing that, but we would have the amount that we would need if the money was not going to wars. by the way, there is a second application that has been put in for the apartments in north beach. the cumulative of fact has not been taken into account. and we need to pay attention to that. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> thank you. my name is delores pervez. i am a member of the unitarian universalist society of san francisco. thank you very much for presenting this resolution. supervisor mar, especially, as you are my supervisor.

one thing that i would like to mention that was not in the resolution, as it cannot it -- contain everything that we oppose in these terrible wars, the fact that so many american soldiers are committing suicide. there are 462 american soldiers killed in combat in the 2010. while 468 county enlisted men and women took their own life that year. that was the second consecutive year that more soldiers died by their own hands? in combat. in 2009, 389 suicides of active- duty soldiers, recorded by the military, also exceeding the number. this new data, that american soldiers are now more dangerous to themselves than the insurgents flies right in the face of any suggestion that these wars are working. it is wrong.

i mean, it is true. the other thing is that many of the soldiers, when they come home, one out of four have pst. that is going to affect an impact this community directly. we will have toa lot of abundans say they should not be considered by the board of supervisors. this is a community and local supervisor. thank you for bringing this resolution to the floor. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is will scott. i live in normal heights. they communities in this city of san francisco share of the challenge of caring for what jesus called the least of these. i want to give you a few

examples of what is happening in our community. congregation members are struggling to keep their homes. young families are leaving because they cannot afford to stay, and our neighborhood, the lines at food pantries are getting longer and longer. already lean budget of non- profit serving the vulnerable and working poor, those who are homeless and mentally ill interdicted are being cut at a time when people need these services more and more. many people with valuable skills are unemployed and underemployed in have been for many years. hopelessness has become a daily struggle. sometimes our churches able to provide alleviation to those that are feeling the deep pain of the economic crisis. we aspire to do more, but the reality is that these struggles that so many are facing the man much more than charity or inattentive pastoral care.

communities of all shapes and sizes are crying out for justice. the prophet isaiah has this incredible passage in which he talks about swords and spears into pruning hooks, a time when nation will not lift up sword against nation. the resolution before you, i think, is in that spirit and vision. on sunday mornings old-timers in new people are speaking up about the need about the report or decision of our priorities. -- we prioritization of our values. my maternal grandfather spent an entire career at the pentagon. he suffered a nervous breakdown in the vietnam war. during his long retirement his children and grandchildren did not see it defeated veteran, they saw someone passionate about the arts and education and passionate about caring for the vulnerable. thank you. >> thank you very much.

>> good morning. my name is molly tobias, and i am a program director, one of stepping stones for adult day care centers in san francisco. we endorse the resolution bring the dollars home. in discussion of the national level on how to reduce the federal deficit, there are proposals to cut essential safety net programs for the elderly and not just medicaid but social security in medicare peer did you just witnessed a california legislator and the governor this year eliminate 88 seats as an option medicare benefits and the impact locally. increasingly we will see it costs passed on to our cities. we believe better prioritization of cuts along in reducing the fat from military expenditures toward funding domestic needs.

so we can get back to a central programs for the elderly and disabled. it is time for city leaders to speak out com. thank you. the dom>> hello. and i really want to thank you for this wonderful resolution, and i hope it goes forward with the whole board. it is estimated the city will save $1.3 billion over 10-year time. this pension reform passed now. that amount pales in comparison. when the united states is

spending $9 billion per month on the war in iraq alone. what do we get for that money? what we got is equal amounts of displaced iraqis. thousands of dead u.s. troops. we should not just cut the military budget, but eliminate it. all except for police action. that means we do not kill and destroy the host country just to root out one or two supposedly bad people. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good morning, supervisors.

occupy wall street movement is an example of how local protests can have a national voice. and that is what this resolution is about. this is now being considered by city councils around the country. occupy wall street movement brought to the national attention and shifted the political debate from the deficit to unemployment incoming quality -- inequality and wealthy corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes. part of creating a healthy economy is also in shifting the spending from the military budget to living wage and jobs, universal health care, affordable housing, and quality public education. . former congressional

representative called military spending throwing money down a rathole. economists talk about the quantify the effect of money that is spent. $1 spent in health care creates $4-$5 about you in the economy. $1 spent on military spending is like burning that money. the only way we are going to create a healthier economy is by shifting money spent on military into the type of services that benefit the people. when we create a militarized economy, we transfer the wealth from the people to the small percentage that creates the

income disparity that we see. that 1% that is now the focus of the occupy wall street movement includes many of the military contractors and munitions companies that have distorted our economy and have bought the elections, bribed politicians and are anti-democratic force in this country. what you do in passing this resolution is by changing the economy and also defending democracy. thank you. >> rev. linda hope. i am a presbyterian minister. and anyone who thinks this is not a local issue, i invite them

to come and walk the streets with me and see the effects of the cutback in services for the most honorable among of -- among us have had and the increased number of people on the street. i also invite anyone who thinks this is not a local issue to come on december 21 at 5:30 in front of the big tree across the way where we will hold the 23rd interface memorial service for all of our home was dead. as a part of our ministry, we operate as a house for women. it is a place for severely- traumatized komen -- homeless women to come for a year and a half with an opportunity to good education, health care, dental care, computer skills, psychotherapy and of the things they need to transform their lives. i am sorry to tell you we already have women veterans from afghanistan coming address the

house. military veterans who are severely traumatized, drug addicted, prosecuted -- prostituted, and homeless. besides what they have experienced in the war, they have all suffered sexual assaults by other troops, or usually by their superior officers. some of our women who have done well and graduating cannot find housing. we now have one of our veterans looking as far away as vallejo. this mean she has to leave her support community. last week eyes of which are performed eight memorial services. please pass this resolution, we need to take the stand. thank you very much. >> hon. supervisors, my name is

jeff johnson from the new priorities campaign. i own a small business in san francisco, and i am empowered by the church council to speak on their behalf. and our nation, our state, and city are in an economic crisis. our public services education, health care, housing and infrastructure are suffering, and with them, the well for -- welfare of our people. as a partial remedy the u.s. government needs to and the wars and bring the troops and war expenditures home. the cost of the wars is mind boggling. president barack obama refer to a one trillion dollar pricetag for america's wars that grossly underestimates the total cost of the wars in afghanistan and pakistan. the final bill will run 3.7

trillion and could reach 4.4 trillion, according to brown university. cost of wars estimate of the total cost to the nation so far, nearly 1.3 trillion. cost of californians 139 billion. the cost to san francisco, 3.8 billion. the bottom line is that san francisco is suffering because of a huge misdirection of taxpayer funds tote -- towards war in militarize form policy. the board of supervisors has a responsibility to speak out and lobby congress on this issue. we cannot remain silent when the war for our residents is at stake. no the u.s. council of mayor's pass a resolution on june 22 calling on congress to read direct military spending, supported