>> just a few steps away from union square is a quiet corner stone of san francisco's our community to the meridian gallery has a 20-year history of supporting visual arts. experimental music concert, and also readings. >> give us this day our daily bread at least three times a day. and lead us not into temptation

to often on weekdays. [laughter] >> meridians' stands apart from the commercial galleries around union square, and it is because of their core mission, to increase social, philosophical, and spiritual change my isolated individuals and communities. >> it gives a statement, the idea that a significant art of any kind, in any discipline, creates change. >> it is philosophy that attracted david linger to mount a show at meridian. >> you want to feel like your work this summer that it can do some good. i felt like at meridian, it could do some good. we did not even talk about price until the day before the show. of course, meridian needs to support itself and support the community. but that was not the first consideration, so that made me very happy. >> his work is printed porcelain. he transfers images onto and

spoils the surface a fragile shes of clay. each one, only one-tenth of an inch thick. >> it took about two years to get it down. i would say i lose 30% of the pieces that i made. something happens to them. they cracked, the break during the process. it is very complex. they fall apart. but it is worth it to me. there are photographs i took 1 hours 99 the former soviet union. these are blown up to a gigantic images. they lose resolution. i do not mind that, because my images are about the images, but they're also about the idea, which is why there is text all over the entire surface. >> marie in moved into the mansion on powell street just five years ago. its galleries are housed in one of the very rare single family residences around union square. for the 100th anniversary of the mansion, meridian hosted a

series of special events, including a world premiere reading by lawrence ferlinghetti. >> the birth of an american corporate fascism, the next to last free states radio, the next-to-last independent newspaper raising hell, the next-to-last independent bookstore with a mind of its own, the next to last leftie looking for obama nirvana. [laughter] the first day of the wall street occupation set forth upon this continent a new revolutionary nation. [applause] >> in addition to its own programming as -- of artist talks, meridian has been a downtown host for san francisco

states well-known port trees center. recent luminaries have included david meltzer, steve dixon, and jack hirsch man. >> you can black as out of the press, blog and arrest us, tear gas, mace, and shoot us, as we know very well, you will, but this time we're not turning back. we know you are finished. desperate, near the end. hysterical in your flabbergastlyness. amen. >> after the readings, the crowd headed to a reception upstairs by wandering through the other gallery rooms in the historic home. the third floor is not usually reserved for just parties, however. it is the stage for live performances. ♪

under the guidance of musical curators, these three, meridian has maintained a strong commitment to new music, compositions that are innovative, experimental, and sometimes challenging. sound art is an artistic and event that usually receives short shrift from most galleries because san francisco is musicians have responded by showing strong support for the programming. ♪ looking into meridian's future, she says she wants to keep doing the same thing that she has been doing since 1989. to enlighten and disturbed. >> i really believe that all the arts have a serious function

and that it helps us find out who we are in a much wider sense than we were before we experienced that work of art. ♪ supervisor mar: good afternoon, everyone. this is the land use and economic -- economic committee. the meeting will come to order. it is monday, january 9, 2012. i am supervisor mar.

joining me also is supervisor wiener and supervisor cohen. clerk miller: things will appear on the agenda unless otherwise stated. supervisor mar: i would like ms. miller to please call item no. 1. clerk miller: i number one, regulating commercial dog walkers on park property. supervisor mar: the sponsor is supervisor wiener. supervisor wiener: what the committee adopted. additionally, on a proposed that the maximum number of dogs that a commercial dog walker could walk would be seven, which was a compromise between those at the

keating six and those advocating a to. the small business commission had recommended that the number be increased to eight plus the dog walkers personal blog. this committee accepted that recommendation and made a corresponding amendment at the last hearing. so today, first, just to step back once again, commercial dog walkers provide a critical service to san franciscans. approximately one-third of households and san francisco have one or more dogs. for many people, if they do not have access to commercial dog walker, it makes it impossible or next to impossible to be a good dog odor or guardian, said this is an industry that we want to succeed. we want to cultivate it. it is important to have high- quality, professional dog walking services. we also, of course, want to make

sure that we have standards around it. a significant majority of dog walkers and my experience know what they are doing and do a great job. there are some that maybe are not on the same level. this legislation, and we are not the first city to do this, i think 10 or 12 have done this, including those in the bay area, would provide standards, including training standards, permitting standards, vehicle safety standards, etc.. it would also provide an upper limit on the amount of dogs. this would provide consumer protection for those using commercial dog walking services and also allow dog walkers to have that additional legitimacy. in other words, they have a permit from the city, and it is not just a random thing that you are doing. it is a profession, as we know it is. dog walkers and dog owner

groups, the dog gord, and there was a process. there are two amendments that i distributed to my colleagues. i have some additional copies here. i am requesting the committee to make today. one is under the current version of the legislation, there are vehicle safety standards and equipment safety standards, and the current version of the legislation requires that animal care and control inspect each vehicle that each dog walker uses and inspect the safety equipment. in talking to the department, that is not a feasible requirement to require every vehicle to be inspected for the hundreds and hundreds of dog walkers we have come to require inspection of the state to

commitment, so at the request of the department, the amendment would eliminate the inspection requirements and would instead allows the department of animal control to issue what the statements -- standards are, and if there is a violation, that could be reported. the second change has to do with the threshold, the number of dogs and require a permit. i initially proposed that anyone walking four or more dogs at once would be subject to this. at the last committee hearing, we amended it down to two, because some dog walkers abdicated that was unfair, if you are walking two dogs commercially, you do not have to get a permit, but if you are walking four or five, you do. in further consultation, that i think is also not workable. there are so many non dog walkers that are walking dogs.

in terms of enforceability, if you are a part officer, and you see someone walking two dogs, you would not know if that person is a dog walker, but if it is odd or six dogs, you have a better idea. displaying this on a lanyard, we do not think it is enforceable, asking the committee to move this back to the original for those walking four or more dogs. those are what we are proposing. the maximum number, as i mentioned, was amended by the committee, 8, 9 with a personal blog. since then, i have received and a substantial amount of input from dog owners, dog walkers, and a number of my colleagues who expressed that that is too many dogs and that that is not acceptable, so i just want to put that out there that i do not see that we will have support at

the full board for eight plus 01, so when we are done here today, we can have a discussion about the appropriate number of dogs, and i do have a suggestion. i am going to suggest that we keep it at 8 instead of the nine, and i think that might be more acceptable to some folks, and then we can see what the full board does tomorrow. thank you. supervisor mar: in thank you. if there is no public comment, we will open it up. folks who would like to speak, please come forward. supervisor wiener: we do have cards, and adducing sarah ballard from recreation and park, and does anyone from any

of the department's wish to speak first? >> thank you. director at the office of small business. just to reiterate, the position they took in regards to the eight dogs and then the one additional dog, and really understanding and listening to the business, from the business perspective in terms of the economic balance, so i just want to reiterate that that was the reason for their recommendation for the eight, and understanding the importance of having a personal dog that helps keep the pack in control, so i just want to reiterate the commission's stance. i think supervisor at the last meeting, you said it this was

not doable and we have not seen improvements, this could be revisited. thank you. supervisor wiener: any other departments want to speak? animal control. >> thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. i just wanted to weigh in on the numbers. we have had a lot of discussions about this. as i mentioned at the last meeting, we had guidelines for many years that recommended six dogs as a maximum. we have a number of dog walkers who have signed up and are listed on our website as agreeing to our guidelines and find it fiscally sound for them to what that number, as well as the concerns i mentioned at the last meeting about the availability to pick up after a large number of dogs. the animal welfare is concerned

about keeping track of that many dogs in terms of them getting lost or injured, and of course the public protection concern. the larger the pact, been more likely to get what is called a pack mentality, to attack animals or perhaps people. so the numbers are a concern to us. we have always stood by net six as a maximum, as is done in many other jurisdictions throughout the country, even in the bay area. i know that is the maximum number of the east bay area, and ggnra said that would be the maximum number that they would allow. i know that has been a concern, and i know that small businesses are concerned. i know the average cost of a dog walker and doing the math, it is still feasible. we have seen that with the many, many dog walkers to sign up to be on our list and follow our guidelines, so i wanted to weigh

in on that. i have to admit that i know very little about dog behavior and training. but in terms of the influence of one dog on others, is dogs could train others, we would not need trainers, but, yes, dogs more often pick up bad habits rather than learn good habits, unfortunately, in my personal experience as well as professional experience, and i am happy to answer any questions you may have. supervisor mar: talking about the dog licenses, can you talk about the importance of registering your dogs and how this legislation might impact that? >> yes, dog licensing is something that has been on the books and very long time in california and in san francisco, pretty much nationally. dog licenses are required particularly in areas like san francisco, which is considered

to be a rabies endemic area. we initiated a major campaign about 1.5 years ago. we have received a lot of public input about the low number of dogs that are licensed. we believe it is somewhere between 12% and 15% in san francisco are licensed. a license serves many, many purposes. it can reunite a guardian with apec faster than a chip, which has to be scanned. it shows to other dog owners or guardians of that there is a responsible owner here who has the rabies vaccine. it also helps if a dog is bitten or bites and has not had its rabies vaccine. it has to be quarantined i believe for six months, which is pretty significant. also, the revenue helps us to continue to provide the critical services we provide to all

animals in san francisco, and again, it is a legal requirement. i know that there was a question raised about that it is something that the owners should do rather than the dog walkers. however, san francisco did pass a lot 10 or so years ago or veterinarians to provide rabie'' information. at the time, it was considered pretty onerous to the veterinarians. they have since come into compliance, and other jurisdictions are following suit. it is considered very important. fortunately in san francisco, registering online is pretty simple, and it is $20 for a spayed or neutered a dog. in some cases, it is less than a dog walk. as far as the dog walkers ago, i think if it is a requirement, just as i think that they would

require a that the dogs are properly vaccinated said they are not coming into contact with unvaccinated dogs. there are so many diseases we see in the city. parvo, kennel cough, which is easily spread. i think that many are requiring notice, so this would be just one more. supervisor mar: thank you. supervisor wiener: a conversation about a more robust program, and they go door-to- door, and it pays for itself because you are dramatically increasing the number of dogs that are licensed. >> thank you. supervisor wiener: any other departments? yes, ms. ballard. >> that afternoon, supervisors. sarah ballard from the recreation and parks department.

i just want to speak to this issue of the number of dogs and flag the notion that we understand that the golden gate recreation area is contemplating having regulations, as well, as was discussed by the supervisor in a previous hearing that he is working closely with them, it seems important from the department perspective to extent possible to have those run in parallel tracks, so if there is a different number, you may see dog walkers using the city property over ggnra property, particularly on park property. supervisor mar: my understanding is there a maximum number of dogs is 6? >> my understanding is that they are pursuing six, but they have not gone past their rulemaking. supervisor wiener: i have spoken with them, and they will be putting in their own dog walker

legislation. they like this legislation, but they were pretty firm that they would go no higher than seven. ok. did you want to -- ok, we will open it up for public comment. if there is anyone else who wants to fill one out, we have them. public comment will be two minutes. ok, page, robert it, sally, renée, gilbert, kathy, and the lindsay. >> hi, i am page. i run a dog walking company. i am certification. i also teach pet cpr and first aid, and i work over at the spca in the reactive dog program.

first of all, ms. katz said that they do not train dogs. that is true. but if you have ever seen cattle dogs, they really do help. they would not have such a time if they did not have an assistant job helping them. my daughter is an assistant. gracie. she helps me a lot set the tone, so i personally appreciate having her with me, and if she counted as an extra dog, that would be money that i am missing out of the money i am making. i am not getting rich, as opposed to what ms. katz may think, and i do prefer to do only six dogs. however, just this morning, i got a call from a woman who was also a dog walker, and her car got totalled, and she needed

people to take dogs on. i took two of her dogs out, and someone else took others out. with the help of other dog walkers, she was able to dent the dogs walked, with the aids, and i would not have the opportunity to do that for another dog walker if it were only 46 dogs. said thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you very much. next speaker. >> i am rob. i am a total of who let the dogs out dog walking. we employ seven individuals, and they spend their money in san francisco. i could not have given a better introduction of the stakeholders today. it is really gratified that you understand the issues. supervisor, it made me happy to hear that. just quickly, i wanted to

address the maximum number of dogs issue. you know, a discussion of how many dogs maxxam a group can have is arbitrary in certain ways because it is not really the number of dogs. it is the person who is handling the dogs, and if you have someone who is appropriately trained and experienced, they can walk eight dogs easy. it is not an issue. conversely, if you just have one or two dogs -- job -- dogs that are aggressive, one dog off leash is a problem, you know? so is not the number of dogs, it is the experience of the trainer and the regulations. i think you guys have a great way of addressing the training and experience requirements to assure that people walk dogs and san francisco appropriately. our seven walkers walk 6 to eight dogs. they are all experienced.

when they have eight dogs, those that have been together for years, they can do it safely. and if you arbitrarily set a limit at six, it is simple economics. you reduced 25% of our revenue, lower our profits, we make less, we have to charge our clients more, and that is how it is. clients spend about $20 per day for dog walking, and that is about $400 per month, and if you limit it to 6, the price will go up in excess of $400 to $500, so i appreciate your understanding of the issue, and i appreciate your consideration of the eight dogs. supervisor wiener: thank you. thank you very much. >> good morning, supervisors. thank you, supervisor en