from -- who have shopping carts from going through the plaza. it prevents people who want to sit down and taken out or sleep in the plaza. prevents basically homeless people from having full use of the plaza. i respectfully ask that the ordinance be rewritten, perhaps to be an anti-smoking ban of that is necessary and other provisions be dropped pizzas -- because they are discriminatory and mean-spirited toward homeless people and others. supervisor wiener: thank you. next speaker. >> i am pete herrmann and i am a frequent visitor to harvey milk plaza. i want to say a couple of things. big tobacco claims to be our communities best friend. they are one of the top donors to the republican party. john boehner was caught on the floor of the house passing out

checks from tobacco companies a few years back. how can they see as one cigarette ad in a program and an lgbt organizations fundraiser once did, whenever someone yells, that is so gay, we will be there. altria was the fourth largest corporate donor to republicans and r.j. reynolds and swisher international give significant amounts. these folks are not our friends. let's stop giving them our money. i want to say my mother died of lung cancer after years of the addictive smoking that she tried gallantly many times to quit. it is all long and painful death and anything we can do support -- to support folks who are avoiding these impacts is something to be considered. thank you.

next speaker. >> good afternoon. i am president of the castro upper market community benefits district. i have lived in the castro for 34 years. thank you for allowing me to speak in support of this legislation. the proposed rules are consistent with those already in existence for other public spaces in san francisco. they have widespread support among residents and merchants in the castro. the legislation applies to behavior. it does not target any such economic group. no one will be required to present a financial statement showing his or her net worth to enjoy the plazas. everyone will be expected to use these public spaces in at program manar. shelle after its formation, the commission urged steady -- a

study. more public spaces topped the list especially for seniors and families with children who wanted a comfortable, welcoming place to sit. these plaza's meet that need. decastro -- sometimes we encounter individuals who do not respect public property who do not behave in a civil manner and his behavior inhibits use by local residents and visitors. passage of this legislation will not end all the problems affecting the plaza's but it will provide another tool to use in our reasonable desire to make them welcoming and safe for all who are respectful of the rights of others. please vote in support of this much needed legislation. thank you. >> good afternoon. i live, work, and volunteer in the castro. i am a board member of the eureka valley neighborhood

association. we have met and spoke about these relationships and we are in favor of these regulations. i also want to say i am a volunteer city guide and give toward the castro along with the other tour guides. i want to support what she said where we meet underneath the flag -- the flag pole and i have seen the many issues she havhave spoken about. thank you. >> i am a researcher at ucsf studying tobacco industry bad behavior. i am also the current president of the coalition of lavender americans on smoking and health which was the first organization anywhere to address the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke to gay people. it is critical to clarify that

no smoking in the plaza is not mean what hangout or pershing or leaving the harvey milk plaza but it means people passing through as well. the air resources board's and the surgeon general have said there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. no one should be forced to breathe smoke while relaxing at these plazas. or passing through. this is not about the nanny state. it is a health and safety issue but it is an issue of fairness. smoker should only smoke where it is not harming others. no one has to breathe it. that is what has been said 70% of smoking -- smokers wish they did not smoke which explains why more than 50% of sluggers support measures that encourage them to quit.

every measure like this for their the normalizes smoking which makes it easier to quit and there it -- to quit. it is important to have sighted and the campaigns of people know about this. i have been disappointed about the parks ordinance and bus stops and the atm's where most people do not know that we have the law. the final thing. if this should not pass, please do a separate standalone piece of legislation on this including other plazas. >> could you address the medical cannabis issue? none of the tobacco activists have talked about that. i am curious to know your perspective. >> personally i would support an exemption.

it did say that smoking cannabis and does not have the detrimental effects to back it does. supervisor mar: could ask you about vaporizers, the heated up to a level that it vaporizes. >> are you talking about marijuana or tobacco? >> ramallah. >> the e-cigarettes that have a similar bid pricing formula to get the nicotine, there is not enough known about them. they violate denormalizing smoking. supervisor wiener: i will call some more names. brian campbell, ron merritt, kenneth dotson, harry bro, paul

smith, gabriel holldand, -- and jodi schwartz, gene kronan . >> i am bruce smith and i live on the street and adjacent and my girlfriend goes to work at 5:00 a.m. and the plaza is often littered and a complete disaster area. i do not know of these rules go far enough for some things like cleanliness or this -- the stuff that is left in the plaza. i am a supporter of the plaza and we should all have the ability to go there and sit.

i have volunteered for several seniors who have a hard time going there who feel is overcome with bad alamance and food and massi dog waste scattered all the time constantly. i wish the people that did not use the plaza awould clean up after themselves and i do not know if we would be having this issue. i cannot believe how badly they treat the area. it is a beautiful area, made for us as citizens to sit back and it is often over run with a total mess and dog feces and urination. it is deplorable. i walk through there several times a day so i am supportive of this. supervisor wiener: a thank you. sister barbie mitzvah has

requested someone read a statement. he said i am unable to appear and am grateful for the opportunity to express my viewpoint through written message. i am speaking to you as someone who has been an activist and fund-raiser since 1995. i am a sister of perpetual indulgence and organizing major events. i understand working with residents and officials to find fair and objective solutions for everyone. i'm not representing any views on behalf of the sisters and this, and is coming in as my secular name. i support this legislation and urge you to vote yes. the key reasons are it allows only permanent vendors to sell one wares in the plaza.

it prohibits slipping and camping. i do not see this as being discriminatory to the homeless. this is needed for public safety. my worries are that someone could be hit by the f train at night. i worry that should the plaza's become camping areas, torres may stop coming. i rely on donations to support my charity causes and i worry this would affect their businesses and affect my fund- raising. if we allow camping, it is as if we are treating the symptom but we're not treating the disease. allowing camping is not the solution. programs to get people off the street are. i believe that this cdd has taken care of the plot -- plaza. we are requesting the city implement its end of the agreement. using tools to manage public

spaces. continue commitment to public spaces for all that -- all those who live and shop in the castro. we urge you to support this legislation. thank you. supervisor wiener: next speaker. >> good afternoon. my mother passed away of secondary smoke. i have a campus car but i do not think it is right that people should sit in harvey milk and jane warner plaza and smoke medical marijuana. they should get a $1,000 fine and one year in jail because -- another thing. all these people with the shopping carts, these people do not -- they're not even from san francisco. i am a native san franciscan and they come from other states and they hover around jane warner and harvey milk plaza. they sleep there and urinate there and leave trash and leave

garbage there. to the police department that is acceptable. they let that go and turn their head and look the other way. they're not doing their job. i see this every day. when i wake up i observe what is going on in the city. my mother told me you have to stand for justice and that is what it is. i believe that if you have a medical marijuana card, i do not have a [unintelligible] harvey milk plaza. i believe it should be illegal. 30 years ago or 40 years ago it would be illegal to possess medical marijuana. any kind of medical -- marijuana. my primary care physicians said it is for hangnails and hemorrhoids.

it should be legal, yes. if you're in your own home. that is it. thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you. next speaker. >> that is my castro whistle. and trinity united against violence. i think this is a city-wide event. we have people arriving. castro is a safe place for people to go and be themselves. i have met everyone in the caster but it is still place where harvey milk gave them hope. we need to learn how to make that work for the people who are coming here. we can never turn our backs on the people. castro started at the navy pier. it was a neighborhood and it got [unintelligible] you cannot turn your back on the

people. they come there as a beacon of light. when you do not feel safe, you come up there and you can see the rainbow or you can see someone who would not be like other people in different parts of the city. this is a time when you need to come. i am a drum major and a patriot as you can see for equality. what this says saying -- this is saying is we need to be able to work. all the shelters once were bath clubs. now all the shelters are -- we have to learn to balance the history. we know president barack obama said -- medical marijuana has helped so many deal with some disorders and this is a time to

come together. it is a great place. i come here on the first fridays as a magnet and it is nice. no one is there on the first friday. thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you. next speaker. >> i have lived in san francisco for 62 years and i was born here. i have two children. there were small in the 1970's and they could play in the streets and ride their bikes and take muni by themselves. by the mid-1980's, there was an explosion of homeless people overnight. i do not think any of you were here then. trust me, we went from people who had sro's rooms, the fillmore was devastated, now we have 25% less children in san

francisco because we do not have a middle class anymore. i am here to say that if you could legislate grade, we will get somewhere. thank you. >> i am a resident of the castro since 1987. i never knew harvey milk. he inspired me to run for supervisor in 2000. i did no john warner. i am a person with aids. i have lost under -- over 500 people. i have a picture of jane warner. she was a good friend and a great officer. she died of cancer. the plaza is named in her honor. she did not need any laws to make peace or build consensus. i feel like the people who would be impacted by this legislation cannot be here. my car is getting a ticket

because this has taken so long. i worked -- our neighborhood keeps shrinking. there is no -- there is a community park that is locked. there are lots benches, darrius 24 error -- hours a day with no problem. bagdad cafe closed. their furniture stayed on the sidewalk. these problems people are talking about like urination, make the restroom free on the corner. if you do not like taking the furniture in and out every night, put permanent furniture on that park and the spaces are primarily thoroughfares. it is primarily transit. you are opening a hole of having to legislate every part that is

created. this is part of their restaurant. not a public park. this lockean everything is say that it is public space or open space. you're using this semantics in your reader each way. just leave it open. it has been that way for harvey milk to have his platform. i have raised tens of thousands of dollars. jane warner would not stand for that and neither would harvey milk. [applause] >> i am in the castro ambassadors. i think some regulation is needed of the spaces there. i particularly think that having sat here and listen to people quote what they think harvey would feel. harvey would probably since he is the person who said pick up your crap when your dog doesn't,

he would be in favor of cleaning up this area and making it something the castro could be proud of to visitors that i see as an ambassador that comes through and want to enjoy the space. as far as the most -- the smoking, there could be smoking areas and there could be some restrictions. people should be allowed to smoke when they want to and they should not affect other people with it. as far as the cleanliness, i think having would be in favor of that and keeping the castro a clean place for people to meet all types. thank you. >> an afternoon. i am a volunteer with the coalition on homelessness. i am here in opposition to this ordinance.

the point i could go over is they have been covered. unlike this legislation that will not be redundant and cover them again. there are so many reasons not to pass this. we live in a wonderful mother brent, divorce, tolerant city. over the last couple of years i have seen that diminished credit now wants to see a diminished any more. this legislation is quite obviously targeted at one group of people. i would encourage you to remember this is san francisco. remember the legacy of harvey milk. he fought for the rights of individuals, not just for one community but for all. when you attack and the mean the civil-rights of one group of people, you're listening the civil rights of our entire city.

that is the reason we live here and not in fresno. thank you. >> hello. my name is paul smith. i live a few blocks down. i am also a volunteer. i've volunteered to keep up one of the planters there are in the plaza. i am in favor of the legislation. i see all sorts of drug paraphernalia, broken bottles, the noise that is happening between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. in the morning. i think this could help. thank you. >> hello, silver risers.

i am the executive director of lyric. airbase in the cashier and have been around for two years and where are one and a half blocks from harvey milk plaza. it is important for there to be open space. that is oriented to the adult community. there is one of the few spaces for young people the problems is to have. does the longer functioning as a space. the open space -- is important to keep them open for all. staff and use the use the walkway from harvey milk as a safety, we ought -- walkup collingwood. many people find it unsafe to walk through the decastro community because of the number of bars.

our issue is we are opposed to this orientation. we're continued brought the over-regulation of public space and bothered by the continued privatization of the open space. it is stating that those with money set the rules. we have offer this to groups in the past. not regulation, criminalization. i am looking forward to this legislation. not moving forward and opening up for community partners that will create the space. supervisor mar: what i spoke with you, you mentioned you had offered to convene a meeting of stakeholder groups and i think you mentioned the cdd and others

were not open to that. could you elaborate? i support the committee process where all stakeholders are involved. could you talk about that? >> several of us had a meeting at lyric with the executive director who spoke earlier and she was in favor, was positive and said she would bring it to the community benefit district. after we had that meeting, from the conversation we had, we saw there would be a working group formed. we were told over e-mail that the committee as part of the carriers seek investors that oversees the public expresses in the castro was not interested in creating a working group. my belief was that they did not feel that was their responsibility.

we did a number of things. we did go and testify at a benefit district because it was awful -- also our understanding the board was not aware we have brought that request to the kennedy benefit district. hens soleil at that time, we were standing up against expenditure of money for patrol in that area. >> i am against this legislation. i wanted to highlight that the boogeyman that some of the other residents of the castro have been speaking about the day encounter in these classes are for the most part aquarius to have gathered in the castro does

i do in other gatherings across the country. those were people come to the saban -- these neighborhoods and what brings tourists. attending to address legislation -- i walked through the plaza very frequently. sometimes there is people i do not like, sometimes they're people like. that their version -- this is part of the beauty of living in the neighborhood. including the smoking issue in this legislation -- this seems almost duplicitous. you have an anti-free speech legislation and on the other hand -- and hand you have anti-

smoking but the station and you're putting them together. i think that it's disingenuous. a number of people have highlighted experience of there being a lot of noise and violence and i'm not sure how many people are in the area. all that comes from the bars. there are not real people in the plan is being wyland. people are filling up from the bottom. thank you. supervisor wiener: let me call some more names before get to the next speaker. favre's diane, michael -- [read ing names] ellen collins, rev. glenda hope.

nan, susan englander, dylan cook, bill wilson. if you wish to speak and your name has not been called, please fill out a yellow card. next speaker. >> i have a question. if this legislation passes, and i go up to the park and i fall asleep and taken out, am i going to get a ticket? that is my question. supervisor mar: thank you for your testimony. i think we will hear testimony and we will have comments from the supervisors and perhaps