reason than political gang. thank you. -- gain. thank you. [applause] supervisor wiener: let me call additional names. [reading names] next speaker. >> my name is bruce allison, i'm opposed to this measure. i agree with what jenny said. this would -- and $1,000 tax

burden would be applied to 100 abandoned the and that's a better $1,000 a month tax for each abandoned units. and the money be put into a housing fund. >> ♪ won't you regulate it right at jane and harvey plaza as this item goes you know it has it won't you give up item fight and say goodnight ♪ ♪ when the item comes to this town it's bye-bye-baby ♪ > supervisor wiener:supervisor , mr. paulson.

>> i don't have a song prepared for you, but perhaps i can do a dance. i have a letter that i like to submit to the supervisors. they are supportive of the proposed regulations for the plazas. as one of the neighborhoods closest, we are aware of the problems that exist because of the lack of rules that result from these plaza's not falling under the control of any city agency. it is signed by dennis richards, thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you very much. >> i am the chair of the castro community on patrol, a volunteer

organization to improve the safety and security of the castro. i have ideas that can be forwarded to the other commissioners. the thing i want to point out is that these plazas are both adjacent to residential areas. in the case of jane warner plaza, there are 12 apartments above the sidewalk. in the case of harvey milk, there is a condominium group that has their entrance on the sidewalk of the plaza. what we find is that without any consideration of the folks that live there, common sense and decency are being able to have a time of day where people can have peace and quiet in their own homes as part of the consideration.

also, from this month and the policethe statistics are lookint the statistics within a certain radius. more than half of the reported incidents are happening after 9:00 p.m. and the noise complaints with the exception of one complained have been taking place between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to align in consideration for the residents of that area, some basic common sense and rules and policies seem to make sense. thank you. >> good afternoon. i am a resident. the woman who spoke about living on harvey milk plaza, i am the next closest person. i live on the exit.

i have a bird's eye view all the time and i walk through six or eight times a day. i am familiar with what goes on. former speakers have been very eloquent. i would like to commend the tour guide who spoke about the safety issues that are there. they are real and they need to be addressed. in my opinion, as a resident of i'm not looking for quiet, peaceful place to live. i moved to the castro because of its vibrancy and diversity and is accepting and tolerant neighborhood. we need to address some safety concerns that are there. there does need to be some basic guidance. the ordinance is logical and i would support it wholeheartedly. i help you endorse them and support supervisor wiener in his efforts to bring some common sense legislation among -- in these public spaces that are our

friend yards. when a c>> ifor eight or nine years i was the president of the triangle association. i walk through daily or multiple times. the legislation is common sense rules let me to applies to these areas. we cannot have such heavily used areas as free-for-alls were all activity is permitted. i have seen many of the same abuses that have been described previously. i personally find it difficult to use the jane warner plaza because there are people smoking there and i have difficulty with the cigarette and other smoke. the board over -- voted to

support this legislation. i asked you support your colleagues and of this legislation forward. thank you. -- remove this legislation forward. >> i have owned a home overlooking harvey milk plaza for 27 years. my bedroom looks out onto the plaza. i have seen all sorts of activity over the years. the nighttime noise problem is an issue. drunken fights, broken bottles, there is a public health issue in the constant stream of urine that flows down the sidewalk. feces and, at which people from my building, in the condo which has been spoken about have to clean up every morning. there are mounds of trash left

overnight that people from the committee district board have to back up and carted away. it is a nuisance. public health issue. i wholeheartedly support any legislation, any regulation is better than the current situation there. thank you. supervisor wiener: thank you. next speaker. >> i am on the board of castro community on patrol. i am resident of the castro 12 years and have been a resident of san francisco. some of the people -- i am. ver of the legislation. i want to point out as one gentleman mentioned earlier, there is something to the effect of johnny-come-latelies who are coming -- pushing these ideas.

i want to reiterate the comments my colleague made about the number of instances that have occurred in such a short time within 500 feet of the plaza. and all between -- in late night hours were people would expect a certain level of peace. also have to comment i take that corridor between diamond street and market and the muni stationed at least daily. it is interesting. not only do the two clauses accumulate trash a special midnight, that spread tends to go up the street on market between collingwood and diamond. that area does not seem to get as much attention from dpw. it literally looks like a landfill. it is important to remember that a sense of order and principles of community apply to

everyone. there remedies to address -- there are remedies to address every situation. i do not think there is anything about this legislation that is targeting anyone. supervisor wiener: thank you. in terms of the area of market between collingwood and diamond because of some of the camping there, there was a trash problem and mta is focused on that in terms of starting to clean up the garbage. i have seen some improvement there. next speaker. >> could afternoon, said risers. i'm a 25-year resident of the castro and also homeowner in the castro. i am also court -- a member of americans for safe access. the nation's oldest and largest medical cannabis advocacy organization. as a qualification of medical

panic -- cannabis who suffers from migraines and a teddy, i am asking you to amend section 7 to allow medical campus patients -- cannabis patients to smoke and a prize in the plaza. my migraines come on quickly and my doctor has recommended i use it. eating medicated foods takes too long. whereas medicating by smoking or by vaporizing, it gives me great relief. if smoking cannabis, if you are going to smoke -- prince looking cannabis, i ask that people be allowed to vaporize. a portable vaporizing in it. i've always been respectful of other people when i have medicated in the plaza. never have i had one complaint from somebody around me when i

am medicating and have not had any problems with any of the other people. please create an exemption for qualified medical cannabis patients as myself. i am asking you to allow safe access to qualified medical cannabis patients in the plaza. thank you. supervisor wiener: and link the language is specific to smoking if i am not mistaken. i want to get your take on that. >> vaporizing is a different method than smoking. it is not the same thing. supervisor wiener: thank you. before we get to the next speakers some more names to line up. alex walter, will dougherty, pete herman, and david h., dan

jones, bruce smith, and [unintelligible] >> i turned one in. >> please do not speak out from the audience. >> please stop speaking directly to supervisor wiener. next speaker, please. >> i am a working class queer, i live month to month and paychecks. i do not need to be further criminalize.

i organize and work with tenants and bookstore cycling in and out of homelessness. this is a quality of life ordinance being for the 1% of the gay community at the expense of everyone else, mostly people of color and transgendered. everybody should not be the code word for rich people. if you need to sleep in the park, in need to sleep in the park. thank you. >> i am anna conda and iwe disagree with this legislation. on the basis that it does not take into account the work that harvey milk put forward before creating a better city for all

communities especially bc & g which margamarginalized communities and takes them out of the public sphere and a lager and kyrgyz them to be part of public discussion. these need to be looked at and maybe there should be continued while you find better ways to work on these issues. as far as drugs and drug issues, the castro would be a great place for the assumes -- safe use site. also, sweeping, as -- sleeping is not a loud activity. as far as noise i do not see how keeping homeless people from sleeping there will help that. supervisor wiener:

congratulations. i did not know if you were here at the beginning when i noted that we have received a letter from the harvey milk club that it contained an accuracy. there is no prohibition on setting on those benches or the ground. people can have whenever you with a what but i want to make sure that we're clear about what it does and does not do. >> it was because of that discrepancy i did not read the letter verbatim. supervisor wiener: i appreciate that. next speaker. >> i work with the coalition on homelessness and i do not want to pretend we're having a reasoned debate. this is for the benefit of people in the audience who may be misinformed. you have been fed misinformation. nearly all the regulations in this law are covered by existing law. either state or local. this is not about love.

it is not about lord -- order. it is an emotional response, and a motion the -- the motion of hatred. who lodges in any public or private places guilty of a misdemeanor. that is used against homeless people in plazas and sidewalks. that applies here as any other public space. it is a crime to [unintelligible] without obtaining a permit from the chief of police. well we call it a pavement and park plaza, it is still legally still street. for the folks who are smoking, if i knew this was about a smoking ban would not have organized against this. your welcome to have a smoking

law and you do. smoking is prohibited on any area of open to the public and under any jurisdiction of the department. under the general plan, even the applauses are recognizing these are open spaces. the requirements around shopping carts, it is regulated by the state and against a lot to have a selling shopping cart whether you know it is stolen are not. the only change in the faa's regulations are they can apply to legally on shopping carts of which there are several hundred in san francisco. >> good afternoon. i am a young and low-income member of the committee who

wishes i can live in the castro. i think that it has admirable goals and i wish it had access to six basis for everyone. achai did not realize how it cod be used in a certain way. i want to speak to some things that we can all agree on which is banning smoking. i was surprised to learn there are signs there that there is no enforceable anti-smoking law. as a young career person, there are many friends who smoke who think it is cool and do not think it is kind of catch up with them. my father passed away last year from lung cancer. he smoked his entire adult life and fought long cancer for two years. it was not a quick or easy or painless death. having the non-smoking in areas that are frequented by clear people i think is a step in the

right direction. as a person who is affected by secondhand smoke, it is important because i learned something recently about a different kind of second-hand smoke. one is mainstream which is exhaled after the smoker exhales and the other is sidestream. the redirect out of the thing you are smoking out of. that smaller particles and higher concentration of the carcinogens that can get into your lungs and affects your heart and blood vessels. it can lead to stroke and heart attack. whatever source of the smoke, it is a real danger. i want to make sure there is an enforceable way of making -- limiting smoking in queer spaces. supervisor wiener: what think you and i am sorry to hear about your father.

>> i am stardust. with all respect to the city attorney i cannot understand how it says smoking is prohibited including parks, scores, plaza or other areas and that would not already be covered under the municipal code. i think having a ban on smoking is one thing. this is not simply a ban on smoking. i have listened carefully to everyone who came up here and spoke about why they want this and what i hear is people are frustrated with what is happening. is noisy and there are people that maybe they do not like to have their and so on. this ordinance does not do anything to solve the problems those people are bring up xm for smoking. if the code does not already covered that. and it does do is prevent people 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,