challenges that are faced by women and african-americans. i would encourage you to confirm her. she would be a great source of resources to the small business commission and the city of san francisco. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. >> that afternoon. luke o'brien, current vice president of the small business commission. some of the points i wanted to make have already been made. supervisor campos, it is not thae first time i have heard you ask what we are doing to reach out. this isnot the -- is not the first time i've heard you made that point. i know how you feel about that. it is something that -- on the

small business commission we're having an off -- active discussion about. i think henry karnilowicz will be a great candidate. the other thing i like about henry, i have had some heated debates with henry. always civilized but a different point of view. it is quite something that he has on one or two occasions convinced me of his point of view and changed my -- believe me, that is quite a feat. henry takes a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. he is not driven by ideology of any sort or prior biases. he looks at the merits of it and does not care which side -- he

sticks with what he thinks make sense. it would be a fantastic edition. especially to see him appointed by the board of supervisors. i would love to see him on there. >> i have known henry for over 20 years. many of you do not know, he cycled around the coast in australia. when he was finished he decided

to do the same thing in india. and did tell the tale. -- lived to tell the tale. i just completed six years on the bic, and i served on the litigation committee, and henry is always there. he is always there, usually representing somebody over health issues, small-business people, and i think he would be a great small business -- he is a very passionate man -- compassionate man. been a personal friend for 25 years. that is it. thank you very much. supervisor kim: commissioner,

thank you for being here. just for the members in the overflow chamber, if there are still members, we do have seats in this room now. >> hello, supervisors. i am a partner and owner of a sports business, here to speak on behalf of mr. mulvihill. if you have not looked at their website or had an opportunity to be familiar with the organization, if you go to their meetings, you will find a geographic disparity throughout the city, a demographic disparity of all the small businesses in our city, and you see an organization that is trying to provide tools and a resourced in small businesses so that they can compete and thrive in our city.

just in our most recent meeting, there was discussion about social media where a small business minor had the opportunity have a socialist -- small media specialist. the canada the to try to find a network of all small businesses could work together. i think this is a testimony to her ability to reach out to different companies, small businesses in san for cisco, bring them together and identify ways that everyone can thrive. then, i think that the conversation and his leadership in terms of recognizing the economic impact that small business can have on san francisco is one to consider strongly and that that is part of that leadership and recognizing not only will our community pride at large, but economically, we will be providing jobs for everybody who lives here. supervisor kim: thank you. >> madam chair, members of the

committee, and thomas reynolds, president of the fillmore merchants association, and i'm here today as living, breathing evidence of monetta white's contribution to the community. when i heard she was applying, i said that i would write an e- mail, and she said that would be nice, but it would be better if i showed up. i'm your personally did say that i think she would be great for the small commission. it is impossible to overstate the influence she has had. she has proven again and again that she has the ability to include people and to be sure that they feel hurt and then to make something happen. she is that rare combination of patients and toughness that makes things happen. she has been a good influence not merely with in the billboard jazz district but within the greater filmore neighborhood, and you could not do better than to add her to the commission. i want to say that i'm glad to

your comments today that recognize that there is a disconnect between the small business commission and its mission. i do not think there is any doubt that in many ways we do not be the small business commission to do things for small businesses. we need the commission to help the city realize that it needs to stop doing more things to small businesses in this city and particularly to get back to basics and take care and cleaning the streets and and being garbage cans and removing street chief and clearing the path for local associations to be in power to make something happen. one other thing i want to say, and the only reservation i have is that we will lose her sole focus on the fillmore. we will share her with you, share her with the greater city, but i ask you to keep your eye on the ball but she has been so effective at focusing on. let's not lose the progress we have made so far. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you, mr.

reynolds. >> supervisors, and a structural engineer [inaudible] a lot of people have spoken about the passion and commitment of henry karnilowicz. i cannot think of anyone more qualified to assist small business engineers, architects, project sponsors navigate through the extremely accomplished process. he is someone can deal with issues such as ada compliance, seismic upgrades, to more complex issues such as variants and historical preservation, which, as you all know, has a life of its own. san francisco is an extremely

difficult place to do business, a difficult place to build. we need experts like henry. consultants like us need experts to be able to navigate through that process. i cannot think of someone more qualified. now, i find out that there's a tremendous number of people that find him to be extremely passionate about his work. what better than someone who is extremely qualified and at the same time extremely passionate about it? henry is precisely what the small business commission needs. supervisor kim: thank you. >> i'm chairman of the san francisco coalition for responsible growth. supervisors, it is a wonderful,

exciting candidate that you have been hearing about today, and the selection process is going to be very tough for you, and i do not envy you. i spent a good part of my life there, and i tried to bring a simple formula of can do, will do. henry, who i'm supporting here today, is demonstrating strongly the skills that makes them suitable for the small business commission. on the will do side, when i first met henry and heard about his life and where he came from, and i learned that is early and formative years, those first five to seven years of life, were spent in a refugee camp in germany, i thought what a

wonderful example he is for us humans to have come out of that and be what he is today, being able to do so much of the out reach the supervisor kim talked so elegantly about to all of the candidates. on the help that side, there's no question that may be very good at this because he has demonstrated it in all the things he has done, and right now is an exciting time for you, supervisors of the mayor that is willing to work hard to bring jobs and get the economy driving in the city, that we do need a very substantial and motivated small business commission, and i'm certain that henrik would be a great asset to that. thank you. -- i'm certain that henry would be a great asset to that. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is reuben hechanova, and

i'm here in support of the nomination for thekarnilowicz. -- henry karnilowicz. and it is begun his knowledge of the permitting process that helps small businesses grow and continue to become successful. he has helped create businesses that have created the success and succession as the embodiment of examples to other businesses. the category by which he also has the ethics and integrity that goes along with being a small business commissioner -- i speak also having served on the building commission for the last four years, and have been the president. along with that, i know what the timing commitment implies. along with that, the energy by which henry serves as not only for his business, but could

also serve the commission is something that speaks more than just he is all over the place, but his integrity is intact. the category also that comes into play is that his ability to bring about the knowledge of building permits along with the category by which small businesses operate is integral to the success and benefit by which he brings to the small business commission. i strongly support his nomination, and i do sincerely thank you were the opportunity to speak for henry. thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am the executive director of small property owners of san francisco. we have had -- we have benefited from the experience of henry

karnilowicz in helping our rivers convert some of their illegal units to legal units. he helps them with the legal code and how to navigate through the myriad of requirements that this city has if you try to get something done. i have spent a good many years in two other continents developing small business, and i have some knowledge of the kind of procedure that you go through in order to develop a new business, and i would say that most of it is just plain common sense enthusiasm for helping people, and i do not know what else i really didn't add accept that -- except that henry karnilowicz is everywhere. he likes people and likes working with people. i hope you will support his

nomination. thank you. >> i'm a small business owner in san francisco. i wish to support mr. henry karnilowicz as well. i cannot add much to what was said so far. i can only emphasize that his expertise will will help small business, and he will be an addition. his openness is very marked. thank you very much. supervisor kim: thank you. if there are members in the overflow chamber that would like to speak in public comment on this item, please come in. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i'm an attorney, small local business owners in south of market. director with asian american contractors association. the group i'm here on behalf of, a director with the south of market business association, of which henry karnilowicz is our current president, and he has been serving as president for the last several years. we are and local merchants group

in district 6 in south of market of about 60 to 80 members, all of which are local businesses. mou organized multiple mixers and community outreach events, especially in the last year, to connect the local businesses. the question that came up earlier on how the small business commission can help reach to local businesses -- i think henry does that, has been doing that for many years in south of market and wit and the -- would end up doing that throughout the city where he to be nominated to the small business commission. i wanted to voice our full support for henry to this appointment. thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am the new president of the latin business network in said it cisco, and i wish to support

mario west, a wonderful very responsible person who is also a great father. he served in the air force in the past, and now, he is here trying to serve the community and help the community in terms of business owners and youth. i know that mario west has great goals and ambitions for the community to support the business owners and bring more business to the communities. i believe he would be a good candidate to be a commissioner supervisor. again, he has great plans for the communities. anyway, thank you for your time. appreciate it. supervisor kim: thank you for

being here. >> hello, how are you? and very happy to be here. first of all, i want to say that i'm here today to support mario west, one of the applicants. thank god you have two seats because it is going to be very hard to pick. they all have good qualifications, and it will be on you to decide who are the people that eat thick. i personally know mario west for over 10 years. our daughters went to the same school. i know how dedicated mario is to his daughters, and i have seen the same dedication that he has shown to the latino community, the latino businesses in the district. mario has the ability to connect. he has that kind of personality,

soft, knowledgeable, and he has the ability to connect the community. and he has been the president of the latino business network. those people are transforming the business in the mission. they have educated -- i have attended some of the training, and they have educated the community, the business owners have to open a business, how to get a permit, all it takes to be successful in small business. what i love about that -- he has worked so hard to get jobs for communities of color. this transgendered community, also kids released from jail. if they get educated, hopefully they do not have to go back. mario has done a lot of work with the merchants association. they are working together to restore the community in the mission, and i think it is

important to have that representation. please consider mario and the other latinos and all the people who are running, too. supervisor kim: thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. in an operating manager for sf parking. in that william ortiz -- in that william ortiz -- by next -- i met william ortiz. when i was in college. he is and then it gets results. consider him very much for this position. supervisor kim: that you. >> good afternoon. i'm with the northern california independent booksellers association, and i'm

here to speak for pete mulvihill. he is one of the owners of green apple books, which is a nationally respected, profitable independent bookstore. i know saying profitable and bookstore in the same sentence is an oxymoron in some instances, but what is important, i think, for the commission to be thinking about is the advantage of having a strong retail -- not only a retail advocate, a retail merchant who has been successful, and green apple is known for thinking outside the box, for financial acumen, for marketing savvy, and i think

that he brings a perspective that is important. i know that a supervisor campos -- that supervisor campos asked about underserved areas with the small business commission. one of the issues with that is a lot of those people are retailers and are in their stores running their businesses and do not have time to come to meetings like this. pete understands that. retailers understand that. in terms of reaching out to those people, he brings a perspective that will be important because he does it himself. he understands that, and i believe that with all the magnificent candidates that you have that having someone who is on the retail side -- remember that small independent retailers are job creators in the city -- would be very helpful and important on this

commission. thank you very much. >> good afternoon. my name is patricia rodriguez. i am year to support william ortiz. i've known william for a long time and i know of his past, coming from the mission, what he has been through. i believe that he would be a good candidate for the commission. he would be a good example to the latino community as to how far you can come through in the city, through the -- sorry, i'm not a good speaker, but through all of the opportunities that the city has to give and gives us as a latino community a chance to stride in the city, and through its guidance and example, he has been powered me to become a business owner myself.

i would never in my life think that i would be capable of doing that. thank you. >> good day, supervisors. i am and member of the whole district -- polk district merchants association. we applaud approximately 35 employees in san but cisco. i never was in front of this commission, and the reason i'm here is to support mario west. i have known him for many years,

and from a business perspective, i know that he is a very knowledgeable person. san francisco small business is a complex matter. to do business in san francisco, a person should know legal and taxation peril aspects and operational aspects, and i want to assure that mario is the one who knows the business in san francisco better than anybody else. i mastered in business administration. i met mario, and he explained to me many things. before this, we were talking about pro bono, the lawyers should spend time. mario has done hundreds of hours doing pro bono work. i would say that tomorrow would be a member, this would be the

right choice, and we are all lucky that he would decide to spend his time choosing this commission. supervisor kim: i just wanted to recognize the supervisor christina olague has joined us. >> good afternoon, supervisors. good afternoon, christina. long time no see from the planning commission. [laughter] from here on behalf of william cartagena. william is an example. he could not find a job. he creates jobs for other people. he is making the connections. he belongs to differ merchants associations. one is the marina. i did not know before, but a person that can be in different places running the business of around the city, living in one of the most low-income community neighborhoods like district 10

and giving the example for the minority district and creating jobs and making the connection -- this is the person who should be considered. we have a good candidate with a good connection in the business center. they are already doing something with the business, giving an opportunity for developers to our communities is unimportant -- is important. it is important when someone i do not know anything about -- just listen to the perspective of somebody who wants to consider the low-income communities. it is important. >> good afternoon. i'm just a worker. i've met william probably like maybe 15 months ago after a long

incarceration of 10 years that i've done. i never had a job before, and he gave me an opportunity to work. i have been working for him for i guess 15 months straight now. i did not know nothing about working or anything, so he has taught me -- like, now, i supervised four restaurants we have in north beach. i know he does a lot for the community and stuff like that. that is what i tried to do, too, you know? thank you. supervisor kim: thank you. >> hello, supervisors. i brought this magazine. we made it in the area. i'm from peer group. i came 14 years ago to san

francisco. -- i'm from peru. i came 14 years ago to san francisco. i built my own business. i got successful. i made in two years my first million dollars. but i lost half or more than th -- back -- half or more than that. i did not know enough about the rules. and found someone else, mario west. educated to me and said, "go to school. learn about english." my english is no good, but i still study. it is so hard.