security. one issue we have come across our the graft bars. there are very essential for the seniors. they are crucial to the daily living. if they break their backs -- it is important to have this instituted because prevention is really the key here. safety has been something very consistent and i am concerned that they have brought this up with their fear of being harassed in the building. we have the recommendations that have been brought forth, and adults with disabilities live in safe and healthy places. thank you very much. >> the next speaker? >> i am ellen helms.

i came to work on a couple of things. among them is out to get money together, and maybe you will listen to this. this is not trained properly. they will cheat the tenants, with children who are worse than that. this is very unsophisticated, and they have seen the managers, and just because they speak a different language does not mean -- does not mean they cannot comprehend what you are saying. this does not give you the right

to yell at them. i happen to speak five languages. for me to be there -- hearing the manager yelled, this is one issue i would like to have mended. they should have this would have to deal with elders -- the next speaker? >> i can just hold this town? >> the second microphone to your left is the easier one to use. >> this is just my karma, and my

incredible circumstances. there is a meeting going on. i was trying to meet with the supervisor, and actually, is one of the supervisors on the board also named lee? this is just to address the body that is here. >> i am disabled and since the year 2000, there has been a succession of events where i was framed by individual in los angeles who was prosecuted by the state of california for running one of his businesses illegally. right now -- >> we are talking about single room occupancy. >> they are attempting to place

me up because i was framed over the weekend, and not shown any documents, i am staying at a center run by the county. they want to temporarily placed me in another facility until i get this housing. on the subject of my own personal problem -- on this subject, i understand that -- how and why these buildings were billed and after the earthquake, i understand, buildings there are, i believe that there should be a program of just general improvement, with more training, and more

people talked about the training of the people who run this type of facility. and it should be improved upon. i agree. with the statements of the other people. >> thank you very much. >> good afternoon, supervisors. in defense of the community housing partnership, we have the department with the city, there were amicable with the tenants, and they did something about what they heard. this was my personal experience. i don't know anyone else has been through. as far as the seniors, when i got to the city many years ago, it appeared to me that i thought someone must be getting paid off. how could anyone allow this kind

of conditions to exist. in any kind of housing. seniors or anybody. it just seemed wrong that these horrible conditions would be prohibited by law in this country. i figured they did not have enough inspectors. if this is not the case, they should either be shut down or really regulated until they come up to just decent standards. they are not be sent. expect most of the private ones. >> the next speaker? >> i am nancy cross.

i am here to talk abou the s.r.o.'s as part of a continum continuum for the people going there -- and i see that this is very inadequate in the number of spots for them. one of the things, it makes a number of people needing shelter from the actual facility is the situation in the s.r.o. it makes them worse than shelters as far as making products.

this fosters the development. with the contagion of tobacco smoke. people used to this small, -- smell, and soon they are addicted themselves. second-hand smoke is one of the leading causes of avoidable deaths in this country. the american lung association, they want the smoke free housing. san francisco is rated a d. the set up does not give the possibility for people to designate that they want smoke- free housing. the smoky buildings causing more

drug addictions, and of like to make certain that we get anyone who wants access the opportunity to live in a building that is free of smoke. >> thank you, so much. the next speaker? there are only a couple more speakers. we will close public, and very quickly. >> i am talking about the building i live that. this has not changed where i live that. i have been attacked by someone who keeps harassing me. this just goes on.

i have been having problems since i moved in this place. i filed this report awhile back. the volunteers with a social worker -- it just keeps on going. thank you very much. >> good afternoon. i am shane springer, a community health worker. an i am to youth worker, both licensed by the state of california. this last semester i had to drop out of the city college, finishing the last course that i had, because of disability.

i lost my apartment that me and my girlfriend were living in. after four years of living in apartment, after 20 years of being in and out of the s.r.o.'s. the disability that i have -- is a disorder in my legs that causes ulcers, open ulcers, around my ankles and i had to move back into the warfield hotel. and that building is extremely infested with mice. we have caught 15 in the last few weeks. just in my room alone.

it is very rampant there and when approached about the subject, the management has got a hostile, and told me if i didn't like it, pest control dealt with this. they squirted one time in the corner, for cockroaches. we don't know what doto do about the mouse infestation. we don't really know what to do. we don't know what we are dealing with there. and the management and their handling of the situation. this is not going very well. i thank you for your time and what you are doing. >> my understanding is the code

enforcement, this is probably the right enforced an entity to check in with if you have not already spoken to the management of the building. the last speaker? >> i live at the warfield hotel. it was kind of frustrating, i thought this was already illegal. if they have these violations -- we don't know who to go to. you can look up the former complaints for this address. this is from the last two decades. they are not being forced to do anything.

we told them someone peed in the elevator. there were human feces in the hallway. it took them a couple of hours to address this. thyerere are inspectors coming. they decide not to let you in. the enforcement, if that is what it takes, most tenants are more than happy -- if you want to hear our stories, we want to --

we want this more than they do. >> thank you for the testimony? would anyone else like to speak? we will close public comment. >> hi. let me explain my scenario. we need tougher enforcement, and more laws and regulation, with these owners -- who have all these bedbugs, the elevators, and i will start by doing that. this is the california states elevators -- and they will come

out to inspect the elevator. this is not a city and county of san francisco issue. we need more inspectors and tougher regulations -- and we need more policies and procedures, to talk about what this will look like. you should not allow these boxes -- and i want to talk about this city-funded s.r.o.'s. they can do whatever they want, and they have an exemption. to get someone from the city and county of san francisco, this just seems very hard. this is basically -- my

experience at the hotel under the community partnership housing has gone so bad but they refuse to do anything to put me into habitable housing. i have been withholding rent. this is my second time withholding rent. i refuse to unless they give me habitable housing. >> this gentleman is the last speaker. >> thank you for giving me the opportunity. i work for the that this will community services, and so i just want to say thank you for giving the opportunity to all of these speakers. but the population with the

seniors, and i ask you to consider all the recommendations but i really want you to consider the enforcement, with the city- funded programs. i would like for you to consider that along with the stronger problems that we have across the community. >> and with that, we will close public comment. i know a number of questions came up. i am wondering if we have comments, if we could have pictures from the department of building inspection. the department of aging and adult services, that would like to respond. where is the right place to call, and which department will

we go to to follow up on the basic, decent living. >> housing inspection -- this is for complaints about the housing code. i want to address something that they brought up here near the end. this is at the top of the hit -- top of the list right now. we are issuing a 16-page notice of violation. there is great demand for our service. we also take this very seriously. we are pushing forward case after case after case. you see this in every city in the country. they're willing to do that for a tenant complaint.

we refer cases to the city attorney on a regular basis. one landlord, he has had litigation with -- the owner, with a record amount of penalties. when people live in conditions like this, and have been for 20 years this is very emotional. these are things that we see every day. the majority of property owners are very responsible. we have landlords to call us up and are berating us. they do not want to follow the law. the process is very serious. we notify all of the lenders.

there are seven of overt -- seven other hotels. we have a craft that i showed earlier. >> a number of speakers -- these conditions have gone on. some of those coming from the grassroots organizations -- they are strengthening the law so that there can be follow- through. that came forward, very clearly. i wonder why we have such a hard time enforcing the existing law. >> of the obstacles that we face. this is like a mole popping up in different places.

this is one citation against one landlord. another building, you have problems with these buildings. this is one of the problems that you are facing. we're very eager to work with them. these are the things that we have been fighting over. >> supervisor camp? -- kim? supervisor kim: i missed the earlier presentation, but in terms of your work, what do you think that we need in order to better prosecute these property owners with the violations -- do we have enough resources? is this a funding issue?

i want to see what we could better support with the work that you guys are doing. >> we would definitely use more resources. this is very important. we have tools that the other cities to not utilize. we have increased the fines, and we are expected to announce a record number of counties. we hope that the landlords will see this. we will see what is happening to them. >> if we increase the fees and penalties, with this lead to better enforcement and staffing?

supervisor cohen: i have a couple of questions. we have the budget proposal and looking for to this budget conversation for this week. prioritizing with certain neighborhoods and certain issues and complaints over others. i represent the southeastern neighborhoods. this is extremely sensitive to this. we have open notices of violation that are open for years and years. i have tons of property owners that are absent, not present.

they don't care about the property with those that their housing. this is extremely frustrating. this is your department -- you are not the leadership department. i am not out in the field in your district. this is just so heartbreaking to listen to the testimony. things that we know, we have heard the testimony over and over again of people who have been living here and we know what these issues are. i feel like this is a priority. not just of the commission but of the department. you can come and get in line. i am not finished with my rant. i am almost there.

enough is enough. at what time do we prioritize this as the number one priority. when it comes to code enforcement, this is where i am most impassioned about the lack of code enforcement. this is probably above your pay grade. what i am talking about here, is not always about needing more money, full-time. this is the department policy. this is set by the commission, working in tandem with the commission and the department head. to be sure that the quality of

life is protected. they are living in the rental units. people who are living in public housing. i see some of the same complaints and mold and build it. i had to get this off of my chest. >> we have to divisions on code enforcement

i have that posted in the office as a reminder every single day to make sure that people do not have to work in those kinds of conditions. >> supervisors, thank you very much for this year -- this hearing, for the attention over the last couple of years. i have been on the building commission for a good part of the last 10 years. every meeting we deal with an issue. and the issue is primary code enforcement. and whenever the director of our

department has prioritize code enforcement, generally what happens, there is pressure on her from different political sectors that dissuades our department from code enforcement. it is happening now we have -- it is happening now. we have a director that is possibly setting up a whole division of coast -- code enforcement that is separate. i think that supervisor wiener would understand the need for having some sort of separation in the code enforcement from possibly inspecting and permitting. we have some of the most horric