[applause] >> the next speaker? can we get the speaker working? >> san francisco is the single most intolerant, anti-choice, exclusionary, biased, opposed to a lifestyle choice city in this entire nation. you are systematically evil in your intolerance and discrimination against those who have no choice but to live a lifestyle as a disabled person. you've institutionalized or intolerance, into a substandard, third class housing system that you call an s.r.o. that is so intolerant of disabled people that this will not be reasonably accommodative.

this must change, and this has been put in place but you must legislate this out of existence. the last two hours, a parade of people have come before you and want to work within this system. you must teardown and the -- tear down the s.r.o. system. they must have a minimum of 300 square feet. a shower and kitchen only accessible from the interior. you allow federal funds to go into this from one person who receives federal funding, and another person who receives federal funds for substandard housing. you have to register all the rental units.

they should be listed as an illegal unit, and within five years they have to receive double property-tax this because they are not standard housing. within seven years the need to be taxed at 70% of property tax. >> the next speaker? it is the other microphone. >> good afternoon. i am c.w. johnson, working in the s.r.o. directly by talking with tenants and evaluating the living conditions. roaches and mice are only a few of the issues that they are facing. social services are not being

allowed to do their job. they are neglected to the point of hospitalization. handrails and rams need to be addressed. seniors and disabled have lost funding and medical benefits. fas someone who will be becoming a senior himself, the lack of funding scares me. medical students could be part of the community outreach, and community social workers could come out to help explain this with the financial benefits as well as medicare. this could help people find cheaper medicine, and affordable food. thank you, and have a good afternoon.

>> i am the tent organizer -- and i also go to the mission collaborative. i live in the mission hotel. hoi could give you some horror stories about this. i think that we should basically have movie nights for them, and we have our meeting, this week's them up. we have these pet shelters and an animal shelter so they can bring this in and the seniors can play with them, so we can -- they can learn how to raise them.

and this is something they can care for and nurture, and said just letting them live in isolation. we have to get them into the common area. we have to get them out. but now they just go into the room and lock the door appea. if we had a puppy or pets over there -- you know. the shelter could bring pets there. this is the last thing. i want to talk about the s.r.o. we need more activities. >> thank you. supervisor cohen? >> are pets allowed in s.r.o.'s? >> yes. that would make them more happy.

>> dan? walter janus? lorenzo boston? betty trainer? ellen helms? benito casavos? margarita -- danette lambert? nancy cross? catherine from family service agency. the veterans equity center -- and robert webber. next speaker? >> i am dennis scary. i stay in a private s.r.o. hotel. action needs to be taken to

educate and train these people for the best of our hotels. you get home late at night and your arms are full of packages. the desk clerk brought me in and said that i forgot my keep. i said i just needed help with the door. she said i could not forget my key or she would not let me in. other residents have been refused entry. and some are more limited ability that i am. sometimes our tourist stuck in the elevator? they could have released this from the basement. i have instructions to press the

call button, and the door will be released by remote control. who is there with the door not able to open. they say, i have used myself on -- the desk clerk -- i have to coordinate this and let them in. where is the task -- to pass key and tell them. they are lucky that i was there. >> the next speaker?

>> good afternoon. i am karen fission. i am now retired. in the 1980's i was a social worker in the tenderloin. i had clients and it seemed that after hearing all of this information, the biggest change to the s.r.o'.'s, they used to be affordable on ssi. this is seen as bad if not worse. they have tragic consequences, for people in fro conditions. there are not standard in -- they will provide and install the bars at no cost, to the

owner -- until the grab bars are mandatory, they can help. once this improves, this should not be difficult -- to add the needs for grab bars to a list of items. it will carry out the efforts to improve lives. [speaking spanish]

>> i am margarita, and i am from a homeless family. >> i want the support. they deserve to have a living in which they have better conditions. [speaking spanish} >> get to that age -- not just forget about them. i just want to support it. >> thank you, so much. mr. wright?

>> disinformation i am about to give you, there is nancy pelosi, state superior court, and the court of california. this is managed by the community housing partnership. why first move into that place, i signed the contract. with the corporation housing unit, you underlined the need. he moved into an apartment that was infested with mice. i paid my rent on time, and had my intelligence insulted.

supervisor -- and gale gillman, the head of the community partner. this is what i had to deal with. this pertains to the apartment inspection. i was complaining about the mice in the building. i did my own investigation and found out there were people complaining about mice there before i moved in. when i further complained, they told me you will go to the health department because i did not unpack my boxes

because i am in an apartment infested with mice. several other units were infsted. -- infested. >> do you have any questions? i am not done. >> we have no questions. the next speaker. >> can i speak to you about this? i have to retaliate. >> thank you. we will listen to more comments later. >> i can come back later? >> on other items. and this hearing will be open -- the senior action network should be listening. >> mr. wright, the next speaker is ready to speak. youv''ve had your time. the next speaker? >> i am a tenant organizer.

at the all-star hotel. senior action network as well as the central city -- i would relalally like to say -- the seniors and disabled members of the community are often the most vulnerable. they should receive the best care. i have one more card, along the side of the room.

but i want to agree to other supervisors that are here. no so with the senior action network. i am advocating with some friends of mine. i live with some housing -- the s.r.o.'s have a myriad of nightmare stories, including a man who was 84 years old who lived there for 13 years and this has been leaking on his bed. they say that they have fixed the room, and the only time that leaks is when it rains. every time it rains, it rains on his bed. he puts a tarp over his bed. the dripping kept him awake.

he was living in community partnership housing, and it had zero heat in there, and all of the complaints, this was refused after she made the complaint. she is blind and asked for accommodations. the community housing partnership refused and the accommodations for her, or a deaf person who was living there. i find this outrageous that people who are hired by the city to operate buildings in this community can get away with this kind of action. and the disabled people are disadvantaged at a huge level. there does not seem to be any effective administrative opportunities for them to have

this in their complaint. >> at the end of the public comment -- we have the department of building inspections, maybe they could recommend to to talk to and i will make certain my office is following up as well. >> i am on the board of senior action network. thank you for hearing us out. as it has been stated before, some people think that living in an s.r.o. is temporary but as we know, members of the senior action at work -- network, this is where many of them are going to live for the rest of their lives. this is their home.

i ask you to look at these recommendations, particularly those in the beginning. please discuss these with your legislative aide and give us some legislation that can come out as soon as possible. we cannot look in the face of these people and tell them that after the hearing in november, and all the hours and hours of work on this report, that nothing has come of it. please give us some legislation on these issues. >> place this on the screen and it should come up in a moment. >> good afternoon.

i do not belong to any organization. i was here with my project and i went to the place where you have sent me to. the screens to be turned sideways, 90 degrees. >> does this better? i need to turn this to the actual information that is vertical. maybe this is the other way. >> there is this. >> the reason i am here is because i went to the housing authority at 25, the third floor, to meet the landlord at

the hotel because they have a problem with the elevator breaking down. we have a critical problem coming up in the next 24 hours. they are shutting down the elevators. in that hotel that i am a part of, we have 25 people who are seniors, and the use canes and also, wheelchairs'. anyone who has been in the city for the last few days, you know how hot that this has been. expected to be that way in the hotel, and they have not given any body anything. they did not ask if we needed this monitored, they did not ask to bring food to people, and

they don't have security to protect us. we need someone to come now because this is a possible problem. >> the next speaker? >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am jocelyn of the veteran's equity center in south of market. nussle here to speak on behalf of the seniors and, many of them live in s.r.o.'s. many of them live on social 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 continu