if we could get some feedback in a few months, that would be good. >> can i just add one point? the leadership in bayview when the captain was there, now the efforts extend beyond bayview in the interests of the entire city and this particular issue. the good news is that the numbers of users entering into this system is clearly pronounced this last year. while the percentages are slightly the same in terms of the percentages of use in cassidy representing the use of color, -- percentages of the youth in custody representing the youth of color is the same.

>> and i would like to see the recidivism rates. supervisor mar: with racial and ethnic disparities, whenever there is policy having to deal with juvenile, are you looking at the impacts especially on latin-american and african- american populations? >> that is a good point. we deal with racial and ethnic disparity as we examine every one of our policies. we put that on like a lines. supervisor avalos: any member of public like to comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. can we move this item forward? we have a motion to move forward with recommendations. next item, please. >> item two, ordinands amending

the san francisco police code by amending section 65-65 -- amending section 65. supervisor avalos: this item is sponsored by supervisor campos, who is here. supervisor campos: thank you very much, mr. chairman. let me provide a little bit of background about this item. i know we have a number of members from the public that are here and i want to thank them for being here as well. various entities including churches and health-care facilities as well as welfare facilities have a significant number of customers who are dropped off by motor vehicles

and to facilitate that, we have asked the city through the transportation agency to establish a white zone. that is essentially a passenger loading area at the streaker -- street curb fronting the area. when you ask for a white sound, you are required to pay a fee, attend a public hearing, and the matter of request for the creation of a white zone ultimately has to be approved by the city's traffic engineer. we have seen as we have studied this issue that there are many benefits to having wide zones. one of the obvious benefits is that they reduce the number of vehicles that are double parked on city streets. i think anyone who has used our

streets knows that this is a recurring problem throughout san francisco. another benefit of having a white zone is that it alleviates the need for drivers to circle around for blocks in search of a parking space, which is not only bad in terms of traffic, but also bad for the environment. there are many benefits to having the right zones when it comes to having traffic congestion, improving the safety of not only other vehicles, but also pedestrians, and also reducing vehicle emissions. what we have found, though, is that even though there is this process for the creation of a white zone, there is nothing that actually makes it an offense or makes it illegal to obstruct access to a white zone. which i have found to be

surprising. you can imagine that if you are going to have a white zone, you would not want for people to be able to actually obstruct it, which is the way the law currently works. what we are proposing is simply, in a very, and sensible way, adding a new section to the police code that would make it illegal to obstruct the white zone or the adjacent sidewalk between the curb and fronting the building. by obstruction, we mean the placement of objects, materials, substances or other material on the sidewalk. anytime you take up public space, you want to be sure your

crafting it in a very narrow way. i want to thank hillary in my office who has been working with community members and with the city attorney's office to be sure this is done in the most narrowly tailored way that we can do it. the prohibition that we're talking about would apply during the hours that the white zone is restricted to passengers loading and unloading. it really strikes the white -- right balance in making sure that open spaces in san francisco remain open and public. it is specifically targeted to deal with the issue that the benefits of a white zone would be undermining if there is no prohibition on people obstructing them. it is a very commonsensical piece of legislation. under the legislation, a violation of this amendment

would constitute an infraction. it would be a fine not to exceed $100 for the first violation, two hundred dollars for the second violation -- $200 for the second violation if it occurs within a year and up to $500 for a third violation within a year. we hope that certainly -- we would expect that we would have no violations and if a -- an individual is continually violating, we certainly do not want to see that because of the implications to some of our communities in terms of access to the facilities. even though it took a long time to craft this in the right way to take into concern all of the conflicting interests, we believe this is a very commonsensical piece of legislation and would ask my colleagues today for your

support. before i turn it over -- because i have a number of people here to read -- to present, i want to highlight that i have circulated a very small amendment to the legislation that i would respectfully ask the committee to pass. -- to move and to pass. it basically reads as follows. any property or equipment placed on the white stone curb or adjacent sidewalk by the owner or tenant of the premises fronted by the adjacent sidewalk or curb for the purpose of facilitating access a way that is not otherwise prohibited by state or local law. this recognizes instances where there may be a church or maybe a business that may have something that is placed within the area

that is covered by the statute. it allows that flexibility. it is something that we think makes sense and makes the implementation more practical. and we are certainly mindful of the fact that when you do anything involving public space, you have to consider all of the different public -- implications. with that said, i would like to ask john huang of the department of public works to talk briefly about the state of affairs, if you will, in terms of how white zones work and the existing rules around them. mr. huang, thank you for being here. and thank you to the department of public works for all of these support and help and trying to have a common sensible approach

here. >> good morning, supervisors. currently under the public works co, there are a variety of rules relating to the opening of a sidewalk where pedestrians normally travel. we can require that area to be clear. however, in these cases from when the curbside -- where we typically call the furnishings down -- furnishing zone, in other words, trees and other such things, specifically as it relates to access, we want people to keep it clear for there to be access to the sidewalk. we believe this to be a well thought out piece of legislation. >> thank you.

unless my colleagues have questions for you, i do not have any. again, i want to thank you, and especially mr. nuru, who has been very helpful to us in getting as information. i would like to call on carla johnson, who is with the mayor's office of disability. and if i might add, a bernal heights district resident. i think it is important for her to be here because this legislation and the issue of accessibility to white zones has a specific -- special significance for that community. i wonder if you can speak to that. and again, thank you be -- for being here, ms. johnson. >> thank you for inviting me to speak before the committee this morning. i'm carl johnson, director of the mayor's office on disability. i'm here to speak in support of

this legislation that would prohibit placing obstructions on the sidewalk adjacent to a white zone. the reason my office takes a position on this is because it is an issue that actually affects people with disabilities and seniors and families. obstructed access to the public's right of way is a civil-rights matter. the white zone itself serves as a safe zone for safely disembarking from vehicles. those could be their personal vehicles, maybe with a friend or family that is dropping you off at your medical appointment, or it could be a taxi or a public transit vehicle. many people who have mobility disabilities may find it difficult to travel more than a short distance down a sidewalk, which is why it is so important to have direct access to these facilities like medical offices or senior housing, or places of worship and institutions.

i have a personal story to my mother is 83 years old and she lives in an apartment building where there is a wide zone in front of the building. she cannot even walk half a block. when i take her out to dinner and such, i use that white zone to get her safely in and out of the vehicles so we can be on our way. if we did not have that, it would be my temptation to break the law and double parked in front of the street because this is my mother. i want to make sure she is safe. but luckily, we do have a wide zone, so it makes it easy for me to do that transaction. when there are sidewalk obstructions that prevent someone from either getting on the safe sidewalk, or travelling down the sidewalk from point a to point b, we find people out into the street to get around the obstruction. there are too many stories of

pedestrians who have been struck and either seriously injured or killed by vehicles because they left the safe zone and went out into the vehicle -- vehicular way. i thank you for your common sense approach for this legislation. i'm very supportive and appreciative. >> thank you, ms. johnson. i appreciate the personal story. i think we all have those kinds of stories. if anything, i think people would be surprised there is nothing prohibiting the obstruction, which does not make a lot of sense. >> it was surprising to me. supervisor avalos: if i may, i would like to call on laurie cook from the department of public health. one of the questions that comes up is the impact of not having anything prohibiting instruction -- obstruction in terms of accessing health facilities.

we want to promote access to health care in san francisco and a prerequisite to that access is that people are actually able to enter a help facility. thank you to the department of public health for being here. >> thank you, and good morning to the members of the public safety committee. my name is laurie cook and i work for the san francisco public safety office of policy planning. i'm here to support the language of section 65 because we believe it will increase patient access to health-care facilities and needed preventive care. as you know, the mission of dph is to protect the health of all san franciscans. and we want to ensure that all san francisco residents have equal and safe and respect for the acts as to achieve what they need and drive off the mall access and health and wellness.

we want to make this the easy choice so residents avoid hospitalization and cost the department use. we believe the proposed changes to the san francisco police code have the power to change access for all san franciscans, and particularly those who are vulnerable, such as seniors, persons with disabilities, young children and others. we believe the san francisco board can help to seek a per great care when needed. supervisor avalos: right now, an individual can place personal items on a sidewalk adjacent to

the white zone. being able to do that through the placement of articles can prevent access. it can prevent members of the public from crossing the sidewalk. it can be particularly dangerous for some communities. seniors, individuals with disabilities, including individuals with mobility or vision impairment. i want to point that out. with that, i would simply ask for your consideration and support for this marriage -- this measure. i look forward to public comment

on this item. can we proceed to public comment? >> clearly, this access that we need to have in front of the establishments that serve everyone, including those that serve people with disabilities is essential. i'm very happy to be cosponsoring this ordinance. let's open it up for public comment. any member of the public like to comment? i have a few cards as well. >> i am representing walked san francisco. it is important to note that the speaker from the mayor's office said, many times there is an

instruction to the sidewalk and people do end up having to go out on the road. there are documented instances where people have done that and been hit by a vehicle. the other obstruction in addition to personal property our peoples vehicles obstructing the sidewalk, which is the legal right now, but not always well enforced. -- which is illegal right now, but always well enforced. -- not always well enforced. if we do not see this ordinance has been a money-making operation. if we would just like to see it as something that people just do at of common courtesy for their fellow residents. supervisor avalos: next speaker, please. >> i am the director of community engagement at the bernard community center. i'm behalf -- i'm here on behalf

of the seniors we serve there. we serve about 1060 seniors that is at both our centers. it 144 of them are frail and have mobility issues. they rely on transit and family members to drop them off so they can access the services we offer. this will possibly benefit the community members that we serve. this law is supposed to keep us safe. it is there for so many purposes. it is only fair that we use it to our full advantage. it is supposed to keep our seniors save. every day we see them come in and out and it is already hard for them to gather their -- get out of their cars and then go back home. this would be beneficial to us.

thank you for your time. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good morning. thank you for the opportunity to speak before you my name is brenden. i am an orientation and mobility specialist for the blind in san francisco. i would like to offer support for the proposed legislation. many of our clients and community members with vision impairment or blindness, to them come out sidewalk obstructions are a tremendous difficulty and to many of them are a hazard. -- to them, sidewalk obstructions are a tremendous the goatee, and too many of them -- tremendous difficulty, and too many of them are a hazard. it would be helped if the sidewalk -- it would not help if

the sidewalk were somehow obstructed. for clients with vision impairment, their ability to perceive an obstruction in front of them is tremendously decrease. there are ways for them to reduce the hazard of contacting an obstacle, ought to be over an obstacle in the sidewalk. but no one is better than the assets of that obstacle. -- the absence of that obstacle. this is a very commonsensical piece of legislation and we would like to lend our support thank you for your time. -- our support. thank you for your time. supervisor avalos: thank you. i am bob. -- >> i am bob. i came specifically to support this legislation. i have been called -- been involved with the citizenry for over 20 years.

when i first heard of this i thought, you mean, it is not already evident, obvious, and enforceable? i have been involved 25 years and it never occurred to me that was not the case. i'm grateful that supervisor campos and others are catching this oversight. because as much as you have heard emphasis on the disability aspect, which is critical, i also want to talk about the family aspect. again, that is why i got involved in pedestrian safety work. when my boys were toddlers and preschoolers, trying to corral them was a task. but it is not just my experience. the family next to me has for kids ages 8 and under. think of a scenario where they have to go to the church clinic somewhere. four kids, mom and dad need clear space to get in and out, to get to the doctors, to get to

the table. you do not want -- to get to the bathroom, to get to the table. you do not want kids wandering around or getting separated from you. it may not be a question of enforcement as much as the fact that there is an education component. let businesses know, let churches know, let clinics no -- what the clinics know. it is helpful to have this as a deterrent. we support this. thank you. supervisor avalos: any other members of the public that would like to comment? please, come forward any what -- and anyone else who would like to comment, please come to the center aisle. >> i am the director of communications at planned parenthood south pacific.

today, we have the health of our organization and the staff and clients that live in our neighbor as well as the san francisco residents of concern. we currently operate 32 centers, serving more than 100,000 women, men, and teenagers each year. we provide life-saving preventive health care services, such as breast and cervical cancer screening, hiv testing, prenatal care, and other essentials services. we also provide education for parents and teenagers and other adults. more than 90% of our clients live two hundred% below the poverty line. the vast majority -- a live two hundred% below the poverty line. the vast majority are women ages 20-24. we now operate more than 40 hours a week.

and we see in excess of 50 people per day. we have been so busy we are considering opening on saturdays in a couple of months. but after we were open for a few months, we realized there was a lot of difficulty for our clients to find parking, be able to be dropped off easily. we applied and were granted a white zone by the mta. that was in january of this year while it has been operating very well come upon -- very well, other objects of design made it very difficult for our clients to get in and out of their cars. we are here in support of the ordinance. it will create tremendous help for our clients, for their ability to be dropped off without obstruction. [tone] and also to be protecting against injury from obstructions

in their path. i appreciate the supervisors for their leadership on this issue. we look forward to the upcoming results. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. zeno other member of the public coming forward, we will close public comment. supervisor mar: i want to thank community organizations and supervisor campos and supervisor avalos for bringing this forward. i would like to be added to this. supervisor avalos: very good. problems, can we accept the amendment from supervisor campos? ok, we will accept the amendment. we can move to move forward with recommendations. so done. supervisor mar: mr. chairman, if i may again thank all of the

members of the public for being here. if i may just add something about ms. johnson, i think it is appropriate. our pedestrian safety legislation is the last item that she will be sitting in on as a clerk. i do not know what the city is going to be doing without her, but we wish her the best of luck. it has been an honor for me to work with someone who is such a part of the institution. supervisor olague: i want to wish you the best and thank you for all of your help. i was recently appointed in january, and you have been very gracious and nights, and i want to say thank you for that. i hope you enjoy your free time now. i want to wish you the best. i'm sure you will be busier than you have been in the past 30 something years. thank you very much. supervisor campos: i was just going to thank you for way more than three decades of serving san francisco. it has been a pleasure working

with you as well. thank you. supervisor avalos: it has been an honor to work with you. i recall a few times where i am going home at 9:30 p.m., maybe 10:00 p.m. at night. you are coming not from city hall, but something you are doing out in the city -- going to in museum or going out. and i know you enjoy your free time and i know you enjoy traveling. i wish you many years to enjoy all the things that you want to do. i hope you can come back and visit us as well. >> i want to thank you, the whole committee. i have enjoyed working with you over the years. and i want to thank the full board. i appreciate the kindness that you have shown to me. i am retiring, and of course, i have mixed feelings about it, but i have enjoyed serving the citizens all these years and working with you.