forward with the recommendations. chairperson kim: thank you. seeing no further movement, we can call this to the item of -- the attention of the chair. please call item no. 5. >> the appointment of -- a motion confirming the appointment of william adams to the port commission, a term ending may 1st, 2014. >> good afternoon, supervisors kim, farrell, and campos. i also want to thank you today for my iow families, the community, and a labor union. i would not be standing here without them today. i have been thinking a lot about this position, going on the san francisco port commission, the

great challenges ahead for the port, but also the opportunities. i feel that my 34 years of experience with ofiow has prepared -- with the iow has prepared me for this position with the port. it is not just my knowledge of the port or with shipping, but also, my commitment and desire to give back to this community. i had an opportunity to meet with supervisors kim, farrell, and gabbros, and i heard were you told me about -- and campos, and i heard what you told me about where you feel the direction of the port needs to go and where you felt we could improve. one of the things i feel i can bring to the port is an independent point of view. you have to listen to all

issues, all sides, and wait it out before making a decision. -- weigh it out before making a decision. you have to be accessible to the public. you have to hear the good, bad, and the ugly. you always have to have a door that is open. one of the things i feel that weibring as a member of the iow is the involvement in the community and being able to interface with our community and letting them know that the port is a friend, not a foreign place. it is right here in this city and every citizen of san francisco, the port belongs to them and there's something for everyone. i also believe that as a commissioner, i want to bring more port of maritime to san francisco. there might be another ferry service. i would like to see as double the cruise ship capacity. but i also know these will be

some tough decisions. it will take true leadership and unfortunately, when leaders make tough decisions, there will be some who are unhappy with the decisions you make. i believe i would like to have the supervisors more involved on the port commission. i would like to report to them. i would like to get there in sight. i would like them to get behind the issues that we are doing with the community. and i would like to bring youngsters down to the court -- to the port and i want for young people to understand that the port is the economic engine of our community. i believe that local hiring is an issue with all of the construction and jobs that are going down in our port. and i would like to close the bridge for better cooperation in the city cannot labor, and all the other people involved to make it happen.

one of the things that i think i would like to talk about is when the america's cup almost fell apart in the port, i stepped in with the voice of reason and i told our union that we needed to get back to the table with the port and oracle, and we need to make it a win/win situation. i believe in that perspective. and i also believe that as a port we have a business. i oversee the finances. that is very important. i intend to overt -- to look over the finances of the port to see how we can cause the budget and what is feasible. that is some of what i would by to say as i ask you to consider my nomination. -- of what i would like to say as i ask you to consider my nomination. chairperson kim: supervisor

campos. supervisor campos: i know we have a number of people here at the hearing to speak on your behalf. and i can definitely understand why. i appreciated our conversation prior to this meeting and i was very impressed with the caliber of this nomination. i am wondering if you can speak a little bit about something that i know we talked about, and it is very important to me. i do feel the port of san francisco is one of the most valuable assets we have at this city. i also believe that in some way, there is a disconnection between the port and residents of certain communities. there is a disconnect between those neighborhoods and san

francisco. the port is not necessarily something that people know much about or think about much. we wanted to make sure that we included a -- an event that could include more interaction between the port and all of our neighborhoods and communities. the thing i always find striking with respect to the port is that when people come and visit san francisco, the tourists, they do spend a lot of time on the waterfront. i wonder if you could speak to that. >> i know the conversation we had yesterday with regard to

that. one of my goals as a commissioner would be to try to bridge that gap and be an ambassador and reach out. i come from labor. i come from working class community and environment. i am understand the port -- i understand the court is supposed to take those on the lower income and -- and i said earlier, that this is a place for people should be able to come to see opportunities that are there. i have also told supervisor kim that i would be more than willing to come and reach out. i believe in a hands-on approach. i am working class. i am community oriented. and i clearly understand. i'm very supportive of that. >> i think that could be very useful on that commission.

something else that is important to me, given that you are a steward of a very important asset, is independent spirit and that means not only from the mayor, not only from the board of supervisors, and quite frankly, independence in the way that you provide oversight from -- oversight of this very important agency. that often means asking tough questions that may not be popular. oftentimes, that means going against the grain, if you will. i wonder if you could talk about the issue of independence and how you see that in terms of your approach to this world. >> i know that i am not beholden to the mayor or the board of supervisors.

i have mine own voice. i have to make tough decisions, but that is what you do in leadership. harry truman said, the hardest thing you have to do is tell a friend know. there will be times i have to tell my friends know. but i will do the right thing. and as i told you and the rest of the supervisors, not looking to better myself politically. i have 34 years at the iow and that is where i want to retire. i will be honest. i will be fair. and if i have to stand alone, so be it. chairperson kim: it is great to see not just a distant sixth nominee, but one that lives on rica on help. -- recon -- pecan helill.

what are some of your thoughts on this issue and what are the principles that you will be using to guide you through this process? rex cup -- >> coming out of the seattle/tacoma area i saw what happened with the seattle sonics. i have to listen to the business trinity, the board of supervisors, and there's always a controversy. i have to listen and be objective and then make my decision after a do a lot of soul-searching.

>> what are some potential concerns that you want to keep a close eye on in this project? >> i like -- i think that some people like things to stay as the status quo. i think some people wear our roads being blocked, some worry about congestion, crime, parking, some worry that the giants stadium is too close. >> those are highlights of the concerns that have come up. have you attended a meeting of the board commission? rex know, i have not. >> have you been able to watch it -- >> no, i have not. >> have you been able to watch it in other capacity? >> no, ma'am. chairperson kim: that is it for questions. we will open it up for public comment. thank you, mr. adams.

>> i and the maritime director at the board -- the port of san francisco. our executive director is on vacation today. i know that she would have liked to have been here to acknowledge the nomination and hope that you would vote for willie adams. i saw willie the other day in the lobby. i have to call you willie until you are confirmed, and then i have to call you commissioner. i hope i get to call him commissioner soon. the waterfront history and the iow have been long intertwined. we met with labor leaders starting with the founding of the iow with jerry bridges. it has been a number of years that we have been represented on the port commission. mr. adams has been -- he helped

me in a number of different ways. monique and i traveled to d.c. last march and willie was there. he tried to woo some of our customers to come to san francisco. he will be a great addition to the port. we look forward to seeing him there. thank you. >> tim paulson, i am the director of the san francisco labor council. represent tens of thousands of workers and many different unions. today, i can also say that we represent the maritime unions and there are many maritime union leaders in the crowd to support willie adams. i cannot think of a better choice to this port commission that willie adams. the iluw represent sports all

up and down the coast. he has probably worked in every one of those ports and he will bring expertise and knows exactly what the waterfront is about. there's a long and wonderful tradition in san francisco of having everybody from harry bridges and others from iow to sit on the board. this will be another great addition. i know will be very well. but whether or not he is doing his work in washington d.c. when he asked to go there, or any other political work that he has to have done, he has a good deal of experience with multiple issues. i do not know if you know the iow as well as i do, but they have an incredible amount of diversity and there is as much democracy as i've ever seen anywhere. to be a leader there you have to know your homework not just politically, but also policy- wise. on behalf of the san francisco

labor council, we are pleased with this appointment and we hope you confirm that today. chairperson kim: thank you, mr. paulson. >> good afternoon supervisors. i am the adviser to the trade and commerce. it is my honor and privilege to be here today to be supporting the appointment of william adams to the san francisco port commission. i have known mr. adams in the last year while serving on -- as a trading adviser. we have worked together to support more trade and policy recommendations, as well as united states trade

representatives, and also regarding any negotiations of trade agreements. i appreciate the consideration that mr. adams is being considered for the port of san francisco. it brings a lot to the commission. being at the port of san francisco is the economic engine to generating and creating more jobs here in our community. based on his experience of 34 years as a longshoreman, but also as an advocate for workers, and i'm also finding that he builds working community relationships not just with the port san francisco, but also with the port's involvement with the international community. he works with numerous elected leaders as well as foreign government officials.

he even has known the ambassador to china, which is the former secretary of commerce, gary lauck, who in -- who appointed me to the industry trade council. he has received numerous awards, including being labor leader of the year by the afl-cio. i want to stress the first hand knowledge he has that supports and drives the job. chairperson kim: thank you. >> thank you -- good afternoon, as to the risers. i am a treasure for -- treasurer for the local 10 here in san francisco. it is my honor to be here to speak on behalf of willie adams.

willie adams is a nationally recognized labor leader. he is a self-made man. he started off working on the docks of to come up. he quickly rose through the ranks and became a leader within is local. -- within his local. for the last nine years he has served with the iow and he does an outstanding job for us. the reason i believe he would be an ideal candidate for commission is that he would bring valuable -- invaluable whainsight to the position. willie's a man of great integrity and character. he is a free thinker. he does not always tell me what i want to year, but he tells the truth. -- what i want to cure, but he tells me the truth. i think he would do a fabulous

job as a port commissioner. san francisco is undergoing a renaissance along the waterfront. it is important that we do not forget its rich history. there is also an opportunity for great bulk cargo at pure 80. -- at pier 80. thank you for your time. chairperson kim: any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is now closed. supervisor farrell: it was great to me you the other day. we have a great conversation. rarely do i get a chance to speak with someone that i was so impressed with. you are just a straight shooter and i know you are well regarded both within your professional community as well as here at city hall. i do not think we have a better person to a point to this

position. i will be happy to make the cono the port commission. and i will make that with recommendation byrum >> we do have a motion to appoint with recommendation. supervisor campos backs -- campos? supervisor campos: i want to echo that and second it. i was extremely impressed with him and i am very impressed with his application. i think it is the kind of appointment that when you think about this, it makes sense on so many different levels. mr. adams, besides being a very sharp dresser, you present extremely well. i think the eloquence with which you address some of these very

important issues, and the independence you bring, that will be very useful. having served on the golden gate bridge border directors, -- board of directors, i have also seen the importance of having labor presents on these bodies. i think it is a perspective that is often missed, or at least, at times, not given due consideration. labor is an important aspect of city operations. and with respect to the port, the workers have played a very important role in all of the major accomplishment of the agency has had. i'm very proud and honored to be supportive of your nomination as well. i also want to thank the executive director of the labor council, a district 9 resident,

for being here today. it is not often that we see the labor council represented at that level here at city hall. the fact that he is here tells you the importance of this. that is greatly appreciated as well. thank you. chairperson kim: i will concur on mr. adams. i think this is one of the strongest appointments we have seen from the mayor's office. i'm really honored to have met you. and i do want to commend the mayor for appointing you. i was very impressed in our meeting and today. just on the wide variety of experiences that you have and you hit on a number of things that i would like to see in a commissioner. i think it is hard to find all of those qualities in one person. we do want someone who represents labor to sit on the port, but particularly if from

the iow and i also appreciated your appointments -- your points around community, whether it is engaging youth or the visitors to do not access the waterfront or don't know much about it. and in terms of us developing a pipeline for local residents, particularly the young people, to actually be in the jobs that the port is currently trading and will be creating. it is exciting -- an exciting time to be on the port. i spoke with ms. lazarus earlier. there are a lot of developments happening. particularly on the waterfront, we have a high-visibility project that is the talk of the town, the proposed arena. i'd think it is important to

have commissioners that have the time and a willingness to engage in that neighborhood. as exciting as this project can be, there are a number of concerns and fears from the residents in terms of traffic and congestion. i think that our residents will be able to understand that to -- that perspective. i am interested in a number of things that you said and i will be happy to support this motion. without opposition >> item number 6, ordinance amending the san francisco help, by adding -- by adding sections and

reauthorize in the food security task force. >>chairperson kim: i do believee had someone coming to present for this item. paula jones? >> good afternoon, supervisors. i work for the department of public health and our work on food systems. we are here to ask for your support for the reauthorization of the food security task force. ensuring food security is a critical issue for san francisco and requires -- requires collaboration between the private and public sectors. this task force has played that role since 2005, bringing together public agencies from the department of public health, hsc as well as the school district, as well as community- based organizations, food bank, home delivery preprogrammes, and

also involving private partners to work together to work collaborative the -- collaboratively to help children to know how to eat healthy food or to know how to cook. we're working in that neighborhood programs as well as improving nutrition in cooking education, advocating for policies at the local and state and federal level that improve food security for san francisco. and we also are working to expand urban agriculture. the public can come and be

informed engaged and try to make a better food system for our city and leverage the federal nutrition programs and local funding to do that. we are asking that we be bri authorized. if that happens, we will forward our nomination to you for the task force. >> thank you. -- chairperson kim: thank you. they're actually know questions on this item. i do like to see sunset provisions on the task force because we do have items that we create that we need to reevaluate. but i do believe we need to extend its food security task force for another three years. >> and having a sunset provision makes it more aggressive.

i think it allows us to act -- to leverage all of the assets of the public members. food insecurity is not going away. we are doing what we can to address the needs and to improve the nutrition profile. >> food nutrition is important citywide. if you look at the district i represent, the tenderloin, and selma, and there are eastern -- they are the eastern neighborhoods. i know that a lot of your work has come through that. i would like to see the work of the task force continued. >> right now, there are major

cuts coming from the senate version of the farm bill, and even bigger cuts from the house. obviously, we weigh in on that through letters and our representatives on the task force. we have a major concern about seniors, low income seniors, and their food insecurity. we are looking at state level policies to barriers. we will be working on that. >> thank you. chairperson kim: at this time we will open up for public comment. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am the director of programs at st. anthony foundation. i am also a founding member of the food security task force. i presently serve he