i know the landlord also went around and contacted some of the neighbors. i do not know in what fashion he did this. supervisor kim: i do not need to know what the landlord did. just what you did. >> our team has already been in dialogue with local people. we have not held a hearing or had an open forum for discussion at, but we are happy to do so. supervisor kim: ok, so you door- knocked some of the neighbors. when did you do this? >> i am guessing between july 3 and now. supervisor kim: ok, thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you, a supervisor kim. why don't we proceed with public comment? for the folks are called were not in line, please do so.

that is my cue on when to call work hard, when a shortened. >> -- when the line is short. >> my name is rebecca. i am a native san franciscan. supervisor elsbernd: please begin to the microphone. >> i grew up in san francisco. i have been part of the lgbt community. one of my greatest i school memories was being out with stop aids, probably as the youngest female member of the time. as an adult, i have been involved with san francisco general and the haight ashbury clinics. i am a little nervous. i have also been involved in burning man and the art projects. i know eli spear personally. he is a close friend of mine. i have worked with him closely on projects. i know his dedication to the

community and art is incredible. that is why i am here today, because i have been a patron of the eagle talon. i have loved the eagle tavern very much. i miss it. i am also here today to say it is empty right now. i know there is an amazing opportunity. i think is part of a group that can bring something special and new to the space. with their dedication, it can be a new place of art and community, music and bring everybody together. maybe not in the same way it used to be, but in a new way that we can also celebrate. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you. next speaker. >> it was very difficult to put together remarks. there are so many issues. my remarks are general. i agree the eagle is of the utmost importance to our

community. i mourned the day it was closed. no one was a more loyal patronage than i was. i produced local shows there. i participated in hundreds of fund-raisers for aids. this was a bar that catered to the leather committee. it is expensive. i was the owner of mr. san francisco letter, miss san francisco weather, a founding member of international leather. in san francisco, the eagle is our home bar. i was going to tell you about the eagle through the years. instead, i decided to tell you something more important. the san francisco ego was never the same after the death of jerry thompson in 1994. although they continue to do fund-raisers on sunday, business began to weigh in on other days. it was sold and renamed the eagle talon. although they continue to have fundraisers, it was never the same. the business plan did not work.

the community support began to dissolve. keeping the doors closed and this building blighted is not in the best interest of the building owner or the community. i am concerned this body would try to tell the property owner what kind of business he can put in their or what sexual preference the operator had to have. [tone!] that would be a violation of property rights and a dangerous precedent to set. there is nothing in the code to suggest this should be denied. this location was a bar long before it was the eagle that opened in 1989. it will provide jobs and be an economic benefit to the community. [tone!] thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you. next speaker. >> good morning, supervisors and members of the public. my name is naomi gatt.

i work for an electrical contractor in the immediate neighborhood of the ego. i have also lived in the south of market neighborhood since 2000. it is my home. that is why i choose to live and work there. i look forward to the space that was formerly known as the eagle being opened again. not only is it a great space and location in terms of where my business is located, i also know eli spear personally and believe his intentions are honest and that he will continue the philanthropic traditions of what the eagle has set forth already. i have discussed this with everyone i work with. we're all looking forward to it being open again and being a place to enjoy for personal functions and business functions.

thank you for your time. supervisor elsbernd: 80 very much. next speaker. let me call a few more cards before you start. matt, brian green, harold smith, john, bane, michael, and autumn. go ahead. >> my name is chris. i have two angles to being here. eli spear helped me to build my bar in oakland. he did a great job of designing something beautiful that added to the area. also, he helped philosophically to design a bar that captured the essence of the community. as a result, i am incredibly proud of my place. the debate -- the feedback is

that he does a good job of meeting the desires and needs of relevant numbers. i am here so i can testify that is what he will create and design here. second, i have been living at 374 11th street for the past three years with my girlfriend. the irony of living in a neighborhood full of nightclubs and bars is there are none that cater to an increasingly diverse community in that area. it is rapidly changing. it is diverse, anyway you want to cut it. the goal was the closest. even though my girlfriend was always afraid it was going to fall down on her, that is where we went. i think it is perfectly sensible and beautifully logical issued transformed into something that serves the entire community in a reverse neighborhood. supervisor elsbernd: 80 very much. next speaker.

>> good morning, supervisors. my name is peter. i am 42 years old. i have lived in san francisco for 33 years. i have worked in bars and clubs in this city since i was 16 in one capacity or another. when i was 19, iran the biggest gay nightclub in san francisco, colossus. i did this job for over three years. at no time did anyone ever asked me if i was straight or gay or otherwise. i got the job and kept the job because i was the guy for the job. eli is the guy for this job. he is an artist. he is a musician. he is an integral part of the burning and community in san francisco, which is neither de- nor street. those folks are all over the place. which are as neither gay or

straight. it should not matter that he is not day or part of the leather community. the first club by open in san francisco was predominately gay. i hosted the official after party. it did not matter that i was still straight. frankly, as i was sitting here writing the speech, ivan was the guy everyone wanted to take the space over, but he runs straight in use. [tone!] thank you. supervisor elsbernd: next speaker. >> i am a local business owner in san francisco. i have to do businesses. one in the financial business and one in selma. i currently live in the mission district. and here to observe our government process. i have not been that involved in our local government proceedings.

what i am looking for is a government that abides by the spirit of the law, does not get caught up in procedures as much as progress. i think what these gentlemen are doing with the space going to be great for that area, great for a space that has been closed for a year-and-a-half. i bike by and would love to stop by for a beer on the way home from work. i knew to offer my support in favor of these guys building out the space. -- i am here to offer my support in favor of these guys building out the space. supervisor elsbernd: 80. next speaker. >> my name is air. --ari. i run a charity called reason to party. in the comments, something stuck out from supervisor jim -- kim, dealing with the community in good faith.

the goat tavern was not a place for me. i never felt -- the eagle talon was not a place for me. i never felt compelled to go there. the other was for the gay community. we hosted a big holiday party there. we threw events there. hearing the comments, i want to address the fact that we started off as a gay party. we serve the younger demographics, 21 to 40. no one cares. in that group, a lot of people do not care. it closed down and we went to badlands, the memories. fond memories. there is a lot of charity work that has been done. in looking at the pictures and the space and where we are right now, i do believe this is an important proceeding. giving people a voice to speak

directly, not about what has been done in the past, but what we're going to be able to create together for the committee. [tone!] what i am hearing is overwhelming support for the plan. i would hate to think people are close minded to the fact there is something great available to them. there is something great available for the committee that will be built a new, fresh. i am committed as a philanthropist to working with this group as someone who hosts a events and making sure we capture the spirit in the new space. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: next speaker. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is john janoli. i am a patron of the eagle and and a musician to play the many times. i would like to speak against the transfer of the license.

one of the issues in san francisco right now for the gay community is nightlife. one point i wanted to make about the eagle as it was is that the eagle was not just a gay bar. there are many gay bars. it was a gay bar that have international appeal and your people from all over the world to our city. the economic impact of tourism is often downplayed. having the eagle the way it was, under de- ownership -- gay ownership said something about the kind of club it was. if we are weighing who should get a license, this would be more -- sorry. it would be more important to keep it as a bar that began as a

gay bar the welcome everybody as opposed to a bar that just happened to have the music or gay aspect as part of it. in terms of who should be able to have a license, i would like to say it would be more for the people that have held it previously and had a certain kind of appeal and to transfer it to others. i am sorry for being nervous. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: 80 very much. next speaker. >> my name is autumn haber. and here in support of the transfer of the liquor license. it is an opportunity for different committees to come together and collaborate , to open the doors of debt has been closed for so long and revive the business that was once there. it is a shame it is that closed. if the communities were to come

together and work together to create the music and art scene, and everything in one, a thicket is a shame it is not used as a positive form currently. it is mostly negative it is a good chance for jobs, art, and music to all be in one place in a closed door facility. thank you. >supervisor elsbernd: let me cal a few more names. sue, william bruce -- william, bruce, jody, danielle, bren dan, joseph, anni bacon, and jeff whitmore. those are all the names i have. if you did not hear your name and want to speak, please fill out a card.

go ahead. >> good morning. my name is brian green. i am a longtime patron of people -- of the eagle and resident of the mission district. i am in the position of this transfer, without knowing a whole lot about the processes, i am learning more about them today, but the good faith negotiations with the other proposed buyers, more questions are being raised than are being answered. i do not know what burning man has to do with this. it keeps being referred to. >> it is more about the legacy of the eagle. talk is cheap.

we're going to do this or that. the eagle did not exclude street people. -- the eagle did not exclude straight people. quite the contrary. from what i understand, the other offers on the eagle that fell through, i do not know what those circumstances were, but it would be interesting to learn that. the rumor mill is rife with stories about that. [tone!] more information, more public discourse, and more public scrutiny. supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much. next speaker. >> good morning, supervisors. thank you for this time. my name is sue englander. i am a neighbor.

i was in district 6. i am now in district 8. i am here to talk about the liquor license in terms of the history of taverns in san francisco. san francisco has had a great tradition of taverns. until the turn of the 20th century, there was one tavern for every 50 people in san francisco, more than churches. i think that is probably still true. the reason taverns were such a popular place was because working people needed a club. the bars or a place where ordinary men and women could gather, eat and drink, exchange information, but also due politics, raise funds, create a community. the eagle is in the best tradition of those kinds of community structures, the glue

and held marginalized communities together, which is why i am very much opposed to the liquor license transfer. if we are looking at the needs of the community, the convenience and necessity of this, i want to tell you transferring this liquor license flies in the face of community convenience and necessity. [tone!] the tavern served a marginalized community. it should again. the eagle did not just leave. it was kicked out by the landlord. this neighborhood is not becoming more verse. -- diverse. it is becoming less diverse. the number of jaguars and mercedes are exceeding the number of toyota's. i speak strongly against the liberalizes -- the liquor license transfer.

supervisor elsbernd: 80. next speaker. >> my name is bruce but that -- bruce bodett. i am a gay historian of sorts. i do not go to mcdonald's as a gay man looking for a sense of who i am. i know mcdonald's does cater to straight and gay people. i go to day establishments. -- i go to gay establishments, places that think about and offer a place of safety, a place of support. they get my support. i am against this transfer and this different kind of business coming into the space, and would

love to see something which would serve my community once again directly, not in directly -- indirectly. we need more safe places to go, more safe places to be, a place where the lovely person in the habit can feel comfortable. let's say if the gate-centric lyrics -- gay-centric lyrics, the owners might feel the need to censure the fact that someone might be in the habit or singing about a beer-can sized penis. god bless the old eagle for allowing the sort of thing to happen. supervisor elsbernd: thank you

very much. next speaker. >> good morning, supervisors. thank you for the special hearing this morning. my name is william baird. i have been a resident of san francisco for over 29 years. i am the president of the sentences the chapter of a club called the defenders. we are a service organization, part of the leather community chartered by dignity usa, a national organization of lgbt catholics. one of our primary purposes is to raise money for distribution to a variety of organizations. while i am encouraged by many comments, i remain concerned about the the looting of support -- goodbye lifting of support for the lgbt committee with the transfer of the license. we ask that you consider the intent of the management for being supportive of the lgbt community by providing the means

for fund-raising using the unique character of the venue. simply providing beverages for sale to the general community is not enough. there are many bars and restaurants that do that. indeed and legacy of the eagle -- the need and legacy of the eagle is to partner with a variety of organizations to generate income for lgbt groups. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much. next speaker. >> good morning, supervisors. as a licensed commercial real- estate appraiser with over 20 years of experience and someone also active in the leather community, i believe i can see both sides of the issue. should a property owner be able to do with his property as he wishes? i believe the answer to be yes given regulatory constraints.

due to the historical nature of the property and the property owner having perhaps performed sexual orientation discrimination in leasing matters, the answer is no. should the license be transferred and the property transformed? the historical nature would be transformed. it would not be able to be transformed back to its original orientation. the tabling of the transfer helped to preserve the space as is as an historical property. before it gets transformed, an historical plaque on the building. the tabling does not immediately reopen the eagle. if preserved, there are plenty of qualified a business people -- gay business people interested in getting it reopened even if it takes a few more months. the owner made numerous attempts to deal with the property and

was ignored by the ownership. why is it after over a year of delay and ignoring highly qualified gay leasees, he jumps at the first straight organization. it is outrageous. it is important to save the gay meeting space as it is even if the opening is delayed. i asked you to table the license for a month or two, investigate the real-estate discrimination i believe has gone on and preserve the space as is. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: next speaker. >> good morning. my name is danielle berson. serve on the board of the charitable organization currently raising funds for st. services. it is the seventh year of fundraising. after working closely with him

on this project and others, i am excited to be a part of this and revitalizing the space. it will share in the continuing tradition of live music and inclusion. i understand the important value of the space. i think the community will benefit greatly from his leadership in charity and organization and bringing community members together. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much. next speaker. >> thank you for having us here today. first of all, scott, i would like to say i am sorry that some of the arguments are not the direction we meant to go. sometimes people get he did and that happens. -- heated that happens. tenant after tenant, in fact the

last people did not even know they were not opening the eagle until they were told at a meeting by us that they were no longer going to be the tenant in the eagle. they did not know. no one ever told them. they still have the money ready to go to buy this place. they are still interested. they were overlooked. that is a basis for denying this license. when you talk about outreach, a procedure before process, they could reach out to close friends and knock on doors but could only reach out to who in the gay committee? if it had not been for me calling in setting up the meeting, there would not have been a meeting. the gay community has been shut out from this. i find a lot of the promises to possibly be hollow. i do not think this is properly vented. i hope you cannot transfer the license. supervisor kim: the meeting that

did take place between the current applicants and yourself with the meeting you initiated? >> yes, i called bill barnes and have him set it up for me. supervisor elsbernd: it is possible i had a misunderstanding. recollection is i texting you and asked if it was possible to give him your number to call you. >> that was after i contacted bill barnes to setup the meeting. supervisor elsbernd: ok, that was after. thank you. next speaker. >> my name is joseph. my alternate persona is sister maryanna. i am a 22-year resident of san francisco. i was a long-term patronage at the eagle. i was part of the last group of

postulants to be veiled at the eagle. many of my sister's ashes are scattered there. i think the question today is, is the interest of the community served by transferring the liquor license? i would say no. i have heard a number of things today. i have heard efforts have been made to contact my community. there has been no effort as far as i am aware to contact me personally. my order has not been contacted to the best of my personal knowledge with regard to this transfer. i have heard through the grapevine that there have been some charitable discussions with regard to continuing charitable v