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 events at the new proposed space. as i understand it, the suggestions were so cost- prohibitive i would not be able to hold a charitable event at the new location due to the cost constraints. [tone!] the gentleman here said they could not do outreach with the community in the last three weeks due to the logistics of the team put in the place together. how can they establish a community-oriented space without contacting the committee? how can they establish a team to create a space that will serve the community without costing -- contacting the committee they are attempting to serve? [tone!] pictures i have seen today are

described as being caused by the former tenants. what proof is there that it was damaged by former tenants? i have more to say. thank you for your time. supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much. next speaker. >> i am a local musician. i am not a san francisco native, but you may have seen my baby back they're making noise. he is a san francisco native. we intend to stay and build our home here. when i found out eli spear was taking over the tavern, i cannot tell you how excited i was. as a musician, i knew this would be a place where musicians were honored and treated with respect, where music and art would thrive. as i am sitting here listening to everything being said, i

understand the concerns that spaces that are safe for the lgbt community should not be taken away absolutely. i consider myself an ally and activist for the lgbt community. i want to the size -- emphasize eli spear should be considered an asset in keeping the history alive of the tavern and moving forward operating on some of the same principles of openness. in the city, i often in up in a bar or restaurant where i fear i am not wearing the right clothes or should have put makeup on or something like that. i feel so relieved to know there could be a space that is truly about community where anybody is truly welcome. [tone!] supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much.

i want to call the last speaker card i have. nick hudson. if i have not called your name and you want to speak, please fill out a card. otherwise, we will do the last three speakers. >> my name is seth munter. i am here to ask you to table the motion. tabling this motion will bring all parties to the table and enable consideration and collaboration. a little background. i am a licensed real estate salesperson. i hold an m.b.a. from uc- berkeley. i am director of the leather alliance. i also represent mark frazier, the owner and operator of the dallas eagle. we do not seek ownership of the bar. we seek collaboration. over a year ago, mr. frazier and i approached the owner of 398 12th street to discuss a lease

arrangement. he made two demands. pay the back of a previous lessees, over $50,000. second, do all of the building of the ada compliance at our expense. he would not discuss a lease unless these demands were met. working with the manager of the eagle tavern, we ran financial analyses and found these unreasonable preconditions made the business of feasible u -- unfeasible. we spoke with mr. wiener and bevin dufty. we have the ability to move forward, but we need to make sure the double rainbow team does reach out. we need to delay consideration of the transfer to give the team a reason to collaborate. nobody wants a vacant property.

it is mr. nicotopolus's fault it is still vacant. let's work together and find a solution for all of us. [tone!] supervisor elsbernd: we have the board rule, no applauding or hissing or anything else. that is a rule. i wanted to point that out. i was going to compliment you on having a perfect two-minute point. that rarely happens. >> you can blame my speech and debate coach in high school. >> one of the overarching question as i have, do you believe the owner of this property has negotiated in good faith with all members of the committee, including members of

the lgbt community? >> i do not know about other people. i know his interaction with the previous owners was not always positive. i am sure he did not negotiate in good faith with my client who owns the dallas eagle. there are eagle bars across this country that are very successful. there is no reason we cannot have an eagle in the tradition of that are here in san francisco. >> thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you very much. next speaker. i also have a speaker card for doug. >> my name is jeff whitmore. i am the owner of public works in san francisco. the reason i got in this business was for the diversity and bringing people together. everything you and everything i have been involved in, that is my first and foremost objective. i think we have succeeded with ou