we did get many letters of support on your behalf. thank you for all the outreach that you did. >> thank you. >> chair kim: mr. mecca. >> hi. my name is tommi mecca. i'm 61 years old, i've been out and a ear activist for 42 years. i think what i bring to this task force possibly would be my 42 years of activism, my extreme passion in my activism, and my extensive knowledge of housing issues. everything from rent control and the rights of tenants under rent control to the nitty-gritty of how to do affordable housing. and i think we all realize, even though we don't have hard cold stats we know that housing is a major -- affordable housing is a major need for seniors in san francisco, including lgbt seniors. my experience in housing issues is extensive. i won't go into all the details obviously. but i started getting involved in housing issues back in the mid-90's when the dotcom boom

hit and people were being evicted. i was part of a defense team that helped defend these folks from their evictions. i helped set up three shelters, a food program and shower project for homeless queer youth who were victims of the dotcome boom. i worked among low income tenants in san francisco including a number of lgbt seniors who are my regular clients. i also worked extensively on 55 laguna in it terms of helping keep that affordable. finally i think my vision for such a task force would be as a work group, a group that would get things done. it wouldn't just be a group that would talk but get things done because i firmly believe in getting things done. and we need a lot to be gotten done in this city. so i think my 42 years of activism, are a testament to the

fact that i know how to get things done. thank you. >> chair kim: thank you, mr. mecca. we next have valerie agostino -- if neither -- >> good afternoon. my name is veronica fimbres. i want to serve on this task force. i'm a vietnam era veteran. i've grown old with the city, having served the city for over 22 years. i'm a nurse and realize the aging process, how it takes place, and also a a person with osteoarthritis, all the little debilitating things that happen as you age. so i'm conscientious of all these things and of ada and everything else from triage, and also in 2000 i got 80,000

dollars on the care council to teach people how to work with transgender healthcare providers. and so i feel like i have a lot to give. you know, i'm not putting myself out to pasture quite yet. i also worked on open house as the focus group that -- before they came to fruition. so i feel like i want to do more, and i thank you for the opportunity to continue service. >> chair kim: thank you. and i apologize for the misspelling of your name on our agenda. >> thank you. >> chair kim: next we have bill ambrunn and william kirkpatrick. >> thank you, supervisors. so my question for supervisors campos and wiener, are we having fun yet? this is an amazing turnout, and i don't envy the selection choices that you all are going to have to make. there are a lot of wonderful candidates. what i wanted to say is that what i think i can bring to the task force is, you know, my 25

years in law, government, politics, and nonprofit community here in san francisco. as i put my materials, i worked here as an aide to supervisor leal for a number of years and learned quite a bit about how the government works, how it doesn't work, how the political system works. and i think that as a number of people have brought up, what this task force is going to need, as much as anything, are people that can help work things through the process, and come up with realistic implementable, if that's a word, recommendations for the board to move forward. so i will make the pledge to you because i know you have a lot of difficult decisions to make today, that if i am not one of the people selected that i will continue as i've done for the last two years, to work with your offices to -- the original goal the way we talked about it is the squeaky wheel gets the

grease. as a group lgbt seniors are not squeaky enough. so the task force is the squeak, and there's a lot of implementation that needs to be done. so thank you very much, and good luck. >> chair kim: thank you. then we have our last two applicants, william kirkpatrick and william lipsky. >> good afternoon. thank you for this opportunity. you can see from my material that i've got 15 years of distinct experience in this specific area. so -- and also am impressed and really encouraged at the caliber and experience that the applicants -- candidates have brought forth. and each though they may not have distinct background as myself, in fact, but they have incredible skillset that would be very well suited to this kind of thing. i have a cautionary tale. i've been on several types of these things, reincarnations, you do the needs assessment and

the recommendations. what about those outcomes. yes, tommi, we're talking about goals, things that would be specific that could be used, and that the mainstream aging can learn from, how well we take care of our own, just like the aids situation. my particular interest is matching, appealing, creative outreach to the particular populations. we can't have a white, very dry form of outreach. i've seen it not work. i've seen it turn off people. i seen people very uninterested in participating in an agency-speak type of thing. we have to welcome them with sexual interest. i love to see that be brought back into the the term, including senior sexuality. very important in terms of aids. and once that people do come that we treat them well and not turn them off with political-speak. i've had to retire three years

ago and with that experience specifically in this area, now that i can work full time this is exactly the kind of thing that would be good for a match between my experience and commitment to this. i would be very committed to this. thank you. >> chair kim: thank you. and last but not least, we have william lipsky. >> thank you very much. i am delighted to be here this afternoon as a -- actually i'm delighted to be anywhere on the planet at my age, but particularly here because of the worthy task you have set before all of us, and yourselves. i don't think i am qualified to be on this committee as an old gay man in san francisco, although i'm very glad that i've gotten to be an old gay man in san francisco. it is what i can bring to this. you don't need to know about what i've done in the past, just

what i can do going forward into the future. we've heard a lot of very sound things today from the people behind me. one of the things that i would like to emphasize though is that we do not have an lgbt community in san francisco. you can look behind me. we have an lgbt communities in san francisco. different people with different needs. not everybody in this room has the same needs and the same requirements. we each take a look at that. we also need to look in terms of the people who we are talking about, in terms of this committee. who are the individuals that we are going to be trying to help. what do they need, specifically, not just let's talk about these issues that we've had in the past. we've had housing issues since the gold rush. what housing issues are we talking about from members of the lgbt community in san francisco. what do they need. when do they need that.

and how do they need to have that happen. we have a great model from the 1980's here when we have a community as a group of communities, and the city, responded to the aids plague in san francisco, and elsewhere. i think that model works. but i think we need to begin by looking at the individuals involved, what they need, and then how we can provide it. so thank you very much. >> chair kim: thank you, mr. lipsky. seeing no comments from colleagues at this time, i will open up for public comment. first, if you would like to speak on this item, please do line up. again, we'll give two minutes. >> members of the rules committee, ray hartz, director of san francisco open government. although my primary focus is open government issues, as a life long member of the lgbt gay community, and now although i'll

never admit it publicly, a senior, i want to just comment on the importance of this hearing, and the formation of this task force. i, and most of the people in this room, grew up at a time when acknowledging urban sexuality you would not do. you couldn't participate in government openly as a member of the community. and there were often cases where you wanted to address specific issues related to the community, but were unable to do so because to simply acknowledge you were a part of it was the death nel. i think the importance of this community was, like it or not, we are still struggling for equal opportunity in the gay community around the uss. united states. there are significant portions of this country where being gay or lesbian or in any way different prohibits you from participating openly in government and especially in dealing with issues. one of the reasons i'm so proud

of the gay community here is the fact that it sets the example for not only san francisco, but for the bay area, california, and i think for the nation as it opens up to gay lesbian bisexual and transgender and queer individuals, that there need to be issues addressed, they need to be open, and most importantly in my mind, the fact that for so many years members of our community were denied the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the process, and yet they had so much to give. and you're seeing that in this argument anauditorium. you have so many applicants, the desire to serve our community, but not just the lgbt community, the entire community. >> chair kim: thank you. >> members of the committee, madam chair, supervisor wiener, my name is miguel gustos, a native san franciscan born and raised in the mission district

and former commission on the redevelopment agency when we had a wonderful stellar redevelopment agency in the city. you know, i look at the group, the name, the long list of folks that are applying, and how awesome it is that our future is really bright, that, as a san franciscan, as a gay latino, to know that my future is in wonderful hands, all of you deserve such -- i mean round of applause, and a lot of luck. so there are a lot of folks. i want to say i want to lend my support to dr. nickel, jim illig, michael costa, dr. edellman. but i was asked to speak on behalf of stu smith. he, like me, he's a native san franciscan. you know, he has seen the tra trajectory of our community, has seen what has gone on in the history of the gay community here in san francisco. and i think that perspective is

important. i don't come out here a lot to speak on behalf of anybody but i'm delighted to be here to speak on his behalf. he's a member of the disabled community, the hiv community, he's a small business leader, understands housing, is a wonderful volunteer at shanti, just is an incredible human being and i'm thrilled to speak on his behalf and also offer my recommendation to the folks i already mentioned. thanks so much. >> chair kim: thank you for being here. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is martha knutson chairs of the democratic club. i want to thank you for creating this important task force. i got to sit here for a while and it's just awesome what is happening here in this historic moment. i want to acknowledge we're sharing that feeling today and i'm sure you are too. i'm proud to speak in support of

michael costa who has served on our executive board as our treasurer for many years. from direct experience, michael will be an effective and conscientious task force member who brings his passion and ability to every service he undertakes. his application résume i think were excellent. he'll bring his experience as a healthcare policy consultant to the task force, in addition to all the years that he's had as a healthcare activist in the lgbt community to which i can directly attest. getting healthcare for the lgbt community has been and will continue to be a daunting challenge. our community has faced the challenge of support for hiv illnesses, addressed the special health needs of less beans and transgender people and must ensure fair treatment of elders whose relationships have gone unrecognized for years. michael will bring actual work exheerns on these issues to the

tax force, will bring thoughtful legislative solutions on senior, lgbt healthcare policy and i hope you will appoint him to the lgbt senior task force and now my cochair will speak for another fellow board member of ours. >> good afternoon. i'd like to follow up martha by saying we're here to support two of our long-term board mtious, jim illig and michael costa. they've given so much to this community. and that this concept that you're promoting today is something very important to our club. in fact, we have a meeting next week, where we're joining with the milk club on lgbt seniors issues. and so thank you for putting all this together. >> chair kim: thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is james -- and i'm with senior and disability action, formerly senior action network and planning for elders. we're moving forward, just like

you're moving forward, just like san francisco is moving forward with this amazing task force that's being created. i would like to emphatically urge you to appoint two members that we are endorsing, that being senior disability action, those two members are adam parness and jazzie collins. there are many quawched candidates, a lot of them bring very rich policy experience, and administrative experience. what is very critical is to have on the ground, on the sidewalk, community relations and an understanding of what's going on in the senior lgbt community and for that reason i strongly support jazzie, and aaron. that said, housing is a very critical element to the lgbt community, as well as low income people in san francisco.

and with that i would like to add on a couple of personal recommendations, those being another emphatic endorsement for mr. tommi mecca and -- they've demonstrated experience within the policy component as well as the community component. so with that, as we say down at senior disability action about jazzie, jazziec jazzie sí puede. thank you. >> chair kim: thank you for >> hello, board of supervisors. thank you for your patience, this evening. my name is bartholomew, i apologize my application was late. however i'm interested should there be a committee that i can serve on. i've been in san francisco since

the age of 14. when i moved here from it new orleans, i walked all over the city, coming from a segregated place, and ever since that day, this city has been mine. and that's why i've been involved in task force in the past. i'm a recovering alcoholic and i've been living with hiv for 28 years. my concern about this task force and wanting to participate is because lesbians and gays who are addicts and falling through the cracks are being incarcerated for a procession of drugs. also, take this opportunity to support my fellow colleagues, marilyn, larry saxxon and -- lange. thank you. >> chair kim: thank you. >> hello, supervisors, those of

you that i can see. i'm jessica layman, also a senior and disability action, formerly -- i was going to say pretty much the same things that james said but without the same humor that he is able to bring to it. but i do want to pass on our recommendation that you put jazzie collins and aaron parness on the lgbt task force. let me tell you first, i find it really exciting that the task force is coming together. it's clearly much needed in this city. thank you to that. i was in my office until i raced in just now, watching everybody on sfgov-tv. it's a wonderful group of applicants. weaver seen housing is one of the most important issues that lgbt seniors are talking about so it will be critical to have a number of people on the task force who really understand housing, who know how to deal with it from a policy perspective, and who are

connected to the grassroots of our community. jazzie and aaron absolutel absot that bill. i want to also encourage you to put tommi and michelle on the task force because of the experience they bring. thank you so much. >> chair kim: thank you, ms. lange. is there any other public comment on this item? >> yes. i am peter warfield, executive director and cofounder of library users association. i am glad that you have a new task force, and are hearing the candidates. one of the unfortunate things that relates to a previous item that you had, but also here, is that the board of supervisors' clerk has redacted all of the contact information for the applicants, other than what

seems to be clearly something to do with business phone numbers and e-mails. so not only has this been redacted, but for anybody who might want to get in touch with the folks who have concerns about lgbt issues, it's difficult to impossible. the redactions in your file do not show that there is any redaction. that's unlawful under sunshine. there's no indication that anything has been redacted from these records. and there's no indication, as required by law, as to what your justification is for these massive redactions. and these things prevent people from getting in touch with candidates, getting in touch with each other, to discuss issues that concern them in ways that are normal in a democracy. and i think that's most unfortunate. if the task force were

effectively operating, certainly i would file a complaint. in any case, it's good to hear the many qualified people, and presumably you will make some good decisions. as i said, our issue right now is that a gay muralist arch williams made a wonderful mural at bernal branch library which the city wants to get rid of and replace with something bland. it's a destruction of history and we would like to get in touch with anybody who is interested. thank you. >> chair kim: thank you. is there any other public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. i just wanted to take an opportunity to thank the many, many applicants that have applied, and also that are here today, and have sat through a lengthy rules committee and listened to one another. i think certainly i can speak on behalf of the committee in that we are incredibly impressed by the caliber not just of interest

in service but of course on personal and work experience that you've brought forward, and just -- i'm personally impressed by the incredible diversity, also of the applicants that have applied and we don't often see that. i don't know if that speaks to the outreach that was done by the offices of supervisor campos, wiener and olague but i want to say i truly, truly appreciate all of your applications. supervisor farrell. >> supervisor farrell: similarly i want to echo everyone a real big thanks for coming out today. i think the enormous outpouring of applicants is a real testament to the enthusiasm for this and i specifically want to commend my fellow supervisors wiener and campos and olague for being the impetus for being behind this task force. it's obviously something long time overdue and look forward to working with everyone here. i want to make sure i thank everyone for coming out today and whoever does get selected know you will be carrying the torch for a lot of people as

well. >> chair kim: supervisor campos. >> co-chair campos: thank you, madam chair. you know, i do sort of see this task force as -- to use a term in basketball, it is sort of a dream teadream team in terms ofe people who will be, on behalf of the city, talking about and strategizing about the future of the aging lgbt community. it is very impressive roster, and as i indicated at the outset of the meeting, i think that any one of the applicants could do an excellent job. in trying to look at the names, what i have tried to do is tried to look at all the -- not only the applications, but also the different comments that we have received from members of the public, not only here, but also e-mail, and also to the extent that there are different

comments from other members of the board, or other members of the community, that's sort of what i'm trying to figure out. and my support of a candidate doesn't necessarily reflect, you know, how i would have chosen 15 people, but it's really based on what is it that we're hearing from the community. because at the end of the day, this task force really belongs to the community. and so to the extent that there is consensus around some names, my inclination would be to be supportive of those names. so that's kind of how imtrying to approach it. i don't know, supervisor wiener, if you have -- so, you know, i don't know how we want to do this, but we know there are a couple of names that i want to throw out as names that i think, based on what i have seen and based on some of the work that i have experienced firsthand, i think individuals that i think

should be added, and maybe you guys can also, you know, list some of the names that you think should be added as well. you know, i've worked with tommi mecca for many years on many different issues, and i do think that, you know, what he said in his presentation about getting things done is true, of how he approaches things. so i would add tommi to the list. we heard a number of people speak on behalf of jazzie collins, and it's not just because of the clever jazzie sí puede, but i think that certainly nailed it for me. and you know, we have also -- you know, we heard from marcy edellman and the long history of work around these issues. i think points to the kind of

experience that you want to see. so let least to get this rolling. >> chair kim: thank you. i would like to support tommi mecca and jazzie collins. i've worked with both of you and i know your work very well, particularly ms. collins in district 6. ms. edellman who i don't know as well but was impressed by your application. i also love to throw mr. stuart smith on there, someone was also very active and has done a lot of outreach to garner support. and i do actually appreciate that level of enthusiasm in wanting to serve as well. so i will also add his name. also would like to add larry saxxon, someone who i don't know, but i've heard a lot about through other individuals, and was very impressed by your presentation today as well.

i do want to give opportunity to other committee members, if -- we have 15 slots. >> i do -- will certainly be in agreement with that. michael costa is subpoena tha cd love to see on this committee. do you want to start with a motion? >> it would make sense to get to 15 and then make a motion but i certainly agree with all of the recommendations that were made. i think stu smith, very impressive presentation and the level of support from the community as well as larry saxxon, michael costa. i think he probably will play the role of the policy wonk and i think that's something you want to see as well. someone that i've always been very impressed with, because of what she means to the community,

is felicia elizondo. i think it's important to have representation from all sides of san francisco. i also want to add jorge rodriguez. supervisor wiener probably has some. >> supervisor wiener: i can crash the party. there are a few i want to mention. one is bill ambrunn was in a lot of ways wasn't the only moving force behind this but he was the one who cracked the whip on all of us from the very beginning and made sure this happened. so i think he would be a phenomenal addition. daniel redman, who is just done tremendous work. i think it's also important on the diversity of the committee to acknowledge this is