>> welcome to our regular rules committee meeting for thursday, march 21st, 2013. i am supervisor norman yee and i will be chairing this meeting. to my left is supervisor malia cohen and to my right is supervisor london breed. the clerk today is linda wong. and the committee would also like to acknowledge the staff of sfgtv, nona and craig burk will be doing the recording of each of these -- of this meeting and make the transcript available to the public online. madam clerk, are there any announcements? >> yes, mr. chair. please make sure to turn off

all cell phones and electronic devices. completed speaker cards and documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. items acted upon today will appear on the april 2nd board of supervisors agenda unless otherwise stated. >> okay, good. if committee members don't mind, i'd like to take item 4 out of order as the first item. can you please call item number 4? >> item number 4 is hearing to consider appointing six members, terms ending november 18, 2014, to the urban forestry council. there are 7 seats and 6 applicants. >> okay, we will be hearing from the candidates in order as they appear on the agenda. is john [inaudible], is he here? okay.

>> good afternoon, supervisor. i [speaker not understood]. i'm not sure they got the message that they were moved because i don't see one of the councilmembers here. >> okay. next person, then, is dan kida.3 if you keep your comments brief. thank you. thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. i am actually dan flanagan. i am speaking for dan kida. we were noticed on this meeting fairly late and we had two conflicts. dan is the potential new member to the council and he has these words. he has been a certified arborist for the past 10 years. most of his career is spent working with the urban forest and pg&e. this involves working with diverse customer base who care deeply about their trees.

the challenge is to ensure trees adjacent to power lines are kept safe distance while trying to satisfy their customers' expectations. he actually runs the crewses that have to inspect every single inch of pg&e wires every year, and he runs about four or five tree crews. so, he has probably more intimate knowledge of san francisco urban forest than many folks. i strongly recommend his candidacy for the urban forest council. he's been highly recommended by many people. >> okay, thank you. i noticed that he's not a resident of san francisco. >> i just called him at that. he lives at 1200 17th avenue number 304 in the inner sunset. >> okay, thank you for clarifying that.

i'll take these speakers unless you have questions for that particular -- go ahead. supervisor breed. >> i need verification of the residency requirement since it's listed here that a waiver is required. and i'm not sure how the information was obtained for his current -- how the information was obtained to list on the agenda that a residency waiver is required. so, i just need some sort of verification. and, actually, i need that from either the city staff or city attorney or someone internal, please. thank you. >> i guess we can move on to -- dan flanagan, would you like to talk about yourself now? sure. dan flanagan. i am chairman -- i am the executive director of friends

of the forest. i have served on the urban forest council for the past two years, served on the planning and if you hadvtioning committee. i am currently the chair of the council. ~ funding i plan to be the chair hopefully again when we have our elections in may. i am deeply committed to the urban forest. it's my career. i spend five days a week working with all sorts of challenges that the urban forest presents us. i am deeply committed to the urban forest and to the urban forest council and i hope that i get reappoint today this position. >> okay. any questions? madam clerk, should i have all the speakers come up before i ask if there is any public comments? >> yes, mr. chair. >> thank you. thank you. >> next person is sandy sherwin. [laughter]

>> ah, let's see, a man of many -- exactly. sandy sherman is in atlanta. she had a business meet thattion she could not cancel at the last minute. she actually responded immediately upon notice of this meeting. she has been seated on the council the past two years. she also has been a member of good standing, a very helpful member of the planning and funding committee. she works with the public. she has had almost perfect attendance at all council meetings and she wishes to be reappointed. >> okay. any questions? seeing none, are you also william -- that's it. i'm done. >> [speaker not understood]. okay. mr. brook? i'll speak for myself. okay, good. my name is william [speaker not understood]. i'm a bay area native and an environmental attorney here in san francisco. and two years ago i researched and wrote a white paper, a policy paper on urban forests in california.

what i learned was pretty surprising. i was impressed by the value that urban forests provide to a city, particularly in adaptation and mitigation to climate change. and, so, i'd like to bring my expertise out of green biology from harvard and law degree from berkeley to making sure that our city is sustainable, healthy, and a great place to live. and i see serving on the urban forestry council as a way i can help achieve those goals. so, i thank you for considering me for this position. >> are there any questions? seeing none, is rose hillson here? good afternoon. rose thought she was going to be late. you know you all are going to be here later on this afternoon. i'm sorry. [laughter]

sorry about the confusion there. [speaker not understood]. good afternoon, commissioners. i'm a resident and native san franciscan. i grew up in the richmond district and i'm currently eminently qualified for the position, seat 7 on the seat [speaker not understood]. i am a board of supervisors appointee on the council. i'm currently chair of the landmark tree committee. i have been serving the community for over 20 years in the jordan park improvement association, jpia, which puts me in touch with my neighbors. jpia is also one of 48 neighborhood organizations and the coalition for a san francisco neighborhood, csfn, and it afford me a ability to work with citizens, [speaker not understood]. i am a housewife with diverse interests. i started by volunteering in

the public schools and i am a product of the public schools. i wanted to work with the youth in this city because it is our future and they are our future. i would love to see more youth involved to be apprentice to even work on greening projects such as the one i am currently working on with rec and park on a very sustainable plant restoration project. rec and park's volunteer director has been wonderful in signing up folks from larkin street youth, one work, et cetera. through making contacts with people with various ethnic backgrounds, cultures and disabilities, as well as the elderly, i think about being sensitive to these people's differences. it is also about coming to understand their philosophy about the trees in their lives and the role that trees play in this city. some of the considerations include addressing tree issues for those whose first language is not english and making them feel more comfortable approaching the council. i want to ensure that the

community seat has a real community person on the council to represent their interests. it is a diversity and unique flavors of all of our neighborhoods that make this city special and different areas have their own special charm. it is about being inclusive of all their opinions rather than being exclusive. i have volunteered on the japantown organizing committee and have provided my personal input on some of the landscaping and greening issues for japantown. i have worked collaboratively with the japantown task force and key decision-makers from the fillmore district in this area as well. i spent additional volunteer time to attend tree related meeting such as the one supervisor wiener held on the dpw street tree relinquishment matter to contribute my own personal opinions and solutions for this issue. [speaker not understood]. i have attended -- i know, hurry up, hurry up. i have attended the commission on the environment meeting for

certain issues related to the urban forestry council and have run into tireless activists from other areas of the city. one of the people i have come to know is dr. espinola jackson from the bayview district. she has great concerns about environmental justice for the people in her exhausted. community. speaking of the bayview district, after december 2011, i found myself to be the only councilmember ~ who attended mayor lee's press meeting to applaud the efforts of the neighbors who worked on the model block project on newcomb avenue. it may be tough for somebody on the urban forestry council to attend these events who has another job. i think to the greatest extent possible since we are automobile volunteers, a community seat member should go out and look at what other people in the neighborhood are doing. i have staffed the usc urban paper table to field questions and concerns from the public. i am also the only person, by the way, who has a landmark

tree on the council. i work with scientists, experts from state university and my arborists to plead my case, and this is really pleading my case, to get my tree landmarked. i learned much about the urban forestry council which was created by the board of supervisors in 2001 and how it is charged with many things including watching over the canopy of the city to protect community interests and let the citizens know about the full range of tree benefits. it is hoped that the urban forestry council becomes a place where everybody feels comfortable to discuss tree issues, no matter what their socioeconomic or ethnic cultural background. as you probably know from the attendance record for the council, i have a 100% attendance record for the full council and committees. this shows you that i take this volunteer role seriously. i think it is important that any candidate who wishes to apply for any position on the council actually attend various

and multiple meetings before they are considered for any position. it is also very important that councilmembers have an excellent attendance record to move the business of the council forward. i do ask for you to allow me to continue my work with the community on the council. thank you very much for your time. >> thank you very much. [inaudible]. i think there is a misunderstanding. >> he is registered in san rafael to vote on his application. and also on our agenda it was listed that a residency waiver was required. so, i need to make sure that that information gets verified internally. thank you. >> so, any public comments on item number 4?

come on up. two minutes. thank you again. espinola jackson, bayview hunters point. i would like to say i'm here to support rose hillson because of her great work and the fact that like she stated, when you get these positions, you're supposed to really want to serve, you know, san franciscans, the community, and not have a lot of abcents like we have on some committees. it is very important that people participate if they want to serve, you know, because they are serving you as well as the rest of the citizens of san francisco. so, i'm asking for your support to say yes to rose. thank you very much. you all have a blessed day. >> thank you. ♪

green, green, it's far they say on the side of the appointment green, green and i hope you pick a good appointment for the seat you're going to fill green oh, green i hope you pick a good appointment please and i hope you make it green and i hope you pick a good appointment the best ones that you've seen green, green is the appointment green on the hill on the far side of the city hail green, green, and you're going to pick a good appointment and the seat you're going to fill and they walk in appointment zoll -- solitude [speaker not understood] and you're going to pick appointments now and i know it's going to be fine and the city, the forest gonna shine

in the city rockey mountain forest high i know you're going to pick appointments from the sky and i know you're going to make it and you're going to make the city budget forest fly city mountain high on these appointments ♪ thanks good afternoon, i'm nancy russell. i'm here today to personally support the application of rose hillson. she is applying for the community seat on the urban forestry council. she is the perfect embodiment of talents to speak on behalf of the greater san francisco community. she is unanimously endorsed by the coalition for san francisco neighborhoods that comprises 48 neighborhood groups. she is currently serving on the council as the landmark tree committee chair.

mrs. hillson is what the board of supervisors had in mind when they approved the formation of the council in 2001. from that ordinance the purpose was stated, "it is the intent of the board of supervisors to form an urban forestry council that will protect the community interest and ensure san francisco realizes the full range of tree benefits into the future." the ordinance also states that to meet this purpose, the council shall work with the effective stakeholders to educate the public on urban forestry issues. this is why there are two seats for community persons to participate in this vital work of preserving our trees as a vital resource of san francisco's urban forest system. the ordinance also states that a unified and effective response to the challenges facing the urban forest require input from the public in the decisions on the care of trees. this is where mrs. hillson is so effective.

she knows the issue, she articulates them well, and she has access to the community groups she is serving. when she makes herself heard in public arenas such as the monthly coalition meeting and her own local organization. she listens to the concerns of the neighbors and interested parties on both sides of tree issues. she is the public voice to the council and brings balance to the many issues before our city departments responsible for our trees. rose hillson does a superior job as a [speaker not understood] forest advocate and spokesperson for all of us. please keep our san francisco communities well represented on this important body. she deserves your continued support. thank you very much. >> thank you. seeing no other further public comment, public comment is closed. i'd like to suggest that we continue to the call of the chair for seats number 2 and 3.

is there a motion? seeing no objection, that motion is moved. there are, then, five other applicants for the five other seats. would somebody like to just move the nomination of all five with the seat number assignments to the full board without objection? supervisor breed. >> thank you. i'd like to move john hillan for seat 1, dan flanagan for seat 4, sandy sherwin for seat 5, william moss for seat 6 and rose hillson for seat 7. >> and there's a second. seeing no objection, then the motion is moved. item 4 is done. okay.

madam clerk, please call item number 1. by the way, congratulations to the applicants. thank you for coming today. >> item number 1, hearing to consider appointing one member, for an indefinite term, to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender seniors task force. there is one seat and 33 applicants. >> at least on paper i see like tons of applicants. so, we're going to hear from the applicants as they appear on the agenda. it's a large number. i'd like to ask that you limit your comment to no more than two minutes. so, i will call your name. if you're here, come on up to the mic. first one is aaron parness. are you here? aaron parness. alex kinney.

alyssa nickell. carl stokes. connell persico. cynthia davis. emerald o'leary. frank strona. joyce pierson. gregg cassin. come on up. [inaudible]. >> you're first. thank you, i think. well, thank you. nice to meet you all.

and i just want to say thank you for creating the task force. i am a gay dad. i've lived in san francisco since 1980. i tested positive in the early '80s, went on to disability maybe 10 or 12 years ago, but stayed really involved here, activities. i just think this task force is incredibly important. i think that the things that i look and i see most is how people -- how fast people can become invisible and how much a social network and how much it takes actually caring for and watching out for our lgbt [speaker not understood]. i had an experience of being senior almost by being on disability for a long time and kind of being marginalized and kind of stepping outside the system and having to [speaker not understood] myself a bit and relying on things like a task force for social services

that have been incredibly helpful and generous for me. i want to read a little [speaker not understood] projects that i've been working on. most of my work has been in organizing and organizing community groups and either political groups or social networking groups. i started in 1985 a support group for people with hiv. that grew to be 100 or so folks coming every thursday. it was called the healing circle. i worked -- are you kidding? okay, do i have 30 seconds? okay. and then i worked at the corridor [speaker not understood] for november 15th [speaker not understood]. i'm working with cleve jones for a march [speaker not understood]. i am a volunteer at [speaker not understood] hospice.

thank you for this opportunity. i'm going to leave you with a poster for the march [speaker not understood]. >> thank you. any questions of mr. cassin? supervisor cohen. >> thank you. i have a question for you. i have actually two. i first want you to describe to me your advocacy -- i take that back, you did that in your previous comments. can you describe to me some of the work that you've done in some of the ethnic communities, lgbt ethnic communities? well, for years i was running an organization called aids benefit of miracles. one of the things that's powerful about the [speaker not understood] community from the early days we had to all come together. there was just no -- we didn't get to split up into separate groups. there is a group aidses benefit a miracle i was the lead facilitator and the chairperson in the ward. we had folks from every corner of the bay area coming to that. it was a national organization for awhile, then it became a bay area organization.

as folks from oakland, folks down in the peninsula, we had latino -- we had whole families coming together. folks from the projects. we had folks recently released from prison. we just had a great mixture of people and now my tree hospice of course we have an incredible mix of folks. one of the things that we worked on in doing any of our planning work when doing -- like for the march for equality, is we have this really great diverse group of people. so, we have older folks like myself and cleve jones, and then we have kids that are like 20 years old. we have kids that are, you know, mixed race. it's been an incredible project, and that is -- i guess that's what makes any of this work really exciting and it's when there is a great diversity of people. age wise, for me age wise as well as ethnicity