in new york city, but san francisco will always be a home to you and you will always be in our hearts. and i am proud that in the course of my tenure as a supervisor i have been lucky enough to work with and get to know someone like you. thank you very much. (applause) >> thank you. well, first i want to thank you, supervisor campos. as you mentioned, we had a long haul to get where we were, but now we are very, very grateful to you and the leadership and the board of supervisors for unanimously granting us a 25-foot buffer zone which has given great relief to our clients and our staff so that they can walk through our front doors with dignity, without

harassment, without being bullied and allowing them to access the health care that they deserve. so, thank you very much for that. as supervisor campos mentioned, i mean, i just want everyone to sit back for just a minute and just imagine yourself as a young woman coming to the planned parenthood health center on valencia street. you come, you're approaching, you're coming in for your birth control, your cancer screening, your breast exam, and as you approach, there's a large truck covered in flags, huge 8-foot tall posters with fake bloody fetus he. as you get closer, the music is blasting. you're being videotaped. you walk through a gauntlet of people and then a strange man with a 10-foot cross of 2 by 4s comes running at you screaming not to kill your baby. and then as you walk through the front door, a person shoves

pamphlet in your face, giving you medical misinformation and saying, if you could talk, mom my, don't kill me. this isn't texas, it's san francisco. and it's the leadership of supervisor campos and his amazing staff, shelly rhone an and stephanie ashley that brought us through to where we are today ~ and i thank you so much for that. i also want to thank my colleague david trujillo. you're amazing, could not have done this without you, thank you, i love it. and i just want to say what's really important to me is i accept this honor really on behalf of the women coming to our health center and our partners that are so brave to come into those -- into our health center to get the care that they need and are able to do that so bravely. i also accept it on behalf of our staff, like you said, every day come to work knowing that

they're being videotaped, their photographs are being taken not knowing what website they're going to end up in and possibly be the next target of the antiabortion protesters. i am so proud of the city of san francisco and the leadership, and i am so honored to be here today and you're not getting rid of me. i will be back. and i also want to thank my in-laws are here, and my aunt elaine, eleanor greenberg, elaine greenberg who are here and i am thrilled that they are here with me today. and thank you very much. >> thank you, adrian. (applause) >> if i may ask stephanie ashley and hillary ronan who are the two women from my staff who worked on this to join me. and the thing that i would say, the thing that i learned is if we cannot protect our women's right to choose in san francisco, then where in this country can we protect it?

>> exactly. >> here, here. (applause)

>> thank you, supervisor campos. and now why don't we did to district 8, supervisor wiener. >> thank you, mr. president. today i am honoring someone who has been a real hero in the fight against hiv and in general smart public health harm reduction measures, [speaker not understood] thomas. are you here? there she is.

so, i think i know, colleague, i think probably all of you know laura and her work in some capacity over the years in so many different public health measures around hiv, around the drug criminalization issues, and other issues as well, but probably thing you didn't know about laura, she was born and grew up in charlottesville, virginia. she is one of the founders of the dike march. she got her star in hiv and political activism with act up and [speaker not understood] san francisco. she's been arrested 14 times for direct action in civil disobedience. most recently in front of the white house during the international aids conference in 2012. after serving on the san francisco hiv health services planning council since it was

born 25 years ago, she finally retired from the council, not retired in general because shoe still working on many, many issues last week. i want to thank you for your work on the council for a quarter of a century. laura is currently the deputy state policy director for the drug policy alliance where she continues to champion drug policy reform. she spent 7 years working at the san francisco aids foundation where she worked on health policy and planning for hiv services, including writing a number of grants, bringing in millions of dollars in funding to the foundation. laura is currently co-president of the harvey milk, lgbt democratic club and is a member of the hiv prevention justice alliance. in 2010 she was bestowed the local unsung hero award from the national aids memorial group. she -- there are some things you don't know about her as well. we did a little digging.

she had her photo taken with aloely beth taylor in vanity fair magazine. i didn't know this, she's a birder and can point out many falcons and hawks in the civic center area. and she and her partner have been married four different times, not as uncommon as one might think in the lgbt community give hep the roller coaster of marriage equality. ~ given that means four different wedding anniversaries. that can be a lot of fun, get a lot of gifts or something like that. so, and i just want to say on a personal note, laura clearly is just incredible accomplishments for so many years in our community. but personally i just have, laura, so much respect for you. not just for what you've done for our community particularly around hiv and trying to really work towards a healthier community for people who are

hiv positive or hiv negative, but i know in san francisco politics there are a lot of sharp elbows and people get very passionate about issues and sometimes from time to time that passion can become a little bit intense and maybe sometimes even a little bit nasty and people sometimes have trouble distinguishing between policy disagreements and personal grudges. and one thing i've always found with you, laura, is that you are an intense political fighter and advocate as i've ever seen, but you always go about it in the most absolutely professional and authentic way. you're able to work with -- you and i don't agree on everything, but we've always been able to work together. and it's something i really appreciate about you. it's one of the reasons you are a incredibly effective and respected as you are. so, laura, it is my absolute

pleasure to honor you today as woman of the year. so, congratulations. (applause) >> well, thank you, scott. and thanks to the board of supervisors and the commission on the status of women. san francisco has been my home for over 25 years. i came here as a young trouble making activist and i would like to think i'm still keeping my trouble making chops, even though they're a little more subtle now. but i still value the san francisco that makes thing for people who can be passionate troublemakers. it's one of the things that i fear that as san francisco moves towards increasing income and equality, it's moving away from some of the courage and commitment and character that made san francisco the place that i wanted to move to.

you know, i don't want us to lose our heart in our respect and our desire to include people who use drugs, people living with hiv, the queer youth who are moving here now, our transgender elders. if we -- it's great to embrace change. san francisco has always embraced change. that's part of what i love about it. but i also want to make sure that we are embracing that in a way that values everyone that lives here. you know, my friends are losing their houses. our spareable on fox knew trumpses our attach many to evident that will help us in the hiv epidemic here. so, my roots are here now ~. i'm a rare breed of a san francisco homeowner. and i love it here and i am happy to be here. but i hope that as we weather the changes coming in the

economic forces here that we hold onto our heart and that the heart stays as welcoming as it was when i came here. thank you. (applause) [laughter] [inaudible]. (applause) >> thank you, supervisor wiener. from district 8 to district 7, supervisor yee. >> thank you, president chiu. today i am honoring an outstanding individual in district 7. her name, kate baletti. the thing this year's honoree

has mentioned by several people celebrating women of character, courage, and commitment. and i really could not think of no better person in district 7 that fits this description than kate. as everybody knows, in san francisco really what makes san francisco our neighborhoods and with people like kate that build neighborhoods. so, for me it's a definite important thing because i grew up in san francisco. kate is a native san francisco and it's good to have people that have this long, long-term commitment to make the city a great city even greater. as a san francisco native and a long term resident of district 7, kate is active in numerous neighborhood, community services and nonprofit organization. she currently serves as the president of the west ward park

homeowner's association. kate envisioned a vibrant and successful ocean avenue as a unifying force that really knits together the diverse communities that surround ocean avenue. and she has worked tirelessly to change the face of ocean avenue which will benefit all residents in our city. she's been doing this since 2005. kate, kate is also an avid supporter of open space and she is working tirelessly with me to bring more funding into creating a more open space along ocean avenue. sometimes people don't really understand that certain areas really have a lack of open space. they'll see there are some district 7 they'll see one side of golden gate park [speaker not understood], they'll see lake merced and so forth, and there is a lot of open space.

if you look at the neighborhood itself and along where we're trying to get some open space, you have to go over a mile in any direction before you hit any open space. and for those that are seniors, as you all know, i'm almost one of them and those that have little toddlers that stroll in the strollers, going over a mile to get to open space is really asking people to say, don't bother. so, thank you, kate, for your help. kate is not only active in many organizations, but following her retirement from the city and county of san francisco, actually 36 years of services, she was appointed by mayor lee to the civil service commission, which she is still serving today. again, you know, i really -- kate doesn't know this, but i've been watching her for a long time as her neighbor and watching her really -- the style that she brings to our

community is something that i really try to copy, which is she brings people together and she makes things work. so, again, i want all of us to join us in thanking kate who is representing [speaker not understood] and i'm very proud to have her be my woman of the year for district 7. thank you, kate. [cheering and applauding] >> i have to say i am so honored that supervisor yee has named me for this recognition. we don't work alone. none of us works alone and with regard to this civil service merit system, it's the board of supervisors with the civil service commission that has for a long time had unwaivering support for fair employment,

whether it's breaking the glass ceiling, whether it has been to ban the box. we work together to be able to create a fair space for employment. in my community work, the board of supervisors again has been very, very helpful in creating a vibrant community, but also with our neighbors. without [speaker not understood] or the omicpc cultural community participation project or al and mary harris or the oaa or anita harris [speaker not understood] and cathy [speaker not understood] who worked tirelessly with me, with city guide, west wood park association. it take all of us to be able to work together to make a community and to make san francisco a great place to live. and of course it is a great place to live, we all know that, but we can always work on it. you know, ocean avenue is one place that people kind of forgot and i remember it as a kid. i am so glad to see the

vibrancy coming back and that before the 280 freeway was put in, but that's another matter. i want to thank nobody can do anything without their family. we have our neighbors, we have our friends, we have our community members and we have our family. and our staff and civil service commission staff here is jennifer johnson and abby [speaker not understood] and sandra ing all live together, too, the remainder of the staff, i'm tongue tied. they work so hard to make sure there is fairness of employment and the [speaker not understood] is conducted well. we also have our family. my kids -- my kid, they're middle aged. tony, joanne, and dominic and their wives lawyer enand amber and my grand girls who, nicole, my oldest grand girl said, grandma, [speaker not understood], why can't a girl be a fire chief? and i said, oh, my goodness, nicole, that ain't the way it

can be. and immediately went to joanne and said, look, i have a picture, wrote them a little story, saying, look, there is future for all girls. and boys, but there is no artificial barrier. it was so shocking to me after all the work we did in the merit system, many of us here, to see that a 3 or 4 year old girl would then say, well, i can't be a fire chief. well, that's got to change. and i hope to work to that end. there's my husband who i cannot -- [inaudible]. cory. last but not least, there's my mom. she's an immigrant to this country. she's the daughter of a migrant worker. (applause) >> she really influenced the way i look at the world and bringing people together and

looking at fairness and making sure that there is a good future for all of us. thank you. very much. (applause)

~ ~ >> when we wrote the theme for this year's women's history month celebrating courage, character and commitment, we couldn't think of anyone to honor better this year that embodied the theme in 2013. mrs. lee originally hailed from [speaker not understood] in

china, mr.and mrs. lee her husband immigrated to san francisco over 34 years ago. after their arrival, she found work in the [speaker not understood] industry and they worked as dishwasher and cooks throughout the city. they raised their daughter who was severely developmentally disabled and committed remaining to taking care of her in a loving home for as long as they possibly could. mrs. lee is also a graduate of the chinatown community development center [speaker not understood] leaders training program and during this time fought for fair wages and working conditions for garment factory workers alongside her filipino and chinese colleagues. last year mrs. lee's most challenging moment arrived when her family and all of her [speaker not understood] were issued for eviction by a new owner who promptly evicted the residents. weeks and months turning into a year, mrs. lee fought to find a new home her family could afford.

the services and support [speaker not understood] relied upon for 30 years for themselves and their daughter. as time passed, the reality was the law was not on her side but she fought on despite the odds not just for herself, but because she wanted to continue to show the human faces behind every eviction and to fight for all the workers and tenants who spend sleepless nights like her wondering how much time they had left in their home. she said it in her own words. "in many ways all my life i have been a fighter but even the greatest fighters have challenging moments and adversity, even the best fighters have sleepless nights with a roof over their heads may be taken away." mrs. [speaker not understood] models the character, courage, and commitment when she stepped forward to draw public attention to their eviction and the tremendous lack of affordable housing opportunities in san francisco by refusing to leave her home. her decision to take their situation to the public risk

arrest on multiple occasions and i don't know how many of you have risked arrest, but mrs. lee at her age with her husband, endure anxiety and fear on multiple nights about where she might sleep the next night, and open the most [speaker not understood] of her life to the general public. her action has spurred local and state legislators including supervisors in this room, community leaders to step up and develop and support new policies to support our most vulnerable residents and legislative reforms on a statewide level including reforming the ellis act, an act which many of us in this room have been calling for change for years and it's finally taking place this year, the discussion. [cheering and applauding] >> it is hard to credit any single one person, but if not for mrs. lee we would not have the [speaker not understood] we

have in the city. it was said eloquently at the tenant convention at tenderloin elementary school, one of our residents this district 6 who is also facing eviction at 10 49 market said there is no way the department of building inspection, the planning office, the mayor's office and my office ~ would have responded as swiftly to what looked like the largest small scaly vix since 177 if not for mrs. lee ~ if not for all the media attention she gained for months and all the protesters had come along her side being evicted. we saw everyone being evicted. we have seen low-income residents, i also saw upper middle income residents who have been evicted so that the landlords could use their units as b & b units and turn them into condos as well. this is something facing a much broader spectrum and i believe mrs. lee was able to bring them all together and she has had an impact on the residents of district 6 as well. i know that you were considering moving into district 6 and we were really excited to call you one of our residents, but i know that you

have found another home which we are really happy about. but i don't think that there is enough word to express how courageous i believe that you are. you're a role model for women and especially as a young asian american woman, from me, but really from everyone everywhere, what you did is so hard. when you look at it from afar, it just looks like a woman standing in froth of her home with a family. but she has to endure every single night not knowing whether she is going to be able to sleep another night in her home. and she did this for all of us. so, i just want to thank you and commend you and i want to [speaker not understood] all the people who are also in support of you and your actions here today. thank you so much, mrs. lee. (applause) [speaking through interpreter]

is, hi, everyone. i'm mrs. lee. today i'm standing here. i'm so honored and so happy to receive this award ~. actually, i want to say that this award is not my award. it's really the collection of awards from everyone here and the community. and if it wasn't for the community, their courage, their solidarity, their togetherness to support me and my family, i would not be able to stand up

fight my fight. ~ and fight my fight. and i also want to say for those that feel discouraged, those that are being evicted from their homes to really take a stand, to fight for what's right and what is your right to stay. (applause) >> you should not be afraid. i also want to thank supervisor kim for giving me this honor, for this award today. i really cherish this moment and it will make me work even harder to continue the fight. thank you. (applause)

>> i forgot to mention the tenants at 10 49 market, their eviction and notices have expired and i know they want to thank you as well for your fight because they know you helped them stay in their homes. we have hundreds of tenants on market street. thank you again, mrs. lee. (applause)

(applause) >> thank you, supervisor kim, and thank you, mrs. lee. now why don't we go from district 6 to district 5. supervisor breed. >> thank you. welcome, everybody. and today i have really the privilege to honor a woman who is not only made history, but she's still making history with her hard work every single day, ms. sandy -- mrs. sandy murry. [cheering and applauding] .