sfpuc has become a model for utilities across the country. this is a direct result of juliet being in this position and removing her would be devastating to the future of the sfpuc as well as the future of san francisco residents. second, the resolution states that article 2 of the bylaws mandates that "the mission of the ethics commission is to practice and promote the highest standards of ethical behavior in government. the remaining portion of the sentence as it appears in your bylaws which is not quoted in the resolution states, "and to pro he moat a work environment that values health, wellness and diversity. removing juliet, a strong woman of color which should be noted as relatively rare in the utilities field would certainly not promote this mission -- promote this mission of diversity and would likely run contrary to it. with this resolution also fails to mention is this ethics commission through your own code of ethics also commits itself to one encouraging and promoting integrity in government by education and example, two, fairly and

objectively enforcing the city's ethics laws and regulations, and three, treating all staff members of the public and colleagues with courtesy, respect, objectivity, and fairness. regarding the first point, promoting integrity and government by education and example does not mean making an example of a few leaders for a one-time violation. i am here today because the actions being considered by this commission seem extraordinarily punitive and unnecessary. removing juliet from her position especially after settlement agreements were previously entered into between her and this commission questions the objectivity of this commission. this resolution also seems to have seen that leaders cannot learn from their mistakes while in office and the only way to promote integrity in government is to remove them from this position. i would stress there are 78 other ways to promote this integrity without drastically impacting someone's career ~, the future of the sfpuc and the future of san francisco. again i strongly urge you to support juliet he will sis

reject the proposed resolution. [cheering and applauding] >> thank you. anybody who wishes to speak will have the opportunity. i will note that we are taking up ms. ellis' matter in agenda item 5. so, you'll also have a chance then. please. my name is eric larson. i'm juliet ellis' husband. i feel compelled to be here today to provide a personal point of view regarding juliet. i've known juliet over 20 years and i know her to be honest, above all else, kind and generous. in fact, she's one of the most honest people i know. so, it's been very painful for her personally as well as our family to deal with this ongoing saga. let's be clear. we're not here because of a slight bureaucratic miss step. we're here because certain persons have deliberately orchestrated a series of defaming events designed to

smear juliet's good name and reputation. we have endured these trials with the faith that these were challenges that were to be overcome and learned from. so, juliet has mostly suffered in silence. but today juliet's community has stepped forward to say, we've had enough already. we'll not stand aside any more. i want to thank everybody for coming out and supporting juliet. we know her and hopefully justice will prevail. thank you. (applause) good afternoon. my name is benisha thompson and for 3-1/2 years i worked as the associate director for finance and administration at urban habitat under the leadership of juliet ellis. i consider juliet a mentor and a friend. when this matter broke in the news a year ago this month, my first reaction was, there must be a mistake, not juliet.

i was certain there was another side to this story because the juliet i know would never knowingly do something unethical. juliet prefers to err on the side of caution. she was a boss who could take no for an answer, which was a good thing for me as a chief financial person. she encouraged us to be honest and up froth with her and ask probing questions before making a decision. juliet is passionate about her work. she truly cares about the issues affecting low-income people and people of color and has worked all her career for justice. juliet has a brilliant, brilliant mind and can do far more good at the puc to benefit the city of san francisco than outside of it. l i believe she has been punished enough and her employment with the city should not be terminated. thank you. (applause) hello. my name is bob harris and

[speaker not understood] morals and ethics. i'm at a bad time in my life. i'm not the most perfect person in the world, as you know i know. the series of events that's happening in my life and i feel a lot of my rights have been violated. i mean, seriously violated. and i'm not going to say for sure, but i'm pretty sure the whole bay area knows. and i would walk down the street and what hurts me the most was kids in the third grade saying, there's [speaker not understood]. there's [speaker not understood]. you know. some people might say, he's [speaker not understood]. okay, i'm not the most perfect person in the world, but i'm bev going to try to be. ~ not going to try to be. these events that happened to me are really demoralizing.

i'm wishing it would stop, but it's not. cyber bullying, that's not good. people putting my mother on blast on the radio. i don't care who it is, close to me or not. it shouldn't happen. make a [speaker not understood] of me. and they're not trying to pay me. hey, i like to make people laugh, you know. y'all know laughter is the best medicine, right? you laugh, you live longer. so, don't see something happening and don't do nothing about it. i feel like you know, shoe my friend [speaker not understood]. it's time to, you know, have it to stop. and i feel bad. thank you.

hello, good afternoon. i'm francesca vitov, i'm a member of the san francisco public utilities commission. it's my understanding there was a settlement that was reached on this case and that juliet ellis paid her fineses and this matter was put to rest and that was the position of our commission, was accepting the fines, accepting the contract that was signed between this commission and juliet ellis. so, i urge you to reject this resolution. i also want to speak on behalf of juliet ellis as a colleague. we served on the commission together before she was appointed as assistant general manager. she spearheaded the effort to draft and adopt the environmental justice resolution that the san francisco public utilities commission passed as well as the community and benefits resolution. these two resolutions are pioneering, groundbreaking resolutions in the country. and then she stepped down to be

able to implement those two resolutions and to develop them into programs. the community benefits program, everybody in the country is looking at the implementation. it's creating jobs. it's creating opportunity throughout san francisco. we at the commission are very, very proud of this program and very he proud of juliet's efforts in spearheading those efforts. so, again, i urge you to reject this resolution. thank you very much. (applause) hello. my name is joe brooks. i've known juliet for over 16 years. i first became aware and got to know juliet when she was my program fellow at the san francisco foundation. i was a program officer there. outstanding young lady, bright, smart, full of integrity, energy, passion, and a willingness to take on risk and to serve community. i later had the opportunity to

work with juliet for 13 years as the chair of the urban habitat program, and she was its director for 11 years before she took the job that she now has. when i heard about what is happening tonight, i was absolutely floored. i had already been in touch with juliet when this incident first went down over a year ago, and have been consoling with her and counseling her and asking her to keep her chin up and to keep the fight up. but when i learned that you were bringing this issue to the front tonight, i was absolutely amazed. i thought this was finished in january. she paid her dues. is this a witch hunt or a colored girl hunt? i am absolutely shocked and disappointed that you would do what you're doing, wasting our

money and our time and undermining the reputation of a very qualified and dedicated individual. (applause) please reject this resolution. (applause) my name is [speaker not understood], and i grew up in the fillmore. my family moved to hunters point when we were redeveloped out of fillmore. i was the first youth chair of the naacp and willie brown was a law student and was our advisor. i say all of this not to kind of indicate how old i am, but mostly to say that i'm a san franciscan. i went to polytechnic high school which no longer exists. so, i stand here before you as one of juliet's mentors. she is a young woman.

when i was working as director of communications at the urban habitat, you know, at the time carl anthony was the executive director and president of earth island institute with david brauer. and juliet was working on her mba at san francisco state, and i was asked to sit in on the interview when she came to apply for a job as carl's assistant. basically, a very low-level job. but what i was i'd impressed by was shear passion and her commitment and her caring for community and for people, marginalized people of every color. and i sat through that interview. and when she walked out of the room, we had a flood of people from san francisco state, from university of california, from stanford who really wanted to work as an assistant to carl anthony who was then president

of and chair of the urban habitat which was the oldest environmental justice organization in the country. i was honored and excited, and carl and i looked at each other, and we said, this young woman hands down. so, i have known her for the last 17 years. i have been proud to claim her as one of my mentees and somebody that i've mentored. i have listened to her talk about the challenges of working in the public sector. i have -- i have -- i mean, it's ironic that she's not here, because where is she? she's in portland addressing a university that is excited about what's happening in california and the work that she's doing. where was she last week? she was invited to cornell university to the african-american studies program to talk to them about public utilities because there

ain't no black people. and, so, to see on the web these young african-american and asian and latino women that she spoke to that then felt like there was a place for them in public utilities, so, this is a disgrace, it's an insult. i live -- i grew up in hunters point so i don't want to hear about hunters point and territoriality. people are suffering [speaker not understood], and i don't understand why we're here this evening. so, i would beg you to reject -- and the other thing that concerns me, somebody said, well, this is a bunch of lawyers. well, i'm concerned about a bunch of lawyers who have entered into a -- who don't understand contract law, who have entered into a contract that they have all signed off on, that she has signed off on. i would be concerned about lawyers that didn't understand contract law.

so, whoever brought this, i urge you to reject it. (applause) good evening, my name is orson [speaker not understood]. i'm the executive director of a statewide organization called the green line in institute and at green line in we fight red lining. we work to ensure that communities of color throughout the state including san francisco have economic opportunities to live the american dream. and i worked alongside juliet for many, many years, have known her and really couldn't think of a better public servant. san francisco is so lucky to have her. the puc is so lucky to have her. she's making history with the work she's doing around environmental justice, community benefits. for us to have this on the agenda today i think is just total injustice if we look at her life and the work that she's doing. so, just really urge you to vote against the resolution. unfortunately i have to go home, i'm not going to see what the outcome is till later because i have three little

ones at home and i try to make it there so i can have dinner with them. but the reason why i bring that up is when i teach them about strong women in their lives to my son, my daughter and the baby, i want to teach them about people like juliet. and, so, i ask you to not tarnish that with the wrong vote today. thank you. (applause) hello, my name is fred blackwell. i'm the city administrator for the city of oakland. and had to leave my job to come here today, and i'm actually sad, disappointed, and upset that i have to do so. i've known juliet for about 16 years as well. i first got to know juliet when she was a fellow at the san francisco foundation and i was working there as well.

juliet -- i also served on the board of urban habitat when juliet was the executive director, and served as a colleague of hers when i was the executive director in san francisco's redevelopment agency. juliet is one of the most hard working, dedicated, committed people that i have ever worked with when it has come to issues having to do with low-income communities, communities of color. and in general, people who are in need of the kind of work and the kind of hard work and smart work that juliet bring to the table. as i said, i was the executive director here at the redevelopment agency. before that i was the director of the mayor's office of community development, and currently i run the city of oakland.

and juliet is somebody who i would hire in a heart beat. she is a person of integrity. she is a person who works hard. she is a person who is selfless in a lot of ways and it saddens me to have to come before this body here in san francisco, a city that is known to be progressive, a city that is known to be one to protect the rights of folks who haven't necessarily had their rights protected by -- you can name the issue in san francisco has been at the forefront of it. but to have to come here today and have to speak on juliet's behalf ~, especially after the process was done already, is really disheartening, and i hope that you all really reject the resolution that's in front of you tonight. thank you. (applause)

thank you, commissioner. my name is arnold townsend, reverend arnold townsend. let me just say that -- and with all due respect to the folk in the audience, i'm not here for juliet because juliet doesn't really matter. it could be any african-american in this town and they could find themselves in the same waytion. i'm here because of racism, unfairness, and injustice. ~ same situation i'm here because i have been in this town, right here, 50 years and i have to ask young couples at my church when they become pregnant, do they really want to raise a black child in this town. are you prepared to do that? because it's not going to be fair. i want to know, for african americans, when does double jeopardy attach to us? it has never attached to us

historically and we see another time for it to not attach at this commission meeting tonight. what is the difference between what you're doing in a suit and tie between what you're doing in suit and tie in san francisco than what the good old boys did down south 50 and 60 years ago when they didn't wait for the justice system, as unfair as it was, to deal with a black person, but they went and pulled them out and lynched them? and that's what we're here today, is for another black lynching. and i am so tired, so tired of coming to commissions and boards like you in this town asking for the simple rights that you give white folk. that when you make a decision, you have the courage to stick by it. if any of you are attorneys,

how many of you have had a decision go down that you didn't like and you knew you couldn't rerun it and you wouldn't have tried because you respect the rights of the judicial system, but not the rights of black folk? (applause) hi, i sure don't want to be y'all. [laughter] i really wouldn't. you are clearly ill-advised and i feel sorry for you. i have been in public life, as are you, and sometimes you just step in it. and it's good to go ahead and admit that early. sometimes it makes it a little bit easier. before i get to my comments, i have to give some respect to my mentors and my elders who are here who helped me when i lived in this town as a young

activist. reverend amos brown who is here who led the fight for justice. mother rookses, [speaker not understood] daydon who is here, and so many others ~. they raised me up and they raise your head up. and i am ashamed that we have not done a better job as a generation to be able to protect our own peers from these kinds of attacks and that we still have to rely on our mentors to come here and defend and protect us. but let me say this. my name is van jones. i used to be a local activist. i used to try to help kids who were sent away to prison. i saw kids being sent away to prison for doing things in bayview hunters point that my classmates were doing at yale

law school. i saw my classmates smoking dope at yale law school. they didn't go to prison. but i saw kids the same age down here at bayview hunters point that still have not come back, and that bothered me. and i took my law degree to try to do something about it, and i burned out. it was too hard. i went to too many funerals. i'm not as strong as my mentors and elders. too many funerals. too many young people laying in kass lets and grown folks sitting up in the peughs with white hair. do that enough times, it does something to you. ~ caskets. and i started to look at myself, what could i do to make a positive difference to make a better future for these young people? and there was one person i was able to reach out to who was able to help me get through that situation and come up with a months ~ positive answer. her name was juliet ellis. she joined the board of the baker for human rights [speaker not understood] and helped that organization. turn around for just a politics

without rage and [speaker not understood] and come up with positive solutions and those positive solutions were called green jobs. and he helped us get the city of oakland to create a green jobs core and that green jobs core started putting african men and women latino men and women to work. [speaker not understood] nancy pelosi heard about the work that juliet ellis and lisa and myself were doing and she took me by the hand in washington, d.c., a man by the name of george w. bush was so inspired by the work that juliet ellis was helping us do that he signed into law a bill called the green jobs act in 2007. juliet ellis counseled me to write a book, a man named barack obama read the book. senator barack obama read the book and he said, these ideas are so good that you've come up with in the bay area --

>> excuse me, but you're over time and we have many speakers. thank you very much. and he said, i want you to come to the white house. >> thank you, sir. and at the white house he said, these ideas so so good that we're going to put $80 billion behind them. that is [inaudible]. >> sir, please, there are many speakers behind you. can't do that. can't do that. so good that the president of the united states [speaker not understood] ideas. the speaker of the house [speaker not understood] the congresswoman of this city [speaker not understood] george w. bush [speaker not understood] her idea. [speaker not understood]. she made a mistake. she made a mistake. and i was taught by my own men tore, when you make a mistake,

don't lie about it. ~ mentor don't hide it. come forward. make apology, make an amend, and then try to make a difference. that is what she is doing. (applause) now, if she hadn't followed the rules, you have to follow the rules. [cheering and applauding] there is something called a state bar association and the state bar association was very, very untimely of why people have law degrees and have [speaker not understood] and who abuse their authority. they will be hearing about this no matter what you do today. thank you very much. [cheering and applauding] >> ladies and gentlemen, there is a three-minute time limit. please observe that because those are also the rules. i follow the rules, you follow the rules.

[speaker not understood]. i'll follow the rules. >> please, ma'am, proceed. i want to start by saying amen to what was just said. [laughter] my name is judith bell. i have worked for my entire career on issues of economic and social equity. i currently work for policy link which is a national organization. i've known juliet for many years, working with her on many different issues. and when she came to the puc, she brought her recognized dedication. she brought her vision, and she came as a woman of color in an arena where there were not many women and certainly not many people of color. when this issue first emerged, many of us thought that this issue was over reaching and unnecessary, but we accepted when an agreement was reached. we thought the book was closed ~. juliet is honest. she is a person of integrity.

she is moving agendas that are recognized around the country as setting important precedents. she is putting the san francisco public utilities commission on the map in a way that is setting policy across the country. i cannot understand why this issue has reemerged. i cannot understand why you all have decided to put it on the agenda tonight. it is outrageous and an outrage. and given that an agreement has been reached, this proposal should be rejected. you all should move quickly. there is no need for this to be reopened and it is time to put it to close. thank you. (applause) hello there. my name is derika [speaker not understood] and i am the executive of a nonprofit in the south bay where sometimes i feel like we think the san jose city council and commission is

a zoo. if we're a zoo, y'all are a circus. [laughter] so, i've known juliet ellis over 10 years. i was a very young community organizer working in the east bay when juliet really took me under her wing and taught me what it meant to be honest, what it meant to have integrity and what it meant to lead with values. she is a person of strong values, strong convictions, and she understands her history. it's not a history of a bureaucrat. it's not a history of somebody who was born to be in the position of power that she has found herself. she comes from -- her perspective is one of an advocate and an activist like myself and like the communities that she represented for so many years. and that makes her a target, a double target because she is a woman of conviction and she is a woman of color of conviction and this is absolutely, as [speaker not understood], said, a witch hunt of outrageous proportions. like i said, a circus is what

comes to mind. so, you know, this commission i believe is charged with upholding the integrity of our common good here in san francisco and that you would blatantly go out of your way to conduct this kind of, of witch hunt? no, i'm speechless. and i urge you, lead with your values as juliet has and will continue to do. put this thing to bed. let us go home. my kids are at home, too, and i'm here because my husband and i decided this was important and, you know, enough is enough. (applause) good evening. my name is retha robinson. and of course i did everything the folks have said about juliet. she was a personal friend of mine. i love her. we shouldn't be here. but i've known her for the last 15 years. she was a former colleague of mine at san francisco

foundation. and as everyone has said, she is a hard worker. she's diligent. she's honest and she's an advocate for the under served. i'm totally confused as to why we are standing here today defending her character and integrity. it is my understanding that in january this attack on her honesty and loyalty and advocacy for the residents of san francisco was put to rest. juliet has made amends to the ethics commission, paid her fines and is trying to do her job at the puc. today she was a keynote speaker at a racial equity conference. how ironic is that? she had to speak on racial equity. this hearing seems to be a motivated which have hunt. too many city staff over the past several months have been accused of much, much more and still have their jobs. called her someone on the ethics commission wants to reopen the discussion and recommend her termination on monday is rude, unprofessional and full of political bull crap. i hope she has her day in court. (applause)