of economic disadvantage. that is true no matter how it is measured in the literature. so there are more tobacco retailers in areas with lower median income and more familis in poverty and many other measures of neighborhood depravation, we documented them near the high schools with a proportion of students who received free or reduced meals and a higher of latino students. and at high schools there was a higher proportion of students who were current smokers, and with at schools with five or more retailers in walking distance, going to school or living in a neighborhood with a high concentration of tobacco retailers has serious consequences for health inequity. s and the students are likely to try to purchase the tobacco and in areas with a high concentration of tobacco retailers, illegal sales rates are higher. and they are more likely to

report being current smokers and more likely to report frequent smoking. my third point is that clamping down on the youth access is not a solution to this problem. and in one study, adults in houston who tried to quick smoking were more likely to relapse if they lived in a third of a mile from retailers and here in the bay area, persons with serious mental illness are burdened by the retailers than the people who live the closest and so this effects adults too, thank you for your attention. >> thank you. >> next speaker? >> my name is patricia mcdan ald and i am a researcher at the university of california san francisco and my research explores voluntary decisions by retailers to discontinue tobacco sales, in california and elsewhere, independent pharmacies were among the first to give up tobacco, they were followed by local grocery store chains in the bay area, there

are at least four grocery store chains that have stopped selling tobacco in the past ten years. in my research? california, grocery store owners said that they stopped selling tobacco for hel and this business related reasons, including a family history of tobacco caused death and disease, a declining tobacco sales, tobacco license requirements, or attempts by minors to purchase tobacco, not selling tobacco was a way to avoid the hassles associated with tobacco sales, and a way to avoid selling a deadly product. and there were a few complaints from the customers after the retailers stopped selling tobacco and in fact, some smokers were trafrngful because they thought that it would be easier to quit smoke and non-smokers were pleased because they thought that it sent a positive message to kids. california retailers that i spoke to reported no negative impact on their bottom line

from stopping tobacco sales, instead they saw an improved public image because the decision made a statement to their customers that the store owners were concerned about health. retailers and other states, pointed to some other advantages including improved cash flow, the ability to replace tobacco with higher profit items my research suggests that there is a strong base of support among the customers for tobacco free retailers thank you. >> thank you, professioner. >> i am going to call a few more names and i know that i have called, already, patricia. amanda, and alecia.

and fred from the healthy corner store coalition, >> thank you so much, supervisors. i want to say really quickly that i would be remiss if i did not acknowledge the young people that have been working on this ordinance since 2008 that are in the room and i would like to give them a round of applause. this works with the youth leaders to shape the policies like these, and that work and that create a long term impact and i want to say that the youth leadership has been funded by the department of health that has made the serious investment in public health and really thinking about how youth development and how we tap into the youth development to create social change that is meaningful. the equation, this was something that leaders young people in 2008, developed, the idea around more outlet and people with more access, equals more disease and death and i know that is something that is

outlined throughout the presentation and i do want to say quickly, that the outlets that we are talking about have been partners, and have been voices and leaders really in shaping this policy, to insure that their voice was heard, along the way so i want to acknowledge their leadership. >> you have seen the maps, and we hope that in 15 or 10 years this policy is going to impact these maps and you are going to see it spread out across san francisco. and thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you for empowering, and supporting young people's leadership with omi as well, but thank you. >> hello, and thank you. thank you, supervisors for your time. and so, this what these statistics are basically showing is basically what we have all about saying is that neighborhoods with low income and higher number of youth are

targeted. >> this has 270 permits in the district and opposed to the inner sunset that only has 37 and you can see that the household income is severely different. the one in soma had 38,000, and the inner sunset has almost 100,000, you can see that they are being targeted and the other 6 districts are also, highly impacted by these tobacco densities. and the reason that we are doing this is basically because we want to create health equity among the entire city of san francisco this is not just youth it effects everyone, the city financially, health wise, and just going to improve everyone's health in san francisco. and we will insure health equity over the next ten to 15 years through this policy. we did a survey in 2009, and in four different neighborhoods and 83 percent supported the limits of tobacco sell ng san francisco and we have conducted

another survey which also showed that 80 percent of people supported our policy and supported the decrease of the tobacco outlets and also they felt that having numerous tobacco outlets, each block was too much. >> and the last one was just, we have over 900 endorsements of people supporting us and we would like to thank you supervisors for all of your support and hard work. >> and if it is you and you organized really an amazingly effective campaign and just to have that much support is really a testament to the hard work that you have done, but thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker. >> hi my name is monroe and i am (inaudible) and i support the policy that we are trying to pass right now. so basically i live on treasure island is really a lot of tobacco outlets but when i go to soma or china town or to the

mission, the education from, and i also have to see all of these tobacco let's and it makes me want to try it and not just me and my peers want to try it. and there is also like kind of messed up because after the shows and you see from the map that it is targets people of colored youth and also, lgbtq and also the people who have the teen line and also you can see if you see it in the map that you can see that. and it is targeting it by having it right there so it really makes a problem and not just for me, but for everybody and also i have asthma and it is also part of my family and we have to live in that. and so it really makes us really unhealthy. thank you, and i hope that you support our policy. >> could you say what high school you are from and what grade. >> i am from cono, and i am in the ninth grade. >> thank you. [ applause ]

>> next speaker. >> good afternoon, my name is fred tamko. and i would like to introduce and... and community leader. well, also i am independent of the tobacco industry and the sector and i have smoking since i was 13 years old and about 30 years ago i know how easy for the access to get i seg cigarette in the store and i started to smoke and get addicted to them as i became a chemical dependant. and now i am suffering the heart and lungs continue and several and possibly i have cancer and asthma. and i could become vegetable after getting a stroke and and paralyzed and die quickly, most of my family die this way, my

chances are for my life is to create smoking cigarette in support to eliminate the cigarette to the population and it will save a millions of lives because of the quantity and the quality pays for the process, and the price of smoking should be prohibited and the human, and as we know, we are (inaudible) smoking cigarette and once we start it is very addictive. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> next speaker. >> (inaudible).

>> next speaker. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, my name is cathy otto... >> could you hold the microphone closer. >> my name is cathy otto and i am a volunteer legislative ambassador for the american cancer society and i live in san francisco and thank you for inviting me here. and i have supervisor mar mentioned, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death. low income neighborhoods and those with people of color have a greater number of tobacco retailers in san francisco. and these neighborhoods also have a greater number of tobacco related diseases. and the tobacco industry markets heavily to youth and

ethnic minorities that lost a lot of the adult and reducing the density of the retailers and prohibiting them to being near the schools will over time reduce the number of tobacco ads they will be exposed to and will reduce access to tobacco by youth. we all know if you make something inconvenient for people they won't do it. and if you make it really convenient, it is very easy for them to do it. we know that the tobacco industry is well aware that most smokers start before age 18. and nearly 100 percent began before age 26. i know this because, i taught smoking cessation classes for the american cancer society for many years. when i asked the students their age when they started it was 14 to 16, and they never stopped. and they were like 50 or 60 for the first time trying to stop and some of them have lung

caner by then, by reducing this access the youth are less likely to start smoking, nationwide, one-third of the illegal sales of tobacco to youth occur within 1,000 feet of a school. communities across the state are recognized the link between tobacco, retailers and schools. we urge you to support the strongest possible amendment to the existing ordinance, and thank you very much. >> thank you. >> i wanted to just first say that the next three speakers have educated me so much on this issue and they are the tremendous leadership that has created this policy that we hope will become law in san francisco. i want to say besides, secaros, we are going to hear from presscott and (inaudible) and they are really the face of tobacco youth reduction force and the creation of this policy, amanda? [ applause ] >> thank you, my name is amanda

prescott and i am a staff member of the youth leadership institute and i am here to express my support for the proposed density policy, all youth receive the same education about the harmful effects of tobacco use, but for some reason the environment they live in shows reality that it is okay to live in an area saturated with outlets that far exceed that of affluent communities, and all that you learned in school about the harmful effects of tobacco use will only benefit affluent youth who don't have to walk past multiple outlets on the way to school or just walking down the street, this is a public health issue and a social justice issue and an issue that we need to practice what we preach when we are talking to young people about their health. i believe that now more than ever, through the partnership with merchants who care deeply about the youth and the communities of san francisco, we can advocate to make it a

healthy place, please support this policy, thank you. >> hello. my name is malina san ders and i am representing the bay view district and the youth, leadership institute and i am the student at a college in san francisco and i have been working with the turf policy and our team for over three years now. and we conducted a lot of research and some of the research shows a number of permits around all of the districts and mostly in the low income neighborhoods. and they are targeting people of color, and youth. and i think that this turf policy is a positive move towards creating different numbers lower numbers, and it is good for, the residents and also the business owners, in these neighborhoods. and i just wanted to say that small businesses, owners are partners in this and do i want

to recognize that they have a big leadership role in the passing of this policy. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> hello, supervisors, and i am really excited to be here and i could not speak last night because i was overly excited and right now the caffeine is talking but the excitement. but i just want to be, i am so grateful for all of these people showing up and all of my jeans and everything that goes through the association and for partnering with us and i am wearing my old t-shirt from six years ago because we have been working on this for so long and it is something that we are very passionate about because tobacco has been an issue, in our city for so long and it is not fair that we continue to suffer with the effects of tobacco any longer. our communities, deserve better, we should be living in the healthier place where we get healthier options where we

can walk around without passing a bunch of smoke and influences such as advertisements to tell us us to buy this and it is just really not fair. and we should, and we should be having more tobacco entering the communities and right now i am working and in the mission, and everywhere i go, tobacco, tobacco, tobacco and it is not just targeting young people, like patty mentioned earlier it is effecting everyone, the people of color, low income, and the elderly, the young people and everyone and it is effecting everyone and so this is a cause that we should all be working together and i am so glad and i am so happy to see so many support again, here because this is an issue that we are taking matters in our own hands today and we went down and dirty to get our hands dirty for this work and i think that it is time for you guys, to pass this. and it has been too long, 6 years. and i really encourage you all to pass this today and thank you, supervisor mar for supporting us for so long, and also, and supervisor campos for always, speaking out for us as

well, and i really appreciate every single one of you and all of the rest of the supervisors that have been helping us, thank you. >> thank you. >> hi, supervisors my name is brenda, and i am from the russian hills, part of the city and i have been a san francisco resident my whole life and i am a young advocate with the program (inaudible) and it is for the limited density of tobacco and influence around the city and so i have a friend in the tender loin and block by block you can see like at least when i guarantee. the tobacco outlet. and seeing like a problem, or an issue but when you look at it more in depth you can see that the tobacco outlets are the gateway for the tobacco for youth and you know as a tobacco are constantly on display and the youth along with many others are exposed to such a problem and in addition, to this, my friend a family is low income, and (inaudible) tobacco

density is greatest in the neighborhoods where the incomes of the families are lower and so trying to pass is to cap the number of outlets in the district and i hope that you guys will support us in getting this policy passed thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> i am going to call a few more names, we have the director of our office of small business, and nate from the youth leadership and brian davis. salena from horizon, unlimited, and brian stegner. samara whit. and ferad karashi as well, and jose louis from ta sf. next speaker? >> hi, my name is (inaudible) and i live in district eight or the twin peaks district of san francisco i am a youth for turf which is a program (inaudible)

and i am standing before you here today to show you my support for this policy and to ask your your support. the neighborhood where i live is the valley and the neighborhood where my school is located which is in the heights, and there is barely me tobacco outlets only a few blocks away and in the tender loin there is a lot, and it is such a small distance that a young different in lack of density and some neighbors, like the tender loin it is normal to see a lot of the tobacco outlets and smokers but in neighborhoods like the heights it is not that normal. and i think that is because of the lack of density and also they target the low income communities and the people of color and youth and lgbtq communities and i am at least in two of those, i am a person of color and so i am a youth and i am being targeted by this and i know that we can and it is not fair that i am being

targeted for being who i am and how many of you or the people that you care about are targets. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> okay. thank you, for also supporting empowerment of young people. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. i am a proud resident of the wonderful district eight, and work ends up as district nine, there are 2900 families looking to do what my parents did provide a better quality of life. when the lower district such as 6 and 9 are inundated with tobacco and we are limiting these fakly and their children's ability to live a hel ygt live, the communities

over concentrated with tobacco influences have higher smoking rates that leads to the higher rates of completely prevent able diseases and within the 500 feet of my workplace there are three tobacco retailers, and the back of this room is largely from the mission and i will tell you the same thing and so today, i thank you for standing with me, and with meta and protecting the well-being of our youth in our children. thank you. >> thank you. >> and good afternoon i am bob and one of the partners. and we have been in business for 16 years in san francisco. and we have been working when we need to, to on different legislation that we work together in 2010, and supervisor mar, but, we are in support of this legislation. and there is this one, and as far as i got a phone call last night from the small business administration, and realizing that we would be impacted and

so i get an e-mail to your office this morning and within an hour and a half, made a call back. and i know doing a last minute, proposed amendment to the legislation is not ideal and your office was very responsive. and i appreciate the opportunity. and so the only thing that we ask for is if we can have the same proposed minutes that are provided for the tobacco shops and the retail. and so i know that you guys are working on a version of that language and we appreciate it. and the last thing, is how impressive it is to these kids young adults speaking better than i am right now, and something that they believe in and it is very impressive so thank you for your time. >> thank you and i will make sure that nick and i are talking with you right afterwards, so that we can try to address the issues that you have raised. >> thank you. >> and thank you. >> i see bob davis is the

tremendous leader in the tobacco free coalition as well. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. and yes, my name is brian davis and i am here speaking i may be the only one, speaking on behalf of the lgbt community and san francisco, today. and in regards to this issue. and i do live? san francisco and i am sender about the fact that the community does smoke, about twice as much as the general population here in san francisco. and in many other places. and that is because of the phobia and we all know that most of us, and most of all of us who start smoking start smoking before we are 18 and that is the toughest time to grow up as an lgbt person and so anything that is out there that helps to reduce the exposure to our community and all communities to tobacco, and during that period of our lives, and beyond, when we are

facing greater stress as we see people and more likelihood that we will turn to tobacco as a means of reliefing that stress. so, thank you very much for your support. and we look forward to your seeing this become a law here in san francisco. >> thank you. >> and i saw that mirium from the grocer association has come here and her name has been called and so she should come forward if you can. the next speaker?

>> i am a member of the san francisco prevention coalition and as well as the program director, and for the substance abuse prevention as well and i think that most importantly i am here as a long standing resident of san francisco. and our i want to date myself, but our family has been around in the mission district for over 80 years and so this has been an issue of great importance to us and i usually have a tendency to focus on data and things like that, but i think that has already been demonstrated here. and i think that what excites me the best this is the opportunity to address the social injustice and it will be a huge victory and a win for all of the residents of san francisco, obviously in particular, the low income communities and the communities

of color. and i want to keep it a little bit light. and as a parent, for the most part, i have a 15-year-old son, and they are currently is an educational campaign, on tv, that says, florida which is known for the night life and parties and things like that has drastically reduced teenage smoking rates and it says come on states what are you waiting for? my son says wouldn't that be cool if san francisco was on the map and i told my son i am coming to a hearing and i will make that challenge, i want to challenge the supervisors and the community to really pass this law and really ask, you know, come on san francisco, what are you really waiting for? >> thank you. >> thank you. >> regina is the director of the office of small business. >> good afternoon supervisor and thank you, supervisor mar and campos. the small business commission is going to be hearing the item

on monday. so this does not do not have an official response, but i thought that it was important to come and acknowledge i think that one of the key items in the original draft of the legislation that they would have raised was around the retention value of existing businesses. and so, i did want to come and express my appreciation to you and your staff and to the coalition, for working with the arab american grocers and also sensitive to the last minus you that i have brought forward that we are addressing, i think one of the key concerns that the commission would have brought up and made a recommendation to change. so thank you. >> thank you. >> i am going to read a few more names, emily from mission sf, and steven layman from healthy corner coalition, and don from healthy corner coalition and ryan fayer.

abnifiv, katia and anelia sanadad, next speaker. >> my my is ryan, and i was a former member of the tobacco youth reduction force when i was 17 and a junior in high school and i have been passionate about this passing and taking effect of the day that i joined i was a hyper kid who had asthma and it would be triggered by my friends or family smoking tobacco around me and i have been hospitalized several times as a kid and i can feel for the youth who also have asthma and feel the comfort in the basic need of breathing, when there is abundant amount of tobacco. let's take back our turf