a fellow australian i'm proud of what harry bridges has done. it provides a venue for free speech. i urge you not to support the appeal. thank you. breed supervisor london breed: thank you. next speaker. >> >> public speaker: >> good afternoon. i would like to read from the kevin star, san francisco librarian. wrote. by restoring to the 1934 appearance of the facade. and to place a plaque there to commemorate the 1934 events and will bring the events to far greater focus and make the building much more

publically accessible. for over 11 decades no institution is better equipped to draw attention to historic events than the common wealth club. the goal is to increase public awareness and understanding the different between public and social issues and hat -- has the authoritative reasoning to do so and will present the rich history of this location and more than it has ever been presented before. the club history will reach back to the 1890s when in the yard caused the antitrust enforces and the docks and labor action of the 1930s and collective bargaining rights. given the

labor issues to the american west, it is not surprising that labor was a significance focus and 1934. i urge you to up hold the negative declaration and 110 eh embarcadero. >> public speaker: thank you. i'm greg dalton. i would like to read. the president writes that the club has been a leader for a long time, environmental leader and when it came to building. a way to cash -- it's foot prints and the status by the legislature known for it's sustainable

designs. the primary method of this building by using 79 operable windows and provides the primary ventilation and cooling for the building. cooling and ventilation is especially important for a building that will hold public assemblies to reduce energy use and pollution. to accommodate the manuality ity -- majority of these windows, the club must construct a three floor facade on embarcadero to its high performing glass. the windows will be on the embarcadero side of the building where the stuart street side would eliminate the building. the fossil fuels on the shadow of

it's doors. i urge you to reflect the corridor of the highest stainable design and uphold the planning commission decision ceo and cofounding of the energy foundation. >>supervisor london breed: thank you, next speaker, please. >> public speaker: hello supervisors. my name is phillip riley. i brought these catalogues that chronicle the 1934 strike. i hope i brought enough for everybody. so i will just set them here and you can help yourselves if you like. the president of my union sent me here today to speak in favor of this project. and the stuart street common wealth club has welcomed our union and their input in this project. they work with our

librarian, our historian, who are both here today. one of our members retired now is a member of the common wealth club. he is here to speak in favor of this as well. stuart street will represent retired longshoreman and active longshoreman and labor unions nationwide. we think it's important to the city of san francisco and the history and the two men who were shot and killed at this site. thank you very much for your consideration an i hope it moves forward. thank you. >>supervisor london breed: thank you, next speaker, please. >> public speaker: good evening president, supervisors, my name is ann bower as the san francisco labor council on behalf of director tim paul's on. he's not here. he's in minnesota. we represent over 1,000

workers and unions and we are in support of this project. this site is in its pivotal role and it's history. the club works with the labor community to honor this great rich history. our interest in this is to see the vibrant part of our community once again. we feel the current project does that. thank you for your time. >>supervisor london breed: thank you very much, next speaker, please. >> my name is robbie schwartz. i have a 46-year relationship with the ilw. a couple books on the union. i think it's a misconception that should be cleared up that the cl ub is against preserving the legacy of 1934, the legacy of the building in that triek t --

strike and the legacy of harry bridges. they consider this to be an asset and the club's purchasing. the building is an opportunity to get the unions history out there. the secretary of treasure of the international is also a member of the board of commissioners. he called me, he says, these people called us. they called us first. they want our input. we met with the club robin walker with the club, the club said, i'm going to put up a plaque. we want to put up an exhibit. we want to i am size the role of the union's past with this project. would you help us with the plaque. help us wroo it the plaque. the club voted in favor of the plan. the club organized a panel of academics leading

authority on -- harry bridges. the club has accepted every suggestion we have made all the way along the the line. they put it on the internet and radio and asked for the autograph of the stuart side of the building. this will be good not just for the union of the club but all of san francisco. this you for giving me a chance to speak. >> thank you, next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, supervisors, my name is john fisher. i'm a third generation city city of san francisco and retired member of the ilu and a trustee of the san francisco bay area ilu pensioners and also belong to the common wealth club and

attended meetings and forums on the topics and created issues that affect our issues on our environment. the common wealth club has come forward with the intention to memorialize events with the 1934 long shore and general strike at it's home at 150 stuart street. the exhibit of the main lobby of the new building is being planned in remembrance as a meeting place of harry bridges the frame of the ilu. the union i'm proud to be a part of. the ilu pensioners are in agreement with the common wealth club. i look forward to this. thank you. >>supervisor london breed:. thank you. next speaker.

>> public speaker: this is not the same thing you voted upon last time with the hines building where you did the right thing because that was a demolition of the entire building, an historic resource. this project in fact will preserve an historic resource. with a we are talking about shows us a history of san francisco. a local organization which has become a national institution and everything that san francisco holds dear, the past and the future. my first memory of embarcadero was around 1957 shortly after the riots when i was riding in my grandfather truck while he hold cargo up the pier. that is no longer happening. it is growing and changing in a

good way. the stuart street facade and entrance will retain it's historic configuration and show homage to the authority. the embarcadero frontage envisions the future and highlights changes throughout history that thoroughfare has and continues to have. there has been no credible evidence put forward to support this appeal. i ask you to reject it and allow a fantastic project to move forward. this is exactly e the type of preservation that on this history will move our city forward. thank you. >> thank you, next speaker, please. >> >> public speaker: san francisco trade council. several years ago in the historic preservation debate. one of the appellants came to

me, you would never vote for the change of the golden gate bridge, would you? i have done it twice myself. those needs are a different order than the needs the common wealth club serves. but it serves very real needs, been debate and education. it is done so for as long as the building trades have existed in san francisco. the common wealth club proposed the projects that serves those needs as well. the club reached out to the ilw and presided at the very beginning in honor of the events of 1934. we believe they have fulfilled the conditions of ceqa and mitigated negative declaration and ask you to deny the appeal. >>supervisor london breed: thank you. next speaker. >> public speaker: good afternoon, my name is carole flemming and board of

governors in the common wealth club. i wish to put in the record a letter today. the appellants approach san francisco beautiful asking for their support in their cause. and i want to read the letter that san francisco beautiful wrote as a result of that meeting. dear supervisors, i'm writing to you in support of the common wealth club. their new headquarters at 110 embarcadero. san francisco beautiful supports the club's proposal to renovate the building that has long been neglected. with the design proposal sensitive to community needs and to preservation. the club has appropriately honored the historic events associated with this building by preserving and restoring the historic stuart street facade. their careful attention to the historic prominence of the building is show cased by

their effort to educate visitors about the history of the building and the water front area, particularly of the labor history. the common wealth club's relocation to the neighborhood along with their extensive programs for all age groups will increase civic engagement and activation at the water front. san francisco beautiful request that you uphold the planning department and planning commission's preliminary mitigated negative declaration and advance this project. policy manager, san francisco beautiful. >> public speaker: madam president, members of the board. my name is rod tirade

senior. i apologize for my voice. i have an experience with a scalpel. i sat for 20 years as a physician in santa clara county. i have great respect for what you are doing today and the time you spend in serving the public. i'm here to also let you know that santa clara county and san jose are very very pleased to have an -- annex of our common wealth club. we are proud of that honor and thank you for spawning that opportunity for the rest of california. you have declared a desire for recertification and this building has a great opportunity for accomplishing

that for this wonderful character for 11 times by the simple labor council. i do strongly support labor. you have the ability to reach that certification while honoring labor while protecting the stuart street facade which is indeed historic. they have great access by transit. but the embarcadero street facade isn't the facade that was there 35 years ago in 1935. it's been changed several times. what would you have it rebuilt to. if it isn't rebuilt in this proposal, you can't reach certification. so please see through that. >>supervisor london breed: thank you. next speaker,

please. >> president breed, members of the board, my name is richard rubben. an attorney in this city for 35 years and also president of the common wealth club. this club has a distinguished history, a long history of service to the bay area, the community, to the state and indeed to the entire nation. by going ahead with plans to move into a permanent facility which will benefit the public and thousands of members, the common wealth club will remain true to its guiding principle. what is that ? it is to get the facts, find the truth and turn it loose in the world. we have employed that principle in my opinion to the fullest in determining how to best apply the highest environmental

standards and design features in consideration of this building's historic past and particularly to the contributions of labor. the labor movement like many others has contributed to the rich diversity of this community. and we pay thematic and continuing tribute to it in the renovation of this facility. we do not denigrate bad heritage, we set -- celebrate it in this building. the issue before you today is quite straight forward. will this building satisfy the city's rigorous environmental requirements and will it serve the best interest of this community. the answer to both questions as i submit, yes, i urge you to affirm the unanimous approval of the final md and thank you for your time. >>supervisor london breed: thank you, are there any other members of the public?

>> hello, my name is larry edmond. i will tell you why i like the common wealth club is because you get to alert about fighting, racism and sexism and homophobia. i bought ten tickets. i took five black men and five white men to see collins and his family there. also just recently cornell west spoke there at the common wealth. it was a sold outcast stroe theatre. i have seen many people there on common wealth on market street. i think this building needs to be built because you know why? not only do you find in

work but you need to be educated. the common wealth, speaking is good. the common wealth if you notice in the hall ways here, washington and lincoln, they have common wealth up there. most people think it's in london or england. i think you should know the common wealth is something we all benefit and need. you know e what, i want to go architect but public speaking is where i should be. it reminds people of who we are and what we can do and what you have been through. our lives and stories do matter and that's why the common wealth should be at stuart right there where the turn around is. >>supervisor london breed: thank you, any other members of the public who would like to provide public comment at

this time? is there any additional public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. there will be three 3 minutes for the appellant to make a rebuttal. >> thank you, supervisors. i'm not sure where to start. i think you have hit on the ridiculousness of preserving one side over the other. can you imagine preserving one side of the white house. nothing more needs to be said about that. as far as lead certification cutting down four shade trees to cover their windows on the west side contradicts their efforts to be energy efficient. it makes no sense and that's been pointed out to the league organization already. we'll see what they have to say about that. you have as far as the ilwu, my understanding is i'm not part of the union so

i cannot vouch for this but i'm told most people here are speaking for themselves. there is no resolution and no formal finding, but you have a resolution from the internal ilw at their international conference where they voted on it, on saving this building. as far as the architect, we know the architect. our architectural historian has researched it and explained to you the record and has the landmark building in the city and landmarks around the bay area. so the architecture and that's a part of ceqa where there is an architecture involved in this. as far as the person, how about the side of hairy bridges. the fact

that he was no the in the building doesn't matter. what about the other people and heroic doctors who treated them. they are significant persons and they were in this building. they presented no evidence that the union was only on one side of this building. they have a map that shows no definite wall between the second floor. they are also showing maps of the first floor. so keep in mind the club is moving into temporary headquarters for the next 2 years. so there is time to send this back to planning make some sense of this. the

club originally planned to have a more appropriate facade for the embarcadero side. bring that out and go back to that. thanks very much. i'm happy to answer any questions you may have. >>supervisor london breed: thank you. at this time this hearing has been held and is now closed. the item is in the hands of the board of supervisors. supervisor kim? >>supervisor jane kim: thank you, madam president. couple things i want to say. first of all the issue today was not the project sponsor in and of itself but i want to thank you for discussion and debate. i have attended many of your events and as well as the members of the pub who spoke on your behalf. i appreciate the importance of the institution and i'm really excited about common wealth

club finding a space that they will be able to grow in the city for. the issue before us today though is the appeal of the negative mitigated declaration and i think a number of different issues had come up today and i think while the bifurcation of the building appears to be unique and certainly not one that i have seen before nor am i familiar with, i do believe that both the planning department and the project sponsor were able to adequately argue the case on behalf of affirming the approval of the mitigated negative declaration. i also want to recognize because we have been meeting with the project sponsor and also the appellant over the course of the last year, my appreciation in terms of project sponsor's work of reaching out to the neighborhood and community and also working very closely

with ilw and labor council for getting their support but also working in partnership with them to recognize the historic significance of the building on the street side. i know there was a panel that occurred last month. there has been a lot of dialogue about not just how to preserve the facade but to continue to educate the public on the union's history and of course the significance of this really tragic event here in san francisco making sure that we remember what has occurred so that it does not occur again. also, wanted to note the issue of the trees was something that had been brought up by the neighborhood. i'm glad to hear that has been revolved and preserved as possible with relationship to dpw and this approval of mitigated nag dag

was approved boo i the commission and all members of the commission were present. i know we can have commissioners that are very particular about historic issues and seeing their support for this mitigated nag dag for this appeal. i would like to make a motion to affirm item 28 and table 29 and 30. >>supervisor london breed: supervisor kim has made a motion to table item 28, and 29 and 30. seconded by supervisor avalos and i would like to recognize supervisor christian son at this time. >> i would like to look at the goals that we stumble towards. i hear we want to honor labor, that we want to respect history, that we want to be able to learn from that very black day in 1934. secondly,

i hear that we want to preserve history in our city, historically significant blths and the district's that mean something to us historically and emotionally. thirdly, i know especially on our water front we've looked to encourage compatible and preferred uses. so as i look at this project and i ask, what's the best way to honor labor? if that's our goal, what can we do today that will help make sure that harry bridges and the unions and the events of that day are respected an remembered. it's something i struggle with a lot. i'm very interested in history, i have worked on historical preservation projects and i struggle with how to pass this knowledge on to those that come behind us. i can't say that i'm convinced that a vacant unattractive building standing there mute

on embarcadero is necessarily the best we can do to remember these people who gave their lives for a cause they believed in. in terms of preserving historical buildings i look at the building as it is now. i find it unsightly. i don't know that we are losing much in terms of a historical resource. but as somebody who believes in win win situations, the dual facade condition actually gives me e hope because it means we can address both the past and the future in the same project. in terms of compatible and preferred uses. what do we imagine this building is going to be? is it going to be a club or a restaurant a boutique hotel or another office on embarcadero. i can't think for a use for the site

better than the common wealth club for the city. i'm moved by kevin star, support of the planning commission and supervisor kim whose district this is, it's an impressive list of support. and i keep going back through all this testimony i was thinking what would harry bridges have us do. these guys that put it all on the line, some of whom gave everything would they really want to be evoked in an argument whether a facade is glass or brick. i think we can do better than that perhaps in discussion. no doubt they should be remembered and honored and i can't think of better groups in the common wealth club in position to pass that information on to future generations. >>supervisor london