lot of things i didn't think i would work with and take skills that i'd be definitely able to take elsewhere. and we've lost to some employees being trained and being able to take that on with them to better opportunities. i think this project will definitely help a san francisco manufacturer that can bring more jobs in an industry that i think sometimes is closing in this city which is a little nerve-racking. having grownup in a neighborhood just adjacent to the neighborhood, over in glen park, i've seen a lot of neighborhoods change, and a lot of industries kind of shutdown, and being a carpenter's son, kind of nerve-racking, wanting to pursue that same area, working with my hands. this is definitely an opportunity for more jobs of that nature. thank you again for your time. >> president hillis: thank you. next speaker, please.

>> good evening, commissioners, and staff. thank you for your time tonight. my name's mike, and i'm the head brewer at fort point, and i've worked with justin for the past five years, and i'm responsible for the production there and the creation of this brewery technician program. i just wanted to speak a little bit to the manufacturing jobs that we would be creating at this location. a big focus of mine and something that's extremely important to me as we were developing the team at fort point was to create jobs that are meaningful to the people that have them, that provide value to them and skills that they can take with them, whether it's with fort point or with another brewery or even with another industry. i think a unique things about the skills you learn at a brewery, they are transferrable to a number of other industries, and i'm proud of the success we've had with this

program. we've had a few employees go onto start businesses of their own. and i think this unique kind of trains, these unique kind of jobs that we're able to offer would be of great benefit to the neighborhood, so i would ask that you give your approval of this project, and want to say that we're extremely looking forward to working with the community and the mission and moving forward. thank you. >> president hillis: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening. my name's katey. i'm an artworking in san francisco. i work at the san francisco art institute, and we submitted a letter of support for this project. my organization's been a beneficiary of fort point's generosity. we've experienced firsthand their commitment to the cultural fabric of san francisco over the past several years. it's been inspiring to see fort

point grow over the past four years. in addition, i've lived in the mission for over a decade. i walk and ride my bike around the neighborhood. i support the addition of a grandfathering community oriented place, especially when it's connected to a company that's demonstrated they want to really be a fabric of san francisco. these are the kinds of businesses we should be supporting in frisan franciscod the mission district: local leoned, locally operated. thank you. >> president hillis: thank you. next speaker, please. >> commissioners, so i just mainly got inspired to come up and speak because i just want to highlight on the -- for us long time residency, obvious disconnect. we hear the words community, integrated, contribute to the fabric of society, and honestly, it's -- doesn't come across as genuine, and you've

got to walk your talk: what does that mean? what does that really look like? there's an influx. there's too much of these businesses? what's going to happen? there there's just going to be businesses and no residents? this is too much. this is excess, and please, we're asking you, please consider not approving this -- this project. what good is this really going to do for -- yes, jobs, but people -- what options are there? it's getting harder and harder to find jobs, so people have to go to service industries for much longer than they really want to because it's a cycle, really. i mean, come on. we don't need more brewerys right next to high schools. that's very just disrespectful, so please, just consider not being a part of this cycle of

gentrification. >> president hillis: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon -- good evening, commissioners. i'm a resident. i don't live in the mission, but i urge you to vote against this project. i work for a start-up, kind of the demographic that fort point's looking for. i can tell you that there's not a problem with the amount of brewerys in the city, let alone the mission. i think we should respect the people that have been living there, our respect -- you know, it's their area, and i just want to talk a little bit about growth. like, i think when we use the words local, it just sounds good. it's almost like when we say organic, but blue bottle is local, and they just got bought out my nestle. it's just so superficial. fort point is not bad people, but there's just so many

brewerys already. we just don't need it, out of pure respect, and that's not what the community wants. thank you. >> president hillis: thank you. is there additional public comment? [ inaudible ] >> president hillis: sure, you can pass that on. [ inaudible ] >> president hillis: correct. thank you. seeing no additional public comment, we'll close public comment. commissioner fong? >> commissioner fong: thank you. just a few clarifying questions and thoughts. this is -- it is manufacturing. this is a commercial building with existing commercial use. it's been there quite a while, a quite a well established one. i do feel that timbuk2 is creating assembly jobs. it sounds like fort point would be creating some manufacturing assembly jobs, as well, at different levels, you know sort of higher experience, skill level, but also restaurant service jobs. curious to the staff.

it's midnight -- they're allowed to stay open to 2:00 a.m., but they're opting for 12:00 midnight on weekends? >> correct. >> commissioner fong: and what's their thought on week nights. >> they're permitted to operate from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. every night of the week, so they're proposing not to operate. >> commissioner fong: okay. a couple of questions for the project sponsor, if you could come up. there was concern about venting. do you know if there's sufficient venting to the roof and not out -- >> yeah. the brewery operation will be vented through a -- similar to a type two kitchen hood which could have anode or eliminating unit attached to it if that is a concern. we actually have stradled two

concerns with the community. one part of the -- so we've had to kind of balance that and do a self-imposed limit, but that will be vented similar to a kitchen hood. the kitchen will have a full regular type one hood, as well, so this is group penetration, which is our understanding are fine with the historic nature of the building. >> commissioner fong: and you can feel the concern of the neighbors, i don't think they want a mob there. this setup does point support that. can you talk a little bit about the signage on the outside of the building. it's very subtle, almost sort of incould gnito. is that on purpose? >> our design at the brewery is pretty minimal. we're not planning on putting large signage on the building.

we did say that we're now planning on making the main entrance on the 20th street corridor. we didnhaven't done any mock u with that, but it would be very tasteful. >> commissioner fong: you guys don't have bottles, you're cans only? >> yeah, and primarily draft at this location. >> so no bottles? >> no bottles fopg fop. >> commissioner fong: i'm curious what other commissioners have. >> president hillis: commissioner melgar. >> commissioner melgar: i missed all the other -- kumbahyah moment where everybody agreed, my biggest

issue is you're opening this project in the mission beverage special use district, which is a big deal for somebody like me. so i worked with you, and one of the commenters talked about how the public health department has zeroed in on this particular track on alcohol and tobacco, and there is a big push to work with the existing businesses, because it's a cultural climate issue. it's not like specific projects. the youth that were growing up in a neighborhood that's still high crime, and there's a lot of toxic stress are surrounded by alcohol, and they're more likely to booabuse it if it's around you. so you said during your presentation this place was going to be open to all ages all the time, so people under 21 can just walk in? >> yeah, people under 21 will be able to walk in, and that is

the intent. we we'd said it before, we're trying to setup a community gathering space, and we hope this will show a responsible alcohol consumption, versus more of a bar and an over alcohol, over drinking type of environment. this will be a full kitchen. we plan on serving a full meenoo. what we imagine is families coming in early during the day. they can have beer, they can have soda that we're able to make on-site. it's a nuanced difference between a bar and a family space. >> that concerns me. you don't understand the community where you're trying to open up this bar, so you know, that works. you know, in that model, everybody comes in. with people who don't have the toxic stress that, you know,

makes them more at risk for abusing alcohol, but you know, to me, i can't support this project because of that, and i didn't hear during your presentation any mitigations. i didn't hear that you would work with the community on that issue, with the youth at john o'conor high school on the specific programs. i saw the list of the people that you donate to, and that's great, but to me, if there is a specific harm, there should be a specific mitigation, and i just don't see that. >> we have talked to sf made with offering internship programs to john o'connell. >> i mean alcohol specifically, not just jobs for kids. that's what i mean with the specific harm, specific mitigation. okay. thank you. >> president hillis: commissioner johnson. >> commissioner johnson: all right. thank you. as the person who was standing on a soap box and also shaking

my fist at both hearings, with regard to the location that was in the third street restricted alcohol special use district, i have to agree with commissioner melgar and make the same argument here. so the mission special alcohol special use district prohibits the expansion or establishment of new establishments that sell alcoholic beverages and prohibit the transfer of liquor licenses with the exception of restaurant use. and the reason for that is in our planning code, restaurant uses can have liquor licenses but are not -- are primarily eating establishments, and they are primary for serving food, and then, you may also have a liquor license to have drinks. this is a brew pub, is primarily to sell the beer, and then, the food so that you may drink the more of the beer, and that is -- that is -- you know,

i think maybe there's some gray area in our planning code, which i think you brought to us today, but in my thought, a micro-brewery or brew pub is considered as an alcohol establishment for the mission special use district. so as much as i like a good brew pub, i like a good, sour beer. i have to -- if i was standing up here a month ago shaking my fist about a liquor store on third street and the bayview, i have to make the same argument here, unfortunately. i also have some challenges with the -- with the conversion from trade shop -- strad shtra is retail. it just means you have to make stuff there, and then, you also have to have some portion of your facility where you're selling it. so i guess i'm -- i'm not sure that i see a strong reason to convert trade shop, which is

part of how we maintain pdr uses into restaurant. and in addition, i think if this were a regular restaurant, like a restaurant where you could sit down and order a drink, you could order wine, but the point was the culinary experience, i could definitely see that that fits squarely into why there is that restaurant exclusion from this district, but it's a brew pub, but i can't see it, so i cannot be supportive of it today. >> commissioner koppel. >> yeah, there's a bar right down the street from where i live, and one thing that sets this apart is they do allow all ages and they aren't open all hours, and i can't tell you how much it does to discourage your typical bar flies that are going to go to your liquor serving typical bars. i don't see this as being as

horrible for this neighborhood as they seem to be. also, i haven't heard anyone reinforce that this isn't a formula retail brewery. i would not be in favor of this whatsoever if it was budweiser or any other type of retail brewe brewery that was started here in san francisco, and the limited pricing and all ages being allowed are somewhat mitigating for me. >> president hillis: i mean, i'll chime in too. i'm not troubled by this. first, we're. >> commissioner perez: -- we're permitting a restaurant. sometimes there's gray area enforcing that, but that's the issue, we have that -- that's the rule. we have that issue everywhere, and we should be diligent about it. i think the fact that they are

local -- somebody said it doesn't matter. i think it does matter. both timbuk2 and fort point have been built in this community, and i think that's important, and we should encourage that. i think somebody stated because they're successful, and it's modestly so. it's not anchor steam. we should encourage that and encourage the jobs that come of that. my -- what rang kind of to me is some of the concerns that people raised and that we got on e-mail kind of how this interacts with the neighborhood. it's in a relatively quieter commercial corridor, so for me, i think it's a little large. you know, i don't know if there's room to kind of shrink some of the seating. it seems large fore the locatithe -- for the location that it's in, and i'd like to see some buffer in the space to deter noise, but i think that working with timbuk2

to keep that job -- more pdr establishment works, and it's a good use here. i like kind of the price point on the meenoo where we see too often -- mostly we're seeing upscale restaurants being approved here. i support it. i think the entry is being reconfigured, because it is a large space. commissioner richards? >> vice president richards: so it's interesting. i learned from other commissioner comments and members of the public new things every time as i sit up here. i go meet with the project sponsor, i get a good story. i mentioned timbuk2. i had a timbuk2 bag when it was still cool, when nobody else had one. and i get the whole need to keep manufacturing in the mission. we talked about where this fits in your business plan, in terms

of manufacturing. is it -- you know, is it more exposure, is it try experimental beers out. and i read the case report, and i read the la cocina letter, and i guess the question i had would be, manufacturing to me would be putting something in a bottle and on a truck and send it somewhere, rather than put it in a glass and drink it. you're doing 10% or 12% of the floor space to manufacturing the beer, and you said there were a high number of people that were against manufacturing and some that wanted more, but you're entitled to 33% of the floor space. why not take more floor space and take some of that beer and put it in a bottle and have it be real manufacturing. can you comment on that?

yes. >> i mean, we would be fine with increased -- i mean, i'd feel like it would solve what commission president hillis was talking about. if you'd like us to move more square footage -- if you look at the building, we're not going to shrink the space, but if you'd like us to move more from seating to production, that's something we'd be happy to do. there is already kind of a lobby experience. you will enter the space in kind of a buffer zone, so you'll enter the space and see timbuk2's manufacturing, and see our manufacturing, and then you'll see this buffer zone concept already exists in the design. >> vice president richards: so what about -- i read the letter about la cocina. there's a lot of space here. what about part of the space be a rotating pump up for somebody -- maybe that isn't a

la cocina business model, in addition to what you have there, serve some other augmented kinds of foods? >> we're not opposed to that idea. it's hard to precommit to a business partner arrangement when it comes to actually running of the business, we're totally fine of committing our kitchen to be used at commissary kitchen to la cocina or other interested parties. that's something we can do richa. >> vice president richards: spike, can you come up. with the manufacturing up to 33%, would you be more comfortable with a true manufacturing portion as well as an on-site consumption that's a lot smaller, given the fact that it would take up much more space with the potential to partner with a la cocina type organization. >> so let me address those in

two parts. the la cocina component, we were in negotiations with la cocina. we in fact invited them and it was our idea to bring la cocina graduates in and have a restaurant that actually served food to the community. >> and what would that look like? >> it would look like some mexican restaurant, some salvadoran restaurant, some thai restaurant, some graduate of la cocina restaurant. they rejected that. they offered a commissary kitchen that they already have, and they're already at 60% capacity. nor do they want a pop up, because pop ups -- there are graduates that do pop ups, and they're looking for brick and mortar restaurants. that's what they're looking for is space, and since justin's

group is actually interested in brewing beer, we were thinking that this is a win-win, that the food component could be community serving, and locals would feel comfortable, and then, they would do their beer manufacturing and have a tasting spot that was much more scaled down, and it was a restaurant that happened to have their own in-house beer. that was rejected, and so la cocina is not a partner with them. usm could not come up with an agreement with them, and all they did is propose 1,000 people coming in ubers and lyfts and being dropped off in front of the place and saying, but there are buses and we're sure that our customers will just take a bus. but the hot dog thing is really what is irking everybody. it's not a restaurant, it's a beer pub that serves hot dog to get through that planning problem that they can't open a bar. so in answer to your second part of your question, i heard

opposition from the neighbors that they depth want to smell it. if there's a way of not getting the brew smell into my neighbor's houses, there's no problem. they were hoping that the -- that light industry, that would be blue collar jobs, and that the local industry -- 'cause fort point, so give them benefit, they do train. they do have a way of getting up and a guy who comes off the street could eventually be a manager, so all of the manufacturi manufacturing and producing of beer, putting it in a container and shipping it out, is something we would support, and we haven't had a vote in the audience right now, but that's what our conversations were asking for. 33% is still the majority is going to be consuming alcohol, and so we don't want a bar

there. we don't mind drinking -- drinking alcohol when you're eating a full meal, and the community is walking to this place and not being a destination. >> vice president richards: were there people in the community that wanted the meen meen meenmenu scaled back? was there anybody in the community that did not want a full menu? >> no. we wanted a place where locals would go out to eat that was affordable. so we like the price point. we just don't like what they're offering as hot dogs. that's bar food. it was commissioner fong that said they had limited hours, because they're not open until 2:00, they're open until midnight, but if you have people getting out and calling

their lyfts, and being in the street when they smoke, midnight is really late when you have to get up and go to work in the morning. the problem is the hours, the problem is the masses of people that are going to come as a destination, and the alcohol is the biggest problem. >> vice president richards: thank you. justin, given what you hear from the community, given what you hear from the commissioners, given what you have to offer, is there a solution there where everybody can sing kumbahyah? >> yeah. i would hope so. we want to continue to work with the community after the location is completely open. we want to continue to approve the model, but i think right now what we heard, we would be fine closing at an earlier time on sunday through thursdays. we do need to make sure the business is financially viable as a project, so i do feel we could cut our hours back to 10:00 p.m. on sunday through thursday night and allowed to stay open until midnight on

fridays and saturdays. if commissioner melgar thought it would be beneficial, i would be fine self-imposing an hour in which we don't allow use into the space, but as commissioner koppel pointed out, we do think it changes the environment when you do allow children in the space, but i'm fine with that being on the table shlgs as well as shifting the ratio of seating to more manufacturing, all of those things. >> vice president richards: to full menu versus hot dogs and french fries and things, is the reason you didn't come to an agreement with la cocina -- >> commissioner melgar: cocina. cochino means dirty in spanish. >> vice president richards: sorry. >> the reason we have an issue there is the food component,

while it has been insinuated tonight that it's something we don't care about, it is something that we get care about. it gets put down at hot dogs, but it's a well invested into hot dog and sausage program where it can be skofed at, but it is exact leez the kind of food we're trying to provide. if -- when talking to la cocina about partnering -- having a permanent business partner for a project, which if it were to be approved, we're probably not going to be opening this location eight months from now. it's to get into a three-way business partnership between us, timbuk2, if it seems financially -- like risky for us to go into partnership with another business not having a business history with this person or persons. whereas we could offer the

service, the commissary business in a less risky environment. >> vice president richards: thank you. >> president hillis: commissioner fong? >> commissioner fong: let me try this. largely, i do think there's value in a san francisco company. i think there's value in timbuk2 being a san francisco company, and by this addition, i feel it will add -- av obviously, the reason you're interested is to pump some energy into your brand, and the focus on san francisco born and raised companies. i'm guessing with anchor steam now bought by sapporo, are you guys by volume the largest san francisco brewery? [ inaudible ] >> commissioner fong: okay. all right. and then, to the family piece, this is something if i can sort of look at the plans and envision, it's an open, tall space, so i can see people there with dogs and families

and watching a warriors game and having a bite to eat in a little bit of a communal center being on the corner there. so let me try this, and i know i may get some noes. motion to approve by with those several conditions: one that a noise program or noise mitigation program is put into place, that a security program is put into place, and that a mandatory security guard or service be available during the evening hours. attention to the recycling and in particular the glassware sort of dumping of materials in the morning when garbage comes to collect, as well as late evening. a white zone, and if you are anticipating -- uber's -- that's just the way it is now for all restaurants, request for a white zone in front of the restaurant, in front of the establishment to not cause double parking and back ups. a movement to -- consideration to move the production -- the

beer production to at least 33% of the space. the installation of a smog cog, which is anode or filltration twice on the roof top. the community may want a little more offering than sausage hot dogs, bratwurst, etcetera. invite a chef to come in and do an in depth menu, while still keeping costs as low as possible. i think that would be a good programming addition to the restaurant. and the last two is taking you up on your offer about sunday through thursday, 10:00 p.m. closures, with friday and saturday at midnight. >> second. >> president hillis: commissioner johnson? >> commissioner johnson: sorry. i actually -- i like a lot of the changes that commissioner

fong has made. it looks like there's support for it, but i'll just still say i'm not going to vote yes on this, because if i was willing to vote no on a business that had been here 45 years on bay street, i think i sort of have to be consistent with that here. hopefully, they will have those changes, but a bona fide eating establishment primarily gets its revenue from food, and if you have hog dogs that are $5 and beer that's $8, that's not the case. again, i fall on the side that's not within that carve out that was envisioned for this district. >> president hillis: can i just ask the question, if 30% of the space is used for manufacturing or for brewing, what does that leave, 'cause i think it would be supportive, but i want to set -- my concern was the number of seats, kind

of a maximum. >> i'm assuming that that number would become a 120 number, but i don't know. it's based off of an occupancy code and many other items. >> president hillis: what's it at now, the seating? >> is it actually less than the permit? i think the seating we have is at... >> president hillis: okay. let me ask planning staff, 'because i think there was a...or we can just say, if you look at the plan, the number of

seats adjacent to the particular buck 2 seats, was about 20 seats. my concern was the size of the space or the size of the seating. if it would meet a reduction of 20 seats, i could be supportive, if you'd just dpsh-at least the rux reduction. the brewing portion of the facility would be at least 30%, and there would be the reduction of 20 seats. >> so as the project sponsor has considered closing the shot well entrance, so that would leave the bench and dining area immediately contiguous to that. staff would like to clarify, we would just ensure it would still stay under the accessory use thresholds, so we stay within the parameters of what the nc-2 district allows, but i

think there's space and flexiblity in the floor plan to accommodate what's proposed, the increases production, staying under the accessories, and yeah. >> president hillis: great. thank you. commissioner richards? >> vice president richards: i came here a saturday ago to pay my former respects to former mayor lei mayor lee, and i ran into commissioner rich. and we started talking about some of the success stories in the city. and i told him my father always said, where there's a will, there's a way. as i stand here looking at the requirements for what's nextly compatible. i see it getting there, but i don't see it tonight because we don't have something fully formed. it is a three way model, and i think with a little more time,

you guys can all get together and figure this out, and it may be some giving on timbuk2's part, and maybe some giving on your part, and maybe some giving on the community's part, but now we're all here in the same room, and i know there was calls made to people, and all that stuff put aside, i think a little more time, we could give this project a lot better fit to the neighborhood. you heard what -- i think what you're up against: more manufacturing, more food, less inten intensefication, and less alcohol. >> president hillis: commissioner melgar? >> commissioner melgar: thank you. so i like where commissioner fong was going, and i also agree with you that there needs to be a little bit more cooking here, and i specifically would request that you talk to folks to work around substance abuse in the neighborhood with kids

specifically. so there's organizations doing really good work like horizons unlimited in that neighborhood, doing specific work around alcohol use among kids, and i think that that would be in addition to the program. >> president hillis: commissioner richards? >> vice president richards: i move to continue -- hopefully, i have some -- to the earliest day in the community by the project sponsor. >> i think we should propose a date. >> vice president richards: yeah. i would say... >> clerk: february 22nd? >> vice president richards: yes. >> vice president richards: no second? >> second. >> clerk: thank you. should i call the question. >> no. i just -- we've already continued this twice. >> we've never heard -- >> this is the first hearing. >> clerk: commissioners, there's a motion that's been

seconded to disapproval, and a motion that's been superseded to continue to february 22nd. [ roll call. ] >> clerk: motion fails, 3-4. shall i call the original motion to approve with amendments? >> president hillis: yes, please. >> clerk: on that motion -- >> president hillis: just one clarification. that includes a loss of -- >> clerk: let me read into the record. are you amenable with a loss reduction of 20 seats? >> yes. >> we'll be here all night, guys. >> clerk: there is a motion to approve with conditions as amended to include noise mitigation, security mitigation, a recycling plan,

white -- excuse me. i'm sorry. beer production to be increased to at least 33%, the installation of a smog hog, a guest chef plan, and closure of the business sunday through thursday at 10:00, friday and saturday at midnight, and reduction of 20 seats in the restaurant. >> excuse me. you said 20 seats. >> i think your reduction of 20 seats was -- >> president hillis: it was 30 prs. >> well, actually, the original motion was 33%. >> president hillis: right, so that would at least result in a loss of 20 seats. >> well, and we're specifying the reduction of at least 20 seats. >> president hillis: 33 may reduce it more. >> vice president richards: it could. >> clerk: on that motion.

[ roll call. ] >> clerk: so moved, commissioners, that motion passes 4-3, with commissioners johnson, melg, and richards voting against. >> president hillis: that's it. thank you, commissioner johnson, for your service, and our meeting is adjourned.

. >> please be seated. good afternoon. i'm rabbi beth singer from congregation emanu-el here in san francisco. it is with such sadness and shock that we are here to acknowledge the untimely death of such a wonderful human being, our beloved mayor, edwin lee. brianna, tanya, and anita, you can never know how much he will be missed. my hope is that today's service

will be a comfort to you. today, i invoke the phophet, micah, who inquired, what is it that god requires of a human being? only this, says micah. to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. mayor lee exemplified this vision. here is one story which is just one of the countless examples of mayor lee's mercy, just its, h humility. a group of teens asked me to setup a meeting with mayor lee to talk to guns and gun

violence. the mayor accepted the i have itation and listened carefully to the teen's statements. he shared with us a surprising number of measures he had already taken. i commented to the mayor that i hadn't seen any of this on his website, and that maybe he should publicize his successes a little bit more. mayor lee noted that he was not looking for more attention from the nra, but also, he would rather focus on making a safer city than on promoting himself. two rabbis wrote a beautiful piece of contemporary jewi contemporary jewish liturgy, and i share it with you, but especially you, breanna and

tanya and anita. it's a pray i don't remember, we will know when to remember him. to the rising of the sun, and in its going down, we will remember him. to the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we will remember him. to the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring, we will remember him. when we continue san francisco's work of justice, mercy, and care for everyone, we will remember him. so long as we live, our ed lee, too, shall live, for he is now a part of us, for we remember

him. >>the hon. london breed: good afternoon, everyone. my name is london breed and i am the acting mayor for the city and county of san francisco. thank you, rabbi singer, for that prayer, and thank you everyone for being here for this celebration of life of our mayor, edwin mah lee. thank you, anita, breanna and tanya for sharing your father with our city, for allowing them -- him to work with us, and that, we know, has taken time away from your family. and we want you to know how many lives your dad and your husband have touched all over the city and all over this country. our condolences are also with

the entire lee family at this time. in these difficult days since we lost mayor lee, i find myself often reflecting on what he meant to all of us. what he meant to the chinese american community, to those who worked alongside him and to the city he served. four years ago, i joined mayor lee with anita on a sister city trip to shanghai, china. now, the mayor certainly has his accolades here, but in china, he was an icon. to everyone we met and everywhere we met, mayor lee

was like beyonce with the mustache. yes, ed was also ed. he carried his own luggage. he held the door for his wife, anita, and for others. he brought him little doggie bags home from the restaurants after he ate. when he passed away, the mayor's budget director, melissa whitehouse wrote a beautiful tribute to him, one of many from his staff and colleagues. mayor lee treated us with respect. he changed his mind based on information, made tough decisions that would payoff long after he was gone. he compromised, he was honest, he cared deeply. working for him was all parks and recs, no howuse of cards. now, we all know, even before

mayor lee's passing, san francisco has been fighting for its values amidst some stormy national winds. when cynicism mounts, and facts no longer matters, when people serve their egos above their people, when immigrants are made to be a threat and hope wanes, mayor lee was a guardian amongst those dangerous winds. our mayor had kindness, he had class, he served others before himself, he listened, he cared, and he fought for our city, all of its people, with the quiet dignity of a man who knows exactly what he stands for.

people have been talking a lot about legacy. you know, to me, mayor lee's greatest legacy isn't the economic turnaround or the warriors' return to san francisco, or his enormous investment in transportation and housing. friends, it's much simpler. ed lee showed our children that public service can still be noble. for all those he mentored, those he lifted up, those he fought and helped as a civil rights attorney, for the thousands of public housing

residents whose lives he transformed, for the generations of asian americans he inspired, and for the san franciscans he served for all of his life, thank you, ed lee, for all you have sacrificed to take care of so many. we love you, we miss you, and we will honor you by continuing the hard work that you started here in our great city. thank you. [ applause ] >> to ed's family, i want to

express my condolences upon the passing of your father and husband, of our mayor. i can say our mayor, because i'm a son of san francisco where i am. i temporarily went over to oakland for a while, but then quickly got back over to sacramento. any way, what i want to say is that ed lee is a very unusual political leader. i've met a lot of political leaders for the last 50 years, and ed was a person who had an infectious smile, had a feeling that he expressed whenever you wanted to work with him. and whenever i got a call from ed lee, it was always pleasant. i didn't have to shrink back, what is he going to ask for now. even when he asked for things for san francisco, he did it with a charm and a humility

that it was always welcome. he was not an artless person. very effective, very straight. and in the world of noise and all the excessive communication that our digital world presently embodies, just mere humanity is an incredible exception to what we encounter. ed lee was a real person. he was a person that communicated integrity, the love of life. i never saw him down. every time you saw him, he was happy, he was expressing very upbeat attitude. and in the world that we see today in politics, upbeat attitude is hard to come by, particularly when it's genuine, when it's real, and that's what i lsaw in mayor ed lee.

life has its surprises, and many of them are not always pleasant, but ed lee will be remembered. he gave politics a good name. he gave san francisco a good name, because he was a very good man. thank you. >>the hon. dianne feinstein: i make these remarks on behalf of two of my colleagues that are here today, one of them, the former district attorney of the state of california, kamala harris. as was just said, ed was soft-spoken. he was reserved, and he was

humble, but he was also incredibly effective in government management, with a proud history as a civil rights attorney. in 1974, ed graduated from boudoin college in maine. that same year, he had the great fortune of meeting a new mandarin tutor while studying in hong kong. that tutor, anita, and that student, ed, fell in love. six years later, in 1980, ed and anita were married. in the ensuing years, they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, tanya and breanna. together, the four of them provided a strong family bond that provided ed tremendous support during his public sector career.

during his study at bolt hall, ed became interested in public rights. he first became interested in representing tenants in chinatown in a housing rent strike. throughout the 1980's, he continued his civil rights work as an attorney in the asian law caucus. ladies and gentlemen, i am not aware of any civil servant, any elected official who has served in as many leadership and management positions in this city. ed lee's 27 years of public service to san francisco are truly compelling, and they are also unique. in 1989, he directed the office implementing the