he's also a pro. he knows his stuff. but is committed to the mission as much as anyone i met and work with. thank you so much. i want to say our other partners, again, we appreciate all the private support, but this is -- don't get mixed up, this is a public project made possible by the public and the common good and it's led by the v.a. that made housing vouchers available to us. they run the social work department, we have of course all of the partners with the california state vet people who are here. i want to say this project would

not be possible without the california taxpayers, the people of san francisco, right, who backed the bills. the v.a., hud, the veterans housing program, the local initiative support corporation, san francisco city, san francisco investment and infrastructure, all these acronyms, who are these people? well, they're the people who make it possible. they're the people who give the private sector so much backing they can't help but invest in in. like the california debt limit allocation committee, the california department of housing, et cetera, et cetera, that's what it takes. so just briefly, other construction partners, the brothers, contractors, initiativy brothers. these are all topnotch people.

architects, the design partners. are you here? design studios, castro. so, let me also i want to introduce teresa gunn, she's are the cal vet program and really understands the financing of what makes this possible. she helped us develop and support our $10 million grant that was a piece of this project. it's our friends and partners of the cal vet home loan that make this possible. teresa, could you say a few words, please? [applause] >> good morning, everyone. i usually like to start because i'm with cal vet, i like to recognize our veterans and the families, if you're a veteran or a member of the family, could you please stand, thank you all for your service. [applause]

as a military brat, the families often are forgotten. thank you all for your service. i want to thank absolutely every single person an entity that michael just thanked, because without everyone else this wonderful project wouldn't be occurring today. i'd like to extend a special thanks to the chinatown community development center and the sword to plow shares, our cosponsor. california has the honor of being the state with the largest veteran population at nearly 1.7 million. with this honor is the challenge of having the most veterans experiencing chronic homelessness. according to hud, 29% of veterans experiencing homelessness in america are here in california. san francisco has homeless and

underserved population close to 700 veterans. in california, the vets aren't the only problem. there are more than 100,000 veteran households that are low-income, that means less than 30% median income and 74% are burdened, meaning half of their income is spent on housing. in addition, there is approximately another 100,000 veteran households are ho are very low income, under 50%. and 42% of them are severely burdened. so with these truths come the question, how do we assist our at risk veterans and those experiencing homelessness? in response to that question and in show of support from the governor brown, our legislature and california voters, the veterans housing and homelessness program was created and cal vet, our sister agency were entrusted to be the

custodians of this program. not quite four years ago as california voters directed $600 million for the sole purpose of helping fund projects like this mission bay, cal vet and our partners set in motion the process for competing for and being awarded the funds to make projects like this come to fruition. mission bay is a shining star in the vhp program, for a couple of reasons. one, this is the first vhp project in san francisco. move in out of the rain. squeeze in. i'll be short. we have a couple projects in the surrounding area, but this is the first one that is really going be impactful for the veterans in san francisco. and as supervisor kim said, the previous mayor's drive was to

take veteran homelessness to zero. is this project will take almost 10% of those homeless veterans and give them a permanent home. it's absolutely amazing. secondly, this project shows how projects should be done. how they should come together and move forward. mission bay is a recipient of the third round of vhp funding. it was awarded its funds barely nine months ago and here we stand with the ground broken and this building going to be erected quickly here. that is amazing. many of other projects get stuck in predevelopment even though they have the funding and take several years more. it's a fantastic job, everyone involved. vhhp is a beacon for at risk veterans facing potential homelessness and those who are homeless. today, that line shines here in san francisco. mission bay will be a safe place

for 62 veterans and their families. maya angelou said it best, the ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place we can go as we are, and not be questioned. vulnerable members of our community are ensured to receive not only a place to call home, but the services and support they need to stabilize their lives. they can find a place to thrive. cal vet is here, a trusted partner, working to support, build, nurture local, regional and statewide collaborations. local, regional and statewide, everybody is involved in the project and will make it a success. i acknowledge the hard work as i've already said before from our partner swords and chinatown and the community leaders joining us today. thank you for your support.

we're all working together to improve the quality of life of our california veterans experiencing chronic homelessness. congratulations on today's ground break and i thank you all for everything you do to support our veterans and their families. [applause] >> so this is the second project of swords and chinatown. 150 street, which houses 75 homeless veterans, has been around since 2012 and that was funded by the wells fargo folks and we're pleased to renew that partnership. i would like to welcome jeff bennett, the vice president for wells fargo community lending and investment. >> thank you so much.

this is a great pleasure for us to be involved in this wonderful project. we have been working with chinaton for a long time, since the early 90s. we've done great things with them. this is our second veterans project with swords and chinatown. we closed this project before christmas last year, it was a little bit harrowing because the congress almost took away the taxes and bonds program we were using. thankfully it was preserved at the last minute and we didn't have to go to plan "b" which would have been more difficult. i want to concongratulate the development team and thank the folks who worked on financing. they did a terrific job of getting this thing done. we're providing most of the private financing on this, we're

doing a construction loan. we're going to be in the deal for 15 years at least, so we're a long-term partner. i want to acknowledge those in the audience providing the permanent mortgage which ace critical part of the financing as well. and i just want to say that wells fargo has been committed to affordable housing for a long time. we continue to be. it's a huge need in san francisco and the bay area. we're very open for business, for affordable housing and hope to see a lot more of these opportunities in the future. thank you very much. can't wait for the grand opening. [applause] >> so again, we're thrilled to work with chinatown and i want to bring their experience as we know, they develop over 4,000 units of housing, affordable housing. and the reverend norman fong has

fought for our communities since 1990. so without further ado, reverend fong, please. [applause] >> you know, mayor ed lee always says he wanted us to get together under a big tent. this is it! this is it, right! i'll be really fast this time. i need your help. you're going to help me bless this. we want all the good vibes on earth. i want to say that michael, swords, raise your hands, thank you! it adds so much meaning in life when we know that our job is to get all the vets off the streets. and they can do it. they delivered it heart and soul. we can do a little housing and community services for the families, but i just want to super thank plow share, you've added diversity and meaning to

our work. in chinatown. that's what san francisco is supposed to be about, right? embracing diversity. so today, you all should be super smiling in the rain, ok, ok. we're here under this big tent, ed lee's tent, to wish all these good blessings on this site. i need you to kind of yell after me. may the spirit of peace -- >> peace! >> joy -- >> joy >> hope and love -- >> hope and love >> embrace this new ed lee veterans and family whatever. you know what i mean! this place. and turn to the burn to your left and right and go peace, brother, peace sister, that's it we're done. hey, do we get to do the shovels

now? michael, you're in charge. are we doing the shovel stuff now? five, four, three, two, one! dig! can you dig it! all right!

welcome home, man.

♪ >> supervisor jeff sheehy and i represent district eight, the castro, diamond heights. ♪ ♪ for me i think district eight is different than other districts because of the castro, right? that is really the birth place of lgbtq civil rights movement in san francisco. it's historic for that reason. it's a great district because it's very diverse. you have booming night life in the castro, a lot of families,

we have an amazing array of parks, rock climbing wall in glen canyon is super cool. it was the first facility with a rock climbing wall. the book stores are treasures, charlie's corner is unique. >> charlie's corner is a children's book store but so much more, community space where care takers and children come together over storytelling, books, it's a gathering center. i am charlotte and we are at charlie's corner on the corner of castro and 24th. the type of books we carry at charlie's corner range from prenatal to young adult, 18. we have musical books, art books, all built around children of course.

history, nonfiction, we have a wonderful picture book section. >> i love going to charlie's corner, number one, because you can find a whole range of books. my kid loves to read books. >> i always envisioned a space like this, surrounded by children's books and storytelling. we offer storytelling four times a day. we do curate well, we do a lot of time reading, researching, beyond the story time, it's going back to picking out a book, helping someone find the perfect book, unwrapping it and sending it off. there are people from all over the world and that's what i find so exciting. you see that every day in our story times. it's literally a melting pot. >> more and more families come

into the district, whether it's the castro, strollers every where in the valley and tons and tons of kids in glen park now, with the canyon and a great library. >> i describe it as this village, i tell people i live in a town but i work in a village. >> one thing i really think is great about this district, it's a safe district, it's a clean district, it's great for kids, it's great for families and has a bit of wild life in it, too. >> i look forward to watching these kids in this neighborhood grow up and new kids come in and meeting new people from all over the world because that's what we're all about. ♪ ♪ >> manufacturing in cities creates this perfect platform

for people to earn livelihoods and for people to create more economic prosperity. i'm kate sosa. i'm cofounder and ceo of sf made. sf made is a public private partnership in the city of san francisco to help manufacturers start, grow, and stay right here in san francisco. sf made really provides wraparound resources for manufacturers that sets us apart from other small business support organizations who provide more generalized support. everything we do has really been developed over time by listening and thinking about what manufacturer needs grow. for example, it would be

traditional things like helping them find capital, provide assistance loans, help to provide small business owners with education. we have had some great experience doing what you might call pop ups or temporary selling events, and maybe the most recent example was one that we did as part of sf made week in partnership with the city seas partnership with small business, creating a 100 company selling day right here at city hall, in partnership with mayor lee and the board of supervisors, and it was just a wonderful opportunity for many of our smaller manufacturers who may be one or two-person shop, and who don't have the wherewithal to have their own dedicated retail store to show their products and it comes back to how do we help companies set more money into

arthur businesses and develop more customers and their relationships, so that they can continue to grow and continue to stay here in san francisco. i'm amy kascel, and i'm the owner of amy kaschel san francisco. we started our line with wedding gowns, and about a year ago, we launched a ready to wear collection. san francisco's a great place to do business in terms of clientele. we have wonderful brides from all walks of life and doing really interesting things: architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, other like minded entrepreneurs, so really fantastic women to work with. i think it's important for them to know where their clothes are made and how they're made. >> my name is jefferson mccarly, and i'm the general manager of the mission bicycle

company. we sell bikes made here for people that ride here. essentially, we sell city bikes made for riding in urban environments. our core business really is to build bikes specifically for each individual. we care a lot about craftsmanship, we care a lot about quality, we care about good design, and people like that. when people come in, we spend a lot of time going to the design wall, and we can talk about handle bars, we can see the riding position, and we take notes all over the wall. it's a pretty fun shopping experience. paragraph. >> for me as a designer, i love the control. i can see what's going on, talk to my cutter, my

pattern maker, looking at the designs. going through the suing room, i'm looking at it, everyone on the team is kind of getting involved, is this what that drape look? is this what she's expecting, maybe if we've made a customization to a dress, which we can do because we're making everything here locally. over the last few years, we've been more technical. it's a great place to be, but you know, you have to concentrate and focus on where things are going and what the right decisions are as a small business owner. >> sometimes it's appropriate to bring in an expert to offer suggestions and guidance in coaching and counseling, and other times, we just need to talk to each other. we need to talk to other manufacturers that are facing similar problems, other people that are in the trenches, just like us,

so that i can share with them a solution that we came up with to manage our inventory, and they can share with me an idea that they had about how to overcome another problem. >> moving forward, where we see ourselves down the road, maybe five and ten years, is really looking at a business from a little bit more of a ready to wear perspective and making things that are really thoughtful and mindful, mindful of the end user, how they're going to use it, whether it's the end piece or a he hwedding gown, are they going to use it again, and incorporating that into the end collection, and so that's the direction i hear at this point. >> the reason we are so enamored with the work we do is we really do see it as a platform for changing and making the city something that it has always been and making

sure that we're sharing the opportunities that we've been blessed with economically and socially as possible, broadening thit. >> shop & dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges resident to do their shop & dine in the 49 within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services in the neighborhood we help san francisco remain unique successful and vibrant so we're will you shop & dine in the 49 chinatown has to be one the best unique shopping areas in san

francisco that is color fulfill and safe each vegetation and seafood and find everything in chinatown the walk shop in chinatown welcome to jason dessert i'm the fifth generation of candy in san francisco still that serves 2000 district in the chinatown in the past it was the tradition and my family was the royal chef in the pot pals that's why we learned this stuff and moved from here to have dragon candy i want people to know that is art we will explain a walk and they can't walk in and out it is different techniques from stir frying to smoking to steaming

and they do show of. >> beer a royalty for the age berry up to now not people know that especially the toughest they think this is - i really appreciate they love this art. >> from the cantonese to the hypomania and we have hot pots we have all of the cuisines of china in our chinatown you don't have to go far. >> small business is important to our neighborhood because if we really make a lot of people lives better more people get a job here not just a big firm. >> you don't have to go anywhere else we have pocketed of great neighborhoods haul have all have their own uniqueness. >> san francisco has to all

>> this is the regular meeting of the small business commission held on monday, march 12th, 2018. the meeting is being called to order at 5:35 p.m. small business commission thanks media services and sf

govtv for televising the meeting. members of the public, please take this opportunity to silence your phones and other electronic devices. public comment during the meeting is limited to three minutes perspeaker unless otherwise established by the presiding officer of the meeting. speakers are requested but not required to state their names. spelling which is optional will help ensure proper spelling of names in the meeting. speaker cards will be called in the order in which they were placed in the basket. additionally, there is a sign-in sheet at the front table. sfgovtv please show the mall business meeting live. >> okay. welcome, everybody to the small business commission meeting. it is our custom to begin and end each small business commission meeting with a reminder that the office of small business is the only place to start your new

business in san francisco and is the best place to get answers to your questions about doing business in san francisco. the office of small business should be your first step when you have any questions about what to do next. you can find us here on-line, at city hall, and best of all, all our services are free of charge. the small business commission is the office plaforum to voic your opinions about concerns that affect the vitality of small businesses in san francisco. if you have a small business, it starts here at the office of small business. thank you. first, item one. call to order and roll call.

[ roll call. ] >> president, you have a quorum. >> next. >> twiitem 2, please. >> item 2 is public comment. do we have any members of the public who would like to make any comment on any small business matters that are not on today's agenda? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item, please. >> item three, presentation of the small business commission certificate of honor, honoring members of the neighborhood's vests program. discussion item. >> thank you, and i get to come down here to do this. so on behalf of the small business commission, tonight,

we would like to honor the invest in neighbores initiativ, and honor this office. this is when i'm going to talk off the top of my head, and i can probably speak for the other commissioners when i say this, when i go to other neighborhoods in this city, whether it's west portal, the excelsior, noe valley, a lot of people know i'm on the small business commission, and they're all coming up to me saying thank you. diane adid this for us, and amy did this for us, and jorge did this for us, and they all think it's our commission, but it's all invest in neighborhoods. we are all in the same boat. we have the same clientele, and it's that seamlessness that

everybody thinks we're all that one big happy group, which we are. and your office has done some amazing things. like, in the notes. this started under mayor ed lee, and he hired joaquin here to chair it up here, what, how many years ago now? five years ago? i've known her for 19. you know, it's been a big impact on the neighborhood. you know, especially with what chris does with the cbb's. there was never any contact with cbb's prior to this. i'm not saying anything bad about prior administrations, but it's just that things were done differently. now, it's more of a hands-on approach with businesses and the city hall, whether it's helping businesses relocate, get a restaurant from one side of mission street to the other, you guys are there to help

them. half of your guys aren't here tonight because they're at neighborhood meetings tonight, on aymond night. and not one neighborhood meetings, but there's several neighborhood meetings going on tonight. one of the first things i wanted to do as president of the commission this time around is honor your group. because you guys do a fantastic job in representing the city and county in san francisco, especially on the neighborhood level because that's what it's all about folks. each and every one of you should be very proud of what you have done. so with that, i want you to come on up, and you can get your picture on the tv and that, and let's say a little bit about each and every one of you here. so the first one i'm seeing is amy cohen. and this is a good one because amy helped -- helped us start the cbd's in the castro and noe

valley. it was 19 years ago, but when she came into the work for the newsom administration, she was working in a bank branch on sbsan bruno avenue says you are crazy in working in that neighborhood. why are you opening up something on san bruno and portal? and now, it's a busy neighborhood. and that was one of the best things that you did personally to help me out in my business. but right now, so amy, come on up, and for your vision and commitment and investment in economic and neighborhood workforce. [applause] >> angel's not here, but

angel's an angel. no, you've got to say that about him. mr. angel, you know, a lot of businesses that i've referred to angel who have -- need to be -- who are losing their lease, need to move, need help, sbdc, he's amazing, and he's come up with some ways to help small business owners actually buy their building. not many places do that, so he's great. angelique gross. is angelique here? should have just stayed off here. so congratulations, angelique. thank you for everything you've done helping out neighborhood services. >> next is commissioner adams.

>> and then i'm just going to go off -- it's the easy way. [ inaudible ] >> there's a lot of you. i didn't know -- chris. chris corgis. get up here, chris. so chris is your liaison to the cbd's, and that's not an easy job. and you've got to deal with a lot of neighborhoods and a lot of attitude opinions, and you know what? and if streets aren't cleaned and sidewalks aren't steam cleaned, they may go to the cbd's, but then, they'll also go to chris, and then, chris will have to get on them. so chris, thank you. >> thank you. >> and thank you for everything you've done. now you've got to get some of those renewed. >> absolutely. >> darcy bender. is darcy here today?

yea, darcy. [applause]. >> thank you for helping to provide storefront in san francisco. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> francis chin. where's francis? get over here francis. [applause]. >> so the businesses in chinatown, which is not easy, you've got neighborhood meetings now, and council on district merchants. so good job. somebody had to do it. thanks. congratulations. juan carlos? where's juan carlos? [applause]. >> there he is. central market-tenderloin. he's got an easy one. we should give you, like, five of these. well, good job, because midmarket is changing, and

we're a member of that in my other job, midmarket cbd. midmarket is changing, and you've been a big part of that. so thank you, juan carlos. >> thank you, thank you. >> ellen mar. [applause]. >> helping with the neighborhoods, again, cbd's, jumping in there with everything. >> yes. >> congratulations. you just keep doing what we're doing, and help us get these cbd's when they come up to renew. >> thank you. >> thank you. congratulations. >> thank you. >> larry mclendon. over in the bayview.

>> yep. >> that's where all the good restaurants are going, and brew pubs. >> yep. >> well, thank you for a great job over there, they're opening up. [ inaudible ] >> jorge rivas. jorge's not here, but jorge is -- he's busy in the excelsior with two neighborhood meetings in the excelsior tonight. so jorge, we're on tv, here you go, and we'll get this to you later. tina rose navarro. [applause]. >> okay. and you're doing the echo system stuff. >> sure. thank you. >> there you go.

-- and you' >> thank you very much. >> tricia medina. you do a lot because i see you everywhere. >> i do. [ inaudible ] >> you do all the black ramps for all over the place. you do the ones in the castro. that's where i see your name. >> yes. >> so keep the money flowing. >> i will. >> there you go. congratulations. >> thank you. >> and last but not least, joaquin torres. and this one's special because one of the things that you did, and i know you were part of it, and it was your idea was the fire mitigation, and we just had a fire just not too long ago. when was the last --

[ inaudible ] >> we had west portal. >> the second one in wewes wewes west portal. [ inaudible ] >> but here, i just want the people to know that when the first -- that first fire in west portal came where squat and impossibgobble, and i reme was watching tv, 7:00 in the morning, and you were there with the mayor. you guys were already there, moving businesses around and taking care of things. you kept your promise. that building got built to looking exactly like it did before the fire. and the other one, too, on ocean -- i was looking at regina -- was the ocean avenue with the bakery.

that caught on fire, and you helped them move, and now they're more successful than before the fire. i've got to sing your praises. everything you're doing for the city, whether it's business or economic development, you're an amazing individual. i'm so proud you're my friend, and these places are a better place because of your leadership, so thank you. [applause]. [ inaudible ] >> yep. let you say something real quick. >> president adams and commissioners, vice chair dwight and small business commission, i just want to thank you for recognizing this group. i want to give out a shout out to rick carillo, very strong member of our team, he kept us in check in the way that i know he's doing the same for you. but the success of the program is built on the people that you've recognized. everyone who's here right now,

whether -- and is based on decades, decades of succeeding and failing and flying and constantly being flexible in the work that we do. if not for the leadership of amy cohen and lisa pagan, we would not be where we are today. if not for the leadership of mayor newsom for beginning this work, we would not be where we are today. if not for the drive and confidence of mayor lee, we would not be where we are today. and to all the people who service the neighborhoods and be responsive to the ideas and critiques that everyone provides to us or all the diverse stakeholders, whether it's elected officials or otherwise, we can respond because of our passion, our commitment or creativity, and i

just want to say thank you for recognizing this team of extraordinary individuals. it's really an honor to be part of this group and to support our neighborhoods, so thank you. >> thank you. and just really quickly i want to give a shout out to the people that aren't here tonight. deanna ponce-de-leon, i want to just give her a shout out. holly hyong, another one. she's out there in the neighborhood, and she's helped me with a lot of business lending. we talk a lot about that, and creative ideas for that. valley brown, the work that she's done in the western addition.

and tabitha tapaya, the work that she's done. and last but not least, lauren slough. the work that you've done is incredible. keep it up, and we're all very proud of you here at the small business commission, so thank you. [applause]. >> yes. let's get a picture of everybody. we want to get everybody in front of the flag.

[ inaudible ] >> one, two, three. one, two, three. let me take one more. okay. thanks.

thanks. [ inaudible ] >> mr. president? before we close out, i just want to extend my great appreciation to joaquin torres and his leadership and the entire staff of the invested neighborhoods program. you're really integral for the office of small business in terms of us being able to deliver our services, and it's always exciting and fun working with a group of people who have that true entrepreneurial spirit, so i just want to extend any appreciation and it's very well deserved, your recognition, so thank you. >> public comment?

>> and before we move on, any other commissioner comments? >> i just also want to say thank you and congratulations. you guys have done a tremendous job. >> okay. and public comment, because we have to have public comment. we have public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. thank you all. [applause]. >> next item, please. >> encore performance. >> item four, presentation of the report office of workforce development state of the sector. presentser is joaquin torres, office of economic and workforce development. >> commissioners, before you start, in your binder, so in case you want to pull it out under number four is the powerpoint for the executive

summary. >> oh, but our screens are so clear now. we can see it digitally. >> good evening, commissioners. commission president adams, vice president dwight, and other small business commissioners. joaquin torres, deputy director here at the office of economic and workforce development. thank you for the commendation for all of the team. we're here to thank you very much for having us. tonight we're here to talk to you about an overview of our recently completed state of the retail sector, challenges and opportunities for san francisco retail neighborhood commercial districts, and that will be presented by amy cohen, our director of neighborhood programs and invested neighborhoods. she's going to review some of the data and implications for the retail study, highlight some policy items, and then we'll also discuss some of our economic development programs in addition to some of the

recommendations that have come out of the study so far. our public meetings so far have been at the land use committee, the board of supervisors, in addition to the planning commission, and so you'll be the third body that we're speaking to today. and we can discuss during the q&a session about what some of your recommendations are or your considerations that you're asking us to make are. but for now, i would like to invite up amy cohen to begin her presentation. >> thank you, joaquin and commissioners, and i just did the math, commissioner adams. it's been not quite 19 years since i've been doing this work, but i have been doing it about 13 years. that's when i think about when we might have met, so i was pleased to be given the opportunity to work on this study, we actually had an add back in the budget from then supervisor mark farrell who was interested in what changes were happening in the retail sector

and how that was affecting the city's commercial retail district, so we convened an interagency team to figure out what we should study and how to study it. we decided to work with strategic economics, the company that has done a lot of work in san francisco, especially a really deep dive in retail when we were looking at formula retail in 2017. so when we landed on with them is actually a series of three issue briefs, and you can find them on our website in what is called the full report or the final report. the first one was a national brief on national industry retail trends and implications for san francisco. the second is what makes a successful san francisco commercial district, and the third is costs and challenges of doing businesses in san francisco. and we merged the findings from those three studies into an executive summary, which you have, and an even shorter presentation, which i'll give today.

but the idea was really to look at what's happening nationally and in the sector, but also, figure out how are those changes applying to san francisco and how are they playing out, and what do we need to do differently. and i think having been around, as you guys have, for the last 13 to 19 years doing this work, we -- i think it was really helpful to finally have something on paper that says things are changing. this is not a -- a very quantitative study. it's more a literature view, and it's interviews with brokers, and some sales tactics that we have and looking at information that they had access to. i think it's a very useful and kind of high level scan of what's happening generally in retail and how it affects san francisco and it should prompt and has already started to prompt some thinking about what