commissioner safai? >> supervisor safai: i just want to say, you know, i've been in this room for over a year, and we've had multiple presentations on this. this is extremely extremely helpful today to have this information laid out in the way it is i do have it presented, you know, in parallel form, and have the options in a very clear and concise manner for us to be able to make really informed decisions. i really appreciate the hard work that your staff went into, and the presentation, to me, it makes a lot of the decision-making, going forward, that much easier. we really appreciate the hard work that you do. >> thank you. >> supervisor peskin: seeing no other questions or comments from commissioners, why don't we open this up to public comments. i have four speaker cards. if you don't want to comment, we will close, okay.

if you will line up to my left, you're right, the floor is yours. >> good morning, supervisors. we i'm glad we are starting the right conversation here. and i think if this moves forward you will be hearing more and more good news. storage seems to be a concern. the fact is, we will be abandoning one, and possibly two of the tunnels. if you look at how long these tunnels are, we have the capacity to store eight trains, you know. between two areas. but, now that we have finally landed on the alignment, as you recall, i presented to this board four or five years ago, i have seen a few supervisors. we can now rethink about where we will be locating the towns --

townsend station. the logical place is to locate it on seventh. because there is nothing there. when we do that, -- so the station will straddle at mission creek. at that point, we will be serving mission bay and other parts. we are proposing to be the station by a loop which we -- will essentially connect chinatown. but, and closing, we know it will cost is $900 million to go from 22nd street to townsend. why don't you just carry on and spend 900 million, instead of

$4.7 billion connecting townsend to the centre? thank you very much. >> supervisor peskin: thank you very much. mr olson, we. >> my name is ted olson. it was an honour, it is an honour to serve on the board for this project. i, obviously ask your approval of it, but i am here today to commend the director on the way he conducted and chose all of the participants for this, particularly his collegial work with the other partner departments which means that this is a uniform intelligence of all of your infrastructure departments. i also want to commend susan, and the entire team for leading our see wg through this process of understanding all of the technicalities that went into this decision. finally i say, about the

importance, and as john said, the differences between airports and roads versus railroad, by the time high-speed rail comes to san francisco, and the importance of this is it is a regional plan that we have proposed, by the time it arrives in san francisco, we will have 1 million residents. i urge your approval. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. >> mr chairman, members of the commission, our interest is really in getting caltrain extended without any unnecessary delay. i'm glad to see this morning that a lot of the earlier proposals that were highly disruptive to the extension of caltrain, and yet, we are overpriced and this is progress. we are getting closer to something that makes sense now. i did want to talk about one

that has been mentioned and that is, the yard. i don't think they really serious they looked at two options for leaving it there. one is to shrink it, because now there are 14 tracks and going down to maybe, nine. put it in the building and billed to the podium above and develop the air rights above. the other is the depressive 30 feet and the whole sight is free. if somebody wants to build some massive parking garage underneath, i don't quite see the problem there. it's not that much more expensive than going down farther south, and much cheaper on the operational cost than buying new property somewhere else that we don't know anything about yet. so that was one point. we should not lose track of the possibility of keeping the yard where it is. it is operationally better for caltrain to do that. the second thing is, it was a

time where they're free weight will get removed and that meant all kinds of nice garden apartments in the southwest corner of mission bay, but the freeway is going to be there, which blights the area for decades. i think it was a good decision to destroy that, but under a freeway, it is not such a bad place for an under, a street underpass. as it is here, the tail is wagging the dog. that underpass is causing a lot of expense to be added to a project that need not be. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. >> i am representing safe uni. it is a supporter of the downtown expansion of caltrain. we want to see it didn't -- done as quickly as possible, and as inexpensively as possible. currently, the project is costed out at $3.9 billion. san francisco is now adding a number of conditions to this

project. that is grade separation. i have no proper eight -- problem with pennsylvania avenue alignment and no problem with great separation. four years ago, before the beginning of this study, any rail expert would have told you that grade separation is a good idea. the question is cost. according to their figures, the costs is to $.1 billion in excess of the current project. i think san francisco has the belly up to the bar here, and committing to that extra $2.1 billion. until you do, and until you confront the financing question, you really are never going to be able to get this project done. i urge you to commit to the city's funding capacity to the tune of $2.1 billion to

accomplish the city's goals. and get this project done, now. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. are there any other members of the public here for item number 10, seeing none, public comment is closed. i think we are all deeply committed to getting the downtown extension into the trans bay terminal. as a matter of fact, when we hear item 11, and i apologize to mr williams, and the folks who are here, i think the number of us are actually anxious to go to the opening of that salesforce tower that towers above, or next to that trans bay terminal. so this is an information item. there is much more to come over the months and years ahead. it is our job to make sure that, unlike in phase one, that the

san francisco county transportation authority it remains intimatelremainsintimats project is delivered, hopefully as close to on time, and hopefully as close to the squishy budget as it now -- as is possible. with that, mr clerk, could you please read the next item? >> clerk: item 12, internal accounting report, item 11, update on san francisco transportation agencies with chair accessible taxi incentive program and recreational shuttle service program. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. miss williams, i terribly apologize for dragging you here. but i would like to subject to public comment, and asked my colleagues to continue this to the next meeting. went very much want to hear it and i again apologize to you for

having you sit here this morning. hopefully you enjoyed item number 10. and with that, is there any public comment on item number number 11? seeing none. >> to by mr chairman. >> supervisor peskin: you can speak under general public comment which is coming up. >> okay. that's fine. >> supervisor peskin: all right. no other public comment, public comment for number 11 is close. is there a motion to continue this to the next meeting made by commissioner fewer and seconded by commissioner safai. miss it fallen? by the way, we will continue item 11 to the hearing of june

26th. >> on the deputy director for finance and administration. this is a report on the ta's financials as of the march 31st 2018. in the first nine months after this... revenues totalled 294.7 million. expenditures total to 145.8 million. both revenues and expenditures are in budget for the first nine months of the year. in terms of investment compliance, 62.9% of the ta's cash, excluding the bond proceeds helped with u.s. banks are invested with the city's treasury pool and are in compliance with the california government code and the ta's investment policy. in terms of expenditure compliance, we had you remember there was a bond in november of 2017. we are five months into that. as of march 31st, we have spent 99.1 of those bond

proceeds and have approximately 150.8 million to go and to be spent in the next 31 months. with that i'm more than happy to answer any questions. >> supervisor peskin: any questions? seeing none, is there any public comment on item number 12? seeing none, public comment is close. thank you for that information. is there any introduction of new items? seeing none, is there any general public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed, and we are adjourned. [♪]you.

>> ♪u. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ utilized to call it a village the village the village is life-challenging is looks at in terms of the culture of village looks like here in georgia in a people getting along people getting made a each other and make up to forget about did you see sharing and other people helping other people >> i came up with that trip. >> you didn't come off as a

post officer he was sfpd but another them she's an uncle and father and brother. >> this is the third year in the success has been phenomenal coming on this trillion trip and imposed to this culture they go back and their interest in education is through the roof they are successful and through the roof. >> did you see how the kid that he took on the trip were impacted additional the passion for the trip and this differences in those kids life oh, my god this is just i got to be a part (clapping.) you it is all about supporting the community >> (clapping.) >> a hundred stories about success that was my duty to connect with her cultural the

third trip it was like wow. >> i was speech also i work with youg youth. >> you definitely recognize you're there for them. >> it made me feel good about myself and people are more friendly there than here. >> city was an actual people. >> we definitely know it is like the history. >> i think they have another finder needs. >> their. >> everyone is still smiling and people told me about that i didn't believe it i want more in school. >> and school it didn't capture even touch the tip of the iceberg as to what you're people endurd are experiences i

couldn't imagine living peacefully in a community. >> all of a sudden because of people's dreams they capture you and he and enslavery. >> you're closer to our culture because their traveled of the west africa through the states boat and they traveled by boat as horrific as it was only 40 days you don't forget our cultural in 40 days do you no just the contrary what happens you replace our cultural is part of you so that when you land and hold for new things what keeps you

alive our sense of belonging tradition. >> the not having the rapport we call and before i to a lot of people that are latin america or asian a family in the country for christmas or your parents or grandparents is in contact we don't have that we go down south my mother is from latin-american or mississippi. >> nothing and nothing is think for african-american. >> i feel like lie like i want to learn where i come from my ancestors nobody talks about like african like our roots it makes me like proud to be black and just because we're

going through a lot out here they'll we more - >> yeah. >> it is hard being an alderman in the united states the police are always somewhat cause of what i do and the people around me look at me different because i'm african-american and be respectful when you go into see other cultures again, we say thank you for the gift and the experience and be careful to say amen. >> amen . >> (clapping.) >> my hopes when they went to get in touch with tare culture and in touch with their history i know that in the public school system charter schools is not altogether until you go to

college that's my first goal they recall learning individually how their family life if they're taught at home, i knew even if they're taught their culture that will take them to a new level touching and feeling and flying to the motherland because this is small business speaking that people rarely get on opportunity to do i think we have programmed to be kind of detached from africa it is not a place where we have a connection like they're not many people that know what country what tribe they're actually from. >> georgia in a is the fires country can say the first

culture even before slavery took place doesn't get a chance to see how that was before africans came to america. >> i didn't have an in depth like how the of africa i thought that was like just savannah and once i got here i realized that was an actual people i thought they wouldn't like us because oh, i guess afghanistan people didn't like african-americans and step up and - (singing). >> like i felt disappointed home not really like oh, my gosh at home but this is where i need to be. >> (singing) and literally had been no sight

about african african. >> compared to the u.s. and how we live like a big, big big different cultural cultural and as we were walking down the student people wouldn't look twice but people are waving at&t and smiling acknowledging our presence and like in the town. >> when i landed here for the first time looking out the window wow. i've made it. >> no way to express how it feels to come to a community or a country where everyone looks like you and you go that's my cousin that's my uncle and brother because the people we're from here in some way. >> (singing)

you bring the element they love one another and love each other's kids a guy a tour guide and he walked up to the kid and gave them a big hug and he's like i love him, i that why, why do you say that he said it is beautiful i love all the people that is my family this missing my cousin and brothers i said with wow. and it was awesome he lot of that anyone like me, i'm scared to tell my mother on the daily basis i love her. >> i see shopping carts no shopping bags things on their heads they'll carry their

manufacture and a lot of kids always doing the same thing it was young people doing that. >> just like you. >> just like you. >> this one check your oh. >> oh, yes.

>> (bongos). >> i didn't like the people like bread soup they have obligate soup i liked that a lot of rice like white and red rice that was spicy the pin apples and oranges apples were good it was good overall i was scattered to try it. >> i didn't know that african had like the beautiful parts it is very green i don't know that was like that thought that would be like dirt shacks, not to be rude but that's what i pictured from what

the media said. >> i thought like african would be like a desert or something like making people naked people walking around and a lot of villages and stuff now that i came here that is like a regular city just like a foreign neighborhood or something not how people make that seem the people are nice nothing like the people in the united states here they talk to you like they've known you, your whole life. >> like at home there is the good parts and the bad. >> i think it is beautiful and respectful they were always you know looking at us and waving

they were welcoming. >> my highlight was going to the village and seeing all the little kids they're so happy and friendly even the adults were friendly like loving with open arms i didn't expect that because in san francisco you know people are kind of mean and they don't speak to you on the street i was taught to not talk to people but i try to do that. >> the green ones not ready for habit they'll turn from

green to yellow soup and soup we used the part we call that the black soup this is the soft jam so get our protein and so who want to have a track first, you have to try like the - >> don't drop it. >> what does it taste like. >> you want to feel it? >> like. >> here. >> two people can have

alternatives one outside of the other. >> if you like - >> you see that baby. >> take it with you. >> you decide which of the symbols are familiar you want to make in your strip. >> this is the symbol across town it is you know color.

>> from there we moved to where we visited a village when they make things and this experience alone is something that is worthy a million dollars in gold. >> i'll give the history of the club how it came to be in the older days i'd like to show you please this is - since the entry it was actually amazing i'm thinking off the clothes is made by knitting and i thought i knew and when i got there this was a slap in the face i'm thinking

wow. those handy men they're sitting here working back and forth and fix it is like a whole process to the making of the clothes that i thought i knew i didn't so i had to rethink everything and reconsider but like i said you get brainwashed and think you know everything you don't know everything. >> everything is made from china i'm seeing recently on one of the trips the cloekt is not made in china but handmaid like everything is of bamboo and wood they've created and that is a unique structure and they will have woodal around atheism handy

men. >> i see a lot of it - >> this is crazy seeing how everything is made you don't look at how things are made and how the process goes into like making the cloth and they have to do so much work like when i'm an honor role they give us cloths it is so quiet a whole bunch of people to make the cloths so just interesting seeing the process. >> you see those people working very hard with little means to build those beautiful innovating indicate patterns on the cloths and the machinery they use is not anything modern with electricity it is hand and feet

and eye coordination to make pattern after pattern they're doing it with honor. >> and my icy say only thinkers. >> and this experience he had so for was in the vitamin and seeing like how the people had so timely but acted like thai had the world in their village person like humble. >> i've never seen so many black people in one place it was like welcoming.

>> one of the worst things giving stuff out to the kids in the first village they were so anxious to get it they didn't know how to act when receiving it like they were like running to us and i start to run for a minute i didn't know like they were like rushing me. >> they were fighting over pens and pencils and jackets and pan pants. >> if it has to come down to them fight over like that we need to find a better way to give them the things they need in a getter way that is more

sufficient to their well-being. >> the first village we went to when we gave out the clothes to see how happy the people was this was a great experience. >> one young lady broke down because kids were having a tug a war match over a book they especially\care about the books

but over a book she said this was so humbling when they gets back she's going to change her way in san francisco we're fighting over shoes and worried about materialistic things and working to feed their families and get the things they need tools firing sheds and businesses and keep them alive they're trying to stay alive and everything that is new when you see that it is like you think about what you need to do. >> e-mail that to me okay. >> no problem.

>> i'm going to hold myself up for more powerful levels and going to appreciate myself more i never feel bad about being an african-american i'm still going to be trying my hardest to be successful. >> a lot of people from the town came in to watch what was going on i felt disappointed like a plan but a lot of people that weren't not necessarily

invited by like weren't settled to come came in and started recording us i felt disappointed like we were very welcomed. >> clapping. >> there was a lot of people clapping and dancing with us. >> chanting. >> overwhelm has been my word for this friend i've been so overwhelmed with the whole process and seeing the culture and seeing the people that live in georgia ma and - i've been

speechless and trying to take in everything. >> that was fun they probably know they've gotten our dancing quickly but they're a dance was marry complicated that he accident a lot with their hands and feet at the same time with the recidivism that was hard to us to capture but everyone tried so that was - >> it like makes me feel for connected our are combined not stuck with justice americans culture. >> but the group -

>> because we are part of you people we also have for you. >> (clapping.) >> thank you so much. >> georgia in a. >> so in the forests is three hundred and 50 kill warts today it is 7 up in our national park. >> the city the second time in the year most of planets are drop their leafs when the leaves drop they form a top on the first floor we call the layer emerge out of this. >> hello it was hot oh, like thirsty and sweating is

he sticky i did it. >> i'll be listening to the best sirens just because on the bridge walking across the bridges i liked that i seen a lot of trees and heard the birds and a they have big ants crawling on the trees like spiders their peaceful and quiet. >> working in the middle it is less dense and work on the sides. >> the bridge is laying on top of the canopy about 14 meters.

>> i we have microwaves they only have a caulk board those are small they sweeshd not as clean no windows like that like we have ventsz or anything self-is a big difference i think their way happyier i don't want to go to school i wish i didn't have to be here he want to go to school unlike me they want to be there and get their education. >> i'm going to try it is not that i can't say i'm going to yet when you get back home your mindset changes like that but like i say i'm going to try to

not take money for granted and everything no matter i'm going to think appreciative on things that's what i'm going to do and try my best to like give because after i seen those kids after we gave the makers and pencils and pens after i seen the smiles on their faces like my heart is better and starting feeling so when you give it is like are receiving at the same time. >> people take school for granted i don't want to go but the drive the kids had to go to school makes me want to have that same drive.

>> you guys are beautiful and you're asking me a question okay. >> i don't have to pay for school they're paying for it so i feel like even if i was paying for school right now i'd have more of of a drive to go but wouldn't be the same i don't know. >> going to the school the middle school the people in the middle schools are not having a real like school in the u.s. the kids didn't have windows or doors in the building like a big shed and like school supplies and stuff like that the look on the kids faces it was priceless and oh, there's is very like event full and go to the school i don't know just talk to the kids like they didn't seem

depressed or anything like that so - >> they were always happy and thankful kids in my community you barely get a thank you or give them something they'll hold out their hand for more their super thankful for everything that's great to see how thankful they were. >> (singing). >> simon says you put your hand on your foot. >> i'm definitely going to

love me and any culture and take up thing that are negative in any culture and try to change if i like being american i want to own it know - first, i was shy to show any culture i'm definitely ready to go back and show my culture how great i am i work think loving any culture for more and make some of the foods and remember the time and then about the culture and more positive images of africa and bring it by a, to the states. >> do any own thing just like you. >> just like you. >> i learned that i'm greeder

than what i should be i'm greedy in general that's woke up me up to show i can't be like that that is no good. >> it is changed me when i go home i'm anxious to go home and share with my parents i'm tired of being greedy now that i've experienced something that people are not greedy it makes me want to change and being here has rubbed off i can't wait to get home to show i really changed. >> that's mire steadfast what i believe is sad versus they're not sad that is peace and happiness and content time if they look at us in america they 0 probably would be sad we're

always trying to obtain more and more and more and more not satisfied with what we have the late gathers and the latest tv and dress our kids in the best of cloths they're happy how they are and so i have to recondition myself that is not sad this is peace it is happiness their content. >> how wonderful

living here came all the way in the 14 and 15 century i will hold any head up.

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> into four or five hours to get to a doctor it operationally is not easy and money is your life you see your children the food is we eat rice rice rice. >> and now yet should i say this we're poor yes, we have all the resources but we're poor think about the bad governors well, i didn't say how are we're going to - >> that made me wonder why i'm

down and those people will have nothing and are or are so happy going into the village it was a whole different sceney kids walking around not as school those like why aren't you at school but after talking to them it was like they don't have teachers they're most of the time. >> it was a lot of worn down wood and a lot of people not well-nourished. >> they didn't have any school the school didn't have a teacher so they couldn't go to school had to travel to go to school if they wanted to and don't think

each other like family to take care of each other. >> if i were living like that i was like i don't know. i wouldn't be as happen like i would feel like same day why was i put in this progression position that was like regular, normal. >> open this trip i potentially discovered most about myself was my roots tide to african or africa. >> some of us don't want to talk about that. >> we talk about the seniors

activities involved some this is complex story that africans are telling to get sympathy not true that was real it happened it happened. >> but how are we able to get us to easily it was because there was - in africa that we call the domestic living the only time was exist and existers see what happens here and see how we have perhaps a river that our for bears was built in before they walked from here to

the castle. >> i remember there were no shoes at that time, they came here barefooted all them was on barefoot and being out of respect you have the experience of having to walk bare footdz. >> we're first hit with the last bath. >> come with me, please. >> going to the center for the last bath and knowing what those people went through they're walking hundreds of miles across african chained together no cloths some are sick some old and some don't make if it you don't make it they throw you to the side before they go to

market to the slavery castle their taken place e taken to this last bath and the river is kind of divided naturally and have sores all over the body and cuts on their feet and get into the water and being calendar with leaves that give off an oil that stinks sores maybe bleeding and die in the river and then it goes down to the others they making may be marked with the blood of people bleeding and many died and this is just an unbelievable thing and people die along the route and continue on to the slavery castles. >> to see where mire ancestors

were dragged and shipped to america that shock that he a little bit made me release that everything my ancestors went through just knowing that is where they were was like taking themselves and cleaning themselves off with bamboo leaves i was thinking i was wondering how scattered and kids commitment water like being that environment and take off our shoes man that is getting real we got to feel how they felt not worried about that stuff and get that experience that deep. >> something he said made me think we wouldn't bleed wouldn't that in america in f our ancestors didn't come from the

best to not act like the best it is disrespectful. >> it was here to the last path the buyers were here to make the selection so the grooming had this bath as part of if it you think about the leaves think about grapes because it wouldn't be like you died alone no, no, no man's grave even in the castles graves for captures that lost their lives if you work just patch it that's it. >> this water is fresh and sweet and good but the way it is

you can't drink it no (laughter) you can't drink it now but it is cool the river but because of activities that happened here this area has been named the slave river the slaves and it is water whether you are here or there we have the same problem as a mother well, your black. >> we need to unit but know your potential and know within yourself i'm an american but i'm an african

people without the history are not worth living. >> when you have this you can go up to one of these. >> (clapping.) you have the north, the south, the west and the east there was a pool in the center with a sundial to tell time this is the center of the pool to tell time. >> wow. the slave castle i wanted to start crying. >> when you see the fortress. >> it was so powerful. >> and about the door is for

the deutsch western company are heart wrenching as well as to hear our guide tell us about the women and the men that endured. >> that portrait from 16 to 7 on the british in 1872 then two cells the first one was in the crossbones was a condemned soul when you're there you don't come back alive so none survived. >> so the caved in concrete wall i was how did they endure how did they manage only a little bit of food just a little bit to give them just enough strength to survive i just it was so powerful that i was left

with no words when we left we were speech also. >> they were rebellious if you were a par rot. >> what our people endured just shows the strength and heart that we have as a group of people. >> one of the captures captives was indian and rebellious there were fighting for their freedom. >> but they were condemned to death the lower part of ground floor was used as an auction hall at the auction all the females were mast