presented. and then comes the public voice which raises issues and anything with can communicate and that is where i feel my primary questions are. i like to basically stand with the san francisco for healthcare housing and jobs and justice questions raised about the seven issues. you have those issues in front of you. i do not want to spend time going over them but each and all of them individually and together. the matter and require further and in-depth examinations including the strong infusion of the the human voices which testify to the fact that there is a big gap between the words and the deeds. the other points that i was raising is and i'm reading them off as i take notes.

they're not necessarily listed in the order of the importance but i would say if i could speak at all of them at the same moment they're leaky as important. the issue of the chinese troops. a transition to new facilities and the lack of coordination at note giving, preparation and training. there is the ever-important nursing staff testimony that i have witnessed now for the entire time that these two commission have had a dialogue about cpmc and changes. there's a patient care testimony which each of us could find ourselves in in no time. and there is the hiring and job creation and retention issue. those were the ones i wanted to summarize and stand in the room knowing that they were most likely be echoed by all of us. >> thank you commissioner moore.

>> thank you, again, to all staff involved from all the departments, all the companies. again, good to see the health commission here as well. i do have multiple comments regarding to the construction site of this project. >> rebekah gregory: i'.i'm not e hospital side. i'm an electrician by trade. before i got into this position, while still working in the field, i worked at multiple of the cpmc campuses on california campus and pacific campus and later on, it was fortunate enough to work on the building of the new general hospital. i clearly remember the day where i was capable of filling out my local resident paper work and photo copying my driver's license and submitting that end. and it is a big pride for build

like hospitals and we frequently see hows and commercial projects but hospitals are a essential corner stone to a well-functioning city and it's something we take seriously here at the planning commission and i'm sure the health commission does as well and i wanted to acknowledge ken and josh. with the office of economic workforce development and their continuing efforts to keep city build an extremely successful pipeline for all types of minorities from disadvantaged neighborhoods, parents with or without children or parents that are going to have children, and we're definitely keeping an eye on increasing we're taking it to the next level. something i have honestly nothing to do with. we have been noticing a higher acceptance of the lgbt community

within our trades and since this increase of diversity, this created the electrical workers minority caucus which has, proud to say, had a float in the pride parade for the last two years. the building trades is really making it strong effort to diversify, stay inclusive and what we've been doing specifically with city build to increase access to all residents, is workout partnerships and deals, for example, a lot of people cannot pass the entrance exams to get accepted into apprenticiship programs. about what we've done is workout a deal with city build where if you have perfect attendance and a b average, you are able to buy pass the entrance exam and go straight to the interview stage of an prentice ship acceptance

process. it gives access to a lot more san francisco residents and all the other zip codes but it's just giving people a chance to reap the benefits of organized labor healthcare benefits. prevailing wage. i'm up here today because i was accepted into a trade. i lived here in the city. i was interested in construction. it took me three times to pass the exam and actually gain acceptance into the electricians programs. it's no easy task for anybody. the building trades and city builder are working tirelessly to increase the diversity of our construction workers and also the employees that work for the construction companies but off site in the offices. it's something we all take very seriously. if i could just address some of

the project-specific notes i wrote. exceeding the proposed timeline almost never happens. this should not be overlooked. the fact that construction, i always look at organized chaos and so many things were scheduled on top of each other that if one small thing goes wrong, the whole entire project is pushed back sometimes months or years. and i i was lated to go to the cpmc project of the there was a time line of projects that was a one, two, throw step where ucf mission bay was the first one to begin and all the of the residents from that job were supposed to go to the job and those residents were supposed to go to the ctmc of van ness and gary project and it was helped

up by a year. things were playing to work in those residents and the hold up at van ness and gary threw a wrench into that. i do know that -- to make sure as many residents are working on this project in the office and on the job site as possible. so, 30% local hire are considering that this is literally the busiest times the construction industry has seen in their existence and over 130 years, 30% local hire for the van ness and gary and st. luke's is in full compliance as far as i'm concerned. i can't help but emphasize that

this is a model project that ideally we can duplicate on other projects with more development agreements. you've got san francisco contracting businesses, building a hospital project in san francisco and employing san francisco residents that attend apprenticiship training centers in san francisco they're paying payroll taxes to the city. some people have said in the past that local hire and local contractors are bringing a higher cost to the project but when you think about it, we're just reinvesting i in ourselves and we're paying a wage where they might be able to stay in the city. buy a house in the city. stay here in the city and not commute four hours each day. that's just the way i think it should be done and this is the way it's being done on this project.

so, again, as far as i'm concerned, from the construction side and the office and on the job site this project is in full compliance. >> thank you commissioner bernal. did you have something else. >> yes, thank you. for the opportunity to just add. i'd like to speak to the responsibility of serving residents the tenderloin. i understand this partnership is only less than a year in existence but when you look at the numbers, 180 versus a goal of 1500, that's only about 12% of that goal. and when you look at the residents of the tenderloin, serving them alliance with the priorities of the department of public-health and i'll use a presentation that we just received the other day about san francisco's getting to zero initiative. san francisco is exceeded in radically reducing the number of h.i.v. transmissions over the past several years far out pacing the rest of the country. we're about to see a leveling off now. where we're seeing the new infections continuing to happen, is among many of those

populations. people who reside in the tenderloin. people who are marginally housed or homeless. people dealing with mental illness. people who use injection drugs. the data shows not only that even if someone does become infected with h.i.v. that if they are able to be retained in care, and get into treatment right away, it reduces, many in cases, eliminates their ability to transmit h.i.v. data shows that being marginally houses is your adherence to your medication. these are communities that really need to be served and we would like to see better numbers in terms of the community members that you are ability to engage in the tenderloin through saint anthonys. >> thank you. so, i am not going to repeat any

of the other comments that my fellow commissioners have made. everybody has had ever point that i have. the exception that i do want to stand with healthcare housing and jobs and one of the particular things that i would expect at our next time reviewing this item is a much deeper analysis in the areas where we're not hitting the numbers. i hear you that, hitting the 30% in a time of all-time high construction is good. i don't -- i wasn't satisfied with the level of analysis of the numbers that we represented, particularly around th the decre

of apprentices so i would like a newance analysis of why that is happening and what we're doing to rectify it and under the purview of the planning commission, especially at the public transportation benefits and what the plan is we are seeing a decrease in car ownership in san francisco. and a major employer with 43% of its workforce living in san francisco is that those public transportation numbers would be higher. i'd like to have a deeper analysis presented of what we're doing about it and how we're going to see those numbers increase. thank you very much for the presentation, and for the staff, the presentation was clear. for the members of the public who continually come out to keep tabs on this project on making

sure that the public benefits that were negotiated in the development agreement are being held. so thank you very much. >> i would just like to also conclude with a few remarks and what i hope we will also troy to carry out some of our obligations from the health commission and the department to try to respond to some of the questions and answers and clearly in one area i did not actually get to go into, also i think it's the same issue that we've raised here and while we can check the boxes, for example, under the cultural and linguistic standards, we don't have an understanding of what those actually meant in terms of i.d. and analysis, i did a study, i did this and what were the results and findings? to also then, i think coming

back to that question, just as an example of -- if we're using people who came to the diabetes clinic at st. luke's, it doesn't seem to capture the -- an analysis needs to be done if the question is should there be that type of service. of course, since it's now been moved to the foundation, i'm glad to hear the foundation has those services but we would now and that's another example of moving these services from the public side of scrutiny to the private foundation that we then really count on the good will of cpmc. just to conclude then, what i

have heard and what i believe that our department would be able to do to help respond to some of the concerns that both the public and our fellow commissioners have raised, i first want to indicate that i think i'm one of the members here who have been through this entire process from even before the construction started. not too many people remember that i sat even on a blue ribbon committee in regards with what to do with st. luke's and prior to that, there was all the issues also of the rebuild and how big the rebuild should be and where the rebuild should be so it really is wonderful to see that a new community heights area has been built.

that is part of fulfilling the public-private partnership in order to have a healthier san francisco. there is no way the public itself, the public side, can actually handle all of the needs that will create a healthy san francisco to respond to the disparities that as another example, st. luke's has been doing as commission sanchez pointed out. and the development agreement in its spirit called for a continuation of that commitment to the city and that while yes, and it's wonderful that the project has brought $300 million to san francisco, it is not without the needs also to continue to remember the obligation then that as a non-profit hospital, and even just using the historical basis which is why so much was written

into the development agreement, to try to be sure that it would not just be a facility to treat those who could afford it. but to be able tol to participae with us. i want to acknowledge that i think cpmc has been working with us. but you know, it seems that we always have to actually keep asking for that to happen and it would be so much nicer if we had hey willing proactive collaboration, even at our commission meetings when we were looking at the potential of changes, it takes almost that public hearing in order to make some of the accommodations that were needed in order to respond to the needs of our residents. i found that the sutter model of we and you was very interesting. i think at the moment, from what

we can hear in the testimony, there's a lot of we and very little you. and instead, i suggest to cpmc that we could have a true we and you if we really didn't look at this as we versus you but we should be we and you. there's an outreach to the community that really is needed, continues to be needed and along that line, we as a department, specifically would be looking at the issues that i believe the coalition has raised validly and has been also brought up by all commissioners here in terms of -- we're going to only look at the health side. we'll leave you to look at the workforce and all. i believe that we're going to ask our staff to actually try to look more in depth into

understanding that not only is it technically done but what was done. i commend san francisco foundation report that is in here that showed you what was done when they received the money? who actually got help and how it happened? i think it's also important we try to where the issues are at saint than on' an anthony and te tenderloin. it's been a year this happened and we only have this small up take. is it transportation? is it access even at a primary level. welt review this again and try to see if we can also be continuing to be helpful in the partnership that has been put together.

again, the center of excellence is certainly something that we would all be concerned about. that could be something and with working with cpmc in terms of the understanding where the issues are. dr. barnes has also outlined his vision obviously the vision is one that needs to be developed by cpmc but i think the consideration is a very good example of working with the community could get a farber far acceptance and product that meets the needs of the residents in that community. so in conclusion, our department does continue to be eager to work with st. luke's. i will get the new name one day. but with cpmc and sutter. you are very important part of

the city. sutter is with the assets that could be placed to great use so that we can continue to enhance the public-private partnership that we've been enjoying between all the hospitals and providers in san francisco with the public sector as we achieve our goal to improve the health of all san franciscans. i do want to thank everybody who participated. the staff who did such a hard work and analyzing this but i think in our next review, i believe that we've heard a lot more details should be also provided to understand what happened after the check mark. thank you. >> thank you. >> that concludes your agenda

today. >> make a motion to adjourn. >> motion to adjourn. >> second. >> should we ex back at 1:30 maybe? >> for those members of the public who are here for the 1:00 meeting of the planning commission, i imagine the commissioners who have been here will wanted to take a quick lunch break so we will convene no sooner than 1:15. >> 1:30? >> very good. >> thank you. >>

>> wow. good morning, everyone. what a great group to celebrate with us today. i'm so excited you're all here. my name is debbie rafael, and i'm the director of san francisco's department of the environment. i'm fortunate today to be joined by some amazing people from the government, inside and out. first the phenomenal mayor, london breed. [applause] >> next to her, we have michael brun, the executive director of the sierra club. then we have mohamed nuru, the

director of public works, carmen kelly, the director of the public utilities commission, ed rise keiskin, t director of m.t.a., and somewhere is naomi kelly, our administrator. somewhere -- oh, she's right here. [applause] >> okay. so today. today is about preparation and anticipation for truly a once in a lifetime moment in our city because next week, san francisco will be the global climate capital of the world. leaders from around the world will be coming here for jerry brown's global climate action summit, and the keyword is action. so the paris climate accords foresaw the need to take action. they foresaw the need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent global temperatures from rising and wreaking havoc

on our climate and life as we know it. but the reality is, the effects of climate change are already here in california. rising sea levels and floods, intense and prolonged drought, record high temperatures, raging wildfires, we've seen it here in california here already. so a clear goal was set in paris, but the how, how do we get to that goal, was not spelled out. and further, paris's focus was on national governments, and that's what makes the climate summit here in san francisco so very, very important because the summit will bring together states, regions, cities, businesses, faith-based communities, scientists, educators, they're all coming to san francisco for one reason, and that is to be very explicit about their bold

commitments to taking action because it's those commitments, those statements of intent that will catalyze action and make our collective ambitions stronger for the path forward. because we know, and certainly everyone today here knows when cities and states lead on climate, nations soon follow. so i want to thank and acknowledge mayor breed today for her leadership leading up to the summit and also for her long and deep commitment to the city's environmental goals. even from her early days on the board of supervisors, and when she was board president, she never waivered from her commitment to do the right thing for the environment. she was instrumental in seeing the city's cleanpowersf program launched. and i watched her standup to the packaging industry, to the

pharmaceutical industry, to reduce pollution and protect our bay. she authored and championed the nation's strictest ban on styrofoam and then she went after the pharmaceutical manufacturers and held them accountable for the tons of unused medications that we generate in our homes each year. as mayor, i know she will continue to forge a bold path forward around climate action and environmental protection for our city. so with that, please join me in welcoming mayor london breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: thank you. i am so really excited to be here today. thank you, debbie, thank you everyone for being here. next week, san francisco will be getting a lot of attention, a lot of attention for the right reasons, for someone that we need to start focusing on action for now, and that is dealing with the fact that

climate change is real. we are struggling in, you know, this country now sadly because we have a president who basically doesn't believe that that's the case, that doesn't believe we should be focusing on pushing forward innovative solutions and new ideas for the purposes of making sure that we are leaving this planet for the next generation better than we found it. dealing with the problems of today are definitely important, but what about the future? what happens when we are in a situation where we're not making the right decisions today? fortunately, san francisco has always been a global leader in environmental issues, and we have champions zero waste policies, advanced clean energy initiatives, pushed for public transportation to cutback our emissions in our home to some

of the most sustainable buildings and structures in the world. and we are providing that you can be a sustainable city while still maintaining and growing your economy. san francisco has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% since 1990 while at the same time, we've grown an astonishing 111%. that is why governor jerry brown has chosen san francisco as the city to host this most important summit. we here in san francisco acknowledge that climate change is real. it poses a very serious threat, and we need to act yesterday. that is why today, i'm committing san francisco to four key policy pledges that will continue our significant progress and raise standards for cities all over the world

because we can't do this alone. these bold new targets will accelerate emissions reduction by reducing waste, making our buildings greener, promoting green investments and achieving our renewable energy goals. in making these commitments, i am calling on mayors throughout the country, many of us who have joined us to make actionable commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. first, let's talk about trash. let's talk about how san francisco is proud to be in the zero waste goal policy. that means putting less and less and less items in not just the black bins, but also the green and the blue bins. and i've got to tell you, i have been working so hard to reduce the waste in my black

bin that it's almost nonexistent, and it can be done. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: a few things here and there, but it can be done. thanks to our department of environment and recology, we've already gathered more recycleables and combustibles in the united states, but the only way to combat it is not create it in the first place. by 2030, i'm committing san francisco will reduce waste generated generated by 15% and reduce the waste we send to the landfill by 50%. this will reduce the greenhouse gases produced by landfills to help other cities join us to

reduce that overall by 10% if we work together. another big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is our buildings. it's no secret that i'm committed to building more housing in our city. we are seeing a boom in construction all over san francisco, and we need to ensure that these buildings live up to the highest standards when it comes to clean energy. and this is why starting in 2030, i'm committing that all new construction in san francisco will be off fossil fuels and running on 100% renewable energy. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: our residents deserve to live and work in spaces that are healthy, resource efficient and resilient. the third goal is renewable energy. i am glad to be joined today by michael brun, who is the executive director of the sierra club. the sierra club, as we know, is

a national champion for renewable here in california and throughout our country, and i'm proud to officially sign onto the sierra club's mayors for clean energy initiative. i'm joining more than 200 mayors across the nation committed to achieving 100% renewable energy. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and part of that includes expanding our cleanpowersf program, a program that already over 100,000 residents of san francisco are enrolled in. i worked really hard as president of the board of supervisors so that we could have this as a real sustainable option here in the city, and i won't back down to protecting it when we have to deal with some of the challenges that some of you know we are facing now to address it. as an example of that commitment, today, we are starting construction on the city's newest and largest array

of rooftop solar panels right here in moscone center. so that's why we're here today, and thank you to the san francisco public works and the san francisco public utilities commission for collaborating with us on this project. and so we're going to be featuring these panels that basically will make this a more sustainable building. and the last commitment that i want to talk about is green bonds. we need to encourage our financial sector to invest in our sustainable infrastructure. certified green bonds are issued to finance projects that improve our overall climate resilience. for example, foertifying our

seawall. thanks to the public utilities work and our controller, our city is the second largest municipality in the nation in issuing green bonds. and so today -- [applause] >> the hon. london breed: today, i'm committing that we will issue even more of these bonds and continue to make more of the necessary investments for the future livelihood of the prosperity of our city. next week, san francisco will be at the epic of a summit where cities will be here from around the world to advocate for a sustainable future. we are at the forefront of a global action movement, and we will continue to push for strong environmental protections in this city no matter what happens in the white house. so join us in making a commitment to the city and to our planet. there will be hundreds of events throughout san francisco

that you all can participate in. and in fact, on september 13, it will be officially green thursday in the city and county of san francisco, with free -- go bikes for the public to use and free programs in the places in moscone. all of us can play a key role in keeping our country and our world clean and green, and this is a perfect opportunity for san francisco to come together and really show the world what we've done throughout the year and what we're capable of doing, and how we will continue to lead the way in environmental efforts. we are ready, we are excited, and i can't wait until this summit descends on san francisco. we'll be seeing people biking all over the city, riding muni, spending more time in our parks and green spaces and looking for ways that we can take the

kind of action we need to all over the world to address what we know are significant issues. let's daeal with the challenge that exist in our city and our world today, but let's never forget we have to leave this planet better than we found it and that's going to take a lot of work from each and every one of us. thank you all so much for being here today. [applause] >> fabulous. i'm energyized, i'm ready, and i hope you are, as well. san francisco's leadership is not a new or recent development. in fact, over a century ago, the sierra club was founded right here in our city. today, they remain one of the nation's most active and influential environmental advocacy organizations, and i'm honored and pleased, and i hope you will join in help me

welcoming michael brun, the executive director of the sierra club. >> thank you, debbie, thank you, mayor breed. hi, everybody. i'm michael brun, the executive director of the sierra club, as you just heard. now most people, most people, when they think of fighting climate change, they see it as something that we've simply got to do, something that we've got to do. they see raging wildfires, they see extreme weather events happening here in california and across the country. they see the droughts, they see extreme and severe life threatening water shortages affecting millions of people around the world, endangered species around the world. they see the political unrest that comes from that. they see the tragic loss of life or of property.

they see this, and they feel an obligation. here in california, we see the same obligation. we make a pledge to take action, but we see a lot more. we see fighting climate change not just as something we've got to do, we see fighting climate change as something that we need to do. we see fighting cloiimate chan not just as an obligation, but an opportunity. we see fighting climate change as an opportunity to cut the air pollution that makes our families sick. we see fighting climate change as an opportunity to cut the water pollution that turns pure drinking water into a health hazard. we see fighting climate change as an opportunity to increase the amount of jobs that are

offered as an opportunity, we see fighting climate change as an opportunity to address income inequality, to address racial disparities, to take a hard look at exactly what kind of society do we want to become, and exactly how we get there. this is what it's like. this is what it means to be living here in the bay area, to be working and living here in san francisco. san francisco was one of the first cities to make a commitment to 100% clean energy, but i'm really proud and excited to be here with y mayor breed and other leaders from the city to talk about accelerating that commitment. how do we turn words and ideas and principles and commitments

and values into that? how do we use one set of solutions to solve multiple problems? what we know here in san francisco is we can look at how do we take tangible steps to move away from all fossil fuels? how do we move away from buildings and buses and pipelines and use it to transition away from fossil fuels towards clean energy and cut the pollution that's making us sick and create the jobs that we all need? i'm excited to be here right now on the eve of a global climate action summit to be helping to announce and to celebrate a series of thoughtful, progressive, ambitious, and even daring actions that we desperately need across the city, across the state, and across the country, not just to increase the amount of prosperity that we need here in the city, but

to show leaders all around the world that we can do this. we can make dramatic progress in a short period of time, and all it takes, all it takes is leadership, is confidence, a belief that we can solve some of our biggest problems. and the commitment to work through political challenges to over come cynicism, to over come despair, and bus by bus, building by building, street by street, and eventually city by city and state by state, we will have the clean energy future that we deserve. i wanted to end just by celebrating mayor breed, relatively new in office, she felt comfortable enough to come up here and talk trash to all of you. she has agreed not just to help

host the global action summit, not just to highlight the steps that we're taking here in this city, but she's also agreed to join mayors across the country and indeed around the world to promote the steps that the city issic at thatting and to convene leaders from all -- is taking and to convene leader frz all around the world to join this. she's joining the mayors of salt lake city, utah, and san diego. she's joining the mayor of columbia, south carolina. she's cosharing an effort to inspire other cities and other companies and other school districts and other states and other countries to go to 100% clean energy. when we stand here in two years, in ten years, we won't just be talking about what we need to do, we're going to be

talking about what we've done, how we all came together, how we worked together to transcend political divides, to transcend a spirit that we really can solve our problems. and we're going to be providing a record of what this generation has done, facing the biggest existential threat that this generation has faced, and we're going to say its 's done. so thank you, mayor breed. >> thank you, michael brun. yes, it takes leadership and courage. i would say the mayor and i are joined up here with people of leadership and great courage. san francisco is lucky to have its own clean energy and utility. we are lucky to have the cleanest municipal energy fleet in the country. when you look at them half of them come from buildings, half

of them come from transportation. when i look up here at ed reiskin, and mohamed knnuru, im lucky to have them up here. it takes huge amounts of courage, and let's give them a hand for theirs. i also want to say if you haven't signed up for cleanpowersf yet, i don't think harlan will let you leave until you do. it's not enough to sign up, it's supergreen. thank you. yes, 100% renewable. easy to do, and renters can do it, too. so we've got a couple other people i want to call out because they are near and dear to leadership and courage in our city, and that are our three members of the commitment on the environment who are here today. we have commissioner lisa oyos,

and commissioner verme, and eddie. so finally, we have in san francisco some of the most energy and resource buildings in the world, and the moscone expansion where we are standing today and what we're listening to in the background is a great example of green building standards in practice. so how fitting is it that the world will be coming to talk about climate here in moscone next week. and i want to thank mohamed nuru and edgar lopez and their entire team for their partnership and leadership in designing, planning, constructing some of san francisco's greenest buildings and for their commitment to achieving the city's climate goals. so please join me in welcoming mohamed nuru, the director of public works.

[applause] >> thank you, debbie, thank you, mayor breed. we're here today at moscone center for a reason. this convention facility showcases san francisco's commitment to environmental stewardship in building design. the moscone expansion project is scheduled for completion of december of this year and is aiming for lead platinum certification. [applause] >> it would be the highest lead certified convention center in the nation. we are adding 792 solar panels to the rooftop of this building. once complete, moscone center will house the largest solar convention rooftop array in san francisco, producing 969 megawatts of electricity a year. when up and running, the solar

will generate up to 20% of the energy this building needs. the remaining will be powered by hetchy power, ensuring that all the trade shows and conventions that are hosted here, such as the global climate summit, are powered by clean electricity. [applause] >> in addition, the convention center was designed for efficiency, from harvesting daylight to capturing more than 12 million gallons rain water, foundation groundwater and condensation annually that would otherwise be going into our waste water system. it will be used to irrigate the landscape around this facility, it'll be used for the toilets and will be also used by public works to helping clean the surrounding streets. isn't that a great use and reuse of water?

this is a great example. [applause] >> so moscone center is just one of san francisco's environmental initiatives, from demanding smart building design to strategically reducing energy use and emissions, cities and states can be leaders in the battle against global warming. today i want to thank you for coming to this beautiful facility, and this will conclude the press speaking part of it, and we have tours right after this to take people upstairs to see some of the solar panel and some of the designs that have been put into this convention facility. thank you all, and thank you all for coming. [applause]

>> growing up in san francisco has been way safer than growing up other places we we have that bubble, and it's still that bubble that it's okay to be whatever you want to. you can let your free flag fry he -- fly here. as an adult with autism, i'm

here to challenge people's idea of what autism is. my journey is not everyone's journey because every autistic child is different, but there's hope. my background has heavy roots in the bay area. i was born in san diego and adopted out to san francisco when i was about 17 years old. i bounced around a little bit here in high school, but i've always been here in the bay. we are an inclusive preschool, which means that we cater to emp. we don't turn anyone away. we take every child regardless of race, creed, religious or ability. the most common thing i hear in my adult life is oh, you don't

seem like you have autism. you seem so normal. yeah. that's 26 years of really, really, really hard work and i think thises that i still do. i was one of the first open adoptions for an lgbt couple. they split up when i was about four. one of them is partnered, and one of them is not, and then my biological mother, who is also a lesbian. very queer family. growing up in the 90's with a queer family was odd, i had the bubble to protect me, and here, i felt safe. i was bullied relatively infrequently. but i never really felt isolated or alone. i have known for virtually my entire life i was not suspended, but kindly asked to not ever bring it up again in first grade, my desire to have a sex change. the school that i went to really had no idea how to

handle one. one of my parents is a little bit gender nonconforming, so they know what it's about, but my parents wanted my life to be safe. when i have all the neurological issues to manage, that was just one more to add to it. i was a weird kid. i had my core group of, like, very tight, like, three friends. when we look at autism, we characterize it by, like, lack of eye contact, what i do now is when i'm looking away from the camera, it's for my own comfort. faces are confusing. it's a lack of mirror neurons in your brain working properly to allow you to experience empathy, to realize where somebody is coming from, or to realize that body language means that. at its core, autism is a social disorder, it's a neurological disorder that people are born

with, and it's a big, big spectrum. it wasn't until i was a teenager that i heard autism in relation to myself, and i rejected it. i was very loud, i took up a lot of space, and it was because mostly taking up space let everybody else know where i existed in the world. i didn't like to talk to people really, and then, when i did, i overshared. i was very difficult to be around. but the friends that i have are very close. i click with our atypical kiddos than other people do. in experience, i remember when i was five years old and not wanting people to touch me because it hurt. i remember throwing chairs because i could not regulate my own emotions, and it did not mean that i was a bad kid, it meant that i couldn't cope. i grew up in a family of

behavioral psychologists, and i got development cal -- developmental psychology from all sides. i recognize that my experience is just a very small picture of that, and not everybody's in a position to have a family that's as supportive, but there's also a community that's incredible helpful and wonderful and open and there for you in your moments of need. it was like two or three years of conversations before i was like you know what? i'm just going to do this, and i went out and got my prescription for hormones and started transitioning medically, even though i had already been living as a male. i have a two-year-old. the person who i'm now married to is my husband for about two years, and then started gaining weight and wasn't sure, so i we went and talked with the doctor at my clinic, and he said well,

testosterone is basically birth control, so there's no way you can be pregnant. i found out i was pregnant at 6.5 months. my whole mission is to kind of normalize adults like me. i think i've finally found my calling in early intervention, which is here, kind of what we do. i think the access to irrelevant care for parents is intentionally confusing. when i did the procespective search for autism for my own child, it was confusing. we have a place where children can be children, but it's very confusing. i always out myself as an adult with autism. i think it's helpful when you know where can your child go. how i'm choosing to help is to

give children that would normally not be allowed to have children in the same respect, kids that have three times as much work to do as their peers or kids who do odd things, like, beach therapy. how do -- speech therapy. how do you explain that to the rest of their class? i want that to be a normal experience. i was working on a certificate and kind of getting think early childhood credits brefore i started working here, and we did a section on transgender inclusion, inclusion, which is a big issue here in san francisco because we attract lots of queer families, and the teacher approached me and said i don't really feel comfortable or qualified to talk about this from, like, a cisgendered straight person's perspective, would you mind talking a little bit with your own experience, and i'm like absolutely. so i'm now one of the guest speakers in that particular class at city college.

i love growing up here. i love what san francisco represents. the idea of leaving has never occurred to me. but it's a place that i need to fight for to bring it back to what it used to be, to allow all of those little kids that come from really unsafe environments to move somewhere safe. what i've done with my life is work to make all of those situations better, to bring a little bit of light to all those kind of issues that we're still having, hoping to expand into a little bit more of a resource center, and this resource center would be more those new parents who have gotten that diagnosis, and we want to be this one centralized place that allows parents to breathe for a second. i would love to empower from the bottom up, from the kid level, and from the top down, from the teacher level. so many things that i would love to do that are all about changing people's minds about certain chunts, like the transgender community or the

autistic community. i would like my daughter to know there's no wrong way to go through life. everybody experiences pain and grief and sadness, and that all of those things are temporary.