>> san francisco fleet week, starting in 2010, began on a mission of taking advantage of the assets that come up during fleet week for the celebrations to partner up with city of san francisco and practice emergency response preparation programs, and it's a very sophisticated program. it's been going on since 2010 with some great results. san francisco, during the time that i've been working on fleet week in 2010 has been very lucky to have mayors that are really tuned into the needs of the community and the needs of the first responders professionals. and mayor lee was especially good with that, and we're not missing a beat with mayor london breed, and i'm so happy to have

her here, and she's going to talk about fleet week, and welcome, everybody. mayor breed? [applause] >> the hon. london breed: thank you. it is so great to be here to kick off fleet week in the city and county of san francisco. and i'd like to welcome all the men and women who serve our country in the navy, in the coast guard, in the air force. it means a lot to have you here and to welcome you here to san francisco. this week, i truly look forward to seeing the blue angels. this is a time honored tradition in the city and county of san francisco, and i've got to tell you, i went to galileo high school, and so sometimes we would be really late to class waiting for the blue angels to fly over our high school and the football field. people look forward to this time of year every single year.

people come from not just all over the bay area, they come from all over the united states just to see the parade of ships, to see the blue angels, to show appreciation to the people who serve our country time and time again. we know that former mayor dianne feinstein and current u.s. senator started this tradition in san francisco many, many years ago. and so we in san francisco have taken the opportunity to take advantage of the fact that you are all here, and we know that disaster can strike at any given time, and so it is important that we use this as also an opportunity to get prepared for any emergency. san francisco is earthquake country, but an emergency, a situation can happen at any given time. in fact, we are right now pushing to rebuild our seawall so that we can be prepared for when the next earthquake comes

to protect or city. and so with that, we are putting out a call to people in san francisco to make sure that we are prepared, to make sure that we are looking out for one another, and preparing at least three days of supplies just in case. and also, an important thing is to get to know your neighbors because we have a lot of seniors who live in our community, people who are disabled, and we are going to be counting on one another in order to basically get the job done. the final thing i want to just talk about is basically how the -- i know that the director of the department of emergency management will be going into specifics about what we can do, but this is a great day for san francisco, an incredible opportunity for us to come together, an incredible opportunity for all of you visiting san francisco for the first time to enjoy our city.

we have some of the most amazing food anywhere. you can't go wrong with any restaurant here in the city and county of san francisco. i'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of our fire department, the police department, sheriff's department, all of our public safety officials who work hard on the ground in san francisco every day to keep us safe. you all are amazing people because you have chosen the career of public service in order to do what is best, not just for the city and county of san francisco but for our entire country, and we honor you today, and we welcome you to san francisco. thank you all so much for being here. [applause] >> thank you, mayor breed. as i had mentioned earlier, san francisco department of emergency management is a very close partner to san francisco

fleet week association, and fleet week, it's called fleet week, but really, all year-round, the men and women at the department of emergency management are working with their counterparts at the navy, at fema, the state office of emergency services to plan for the next fleet week, and they're going through tabletop exercises and emergencying what scenario needs to rehearsed next and start working on that. and we have the executive director of the san francisco department of emergency management, mary ellen carroll here. mary ellen? [applause] >> good morning. welcome to san francisco. we're so happy and proud to have you here during fleet week. i was so fortunate yesterday to have the opportunity to sail in with many of the service men and women from the navy and the

marines. it was an absolutely perfect -- picture perfect day in san francisco. so proud, and we hope everyone has a wonderful week while you're here. this is -- we learned yesterday, and as we'll see all week, there are so many incredible capabilities that our service men and women and organizations bring to san francisco that we will need in the event of a catastrophic earthquake or other emergency. and it is so important we are talking, practicing, getting to know each other, working out the lod logistics out here. this is not something that's easily doable in a moment without having practiced. i'm thrilled to be able to lean in this week during fleet week, and i want to talk a little bit about the folks that execute it from my team. so emergency management is

thinking through and handling the details of a very complicated situation, whatever that might be. the field draws many talented and committed people, and these people are dedicated to public service and really helping people when they are at their moment of greatest need. it is also a field that is becoming more and more diversefied which i think is great. today's exercise and much of the exercises this week are led by three women. so jill raycroft, diana bartrum, and artie mood are the three women that led the exercise today. [applause] >> and of course, they were supported by many men and women around logistics, planning, and public -- if you belie

public affairs. so i want to thank everybody who's here today, and particularly, the exercise team which is not just emergency management but includes representatives from the departments across the city, and we thank you for your meaningful contributions to the safety, security and resilience of san francisco. thank you, and have a great week. [applaus [applause] >> okay. our next speaker, i met him in 2010, my first fleet week. he was the executive officer of the u.s.s. macon island. to prove if you go to fleet week, you get promotions. he's now the commander of expeditionary strike group three, admiral cedric pringle.

>> good morning. well, this is very much like a home coming for me. i actually did my first san francisco fleet week back in 1988 as a young ensign, so being back in this capacity, being in charge of the navy's largest strike group is a blessing. ladies and gentlemen, good morning. i'm rear admiral cedric pringle. on behalf of commander john alexander, u.s. third fleet, i extend my warmest welcome to you. for 37 years, the city of san francisco has hosted this celebration of the sea services so showcase our people, ships and equipments. i'm grateful for the unmatched display of hospitality, friendship and support that you show to sea services every single day. this week, the navy is represented by the crews of the

u.s.s. manchester, which is en route. we also have my staff, the staff of expeditionary strike group three and our naval support elements. united states marine corps are represented by the marines of u.s. logistics group three. we are working closely with the u.s. coast guard as well as the army corps of engineers. lastly, our crews up north are represented by the canadian cutter h.m.c. vancouver. we appreciate this opportunity to demonstrate our abilities between the sea services community and the local and state first responders. yesterday, i had the opportunity to host some of the first responders on my ship. when we transited into port, and

it was great. i had joanne hayes-white on board, peter marsh from the san francisco police department. i had the chief of the deputy, ken ferrigno on board, and we had a great time. it was not only a great opportunity for me to show off the navy's first responders, because that's essentially what we are. our ships with always ready to go. i always have a ship on hand ready to respond to any type of catastrophic years of service. in my 37 years of service, i think god has got my back because i've survived hurricane operations to being in haiti as a joint task force commander, so

i think he's trying to teach me something. i just don't know exactly what it is, but i will tell you that the san francisco senior leadership seminar and where this fleet week is in preparing for the disaster response is light years beyond just about any other city, any other community, for being able to work through the interoperablity, being able to work through the commander control challenges and logistics challenges. we're certainly the model that a lot of other cities will follow. so thank you. certainly looking forward to sharing this week with you, as you see our sailors and marines that are walking the streets of san francisco, please make sure that you give them a smile and say thank you, and i toell you, they will certainly do the same, as well. so thank you, and may god bless you.

[applause] >> thank you, admiral pringle. our next speaker represents the local military for san francisco, the san francisco bay. his first fleet week, i believe, is rear admiral peter gotier, u.s. coast guard district 11. admiral? [applause] >> well, good morning, everyone. it is an absolute thrill for the coast guard to be participating in the fleet week activities again this year. you know, actually, this is also a home coming for me, as well. i was stationed here as a much more junior officer in the 1990's as the chief of port operations for safety avenues marines san francisco bay. i really enjoyed the hospitalities of fleet week back then as we are going to this week. mayor breed, thank you for hosting this wonderful event here in san francisco. it's really a fantastic

opportunity to strengthen the ties between the san francisco bay community and the sea services that serve this community: the navy, the marine corps, the u.s. coast guard and our international partners. and for the coast guard, we really are members of the community here. their over 4,000 coast guard men and women who live and serve in the greater san francisco bay community. as members of a branch of the u.s. military, as a humanitaran service that responds to disasters not only here in california but nationwide. we are an environmental agency that protects the environment by preventing and responding to oil spills and hazardous materials incidents on our pristine waters. we ensure the economic security of this region by making sure that our port facilities and the

ships that call on them every day are safe and secure, that our water ways are well marked, and that our water ways allow for the free transport of shipping in and out of the bay area and across california. and we're a law enforcement agency that does everything from keeping private boaters safe on a day-to-day basis to interdicting drugs off the shores of the u.s. we're also the members of this kmupt. we're volunteers, we participate in the same organizations that you do. we have kmirn that go to the same schools and the -- children that go to the same schools and the same child care centers that you do, and together, we work to make sure our communities are better every single day. the coast guard is really going to benefit from that, as we do every single year.

we want to make sure that we sharpen our skills, that we increase our proficiency, that we make sure we're prepared more than ever to respond to a disaster here in the san francisco bay area, but most of all we want to strengthen our relationships with the public safety community, with the other agencies, federal state, and local agencies with the government, nongovernmental organizations, and the volunteers and everyone, so that we can make sure that we're more ready than ever if something and when something happens here to be able to serve the people of san francisco. the coast guard is going to be very busy out on the water to make sure that people have fun, that you enjoy the pleasure boating, the blue angels air show, the parade of ships and the other activities that are going to be here. together with our other public safety organizations in the maritime, we want to make sure

that you're safe. we ask that everybody wear your life jackets, there are a few areas that are going to be closed to boating activity. again, also, if you see coasties and other military members walking on the streets and visiting the restaurants and enjoying themselves, it's a great opportunity for this community to meet them and get to know them a little bit better. thanks for your hospitality in advance, and we really appreciate being part of this event. [applause] >> i'm really pleased that the next speaker is here today. for those of you that have gone down to the waterfront and toured the ships over the last few years, you'll always see there is a canadian ship --

royal canadian navy ship in port, open for tours. it's my pleasure to introduce a very good friend of the city, consul general ronna sacor. >> thank you very much. it's a tremendous pleasure to be here on behalf of canada. this is my second fleet week, and one of the most extraordinary things that you get as having the great pleasure to be here as the consul general is to see the community come together in the way that they do, in the size and scale and the impressiveness. for us, it's an absolute pleasure to be here, not just to be part of the kick off, but also part of all of the festivities. as your neighbor to the north

and the only foreign country that is able to participate in fleet week, canada has a unique role in this, and it underscores. canada and the u.s. enjoy incredible defense relationship, serving shoulder to shoulder and did he fending our values and freedoms -- defending our values and freedoms. as you know, just yesterday, last night, in fact, one of my other sort of roles for the government of canada is i serve on the nafta advisory committee, and we've now concluded

negotiations. we are, by far, one of the greatest economic partnerships in the world, so that gets to continue. but if i can draw one further attention to an announcement this year, is that this is the 60th anniversary of norad, which is the north american aerospace defenses and command, which is an arrangement that the presidents and prime ministers speaks. as prime minister trudeau said recently, norad reminds us all to thank the men and women in uniform who work together to protect the safety and security

of both countries. canada's participation in fleet week reflects our relationship as a whole. we are deeply integrated in the nature of our defense alliance, and more fundamentally, the spoord partnership and friendship that our alliance represents. with this in mind, canada's proud once again to participate in fleet week with the hmcs vancouver to showcase the enduring bonds of friendship. thank you very much. [applause] >> okay. thank you. thank you to all of our speakers. i can't let us go without acknowledging the gentleman who got me into fleet week, and it was the vision behind fleet week and what we have today, and he's sitting in the front row, the chairman of the san francisco freet week association, retired -- fleet week

association, retired major general mike maya. mike thank you for all you've done. and elaine, thank you for hosting all of this today. mayor breed, thank you for coming out. we'll be around to answer questions if anybody has, but otherwise, this press conference is over. thank you very much. - >> san francisco is known worldwide for its atmospheric waterfront where spectacular views are by piers and sight and sounds are

xhanl changing we come to the here for exercise relax ball games entertainment, recreation market, exhilaration a wide variety of contributions easily enjoyed look up the bay the waterfront is boosting for activities boosting over 25 visitors every year the port of san francisco manages 7 may have million dollars of waterfront from hyde street and fisherman's wharf to the cargo terminals and name shoreline the architecture like pier 70 and the ferry building is here for the embarcadero and a

national treasure the port also supports 10 different maritime industries alongside with the recreational attractions making san francisco one of the most viable working waterfronts in the world but did you think that our waterfront faces serious challenges if earthquake to damage the seawall and the embarcadero roadway rising seawalls will cause flooding at high tides and major repairs to a safe many of the piers the port is at a critically turnl point time to plan for the future of san francisco's waterfront this year the port is updating it's marts plan the plan working

group to invite a wide variety of poichdz from the city and bayview and other advisory teams to share their expertise if intense and maritime operations the waterfront land use plan has guided the use and development of the lanes for the last 20 years major physical changes take place along the waterfront and now is the time to update the waterfront plan to continue improvements that will keep our waterfront vibrate, public and resilient the biggest challenges facing the waterfront are out the site an aging seawall along the embarcadero roadway and seawalls that will rise by 21 hundred to provide and productivity of tides seawall is built over weak soils and mud the next earthquake will

cause it to settle several feet without the urgent repairs that will damage the promenade and other things we've been fortunate over the last hundred years less than one foot of seawall over the next hundred years scientists say we'll have 6 feet of seawall rise imagine the pier 30/32 will be floated, the embarcadero will be flooded our transportation system is fog to be heavy impacts unfortunately, the port didn't have the financial resources to repair all the deteriorating piers let alone the adaptations for sea level rise. >> it is clear that the port can't pay for the seawall reinforcement or deal with the sea level rise on its own needs

to raise money to take care of the properties at take care of the maintenance on the properties no way absent anti funding the issues of sea level rise or the schematic conditions of seawall can be development. >> as studies talk about the seawall challenges the working group is look at the issues please come share our ideas about recreation, pier activities, shoreline habitat, historic preservation and transportation issues and viral protection. >> we know this planning process will not have one question and one answer we need the diversity of the opinions how people feel about san francisco waterfront and want to hear all the opinions. >> the challenges call for big decisions now is the time to explore now and creative ideas

to protect and preserve san francisco waterfront. >> now is the time to get involved to help to shape the future of our waterfront. >> we need the debate please come forward and engage in the process. >> this is your waterfront and this is your opportunity to get involved be part of solution help san francisco create the waterfront we want for the future. >> this is really to dream big and i think about what our waterfront looked like for all san franciscans today and generations to come. >> get involved with the planning process that will set the fraction for what is coming at the port. >> find for in upgrading dates on the ports website.

>> (ship blowing horn in distances) hello, everyone. welcome to kelly cullen community. i'm an assistant manager here. we have a general manager and another assistant manager. kelly cullen community is located at golden gate and we are formally the ymca. we provide 172 efficiency studio units for chronically homeless people. we're glad to do so. we also have a health clinic downstairs, social workers on site, and also nurses. we thank you all for coming out. now we'd like to just welcome

senator wiener. >> thank you, i want to thank the community for hosting us here today. this is an amazing facility and amazing. this is a fantastic example of what san francisco is about. it's about helping our most vulnerable residents. helping people succeed and be housed and healthy. that is what the city of saint francis is about. i'm so proud to be a san francisco an and to represent this great city and the state senate. so, i first want to thank governor jerry brown, for signing senate bill 1045 into law. this bill is a significant step forward in taking a new approach to the epidemic of mental illness and severe drug

addiction we see playing out on our streets every day. not just in san francisco but cities throughout this state. this is not progressive to sit by while people unravel and die on our streets. to be clear, we are not talking about most homeless people. large majority of homeless people are not what this bill is about. this is about a small percentage of chronic homeless people, who are incapable of making decisions for themselves due to severe mental health and drug addiction issues. who are incapable of accepting services. we need to help these people and we need to stop just letting people unravel and die on our streets. the city of san francisco and other cities have told us, is that the current conservativeship laws in california, are not meeting the meets, particularly of people with severe drug addiction.

people who are cycling in and out of the psyche of emergency room and they're backout on the streets unraveling more and more. we need to help get these people into housing, into services, get people stable and healthy and do everything we can to get their lives on track and that is what senate bill 1045 is about. this is not about mass institutionalization. this is about really focusing on relatively limited number of people who are dying on our streets and helping to get them stable and into housing. i want to thank my colleague, assemblyman chiu for supporting this bill. i want to thank the city of san francisco, particularly mayor breed and supervisor mandelman. they have just been champions

for this bill. they actually came up to sacramento to testify in committee in favor of the bill. they're that committed to it. and i know that they will work hard to implement it. this is not the end of the road. this is going to be a long-term state-local partnership where we will work together to make sure that san francisco has the tools and resources that it needs to help our most vulnerable residents survive and thrive. so with that, it's my honor to bring up our great maryland mayn breed. >> the hon. london breed: thank you so much for your leadership. trying to address what we know ar major challenges, throughout our city, with people who struggle with mental illness. it's something that is going to require leadership from both local and state officials and senator scott wiener and david

chiu have been moving forward incredible policies that will help us implement the things that will be important to addressing these issues. i want to thank governor jerry brown for signing sb1045. i probably harassed him every single day until it was done. we didn't get the safe injection site bill signed but we are not going to give up hope. there's still work to be done in that effort. but this is a great first step. what wore doing here in san francisco is, we are working to begin the process of passing legislation, through the board of supervisors, so that we can implement this law right here in san francisco. i've already given directions to the department of aging and adult services. our human service agency and the department of public-health to begin working with the public defender, the district attorney office as well as the superior court so that we develop the right legislations here in san

francisco to move it forward so we can implement this policy. i want to thank supervisor rafael mandelman for being a supporter and champion in this effort. we know there are challenges. many of you know, today we announced we will be opening another 1,000 new shelter beds here in san francisco by the end of 2020. that is important. we have to build housing and no we're not building housing fast enough. we also need places for people to go because clearly, sleeping on the streets is not a humane situation right now here in our city. part of moving forward with providing more shelter beds also means making sure that we have more mental health stabilization beds for people as we move them through this system for the purposes of trying to get them

conserved so they can live healthy and productive lives. this is not just trying to -- we're not just trying to force someone into a situation. this is about helping people get healthy and stabilized. we all know what is happening here on our streets is unacceptable. currently, we're using our hospitals and our jails to cycle people with mental illness in and out of the hospitals, in and out of the jail systems and they are not getting healthy. they are not getting better. we need new solutions. we need bold leadership to move forward with the kinds of solutions that are going to be effective and deliver what we need. our next steps are to pass legislation. our next steps are to fund an open new mental health stabilization bed. our next step are to continue to work collaboratively in order to deliver what we know will make

the difference on our streets. shelter beds, mental health stabilization beds, building housing, provided supportive services for people we know that are struggling here in our city and dealing with the inequality gap that we know continues to persist, not only in san francisco but throughout the country. we are making -- this is a great, great step and i remember back in late january, early february, where we were at community housing partnership building the richardson apartments, which i absolutely love, 120 units of supportive housing for people who were normally homeless and struggle with mental illness. the perfect example of a place that we have in san francisco to help address many of these challenges and we have to open more places like that. more supportive services that are going to help us get people

who are chronically mentally ill and suffering from homelessness off the streets into a safe environment and healthy. so that all of us in san francisco are thriving and no one is left behind. i want to thank each and everyone of you for being here today. i'd like to introduce someone who is also been a champion in the assembly with so many incredible pushes for legislation, including making sure we build more housing and the state helps us in that effort. ladies and gentlemen, assembly member david chiu. >> thank you, very much. good morning. let me first start by thanking mayor breed for your bold and innovative leadership as we move forward in dealing with the intensity of the crisis that we've all experienced in recent years. today is a good day for san francisco. today is a good day for the city of saint francis. i want to thank so many folks responsible for moving sb1045

but of course the team behind me. starting with my colleague, who is both a physical and a figurative giant when it comes to moving forward important and bold things, like this bill. a couple months ago, the team behind me came to the assembly judiciary committee i serve on. we explained that san francisco needs this. first, because people are dying on our streets. it is not humane to allow folks to die in the streets when we can do something in the city of saint francis. we know there are things we can do. there are services we can provide. there are roofs we can build. that's why this is so incredibly important. and one thing i also said to my colleagues, as they were looking at all of us as sa san franciscs is we represent the diversity. not just how we look but we represent diversity of views who all believe the same thing.

that we have to saves the lives of folks dying on our streets. we also know that with sb1045, we're going to make a good step forward. it is not the last step. we need so many new things. this is why mayor breed's announcement around a thousand shelter beds so incredibly exciting. i want to thank governor brown and our colleagues, not just for signing this bill, but for signing my bill that will create streamlining to build supportive housing in the state of california. gill gillman from community housing partnership, we've worked together in moving forward project for formerly homeless individuals that took years when they should have been entitled within months. our bill will make sure we get more done. if voters have their way in november, we'll have, with propositions 1 and 2, another $6 billion of funding coming from the state to build affordable housing and supportive housing for chronically homeless folks.

we can do it. this is the city of saint francis and i'm proud to be part of this. with that, it is my honor to introduce the newest memberrest board of supervisors but someone who for his entire life has been fighting to make sure we're addressing the challenges. rah y'alrafael mandelman, come . >> thank you. good morning, everybody. i want to start by thanking senator wiener, again, for your incredible work on this important piece of legislation at a time when the federal have left cities like san francisco to fend for ourselves in the face of a terrible homeless crisis. we're so lucky to have senators like senator wiener and assemblyman chiu. i also really want to thank mayor breed, for your commitment to implement sb105 so we have every tool possible in our toolbox. every san francisco an has had the experience of walking out our doors and seeing people who are clearly sick and unable to

take care of themselves. as compassionate as san franciscans may be, it's not the job of neighbors to take care of people struggling from mental illness and substance abuse. it's the job of the government to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. sb1045 is not a panacea, it won't solve all problems. it shows the commitment of the city, of our legislative delegation in sacramento and us here in san francisco to make sure that sick and vulnerable people get the care that they need. we are just starting the local conversations. those who are skeptical about this legislation will be heard. there is going to be a robust process that engages providers and advocates but i think we can all agree that the status quo is not acceptable and that we need to get sick people off of our streets. we're going to have a conversation about assisted out patient treatment but at the end the day we ned inform move

people off the streets and indoors. i also want to extend my great thanks to mayor breed, for recognizing that we need to invest more in shelter beds, more off ramping for people who are homeless. no one should be living on our streets and no one should have to live on our streets and i know and i'm so grateful that mayor breed shares that tremendous commitment. i'm looking forward to doing this work with the folks behind me and the folks out here. i think we're going to make some real progress and we are going to show that san francisco is the city that knows how. with that, i would like to invite our next speaker, the c.e.o. of community housing partnership. [applause] >> thank you, supervisor. before i start i also want to thank senator wiener and mayor breed, who earlier in the year announced we were advancing this measure. community housing partnerships mission is to help homeless people become self-sufficient. what we know is that as

individuals spend more and more time on our streets, without stable housing their conditions worsen. their health conditions are more chronic. their mental illness and substance abuse is more chronic because it's harder and harder for them to seek services and treatment. this is one tool, this is one option, for a small group of people that can help really stabilize and change their lives. we also need treatment on demand. safe-injection sites, more shelter beds, and navigation cr and supporting housing all things that mayor breed, senator wiener and assembly member chiu are championing for. we know with the right levels of support, homeless individuals can stabilize, rebuild their lives, peace by peace and many of them become thriving members of their community. they become activists, some of them are here today. they go back to work. they start rebuilding their lives. community housing partnership this year had 75 individuals

exit supportive housing into the private market and become fully self-sufficient, opening the slots for people living on our streets and in shelters. community housing partnership believes that every tool should be available to help individuals that can't help themselves. it's our pleasure to be supportive of sb1045. thank you. >> senator wiener. >> i want to thank you for being here today. that concludes the press conference and folks will be available for questions one-on-one. thank you, very much. . >> i love that i was in four plus years a a rent control

tenant, and it might be normal because the tenant will -- for the longest, i was applying for b.m.r. rental, but i would be in the lottery and never be like 307 or 310. i pretty much had kind of given up on that, and had to leave san francisco. i found out about the san francisco mayor's office of housing about two or three years ago, and i originally did home counseling with someone, but then, my certificate expired, and one of my friends jamie, she was actually interested in purchasing a unit. i told her about the housing program, the mayor's office, and i told her hey, you've got to do the six hour counseling and the 12 hour training. she said no, i want you to go with me. and then, the very next day

that i went to the session, i notice this unit at 616 harrison became available, b.m.i. i was like wow, this could potentially work. housing purchases through the b.m.r. program with the sf mayor's office of housing, they are all lotteries, and for this one, i did win the lottery. there were three people that applied, and they pulled my number first. i won, despite the luck i'd had with the program in the last couple years. things are finally breaking my way. when i first saw the unit, even though i knew it was less than ideal conditions, and it was very junky, i could see what this place could be. it's slowly beginning to feel like home. i can definitely -- you know, once i got it painted and slowly getting my custom furniture to fit this unit because it's a specialized unit, and all the units are microinterms of being very

small. this unit in terms of adaptive, in terms of having a murphy bed, using the walls and ceiling, getting as much space as i can. it's slowly becoming home for me. it is great that san francisco has this program to address, let's say, the housing crisis that exists here in the bay area. it will slowly become home, and i am appreciative that it is a bright spot in an otherwise >> good morning, everybody. thank you so much for everyone being out here today. of course, the jug shop for welcoming us to this extraordinary celebration that really speaks to a community partnerships and the success of our invested neighborhoods

programs and neighborhood economic development here in san francisco. we're very happy to have everyone here with us today. and to kick us off with this commemoration of our polk c.b.d. is our mayor. >> the hon. london breed: thank you. i'm so excited to be here today. this is the 16th community business district in san francisco. this is what happens when communities come together. businesses, neighbors, and all of you are an example of how we make sure that we keep our city clean, we keep it safe, and we do it all together. i want to thank you and i want to thank suzanne, for her leadership. [applause] for the past three years, really spearheading this effort and getting it through. this was one of the lowest votes that we were able to get through the board of supervisors when you had the folks who were the property owners here vote to

move this thing forward and i am just so glad it passed. it's going to make a difference. those folks who were not necessarily supportive, they're going to be happy with the results too. i can't wait until we clean up san francisco. this is helping in our efforts to do so. and so we also will have embassadors and people who are out on the streets. we want the businesses here to grow and to thrive. places like the jug shop, which are a legacy business in san francisco. we have to do everything we can to protect our business community. we announced we will be opening another 1,000 shelter beds by 2020 here in the city and county of san francisco. we know we have a crisis on our hands and we know that we have to make smart investments because we see it on our streets every single day. it's effecting the quality of life. it's effecting the business community. we know that many of the people sadly that are struggling on our streets are experiencing a lot of challenges.

and we want to thank you. we want to thank the discovery polk community benefits district for its work and its contributions and being partners in this effort to make sure city safer, to make sure city cleaner, and we know that there's so much work to do. this process has brought so many businesses together and i am just excited to be here today to sign the legislation that made it possible. this is your victory. we're going to get to work to make san francisco an even better place for each and everyone of us. thank you so much for being here today. [applause] >> thank you, very much, mayor breed. of course, our next speaker is a long-time champion of community benefits. the author of the legislation and help make them possible. supervisor of our district 3, aaron peskin. >> thank you.

so this is the 15th community benefit district in san francisco. as i like to say, all of our districts are created equal. district 3 is more equal. why do i say that? because we have five of the 15 community benefit district. when i first became a supervisor 18 years ago, there was one business improvement district in san francisco. one. the city of berkley had more. san diego had dozens of them and i tred to figure out why was san francisco behind. and the answer actually was because the state law didn't think about places like san francisco, where we had mixed-use neighborhoods. the vibrant communities of polk street, north beach, and so we had to create our own law. that became article 15 of our business and tax regulation

code. that began, what has spread all over san francisco. now let me say, it is very rare that people come together to celebrate the fact that they all voted to raise their taxes. that is exactly what we are doing today. it stays in the community. it does not mean a diminishment of city services. it's services on top. i am very bullish on polk street. it is remarkably a vibrant community. i want to salute the lower polk neighbors and the lower polk c.b.d. which was at the forefront, that gave suzanne and the steering committee the vision that the c.b.d. to be extended in a northerly manner. there's going to be an economy of scale. christian mar tan, who does a remarkable job of running the lower polk c.b.d. is going to be the staff to the middle polk discover polk c.b.d. this makes a ton of sense.

larry stringer from our public works department is going to continue -- you are in trouble. it's all good. it's going to continue cleaning your streets and emptying the trash cannes. thicans.this is a real boone foe city and county of san francisco. i'm delighted. on behalf of all of my colleagues, who the voters passed it by yes, 50.01%, we voted unanimously to allow this c.b.d. to move forward. thank you, mayor breed. this is actually the first time, since mayor breed has become mayor i've been involved in an official signing ceremony and i cannot be more delighted. i want to shout out jaoquin torez and chris corgis who did a remarkable job. [applause] >> they came in and they brought me a list because they knew the

election would be tight. they asked me if i knew those people because we needed just one or two more properties to vote yes and i found one guy who i knew, who actually was on the east coast. he said, yes, that is on my desk. i said, you have until 2:00 on tuesday to get back to the city and county of san francisco, vote that ballot and that is what took us over the top. thank you chris corgis. i want to shout out northern captain joe english ler who has joined us. with that i'll turn it back to jaoquin torez. >> we all know if it wasn't for the hard work of the steering committee, in addition so many community members today, this event today and these resources couldn't be made possible. and it does take leadership, tenacity and commitment and i couldn't think of a person that exemplifies the definition of those words more that dr. suzanne markle-fox who i would like to invite up to speak to us. the director of the steering

committee who made this possible. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so the lower polk, the discover polk community. you can tell i'm nervous. thank you very much to the lower polk community benefit district. it really was not only our fiscal sponsor but also our mentor for all of the process that we went through since may 2015. thank you to debra neman who was another informal mentor. shared her knowledge and experience and we definitely want to follow in her tracks. i'd also like to introduce you to the president of our board, tiffany yang, who is a brilliant young woman who is going to be taking this to the next level. the wonderful thing about this community benefit district is how property owners, neighbors, business owners and the faith

community all came together to work on this. it was an amazing experience for me. it really demonstrates the vibrancy of this community. as others have said before me and will say after i'm sure, that our goals are a cleaner, safer and even more vibrant business community in the discover polk area. thank you, everybody. [applause] >> thank you so much, suzanne. really, congratulations and savor this moment. it really is an anchor for so much incredible work to come. i want to point out, you can sense there's a community here supporting efforts like these. i did want to shout out again, i know exercise peskin and mayor breed also recognized some of the folks from our fellow community benefit districts across the street who have come here to celebrate. it's a strong community of folks who believe in the leadership and the impacts that this work

can create across san francisco. christian martin to support these efforts along polk street. deb neman and her work in san francisco for the c.b.d. and simon bertrand from the tenderloin community benefit are all here to say thank you. congratulations for those who are willing to take on a leadership role to make benefits happen in our communities. but it also takes merchants. as well and their support to make this work happen. so, ray baird supported this benefit district idea early on. providing refreshments at community gatherings. ray, we want to say thank you so much. invite you to come on up and say a few words. >> i'm no politician. i'm not great at doing this. i'm just humble merchants with a beautiful store back here. it's great we have the back drop of my store in the back there. whoever masterminded that did a

really great job. thank you to everybody who came out today. there's a lot of sharp-dressed people from the city that are here. i feel a little under dressed. i'm excited for the opportunity that the c.b.d. brings us. i kind of wanted to relate it to some stories that were in the news recently. there was a horrible story about some crime that happened in the tenderloin and the footage from the cameras that the c.b.d. installed were very beneficial to the police and so i think that's one of the resource that's is going to be of great benefit to us. we need it. i don't want to be a bummer and remind everyone about how hard the streets of san francisco are. we live here and know the reality of that. filmore has beat cops. the news came across, i was watching on the news the next day, we had an incident at the store where we had to call the police out. i talked to the officers and i said, we want beat cops too.

they said well you need an advocate to get in there and stand on the throat of the people at city hall and at the captain's office and things like that. so hopefully, what this c.b.d. promises for us is advocacy for this great community that i'm so happy to be a part of. i'll just wrap it up and i want to say thank you for all the work, all these years. you know what it's like to have to canvas and cold call and do this to grind it out. way to go. [applause] >> that concludes the speaking part of our program. now we're going to do the signing right now. chris, if you can get it set up. i'd like to invite michael from the add cad mow of art academy. suzanne, ray. tiffany, come on up as well.