commission, i asked the commission to take a vote and they approved. and then they voted to approve the agenda item altogether. moving on. [laughter] >> moving along. ok. item d. review and approval of california department of aging mip p.a. -- mippa. associated budget and all subsequent amendments and modification to the self-help for the elderly grant agreement to include funds for fiscal year 18-19.

mike will present this. >> good morning, commissioners. the item before you today is approval of the c.d.a. and city and county of san francisco contract. we have to bring this before you for approval as one of the final steps of the contract execution process. with your approval today we will access these funds and use them to fund our program. their program as described is the medicare improvements for patients and providers act. it is a program that has a narrow focus. it focuses on increasing enrolments in the low income subsidies for part d. medicare prescription drug programs, as well as helping with enrolment in the medicare savings programs these are programs that help cover medicare part a and medicare part b. premiums.

we have historically passed these funds through new administration of the mippa program. it has worked very well. it is something we would like to continue to do. it is a good fit because of the program's existing subject matter and expertise as well as the infrastructure and community networks that they have already developed for getting the word out about this program. one of my favourite stats i would like to use every year when i bring this forward is a social security administration estimates that four folks enrolled in these programs, the average savings can be about $4,000 on an annual basis by participating in these programs. and currently, in federal fiscal year 16, 17, we helped hundred 55 people in role in the current fiscal year which ended a couple days ago, they are about 140 with more coming in as they complete their contracting,

their file review and closures. with a small amount of money, we really see a massive impact with these dollars. with that, i'm happy to answer any questions. >> any questions from the commission? any questions from the public? hearing none, let's get a vote. >> so moved. >> second let's vote. all in favor say aye. >> aye. >> past -- past -- passed. >> we have come to the last item item e. requesting authorization to modify the existing grant agreement with community living campaigns for the provision of a community service program pilot during the period of july first 2018 through june 30th 2020

and an additional amount of 157 --dash $157,998 plus contingency for a total amount not to exceed $706,189. >> thank you and good morning. the modification i am presenting will enable community living campaigns to pilot three new community connector programs. two will be located in district seven in the sunnyside and midtown terrace neighbourhood. the third one will be located in district five in the inner sunset. with the additional funding, community living campaign will increase their units of service from -- for this grant. they will provide services to at least 78 more consumers this year and at least 85 more next year. they will offer more programming as well. 253 more hours of service this

year and 198 more next year. community living campaign has been successful in developing community connector programs in neighbourhoods that do not have a nearby community centre. that provide services and supportive programming for older adults and adults with disabilities. please connector programs aimed to bring seniors and adults with disabilities together and cultivate a sense of community within neighborhoods while also providing helpful and supportive programming. they also help build neighborhood networks of older adults and adults with disabilities that can support each other when needed. this type of programming is in alignment with what consumers reported they valued and found beneficial in the dignity fund community needs assessment process. at the end of the past fiscal year, which was the first year

of the grant, community living campaign exceeded their contractual level of consumer enrolment and units of service. they were also effective in reaching their target number of new consumers. more than 90% of the enrolled consumers who were surveyed last year reported that program participation increased their engagement with their neighborhood community, increase their physical activity, and that they had learned to have new services available to them. so we expect that these new programs in the neighborhoods will be equally as successful. i would like to thank the commissioners at the beginning. we went over the site chart. wait dot we noticed an error. that was for the first fiscal year which was a half year. i'm happy to answer any other questions the commission has at this time.

>> commissioners? >> i may have had the same question. it wasn't clear when we we're looking at the materials where the additional funding was going to be. i thank you might have said that in your comments. you are saying it is sunnyside, midtown and sunset. >> what is a specific community centre? >> those are the neighborhoods that they are going in. on page two of the site chart you will see that the midtown terrace one is at -- like the inner sunset is at saint and's church. it is on the site chart. >> that is what i understood. it makes it clear to somebody. besides that, you mentioned in the brief description because you don't have enough space, in terms of that, it sounds like the physical programs and things like that --dash there are also

educational programs and a variety of programs that this will fund for people. there are various interests. >> absolutely. i. i am sure marie could speak more to it but the programs originally start out with the always active program pick a lot of them do. as the program develops, they start bringing in new programming that the participants want. >> i see. so it is built on the needs and requests. >> yes. you are welcome. >> i have a question. you said that they exceed the unit of service. by how many? >> theory are -- their contractual level last year, i do have it. hold on. hold on one second.

they actually served 107 consumers last year. if you look at the first page -- i think they were supposed to do may be 60. >> ok is that it? >> are they able to provide more service with the amount of money that we give them? >> he asked. >> i am just glad to hear that. ok. i am pretty sure that there are other programs that exceed the unit of service too. which is commendable. anymore questions from the commission? any from the public? ok. is there a motion to pass this contract? >> so moved. >> seconded. >> ok.

moved and seconded. ok. all in favor say aye. >> aye. >> thank you. >> that motion passes. at this point, are there any other -- ok. this is a recessed regular meeting and we have to convene the closed section. >> we need to have public comment. >> are there any public comments >> know , we don't adjourn. >> motion to end the meeting. >> there is a motion whether to

disclose the discussions during close session. i would advise not. which i think, in cases a performance review of individuals is ok. madame, vice chair i would make a motion not to disclose the discussions and close session. -- discussions in closed session >> all in favor say aye. >> aye. >> president serina: public comment announcement. ok. motion to adjourn the meeting? >> so moved. >> meeting adjourned. [laughter]

we are celebrating the glorious grand opening of the chinese rec center. ♪ 1951, 60 years ago, our first kids began to play in the chinese wrecks center -- rec center. >> i was 10 years old at the time. i spent just about my whole life here. >> i came here to learn dancing. by we came -- >> we had a good time. made a lot of friends here. crisises part of the 2008 clean neighborhood park fund, and this

is so important to our families. for many people who live in chinatown, this is their backyard. this is where many people come to congregate, and we are so happy to be able to deliver this project on time and under budget. >> a reason we all agreed to name this memorex center is because it is part of the history of i hear -- to name this rec center, is because it is part of the history of san francisco. >> they took off from logan airport, and the call of duty was to alert american airlines that her plane was hijacked, and she stayed on the phone prior to the crash into the no. 9 world trade center. >> i would like to claim today

the center and the naming of it. [applause] >> kmer i actually challenged me to a little bit of a ping pong -- the mayor actually challenge me to a little bit of a ping- pong, so i accept your challenge. ♪ >> it is an amazing spot. it is a state of the art center. >> is beautiful. quarkrights i would like to come quarkrights i would like to come here and join them - working for the city and county of san francisco will immerse you in a vibrant and dynamic city that's on the forefront of economic growth,

the arts, and social change. our city has always been on the edge of progress and innovation. after all, we're at the meeting of land and sea. - our city is famous for its iconic scenery, historic designs, and world-class style. it's the birthplace of blue jeans, and where "the rock" holds court over the largest natural harbor on the west coast. - our 28,000 city and county employees play an important role in making san francisco what it is today. - we provide residents and visitors with a wide array of services, such as improving city streets and parks, keeping communities safe, and driving buses and cable cars. - our employees enjoy competitive salaries, as well as generous benefits programs. but most importantly, working for the city and county of san francisco gives employees an opportunity to contribute their ideas, energy, and commitment to shape the city's future. - thank you for considering a career

with the city and county of san francisco. >> hi, i'm lawrence corn field. welcome to building san francisco. we have a special series, stay safe. we're looking at earthquake issues. and today we're going to be talking with a residential building owner about what residential building owners and tenants can and should do before earthquakes and after earthquakes. ♪ ♪ >> we're here at this wonderful spur exhibit on mission street

in san francisco and i have with me today my good friend george. thanks for joining me, george. and george has for a long time owned residential property here in san francisco. and we want to talk about apartment buildings and what the owner's responsibilities might be and what they expect their tenants to do. and let's start by talking a little bit about what owners can do before an earthquake and then maybe after an earthquake. >> well, the first thing, lawrence, would be to get together with your tenants and see if they have earthquake insurance or any renters insurance in place because that's going to be key to protecting them in the event of a quake. >> and renters insurance, there are two kinds of insurance. renters insurance coffers damage to goods and content and so forth. earthquake insurance is a separate policy you get after you get renters insurance through the california earthquake authority, very inexpensive. and it helps owners and it helps tenants because it gives relocation costs and it pays

their rent. this is a huge impact on building owners. >> it's huge, it really is. you know, a lot of owners don't realize that, you know, when there is an earthquake, their money flow is going to stop. how are they going to pay their mortgages, how are they going to pay their other bills, how are they going to live? >> what else can property owners do in residential rental housing before an earthquake? >> well, the first thing you want to do is get your property assessed. find out what the geology is at your site. get an expert in to look at structural and nonstructural losses. the structural losses, a lot of times, aren't going to be that bad if you prepare. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. get in there and get your property assessed and figure it out. >> so, what is a nonstructural issue that might cause losses? >> well, you know, pipes, for instance. pipes will whip around during an earthquake. and if they're anchored in more

numerous locations, that whipping won't cause a breakage that will cause a flood. >> i've heard water damage is a major, major problem after earthquakes actually. >> it is. that's one of the big things. a lot of things falling over, ceilings collapsing. but all of this can be prevented by an expert coming in and assessing where those problem areas and often the fixes are really, really cheap. >> who do you call when you want to have that kind of assessment or evaluation done? >> the structural engineering community is great. we have the structural engineers association of northern california right here in san francisco. they're a wealth of information and resources. >> what kinds of things might you encourage tenants to do besides simply get tenants renters insurance and earthquake insurance, what else do you think tenants should do? >> i think it's really important to know if they happen to be in the building where is the safest place for them to go when the shaking starts. if they're out of the building,

whats' their continuity plan for connecting with family? they should give their emergency contact information to their resident manager so that the resident manager knows how to get in touch. and have emergency supplies on hand. the tenants should be responsible to have their extra water and flashlights and bandages and know how to use a toilet when there's no sewage and water flows down. and the owners of the building should be proactive in that regard as well. >> so, george, thank you so much for joining us. that was really great. and thanks to spur for hosting us here in this wonderful exhibit. and thank you for joining us

>> [inaudible] i'm a illustrator by day and a [inaudible] composition teacher. right now i'm practice by transscribing [inaudible] that is what i have been doing the past couple years, teaching myself. california college of the arts, illustration there has really great teachers. robert hunt, vance story taught me a lot. what i'm working on is a portfolio [inaudible] riding a donkey unicorn in the process. >> my name is dawn richardson and musician, drummer and drum teacher. i guess i would say i started my

professional path quh i started playing in bands and teaching drum lesson when i was in college. they were definitely not that many women that would do what is doing. in 198 8 i graduated from cal state los ang and studied mostly classical percussion and music education but at the same time i was in hollywood so played at night in rock bands so was doing two different things. >> the reason i'm [inaudible] the people. there is a extremely vibrant art community especially arounds the red poppy art house [inaudible] as a artist in the past 2 or 3 years there is a event called the [inaudible] every 3 months a free art music festival that i usually play at and just met

so many people. >> i was teaching a little bit and doing odd jobs like waitressing and going at night and playing in bands and meeting a lot of people. i chss in ban that had cool break jz get parts on tv shows or things like that. a friend of mine, we had mutual friends that got signed to a record deal in san francisco called 4 nonblaunds and i addition frd the bands and moved to the bay area. i think things are different now than 30 years ago, the world evolved a lot. it could be a challenge but have to know how to negotiate everything and sometimeatize is [inaudible] it was great to get to a point where i was just treated like another one of the people, a

musician not a female musician and that is always what [inaudible] >> you don't hear stuff on the radio [inaudible] i need to write music [inaudible] be more conscious in their decisions and somehow make that poetic so they will be convinced. i think i will do that. [singing in backgrounds] drawing and writing music since i was a really little kid and fortunate enough to have a good education in art and parentss who supported me. i hope my life will continue to allow me to do both. >> for me now having all male, female girls, boys students it shows the world has changed a lot and people areope toon open to a lot more than they were

in the past. you can get a deep satisfaction from responding a lot of year practicing in one thing and becoming really good at something. sometimes i think that it is better to get lost. you have to practice and become good at what you do, so if you have everything together then go out in the world and do what you do and then i think people weal accept that. 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. >> 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. >> we can invite the members of the c.b.d. leadership to come up.

[laughter] >> congratulations! [applause]e i am commissioner president. if you are a member of the public, and you'd like to sp