. >> 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 >> when i open up the paper every day i'm just amazed at how many different environmental issues keep popping up. when i think about the planet i want to leave for my children and other generation, i think of what contribution i can make on a personal level to the environment. ♪ clean power sf is san francisco's key way of fighting climate change by renewable energy and offering it to san francisco customers. i'm from the san francisco public utilities commission.

the program came about with state wide legislation in 2002 to enable people to take more control over supplies. i first heard of the program when the organization was advocating to launch clean power sf. what i'm most excited about, it's going to bring 100% renewable energy to my home and reinvest into renewable energy infrastructure and jobs. i had gone to a lot of street fairs and heard from the staff at the san francisco public utilities commission to sign up for clean power sf even before it launched. >> we learned about clean power sf because our sustainability team is always looking for clean operations. linkedin is the largest online

network. there are about 530 million members using our site. in this san francisco office there's about 1400 employees working in roughly 400,000 square feet. >> after signing up for the program we heard about the san francisco program and learned they had commercial rates and signed up for that. i'm the co-owner of the new wheel electric bike shop. we opened this store in 2012 and the new wheel sells and services electric bikes. 11 people work here in san francisco and our store is about 2,000 square feet. electric bikes are fantastic for transportation in the city, they're clean and green and you get places faster than any other form of transportation. it amplifies the power, it doesn't replace it. it makes it easier to get places by bicycle and it's so enjoyable and environmentally friendly way to go and more convenient in san

francisco. >> clean power sf requires two products, green, 40% renewable and competitively priced with pg and e. for those who want to fight climate change more, 100% renewable at $0.02 per kilawatt. >> i decided to go with the super greens, after finding it only to cost about $5 more a month to have super green, that's a no-brainer, i can do that. >> we were pleased that clean power sf offers the super green 100% for commercial entities like ours and residents for the city of san francisco. we were pleased with the package of services for linkedin and now

encouraging our employees who have a residence in san francisco to sign on as well. >> clean power sf buys its power from renewable plants that feed the energy directly into the grid. >> there's a commitment to sustainability throughout the entire organization and this clean power opportunity reflects that. >> one of the wind farms we use is the shilo wind farm and that is large enough to be able to provide energy for up to 200,000 homes. >> our mission is sustainability, even though our bikes are minimal energy use, it still matters where the energy comes from and part of our mission in sustainability is how we run everything -- run our business. having the lights come on with clean energy is very important. >> the sunset reservoir has

solar panels that take up about four city blocks covering the reservoir and the solar power generates energy for city resources and clean power sf for residents participating in the program. >> it was easy to sign up for the program, i went online to cleanpowersf.org and i started getting pieces in the mail letting me know i was going to be switched over and it just happened. when i pay my bill, i still go to pg and e and i don't see any difference between now and a year ago. >> sign up online, just have your account number ready and it takes about two minutes and there's nothing to install. no lines are getting connected to your home. all the power goes through the existed power grid. >> we haven't had any problems with the switch over to clean

power. >> it's super easy to sign up. our book keeper signed up online, it took about 15 minutes. nothing changed but now we have cleaner energy. >> we see clean power sf as a key strategy to meet renewable energy goal, we have a goal of 50% renewable energy by 2020. currently we have enrolled about 86,000 customers across the city. about 20% of what we hope to serve in the future and in the next two years we'll offer service to all san francisco electricity customers. >> an easy way to align your environmental responsibilities and goals around climate change and it's so easy that it's hard to not want to do it and it doesn't really add anything to the bill. >> joining clean power sf is one of the easiest ways to fight climate change, receiving cleaner energy at low and stable rates, you're helping to support

a not for profit that helps influence the energy grid and produce more production. >> i would encourage any business to seriously convert to the clean sf service. it's good for environment, business and the community. >> you can sign up online our call and the great thing is, you'll have the peace of mind that you're doing your part in your household to help the environment. ♪ ♪

>> are you guys ready? five, four, three, two, one. [cheers and applause] >> e.a. all right. e.a. >> thank you so much for joining us today. today with mayor breed, we are honored to celebrate our community's -- community's brazilians as we continue to advocate for equality and human rights. -- community's equality as is to continue to advocate for equality and human rights. thank you. [applause] from the cafeteria riot to the nation's first trans- city department to, we have, so far.

thanks to many of you and the community leaders and allies who have paved the way before us. today, you are part of making history. as the trump administration continues to attack our communities in san francisco, we stand up against these attacks and celebrate each other. here in san francisco, we don't erase people. we understand that our differences are what makes us special. i'm so proud to work for a city that stands firm that we will not allow discrimination of any kind unchecked. san francisco continues to protect all of our communities and be a sanctuary city regardless of the federal administration. regardless of how they want to redefine gender, ban us from military service or strip away our rights -- rights for

medically necessary care. at the office of transgender initiatives, we are working every day to advance policies, program and equity for trends and nonconforming gender communities. earlier this month, we partnered with mayor breed to release a directive requiring all city departments to broaden gender identity options across all city forms. [applause] >> furthermore, we are providing trans- inclusion training across all city employees because everyone should feel safe when reaching our city services. also, last week, our advisory committee had the opportunity to meet with mayor breed and discuss several community priorities that we identified through a series of community stakeholder meetings. i'm looking forward to working with the mayor and the board of supervisors and other city departments to move these important priorities for words.

i am excited to share that we are launching two exciting pilots this year to better serve our diverse communities including our trans- and lgbt emigrant fellowship program, as well as a civic bridge program to increase navigation services so trans folks can access the wide range of services we have in the city. as i started in this role in december, i have had many opportunities to engage but our community has been under attack more now than ever before. we work to create name policies across the city and we track anti- lgbt legislation and we will make sure that any state that tries to discriminate against us gets added to the travel ban, and contracting ban because we will not do business with states that think discrimination is okay. [applause]

>> furthermore, we are advancing our workforce program to provide direct trends services to the tenderloin and the soma areas. we are also creating antiviolence programs to make sure that housing programs and providers are inclusive of trans people. we all deserve a home in san francisco. [applause] >> in conclusion, as the chump administration tries to strip away our rights, it's important we all remember that we will continue to be protected in san francisco through our leadership , through our office, and the work that each of you are doing every day. together we can remember our trans resilience and that we are never alone. i hope you will join us for this important work because we cannot do it alone. volunteer with local programs, get involved, volunteer and give because we all need a fierce cheerleader. so together, let's make sure

that no one gets left behind. everyone deserves a safe place to sleep, wellness and a community that celebrates them. now it is my great honor to welcome our wonderful mayor, lyndon breed. [applause] -- london breed. [applause] >> thank you. aren't we lucky to have such incredible leadership for our office of transgender initiatives here. we really appreciate you. thank you. thank you all for joining us here today. we are here to celebrate our transgender and gender nonconforming communities in san francisco and across the country i would also like to thank the supervisors who have joined us here today, including supervisor raffaella mandelman, supervisor vallie brown and president president of the board of supervisors, melia cohen. thank you for being here. [applause]

today, we are recognizing this important week by lighting up city hall in the trans- flag colours. blue, white and pink and if you are lucky to get one of these pens, may be asked anthony, i think he has a few extra. as well as raising the transgendered flag, which we just did, outside of the front of city hall. these are symbols that recognize our commitment to protecting the rights of all san franciscans. in these challenging times, i am so proud to be a mayor of a city that celebrates our diversity and our rich history with our trans- community. from our roots as a first city in the country to honor transgendered date, a remembrance to today, where we have the first office of transgender initiative. and a great leader in claire.

as i look around, i think about the challenges facing us as a nation and as a safety. i am reminded, constantly, of the resilience of the trans community. we have a federal administration that attacks our most vulnerable communities, time and time again here in san francisco, we won't stand for it. we will fight against it each and every time by standing together. that's why, earlier this month, i sent an executive directive to all city departments requiring the expansion of gender identity options across all city forms and mandating trans- inclusion training for all city employees working with the public. [applause] >> this is just one way we can make sure that our trends community is respected and

supported, and in san francisco, no one is erased. i am proud of how far we have come as a city and being inclusive and welcoming, but i know, i know there is still a lot of work to do. just as you have remained resilient in the face of adversity, i will remain committed to addressing the needs and priorities of the trans and lgbtq communities in san francisco. last week, i had an opportunity to meet with the transgender advisory committee to discuss many of the priorities that we all share. we talked about things like the crisis that has unfortunately impacted disproportionately our lgbtq community. thanks to their work and our office of transgender initiatives, we are focused on expanding employment, healthcare , and educational opportunities for our lgbtq community. we are committed to preventing

any discrimination or violence or any assaults against all of our residents, as well as bringing justice for those who have experienced these tragedies we will not rest until there is equity and ensure a basic human rights for all of our communities. but i know i can't do this work alone and i want to thank all of you for joining us here today. not only for what we have all ready achieved but for what we will continue to achieve by working together. and that is why i wanted to do something really special to commemorate this time and -- here it is. [laughter] >> i am not only committed to making sure that we celebrate our transgender community, but we honor it by doing something that has not been done anywhere

else in our country. today, i am happy to recognize the entire month of november as transgender month in the city and county of san francisco. [applause] >> i would also like to recognize and appreciate the work of our transgender advisory committee because they are spending countless hours working to push forward the right policies, the right investments, the right things here in the city that we need to do in order to address many of the challenges we face. here, i would like to present commissioner melanie with this award, as well as honey mahogany , two of the leaders of the transgender advisory committee here and we will do everything we can to continue to work together in order to move

the great initiatives forward based on the work that we know you are both committed to doing. thank you both for being here today. [applause] now i give you an opportunity to speak. >> good afternoon, everybody. some of us are bay area locals. some of us have been born and raised in san francisco. some of us relocate here for a better tomorrow. san francisco is the first city in the nation to have a trans alleged government office. this city is committed to the advancement of the transgender community. i am a proud member of the transgender advisory committee and i am honored to work alongside some of the fiercest community leaders in san francisco. if you are part of the t.a.c.

team, please stand up. we would like to acknowledge you [cheers and applause] >> thank you for being leaders in our community. at the t.a.c., we help prioritize community needs and give recommendations that advise the office of transgender initiatives and the mayor's office. i am also a human rights commission or. i was appointed by our late mayor ed lee, may he rest in peace. i would not be here today without the guidance of some amazing people like teresa sparks, cecelia chung, nikki, jason chan, and francis sang. thank you all. i mentioned this because i want to stress the importance of leadership. this recent midterm election, we had a rainbow wave, everybody. record breaking numbers of lgbtq , women, people of color elected into office.

that is amazing. [applause] >> i would love to see even more leadership programs like s.f. team, transgender empowerment advocacy membership program at the san francisco community health centre and more of encouraging civic engagement, leadership and pathways to appoint more trans and gender nonconforming folks to city boards and commissions. it is crucial to normalize trends people as leader -- transgender people as leaders. they need to see more representation that they identify with. youth need to see and believe that they can be leaders too. i love san francisco and i truly believe it is, and will continue to be the best city for my competing -- for my community to live and survive in. happy transgender awareness week , now month. thank you. [laughter] [applause]

>> thank you, melanie. good day, everyone. happy day today. as someone who was born and raised in this city, which is steeped in so much history, i am proud that san francisco continues to be a leader in the fight for justice and equality, especially as it pertains to the transgender community. while our community has been under attack, not just by the current federal administration, but by many who preceded them, we continue to exist despite their best efforts to stymie us, shut us out or eliminate us. we have history in this city. we can directly trace the lgbt civil rights movement back to the corner of turk and taylor where in 1966, the riots was the first documented collective uprising of lgbt individuals in the country. [applause] >> the riots recently inspired the founding of the

transgendered cultural district. the first officially recognized transgendered district in this country. [applause] >> it's important that we remember this history. and that we consider how it impacts us today. the tenderloin is still has the highest concentration of trends -- transgender folks in san francisco. this is changing with the tide of new development. the transgendered cultural district was created not just as a way of preserving the importance of the legacy of the tenderloin, but also as a mechanism to push back against the displacement of the transgendered community. it was created to be an advocate to serve as a resource and a safe space. it is has been -- it has been my honor to present the district thus far along with cofounders.

it has also been a great pleasure to work with claire farley and others in the salespersons from the office of sales -- of transgender initiative. oti has been a tremendous resource and support for the community being a strong advocate for inclusion and frequently prioritizing the voices of underrepresented members of the community including people of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, and the undocumented. through working with o.t.i. and serving on the trans- advisory council, we have been able to make key recommendations on how to best support the needs of the community in san francisco. these recommendations are improving access to safe housing for transgendered and lgbtq communities by providing targeted housing programs and services that prioritize vulnerable populations such as transgendered, homeless individuals, recovering from

gender affirming procedures, and lgbtq older adults. improving mental health of communities by developing and implementing specific mental health services programs and peer support initiative and expanding funding such as dedicating resources to support trans- arts and community events increasing economic development program designed for various trans- communities living in poverty are at risk of living in poverty. increasing access to education and employment opportunities by instituting gender systems, increasing access to legal immigration services and legal services for people with criminal records, increasing civic engagement of communities by developing and implementing leadership development programming, increasing care, planning and care coordination by developing and implementing navigation strategies, and reducing rates of incarceration, were recidivism, and economic disparities by increasing funding for prevention for

programs focused on trans communities. we hope to be able to continue to work with the mayor process -- the mayor's office and the city and county of san francisco to make sure these recommendations are implemented so that the contributions of the transgendered community to our city's history, strength, and culture, are not just honored, but carried forward into the future. thank you. [applause] >> we could not do this work alone without our fabulous members of the board. one particular board member new to district eight is the only out gay supervisor on the board and we could not do the work without him. please welcome supervisor mandelman. [applause] >> thank you, claire. i believe we've been joined by my colleague, asha safai.

thank you. at a time when the lgbtq community and trans people in particular are under siege from a hostile and toxic presidential administration, it is clear -- it is crucial for san francisco to stand with and support the community. i want to thank mayor breed for her strong and immediate repudiation of the president's attempt to erase transgendered people by undermining them. as a supervisor for district eight and the only supervisor, i feel a special responsibility to represent our entire queer community and to be very gay doing it. and until we have a transit supervisor, and i suspect there may be one or more of those out in the audience or behind me, it

is my honor to advocate for the trans community and to be here today. in san francisco, i think we all know the transgender community continues to face disproportionate and unacceptably high rates of violence, homelessness and unemployment. despite the advances we've made as a city, it is clear we need to invest in additional support services and resources to address these disparities. since taking office in july, i worked closely with claire and the staff at the office of transgender initiatives to start inclusive proper -- policies and programs for the folks in san francisco. the mayor did her proclamation. we have our strategic -- strategy of honor from the board of supervisors. i'm honored to share this commendation from the board with a transgendered advisory committee. this is the first of its kind. it works to address important issues impacting trends and

gender nonconforming communities committee members wrote represent diverse sectors and leverage their experience to help inform local policies, priorities and grams. where is our t.a.c. leadership? come on up. here we have this. then we will do the photograph and folks will get it. it is good. [applause] >> all right. thank you. in these challenging times, it is important we remember our history and the elders who came before us. at the same time, we must also support our trends and lgbtq youth who are the leadership of tomorrow. today i'm honored to introduce two important community leaders. donna persona is a legendary community advocate and cocreator of the compton cafeteria hit play and performer at aunt charlie got shot lounge in san francisco. or story has been featured around the world including in the out magazine article, tenderloin is the night and in the short film beautiful by

night. jojo tie is the youth commissioner representing district eight and a health worker. jojo is a clear, trans and filipino born and raised in san francisco and based in the castro. from their own life experiences of navigating personal and institutional challenges, they are committing to supporting lg deep -- lgbtq youth through luth -- youth empowerment and leadership. please welcome donna and jojo. [applause] >> good afternoon. i'm donna persona and i would like to talk a little bit about the honor i've had in cowriting the play. when i was on the fence, coming

from san jose, i wanted to find people that i felt were more like me. so i don't know how i came to this decision that san francisco would be the place to come, but i got on a greyhound bus and i came to san francisco. i couldn't get into bars, i didn't know where they were anyway. i landed on a place, compton's cafeteria. an all-night diner. i would say that is where i first -- i saw these beautiful women and i later learned that they were born as male. but i became friends with them and i learned about their lives. they had decided to match there

outside with their insides. they had what i call a courageous nests. by deciding to live the way that they know that they are, they were started by being abandoned by their families. they had no family, and they came to san francisco, and their lives became completely criminalized. they couldn't get jobs. they couldn't go to school. they couldn't get any kind of healthcare. so this play will tell the story of their lives. when you see this play and hear these stories and learn about them, you will understand what informs their choices in life.

i will say that these women were sex workers and they ended up in prison, sometimes. in one case, in many cases, they found themselves in prison because they were impersonating a woman. they were wearing women's clothes. they went to jail for that, served time, and you come out of jail, and you can't go to college, you can't get a job. so it spirals down from that. so they did what they had to do. but i knew them, and i'm saying that they were wonderful human beings, and they created a family together, themselves. so this story and this play will let people know why they made the choices they made and the

bravery. their bravery. this happened 52 years ago. i would like to say that i think they put in place the foundation of liberation. [applause] through their personal needs, this comes with a foundation. they sought out healthcare and transitions. by transitioning those days, they had what they called hormone parties. there was nothing illegal. there was no place safe to do any of this. so i hope you can imagine how traumatic that is. it is hearsay.

you come to this place and you can get injections for this or that. today, i know one woman who is suffering from the procedure she had back then. imagine this. when somebody -- when one of them ran into trouble with one of their procedures, who do they go to? i can imagine somebody saying, you didn't like what you got, go to the police. that is impossible. by laying down the things that they need, housing, education, healthcare, and just being permitted to feel normal, that's all they wanted was to feel normal. today, we are benefiting from what they laid down. the needs that transgendered people need.

and with this play, this is something i say from time to time. these ladies that i knew, they were born, they lived a while, and then they died. most of them died. they couldn't survive. so they didn't get anyone saying to them, everything you are doing and who you are is wonderful and right. they did not get to hear that. we get to hear that now and we get support. they did not get that. so what is most meaningful for me is to know that their lives are engendering good things now. so their life is not in vain. it wasn't in vain. and i want to believe -- i am

honouring them and i hope you will honor them. and somehow their life was not a waste. i wasn't brave enough to do that and do what they did. but they came before us and they are our modules. we heard about it already tonight and today. there is a push back. there is forces that want to take away what we've gained. so i'm going to say, now, more than ever, we have to get out there and do something. i am going to say, sometimes in the past, other transgendered people or people under the clear spectrum, i tell them, just by presenting in the streets, you are doing part of the job. people see you and they say, they exist, they belong here. but we need to do more of that now. i will ask -- [applause]

>> i will ask each and every one of you whether you are transgender or not, to do something. don't stay home. you have to do something to keep thriving. [applause] >> thank you. >> i would also like to say, we have transgender day of remembrance. please remember this group. that is part of remembrance. they deserve it. and the youth, i want the history and the older people like me, i'm 72 years old, to come together and fight together we will hand over the torch to the young people. i will stay busy myself. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you for sharing your story.

today, i am here because i believe that transgender and youth are the leaders of tomorrow. i wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the work of my transgender sisters and leaders of the past. the screaming queens who righted over 50 years ago in the tenderloin. at dream of the future, where transgendered youth art, empowered and celebrated for who they are, of a future that lets me on a pep -- be unapologetically meat without having to need or explain who i am. today, the transgender nonconforming youth of san francisco face many barriers. a resilience helps us overcome prejudice, discrimination and violence. our wisdom and knowledge guides us as we navigate the multiple institutions that were not created for us. we are more than numbers and statistics. we are contributors and leaders in our communities. we are a community that is here to be up for one another and

support and uplift each other to heal and grow. we will not be quiet and back down until we are included in the conversation and decision making process with full equity. what trends use leadership needs to meet -- means to me as having visibility. it looks like taking a step forward in the right direction towards positive social exchange it sounds like our voices and reclaiming our rights. it feels like freedom and liberation. it ignites others to take action with us. as we gather here today to kick off transgender awareness week, i want to challenge all of you to envision a future where transit -- transgender nonconforming youth are thriving in a more inclusive environment. it takes each of us to build awareness, speak up and be linked to bad policies that support safety and leadership for trans people. thank you. [cheers and applause]

>> i want to thank you all for coming out today and thank you to mayor breed. supervisors and our t.a.c. we can do this work together. don't give up and stay hopeful. join us for a little reception. thank you. [♪] >> 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. [♪] >> i just don't know that you can find a neighborhood in the city where you can hear music stands and take a ride on the low rider down the street. it is an experience that you can't have anywhere else in san francisco. [♪] [♪] >> district nine is a in the southeast portion of the city. we have four neighborhoods that i represent.

st. mary's park has a completely unique architecture. very distinct feel, and it is a very close to holly park which is another beautiful park in san francisco. the bernal heights district is unique in that we have the hell which has one of the best views in all of san francisco. there is a swinging hanging from a tree at the top. it is as if you are swinging over the entire city. there are two unique aspects. it is considered the fourth chinatown in san francisco. sixty% of the residents are of chinese ancestry. the second unique, and fun aspect about this area is it is the garden district. there is a lot of urban agriculture and it was where the city grew the majority of the flowers. not only for san francisco but for the region. and of course, it is the location in mclaren park which is the city's second biggest park after golden gate. many people don't know the neighborhood in the first place

if they haven't been there. we call it the best neighborhood nobody has ever heard our. every neighborhood in district nine has a very special aspect. where we are right now is the mission district. the mission district is a very special part of our city. you smell the tacos at the [speaking spanish] and they have the best latin pastries. they have these shortbread cookies with caramel in the middle. and then you walk further down and you have sunrise café. it is a place that you come for the incredible food, but also to learn about what is happening in the neighborhood and how you can help and support your community. >> twenty-fourth street is the birthplace of the movement. we have over 620 murals. it is the largest outdoor public gallery in the country and possibly the world. >> you can find so much political engagement park next

to so much incredible art. it's another reason why we think this is a cultural distric tt we must preserve. [♪] >> it was formed in 2014. we had been an organization that had been around for over 20 years. we worked a lot in the neighborhood around life issues. most recently, in 2012, there were issues around gentrification in the neighborhood. so the idea of forming the cultural district was to help preserve the history and the culture that is in this neighborhood for the future of families and generations. >> in the past decade, 8,000 latino residents in the mission district have been displaced from their community. we all know that the rising cost of living in san francisco has led to many people being displaced. lower and middle income all over the city. because it there is richness in

this neighborhood that i also mentioned the fact it is flat and so accessible by trip public transportation, has, has made it very popular. >> it's a struggle for us right now, you know, when you get a lot of development coming to an area, a lot of new people coming to the area with different sets of values and different culture. there is a lot of struggle between the existing community and the newness coming in. there are some things that we do to try to slow it down so it doesn't completely erase the communities. we try to have developments that is more in tune with the community and more equitable development in the area. >> you need to meet with and gain the support and find out the needs of the neighborhoods. the people on the businesses that came before you. you need to dialogue and show respect. and then figure out how to bring in the new, without displacing the old. [♪] >> i hope we can reset a lot of the mission that we have lost in

the last 20 years. so we will be bringing in a lot of folks into the neighborhoods pick when we do that, there is a demand or, you know, certain types of services that pertain more to the local community and working-class. >> back in the day, we looked at mission street, and now it does not look and feel anything like mission street. this is the last stand of the latino concentrated arts, culture and cuisine and people. we created a cultural district to do our best to conserve that feeling. that is what makes our city so cosmopolitan and diverse and makes us the envy of the world. we have these unique neighborhoods with so much cultural presence and learnings, that we want to preserve. [♪]

>> good evening and welcome to the november 14th, 2018 meeting of the san francisco board of appeals. president frank fung will be the presiding officer. he is joined by vice president rick swag, commissioner lazarus, commissioner honda, and commissioner tanner. to my left is the deputy city attorney will provide the board with any legal advice at this evening. at the controls is our legal consistent. kind of bored's executive director. if we could grab some seats, there are some over there. thank you. we need to keep that door clear.