it would be built to balance the vision of the developer and respects the neighbors and respects the existing code also. i urge your approval of the dr. >> thank you, mr. lynch. project sponsor. >> william, architect 42 year resident of the city. 40 years in eight as bury district still there. i have listened to the people downhill from us, and i agree with them. we would love to go up. it would be great. we would have gotten views, more light. as an architect when i looked at the project, my clients brought it in. i scratched my head. having studied the elevations at the front of the house, my thought was this is not going to happen. my belief is instead of three people opposing the people you would have 20. i believe georgia would lead the

pack at the pre-opmeeting. the neighbors were clear. the result is something good for the city and good for my clients as well. i don't think there was any doubt we had to go down. by going i don't want to say down doing some excavation we achieved lessening the impact on the neighbors. i don't think you have heard anything as far as privacy goes, we would be happy to work with screening. david had a meeting where he did a great job to work with the city to talk about different ideas. at the end we pulled the rear of the house back at the mid-level five feet. as far as the garage goes, it is not a reality. i mean, from is a great need for

family housing. i had three kid this is san francisco. they are no longer here, different parts of the country try. i would love to entice them back. we are not going to entice anybody back unless we have new family housing. i believe that is what this is. bigger on the upper unit, lovely three bedroom. lower is a lovely unit 1600 square feet. i was here last week on a similar project, bigger up. we were able to do a vertical addition. we have a lovely unit we created down below. the unit down below at 1650 square feet is an affordable unit. you get a nice little bit larger family house above and very

livable house below. or unit below. i have brought some -- in this we 43d renderings. we presented them to everybody done by a person who does remodeling. >> flip it around. >> this is the existing. you can see neighbor downhill to the right if you can look at the fence where his window is, and when we compare this to the fence now it is going down. the addition will block a little bit of light. we are staying away on the upper floor clearly we created a five foot light well on the side. this is the 3-d model of the

back. if you compare the window to the adjacent house there is more light and ventilation of what we are proposing. thank you. >> thank you. any public comment in support of the project? >> good afternoon, commissioners. i grew up close to this neighborhood in diamond heights with lots of three and four story houses. as i watched this project progress, some of the things i noticed is that there are a lot of different forces constantly pulling at every developer. in particular in this one they have responded to planning comments not to have an additional story on top of the building. this structure is a reaction to that. i think it is appropriately sized project if it stays like this. i would encourage you to

approve it. i think what we all want is more family housing and two unit that are good-sized to house families is a benefit to th to the entire neighborhood. i encourage you to approve the project. thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, commissione commissioners. shawn from rba. in oversight the project sponsor attempted to achieve unit equity while maximizing density. to hear the d.r. requester speak it is as if there is any round of compromise on anything taken from the project. they submitsed the project and the planner asked for changes. the neighbors asked for changes. changes were made. the project goes to rdt and the

rdt insists upon changes. then they had something with some department mediation that i am not 100% familiar with. it went back to the rdt and there was another round of negotiation. the four-foot four set back was created. what you have is a perfect try sec take of forces. you have in the room today d.r. requester number one and d.r. requester number two. what is really missing and the real story is the 20 people across the street. why is that such a big deal? a few years ago this commission talk the floor off that project two or three doors away by the very same neighbors. in this project sponsor sees what this commission or a similar commission did on that house, it has maybe not no choice but it would behoove them

to follow your lead and try to make the best of that situation. now, the issues brought up, the length of the house and the maintaining the integrity of the year yard open space. you can talk about the length. that doesn't describe the floor. it is 100% submerged. three feet sticking up. that is less than the height of the fence. it is not going to have any measurable impact to the neighbors. the four-foot set back done a week or 10 days ago. that is a considerable set back. i think this will maintain the rear yard open lot as best as we can trying to get the two units and maximize the density and unit equity. regarding the façade. a week ago, they redesigned the

façade to maintain the existing neighborhood character as best they can. given the fact going up really wasn't an option. they would have loved to have gone up. they couldn't go up, going back and out and down was the best way to soften any impact to neighbors. it is really the 20 people across the street. thank you. >> additional public comment? d.r. requesters you have a two minute rebuttal. >> thanks. i want to respond to the comments made. one, construction at 437 duncan street. that is a three story building. this is a two story building. they don't want to go up. the commission approved the three story building down the road.

it is possible to go up. going out. the top of the roof of the basement is below fence level. the sponsor is putting decks on every level. peak walking around the top of the fence. you could go out. you can go out and create a large unit, you can reconfigure smaller units without occupying the lot. the lot is going to be built with 25% rear yard. which is actually dug down from what it currently is. look at the plans. the neighbor on the back side is nonconforming. if you could -- he wasn't on the 3-d renderings. back within 25-foot of the house to the rear there is not much sun lot. the lot faces south. it is going to be dark and dismal. comments were made about

compromise. we did have a number of discussions with the proposal and met with the staff as well. the only changes from the original plans that were issued over a year ago have been ones that have been requested by staff, nothing else has actually changed. >> thank you. georgia. >> the thing about going up is the straw man. bogus. you would never have allowed it. if you look at the block i will show you why. overhead please. that is looking up duncan street from the project. here is the project itself. there is bell front. it is looking down. anything vertical would have not complied with the resident's design guidelines. affordability, you are talking about a $5 million house going

up. yeah, they would have had more opposition. i don't know why this come up now. this is the roofline of the street. you would have a project basically like they are talking about for five years where they daysicly do a fake demolition and make $5 million. if it is one unit or two or whatever. i think i don't know the figures he is talking about. the numbers don't match the plans. he has the units backwards, i think. he says here, there, 1824. it could be smaller. overhead, please. this is a restaurant. that is what the main floor looks like. the main floor looks like a kitchen. then the bedrooms behind the garage. then the unit below. it is right. there is a house on the rear lot

line behind it. it is going to be very dark and small. another project they are doing now both mr. park and mr mr. driscoll preserving the façade. they started before. there is a unit behind the garage reduce anything size. make it be like the typical marinena style house. create two units 1500 to 1700 square feet. thank you very much. >> project sponsor. >> two things. one for the last project. it is my project. i think that is not quite accurate for the latest plan. that is just beginning the evolution in the planning department. i forgot to add one thing.

one, i appreciate georgia talking about why we couldn't go up. two, look at the front elevation. i am keeping the concept of the front. i did many different renderings of the front way of looking at it. planning was not happy. my only difference with georgia is at some point certain areas the sun set may not be individual great houses. as a unit that is what the historical code is meant. you are not going to introduce other architecture where every house on the block is similar. this is not the case. this is one house that is nonhistorical and not a great example of this style of house. it does meet the scale of the neighborhood. the bay windows work well to bring a lot of light and keeping the look and proportions.

in the end it was to keep the bay. the only difference for me and georgia is i am sprucing it up with modern materials. on pierce street i am doing the scale. we are going to keep the basic form and make a few differences in the materials. >> thank you. that closes this portion of the hearing. commissioners. questions, comments? commissioner koppel. >> commissioner koppel: thanks to the great work by the staff. i like the 3-d renderings in the packet it makes visualizing the proposed project easier. i am in support of the project. it fits in from the front and gains the extra square footage. >> i would agree. there are definitely tensions about two units or making a big home. we see them a lot. we experienced them during the

residential demolition policy we debated. this is what we want to see programicly. there is always a gift. it is two units one 1800, one 2300 square feet. i would reject this as a large family home. it is not. it is not a bs unit behind the garage. it is sunk in. you can't go up. it is the confluence of tensions. i think the architect did a good job. i get it you are going to bear the brunt of the impact. you are going from a small to a two unit building. that is what we want to see. i don't see anything extraordinary about it and would approve the project.

>> commissioner moore: mr. winsl ow. you talked about privacy screens. can you describe where you see that to beness? >> had you didn't focus too much on privacy per se. the primary direction that we were discussing with the parties was the issue of the proper massing and location of building and focused mainly on the roof deck, not the rear deck respect to privacy issues. the privacy issue was maybe encapsulatessed with providing that greater side set back at the main building level, first floor, the one that extends to the rear yard than the upper floor as well.

we did not discuss any details about privacy screening but certainly entertain that if you are willing to. >> i would like to if you can bring your attention to drawing a2.03 second floor new floor plan. the roof deck at the east side. >> 2.03. on the east side of the roof deck is set back from the property line by 4 feet 4 inches. i believe the visibility into the ad joining property is too large. i would suggest a privacy screen on the east side, but also i believe the deck itself is far too large. i would suggest the deck is being reduced by about half of

the size instead of extending all the way to the rear extension that it is being halved. it is 16 feet or 17 feet. that would be about 8.5 or 9 feet. that would be plenty. in balance, i have issues with us still living in this grey zone. this is a demolition for all intense and purposes that we are caught as commissioners in the nonresolved issue between d.b.i. and planning. which causes for me personally having sat on the commission for a number of years increasing the problems. we are finding ourself in the loop of what is proposed not the right tools to respond. it is causing a big issue for me. i know there are probably people

working on helping us to create tools, but that is dragging out. i would like to express my increased discomfort with being put in the position to have to decide on projects like this. back to where we are, i suggest that roof deck on the second floor be provided with a proof see screen and pulled back to half the size as proposed. >> do you have a suggestion commissioner moore how much from either end? >> commissioner moore: it would not have to be pulled back from the edges. it is pulled in. on the east side you need a privacy screen. if it is 8.5 feet you will be able to stand there and look towards the rear of the ad joining building. there is a great amount of discomfort in having people look in your place all of the time. it is the privacy screen and

making the deck smaller. >> reducing the depths of the deck? >> the depth, not the width. that is a suggestion. there is a motion already on the floor. >> there is no motion. >> somebody else can make the motion. >> commissioner melgar. she passes. do you want to make that motion to reduce the size of the deck by half and add privacy screen to the downhill side. the dr requested side. >> yes. >> second. >> thank you commissioners. there is a motion seconded to take dr and approve the project with conditions adding price see screen to the second floor deck on the east side and reducing depth to 8.5 feet.

(roll call). >> that motion passes 5-1 with the maker of the motion voting against. >> that completes our business for the day. go in peace.

. in peace. >> happy holidays, san francisco. hundreds of festive lights are illuminating san francisco streets using 100% greenhouse gas free hydroelectric power. this year, the city is celebrating 100 years of providing this power from hetch hetchy system which powers muni, our schools and libraries, street lights, san francisco international airport, city government buildings, private developments, and more. look for holiday bell lights along third street, and illuminated snowflakes on market street. the san francisco public utilities commission and the san francisco public works welcome all to enjoy the magic of the

>> this has been a dream in the making, especially for our general manager, for many, many years, to be able to allow residents of the tenderloin and western addition to be able to walk and skate at civic center plaza and experience a little slice of an east coast winter. >> it truly was a one-of-a-kind collaboration between willie b. productions and the city departments. he said i want to challenge you to come up with something bigger and more fun, and something in such a historic

location right here, right in front of city hall. this is amazing. >> we starting off by leveling the entire plaza. it was about a two-week process to get the area brought up to a dead level because the ice risk itself is not tolerant of any change in slope, because the water would build up at one end. then, we brought in these refrigeration panels that we can circulate a brine solution in to bring the solution down to colder than 32°, and then, start spraying water on it, which, for the last two days, nature has taken care of that for us. and then freeze it, and it becomes ice that you can skate it. >> as you can see, the ice is

about an inch thick, and it'll get up to 1.5 inches thick. with that, we can control the ice. most people that do outdoor skating rinks make a big sand box, and they lay these tubes in it, cover it with sand, and then, the ice gets to be about 6 inches thick or 8 inches thick. well, with that thick, you're not going to control the surface. it gets wet with the sun. that makes it unique with our 1.5 inch thick ice, with the panels. >> this year, we're bringing a unique feature to san francisco. it's a skate track that runs down through the trees. it's over 400 feet of track. this is sort of models after -- modelled after the city hall in austria. you can make a narrow skating

path and get that experience. >> what we are doing is working with the san francisco unified school district to bring any kids who go to school in the tenderloin to skate here for free. the operators have been wonderful in making that possible, and we have been -- we, the recreation and parks department, have been the people connecting schools to this ice rink. >> there has to be well over 100 people that have either been married or proposed to on the ice. in fact, they have this club that gets together once a year, and they go down to john's grill, and they celebrate and drink and eat and dine, sometimes before, sometimes after skating. they go to union square, and they relive those magical moments all once again. so who knows, with city hall being right here, we could see an increase in proposal and marriages on the ice. i don't know, but i've been on it.

it's not just about you coming and getting on the ice, it's about you coming and skating successfully, skating safely, and creating those holiday magical >> the goal is simple. it's to raise women's voices. >> learn a little bit about what you should be thinking about in the future. >> we had own over 300 -- over 300 people who signed up for the one-on-one counseling today. >> i think in the world of leading, people sometimes discount the ability to lead quietly and effectively.

the assessor's office is a big one. there are 58 counties in the state of california and every single county has one elected assessor in the county. our job is to look at property taxes and make sure that we are fairly taxing every single property in san francisco. one of the big things that we do is as a result of our work, we bring in a lot of revenue, about 2.6 billion worth of revenue to the city. often, people will say, what do you do with that money, and i like to share what we do with property taxes. for every dollar we collect in property taxes, about 68 cents of it goes to support public sstss, our police officers, our fire departments, our streets,

our cleaning that happens in the city. but i think what most people don't know is 34 cents of the dollar goes to public education. so it goes to the state of california and in turn gets allocated back to our local school districts. so this is an incredibly important part of what we do in this office. it's an interesting place to be, i have to say. my colleagues across the state have been wonderful and have been very welcoming and share their knowledge with me. in my day-to-day life, i don't think about that role, being the only asian american assessor in the state, i just focus on being the best i can be, representing my city very well, representing the county of san francisco well. by being the only asian american assessor, i think you have a job to try to lift up and bring as many people on board, as well. i hope by doing the best that you can as an individual,

people will start to see that your assessor is your elected leaders, the people that are making important decisions can look like you, can be like you, can be from your background. i grew up with a family where most of my relatives, my aunties, my uncles, my parents, were immigrants to the united states. when my parents first came here, they came without any relatives or friends in the united states. they had very little money, and they didn't know how to speak english very well. they came to a place that was completely foreign, a place where they had absolutely nobody here to help them, and i can't imagine what that must have been like, how brave it was for them to take that step because they were doing this in order to create an opportunity for their family. so my parents had odd jobs, my dad worked in the kitchens, my mom worked as a seamstress sewing. as we grew up, we eventually had a small business.

i very much grew up in a family of immigrants, where we helped to translate. we went to the restaurant every weekend helping out, rolling egg rolls, eating egg rolls, and doing whatever we need to do to help the family out. it really was an experience growing up that helped me be the person that i am and viewing public service the way that i do. one of the events that really stuck with me when i was growing up was actually the rodney king riots. we lived in southern california at the time, and my parents had a restaurant in inglewood, california. i can remember smelling smoke, seeing ashes where we lived. it was incredibly scary because we didn't know if we were going to lose that restaurant, if it was going to be burned down, if it was going to be damaged, and it was our entire livelihood. and i remember there were a lot of conversations at that time around what it was that

government to do to create more opportunities or help people be more successful, and that stuck with me. it stuck with me because i remain believe government has a role, government has a responsibility to change the outcomes for communities, to create opportunities, to help people go to school, to help people open businesses and be successful. >> make sure to be safe, and of course to have fun. >> and then, i think as you continue to serve in government, you realize that those convictions and the persons that you are really help to inform you, and so long as you go back to your core, and you remember why you're doing what you're doing, you know, i think you can't go wrong. it's funny, because, you know, i never had thought i would do this. i became a supervisor first for the city under very unusual circumstances, and i can remember one day, i'm shopping with friends and really not having a care in the world about politics or running for office or being in a public position, and the next day, i'm sworn in and serving on the

board of supervisors. for many of us who are going through our public service, it's very interesting, i think, what people view as a leader. sometimes people say, well, maybe the person who is most outspoken, the person who yells the loudest or who speaks the loudest is going to be the best leader. and i think how i was raised, i like to listen first, and i like to try to figure outweighs to work with -- out ways to work with people to get things done. i hope that time goes on, you can see that you can have all sorts of different leaders whether at the top of city government or leading organizations or leading teams, that there are really different kinds of leadership styles that we should really foster because it makes us stronger as organizations. >> take advantage of all the wonderful information that you have here, at the vendor booth, at our seminars and also the one-on-one counseling. >> i wouldn't be where i was if i didn't have very strong people who believed in me.

and even at times when i didn't believe in my own abilities or my own skills, i had a lot of people who trusted and believed i either had the passion or skills to accomplish and do what i did. if there was one thing that i can tell young women, girls, who are thinking about and dreaming about the things they want to be, whether it's being a doctor or being in politics, running an organization, being in business, whatever it is, i think it's really to just trust yourself and believe that who you are is enough, that you are enough to make it work and to make things successful. [♪] >> 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 district that 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. [♪] >> hi, everybody. we're going to get started. welcome, welcome, welcome to the last day of the old margaret hayward playground. that's worthy of some applause, i think. [applause] >> before i introduce the mayor, i just want to say thanks to all of the amazing community partners who have worked with us to pull this off.

this was a complicated planning effort, and we have some really, really, really passionate community partners and stakeholders, who i'm going to acknowledge in a second, and city agencies, and we have just an amazing design that is really going to serve this neighborhood, that is really going to serve the institutions around this neighborhood, the nonprofits around this neighborhood, and we're so excited about this project. so my special guest here to the right is a community member that grew up in this park, and that's what makes this so special. i've had the opportunity to talk to the mayor about her own memories, playing in this park. this was your park, right? and so we are so honored to be able to think about the next generation, so let me announce or mayor and park -- our mayor and parks champion, london breed. >> the hon. london breed: thank you. i am so excited to be here

today, because i spend many years in this park. in fact, this playground structure that is here is not the playground structure that is here when i was used to play. it was wood. it was made out of wood. we used to get splinters in that park on a regular basis. the swing -- the slide was really, really high. nisha, you remember that. the slide was really high, and we used to jump off the slide. i mean, we were -- we were -- don't do that. don't do what we did. i used to eat lunch here through the free lunch program, and i used to get snacks here. i played chess and checkers when kids played board games. i basically spent my entire childhood in this playground, and it was a place that was safe. it was a place that i loved to come to and language out, and i

was so grateful that it was just in such close proximity to where i lived because it wasn't a far walk. and so renata, who was the rec director here at the time, she was absolutely amazing. and you know, we miss her dearly. she passed away a few years ago, but anitra is going to be the new person to run this rec place with a lot of the kids that are standing here behind me. and it does take a village, and it does take a lot of support, especially for our young people, who deserve to have every opportunity that is available to them. and it was because of programs like what existed here at margaret hayward playground is the reason why i was able to grow and to thrive in san

francisco. living right across the street at plaza east, which didn't look like what it looks like now, too, large towers of public housing, and my grandmother, she raised me, and in order to get me out of her hair, she'd say go to the park to play. but it's amazing to be with all of you here because we are going to make this park, this playground, this rec center, we are going to make it into something that is absolutely incredible. in 2016, a plan began with so many community organizations began in this neighborhood to say what the people wanted, what the people who live here wanted, in terms of a new playground and recreation center, and how are we going to deliver to make this place an incredible place, not only for this generation, but for generations to come. so this $28 million project,

$28 million -- [applause] >> the hon. london breed: it's going to usher in what i think is absolutely incredible. i'm so grateful for the leadership of rec and park and phil ginsburg and all the work that you continue to do to be a champion for our parks in san francisco. i am so excited that rodney -- is rodney here? yes, rodney and the ymca, and anisha's here. i'm excited that they're going to be implementing great programs that the ymca provides, and i'm looking forward to being here in how long, phil? >> 15, 16 months. >> the hon. london breed: 15 months when we cut the ribbon of the new recreation center and playground. and hopefully, the swings are going to be strong enough to

bold adults, too. >> both of us. >> the hon. london breed: thank you, phil. appreciate it. because we are still kids at heart, and that's what parks do for all of our citizens. we want kids to get outside and play. we want adults and others to enjoy our basketball courts and our tennis courts and our rec centers and all that san francisco has to offer. so i just want to say thank you to the voters for continuing to support parks funding every time you see it on the ballot. thank you to the community of the western addition for not only supporting this and being actively engaged, but continuing to support parks in this neighborhood. and i guarantee you that even though this park is utilized, especially during the summer, this park, when it is completed, it's going to be hard to get into, i assure you of that, and i am looking forward to being here within the next 10 months to cut the ribbon so we can get to playing

and swinging and enjoying ourselves. thank you all so much for being here today. >> thank you, mayor. [applause] >> did i say 15 months? no pressure -- yes, i did. you know, the mayor talked about the importance to her of being able to walk to a park, or maybe it was the importance of your grandmother being able to send you to a park. >> the hon. london breed: yeah, that too. >> you know, mayor, you ged to preside over the first city in america where everyone in the city can walk to a park. it really is an extraordinary thing that sets san francisco apart. so it's worth noting.

it's my pleasure to bring up our newest district five supervisor for whom community is definitely first, vallie brown. [applause] >> ms. brown: thank you, phil. i remember when we were talking about this probably in 2000 -- and what was it? 10? >> it was a long time ago. >> i don't know. it's been a long time. but i want to thank mayor breed and parks and rec for saying that parks are important not only to this city, but this district. this district is very special to me, and the people who live around here. and i really am happy to see us keep moving forward with green space. but this process just wasn't a city hall or department effort. this was a community effort, and you have to remember, and

all the people standing behind me, we have sheryl davis that used to be with mo' magic, and she was there, pushing for it. there's james -- where's james? he was part of it, also. and then, there was kelley groves, and barbara, who started the process. i know judith cohen is here. rodney's here from buchanan y, and then, spencer, are you here? oh, well, boys and girls club has been part of this, but you know, they're busy with the kids today. but one of the things that i really always admired and truly respect in the western addition is that the community comes forward and says look, what's best fore the community, and they look at it as a whole.

and kids have always come first in this community, and that's all something i think we all some strive for when we're looking at legislation or we're looking at things in this city, what is good for the kids that are here, and i'm just really happy to be part of this, and i will be there in 15 months? >> you betcha. >> cutting that ribbon with mayor breed and everyone behind me, and kamaya from mo' magic. but thank you everybody for coming, and we'll all be back in 15 months. it's on my calendar. thank you. [applause] >> i should have said 17 months. supervisor brown started to introduce some of the community members, so let me acknowledge -- more formally acknowledge our amazing partners. judith cohen.

you're going to hear in a second from chuck collins and rodney chin of the ymca. they've just been such amazing partners not just at this site, but all across the city. bobbie sisk from bethel a.m.e. bobbie -- without bobbie's help and bobbie's support and encouragement for this renovation, it might not have happened, so thank you, bobbie, for really understanding the bigger vision here. a special shoutout to gary cannonand melinda schrade. they've made an incredibly generous gift that will enable us to convert the fields us us into athletic fields that can be used year-round. we're just going to get more kids playing on the fields

because of their generosity, so thank you very much, sacred heart. the mayor and supervisor brown gave a shoutout to sheryl davis, but sheryl deserves as many shoutout as we can give her. before that, sheryl running mo' magic was amazing. i was to recognize the western addition, prosac for all of their help. so many partners, and it just speak to see what the mayor said about the importance of this space. very briefly, let me just acknowledge the design and construction team because they are extraordinary. this is a design done by our very own department of public works. i want to thank mohamed and jen and the entire design team for

their work. it is an extraordinary design. i want to thank the construction team, bachman. we ended up with a great, great contractor. they've worked with us on our civic center playgrounds. they really understand the level of excellence that is required of them on a city public works project. and i also want to acknowledge a special thank you to mary ellen keller. i am going to conclude with thanking my own staff, but before i do that, let me bring up chuck and rodney from the y. the ymca has been a long-standing tenant at this site, working with the kids to give them the love and support, attention, recreation, and culture that they deserve, and they are going to continue to be here with us. our partnership with the y is

really extraordinary. it's at bodecker, it's all over the city. i am really excited for it, and with that, let me invite up rodney and gary from the ymca. >> thank you, phil, and thank you, mayor breed. the last time i saw the mayor here, we were having a program for kids about sugary beverages. and then, mayor breed came over and spent the better part of an hour with them, being involved with them on a really personal level. and i didn't have such the great appreciation for her relationship to this park, but it was clear in her relationship to those children. and i want to thank you for that leadership. also, supervisor brown, i may be the oldest person here right now, but i was born here. we lived on pine street, and

the history of my family in san francisco really started in what we call the fillmore, and now the western addition. so this is really sacred ground for me personally, and a place where i had the opportunity to become who i am because of everybody who worked so hard for young people at that point in history. and now, we're on a different time frame, where young people are less visible in our city, and whether we need to come together and say whether or not we're going to have a city that really embraces young people, and the department of health is a focus of so much work, but it's also a folk you go of sheryl and so many other people that are here that enable us to do what we can for young people. there's not a representative of the boys and girls club, but let me be that person for a second and say they appreciate the opportunity to work

together. as phil already said, we're working together in other parts of the city, and bodecker is a really complex and difficult community right in the middle of the tenderloin, and how community partners come together and not compete, but really learn how to come together and partner and collaborate in the margin of difference in the victory whether our kids are going to learn to thrive. i want to thank all of our leaders who come together to make us a better city. thank you very much. rodney? >> thank you, everybody. [applause] >> i just first want to say, what a beautiful day, and i first remember over six years ago when this bond was proposed and announced. i was standing up there on the stairs, and just imagining what this would be. and i must say that the current plans that the rec and park and the public works people have put together is beyond any imagination that i could have thought of. so nothing left to say but let's get it done, and i will

make sure that we're here to do the work in the community. thank you, everyone. >> thank you, rodney. >> and what rodney didn't mention is like the mayor and like chuck, rodney lives just a block or two away, so the community roots grow deep. so madam mayor i don't remember, would you lead us in a ground breaking. let's get around this pile of dirt and put on our helmets. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: all right. you guys ready? you going to help me count? all right. ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

[cheers and applause] >> you got it.

i want to welcome everyone back to the budget and finance committee. i'm supervisor cohen, i want to recognize mendoza and jesse assisting with the broadcast. thank you for your assistance, sfgovtv. what i'd like to do is call