employed in the city. investment and private transportation encourages their proliferation and sensitive neighborhoods like the mission and so macaque it creates increases in housing prices that are small burdens for them, were devastating to low income communities and communities of color. we did have a rally this afternoon at 12:30 pm. i could talk for 20 minutes about some of the impacts of the business owners have had as some of the secondary results of the mitt -- red lanes in the mission going forward, we demand a robust process. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i think one of the things we need to do is look at the impacts that they have had in the missing -- in the mission district. a lot of our businesses have suffered for quite some time. we have reports out on percentages of income that they have been using. we need to look at those things first before we move forward to try to allow private bus shuttles on these bus lanes.

i think we need to look at the bigger picture and how business attracts transportation and it is not working for the folks who are riding the buses on mission street. it is hurting everyone. >> next speaker. >> hello. i'm glad you brought this hearing. i'm here and looking at the red lanes for a long time. i wanted to make them faster. i did not like they were putting the red lanes in. but it was a 1% fighting against the neighbors picked the poor people and the colored people who ride the bus. it seems to be working but still hasn't addressed the businesses that are being affected. besides the businesses that have been affected in the mission district, we are looking at it as a whole and the red lanes that have been affected. let's get rid of that problem before we get into another problem with privatizing these bus lanes. thank you. >> thank you.

>> overhead. >> thank you for this hearing. you had a great turnout. i'm sorry we only have one minute so i will try to speak fast. if you have a hearing on any sfmta subjects, you will get this kind of a turnout because the public has given up on sfmta boards. the reason i brought this picture is about the red lanes that are coming to 16th street and the 22 fillmore project. the trees are in front of our building. it is our building. the historic red stone building. when i saw the notice that they were taking out a tree, i looked into it and i looked into why. and what i found was the 22 fillmore project is taking out

61 mature trees all along 16th . that will affect many businesses >> duly noted. thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you supervisors. i am with the mission economic development agency. we really appreciate you holding this hearing today. we appreciate the sfmta has begun to address some of these trends that we have been raising with them. for the sake of time, i have just the facts we know them of great concern in this framework. the definition of transit as we are hearing does not include these private shuttles. there is no data to show that these will not have a detrimental effect on public transit. it is just another experiment on vulnerable communities.

nor do we know what the effect is on incentivizing further corporate shuttle programs now that they can move faster than everybody else. speaking of speed, they keep saying the buses move faster, but the sfmta is proving that humans move faster. as we know, they move slower because they have longer walks and especially if you have mobility issues. we need to move from transit first to transit -- >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> the m.b.a. claims that it is projects and programs that are data-driven. where is the data that verifies that red lanes even accomplish their goals while besides the red lanes, there are nonredlined transit only lanes which appear to have been -- have no demonstrated purpose or need than being part of the project. and where is the data on the unintended consequences of transit only lanes? what are the economic impact

studies about the negative impacts on merchants and also on displacement and gentrification clock all this happens even though 25% of the m.t.a. budget is from the general fund, taxpayer's fund. it is not surprising that some san franciscans have come to perceive their tax dollars is being used against them. >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. thank you for holding this hearing. i sent a letter so i will only mention a couple of things. i believe everyone here is concerned with the privatization of our public space and the corporatization of our public process. so i am going to ask that the private enterprise is applying for preferential treatment on our public transit red lanes. they are attempting to compete with public transit entities and also at the san francisco airport and public curb spaces

and sidewalks. we need to see the documentation that proves that they have the right to do this. the process is lacking and the public is totally annoyed by the whole process and does not trust it at all. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hello. my name is dylan. i am a student who commutes all the way from the east bay. i ride muni five or seven days a week. in my experience, waiting at the station to travel half a mile to the campus on a crowded bus is unacceptable to me. that is why i think the redline should only be available to public transit and not for private. >> thank you very much. next speaker, please. >> afternoon, supervisors. thank you for holding this meeting. i am with senior and disability action. we have heard a number of times

how the red lanes are good for public transit and how private -- privatization defeats the purpose. i want to also emphasize the point of people who use public transit but cannot use munimobile due to their disabilities. it has the same effect. the red lanes for paratransit which is group transit and accessible vans and taxis. these are for people who want to use public transit but cannot, with a red lanes help them. when you privatize them, as you know, we are already having a lot of issues with reliability where people wait up to an hour and a half or two hours just to get their vehicles to pick them up and drop them off. privatizing the lanes makes it even worse for them. thank you very much. >> next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i am here representing the mission emergent association. sfmta has failed to do an

economic study of the impact of the red lanes on mission street. we did our own. we surveyed 357 businesses. 301 half reported that they have had a loss of revenue from the red lanes. thirty-three employees have been laid off due to the loss of revenue. fourteen businesses have closed due to the red lanes that have been installed on mission street three current businesses are going out of business due to this impact that these red lanes have affected our neighborhood to. in addition to that, you have all of these no right hand turns that have been installed and been affecting us. as well as all the parking that has been taken away from mission street so we are here to ask you to pleas remove all the red lanes on mission street. >> thank you very much.

any other public speakers? scene none, public comment is close. colleagues, supervisor? >> i just wanted to respond to one of the commenters regarding the trees or the treatise that would be removed. i think that is something that sfmta should look into. that particular building that was shown, that is a historic building in the mission. i'm not exactly sure why mature trees need to be removed. i know that the same thing happens when an improvement project was done on potrero avenue. there were a significant number of large mature ficus trees that were removed. it changes the character and the composition of that street. one of the things that is beautiful in the mission are the large and mature ficus. i would say that whatever decisions are made to moving forward to, i can tell you right

now, the supervisor does not support removing any trees. i am not sure what the justification would be for removing those trees along the path. >> thank you. i will look into it. it is not related to the transit scope. from what i understand, the water and sewer were. we will look into it and make sure that that doesn't happen. >> i understand that. often times, you see a finger-pointing with departments with these larger infrastructure projects along the transit corridor is. people will come in and say this is being done because of this. this is being done because of that. i don't believe in a sewer replacement project and any justification to removing mature trees. the two are not mutually exclusive. they can coincide and be balanced out. in a process, there is environmental review that has to happen for your project. wherever it is, it has been brought up in the context of moving forward to. so we would like a report back

to this body, particularly in my office to understand exactly how the two are correlated. i'm happy to follow up with d.p.w. as well. >> great. thank you. >> thank you very much. mr kennedy, i think what we heard today is people have a deep affection for the public transit system. as frustrated as they are about rail liability, they realize the importance of public transportation and that the goal of public transit should be that public transportation is the main mode of transportation in san francisco. and that public transit is the people's transportation system. having said that, if there is interest in this board, myself, quite frankly to see a narrowing of the type of vehicles allowed on red carpet lanes, can you clarify the process for doing so , and whether or not that is within sfmta charge a jurisdiction.

>> from my understanding, that is an empty a jurisdiction. so i think making a formal request of the m.t.a. to look into trees is the right process to go through. as far as i understand. the process going forward. >> sure. thank you for coming today. i would like to say that the intent behind transit only lanes is to increase the reliability and i do think it is a time to really explore the responsibility to protect red lanes as a public infrastructure for publicly operated transits. so i would like to work with the community and sfmta. i think to revisit division i and division two of the transportation code so we are clarifying and protecting our red carpet lanes or transit and taxis and paratransit. lets have an agreement to work together on that and see what we can do. i want to thank everyone who came out today to give public

testimony and also to voice your opinion and also your adoration or frustration with our wonderful -- wonderful system. thank you for using muni and thank you. thank you very much to my colleagues for allowing me to hold this hearing. i would like to make a motion to have this hearing be filed, please. >> okay. thank you for this hearing. we well, without objection, filed file this hearing. all right. mr clerk, are there any announcements or any further action items? >> there is no further business. >> this meeting is adjourned.

>> 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. >> manufacturing in cities creates this perfect platform for people to earn livelihoods and for people to create more economic prosperity. i'm kate sosa. i'm cofounder and ceo of sf made. sf made is a public private partnership in the city of san francisco to

help manufacturers start, grow, and stay right here in san francisco. sf made really provides wraparound resources for manufacturers that sets us apart from other small business support organizations who provide more generalized support. everything we do has really been developed over time by listening and thinking about what manufacturer needs grow. for example, it would be traditional things like helping them find capital, provide assistance loans, help to provide small business owners with education. we have had some great experience doing what you might call pop ups or temporary selling events, and maybe the most recent example was one that we did as part of sf made week in partnership with the city seas partnership with

small business, creating a 100 company selling day right here at city hall, in partnership with mayor lee and the board of supervisors, and it was just a wonderful opportunity for many of our smaller manufacturers who may be one or two-person shop, and who don't have the wherewithal to have their own dedicated retail store to show their products and it comes back to how do we help companies set more money into arthur businesses and develop more customers and their relationships, so that they can continue to grow and continue to stay here in san francisco. i'm amy kascel, and i'm the owner of amy kaschel san francisco. we started our line with wedding gowns, and about a year ago, we launched a ready

to wear collection. san francisco's a great place to do business in terms of clientele. we have wonderful brides from all walks of life and doing really interesting things: architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, other like minded entrepreneurs, so really fantastic women to work with. i think it's important for them to know where their clothes are made and how they're made. >> my name is jefferson mccarly, and i'm the general manager of the mission bicycle company. we sell bikes made here for people that ride here. essentially, we sell city bikes made for riding in urban environments. our core business really is to build bikes specifically for each individual. we care a lot about craftsmanship, we care a lot about quality, we care about good design, and people

like that. when people come in, we spend a lot of time going to the design wall, and we can talk about handle bars, we can see the riding position, and we take notes all over the wall. it's a pretty fun shopping experience. paragraph. >> for me as a designer, i love the control. i can see what's going on, talk to my cutter, my pattern maker, looking at the designs. going through the suing room, i'm looking at it, everyone on the team is kind of getting involved, is this what that drape look? is this what she's expecting, maybe if we've made a customization to a dress, which we can do because we're making everything here locally. over the last few years, we've been more technical. it's a

great place to be, but you know, you have to concentrate and focus on where things are going and what the right decisions are as a small business owner. >> sometimes it's appropriate to bring in an expert to offer suggestions and guidance in coaching and counseling, and other times, we just need to talk to each other. we need to talk to other manufacturers that are facing similar problems, other people that are in the trenches, just like us, so that i can share with them a solution that we came up with to manage our inventory, and they can share with me an idea that they had about how to overcome another problem. >> moving forward, where we see ourselves down the road, maybe five and ten years, is really looking at a business from a little bit more of a ready to wear perspective and making things that are really thoughtful and mindful, mindful

of the end user, how they're going to use it, whether it's the end piece or a he hwedding gown, are they going to use it again, and incorporating that into the end collection, and so that's the direction i hear at this point. >> the reason we are so enamored with the work we do is we really do see it as a platform for changing and making the city something that it has always been and making sure that we're sharing the opportunities that we've been blessed with economically and socially as possible, broadening that

>> you guys ready to light a tree? it's that time. all right. so good evening, everyone. my name's phil ginsburg. i'm the executive director of your san francisco rec and parks department, and i want to welcome you to the 89th, let me repeat that, 89th annual tree lighting right here at mclaren lodge. so let's start with a big round of applause for the young teen people musical company, and its director, on their recent first place win at san francisco's youth arts summit. they are an amazing, amazing organization, and i'm particularly grateful for the hanukkah song. so i'm so honored to be joined

tonight by our amazing mayor, london breed. [applause] >> and our rec and park commission president, mark buell. [applause] >> and so i want to start by acknowledging all of the special people who are here with us tonight. these are folks that make this event happen that makes your parks the best park system in the united states, so they deserve some acknowledgement. let me start with senator -- state senator scott wiener, who's here. state assembly man phil ting. city college -- they're on their way. if not, they should be behind me. city board of trusties, john

rizzo, chanel. on their way are trent rohrer, and the department of environment deputy chief jennifer katz, and a very special shoutout to a person who's come to every tree lighting since i've been general manager, but this is her last tree lighting at our fire chief, a big, big, big round of applause for our fire chief, joanne hayes-white. [applause] >> our amazing rec and park commission. i mentioned our president, mark buell. also here are commissioner cat anderson, gloria bonilla, tom anderson, eric mcdonald, and commissioner larry mazzola. i want to thank them. they -- the citizen members of

the park recreation open space advisory committee. they help you make our park special. our president, stephen franz is here. i want to thank our amazing partners who make this possible. supporting us today is kaiser permanently, illuminate, our conservatory of flowers. all right. let tease talk about the tree we're supposed to light. mayor, we've been liethsing tre -- lighting trees around the city, but this is our official industry. this is a cypress that's over 131 years old, and despite losing a limb or two over the

years, it stands super tall and super strong, and tonight, it's supporting over 550 lights. let's give it up for uncle john's tree. [applause] >> and then a few special people. i want to welcome the boys and girls for hamilton recreation center, who are here. let's give it up for hamilton rec. [applause] >> and none of this would be possibly without the hardest group of city employees. all my respect to our amazing department heads. madam mayor, your san francisco rec and parks department putting this on and they're amazing. i also want to give a big shout out to our tree toppers, all of our struck ral staff and deputy

maintenance staff who make this possible. let's give it up for the rec and parks staff. [applause] >> we have the holiday train that is just over to my right that has been painted every year for decades and decades, and the last several decades, by our painting supervisor, joe padilla. the theme of tonight's event is world peace. may tonight's tree lighting shine a bright light in all corners of the world and provide peace to those in need. and speaking of peace, leading the way and bringing peace to our amazing city, please give a warm welcome to our mayor, who's going to light tonight's tree, mayor london breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: thank you, phil ginsburg, and the folks at the rec and parks

department for keeping our parks green and beautiful. thank you all so much for being here tonight. when i was a kid, i would get my toys from station five, the firefighters. thank you, chief hayes-white and the firefighters spags tiev fire department. i used to go down to the emporium cat well. you remember the emporium cat well? tonight, as we light this tree, we are creating memories for the next generation of young people growing up in san francisco. it's something that i'm so excited about, and in fact, at city hall, in our front yard at civic center, we have an ice skating rink. we have incredible, beautiful playgrounds and activities and things for kids to do during the holiday season. this sunday, i hope you

consider joining me in city hall. we'll have santa and face painters and hot chocolate and cookies, things that help create tomorrow's memories. so i want to thank all of you for being here tonight, and i want to ask for some assistance in lighting this tree. you guys want to help me out? come on over. come on, help me out. all right. you guys excited? you want to count with me? going to hold the switch? all right. here we go. ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. [cheers and applause] >> the hon. london breed: magic! thank you, ladies and gentlemen and happy holidays.

[cheers and >> 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 >> it's great to see everyone kind of get together and prove, that you know, building our culture is something that can be reckoned with. >> i am desi, chair of economic development for soma filipinos.

so that -- [ inaudible ] know that soma filipino exists, and it's also our economic platform, so we can start to build filipino businesses so we can start to build the cultural district. >> i studied the bok chase choy her achbl heritage, and i discovered this awesome bok choy. working at i-market is amazing. you've got all these amazing people coming out here to share one culture. >> when i heard that there was a market with, like, a lot of filipino food, it was like oh,

wow, that's the closest thing i've got to home, so, like, i'm going to try everything. >> fried rice, and wings, and three different cliefz sliders. i haven't tried the adobe yet, but just smelling it yet brings back home and a ton of memories. >> the binca is made out of different ingredients, including cheese. but here, we put a twist on it. why not have nutella, rocky road, we have blue berry. we're not just limiting it to just the classic with salted egg and cheese.

>> we try to cook food that you don't normally find from filipino food vendors, like the lichon, for example. it's something that it took years to come up with, to perfect, to get the skin just right, the flavor, and it's one of our most popular dishes, and people love it. this, it's kind of me trying to chase a dream that i had for a long time. when i got tired of the corporate world, i decided that i wanted to give it a try and see if people would actually like our food. i think it's a wonderful opportunity for the filipino culture to shine. everybody keeps saying filipino food is the next big thing. i think it's already big, and to have all of us here together, it's just -- it just blows my mind sometimes that there's so many of us

bringing -- bringing filipino food to the city finally. >> i'm alex, the owner of the lumpia company. the food that i create is basically the filipino-american experience. i wasn't a chef to start with, but i literally love lumpia, but my food is my favorite foods i like to eat, put into my favorite filipino foods, put together. it's not based off of recipes i learned from my mom. maybe i learned the rolling technique from my mom, but the different things that i put in are just the different things that i like, and i like to think that i have good taste. well, the very first lumpia that i came out with that really build the lumpia -- it wasn't the poerk and shrimp

shanghai, but my favorite thing after partying is that bakon cheese burger lumpia. there was a time in our generation where we didn't have our own place, our own feed to eat. before, i used to promote filipino gatherings to share the love. now, i'm taking the most exciting filipino appetizer and sharing it with other filipinos. >> it can happen in the san francisco mint, it can happen in a park, it can happen in a street park, it can happen in a

tech campus. it's basically where we bring the hardware, the culture, the operating system. >> so right now, i'm eating something that brings me back to every filipino party from my childhood. it's really cool to be part of the community and reconnect with the neighborhood. >> one of our largest challenges in creating this cultural district when we compare ourselves to chinatown, japantown or little saigon, there's little communities there that act as place makers. when you enter into little philippines, you're like where are the businesses, and that's one of the challenges we're trying to solve.

>> undercover love wouldn't be possible without the help of the mayor and all of our community partnerships out there. it costs approximately $60,000 for every event. undiscovered is a great tool for the cultural district to

bring awareness by bringing the best parts of our culture which is food, music, the arts and being ativism all under one roof, and by seeing it all in this way, what it allows san franciscans to see is the dynamics of the filipino-american culture. i think in san francisco, we've kind of lost track of one of our values that makes san francisco unique with just empathy, love, of being acceptable of different people, the out liers, the crazy ones. we've become so focused onic maing money that we forgot about those that make our city and community unique. when people come to discover, i want them to rediscover the magic of what diversity and

empathy can create. when you're positive and committed to using that energy, >> chair peskin: good morning and welcome to the san francisco transportation authority for today, tuesday, december 4, 2018. our clerk is mr. albert quintanilla. mr. quintanilla, could you please call the roll. [roll