>> clerk: the meeting is being called to order at 5:30 p.m. this is a regular meeting of the small business commission held on monday, january 14, 2019. the small business commission thanks media services and sfgovtv for televising the meeting which can be viewed on sfgovtv 2 or channel 7 # or

live streamed at sfgov.org. members of the public, please take this time to silence your phones or ellectronic devices. speakers are requested but not required to state their names. completion of a speaker card, while optional, will help ensure proper spellings of speaker's names in the written record of the meeting. please place speaker cards in the basket to the left of the lectern. speakers will be called in the order they are placed in the basket. sfgovtv, please call the small business slide. >> president adams: welcome. it's our custom to begin and end each small business meeting with a reminder the small basis commission is the only place to start your new small business in frisk and the best place to get answers to your questions about doing business in san

francisco. the office of small business should be your first stop when you have questions about what to do next. you can find us on-line or in person here at city hall. best of all of all of our services are free of charge. the small business commission is the official public forum to voice your opinions and concerns about policies that affect the economic vitality of small businesses in san francisco. if you need assistance with small business matters, start here at the office of small business. thank you. >> clerk: item one, call to order and roll call. [roll call] >> clerk: mr. president, you have a quorum. >> president adams: please. thank you. next item, please.

>> clerk: item 2, allows members of the public to comment generally on matter that are within the small business commission's jurisdiction but not on tonight's calendar and items for future consideration. discussion item. >> president adams: do we have any members of the public that would like to bring up any item that is not on today's calendar? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item, please. >> clerk: item three, approval of legacy business registry applications and resolutions, discussion and action item. the presenter is richard kurylo, legacy program business manager of the office of small business. >> president adams: welcome. >> r. kurylo: good evening, president adams and office of business staff. legacy business program manager. sfgovtv, i have a slide

presentation. before you are seven considerations for the businesses to be included on the legacy business registry. the applications were reviewed by me for completion then submitted to planning department staff on november 21 for their review. the historic preservation commission heard the applications on december 19 and made positive recommendations to the small business commission. for each applicant, the s.b.c. has been provided a staff report, the resolution, the application, a case report from planning department staff, and a resolution from the h.p.c., their copies on the table for the public. -- there are copies on the table for the public. item 3-a is alioto's restaurant. alioto's restaurant is a family run seafood restaurant that was opened at a fresh fish stall in 1925 by nunzio al yo owe, a sicilian immigrant.

in 1924, he combined the fish stand with the seafood bauer. nunzio died suddenly in 1934, and his wife, rose, took over the business, becoming the first wife to work on the wharf. by 1938, she installed a kitchen and officially opened alioto's restaurant. she continued to develop and improve seafood specialties, including the seafood stew cioppino, which has become a san francisco legend. item 3-b is bay view boat club. the business is a nonprofit recreational boating club that first began meeting in 1961 and officially incorporated in 1963. bayview vote club is dedicated to promoting recreational boating for everyone, with a particular emphasis on bringing

boating to underserved neighborhoods and average citizens. their traditional program teaches women and children how to sail. their annual classic regatta sailing event has become a legendary event in boating. the bay view boat club blends good food with boating events and entertainment. item 3-c is couture design and european clothing. the establishment is a retail clothing store established in 1989. couture is located in union square. it has long been known for designer and high-end fashion boutiques and retailers. the business serving people who have difficulty finding clothing elsewhere, often based on height, weight, and disabilities, and their loyal clientele include politicians,

athletes, and celebrities. it currently employs four people. item 3-d is for your eyes only optometry. the business was founded in 1983 in the castro and was an important source for trusted, compassionate eye care near the beginning of the aids crisis. eye care was especially important to people with aids because of the at risk of an aggressive eye infection that commonly led to blindness. kenneth himself became sick from aids and passed away in 1992. before his death, he found dr. kathleen kennedy to take over the practice. dr. kennedy started seeing patients and running the practice, purchasing it in 1991. for your eyes only optometry stays current with the latest vision-related research and technology, provides high quality professional care in a warm and friendly environment.

item 3-e is kimochi incorporated. the business is a nonprofit organization established in 1971 that provides services to japantown seniors. kimochi provides seniors with information and assistance in applying for government and health benefits, transportation services, walking escorts, hot meals, and a lounge where elders can rest, relax, get the latest news in the community, meet friends, and have tea. in 1983, kimochi completed the kimochi home building at 1531 sutter street and opens its door for residential and respite care for 20 seniors and adult social care for 40 seniors. it continues to be a vital community resource for seniors and their families. item 3-f is other avenues. the business is a cooperative food store in the outer sunset, owned by a group of co-workers

who own the business together. other avenues began in 1975 in a small nonprofit business. the movement was part of a wave of san francisco cooperatives that arose in the 1960's. other avenues goal was to make whole, natural food accessible to the masses. in 1982, the store moved across the street to its current location and it legally incorporated as a worker-owned cooperative in 1989. in 2009, the workers decided to buy the store themselves, and today, the store is more successful than ever. item 3-g is st. mary's pub. the business located on college hill was established at st. mary's tavern in 1933, shortly after prohibition was repealed.

it is the oldest bar in san francisco. it fell on hard times by the end of the century, becoming a dingy, dirty dive bars. the current owner, maria davis and a business partner purchased the bar in 2010 and extensively remodelled it, turned it into a fresh clean place with buttery popcorn and the best bloody marys in the city. all businesses received a positive recommendation from the historic preservation. staff finds the businesses meet the criteria for listing on the legacy business registry. there are seven draft resolutions for consideration by the small business commission, one for each of the legacy business registry applicants. note that a motion in support of the businesses should be a motion in favor of the resolutions. in the resolutions, please play

close attention to the core physical features or traditions that define the business. one approved by the s.b.c., the businesses must maintain these physical features or traditions in order to remain on the legacy business registry. for alioto's restaurant, it's restaurant featuring seafood. for bay view boat club, it's promotion of recreational boating. for couture designer european clothing, it's clothing store featuring men's wear. for for your eyes only, it's optometry. for kimochi, it's services for japantown seniors. for other avenues, it's grocery store. and for st. mary's pub, it's bar. that concludes my presentation, and i'm happy to answer any

questions. there are representatives of the business present who would like to make presentations. >> president adams: would commission like to go to business presentation first? i would like to call supervisor mar, who's visiting us today. congratulations and welcome, supervisor mar. >> thank you so much. yeah, good evening, commissioners and director dick andruzzi. i'm so pleased to be here tonight to publicly congratulate other avenues and support them on their application to become a legacy business. in my first appearance here before the small business commission, and i also want to say that i'm also excited about supporting all the other important businesses and organizations like kimochi that are also being considered. as you know, other avenues has been an anchor in the outer

small business corridor and a minority owned business for decades, and they've continually evolved for years. just the sunset and the city coop movement have evolved. a little background on other avenues, 45 years ago a couple of sunset neighbors decided to go in on a box of apples. when no one's car was big enough to bring deliveries, they went in on a truck. then when someone's basement wasn't big enough, they rented a storefront. other avenues moved from being all volunteer to hiring folks, adding jobs in the neighborhood. today, other avenues is a much-needed resource in the sunset, offering healthy food, cruelty free byproducts, and fair trade items for the community. other avenues really sets the example of what's possible for worker's collectives. in 1987, amidst a changing economic climate creating a gap between the store's pat consumers and work woulders, other avenues setup a hybrid

consumer coop with workers and volunteers on the governing board. we need to support this model as an option to protect independent businesses in san francisco. other avenues is also more than just a grocery store, it's a center of community in the outer sunset. they put on classes on everything from cooking to composting. they host beach cleanups, participate in neighborhood festivals and donate to food, not bombs, just to name a few things. they halted a chain store moving in and hurting other businesses in the neighborhood. thank you for other avenues enriching our community and doing it as a community. commissioners, i fully support

other avenues to become a legacy business. thank you so much. >> president adams: thank you. [applause] >> president adams: okay. we're going to open it up to public comment now. >> clerk: okay. i have some speaker cards here. would larry white like to come up, followed by sarah davis, followed by mary eliza. >> good evening, commissioners. i'm larry white. i was a commodore 2008-2018. our clubhouse now at 49 terry francois, half a mile from -- is it oracle or at&t was

originally razed on a site in india basin used by allman brothers boat yard. it was moved to its present location by barge. a lease agreement for the new site was granted by the port authority in may 1964, the socializing that naturally developed among customers, friends and local boaters evolved into the birth of the club. we've been incorporated since april of '63 as a 501 (c) (3). the boat club, an all volunteer decidedly eclectic mix has approximately 300 members. we hold membership with the pacific interyacht association, and the recreational boaters of california, along with races

including the well known plastic raising regatta, which pays tributes to nonwood sailboats designs 25 years or older. we have out reaches programs such as our very active youth sailing and women on the waterfront programs. we're also sponsor site for the fire department's toy drive, and we are initiating a speaker series this year to incorporate with our popular brunches. club hosted events have included the navy sale foundation, a monthly art wall, the san francisco street trolley dancers, and the acapella university alley cats. we also have live music including jazz, r&b, rock,

several times a month. on behalf of the membership of the bay view boat club, i thank you for your approval to establish us as a legacy business, and i thank you. >> president adams: thank you. >> clerk: one quick speaker. tom temprano from supervisor mandelman's office is here. >> president adams: well come, mr. temprano. >> i am here to speak in favor of our nomination and hopefully your approval for for your eyes only to the legacy business registry. i think rick spoke pretty perfectly why we support the business. it's been at 552 castro and has been operating continuously in the neighborhood for the past 35 years, the original proprietor of for your eyes only was a trusted source for

compassionate eye care at the beginning of the aids care. i care being especially important to aids because of their weak ended immune system, it put patients at risk, i am going to totally butcher this medical term, by cytomegalovirus race retinitis, which is a condition that commonly leads to blindness. the doctor was diagnosed with aids and began to search for another doctor to take over his practice to care for patients with the same level of sincerity and thoughtfulness that he thought all patients deserved. in 1990, he found that person, dr. kathleen kennedy, who shared his level of commitment to patient care, and under his mentorship, she began seeing patients and eventually running the practice at for your eyes only. for your eyes only, at the height of the aids crisis, and continuing to today, has provided warm, relying and --

reliable and professional service for eye care and has done so for three decades. the supervisor was honored to nominate this business, and we are pleased to have your support. thank you. >> president adams: thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker? >> sarah davis. >> thank you for your time. i'm here for the bay view boat club. i think i'm going to spend my time talking about how the legacy businesses can build the community and answer any questions you may have. my family moved down to india basin, china basin 40 years ago and joined the boat club. at the time, i don't know if any of you remember, it was abandoned train and boat houses. through the harbor association, we participated in hundreds of meetings arc the redevelopment -- around the redevelopment of the area at a time when there were no businesses to help turn it

around to what it is now. now we're sitting in a part of the city that's rebuilt and brand-new, and we again are excited to participate in this sort of new san francisco that we have, and we feel very well positioned to sort of speak to what we've had in the past and build for the future. so thank you for your consideration and also acknowledging the work that all the businesses do to create that continuity in san francisco. >> president adams: thank you. next speaker, please. >> clerk: mary eliza. >> good afternoon, commissioners. mary eliza here. i would like to also support the bay view boat club, and i appreciate all of your efforts to continue to help keep the legacy businesses intact in the city. we definitely hope that we can connect the past to the future in a way that will be meaningful for the communities as they're coming along. thank you very much.

>> president adams: thank you. next speaker, please. >> clerk: maria davis. >> hi. i'm maria davis. i'm the owner of st. mary's pub for the last eight years. st. mary's pub was named after the long-gone college. we have been an iconic business in the neighborhood, and the neon serves a distinctive business on the top of the hill. since its opening so many years ago, the bar has had many owners, mainly women. the bar was thriving in the 1990's, until the owner turned it over, and then, the bar fell on hard times.

in 2010, the bar went up for sale, and seeing its potential, i bought it and restored it to its former glory. in 2015, it was recognized by usa today as in the top ten list of best bloody marys served in the united states. we have also been voted best dive bar in 2017 and best bartender 2018 by the bay guardian 48 hills best of the bay. st. mary's has hosted several meetings for many associations, including the harvey milk democratic club, aclu, black lives matter, mexican american legal defense and education fund, and -- etc. and more. the bar also does the san francisco fire department's

annual holiday toy drive. we are an establishment that marks an intersection of groups that have a risk of being priced out and displaced for many years, as well as long-term residents while welcoming residents that are new to the city. st. mary's has become more than a bar, it's a community, it is a family. preserving st. mary's pub is preserving the history of an incredible city that has seen many changes. honoring this business is critical to maintaining the heart or soul of the city. i also want to note the building is for sale, so we're hoping to have some protections in any way when our lease runs out at the end of 2020, and thank you for considering us, and thank you for your time. >> president adams: thank you. next speaker, please.

>> clerk: come on up. >> good evening. my name is sandy morris. i'm one of the cofounders, along with steve nakajo, 47 years ago, and our mission to this day remains the same, which is to provide community-based, long-term care services to seniors from the time they're healthy and ageing to the time that they're frail, but we want to avoid being institutionalized. so all the services that we provide try to prevent being institutionalized, so whether they be healthy ageing activities, transportation, kong gregate meals, hope deliver -- congregate meals, the independent services for caregivers to go in to help them. we also have a residential

facility, a 20-bed facility right there on the sutter area, called kimochi home. as you know, 25% of our population in san francisco is people 60 and over, and it's going to continue to rise. we're all going to get there. we appreciate you considering kimochi to be a legacy business, and we hope that you support it. thank you so much. >> president adams: thank you. come on up. >> hello, commissioners. my name is nicky ishikawa, and i work at kimochi, as well. i have to say that kimochi senior centers is one of the best run senior centers in the city. i've been very happy to providing volunteer services there. they have a really happy spirit. they provide some really great activity programs for seniors, and a great nutrition program in house, as well.

if you know some seniors, and you haven't tried their program, you should try it. it's really tasty. it's better than anything i could ever make, but i'm here in full support. i'm so happy that they're applying for this very important legacy business registry, and i also hope you will provide your full support and approval, as well. thank you. >> president adams: great. thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening, president adams and members of the commission. i want to thank you for your consideration of the bay view boat club as a legacy business. my name is barbara atard. i'm a second generation san franciscan. my parents grew up in the bayview. their parents were immigrants from malta and switzerland. i tell you this because my dad

used to build small boats. we spent a lot of time on the bay. bayview, mariposa, these clubs provide access to the water for working-class families, and we're providing more with our youth and women on the water sailing programs. we're working to preserve the environment. we've eliminated single-use plastics from our club, and our members get out and cleanup the bay front, and we're looking at working with other organizations to keep the bay and the ocean clean. as the area gentrifies and right lanes, two major stadiums on each side of us, we're concerned that parking is going to become a problem and access to the boat club. we have a small lot right next to our club. i don't know if this status can

help us preserve that parking so that people can have access to the water. you can't carry all the gear you need for fishing for a day on muni or all that you need for sailing for a day. that parking lot has access for people to park with boat trailers, so that's really important. between the two clubs is a public ramp, and so people who use that ramp, as well, need to have access to a place to park. again, i thank you for your time and your consideration, and we're here for questions. thanks. >> president adams: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good evening. my name is dr. kathleen kennedy, and i've been the owner and chief optometrist of

for your eyes only optometry for many years. i'm here to request your support for inclusion in san francisco's legacy business registry. for your eyes only optometry has been the fabric of the historic fabulous castro district for 35 years ago, and we passionately support the vision of the castro. our neighborhood is a welcoming place that stands strong and united in the face of bigotry or an epidemic. for your eyes only is proud to be an integral part of this unique community. during the early years of the aids crisis, our optometry office was one of the few optometry offices in the world where patients could go and be open about their diagnosis and their fears of going blind from this terrible disease. these patients knew that we would treat them with compassion and respect.

we continue this tradition today. we treat all people with dignity and kindness no matter what they are or whom they love. a few examples of other ways that for your eyes only optometry serves our community including sponsoring a day bowling team in the 1980's. our membership in the castro lions club, which was the first guy lions club in the world. we at for your eyes only optometry love the castro. i feel privileged to provide eye care to our wonderful patients in this dynamic village within the city. we are concerned about our practice's future. our building's owner passed away recently, and our new landlord, his plans are unclear. our lease expires in 2020. becoming a legacy business would offer for your eyes only

optometry some protection so that we can continue to serve and be a vital part of our beloved city for many years to come. thank you. >> president adams: thank you. next speaker, please. >> commissioners, thank you. my name is steve vishi, and i'm the executive director of kimochi. it's kind of hard to follow our cofounder who spoke to you earlier about our mission and philosophy. but in terms of a personal note, i've been with the agency since high school, and the beliefs of what it was instilled in kimochi in terms of a vast array of services and programs for seniors to keep them independents and living at

home as long as possible shows in the variety of programs we serve. we applies for the legacy also in honor of the volunteers and staff who had foresight to create a kimochi with the vision and philosophy of such, where they've went and has small private offices in redevelopment victim torians and worked by the task lights all through the night. that's something we were very proud of. it's something that i admired, and i hoped that they would be considered and approved to be a legacy business. thank you. >> president adams: thank you. any other speakers? okay. seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners, would anybody like to say anything? commissioner dooley? >> commissioner dooley: yeah, i want to say that today, like

many other days, we have an amazing group of people here. you just represent what is really the best of san francisco, and i agree that it's extremely important to support you and to make sure that our city is available for not everyone who is just here for a few years. so thank you so much for all your hard work, and well deserved. >> president adams: commissioner ortiz? >> commissioner ortiz-cartagena: yes, i just want to extend the sentiment of my cocommissioners. you guys are san francisco. alioto's, optometry, the bayview yacht club, when i'm looking for parking, passing right by you to go to the ballpark. you are san francisco, and you make the city great, and we will fight for you. those who have issues with the lease, come see us, because if

it's not even our office, we do work with other nonprofits, such as meta, where we buy buildings to make sure we keep neighborhoods what they were and what they are and what they're going to be. to keep san franciscans, future, let them know our history and what makes our city so great, so thank you for your hard work and going through this process. dam dam commissioner -- >> president adams: commissioner zouzounis? >> commissioner zouzounis: thank you for all your hard work. by applying, you're putting small business on the map, so thank you for fighting and thank you for being here. >> president adams: thank you. commissioner dwight? >> vice president dwight: well, i want to say i'm delighted to see couture

european clothing on the list today. i met david when i first came to san francisco 13, 14 years ago -- actually no, almost 20 years ago, and i actually was the one who mentioned to him that he should join the legacy business registry when i learned how long he had been in business, so it's great to see him having gone through the process and thanks to rick for giving him so much help getting through the process. but any way, in his absence, i do want to, for the record, that i am tonight wearing a suit from him, so -- thank you. >> president adams: thank you. commissioner yee riley? >> commissioner riley: i also wanted to thank everybody for coming tonight, and i enjoyed reading the rich history of all of your businesses, so thank you. >> president adams: okay. any other commissioner comments? okay. i'd like to say each and every one of you, great job. and i'd like to give a special shout out to kathleen kennedy,

for your eyes only. i worked with her in the castro, the castro merchants. she is there for everything. she is your neighborhood business. she takes care of those kids at harvey milk silver rights academy whoots kids can't afford to have eye care. what she does for the lgbt community, her volunteering, i just want to say thank you for everything that you've done for the neighborhood. and you're not going away, so don't worry. and everybody else, st. mary's pub, i actually was in there about a year ago. that's a fun pub, so congratulations, everybody. alioto's, you got the best crab cakes around. that was even before i moved to san francisco 25 years ago, i was on a trip here 30 years ago. the very first restaurant i

went into was alioto's. and each one of you came out here, and you know, you took the time, you filled out the applications, you did everything to help your business, and i just want to repeat what commissioner zouzounis said. you're also helping other small businesses by doing this. and you just make san francisco a better place to live. so do we have a motion? >> move to approve all seven resolutions. >> second. >> second. >> clerk: a motion by commissioner dwight, seconded by commissioner -- >> president adams: yee riley. >> clerk: commissioner yee riley. okay. >> president adams: yee riley made the second. it was simultaneous. >> clerk: was that a voice vote or roll call?

>> president adams: roll call. [roll call] >> clerk: motion passes, 7-0. >> president adams: great. congratulations. [applause] >> president adams: okay. next item. >> clerk: item 4, approval of legacy business registry application and resolution. >> president adams: commissioner zouzounis? >> commissioner zouzounis: i would like to make a motion to recuse myself. it w it is my family's business. >> president adams: okay. do we have a motion? >> so moved. >> second. >> president adams: okay. all in favor? [voting] >> president adams: okay.

you're recused, but you don't have to leave the room. >> clerk: the presenter is richard kurylo, legacy manager, office of small business. >> r. kurylo: good evening, small business commissioners, office of small business staff. richard kurylo, small business legacy manager. sfgovtv, i have a presentation. before you is one additional application for the legacy business registry. the application had the same timeline as the other seven applications being submitted to planning department staff on november 21 and being heard by the historic preservation commission on december 19. item 4 is ted's market. the business, located in the soma neighborhood, was founded

in 1967 by husband and wife team theodore and penelope zouzounis. ted and penny were both born in san francisco, both from greek immigrants. today's market is a full deli, and market including a wide selection of beer, wine and liquor. the store has a wide selection of to-go foods, prepared daily for customers convenience. ted's also has a long time connection to the music industry as a music office was across the street. in 1983, ted and penny's son david became part owner with his parents, running the store together until 1997, when ted passed away. david and his wife, loreen, became sole owners of the

store. today, 52 years ago after it was established, the store is run in the same location by the second and third-generation, now including ted and penny's granddaughter, miriam. the business received a positive recommendation from the historic preservation commission. after reviewing the application and recommendation from the h.p.c., staff finds the business has met the three criteria to qualify for listing on the legacy business registry. there is a draft resolution for consideration by the s.b.c. note that a motion in support of the business should be a motion in favor of the resolution. the core physical feature tradition that defines the business is grocery store and delicatessen. this concludes my presentation. i'm happy to answer any questions. there is a business representative in attendance who would like to speak on behalf of the application. >> president adams: okay. any commissioner comments

before we go into open public comment? okay. public comment is now open. do we have any members of the public who would like to make any comments? >> i'm david zouzounis. thank you, executive director dick andrizzi, and greetings, commissioners. on december 11, 2017, senator wiener and mayor lee held a press conference in front of ted's market to -- to bring a new way to -- for small business to recycle. on that fateful day, mayor lee reached out to me and said you have to apply for a legacy

business, so -- so that's what i did, and i'm here, and i appreciate everything that's been -- all the supportive i have gotten. so ted's market is now entering three generations of family ownership in the soma district in the same building. from the summer of love in 1967 to a vibrant filipino community to our first folsom street fair to the dot-com bubble and burst to now tech workers, we've continued to adapt and change. we've always had an approach for fresh food, good prices, great service, and making sure our employees in the community are most important. thank you. >> president adams: thank you. any other members of the

public? seeing none, public comment is closed. do we have any commissioner comments? i first want to say, david, you've been there for 30 years, and your involvement in the community is second to none. i read your story a year ago, and it brought me to tears. what you did during the aids crisis, and you know, you talked about, you know, the folsom street fair, you've done a lot for my community, and everybody still talks about it to this day. and i just cannot thank you enough how much i appreciate that. and even today, all my friends that work at the b.m.w. across the street, every fricking morning they take a picture of their breakfast sandwich, and they put it on instagram -- no,

it's true. you are frisk, and i -- from the bottom of my heart i want to just thank you for everything and your family have done throughout the years. thank you. commissioner dooley? >> commissioner dooley: i want to just say thank you also to you. well deserved, as with everyone in this room today. obviously, you and your family are doing a great job, and we need more people like you. >> president adams: any other commissioner comments? okay. do we have a motion? oh, commissioner ortiz? >> commissioner ortiz-cartagena: i just need to -- you know, i love the sandwich. i go to all the sandwich shops. i love to go to ted's. i wish you would have brought one. i'm hungry now, and i have to go to ted's. >> president adams: so do we have a motion? >> move to approve this resolution. >> second. >> clerk: roll call vote?

>> president adams: yes. [roll call] >> clerk: okay. motion passes, 6-0, with one not participating. >> president adams: okay. the motion passes. congratulations, everybody. [applause] >> okay. do we need a motion for commissioner zouzounis to come back? >> president adams: no. miriam, you can come back. >> clerk: presentation on 18123, building, vacant or abandoned storefronts. >> president adams: and you don't have to stay here unless you want to hear the rest of the meetings. >> drinks at st. mary's.

>> clerk: -- annual registration fees at the time of the registration, require annual inspections of registered, vacant, or abandoned storefronts, update penalties for violations, and affirming the planning department's determination under the california environmental quality act. the presenter is chelsea baylard, aide to supervisor sandra fewer. >> chelsea, why don't we just wait one second.

>> okay, good evening, everyone, director andrizzi and commissioners. it is a pleasure to be here with you all tonight, and thank you for the opportunity. also really wonderful to hear all the legacy businesses. we're a big fan of the program, and it's just very heartwarming

to be here for all of that presentation and discussion. so i am here to present on the legislation that supervisor fewer has introduced to amend the building code with regards to vacant or abandoned commercial storefronts. i wanted to share a little bit about the goals, the broad goals of the legislation, and i can walk-through the specific changes, and then happy to answer any questions that might come up. so the main purpose of supervisor fewer's legislation is to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the existing vacant storefront registry. we think that better tracking will help ensure that vacant storefronts are promptly identified, registered and monitored to remain safe as well as to avoid hazards and n n nuisances that result from this. we don't pretend that this legislation is going to fix the

problem of vacant storefronts. this is just trying to get a handle on the issue of vacant storefronts. when supervisor fewer and supervisor yee called for a hearing -- a joint hearing on this, that was also with the office of economic and workforce development last year, which included kind of a state of retail in san francisco, you know, at that time, the department of building inspection only had about, like, 40 vacancies on the registry, and zero of those were in the richmond district. as a resident in the richmond district, and obviously, supervisor fewer, we knew for a fact that was not accurate, an accurate count. so in order to understand the scope and scale of the problem, it feels like we need to amend the legislation, that we know that there's some loopholes in what was passed, first introduced by supervisor tang in 2014, and then in conversation with her, i think she really agreed with the spirit of the changes that we are bringing forth.

so specifically, we hope to improve the vacant storefront registry by ensuring all vacant storefronts are registered, regardless if the store is being advertised for sale or lease. we know there are a lot of storefronts in san francisco, the richmond, for example, that have been vacant for ten years, 15 years, and the owner will put up a sign saying it's for lease, and it's a loophole that's in the legislation that allows them not to have to comply with being on the registry if they're saying it's kind of openly on the market. but whether or not they're actually responding to, you know, requests for renting that property out is a different question. so that's one. we want to also increase the resources for the department of building inspection to monitor and enforce registration requirements by requiring the

annual registration fee at the time of registration. currently, what's on the books is a 270-day grace period, so we -- you know, our asking property owners to register with the vacant storefronts registry, but then, they have the full nine months of not paying the registry fee. in the meantime, d.b.i. inspectors, it's that $711 fee which basically pays for 4.5 hours of an inspector's time. d.b.i. is still going out and doing the work of still confirming this is a vacant storefront, being in communication with the owners, but not actually recovering the fee, so we want to change that and adjust that loophole. thirdly, we want to clarify the process enforcement and penalties for failure to register, and also require annual inspections of vacant storefronts. we know that vacant forefronts in a lot of neighborhoods contribute to blight.

there might be squatters or graffiti or broken glass or windows, and we want to make sure as property owners are registering on an annual basis, that they are also ensuring that interior and exterior maintenance is being upheld. so would it be helpful for me to walk-through kind of each line item? so i'll start with page three, line one. this legislation -- proposed legislation removed section 103-a.5.1, saying that a commercial storefront shall not be considered vacant if it is being actively advertised for sale, lease, or rent, that saying you're for lease keepts you exempt from ahaving to register, and we want to change that. on page 18, we want to require

owners register their storefronts and pay up front the $711 registration fee at the time and removing that nine-month grace period. we do -- one change that is noted in the legislation that is different from what is introduced, and this is part of being in conversation with the code advisory committee, that if a -- an owner rents out the storefront to a tenant less than a year after the date it was originally registered vacant, we do want to offer a refund to that owner. and rather than have it be prorated, which we've been informed by d.b.i. presents a little bit of an administrative nightmare, we are changing the language up to half, that owners can be refunded up to half of that registration fee. on page four, line eight, it adds a new section, 103-a.5.3

that would require annual inspections of have a can't storefronts. the other -- vacant storefronts. the other change that the department of building inspection would conduct those inspections, and that was actually not what we were hoping would happen, so we are changing that to ensure that it is a licensed professional that is actually doing the annual inspection, ensuring that the interior and exterior maintenance is up to code. and then, finally, page four, line 25, this would require the department of building inspection to issue a notice of violation to the owner of a vacant storefront who hasn't registered and pay the registration fee, even after being warned by a written notice from the department of building inspection that they have a registered storefront, so they can cure the notice of violation by registering their

storefront, paying thep'll'' thep'll'''' -- the registration fee. and we are working with d.b.i. to ensure that property owners are getting, you know, robust communication regarding this change so that they understand, you know, what is required in terms of compliance. but, you know, i think there arej several different strategies that are being employed with the vacant storefront issue. this is just one that's trying to get a better handle on the problem and make sure we have a registry that is accurate. there are other changes in terms of zoning and making -- easing kind of the permitting process for small businesses that we support, and we actually think that a lot of these strategies will work together to try to get a better handle on this issue. so with that, i will open it up to any comment -- any questions or comments. >> president adams: commissioner dooley? >> commissioner dooley: first

of all, i want to say, i am so excited about this. it's one step toward, i'm sure everyone here in their neighborhood have so many vacant storefronts from people who have refused to rent them for 10, 20 years. it's just crazy. it blights the neighborhood, it discourages people from renting when there are empty buildings around them, and i say, you know, high time for this. i have a couple questions. in terms of the private inspection, is there going to be any recourse to have d.b.i. reinspect upon request? the reason i ask is there's a lot of cronyism out there, and i could definitely see a situation where someone is saying that they passed when they have not. i know in my neighborhood,

there are many places that are dangerous and, you know, i just don't want to see them find their uncle who's somehow involved with this, and they give them a pass. i'd like to see some kind of path for the neighborhood to have recourse to have someone from d.b.i. come out as necessary. my last question is how long is it going to be before there y' determined to be noncompliant? >> that is a good question. so with regards to your first question, that is not something that we had talked about explicitly in terms of, you know, an amendment in the legislation, but i do think it's an important thing to flag, particularly, you know, for firms that may have someone on staff to be able to do these inspections, so it's something that we've discussed a little bit with d.b.i., and we can explore that further, because i

do think it's a good point. can you repeat your second question? >> commissioner dooley: how long -- what's the term before a business is deemed noncompliant and receives a large fine? >> yeah. so what is currently in the legislation is once there has been a storefront that has been reported, and the reporting can either be self-reported, which we are trying to encourage more of, but often, these happen through complaints. they have 30-days to comply with registering their vacancy, and if not, that notice of violation is applicable. >> commissioner dooley: great. thank you. >> president adams: commissioner dwight? >> vice president dwight: i, too, agree with the spirit of this agreement, though i have some questions about some of the details. i think the presence of a for lease or for sale sign should not be a bye for people to register under any circumstances, an