see that you have some ways that you can support the employees, and put out information that information to them. >> thank you. will pass that along. >> thank you. >> all right. our final presenter is from the treasurer's office, the policy and legislation banister -- manager. >> good afternoon, supervisors, thank you for a great hearing. i'm from the office of the treasurer and tax collector. as you may know, the treasurer started the office of financial empowerment more then a decade ago to leverage the power of city hall to strengthen economic security and mobility for low income families. through that, we have work to connect tens of thousands of low income workers to safe and no fee bank accounts, we've opened more than 30,000 college savings accounts, and we provide financial coaching to thousands of h.s.a. clients, hope s.f. residents, and most recently, the general public. through this work, we know all to each weekly right right that for many workers, the impact of

a missed paycheck is felt immediately. most americans do not have $500 saved to cover emergency expenses. and when people experience shocks to income, they often turn to high cost and damaging financial options such as increasing credit card debt, delaying payment of bills, are taking out payday loans. when it became clear that the federal shutdown was going to extend beyond one pay period, we worked quickly to design the city loan program for federal employees who were furloughed, or working without pay due to the federal government shutdown. i would like to thank the mayor and supervisor haney for partnering with us to propose this program. if another federal government shutdown should occur, we are proposing a one-time interest-free loan of 1,000- $6,000 to be available to federal employees who are, as you just heard, san francisco residents, or who work at san francisco international airport. the structure of our loan program is designed to help federal employees and their

families whether the shock without causing long-term financial harm. the treasurer has also arranged for balance. the city's financial coaching partner to offer free one-on-one credit counselling for any san francisco workers impacted by the federal shutdown. we know there are many workers in san francisco who similarly struggle with income and debt, and so for all the folks listening, if you could benefit from talking to a financial coach who could help you manage your finances and achieve your financial goals, we will work on that, but you can call 8-772-568-0073 to schedule an appointment. we have counselling sites at the main branch library, the women's building, and self-help for the elderly in chinatown. thank you for your time, and i am of course, available for any questions.

>> thank you, and thank you to your leadership and to the treasurer and the mayor touch office for their work on this. is this something that -- i think it's obviously something that could extend to other categories of individuals who are experiencing some sort of short-term economic hardship. are there programs, maybe as part of counselling and such that we would provide as a city that would be similar in terms of no interest loans, short-term loans, i know there has been work to try and make sure that we are providing these services separate from some of the payday loans and those sorts of things that can be exploitative in many ways. are there similar programs like this, and why do we need a new

program, as opposed to rolling in the folks into one that might already exist. >> the federal shutdown was a particular moment in time, it was a known -- it is a known quantity of employees, somewhat easy to reach, so it made a lot of sense for us to offer it in this structure. we were happy when we reached out to our banking partners to learn that many banks and credit unions were offering similar programs, but only to their customers. and so what we were concerned about is that if there were employees that weren't banked or weren't spanked with a particular institution that was offering a good program that they would fall into the payday loan trap. i think we are always looking for opportunities to build these types of good financial products more broadly, and i hope we can work together in other circumstances as well.

>> okay. great to, thank you, appreciate it. so i think what we will do now, if the chair is okayed, his take public comment, then i then i have some closing remarks and next steps. >> thank you so much, supervisor haney. are there any members of the public who wish to testify because speakers will have two minutes. stage stager first and last name clearly, and speak directly into the microphone. you are encouraged to leave a copy. noah pausing or booing is permitted. speakers are to are encouraged to avoid repetition of previous statements. >> good morning, or good afternoon. my name is,. i am retired from the u.s. environmental protection agency where i was a super fun project manager for 20 years. i'm a representative of the international federation of professional and technical

employees, local 20, also known as engineers and scientists of california, which represents the engineers and scientists at e.p.a. i'm also a delegate to the san francisco labor council from that union. there are two other unions at e.p.a., and i'm speaking for them today as well. the reason being that they wanted to be here, but they are so busy scrambling to catch up with the important work that they do every day that was, in many cases, left undone. it is true that some of them were working without pay, for example, we had a large crew of people, not only from our regional office, but from across the country, working on the hazardous cleanup at the fires in california, and during the shutdown, they were able to complete that task under budget, and ahead of schedule, all without pay.

so that is just an example of the essential character of our work, i also will mention, since i was a super fun project manager, that e.p.a. is to lead regulatory agency at hunter's point superfund site, which is undergoing enormous problems, as you know, but has a large role to play. i think that you've already outlined very effectively, supervisor haney, what the financial impacts were, and what other counties have done. we would like to really encourage you, especially on the transit subsidies, because you are spot on when you said that here are people who usually load up -- >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you. >> if the other speakers who

want to speak during public comment could line up on this side of the room, that would make things go more efficiently. >> okay. this one is active. hello, my name is angela, i am the assistant council with the national treasury employee's union. we are from the oaklands field office, and we represent 150 -- 150,000 employees with the federal government, nationally across 33 agencies and programs. we thank you all for having us here today. we think supervisor haney's office for inviting us because we know that you all have the forethought to even consider these issues. we are hoping it doesn't happen again, but we know it is possible. hourly employees, i will share some numbers that were prepared by our congressional office out of the d.c. office.

and congressional district 12, congresswoman pelosi's district, there are 8,830 federal employees. and congresswoman's spiritus -- spears district, there are 7,724 federal employees. during the shutdown, some of our folks were still working without resolving a paycheck. some agencies were fully funded. but certain members who were working, most of them in the area we are in agencies such as the i.r.s., we have i.r.s. workers here today who will speak with you, customs and border protection workers, f.d.a., we have a lab over in alameda, a lot of those folks --dash folks work here on the port, on the crews ships, in the

airport, and so there was a widespread impact. these are proud people who work every day, we found ourselves -- >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you. connect speaker, please. >> good afternoon, thank you for having asked. i want to echo all the things that my colleague mentioned. my name is samara. i'm also in an instant assistant counsel for national treasury employer's union. i appreciate all the discussion that has happened today about the impacts of the federal shutdown on government employees, and i just wanted to highlight a couple more things about those impacts, particularly some of the ethics rules that gather and discover in federal employees pick the

first thing i wanted to highlight was that federal employees are restricted from taking gifts, in one of the things that we experienced during the shutdown was customs and border protection employees who were getting food from the various places, being told at a certain point that they weren't allowed to take that food because it would be a violation of the gift rules. and once i went up to management, there was -- people weren't being told that anymore, with us just an example of the things that were happening that people were being told that just added to the stress of not getting a paycheck. one other thing i wanted to highlight as the rules around outside employment. people were being told by several agencies that they should go paint garages. go do some outside work, when they are also all of these rules around employees not taking

outside employment that could compromise their ability to do their job. and generally, the normal course of business is that employees will submit applications to that outside employment. they were not able to do that because of the shutdown. when they take on outside employment, they are taking on the risk of discipline when the government resumes business. so the last thing i want to say is that -- >> mr. chair, the speaker's time has concluded. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i am an i.r.s. employee, and also the president of chapter 20 in san francisco oakland and san mateo. you guys are sitting here looking at us, but you can't

really tell what we felt because you haven't been in our shoes. you want in our shoes knowing that you have to go to work and you are not getting a paycheck, and you are not allowed to strike. you are not allowed to -- you can demonstrate, we can't strike. but you have to show up to work without a paycheck, without a bus pass to get on the bus back to make a choice, do you go through the backdoor of the bus, because you don't have the bus fare to get on the bus. to get on art, to try to avoid the ticket person to climb over so that you can get to work. for you guys to sit here and have people to come before you do for san francisco to help out a federal employee, because that's what the employee means. they do not need to say low income, whatever income, because at this point, you don't have an income, but every place that you go to, they judge you on what the paper says is your income. you need to take away the income, and put it in the help, because a federal employee actually needs that help.

help to the fact that there could have been a temperate job here in san francisco, could have gone to the cafeteria and worked, could have went down and clean the buses that could've went and patrolled the buses to see if there was a person who was evading fares, then i could say, hey, you are a federal employee, we truly understand why you got on the back of the best. i did not want to eat up my two minutes, but i wanted to thank you, the gentleman with a red tie, to the lady who stood here, and you kept pressing, what is she going to do for a person that needs to ride the bus, that does not have the bus fare? >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. my name is deanna. i am a federal employee. i have been with the international -- internal revenue service for 27 years. i'm not a resident of san francisco, but i do commute back and forth every day.

i was one of those that was in a hardship, who was unable to come to work. my son also goes to school in oakland, so i had to homeschool him during that time. i'm glad you guys are looking for a solution for if it is possible. i heard our government -- i heard our president say that we could go to our grocery stores and get help, perhaps it there could be subsidies to try their -- to try there if it happens again. maybe there is some type of coupon or something they can provide. i don't know, but i hate to see if it happens again. we are really stressed. we are really stressing if it really -- if it happens again with no structure in place. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello, my name is cheryl, and i am also a federal worker in

the oakland i.r.s., and we also have offices in san francisco and san mateo as well, so we are all affected. during the shutdown, i was affected very tremendously, not only as an employee and not being able to receive any pay, i went out to go and try and obtain some assistance from the county back and was advised that because i had a husband who makes too much money, i was not able -- they were not able to assist me, however, i'm the primary, and my husband makes less than ideal. therefore, when my federal job is gone, he cannot cover those bills, cannot get my sons back and forth to school, we could not get my husband to work, and he works here in san francisco, and i appreciated all the

information that the gentleman gave earlier about the benefits that he gave for san francisco s.f.o. airport employees, however, it didn't help him because he is from the private sector.

that is the goal of what we are doing. we want the city and county to step up for residents and employees who work in the city and county. i hope this doesn't happen again. i hope they identified what we can do. some identified in my view what we should do but are not yet doing. what i am hopes is that we can bring all of this information together about what we are already offering about what

maybe we should be offering and make sure that is in place in one location and that is made available by the city to all of the employees and in partnership with the union so that if this happens on again on february 15th from is a single place to go to see the resources available. we have a resolution in front of us. i hope all of the things we lay out there that are possible other cities have done can be put in place and made available by february 15th. i also want to add that we have been in close contact with the bart board of directors and that bart is going to be considering this as well at our urging. from i is a lot of cross bay transportation. we would like to see bart take

action to provide free or reduced transportation. thank you to all of the departments who are here today for the work you are doing, for the work we will continue to do. thank you to representatives from speaker pelosi's office that are here. mccoy from labor and federal employees and mayor's office and office of treasure with the immediate plan around the short term loans. i hope to see that in place as well as the other opportunities we know we can move forward on. thank you for holding this hearing. >> thank you so much, supervisor for calling for this hearing under such an important issue. you know, obviously most of the workers, impacted workers are employed in district six. this is with an important issue for you. i know the workers live in all the districts throughout the city.

it is important for all of us. hopefully through this hearing we are better prepared in the unfortunate situation that there is another federal shut down and workers impacted and the city of san francisco will provide more direct support for impacted workers. even though i am getting a paycheck. thanks for everyone to come out. it is something i think we have to think about regionally. as we have said there are many people that come to speak. this is just not san francisco.

this is a regional issue. we should be thinking about this regionally how to help. >> can we file this hearing without objection? and can we recommend this resolution to the full board without objection? mr. clerk, please calm item 7 to 13 foreclosed session. attend to item 7 through 13. resolutions authorizing unlitigated claims against the city and county of san francisco. >> are there any members of the public who wish to testify on the items to be heard in closed

session? seeing none, public testimony is now closed. do we have a motion to convene in closed session? >> second. we

>> the teams really, really went above and beyond and is continuing to do that today. this past year, the san francisco public utilities commission water quality division started receiving many more requests to test for lead in the public school system here in san francisco as a result of legislation that had passed from the state requiring all of the public schools to do lead testing. and so as a result, the public

utilities commission and the water quality team in particular was asked to meet with the san francisco unified school district to begin to prioritize which schools to test to meet that state mandate. >> the team that tests, we're a full service environmental laboratory, and we take care of both the needs of the water quality division and the waste water enter price. and on the water quality enterprise, we have to also have drinking water that meets all federal and state quality regulations. and lead in schools, we're playing a problem in remediating this problem of lead in schools. >> our role here in communications is being able to take the data that we have that we know is protective of public health and safety and transmit it, give it to the public in a way they understand we are really doing our jobs well and making sure that they are safe always. >> the public learned very

quickly all the accurate facts and all the critical information that they needed to know, and it's up to these individuals and their agencies and their commitment to the city. >> i enjoy the work because i can help people, and i can help the utilities to provide a better water quality, make sure that people feel that drinking hetch hetchy water is actually a pride. >> hats off to the water quality team because between them working on late nights, working on the weekends when the schools are closed, and working as a partner in the school district for the times they found a higher lead sample, they worked through to address that, so the team went above and beyond and is continuing to do that today.

>> all in favor. >> aye. >> i would like to report that the point we're entering into a memorandum of understanding, m.o.u., for the department of recreation and park r.p.d. for the lock and lease will terminate and the ferc will be the sun tenant of rfpd on the commencement date of m.o.. the parties will release claims against the other. anything else with will not be talked about in open session. >> is there a second. >> second.

>> all in favor. >> aye. >> item 6, pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> item 7, announcements. announcement on prohibition of sound-producing electronic devices during the meeting. ringing of or use of cellphones, pagers and similar sounding electric devices are prohibited during this meeting. please be advised the chair may order the removal if any person is responsible for the use of their cellphone and other similar sound-producing electronic devices. announcement of time allotment. members of the public have up to three minutes to make public

comments on each agenda item unless the port commission adopts a shorter period of public comment time. item 8, public comments on items not listed on the agenda. public comment is permitted any matter within the port jurisdiction and not limited to an agenda item. non agenda items may be raised during this period. members of the public have three minutes. please fill out a public comment speaker card and hand it to the port commission affairs manager if you have any questions. please connect with the port commission affairs manager. no commissioner action may be taken during this time. however, items brought forward can be scheduled for a later port commission meeting, refer to staff and investigated or respond briefly in a statement made with questions posed to the public by members of the public. >> thank you. >> is there any public comment

on items not listed on the agenda? we just want to make sure everyone remembers to fill out a speaker card if you are going to speak on any item. if you are speaking on an item that's not listed on the agenda, this is the time to speak. >> the agendas are outside the door there. >> i see no other public comments. >> item 9a, election of port commission officers. >> is there any public comment on election of commissioner officers? first for the port commission president. seeing no public comments. are there any nominations?

>> i would like to nominate kim brandon for president. >> i second that. >> are there any other nominations for president of the commission? are there any other nominations for president of the commission? one more time? are there any other nominations for president of the commission? the nominations for the president of the commission is now closed. can i have a motion. >> in favor of kim brandon being the president of the port commission for this year. >> second. >> all in favor. >> aye. >> yeah! [laughter] [applause] congratulations, president brandon. >> thank you. thank you and happy new year to everyone. i really look forward to this year. we have a lot of exciting projects going on. we have a wonderful staff. we have a wonderful commission and i am so looking forward to

continuing the work that needs to be done here at the port. thank you so much for your support. so, is there any public comment on the commission vice president? seeing none. i would like to open the floor for nominations for the vice president of the commission. >> i nominate willie adams to be the vice president of the commission for this coming year. >> are there any other nominations for the vice president of the commission? are there any other nominations for the vice president of the commission? are there any other nominations for the vice president of the commission? seeing none. >> i make a motion that we move forward in the firm of willie adams as vice president of the commission. >> i second. >> all in favor. >> aye. >> congratulations, commissioner

vice president adams. [applause] >> thank you. >> real quickly, to the best commission in san francisco to the port commission and all my commissioners. thank you very much. to director and your fine staff. i just want to say something to the public. you make our jobs such a delight. even when you come and you challenge us because one thing that we've learned is commissioners here, sometimes yoyou have to be comfortable wih being uncomfortable. come out and challenge us because this port is the people's port. thank you and i look forward to serving another year as v.p. >> thank you. that is it for the election. >> 9b. >> good afternoon, president brandon, vice president adams and congratulations on your election. members of the port commission, members of the public and port staff, i am elaine forbes. the executive director. the first item i have i is

accommodation for renee dunn martin on her retirement. when the port loses a long-term employee, to well-earned retirement is a joyful and sad occasion. joyful for the person leaving and sad for the organization. this one is impactful for me because i worked closely with renee for many years, both as a colleagues and a boss. renee represents the very best in public service combined with tenacity to get everything and i mean everything. while maintaining positive relationships and having fun in the process. she has been our communications director for 21 years. 21 years of service. she works tirelessly for our divisions and she has been working here in 1997. she's known for executing some

of the most memorable events, large and small, including the ferry building's 100 year anniversary, the port's 150 anniversary, super bowl week, fleet week, if i read the list i would be exhausted and they were exhausting to put together. she's always done so with dedication and visionment her gala for the 150th anniversary was stuning and amazing. all of us who were there remember it. and her team had a great time doing it. she has been our media spokesperson and she has maintained good relationship with key reporters and editors and issuing numerous press releases and media advisories resulting in an extensive amount of news coverage for the port and our key projects. she helps tell our story. her branding and messaging is strong. she has added so much caliber to the way in which we engage with the press and her press

conferences are renowned, even from the mayor's office. so can got laying congratulatio. her communications team has i cannen its portfolio into the modern era of strengthening our branding on social media platforms and latching a digital magazine, sf port, and using all the chats and twitter and every kind of way to get the message out which has been very important. in her retirement, she's looking forward to traveling and spending quality time with her husband, family and friends. i want to thank you, renee, for your outstanding leadership, dedication and service to the port and the residents of san francisco. you've been the wind beneath our wings. with my whole heart, i thank you. [applause] i have a couple more items for public comment. >> let's focus on renee. >> let's focus on renee and go

to public comment. we have lots of public comments. christian is first. and then brad and then jay. >> i'm kristen and i work under renee in the communications division. i just want to -- we all know how hard-working renee is and what a wonderful person she is. thank you for being so supportive, for me as a new mother, coming back to work and balancing that work life transition period. and i would like to read a letter from the san francisco giants that we received today. from the executive vice president jack bare. we have been a business with the port for more than 20 years, about the same time renee has been managed communications. she's been a cheerful, friendly partner and collaborator in the many events throughout the year. it's hard to imagine now but renee was with the port before

the first shelf enter thed ground on the jury t on the joun park. together we solved problems along the way, we wish her the best in her retirement and we look forward to seeing herren hy more days in the sunny willie maze plaza. [applause] >> brad benson. renee, you've just been such an amazing colleague. you are so unstoppable. you were always pleasant even when we're in a crisis that sometimes happen with media coverage. elaine said it well, you help us put our best foot forward. whether it's responding to these press inquiries or big events that are a focus of what we do, or responding to sunshine requests. you help hold our hands when the

public wants that information. i just don't know how we would ever be able to replace you so i just want to thank you for everything that you've done for us. regarding those sunshine requests, i have two words, proposition f. [laughter] >> thank you, renee. >> >> jay edwards, support real estate division. i want to thank you for all the assistance you've given our division. you've been our right hand and left hand whatever we want to call it. you made sure you've always been approachable and responsive and diligent and you have the best little swag gifts too that we always come to you. we really appreciate everything that you've done for us. you've been really a great partner here and all our things we've done. we have really felt your

presence and we're going to miss you so much. i know you have a good team. they're very helpful too but they won't be renee and they won't be you and we're going to wish you the best in your retirement. >> thank you. [applause] >> hi, renee. dianne. well, it's hard to add onto the feeling of love and regards that we have for you. i'm going to miss you. i really appreciate how much you've helped the public, as well as your colleagues and the people in the city department understand what it takes to run the court through thick and thin. thin and thick. yet keeping a smile, knowing how

to celebrate, all of the wonderful things that have happened along your tenure on your watch. the only thing that can be better than what you have done for the port is the fact you get to spend a lot more time with craig, because craig also has been such a give as well. he is such a supporter and it's a big part of why you've been so successful. thank you. [applause] >> president brandon, commissioners. my name is bob davis. you've had to do double and triple duty. as a black woman in a high-profile position. you've carried a lot of weight. we're so proud of you. you've made our community proud of you. you've represented us so well. thank you, thank you. thank you. craig, who i've known since our children, before our children.

you are a great partner and we thank you and we will surely, surely miss you. thank you. [applause] >> carolyn davis and then paul rose and then candice. >> good afternoon, commissioners. thank you so much. renee, i have a little story about renee when she started 21 years ago. she had a choice of working for my firm and going to the port. i was the loser for sure. [laughter] >> so, it's really funny that she is still here and i'm still here. i wanted to say how much integrity renee has as a communitcommunicator. she's looked up across the city. she's looked at as a one-person

show that no one can match. when i look at -- i work with a lot of agencies, they have much larger staff and don't accomplish quite as much as she has done over the 21 years she's been here. i just wish her the very best as she sails off into the sunset and hopefully has an opportunity to enjoy our city in a different way than to be worried about whether a pier is going to fall down. it's been a pleasure to work with you and your team. i love you. thank you. [applause] >> hi, i'm paul with sfmta. congratulations. it's been a pleasure working with you. you represent a rare blend of communications professionals

where both communications colleagues respect you 100% and so don't the quarters and that's very hard to do. your experience has served you well and it's an example to a lot of us and let us enjoy your time and not answering your phone on the weekends and at night and enjoy watching the news without being stressed out and just enjoy. thank you. [applause] >> greetings commissioners. i'm candice, director of communications and marketing for the san francisco municipal transportation agency sfmta. i'm pleased to say a few words on behalf of renee martin and honor her for her work. when i first joined sfmta in 2013, i had the opportunity to meet renee.

it might have been through darlin' and as a woman of color in a leading communications position, i saw you renee as a role model and someone who could teach me a thing or two about working for the city. and as i got to know you, you lived up to that impression and so much more. i just want to thank you for making so many efforts to be helpful in my role and teach me about the city and be collaborative 12.

[applause] >> dan and david, carole and then mike. >> commissioners, dan with sports planning and development division. renee may be the most self-less and generous person at the port. what she did is make everyone else's project happen. she made everyone look good. whether it's through press releases, events, marketing, you name it. all the tasks she did. we've come to rely on her over and over. we love to work with her. always positive, pleasant and making it all happen. what will we do? we wish her well in her next phase of life and we will miss her. we'll miss craig. and we congratulate her and we thank her. thank you. [applause]

>> commissioners, david with planning environment. i too just wanted to thank renee. i don't know if people recognize the words she does from assisting with the press, the sunshine requests, marketing the port and where i work, most closely with her is on grand openings, ribbon cuttings and ground breakings. all of which don't go as planned and probably a lot of which we've requested at times that are off the peak hours such as evening during a rain storm for the opening of bay view rise. so i just really wanted to recognize your efforts and i'll miss you quite a bit. thank you, very much. [applause] >> my colleagues set it all and renee and integrity and professionalism, cander, putting the port's best face forward and we have all acknowledged how

much renee has put on fun and festive events for the port and maybe the one place i can add to every great things that we have been saying about renee is that also, sometimes renee had to be our shepherd for communications through difficult issues and as the environmental affairs manager, sometimes the thing that i had to present to the public were stressful or confusing and i always felt that renee had my back and she was going to be my advisor and guide in presenting information in the best possible way. again, with integrity but also i felt that, as i said, she had my back and renee, i speak for all of port employees when i say, it's been a joy to work with you. [applause] >> good afternoon, commissioners. mike from the maritime division.

renee is a true san franciscoan. she went to wood row wilson high school. so that's a great pedigree. when i came to the port 20 years ago, renee was already here and it's been mentioned how she does such a wonderful job coordinating events and parties and things like that, but the thing that i -- when i thought about renee, the quality and carole just mentioned it, the way she would handle difficult situations. she has great poise. she was very calm. she would get the message out there and very much dependable. she's honest, she's accurate and she has a great sense of humor, which sometimes you need in those situations. she's got a great partner in craig.

they're a great couple. he has been so supportive. some people think craig actually works here at sport. [laughter] >> anyway, they've got a lot of fun times to look forward to together and i wish them all the best. congratulations, renee and craig. [applause] >> is there any other public comments? >> hi, renee. i echo everyone's comments and sentiments tonight about you. you are my sister. i've worked with you for the last 21 years. i love you and i will miss you. both of you, craig, thank you for always being here with us. i love you, renee. [applause] >> is there any other public comments? commissioners --

>> renee, i've only had the pleasure to know you for eight months but as someone who served on other commissions, the first thing i was impressed was actually how much of a digital electronic footprint the port had. i was unaware of that before i joined. i've looked forward to retweeting your tweets and sharing your facebook posts over and over again and i have been impressed with the digital magazine. i want to say you have ushered this department in to the social media age which is so important. you've impressed me every step of the way and i wish you good luck in your retirement. [applause] >> well, renee, i guess it's been eight years for me since i've met you. it's been wonderful to work with you. whether it's been on something practical, holding my purse during a press conference or discussing what are the talking points that we're going to get across in some media

presentations. and working with you on a strategic level. i want to just echo a little bit of what commissioner gilman said. we don't work with you on a daily basis but we see the results of your work. i have to say, since i've been on this commission, for eight years, that we've made tremendous progress on the public relations and marketing front. i think commissioner gilman has picked up on the digital, going into the social media stage. i can remember when we first came, in terms of just the visibility of the board and the fact the image and the port and city over all has improved tremendously. the press we get and what we receive in the media on some of the projects we have, the whole campaign against the seawall, how that was orchestrated actually getting more and more professional at the port with our marketing agencies and all of the marketing media that we've done in addition to all the events. and so, you have managed that beautifully.

you have grown in this period. i would say even though you've been with the port 20 years, you've grown tremendously and kept up with the times. which is not easy. sometimes when you are used to doing things a certain way, you have managed it very adeptly and you've brought in staff to help you. i've been most impressed. you always have that smile. so that's something that i will always remember. you are always smiling and there's nothing that you can say that will get you upset and that is the greatest part of you renee. we'll miss you, very much. thank you. [applause] >> congratulations on your retirement! [applause] >> commission adams. >> renee, as frank sinatra said, i did it my way. you are doing it your way. you are leaving at the top of

your game. i just have to say, you've had a stellar career. you really think about that. you would defined by your class and you have a personality that dis arms people. people feel like they know you. your generosity. you are just down-home person with a good heart. my grandmother used to say that women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weakness. what that is saying, you are a remarkable woman. you are. and you make other people better. the seven years that i've been on the commission, you helped every commissioner, you've helped the staff. but you've grown and you've transformed yourself and i hate it that you are leaving but generations to come will benefit and younger people will come behind you as we continue and you've raised the bar. i know one thing, you might talk about ports, port of san francisco has a migh mitas touc,

it's because of you. i wish you the best in what you will doing. please enjoy life. the highest moment a person can have is people can say something to you and you hear it. a lot of times, people say nice things at funerals and memorial services and people never get to hear it. people think about them. i hope you taken all these words in because people are telling you from their heart, and i'm speaking from my heart, i feel about you and i want you to have your flowers and your praises and your recognition while you are alive. i love you and i wish you the best. [applause] >> my turn. this is definitely bittersweet. definitely. renee and i started days apart. she is like one of the first people i met here at the port.

just to have seen her grow and flourish over these last 21 years, she's become an amazing colleague and friend. i love her so much. she is a communication guru. she's an event planner extraordinaries. all the events over the last 21 years has just been -- her leadership capabilities to get everyone engage and involved in such a successful outcome. she has led this communications team to new heights. i mean, i could just go on and on and on but what i'm going to miss most is her professionalism and that beautiful smile. that beautiful, calming smile that says everything is going to be all right no matter what is going on. renee, we are definitely going to miss you. we know you are not going far. we know you will be back