>> thank you. we love you always. good morning, everyone. the meeting will come to order. welcome to the march 4th, 2019 meeting of the rules committee.

i'm supervisor hillary ronen. seated to my right is supervisor saman. and seated to my left is gordon mar. our clerk is victor young. i would like to think charles cremenik, and i'm sorry for mispronouncing your name. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> yes. please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. and include your documents to the clerk. items after today will appear on the march 12th board of supervisor's agenda, unless otherwise stated. >> mr. clerk, is it appropriate to call items one, two, and three together? >> yes, we can do that. item is a motion to approving/rejecting richard johns to the historic preservation commissioner for a term

ending 2022. and item to is a motion for approving/rejecting the mayor's nomination of kate black for appointment to the preservation commitment for a period ending december 31st, 20022. and the third is approving/rejecting the mayor's nomination of andrew wolfum for reappointment to the historic commission for a term ending december 31st, 2022. >> thank you so much. i wan wanted to give an opportunity the three to come up and say a few words about their reappointment. >> i'm richard johns, and this would be my third term as a commissioner, occupying the historyancy. one of the important things changing this since

i've been on the commission is our interest not in just buildings and monuments, but the people who created the buildings and monuments. so one of the things we are doing -- excuse me, doing now, is we have order of context statements. and those are mini histories of different ethnic and racial groups. so we can really learn where theylized they lived, when they lived there, how they moved through the city, and not just what they left behind, the brick and stones, but institutions they left behind, what businesses they left behind. what ideas they left behind that have helped us create what we now have. and when we study those things, we find, well, what we thought wasn't necessarily true. and it's very important for us to know that the latino community really

started in the mission, but didn't last long, and the real roots of it are in front of the church of our lady of guadalupe, where the broadway tunnel cuts in, a neighborhood that was destroyed when ththat tunnel was built in 1952. and now a latino group has moved back to the mission, and it seems to be shifting various places. but along the way really significant contributions have been made. we're also finishing up the african-american context statement. and that, too, has had some surprising developments and twists and turns. so i would say that those are the things of which i have been most proud. with one exception, and that is how collegial our commission has been. we almost always rule unanimously. over 99% of the time, though frequently for different reasons.

i don't think it is a sign of weakness. i think it is a sign that the commissioners are willing to listen to one another and take into account the concerns of each commissioner so that we have move forward together. >> thank you. chairwoman: ms. black? >> good morning. i'm kate black. i'm the new kid on the commission. i'm really happy to be here today. and i'm honored that mayor breed has submitted for your consideration my reappointment. if i'm reappointed, i will continue to bring 30 years of municipal planning and historic preservation background. most of my carrie career was in the public sector. so, like you, i know how hard it is to be prepared. it is very important to be prepared. it is important to work hard.

it is important to listen to all of the stakeholders. i love being able to wade into controversial projects that have competing objectives. and with a lot of deliberation and help from my fellow commissioners, waive the competing objectives, and come out with a sound, dispensable decision, whether it is a really large project or really small project. i'm really proud to have been a participant in the city's groundbreaking cultural districts. and as a planner, i know there are other planners throughout the country copying us. and when i attended the historic preservation conference held her in san francisco, everybody was asking questions about it. it was very important legislation. this summer will mark 31 years since i moved to san

francisco. i was then, as i am now, completely taken by this city. i love its welcoming, diverse population, the distinctive neighborhoods and cultural traditions, the small-town feel, despite its size. i love the fact that it is on the bay with the bridges, and it's a port city. as a preservationist, i love how the city built itself out over steep hills, and so optmistically rebuilt itself in 1906. and i love how it has evolved through the last century, resulting in today's agricultural and neighborhood identities. all of these things are what draw millions of people here, and people like me, who want to live and work here, and visitors and their money, who come each year to the city. as a planner, i know how important it is to evolve and adapt to modern needs, such as the city and

region's desperate housing shortage, especially when it comes to affordable housing. i would be very honored to continue to serve on the commission. >> thank you so much. any questions, colleagues? no? thank you so much. mr. wolfrum? >> members of the rules committee, my name is andrew wolfrum, and i thank you for hearing our reappointments today. i'm up for the historic act tec architect seat, and i'm a principle at a an architectural firm in the bay area. i'm honored that i served on the commission since 2009. and the last four years as president. and in that time, the historic preservation commission has made many accomplishments.

we've designated numerous landmarks, in underrepresented parts of the city. we've had a major focus on cultural legacy and cultural history, and the setting up of the legacy business registry, which we feel is very important. one of the major roles of the historic preservation commissioner is a more technical one, and that is we approve alterations to landmarks. how do you balance necessity and historic preservation, because a lot of them have barriers to entry, and we're trying to make the city more accessible to people, and how do you deal with failing building materials? in my professional work -- i've been doing this for the last 30 years, i worked on the san francisco ferry building, the officers' club, and some major important buildings in the city. that experience,

understanding how to balance all of these technical problems, is really valuable on the historic preservation committee. i'm very excited about some of the new issues coming up on h.c.v., and it's a really important item, not only in looking to protect landmarks that we don't know about or potential landmarks and historic sites we don't know about, but also in clarifying the process so that if owners have a property, it is very time cotim consuming for them to know is it historic or not? so the survey will both clear a way to development in places where it makes sense, and it would also protect historic sites where they exist. so i look forward to your support. and i'm happy to answer any questions. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. any questions? >> thank you. >> chairwoman: i'll now open this open this item

to any member of the public, including the former supervisor, kevin dusty. >> good morning, supervisors. thank you so much for welcoming us. i want to say i've known richard johns for 25 years. i have had the opportunity to work for him, and when i had the privilege of serving as a supervisor, i advocated strongly for his appointment, and i'm proud to hear of the work he is doing. >> thank you. >> good morning, commissioner. thank you for allowing me some time to support all three commissioners for reappointment. i'm a born and raised san franciscoan, and i'm kind of the general voice, the voice that kind of bridges the community with the commission and to help to define things in normal

language so everybody can be a cultural and history historical preservation. and i strongly support the reappointment of all three commissioners. >> chairman: : thank you, and than thank you so much for your work. >> good morning, supervisors. i have a letter i sent last night. i'm aaron hyland, i'm a district 8 resident, almost 30 years, and i sit as the president of the historic preservation commission. i'm very pleased to support all three nominees. commissioner black is a seasoned planning professional, and her addition to the commission has been really well-received, and we look forward to her continuing on. commissioner johns has really kind of championed up to more consistent with our decisions that are clear and predictable, and that allows us to build more trust in the process and in the community. and lastly, commissioner

wolfrum, he and i are both architectural commissioners. he is a well-respected colleague of mine. and lastly, i'd like to say that it might be unusual for the president of the commission to be lobbying the board for other commissioners, but what is really important on our commission is each seat has an expertise. in in that expertise, our city is really huge challenges, especially with affordable housing. and how that's going to be achieved along with protecting our historic resources, i think it's important that our commission has some continuity and some longevity, and some memory. so i support the nominations. >> chairman: : thank you so much for u all of your work. >> my name is cindy

hysman, and i'm the executive director of the california preservation foundation. and i'm here to support the nomination of andrew wolfrum to the preservation commission. i've worked with andrew over the past 10 years in various capacities, through the california preservation foundation's work and initiative. i know andrew well. he has over 30 years experience in the architecture and design, and has worked on some of san francisco's most notable buildings, the ferry building, the former pacific telephone building, the san francisco city officers' club, and the city landmark, which was reused and an unused health facility, and converted it to over 150 units of housing. andrew is active in a number of organizations aligned with his professional interests, including having served on

the board of trustees of the california preservation foundation. because of his experience and his acumen, the california preservation foundation appointed andrew to serve on a number of committees, including a recent appointment to serve as the co-chair as the california preservation design awards, and in this capacity is responsible for coordinating the work of a jury of design professionals, and is designed with reviewing some of the most diverse and interesting projects throughout california. for these and many other reasons, i support his nomination. >> thank you so much. next speaker. >> good morning supervisors, i'm sharon lie, and i have known kate black for over well over a decade. i'm here in support of her. she was my very first boss out of planning school. she gave me my start in urban planning and really

enlightened me in appreciating historic buildings, as many other planners who came through her as a training gowned for other positions. in fact, we have multiple planners in san francisco planning that actually got their start with kate as well. i want to stress that, you know, kate has really shown a lot of dedication towards the public good. she has immense work ethic. i have known her to be super detail-oriented, and i know she reads everything that comes in her packet. she really does take pride and joy from her opportunity in representing san franciscans in part of being a stewart of the h.p.c. i also want to say kate is not only an affective mentor to so many young planners like me, but in her time as a department head, she has always been a supporter of diversitiy in her employment, in her

hiring. in fact, the majority of her planners have always been either of minority, ethnic minority, or in the lgbt community. i know kate does not -- she probably doesn't even keep track of that, but it is very noticeable to the rest of us, as a minority myself. i would say for the city to continue to have someone like her representing on h.p.c. is certainly something to the public's benefit. thank you. >> thank you so much. next speaker. >> >> good morning, supervisors. my name is diane sidchampion, and i'm here as a member of the community to support the renomination of kate black. we served together on the nowi valleys democratic board, and i'm a long-time resident of district 8 and a retired union lawyer. i appeared before the rules committee when kate was first nominated for

the historic preservation commission, and i'm even more pleased to support her reappointment because of the good work she has already done on the commission. she was instrumental in creating the castro lgbt district, and the african-american arts cultural district, developing new ideas for preserving historic buildings that will add new arts and nighttime activities, and supporting the central soma plan. kate is well-suited for this commission. she loves the city and has a wealth of experience and expertise from her many years working as a city planner. she is cooperative and collaborative. she does not let her ego get in the way. she is hard-working, diligent, thoughtful, and open-minded. kate gives due consideration to every issue. she has always listened to all sides, and makes a decision based on the facts rather than any

preconceived notions. above all, kate has the highest integrity. i urge you to approve the reappointment of kate black. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. good morning. >> good morning, committee members. milmike buehler, president and c.e.o. of san francisco heritage. i'm here to speak in support of all three candidates before you for their reappointment. each offer their own experexpertise and experience, but they have proven to work very affectively as a group. they have distinguished themselves as a constructive voice in balancing the city's needs with its responsibility as stewards of the historic and cultural assets. heritage is particularly grateful for the current composition. and going beyond the mandate to embrace cultural heritage

preservation, particularly through programs such as the cultural districts program. and some of you have been leaders as well in that effort. and their reappointment of the commissioners before you will ensure that the commission will continue to prioritize, sustain communities, and not just the buildings that compromise them. >> thank you so much. is there any other member wanted to speak? seeing none, it is closed. i want to thank you all for coming out today and all of the commissioners up for reappointment today. i think it is a point of pride for the city as the legislative aide for former supervisor david compostwhen he created the legacy business. and the program of the latino district, and as the supervisor who continued that work and created the over all

cultural district legislation. i just want to say that working with the historic preservation commission and all of you has just been an honor, and a highlight. i've learned so much from each and every one of you. i completely support these reappointments, and i'm very excited for the work that you have ahead of you because i think that this is a brilliant commission that work together so well to constantly innovate. and it's definitely one of those go-to commissions for me when i have questions in this field. and the sophistication not only to understand sort of the urgency we have around developing more housing, and especially affordable housing with the necessity to maintain and protect our historic and cultural heritage in the city, and it is a difficult mandate and task that you balance so well. so i want to thank the

mayor for these reappointments and thank you all so much for your work. do any of my colleagues have any comments or questions? >> yeah. i just want to echo chair ronen's comments in really expressing really strong appreciation for all of the work that commissioners wolfrum, johns, and black have contributed to the historic pressiohistoric presern commission. i appreciate hearing all of the work that the commission has been doing, particularly around the cultural districts and the legacy program, and including our ethnic and cultural -- the rich history of ethnic and cultural history in your work. thank you all for your dedication and your contributions to all of that. and i'm very pleased to

support your reappointment. thank you. >> i just have a question for clarification? do we have to take these separately, or can we do them together? >> i believe if we make a motion to amend all three of these items, to delete the word "rejecting," and make a motion to recommend all three of them as a committee report to tomorrow's supervisors' meeting. >> i want to make a motion to delete the word "rejecting" and move all three recommendations forward with the positive recommendation. >> as a committee report. >> without objection, that motion passes. thank you so much, everyone. mr. clerk, can you please call item number four? >> item number four is a

renominating eric for the coastal commission. >> i feel fortunate and lucky that san francisco has a representative on the coastal commission, and one that has a very strong voice, protecting our precious resources, natural resources. so i'm very supportive of this reappointment. colleagues, any comments or a motion? oh, sorry. can i please open this item up for public comment. seeing none, the public comment is closed. do you want to make a motion? >> sure. i make a motion that we forward this nomination for supervisor peskin's reappointment to california coastal commission. >> this is not a committee report. >> without objection, that motion passes. mr. clerk, can you please call item number five. >> item number five is a

hearing to reappoint two people to the park recreation and open space advisor committee. there are two seats and two applicants. >> great. can we first here from rochene eisner. who i>> thank you. sorry. i get really nervous at podiums. i'm a third generation san franciscan, and as a teenager i participated in rec a park program called "midnight music." my friend and i got so much out of it. and i signed my kids up for programs, and tried to on many occasions. programs have never been available in my own community, and we've had to have very long commutes, and sometimes very difficult ones to access. before the 2018 election, i knocked on doors in my

district, and personally talked to a thousand votervoters in visitation valley, and i saw a frustration with the lack of programs. there are only seven programs available, and there are zero arts programs available in bay view and park valley. and in contrast, some offer 56 programs. but we have twice as many children at district 8, more than 16,000, compared to 8,000. district 10 has the largest under 18 population, and the highest percentage of our population is under 18, and that's almost 22%, compared to a city-wide average of 13%. the 2016 charter amendment aimed to address these issues, but the equity matrix failed to appreciate the depth of these metrix.

and vacancies have resulted in -- if i'm appointed to the committee, my goals would be advocate for increased equity in the areas with the largest population, such as children and seniors. and to advocate for updated metrix. and three, ensure adequate community outreach, and culturally competent instruction, and elimination of barriers. that's all. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. any questions or comments? >> definitely no questions. but i want to say this is actually an honor, my first appointment. ms. eisner, as you can see has done ,he research and understands the inequities that exists-aroun exists arounde resources in our city,

particularly in terms of activities for our young people. i'm just excited to have her wanting and being willing to serve because i know she is going to fight hard to make sure we fight hard to address those inequities that exist. thank you so much for stepping up in this manner. >> i also don't have any questions, but as someone who had a chance to work with you for many, many years, informer supervisor compost's office, i have been impressed by your brilliance and by your work ethic and by your dedication to fighting for equity in the city. it has been long-term and consistent. and i just want to congratulate supervisor walton for having one of the coolest first appointments that anyone could possibly have. so thank you so much, christine, for all of your incredible work. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. next we'll hear from

richard rotherman who is nominated by district 1 supervisor. >> supervisors, my name is richard rothman, and i'm here before you today to ask to be reappointed to park and open space advisory committee representing district 1. i'm a district 1 resident. i'm currently ending my term as first vice chair of the committee. and one of my goals on the committee is to make sure rec and park follows the equity measures improper "d," and that especially districts 10, 11, and 6 get the services that i think the rest of this city has. as a district 1 representative, two main issues: one is safe access to golden gate park, while district 1 borders golden gate park, our residents feel it is not safe to

walk across fulton street, so i've been working with supervisor severe's office and the planning department to try to make fulton street a safer street, so our residents can walk and bike to the park. the second issue i've been working on is rec and parks' main issues is rec and park, but also it has three buildings with wta murals in them. while two are opened to the public, the other building, the zoo, has been closed since 2000. and i've sort of taken on my mission to try to work with rec and park, the zoo, and the art commission to reopen these buildings, which has these beautiful murals in them. my photo shows the main library through the 15th, and they're on my web page,

richardrothman.net. richardrothman.net.. >> i would be happy to answer any questions. >> any questions? thank you so much. is there any member of the public ho would like to speak? yes. >> my name is natalie gee, and i'm speaking on my personal support for the appointment. she is amazing, so... >> thank you so much. any other member of the public like to speak? seeing none, public comment is closed. i have a motion? >> i'd like to make a motion to move both names for -- i'm sorry, i want to, for c-14, move forward a positive recommendation, richard rothman, and for

seat 12, move forward with a positive recommendation, roshene eisner. >> great. without objection, that motion passes. are there any other items? >> that completes the agenda for today. >> thank you so much. the meeting is ad journalist. adjourned.

shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of san francisco. by supporting local services within our neighborhoods, we help san francisco remain unique, successful, and vibrant. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> my name is ray behr.

i am the owner of chief plus. it's a destination specialty foods store, and it's also a corner grocery store, as well. we call it cheese plus because there's a lot of additions in addition to cheese here. from fresh flowers, to wine, past a, chocolate, our dining area and espresso bar. you can have a casual meeting if you want to. it's a real community gathering place. what makes little polk unique, i think, first of all, it's a great pedestrian street. there's people out and about all day, meeting this neighbor and coming out and supporting the businesses. the businesses here are almost all exclusively independent owned small businesses. it harkens back to supporting local. polk street doesn't look like

anywhere u.s.a. it has its own businesses and personality. we have clothing stores to gallerys, to personal service stores, where you can get your hsus repaired, luggage repaired. there's a music studio across the street. it's raily a diverse and unique offering on this really great street. i think san franciscans should shop local as much as they can because they can discover things that they may not be familiar with. again, the marketplace is changing, and, you know, you look at a screen, and you click a mouse, and you order something, and it shows up, but to have a tangible experience, to be able to come in to taste things, to see things, to smell things, all those things, it's things, all those things, it's very important that you do so.

- working for the city and county of san francisco will immerse you in a vibrant and dynamic city that's on the forefront of economic growth, the arts, and social change. our city has always been on the edge of progress and innovation. after all, we're at the meeting of land and sea. - our city is famous for its iconic scenery, historic designs, and world- class style. it's the birthplace of blue jeans, and where "the rock" holds court over the largest natural harbor on the west coast. - the city's information technology professionals work on revolutionary projects, like providing free wifi to residents and visitors, developing new programs to keep sfo humming, and ensuring patient safety at san francisco general. our it professionals make government accessible through award-winning mobile apps, and support vital infrastructure projects like the hetch hetchy regional water system.

- our employees enjoy competitive salaries, as well as generous benefits programs. but most importantly, working for the city and county of san francisco gives employees an opportunity to contribute their ideas, energy, and commitment to shape the city's future. - thank you for considering a career with the city and county of san francisco. >> 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.

[♪] ♪ homelessness in san francisco is considered the number 1 issue by most people who live here, and it doesn't just affect neighbors without a home, it affects all of us. is real way to combat that is to work together. it will take city departments and nonprofit providers and volunteers and companies and community members all coming together. [♪] >> the product homeless connect community day of service began about 15 years ago, and we have had 73 of them. what we do is we host and expo-style event, and we were the very force organization to do this but it worked so well that 250 other cities across the globe host their own.

there's over 120 service providers at the event today, and they range anywhere from hygiene kits provided by the basics, 5% -- to prescription glasses and reading glasses, hearing tests, pet sitting, showers, medical services, flu shots, dental care, groceries, so many phenomenal service providers, and what makes it so unique is we ask that they provide that service today here it is an actual, tangible service people can leave with it. >> i am with the hearing and speech center of northern california, and we provide a variety of services including audiology, counselling, outreach, education, today we actually just do screening to see if someone has hearing loss. to follow updates when they come into the speech center and we do a full diagnostic hearing test, and we start the process of taking an impression of their year, deciding on which hearing aid will work best for them. if they have a smart phone, we make sure we get a smart phone

that can connect to it, so they can stream phone calls, or use it for any other services that they need. >> san francisco has phenomenal social services to support people at risk of becoming homeless, are already experience and homelessness, but it is confusing, and there is a lot of waste. bringing everyone into the same space not only saves an average of 20 hours a week in navigating the system and waiting in line for different areas, it helps them talk, so if you need to sign up for medi-cal, what you need identification, you don't have to go to sacramento or wait in line at a d.m.v., you go across the hall to the d.m.v. to get your i.d. ♪ today we will probably see around 30 people, and averaging about 20 of this people coming to cs for follow-up service. >> for a participant to qualify for services, all they need to do is come to the event. we have a lot of people who are at risk of homelessness but not yet experiencing it, that today's event can ensure they stay house. many people coming to the event

are here to receive one specific need such as signing up for medi-cal or learning about d.m.v. services, and then of course, most of the people who are tender people experiencing homelessness today. >> i am the representative for the volunteer central. we are the group that checks and all the volunteers that comment participate each day. on a typical day of service, we have anywhere between 40500 volunteers that we, back in, they get t-shirts, nametags, maps, and all the information they need to have a successful event. our participant escorts are a core part of our group, and they are the ones who help participants flow from the different service areas and help them find the different services that they needs. >> one of the ways we work closely with the department of homelessness and supportive housing is by working with homeless outreach teams. they come here, and these are the people that help you get into navigation centers, help you get into short-term shelter, and talk about housing-1st policies.

we also work very closely with the department of public health to provide a lot of our services. >> we have all types of things that volunteers deal do on a day of service. we have folks that help give out lunches in the café, we have folks who help with the check in, getting people when they arrive, making sure that they find the services that they need to, we have folks who help in the check out process, to make sure they get their food bag, bag of groceries, together hygiene kit, and whatever they need to. volunteers, i think of them as the secret sauce that just makes the whole process works smoothly. >> participants are encouraged and welcomed to come with their pets. we do have a pet daycare, so if they want to have their pets stay in the daycare area while they navigate the event, they are welcome to do that, will we also understand some people are more comfortable having their pets with them. they can bring them into the event as well. we also typically offer veterinary services, and it can

be a real detriment to coming into an event like this. we also have a bag check. you don't have to worry about your belongings getting lost, especially when that is all that you have with you. >> we get connected with people who knew they had hearing loss, but they didn't know they could get services to help them with their hearing loss picks and we are getting connected with each other to make sure they are getting supported. >> our next event will be in march, we don't yet have a date set. we typically sap set it six weeks out. the way to volunteer is to follow our newsletter, follow us on social media, or just visit our website. we always announce it right away, and you can register very easily online. >> a lot of people see folks experience a homelessness in the city, and they don't know how they can help, and defence like this gives a whole bunch of people a lot of good opportunities to give back and be supported. [♪]streets.

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> i wanted to wish you a best wishes and congratulations the community has shifted a lot of when i was growing up in the 60s and 50's a good portion of chicano-american chinese-american lived in north beach a nob hill community. >> as part the immigrant

family is some of the recreation centers are making people have the ability to get together and meet 0 other people if communities in the 60s a 70s and 80s and 90s saw a move to the richmond the sunset district and more recently out to the excelsior the avenue community as well as the ensuring u bayview so chinese family living all over the city and when he grape it was in this area. >> we're united. >> and growing up in the area that was a big part of the my leave you know playing basketball and mycy took band lessons and grew up.

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> allergies welcome to the community fair it kicks off three weeks of celebrations for the year and let's keep everybody safe and celebrate the biggest parade outside of china on february 11th go best wishes and congratulations and 3, 2, 1 happy enough is enough. >> i grew up volley ball education and in media professional contrary as an educator he work

with all skids whether or not caucasian hispanic and i african-american cumber a lot of arrest binge kids my philosophy to work with all kids but being here and griping in the chinese community being a chinese-american is important going to american school during the day but went to chinese school that is community is important working with all the kids and having them exposed to all culture it is important to me. >> it is a mask evening. >> i'd like to thank you a you all to celebrate an installation of the days here in the asian art museum. >> one time has become so many things in the past two centuries because of the different did i

licks the immigration officer didn't understand it became no standard chinese marine or cantonese sproupgs it became so many different sounds this is convenient for the immigration officer this okay your family name so this tells the generations of immigrants where they come from and also many stories behind it too. >> and what a better way to celebrate the enough is enough nuru with the light nothing is more important at an the hope the energy we.

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> relative to the current administration it is, it is touching very worrisome for our immigrant frames you know and some of the stability in the country and i know how this new president is doing you know immigration as well as immigrants (fireworks) later than you think new year the largest holiday no asia and china those of us when my grandparents came over in the 19 hundreds and celebrated in the united states chinese nuru is traditional with a lot of meani

meaning. >> good afternoon my name is carmen chu assessor-recorder i want to wish everything a happy new year thank you for joining us i want to say. >> (speaking foreign language.) >> (speaking foreign language.) >> i'm proud to be a native san franciscan i grew up in the chinatown, north beach community port commission important to come back and work with those that live in the community that i grew up in and that that very, very important to give back to continue to work with the community and hope e help those who may not be as capable in

under serving come back and give >> the hon. london breed: how exciting is it to be here today? i know many of you are wondering why we chose this location of all locations. it's because this location is the backdrop of what will be future homes -- four to be expect, right, sam? >> yeah. >> the hon. london breed: four new opportunities for accessible homes that will be affordable to folks in san francisco. these garages and hundreds of spaces like them sit often empty and under utilized while

our city continues to experience a housing crisis that is pushing low-income families out of our cities. this is why in 2014 we took the first step into converting these spaces into much needed housing. we saw some initial success, but as we all know, our bureaucratic system in san francisco got in the way, and it's often too complex and people find themselves struggling just to get through the initial permit application process, let alone the construction process. since 2014, over the course of around four years, only 377 units were approved. more than 900 units were stuck in limbo because city departments could not agree on how to handle certain key issues. that was more than 900 opportunities for new housing,

900 units stuck and waiting for approval. that is why back in august, i issued an executive directive to clear the backlog of more than 900 units within six months, and to make sure that every application from that day forward was acted upon within four months. and today, i am so happy to noun announce that we have met that goal. all of the 919 units -- [applause] >> the hon. london breed: all of the 919 units that were stuck in review were acted upon, and that backlog is cleared. of those, 439 units have been permitted, and onver 90% of those projects that were approved, those units that were approved, are subject to rent control. [applause]

>> the hon. london breed: that's more units permitted over the last six months than over the entire course of the last three years. that's a big deal. all of the remaining applications were responded to and sent back to the applicants with specific instructions on what they need to do to keep their application moving forward through the review process. we are now waiting for those to be approved. that process itself has been overhauled so new applications are not subject to that old bureaucracy. we have roundtable sessions where all departments come together to review all applications all at once, and each department added staff members dedicated solely to reviewing and submitting a.d.u. applications. we submitted a simple, straightforward, a.d.u. check list, the first of its kind, to

applicants get the information they need to start the process up front so that each department can provide consistent feedback. and we conducted outreach to design professionals and homeowners to inform them about these new changes and encourage them to apply. these reforms have been incredibly successful even in just our first six months. since august, we have received applications for 206 new units and 49 new units have been built. that is a 72% increase from the 68 building over the course of three years. but we are not stopping there. i am also proposing, as many of you might have heard, which is super duper exciting, the waiver of the department of building inspection permit fees for new a.d.u. applications, saving applicants anywhere between 7,000 and $10,000 in

fees to encourage people to come forward and produce more units. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: waiving the fees, streamlining the process. it may sound like the simple thing to do, but it is so challenging sometimes to get some of the simple things done in san francisco. what this process has shown us is that approving housing does not have to be and should not be a difficult process. we need clear guidelines, a transparent process for projects to either be approved or responded to. and this is why what i have done since taking office has been really about moving the process forward and getting more housing built in san francisco so that people can afford to live here. some of you know --

[applause] >> the hon. london breed: -- that i recently appointed a director for housing delivery whose sole job is to work with various departments to get housing built and to provide input on policies that we need to implement to either cutback on bureaucratic red tape or the things we need to do to get this important housing built. and many of you know that i'm proposing a charter amendment so that when we try to build 100% affordable housing that fits within the code of our existing policies, that it is done for teachers and affordable housing as a right. no more delays, no more bureaucracy. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: so yes, we are making progress, and six months may seem like maybe a long time to many of you, but six months in bureaucratic time is really

fast. and so i just have so many people to thank because doing this really does take a lot of people. we have a number of commissioners that are joining us here today, and i just want to thank the planning department. and i think the planning -- is myrna here? oh, thank you. the president of the planning commission, myrna melgar is here. thank you for your leadership with the planning department to help make this possible. we have the department of building inspection here, as well, and i want to thank the director for being here -- oh, john rahaim, planning director is here, too. commissioners -- thank you, commissioner mccarthy and thank you, commissioner deborah walker from the department of building inspection for being here, as well. thank you to