good government awards, and thank you so much for being here. [applause] [cheering] my name is ed harrington, and i'm the interim chair of the board and i have spent a lot of time in this building before, for those of you i haven't met. i first heard of spur when i was nominated for this award, many, many years ago. and i didn't win, but i don't think of myself as a loser. i think of myself as tying for sixth place with a lot of other people.

[laughter] >> and i've kept in touch with spur because it is one of those places that thinks about big issues in the bay area. it pays attention to urban issues, and it pays attention to transportation, sustainability, and all of the things we care about in the city. so i would ask if you don't know much about spur, please look us up. but tonight really is about the awardees and the manageal awards. the departments are the ones who are supposed to set a vision for the city of san francisco. and then we have incredible staff that works the city of san francisco. so why are we celebrating the managers? because really good managers manage up and help create that vision. and after that vision is created, they take it and manage their staff, the processess, and they make sure that vision translates into a place that people who live here and people who visit here want to be. and so that's why we have these awards. that's why we honor these managers because they are the people who bring so

much of the city together and make sure we do the things we're supposed to do. so we honor those good managers. this is the best of the best tonight. we welcome you all here. and when i talk about people who set visions, the first person up for that is the mayor. and i hope you would welcome mayor london brief. [applause] [cheering] >> i thought ed was going to start dancing up here. he was stomping his feet so hard. [laughter] >> good evening, everyone. welcome. i'm excited to be here this evening. i see our great leader in sacramento, assembly member david chui. thank you also for joining us. [applause] >> and behalf of the city and county of san francisco -- oh, i also see daddy warbucks, jose shapiro, our treasurer.

[applause] >> as we as a countless nobody of our elected officials, many of our department heads, people who are clearly here to honor the folks who do such amazing work for the city and county of san francisco. so many great people here tonight for one purpose, and that is to celebrate some incredible individuals. welcome to the 39th annual spur good government awards. [applause] [cheering] >> so i've had the pleasure of serving on commissions, working for the city, serving on the board of supervisors, being around in various capacities, including being an intern in the mayor's office of neighborhood services. and i know that in those capacities, sometimes the work that you all do, it's a thankless job. and, in fact, sometimes

those members of the board of supervisors are yelling at you. well, just know that we appreciate your work and we appreciate everything that you do, the things that you've been able to accomplish despite all of the challenges that you face in doing your jobs. it means so much. i was really proud of legislation i've been able to pass, but to make that legislation work, it takes people like the ones we're honoring tonight to put it into effect. those programs make a difference in the lives of our residents, but every day in this building and throughout city facilities throughout san francisco, there are countless programs that do not always get the attention that they deserve. every day city employees utilize their expertise, their drive, and their dedication to make our city a better place for all san franciscans. though they don't seek the recognition, they do deserve it. and this event allows us

to recognize a few of those dedicated civil servants and their work that make our city government more efficient, more effective, and more equitable. i just wanted to talk a little about a few of the honorees. tonight, gigi wittingly -- [applause] >> -- is being honored for her tireless effort to build up a brand new department, a department of homelessness and supportive housing. there she has been responsible for managing human resources, budget contracts, data and performance, i.t., and facilities. this is no small feat for an existing, established department, let alone a newly created departments, responsible for addressing one of the most pressing issues facing our city. we face a crisis of homelessness in our city that we are working on to fix every day. gigi's work is helping us

to get there. we policy-makers are only as good as those who are actually charged with implementing the policies, as i have said before. one area where san francisco must always be on top of our game is emergency preparedness. we know it is not a matter of if, but it is a matter of when the next disaster strikes. but when it strikes, we are able to address it. and when that day comes, we need only respond, but we need to recover. our emergency preparedness team and the controller's office, along with the department of technology -- [applause] >> -- tha has made incredible strides to ensure that can happen. tonight christy, anna, mark, and manu, build brand new systems to back up critical systems and financial systems, and

payroll processing does not necessarily grab headlines, but when that day eventually comes, we will be more prepared and more resilient as a result of their efforts. for those of you familiar with how the city works, you'll know that land use and planning decisions are some of the most complicated issues that we handle. kate connor -- [applause] [cheering] >> -- is being honored tonight as a planning department problem-solver, which is not an easy title to get at the planning department. john, you know it is not. but thank you for being here and clapping anyway. we are in desperate need of new housing in our city, and kate's job is to ensure that our biggest projects do not get held up unnecessarily by our complicated process, again with a number of layers of bureaucracy created by members of the board of

supervisors. supervisor mandelman. [applause] >> you know i love you. you're one of my favorites. equity is important framework for our government. too often in our past, and still today, policy outcomes have had vastly different effects on our communities. usually to the detriment of our low income and disadvantaged residents. rectifying these problems requires a dynamic approach. the debt relief program at cal support services -- karen roy -- is a great example. [applause] >> tonight we're recognizing nona, katie, freida, and lisa, who turned this idea to reliable government-owned child support debt into a

reality for san francisco parents and their families. part of our responsibility in government is to explain the decisions we are making. why we are making them, and how we think they benefit the city and our residents. this can be a difficult process, and unfortunately much of the time, the only time you hear from members of the public is when they are unhappy with the decision that you've made. trust me, i'm familiar with that. i deal with it every day. the final honoree tonight, diana o shima, created a robust outreach and engagement process for the port's waterfront plan. this is yet another example of the importance of not only of doing the hard work, but bringing people together who do not always agree on everything together at the table

because transparency builds trust, and the court is stronger and our waterfront is more vibrant today as a result. for every major headline about something the city does, there are countless initiatives that go unrecognized, that are often equally, if not more, important. tonight honorees are shining examples of that truth. they have made our city safer, more inclusive, more resilient, and more compassionate. they have shown that government can be and should be a source of good. that san francisco, the city that knows how, is capable of doing great things. and because we know that we are capable of great accomplishments, we should be -- we should not be satisfied with anything less. congratulations to all the honorees tonight, and congratulations to all of the nominees over the

history of the spur good government awards because the work that you do every single day makes san francisco a better place to live, work, and play. and, also, it cuts back on the lawsuits that we have to pay out. [laughter] >> so with that, i want to, again, thank you and also welcome to the stage the spur interim c.e.o. and president alicia john baptiste. [applause] [cheering] >> thank you, mayor brief, for that very lovely introduction of our awardees this weekend. it is always such a pleasure to see each of you. i want to take a mountain to talk about how important this event is. i have always held this event very close to my heart. i worked for this city for

a very long time, and i'm very well-aware of how few opportunities there are to recognize the outstanding performances of the thousands who make this city work. it is an honor to have the chance to honor just a few of those people this evening. the cohort of awardees that we have are incredibly deserving, well-respected among their peers, and have accomplished a tremendous account. they also collectively have over 100 years of experience. and so that is 100 years of dedication to the people of san francisco. i also want to take a minute to talk about spur's commitment to good government. uour mission's statement is to promote good government and local advocacy. we entrust the public good to local government, whether it is designing our cities, keeping us safe in emergencies, or serving our most at-need residents. it is truly local government, and the work

that each of you do is at the heart of our city. many people don't realize just how complicated it is to do something in government. we have, over the course of many generations, created a tremendous number of rules and processes and systems and laws to guide how we conduct public business, and each one of them was very meaningful at the time it was created, and each one had great intentions. [laughter] >> the sum total result is that it is literally the most complex system you can possibly work in. so when we acknowledge the accomplishments of the folks that we're honoring tonight, it is with the understanding that it takes tremendous perseverance, incredible inginuity, creativity, social skills, and a long-term to commitment to caring for the public good of san francisco to have achieved what they have. i'm just incredibly proud to be here this evening to honor them.

we also at spur see ourselves as allies to local government. and want to be in partnership creating a local government that is a high-performing sector that delivers services that we can all be proud of. tonight i'm incredibly proud to be standing with the 2019 good government award winners, and i want to thank each of you for your commitment to excellence and for the service that you provide to the city. before i turn to the honorees, i do just want to call out the elected officials who have joined us this evening, in addition to david chui, supervisor mandelman, mayor london, and our treasury, jose, and we have our directors, janice lee and bevin duffy. so welcome to all. [applause] >> and a thank you to our champion sponsors for this even, bridged housing

corporation, google, and the san francisco international airport. it is their generosity that allows us to host this event, and we are deeply appreciative. so without further adieu, we're going to start the awards ceremony. this is a woman whom i've admired since i've first worked with her when she was at the mayor's budget office, some number of years ago. gigi wittingly from the department of homelessness and supportive housing, nominated by director jeff kasinski. [applause] [cheering] >> the department of homeless and supportive housing was created in august 2016. it was the merging of various homeless services along cyber 6 department, as well as the creation of a whole new department with a laser focus vision to make homelessness in san francisco rare, brief, and one time.

my immediate priority was attracting good talent, as well as finding a place for us all to be together. we have restructured the organization to really connect to what the services are that our clients need. there were several unexpected successes early on. the ability to model with the data available, being able to project what the gaps were in our homeless response delivery system, and create strategic goals that are very specific. you know, reducing family homelessness by "x" per percent. in the first year, to be able to get that data together and find that goal was very ambitious. >> i'm nominating gigi because i think she is like the triple threat of city employees. she has an incredible amount of knowledge about how the city works, and not only how the city works, but why the city works the way they do. she is a great teacher. she has an en psyc encyclopedic

knowledge. and she knows how to deal with sometimes complex people issues. >> relationships really matter in government, and i've been really blessed to be able to have some of those relationships that i've built over the years and draw on that expertise and really relying on my peers, as well as my staff, to give me their best thinking. >> it is a relatively small department. we have about 125 employees, but we deliver over $250 million annually. the services are delivered through a whole community of non-profit providers, making sure they have the resources to be successful, but also making sure that they're delivering on the goals that the city set up to achieve our very specific goals to reduce and ultimately end homelessness in san francisco. some of the department's key successes has really been the rapid expansion and permanent support of housing, as well as

initial -- we've opened at least three new navigation centres this year. we've provided housing for 2,000 people. that's a huge accomplishment -- [cheering] [applause] >> the sky is the limit. we're going to be able to hit our five-year goals. and the clients and the public are really going to start to see the impact on our streets. [applause] >> good evening, i'm jeff kasinski, and i'm the director of the department of homelessness and supportive housing. thank you. i was told this had to be really quick, but i'm going to have to say a few words. before i started working for the city, everybody told me, you need to hire giggigigigi witley. we had lunch, and within

15 minutes, i understood i needed to higher gigi whitley. you are a brilliant person. you are wise. you are kind. you have been a trusted advisor, a good friend during very hard times, and an amazing, amazing leader. and you have sacrificed so much to get this department off the ground. i think there are two other people who deserve this award tonight. justin maddie. [applause] >> i know that you both have had to endure gigi coming home late, taking calls late at night, e-mailing all of the time, complaining all the time, probably half of it was complaining about me, and we all really appreciate the sacrifice that your family has made to allow gigi to do the amazing work she has done. thank you. [applause] >> so please join me in welcoming gigi whitley.

[applause] [cheering] [laughter] >> well, thank you. thank you, jeff, for nominating me, as well as laying out such a bold vision for the new department. it really has been an honor. but i want to start by thinking, you know, penicillin and the whole antibiotic family because those of you who work with me know i'm a little sickly, and i'm a little accident-prone, so i'm really pleased that i was actually here, able to accept this award. the last time i got an award was in the 12th grade. [laughter] >> it was also for public service, i might add. a virginia rotary club award. and because i had had an

accident, or had been in the hospital -- i can't remember which because i'm often in the hospital in the emergency room -- my mom spelled out my name, g-i-g-i, and she used the flash cards for some s.a.t. cards, and "g" was for ge gregarious, and "i" is for inquisitive, and on and on and on. i'm very grateful to be here. i couldn't have done this without my amazing team. part of this award is part of a recognition that i was able to pull together an amazing group of staff who work tirelessly. i want to thank you all. iowi have worked with a lot of you for many, many years, jenny lui, and all of my staff who has really supported me over the years. and, of course, my family.

i've rarely seen them these past few years, and thank you for all of your support. and finally, cary abbott, the other deputy director who really deserves this award as well. thank you, cary, for your guidance and support. this is for you, thanks. [applause] >> thanks, gigi, and jeff. and thank you all. i have never heard this room be this quiet for long. thank you so much. next up is s.f.f.prepared. the emergency preparedness team, by sid rosenthal and linda jerrel. [applause] - >> s.f. prepared is an ongoing effort city-wide

to prepare the administrative staff and administrative tools to deal with a disaster. >> how far back in time do you want me to go? we have had a evolution. we started with one system, that didn't have a recovery system at all, and we were just backing up the data base. i would say that the challenge is supporting all of this work. and so far we have been very successful. everything works. this is the first time we have land use, and the data center. and all of the employees received the paycheck on time -- [inaudible] >> there is a really critical role that the finance staff play in a disaster. it is often an invisible role. >> i think it was a great collaboration between the department of technology and the controller's office. any type of disaster we

have, we can actually pay $35,000 employees on time. anybody that has worked in government before knows how hard sometimes it is to collaborate between two divisions, especially two divisions that are extremely busy. and we just work well together, and we stay on track, and i think we've accomplished a lot in the last couple of years with all of the disaster recovery payrolls. >> we work in three different organizations. one is the department of technology. and i think it is very important the collaboration that we have between the controller's office and the department of technology. [inaudible] >> we have a data center in san francisco. within two hours of time, and there was no data loss. >> i'm so happy for this team and so appreciative of their good work because this is the team our first

responders rely on during that same emergency. >> they were a remarkable time that developed disaster preparedness for our critical systems. >> they get paid to conduct their work and everything else behind the scenes that makes disaster recovery possible. [applause] [cheering] >> so it is my pleasure to briefly introduce you to a team we have the pleasure of working with every day and offer our thanks. mark, hanna, bonu, and christy. thanks for everything you do for us. >> and i think we're just thrilled that they are here to showcase the work that the city does around preparedness. of course we don't want disasters to happen, but the good news is there are lots of people working to make our city safer and also be prepared. and bonnie should not have said where our data center

is, so you didn't hear that. and we look forward, of course, to working with all of you, to get your systems prepared in the event of a disaster. [applause] >> okay, so i drew the short straw, so i'm leading the thank you speech. [applause] [cheering] >> this award is acknowledging and truly represents a great collaborative team effort. the four of us are pleased to accept this award on behalf of the tremendous work done by both of our departments, the controller's office and the department of technology, and by dozens of others to improve our financial system's resiliency, and to have the adman employees to

affectively respond to a disaster. we would like to specially thank tom and linda and todd for their leadership and support. if any of you know todd and linda, they are the biggest champions of disaster preparedness and resiliency, and we owe them an extra special thanks. additionally, we would like to thank the department of emergency management for their support and assistance with all of the city emergency and disaster planning. each of the four of us would like to especially thank the following colleagues for their invaluable contributions. we share this award with them. for anna's team, ross, christy, madu, jerome, jerry, and wendy. for banu's team, everyone in cyber security and

network and data-based teams for their efforts to build a data center for our s.f. city critical systems, and thank you in the controller's office, and payroll staff, for their time and efforts to perform the end to end disaster payover testing. alec, matt and jamie, and for me, mason fong, and jerry, who is the payroll functional manager for the system. and our hard-working and dedicated staff. lastly, each of us what like to thank our amazing families for their support, and a final thanks to spur for this wonderful acknowledgement and hosting such a terrific evening. thank you. [applause] [cheering] >> thank you all. at one time i was in charge of both of those departments and couldn't make them all work

togetherment so that is together, so thank you so much. >> next up with have kate connor, nominated by the planning director. [applause] >> being a complex project manager entails a variety of different work. i have worked for the last five years as a liason for the mayor's office, working on implementing the inclusionery housing program. process streamlining and procedures for development agreements to make sure these projects move on. san francisco is incredibly process rich, and in order to be able to streamline any process, you have to know it in and out. senate bill 35 mandates minsistarial review. for san francisco, if you

provide 50% of the units on site at 80% of income, you can qualify. you are looking at complete planning approval between 90 or 180 days. we have over 1,000 units in the pipeline being processed over sb35. the mayor's directive measure has worked in tandem because you're analyzing our current processes and procedures and determining how to make it better and bigger. proposition "c" not only increased the amount of housing that had to be provided on site, but it kind of diver diversified the incomes, and meets the middle income brackets. >> kate has become the department expert on housing issues. and we're dealing with such a housing crisis.

and her ability to not only understand the issues, but to kind of cut through the bureaucracy and actually make things happen. whether it is legislation or approving projects. she is incredibly collaborative and knowledge iablable about these issues. we're thrilled she won the award. it is fantastic. >> there isn't going to be one solution. there has to be a whole suite of strategies to get at the housing problem. >> san francisco is really leading california with housing production initiatives by having all of our area plans in the eastern part of the city that are allowing for higher density and higher heights. >> and it has more of a streamlined review. and we're responding as quickly as possible, so we're on the ground and running the minute it becomes affective. [applause] >> good evening, everyone.

my name is john ram. i'm the director of the planning department. i am thrilled that kate has won this award today. i will start by saying one of the things one of my colleagues told me when kate was managing the whole process of rehabilitating public housing and getting those permits through the system, and i got a call from my colleague, and she said kate connor is a goddess. and it was an amazing call, out of the blue, to get for someone who works her butt off dealing with these issues every day. i have to tell you, it is, as the mayor said, dealing with the planning bureaucracy is not an easy thing in this city. i told someone tonight if our job became sane, i wouldn't know what to do. and, really, kate knows how to keep us sane, how to keep us going, how to cut through the bureaucracy, and how to make projects happening. there isn't a person here in this rowdy table of the planning department staff who would not support kate

getting this award tonight. this is an incredible honor for her, for the department, and i thank you all for being here. and i'm so pleased to honor kate connor. [applause] [cheering] >> thank you, john, for the introduction and all of your support. and may thanks to the mayor, and spur, for recognizing the humble work of my fellow nominees. i'm so fortunate to work with so many brilliant people at the planning department. i couldn't have done any of this without my fabulous team. it has been amazing. a little overwhelming, but am maging. i'amazing. i'm incredibly thankful for this recognition. thank you. [applause] [cheering] c>> thank you so much. the next award is for the child support services team.

mary, cathy, freida, glen, and i want to call out the department head mere. here. karen roy has probably had more nominees for spur awards than any department of her size or larger in the city. we celebrate your employees, and we love you for that. [applause] [cheering] >> the program is a program set forth or designed by the state to help people who owe back child support, get the amount reduced so that the client can pay back at a more manageable amount. >> not only does it get money consistently in the household of the parent who has the child or children, but it can also establish a better relationship with the parent who is paying support and the parent who is receiving it. we know that consistency is there, and the person who owes percent is in a

better place because they don't have that debt over their head. >> the idea for the debt relief program came about after the state convened a cope program, to examine what was working and not working with the traditional program. and they had tasked counties to come up with some ideas. there were ways we could expend the program to afford more parents to be eligible and to participate and an opportunity to reduce their debt. >> i'm in the in-take unit, so i see what people we deal with first. i see our clients. to watch them change from coming in the door not knowing what to do to our education and to help them. especially with projects like this, and watching someone really be excited about having their debt removed. you can't buy that. that's a gift. >> i believe that personal contact with the client and seeing a client walk away happy and get in touch with me to let me know everything is going well with them and with their family and their

lives. >> our partners at the financial justice project out of the treasurer's office, were very, very patient and we certainly couldn't have done it without them. >> people go through hard times. it doesn't mean we penalize parents because they're going through a hard time. sometimes it is the children that help the parent get along, so it is very important for people to understand, you don't penalize parents because they're going through a hard time. >> the mission of the child support program is to empower parents to provide economic support for their children. how we deliver on that promise needs to keep pace with the needs of families today. positively disrupting the status quo takes courage. lisa, freida, nona, and cathy delivered on the debt relief challenge. they delivered real evidence to support foundational change in the

child support program, not only county-wide but state-wide. i am so grateful for their continued dedication to public service. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. my name is karen roy, and i'm honored to serve the department of child support services. [cheering] [applause] >> it is my great pleasure to honor tonight a team that is dedicated, passionate, and compassionate with the families of san francisco. they give every day, and then they give a little more. these are the super heros of our program, and i am truly grateful to welcome them to the stage and provide them with this award. thank you all so much. [applause]

>> good evening, everyone. on behalf of our department and our team and child support services, i want to thank spur for this recognition. but we certainly could not have done this without our city colleagues at the financial justice project. i know krista is here somewhere. [applause] >> there she is. as well as ann, and our partners in the private sectors, so the haas foundation for funding his work, tipping point, and earn. we thank all of them. thank you. [applause] >> thank you so much. and last, but certainly not least, the port of san francisco, diane oshiam,

director of planning and environment, nominated by port director elaine ford. [applause] >> i stand with the port since 1991. i actually have had my entire career here in san francisco in city and environmental planning. i came to the port because there had been a ballot measure that had been approved by the voters, proposition "h". the real wealth and the beauty of proposition "h" was for the people calling out for a planning process for the port's properties. as a person who has been working on the waterfront for a long time, it never really gets old because our public is constantly changing. when i joined the port, even though the freeway was down, you could practically shoot a cannon down the embarcadero, and now we get 25 million people a year walk and rolling on the promenade. it underscores the need to

always be out there, and to learn about what people love and desire about the waterfront, and for people to understand who the port is and the importance of the partnerships that we have with city hall, with so many city departments, and with b.c.d.c. and the state land's commission. the waterfront plan working group is an amazing group of dedicated citizens, ultimately at the end of very diligent public discussions and meetings, generated 161 recommendations that would inform policy updates to the waterfront plan, of which 160 were unanimously approved. >> diane was instrumental for the first waterfront use plan in 1997, and that document has really guided the connection with san francisco and the san francisco bay. it has produced such incredible results in connecting the waterfront to the city and making it

such a treasured destination. it was an incredible effort, and she has incredible resolve and patient and aptitude for the public process. >> it is never done. it is a constant conversation. and it requires good governance, and it is about the onus on all of us to figure out a graduated pathway for making improvements over time in a beautiful and smart way. so that san francisco can always be proud of its waterfront. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. i'm elaine, and i'm the executive director of the port. [applause] >> thank you. and i'm super honored to present diane tonight. she is one of the few city officials that would say a voter referendum on development is a great idea, but it turned out to be a great idea because it did force and push us into

a planning framework, which has you have seen has produced amazing results. so 20 -- you know, 1997, and then to do the waterfront planning exercise again, she is the architect of our waterfront, and we're so grateful to get to implement now the next generations of fabulous improvements that we can all enjoy. so here is diana oshima. [applause] [cheering] >> i usually speak off my cuff, but i am not going to do that tonight. thank you, spur, everyone, for this recognition. what an honor it is to receive it alongside my fellow awardees and the amazing service that they provide to the city. i'm very kind of

conflicted. it is pretty crazy for me to be standing up here alone because the waterfront is one of those ultimate "it takes a village" kinds of things. and san francisco's waterfront has something for everyone. it is like a little candy store that offers sweets that appeal to so many pleasures and so many public needs, and with the limited resources we have available to us, the only way we can meet those needs is to work together. and that's -- i'm so grateful for the privilege to live a life with the most devoted, smart, and collaborative people that one could ever hope to meet. first, to my husband and best friend, paul... [applause] >> he knows something about good governance, too. and our family, our son,

ian, is here with us tonight. [applause] >> to elaine and to our port commissioners, you're unwavering support, your thoughtful leadership has been the wind in our sails behind us the whole time, and really pushing us to make sure that we include all of the voices in the city conversations. to all of the talented people at the port who work every day, hands on, to keep that waterfront and alive for all of us to enjoy. and to my passionate partners on the waterfront plan team, i would ask you to stand up, but i think you probably already are out there somewhere. we work side by side every day. and they really should be up here, too. byron rhett, david bopray, ann cook, cary killstrom,

carol bach, dan hoda, and brad benson. [applause] >> thank you so much. and even more significantly, perhaps the most significantly, thank you to the waterfront plan working group. their advisory team, the citizens who devote so much of their lives out of a simple but powerful need to serve their city. they do this in their own free time. it is amazing. there were many divergent views, but their intelligence and hard work and respect that everybody brought to that process -- they are the qualities that brought the near unanimous recommendations that are going to drive the update to the policies that will serve our future in the waterfront improvements.

so, of course, a unanimous set of recommendations -- how does that happen? well, we had rudy nothenburg as one of our co-chairs. i don't know if any of you have ever worked with rudy, but he and janice lee, his co-chair, they're the best co-chairs in all of the land. and they were served by a very deep bench, alice rogers, linda richardson, peter hinkle, some of you are here tonight. thank you so much. it is very moving for me because we are at a momentous point in time. we're rea affirmin reaffirming r attitudes about today's waterfront as we actively prepare for the changes and the future to keep us safe and ready to adapt a climate change. the waterfront is a major city lifeline for san francisco and the bay area, and our collaboration across all of the sectors is essential. the embarcadero sea wall,

developing a city-wide resilience framework, i look across the many city departments and i'm constantly amazed and inspired by the creativity and intellectual fire power that my fellow city workers all bring to the job every day. and our ability, collectively, to work together to innovate cutting-edge policies and solutions. so especially in these times, when it is so misunderstood or under attack, i also want to express my deep appreciation to spur and their leadership and their celebration of good government. [applause] [cheering] >> and good governance, which means how it is that we all work together because we have a lot to share within our region, our state, our nation. so let's all keep leaning

in, show what good governance looks and feels like, and it includes all of the wonderful people here tonight who are behind it, who love public service, and who have a passion for creating strong communities and a better world. thank you so much, spur. let's give it up for spur, too. [applause] [cheering] >> thank you very much, diane. you can tell why these five individuals and teams rose to the top of her list. before we close, we want to also say there were other nominees, and those nominees were important in their own right and we don't want to ignore them. if i could just read the nominees and the teams, and it should be up on the screen. hold your applause until i finish.

>> please congratulate all of these people. [applause] >> and we'll end on that note. again, i am so impressed and so grateful that everybody was part of this tonight as opposed to being over on the sides talking. it really does make a huge difference. we really appreciate it. thank you from spur. if you're not involved in spur, please look it up. we do a lot of amazing things. the bar will be open for another hour, so please stay and have a drink on us. thank you very much.

san francisco is surrounded on three sides by water, the fire boat station is intergal to maritime rescue and preparedness, not only for san francisco, but for all of the bay area. [sirens] >> fire station 35 was built in 1915. so it is over 100 years old. and helped it, we're going

to build fire boat station 35. >> so the finished capital planning committee, i think about three years ago, issued a guidance that all city facilities must exist on sea level rise. >> the station 35, construction cost is approximately $30 million. and the schedule was complicated because of what you call a float. it is being fabricated in china, and will be brought to treasure island, where the building site efficient will be constructed on top of it, and then brought to pier 22 and a half for installation. >> we're looking at late 2020 for final completion of the fire boat float. the historic firehouse will remain on the embarcadero, and we will

still respond out of the historic firehouse with our fire engine, and respond to medical calls and other incidences in the district. >> this totally has to incorporate between three to six feet of sea level rise over the next 100 years. that's what the city's guidance is requiring. it is built on the float, that can move up and down as the water level rises, and sits on four fixed guide piles. so if the seas go up, it can move up and down with that. >> it does have a full range of travel, from low tide to high tide of about 16 feet. so that allows for current tidal movements and sea lisle rises in the coming decades. >> the fire boat station float will also incorporate a ramp for ambulance deployment and access. >> the access ramp is

rigidly connected to the land side, with more of a pivot or hinge connection, and then it is sliding over the top of the float. in that way the ramp can flex up and down like a hinge, and also allow for a slight few inches of lateral motion of the float. both the access ramps, which there is two, and the utility's only flexible connection connecting from the float to the back of the building. so electrical power, water, sewage, it all has flexible connection to the boat. >> high boat station number 35 will provide mooring for three fire boats and one rescue boat. >> currently we're staffed with seven members per day, but the fire department would like to establish a new dedicated marine unit that would be able to respond to multiple incidences. looking into the future, we have not only at&t

park, where we have a lot of kayakers, but we have a lot of developments in the southeast side, including the stadium, and we want to have the ability to respond to any marine or maritime incident along these new developments. >> there are very few designs for people sleeping on the water. we're looking at cruiseships, which are larger structures, several times the size of harbor station 35, but they're the only good reference point. we look to the cruiseship industry who has kind of an index for how much acceleration they were accommodate. >> it is very unique. i don't know that any other fire station built on the water is in the united states. >> the fire boat is a regionalesset tharegional assete used for water rescue, but

we also do environmental cleanup. we have special rigging that we carry that will contain oil spills until an environmental unit can come out. this is a job for us, but it is also a way of life and a lifestyle. we're proud to serve our community. and we're willing to help people in any way we can.