has done. herr her innovative practices have become not just a model for california but for the nation. she has transformed san francisco's juvenile justice system into a national model for rehabilitation and innovation. she's strong, compassionate, caring, hard working woman who committed to her community, and when things go down, people know to call patty, 100%. and i can say that with personal experience with two of my constituents involved in balboa high school. they said we were referred to patty's pamphlet of knowing your rights. her passion for justices come from personal experiences in

the breakdown of the juvenile justice system. as a young mother of two, she witnessed these inequities, and decided to devote her life to making sure that youth had a chance, i know she's committed and always believed in giving people a second chance. the late san francisco public defender have honored her in many ways. as jeff adachi stated, patty's advocacy over the last 40 years have changed the lives of countless children and youth. when she was hired back in the 70's, san francisco had one of the highest rate of sending youth to state lockups. today, we have the lowest rate of any county in california. [applause] >> supervisor safai: she's

happily married and the mother of four strong women. patty, i'm truly honored to recognize you as this year's nominee. >> thank you. we've shed many tears over the past few weeks, and actually, today, are tears of joy just seeing my group of supporters, my homies, my family, my husband over there. i accept this award on behalf of jeff adachi, and i know that jeff is looking down on all of us. were it not for jeff's spirit, energy, we wouldn't be where we are today, and i especially want to thank supervisor safai and his aides, for recommending

me for this very, very distinction among the most incredible women that i see in this room. it is an honor. as mark twain stated, the two most important days in your life are when you are born, and the day you find out why. and i found out why almost 40 years ago, when i wassed hire be in the public defender's office, and i rode in the float in the chinese new year's parade with my old boss, bob nico. i've been so privileged to serve the youth and families over the past three decades.

it's really an honor to be here for something that i love and i am passionate about. we all share the same goal, and i looked at my group of friends and family here to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system. secondly, those that touch the system, we want to ensure that those touch light, and they do not ever go deeper into the system. we've been fortunate to have an office that's provided holistic defense to move youth of the system so they can overcombarriers to education, employment success, and ultimately, everything we want, which is to lead productive lives and to give back to our communities. through our work locally and statewide, we've advocated to improve juvenile defense, to provide for collaboration with families and communities, and

with our justice partners. this was very recently reflected in the jeff adachi youth rights bill which enjoys the support of all of the communities, the schools, and even the san francisco police department. we know that working together, we can prevent violence and work towards safe and supportive communities. we've seen it work. we've developed magic programs. we have an education program in our office, and we know for every day that a child is in school, they are out of jail. so my oscar moment, i didn't want to forget my thank yous. i want to thank my fellow warriors in the public defender's office that are here, especially those in the juvenile unit in their zealous

defense. i thank the bench who is also here, presiding judge, my confiddante, and judge roger lam, who used to work with me in the public defender's office. mr. jack jacqua, juvenile jack. and my colleagues at the juvenile center. i also want to extend a big thank you to the many community-based organizations that we have partners with to reduce incarceration of children, provide for community programs to work with our youth and families in the community. we know it works in the community. we do not want to

institutionalize services in a building that is broken. so i thank you all, and last but not least, i would not be able to do that without the support of my family. i have four daughters. unfortunately, they couldn't make it, and my husband, gill grahgill -- gil graham, who's sitting there. [applause] >> i couldn't do it without you. i thank you for all your love and support. i know he wants to go traveling, but there's so much more work to be done. thank you, supervisors. it's been an honor, and thank you, families. [applause] [inaudible]

>> president yee: next up will be supervisor ronen from district nine, and her honoree will be juliana milanese. >> supervisor ronen: otherwise known as juli. there's a ton of people in the overflow room, and i'm hoping they can come to chambers. and there's a ton of people outside that i want to make sure come in. so if you're in the overflow room, please come into the board chambers. and juli, if you want to make

your way up to the front? i get to order you around. if you'll get your butt up to the front. [applause] >> supervisor ronen: i was just given a sticker that says juli is the boss. i'm going to put that on aaron peskin right here. all right. i just want to give a couple of moments for everyone to come in. you have a lot of fans, juli.

[inaudible singing] [applause] >> supervisor ronen: all right. i can't tell you how excited i am about this. i get to talk in front of a lot of people about you, juli, and i get to say whatever i want. but i promise i'm going to be nice. i -- this woman right here, who's a pain in the ass also happens to be a beloved, beloved friend of mine, and she is a force of nature. you know here as juli. her proper italian name is juliana milanese and i'm sure you all know her well because whether she wanted it or not, she either works on her campaign with bugging on every single day or she was heckling you and trying to stop you from getting into office, but either

way, she was on one side or the other. [applause] >> supervisor ronen: and i cannot think of a better way to celebrate the contributions of this remarkable woman than to celebrate our own red witch, which perfectly describes juli. her deep commitment to social justice, her love for friends and family, and her wise circle of friends and comrades make her a perfect partner for somebody like myself. she was born in oakland to immigranted who had a small grocery -- immigrants who had a small grocery store. she attended public school

where she learned to be the out going rebel that she is today. she became an active -- in the civil rights movement after seeing how her own community of italian immigrants made their ladder up the american dream while african american immigrants could not. juli and many others divide the u.s. embargo on travel to cuba to participate in the sugar cane harvest. there, she met her soul mate, the love of her life and her future husband, bill soro, as they cut cane in the field of

you cuba. she and fiphil were leaders to save the international hotel, home to many poor and elderly immigrants, the surviving core of what had been a thriving filipino community at the edge of chinatown. in the early 70's, they moved into a small room, where they they helped to -- where there, they helped to fight the forced eviction. for nearly 30 years more until the site was finally rebuild as affordable senior housing, and a new home for the manilatown heritage foundation. [applause] >> supervisor ronen: juli calls the two years that she and phil lived in the i hotel the best of their life. with their first child on the way, they moved into a house in

bernal heights where bill's large family had lived for generations. they went onto have two sons together, julio and joaquin. i see julio here. is joaquin -- when their best friends kendra and frank lynn passed away, juli and bill welcomed their son into her home. she retired early when bill received a dire cancer diagnosis, and she devoted herself to his care. tragically, bill passed in 2007, but juli continues their fight for social justice in a breath taking number of ways. her fierce passion for justice is wide and it is deep. in the 1990's, she was part of the committees of correspondence, an effort to

reform the communist party in the united states which led to the creation of the center for political education now housed at the eric quesada center at 510 valencia. she has been an essential part of their campaign for solution does, not suspensions, and to address the racial achievement gap in san francisco schools. she helped found and nurture jobs for justice, where our colleague, gordon mar, used to be the executive director which continues to grow as a world class movement advocating for worker rights. her tireless advocacy includes medicare for fall, quality school education and more. juli is a true lover of humanity. believe it or not, she can be a softy when it comes to babies

and kid and her dog. she is a prolific cook, and if you know her at all, i'm pretty sure she's handed you a petition and ordered -- i mean politely ask for you to sign it. my words only scratch the surface of this powerful, loving, and revolutionary woman that is juli milanese. years from now, when our children is living on a just, equal, and loving horizon, we will have juli to thank. when my husband and i were

looking for someone to offi kroffi -- officiate our wedding, juli was our only choice. we got married in october, and in the middle of the ceremony we had carefully planned, she stopped, ordered everyone to take out a piece of paper and a pen, and told everyone how to vote in november. it wasn't planned, but it was perfect, and it was our juli. there's one more thing before i turned over the mic. in january, i wore a difficult t-shirt here with pride to point out the hypocrisy of labels that strong and daring

women wcarry. juli, i got you one and i hope you will wear it with as much pride as you wear the one that says, i'm not bossing,y, i jus know what you should be doing. ladies and gentlemen, give a huge round of applause for juli milanese. [applause] >> can i cut you off here for once? supervisor ronen said that i could add a little bit to her

recognition of you. so i just wanted to -- well, thank you so much, supervisor ronen, for honoring somebody who's so close to us and so many people, so many others here in the chamber here today and beyond in the city. juli's been a uniquely impactful organizer for racial and economic justice in our city, in our social movements, and as -- as we've heard, you know, you've been -- for decades, a relentless and -- force of nature, and -- and also -- i'm just trying to find the words here, yeah. and just -- just an incredible -- i think particularly mentor and inspiration to literally generations of activists here

in the city. and so thank you so much, juli. you're so deserving of this recognition here today at the board of supervisors, where you -- you've really been who so many times for so many important causes over the years. i would also say you've been such a holy terror for all enemies, all enemies of the people and really, a colleague for your closest friends over the years. >> supervisor fewer: may i say one word? >> president yee: supervisor fewer? >> supervisor fewer: thank you, supervisor yee. thank you for honoring this wonderful woman. i have to say, i met juli when i was working at coleman advocates for children and youth. i knew her at someone who fed all of us. i saw her at a time when i

think was her deepest sadness, the loss of her husband, but she bounced back. this is an example to all of us, giving to the community of san francisco. it was juli who jacked me up, who said, you're running, aren't you? you're running, aren't you? juli, i don't know if i should thank you or hit you. but i just want to say, you have never given up on the hope of a future for san francisco. you are never given up on the voices that are the most marginalized and need the most help. you have been out there, bugging people, knocking on doors, bugging us to sign those positions and get those petitions for other people to sign. you have never given up hope, and would you see of that, you have given us hope.

today, juli, this is a small commendation. it is such a small token of appreciation of what you have done for us, and the generations of youth that you inspire, your grandchildren and everyone whose lives you have touch, i commend you, also, and i thank you, juli. thank you so much. [applause] >> president yee: supervisor peskin. >> supervisor peskin: don't worry, juli, everything that can be said has been said, but not everybody has said it yet. i will only add that this human being is the only person who could control chris daly and tom ammiano. >> president yee: juli, i think you're up.

>> as your favorite liberal democratic friend -- >> i punch him all the time. >> you punch me all the time. thank you, juli, for everything you've done for this city and for everything you've done for me, and for so many people in this chamber. i join with my colleagues in thanking you for being awesome. >> okay. i'm going to speak now. i wrote my comments because if i just speak spontaneously, god knows what i'm going to say. so tonight, i dedicate my honor to our beautiful comrads who left us too early, and who fought for justice and equality until their last day.

now for the women in my life, whom i respect, i want to honor. when my daughters, my granddaughters, and from my moment, nija, chasan, vanessa, tina, tere, and tracey. and in closing, as much as i love and respect hillary, i did go to the commission on ageing -- [inaudible] [laughter]

[applause] >> all of us? [inaudible]

[inaudible singing] [applause] >> president yee: so as the crowd is leaving quietly, thank

you, like to call up supervisor peskin representing district three to call up in a second his honoree. i'm just going to wait until the door closes.

today, i'm honored to honor the youngest person to serve on the california coastal committee in 2017, miss sarah amenzada. [applause] >> supervisor peskin: i think this is the first time since 1976 that san francisco has had two representatives on the coastal commission. we had a -- i really got to know her when we held a reception for her at the san francisco yacht club. she hails from supervisor haney's district, and she used law, policy, and communications to defend californiians' rights to a healthy environment. i actually know her to be more of a fierce warrior for environmental justice and someone who has brought some

much appreciated humor to the california coastal commission where we meet around the state once a month. she never shies away from peppering presenters or should i say unknowing victims with lines of questioning. her student note, 2006, on the human rights impacts of sea level rise, was one of the first legal papers to recognize the impacts of climate change on underserved and disadvantages communities not only in california but around the world. she went onto author a chapter in a legal textbook outlining california's environmental law to protect the environment and communities from sea level rise impacts and now as an attorney she applies that in her job. she was a keeper of the california coastal alliance for

eight years, and in that role urged legislative actions against polluted run off, and the ongoing damage of the trump administration. she creates new networks and campaigns to build power in sacramento for the environment, including the blue business council, which took on offshore oil drilling under this federal administration, and the clean water accountability projects which helped strengthen our state and regionial water boards, but one of my favorite stories about sarah i think illustrates her intrepid nature or maybe that she's just a bad ass. in all of these meetings, we only once adjourned early. we were up in santa rosa, california.

so sarah talked a number of the commissioners into going on a canoe trip down the russian river. and not only did she beat everyone relative at the speed category, with you right at the top of the river, six months pregnant, she rescued a man whose canoe had tipped over and rescued him. it was a sight to behold. she created the swimmable california campaign, working with san francisco artists, three fish studios, to design a swimmable bear, pledging to keep california swimmable, which managed to end up hanging in both conservative and

progressi progressive legislators' offices in san francisco. i even got her to come swimming with me in san francisco bay, and unlike supervisor stefani, she did not wear a wet suit. she also founded the king tides project, capturing the images of ultrahigh tide events to spur recognition of what rising sea level events will look like, and i actually managed to participate in this as a citizen, taking pictures and putting them on social media, along with many others in the northeast corner of the city. sarah now serves as a water program officer at the pisces organization. she's joined today by her husband, max, and her son, who i recommended be named caltrans, but is actually named henry, and she -- who she

brings to many of our coastal commissions, to the joy of all of her colleagues. congratulations, sarah. [applause] >> thank you so much. you know, i would say that there must be some kind of a mistake for me to be counted among this group of women, but as we all know, supervisor peskin does not make mistakes like that. i am truly humbled to be sitting here, and listening to the lifetime achievements of all of the honorees, i am awe struck. when i was in law school, i hoped i would deliver fiery remarks before the board of supervisors or make a made. i never thought i would be on

the coastal commission to make decisions about the way our coast and land was use and had to have the potential to defend it against sea level rise and climate change impacts, so i'm truly blessed for that reason. and i just want to say, you know, supervisor peskin has been a mentor to me on the commission. not only for executing political power plays, but also really to uplift women. he's truly a champion for women, not only on days like today, but every single day in ways that are visible to all. i also want to thank my husband, max, who is a civil rights advocate in his own right and a champion of women. and that's true in general, and that's true specifically. he took him off to take our son to coastal commission meetings and to be here today, and i'm truly grateful to both of you, and i'm truly grateful to be

here today. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you so much, sarah. before i present this to you, i wanted to tell you that supervisor safai, who had to step out, told me to tell you happy naruz. >> president yee: okay. next up, supervisor gordon mar, district four. >> supervisor mar: thank you, president yee. the theme for this year's

women's history month is peace and nonviolence. in recognition that there could be no sense of peace without justice, i'm pleased to honor someone who's been a tireless advocate for justice in our cities, our state, and our country. as an organizer for the san francisco coalition protest transgender the dakota access pipeline, jackie has been at the forefront of lifting up native voices, protecting our earth, water, and climate. as a leader of madaska talks, she follows the money, tracing injustice to its roots, speaks truth to those in power, and gives power to those without. she serves on the board of the young women's freedom center, working on the system that keeps women, girls, and gender'

nonconforming people of color stuck in various cycles. she recognizes that it's time san francisco put our money where our mouth is in divesting from public prisons and fossil you fuels. jackie we are better for your hope and leadership. you provide so much hope for the future of our planet and our humanity, and i'm grateful to have you as a constituent and for the chance to recognize you today. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, supervisor mar. i'm really humbled to be in such a cohort of women with entire legacies in this city. i'm pretty new to the city of san francisco. i was born and raised in lob, and san francisco is, as we

know, it's ground zero for lots, lots of social issues, one of them foremost being homelessness and affordability, economic inequality, two of the buzz words that we year. but two years ago, i was in this chamber with a group of strangers that felt really passionately struck by this movement called the no dakota access pipeline, started at standing rock in protest of this pipeline that went through indigenous territory of the lakota people. my grandpa grew up on the cheyenne river reservation which is just south of standing rock. and our families' generations go back to since before this country was ever even founded

into that river. so the -- thinking about women's history month and the theme of nonviolence, what drew people to this chamber, and after a seven-hour board meeting, talking about eucalyptus trees or what else -- not that that's not important, but what drew people was the explicit violence of a militaryized police force coming after the indigenous people of this continent in service of a corporation and in service of the nation state that upholds the property laws and other laws that allow that corporation to exert its autonommy on whoever it deems

exposable. water protector, indigenous person, nonindigenous person staring down the barrel of a gun. but we also don't acknowledge the violence that comes from just living a passive existence in this city, whether it's a single plastic or maybe walking by and seeing the police exert their force on the homeless or someone else. it's economic violence if, and i think something that we forget in san francisco and being our bubble of politics and tech and innovation is that whatever we do here affects people not even in this city. and that's the whole reason why after that movement, after

the -- that drive here in this chamber for diversement and -- that -- divestment that still continues today, and the public pension divestment, decided to stay here in the city despite the affordability struggles. and so many activists and organizers know that struggle to just cave to the crushing affordable here, and the heart break that one has to endure just walking the streets. and so i want to thank all of the woman and men and gender nonconforming nonbinary people in my peoplife who have contin to stay here in the city who point out the different types of violence and the apathy of the world, who have chosen to not run away but continue

standing here. [applause] >> president yee: okay. next up, supervisor mandelman, representing district eight. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, president yee. karen scultede, come on up. meet karen, everyone.

our district eight visionary women, noe valley resident, and proud mom. she is the executive director of open house, a nonprofit that provides housing, and community engagement for lgbtq seniors. she joined open house in february 2017 just as they opened the door to san francisco's first 40 units of lgbtq welcoming senior housing at 45 laguna. thanks to karen's leadership, they will be opening 95 more doomore -- 75 more units, at 95 laguna. now, of course, as i keep saying, we need about a dozen more of these in san francisco, and we need dozens more throughout san francisco that are culturally appropriate for all of the communities that

need senior housing in this city. so -- but more on that later. no discussion about open house's accomplishments can happen without first recognizing dr. marcy adelman. she founded open house in 1998 with her late partner, and it's thanks to her vision that this is a reality in san francisco. karen is part of that proud tradition of strong, queer women now continuing the work and reminding us that the fight for queer libberation is not over until this is housing, acceptance, and safety for all. they recently joined powers with on lock to address the fear that many queer elders face when trying to access

housing or care. 70% of lgbtq individuals feel it would be unsafe to be out in the care community. far too many of our elderes retreating back into the closet to get care or not accessing care at all. i'm grateful to karen and the staff at on lock to take on this critical effort. she served as the vice president in health services, overseeing the institute on ageing pace program and psychology and counseling services. in 10, she received the

california association of adult day services for her clinical and exemplary work in enhancing health care. i want to thank karen for continuing that work today. i am looking forward to working with karen on the next dozen open house developments. are you ready, karen? >> i'm ready. >> supervisor mandelman: and would you like to say a few words? >> well, thank you, supervisor mandelman. i have to remember not to call you rafi when we're in formal chambers. when they called to say i had been nominated for the award, i said i didn't think i was worthy of receiving the award or ready to receive the award because i hadn't done enough yet. and i thought now wait a minute. my male colleagues should have readily accept -- would have readily accept the award.

the women in the chamber and the women coming after me, i'm pretty sure i'm back in the position of feeling not quite worthy of receiving this yet. so thank you very much for doing that. you know, i have a funny thing that happens to me, which is when i tell people that my career and my work and any passion is in serving seniors, they say lovely things back to me, like ugh, and that must be so depressing. and i want to tell you that i am incredibly fortunate. i go to work every single day to serve the people who created the privileges that i enjoy. i go to work every single day, standing next to my heros and really, the people who started the lgbtq movement not just in san francisco but across the country. i don't really get any of those comments because i feel pressure like i have the luckiest job that a person

could ever have. so i accept this award on behalf of them, on behalf of the queer women who never would have been nominated for any kind of award, for the trans women who we still need to be nominating for more awards for their fierce leadership in starting the lgbtq movement and for all of the seniors and queer people who know we can build a community where elder people are central in our lives and in our fight for social justice. i believe we can do it, and it means a lot to me that you believe it, too. [applause] >> and i totally did not thank my wife because i'm the worst, so i just want to also say thank you to my wife, sarah, and to our two kids, quinn and noti nova, who share me with open house in the important work that i do.

i'm probably the first women in a bow tie to accept the women's leadership, and let there be many more. [applause] >> president yee: okay. thank you. supervisor fewer, you're up next, from district one.

>> supervisor fewer: thank you very much, president yee. i'd like to call up to the podium sarah wan. colleagues, i am proud to introduce our honoree for women's history month, our champion for peace and nonviolence, a district one resident, sarah wan. sarah truly wears many hats and see a heavy weight when it comes to moving minds, hearts and policies impacting young people in san francisco. c.y.c. has been an integral part of many communities, including richmond, and bayview. she attended university of california berkeley, and pursued her masters of social

work degree at san francisco state university in 2002. after graduating from u.c. berkeley, she received a scholarship for a year-long cultural exchange program in japan. she was multicultural, multilingual, and has dedicated her work on improving the lives of young people in san francisco. as a former school board member, i know firsthand how hard sarah works to support and empower our immigrant a.p.i. youth to be the leaders of tomorrow. her work at c.y.c. also includes assisting immigrant families to navigate our educational systems and providing a safe place for them to meet their potential in our society. when reflecting on this year's theme of champions of peace and nonviolence, sarah naturally came to mind as her entire

career has been dedicated on youth leadership development with a strong focus on gang violence and juvenile delinquency prevention. sarah created at c.y.c. the program young asian women against violence, otherwise known as yawav. youth leaders learn about the root causes and impacts of violence in asian and pacific islander communities. the goals are to strengthen the resilience, knowledge, and skills of youth leaders so they can educate their communities. participants in yawav receive classes in leader community and community organizing to help

strengthen nondescribe lenses in all women and girls. they strive to advocate for equality and social justice for all women and girls. her positions have included positions as a young and family council, assistant director and executive director. she has served on the juvenile justice commission since 2013 and has served on the commission for the environment since 2013. she serves on a number of community based council and collaboratives including serving as a cochair on the a.p.i. council. sarah, we want to thank you for all your work, creating a world of peace for future generations. thank you so much. [applause] >> president yee: hold on. hold on -- sarah, hold on. there's -- supervisor walton who wants to say a few words,

and i'll say a few words, also. >> supervisor walton: so thank you so much, president yee. i just wanted to say that i was excited to see supervisor fewer is honoring sarah today. sayer is a colleague that i worked for for several years. unifying community is exciting and it's been exciting to watch her in her work over the years. so i just wanted to say that i'm excited to see you here today and wanted to thank supervisor fewer for honoring you because this is well served. >> president yee: supervisor peskin? >> supervisor peskin: thank you, president yee. i just wanted to echo what my colleague said. i think it's amazing i can see you every day all over the community, doing everything that needs to be done in the

community, with benefits that go beyond employment. she's helping people make chinatown cleaner and cleaner and cleaner, but also she's in that district and that district and that district. so sarah, it's pretty amazing what you do. thank you for everything. >> president yee: sarah, i guess i've known you the longest, since you first started at c.y.c. i watched you grow. and you think that in 22 years, you must have started when you were ten years old or something. what i've seen is you being program director and eventually interim director -- interim executive director, and you kept it up, and they said you're going to be the permanent executive director. i was really glad when i seen that happen because what i've seen with the organization

itself, the impact that i've seen was more community oriented in chinatown. and what i've seen now is an organization that has impact throughout san francisco, so congratulations to you. sarah? >> thank you, supervisors. supervisors, you're really the leaders that i love up to, so it's really honor to receive the award from supervisor sandra lee fewer. as you know, i really can't accept this honor without really acknowledging the dream team that i have because that's what move me every day to come to work and make sure that we show up at this district, that district, and this district. i can't go out calling them out, including my director of operation, my program managers, and also some that cannot be

here because without this dream team, it's possible that we serve over 8,000 youth per year. this is not my award, this is a recognition of the great work that they have done. i will accept it on behalf of them. thank you. i come before such great woman before that have helped san francisco grow into what it is today and will continue to inspire my work. thank you so much. [applause] [please stand by]

>> thank you. today, for women's history month , and a true champion of peace and nonviolence, i'm proud to recognize mother and activist , mattie scott.

[applause] -- mattie scott. she is a long-term resident of the western edition, and i have known known her and her work for over 15 years. she is a san francisco chapter leader, of mothers in charge. she is also the executive director of a healing for our families and our nation. her journey began with a heartbreak. on july 17th, 1996, her youngest sun mac was shot and killed while attending a graduation party in the western edition. she says this senseless act of violence produced a ripple effect of an even greater pain on my family, neighbors, community and our city. ninety-six homicides ripped our safety of san francisco that year, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and fear for my other children's lives set in and disrupted my life. three months