the tenant at 19 gladys street. i live right next door. basically i just came to talk about the impact of quality of life. the front yard that it will be effecting is the only outdoor space that i have. with my unit, i have such a lack of natural light in my unit, i actually brought pictures that i'd like to show of the window space that i have in my unit that is going to be blocked if you can pull those up. i live in the studio and the only windows that i have are that front corner bathroom. so that's the back area where there are no windows and then this is the unit, the front two windows that will be blocked by the new addition and this is the end view.

you can see right -- i get nervous. so the fence is right here and then the deck is right here because my apartment is setback a little bit. and so this unit is basically going to be blocking all the air flow and light that comes in. and then how i do change the other picture? so then, this is the only source of light that i have in my entire apartment. the other light that i have is blocked by a wall and then i think you saw the first picture that i pulled up, the other wall doesn't have any windows at all. so that is just the point i wanted to bring up. it's the lighting and air flow and the front deck. thank you for your time. i really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> is there any other public comments? seeing none. we'll move on to rebuttle. we will hear from the appellant.

>> thank you. so, i think what is clear from what you have heard tonight is the appellant isn't opposed to any variance or any project at this property. esso posed to this variance and it's because the variance shouldn't be granted where it will cause injury to the neighbors, including a tenant who is going to be effectively boxed in by this project. the height of the project as proposed is 32 feet to the peek of the roof. if we can bring that down by just a few feet, we're going to be able to mitigate many of the negative impacts. our client is willing to compromise and willing to -- he has offered to contribute money to help achieve another solution that is going to work for all of the neighbors. and we believe that that solution is more feasible from an engineering standpoint and won't significantly increase the costs with us to sit down with

their engineers and we haven't been able to do that yet. so, i'd like to just hand over so we can talk about why it's the most workable alternative to develop this site. >> so, i have been in front of the planning commission numerous times in this exact issue. you can't do these with the current 317 rules and the current building code rules. six months ago the building permit showed up and explained to the planning commission and the light went on that on the property line issues, there are fundamental challenges. there's going to be another hearing. you guys should go to it. april 23rd. there's going to be another joint meeting. there's a dysfunctional tee between the building code and planning code on 317. the same issue is here. they have a very tall wall. unreinforced concrete that has to add eight feet and they're going to have to tear down the

back half of this building that is not included in the demo. after the building permits is done, send it back to planning. let planning look at it after the calculations are done, after the building department marked it up. ask the building department, how do you build this building when you add an additional-storey at the back of the building and you have a 20-foot vertical cut and you are claiming this is a remodel. if you really believe that, there's a bridge. you cannot do this building with the code as it established. they need to get rid of 317. right now, 317 is the rule. so when they're out there building it and they're having to comply with means and methods and the fire code and the property line, there won't be a building there. and the neighbor won't be my client will drive by and file a complaint and we will be back here. you guys have seen a number of de facto demolitions.

this is a d defacto demolition coming back. >> have you been in the tent att space. >> no, i've walked around. >> so you've been to the property? >> i've been in the unit. i've been in the owner's space above. >> looking at the picture it looks like there was divided space. >> pardon me? >> from the picture on the overhead it looks like divided space. if there's divided space shouldn't there be air flow and windows in that second area? do you understand my question? >> i haven't been in her unit. i've walked by those windows and those windows appeared to be setback in the property line but it didn't go into her unit. >> thank you. >> thank you. we will hear from the determination holder. variance holder. thank you. >> thank you.

my name is mayson kirby. i'm the architect. you've raised questions that i hope to address as clear as possible. number one, the nature of the renderings, primary distinction between rendering a and b was that the rendering, which showed the addition blocking most of the view was from the ground level of the front yard. this particular view, if i can have the overhead, please. is actually from the inside of his living room at a seated height level. you will note that the rail on the deck is elevation 204.4 and our new roof elevation is at 203.4 effectively lower from a seated position and obviously when you stand, the have you comes back to you. i think it's important if i can zoom in with your help to this area in the plan.

i'm going to draw on the plan and i'm going to show you where the windows are of the tenant space and you will be a bit more informed in that the fence you out out of the tenant space is belonging to dan, the other neighbor. this is the subject property and here is the location of the windows under consideration. so the nature of the impact i think is stated in a manner that doesn't rise to the attention of this board. it's a fair question to acknowledge this is a unique urban condition practiced in this neighborhood for 15 years two blocks from this site. i'll tell you this is one of the most interesting urban areas or sites we've had to deal with.

frankly, to be rhetorical, we would love to have an opportunity to develop this site permit into an addendum and have it reviewed by the building permit but if you will take note, this was originally submitted in 2015. it's now 2019. and i anticipate that david and his team will be in a position to protest and object to this project as long as they can. and it's not relevant for our client to be in a position to accept a threat from someone who is in a position to wonder when they're going to evaluate it. if there are any other questions, i'm happy to answer them. >> maybe this isn't part of the variance that discussion. it's going to be a discussion as brought up by the public comment about the retaining wall and about the placement of a potential placement of a drain.

i saw the dominoes fall in that scenario very significantly. do you have a comment on that? the real impact of having to redo a retaining wall and then potentially putting a drain as a result of a change of scenery there? >> yes, i think it's a fair question to raise. number one, it's a misstatement to suggest it's a 20-foot high retaining wall. the wall follows the contours of the hill as it slides down towards the left-hand side of the property. at its shortest, it's a better part of five and a half feet and it also at its height, greatest height is 10 or 12 feet towards the end of the property. in this instance, ha wall establishes the grade plain boundary between the adjacent neighbor and all of the wood framing that exists in rob's current home. sod idea of digging down as was

suggested by the team, would absolutely compel us to redo that wall for purposes of establishing a waterproof condition on the backside of that wall. it would compel us to have a parameter drain, et cetera, et cetera. realizing it was a cave we didn't know the end of, we essentially decided to do a vertical addition and know that we could manage some of the lateral and vertical loads as were pressed. i think the idea that you would have an opportunity to raise that wall or lower the top of that wall is something we're not interested in doing because we do, in that carrying we would have to waterproof the backside of it. there's an important comment with regard to how would you access a property line wall to establish fire rating so on and so fourth. in this instance, the wood

framed wall on top of that wall, if you look in this diagram is accessible from the neighbor's property so it's not a zero lot line wall in that respect. >> have you been the architect on this project since 2015? >> yes. >> i just want to ask a little bit about how the project has changed at all as soon as the many conversations with neighbors or the planning department, what has been some of the evolution that the project has seen? >> what you need to know is we looked at a possibility avenue digging out and doing a basement renovation and we talked about the i am practicality of having that be a water-tight environment. that too would require a variance and affirmative variance to build into that portion of the space. we went threw a neighborhood and reapplication meeting process, the team did not attend any of the meetings that we had prior to submitting the site permit. when we submitted the site permit it wasn't until the

30-day notice started that we realized there was something that we would have to deal with in terms of the neighborhood condition. prior to -- through the site permit review process, we did modify the exterior of the building. on the top floor we set it back of the street in compliance of the team. we created the useful sort of outdoor deck open spaces to satisfy the requirement that there would be some outdoor space for these spaces. so there was an intent to not just have a level right on top but it was designed to basically step back on all sides that we could reasonably foresee. we tried to maintain the integrity of the existing building as possible and there's not a wall we intend to

materially change on the existing level as well. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> anything further? commissioners, this matter is submitted. >> commissioners. >> i'm of the mind that the -- i grow with the findings in the variance. cities change overtime. this is an example of that. in 1941, having a lot of size was permissable. a few years later it was not ok. now it's 2019 and we have design guidelines, we have things that were not perceived at that time or even thought of. i feel that the addition is modest. it doesn't seem -- i can sympathize with some of the impacts of the neighbors but i at the same time think the

variance findings, i agree with them. >> after going through the brief, i initially had some serious questions. after hearing both the appellant and permit holder as well as the department, give explanations to the questions that i have, i'm in line with my fellow commissioner. >> i guess i'll take a little different approach then. i am sympathetic to the permit -- the variance holder in terms of what he would like for his family. i think that is a right that he should have. the reason i may be at variance -- excuse me. [laughter] that was a bad term. in opposition to the variances and it's not based upon what the appellants have brought fourth in terms of their view blockage,

the sight lines. the question is did they satisfy the five criteria for the variance? i don't think they have. especially variances the criteria number three. so i'm not prepared to vote to allow the variance to continue. >> someone want to make a motion? >> i would move to deny the appeal and uphold the variances issued by the department on the basis it was properly issued. >> ok. we have a motion from commissioner tanner to deny the appeal and uphold the variance. on the basis of it was properly

issued on that motion. president fung. >> no. >> commissioner lazarus. >> aye. >> commissioner honda. >> aye. >> vice president swig. >> aye. >> ok. so that motion carries and appeal is denied. that is our last case. this meeting is adjourned. >> thank you. >> look at that beautiful

jellyfish. the way to speak to students and motivate them to take action, to save the planet, they do, they care and my job is to speak to them in a way that they can understand that touches their heart and makes them feel powerful with simple actions to take every day. ♪ ♪ >> i was born and raised in the desert of palm springs, california. my dad was the rabbi in the community there. what i got from watching my father on stage talking to the community was learning how to be in the public. and learning how to do public speaking and i remember the first time i got up to give my first school assembly, i felt my

dad over my shoulder saying pause for drama, deliver your words. when i was a kid, i wanted to be a teacher. and then when i got into high school, i decided i wanted to get into advertising and do graphic art and taglines and stuff like that. by the time i was in college, i decided i wanted to be a decorator. but as i did more work, i realized working my way up meant a lot of physical labor. i only had so much energy to work with for the rest of my life and i could use that energy towards making a lot of money, helping someone else make a lot of money or doing something meaningful. i found the nonprofit working to save the rainforest was looking for volunteers. i went, volunteered and my life changed. suddenly everything i was doing had meaning. stuffing envelopes had meaning,

faxing out requests had meaning. i eventually moved up to san francisco to work out of the office here, given a lot of assembly through los angeles county and then came up here and doing assemblies to kids about rainforest. one of my jobs was to teach about recycle, teaching students to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, i'm teaching them they have the power, and that motivates them. it was satisfying for me to work with for the department of environment to create a message that gets to the heart of the issue. the san francisco department of environment is the only agency that has a full time educational team, we go into the schools to help teach children how to protect nature and the environment. we realized we needed animal

mascot to spark excitement with the students. the city during the gold rush days, the phoenix became part of the city feel and i love the symbolism of the phoenix, about transformation and the message that the theme of the phoenix provides, we all have the power to transform our world for the better. we have to provide teachers with curriculum online, our curriculum is in two different languages and whether it's lesson plans or student fact sheets, teachers can use them and we've had great feedback. we have helped public and private schools in san francisco increase their waste use and students are working hard to sort waste at the end of the lunch and understand the power of reusing, reducing, recycling

and composting. >> great job. >> i've been with the department for 15 years and an environmental educator for more than 23 years and i'm grateful for the work that i get to do, especially on behalf of the city and county of san francisco. i try to use my voice as intentionally as possible to suppo support, i think of my grandmother who had a positive attitude and looked at things positively. try to do that as well in my work and with my words to be an uplifting force for myself and others. think of entering the job force as a treasure hunt. you can only go to your next clue and more will be revealed. follow your instincts, listen to your gut, follow your heart, do what makes you happy and pragmatic and see where it takes

you and get to the next place. trust if you want to do good in this world, that hi, i'm lawren doing a special series about staying safe. let's look at issues of water and sewer. we are here at the san francisco urban center on mission street in san francisco and i'm joined today by marrielen from puc and talk about water and sewer issues. what are things we should be concerned about water. >> you want to be prepared for that scenario and the recommendation is to have

stored 1 gallon per person per day that you are out of water. we recommend that you have at least 3-5 days for each person and also keep in consideration storage needs for your pets and think about the size of your pets and how much water they consume. >> the storage which is using tap water which you are going to encourage. >> right. of course at the puc we recommend that you store our wonderful delicious tap water. it's free. it comes out of the tap and you can store it in any plastic container, a clean plastic container for up to 6 months. so find a container, fill it with water and label it and rotate it out. i use it to water my garden. >> of course everyone has plastic bottles which we are not really promoting but it is a common way to store it. >> yes. it's an easy way to pick up bottles to store it. just make sure you check the

label. this one says june 2013. so convenient you have an end date on it. >> and there are other places where people have water stored in their houses. >> sure. if you have a water heater or access to the water heater to your house, you can drink that water and you can also drink the water that the in the tank of your toilet. ; not the bowl but in your tank. in any case if you are not totally sure about the age of your water or if you are not sure about it being totally clean, you can treat your water at home. there is two ways that you can treat your water at home and one is to use basic household bleach. the recommendation is 8 drops of bleach for ever gallon of water. you add 8 drops of

bleach into the water and it needs to sit for 30 minutes. the other option is to boil water. you need to boil water for 5-10 minutes. after an earthquake that may not be an option as gas maybe turned off and we may not have power. the other thing is that puc will provide information as quickly as possible about recommendations about whether the water is okay to drink or need to treat it. we have a number of twice get information from the puc through twitter and facebook and our website sf water.org. >> people should not drink water from pools or spas. but they could use it to flush their toilets if their source are not broken. let's look at those issues. >> sanitation is another issue

and something people don't usually or like to think about it but it's the reality. very likely that without water you can't flush and the sewer system can be impeded or affected during an earthquake. you need to think about sanitation. the options are simple. we recommend a set up if you are able to stay in your building or house to make sure that you have heavy duty trash bags available. you can set this up within your existing toilet bowl and once it's used. you take a little bit of our bleach. we talked about it earlier from the water. you seal the bag completely. you make sure you mark the bag as human waste and set it aside and wait for instruction about how to dispose of it. be very

aware of cleanliness and make sure you have wipes so folks are able to wash up when dealing with the sanitation issue. >> thank you so much, >> good morning, everyone, the meeting will come to order. welcome to the april 8, 2019, meeting of the rules committee. i supervisor hillary ronen. and sha shamann walton will be here shortly. and seated to my left is gordon mar. our clerk is victor young. and i would like to thank kaleena for staffing this meeting. >> please make sure to

silence all cell phones and electronic devices. documents are to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. items acted upon today, will be on the april 16, 2019, board of supervisors' agenda, unless otherwise stated. >> chairwoman: thank you. can you please read item number one. >> it is a hearing to appoint one member, february 1st, 2020, to the parks recreation and open space advisory committee. one seat. one applicant. >> chairwoman: is ms. ramiro here? don't be nervous. >> good morning. nervousness is an understatement. [laughter] >> thank you. and it gets worse. should i speak? >> chairwoman: yes, please. >> good morning. as you know, my name is aisha meadow, and i'm a

filipino woman, who has been here for over 25 years. and throughout my journey here, i have a been a strong community activist within the city. i have provided countless hours in addressing major issues, not only within my current place, but also around san francisco and outside of the bay. i am a single mother of three children. who have been many parts of parks and rec, multiple different levels, different age grooms. groups. i'm highly involved, and very active. the podiums are nerve-wracking. i don't know about you back there. [laughter] >> chairwoman: you're a single mom of three. you can do this. >> i don't really like the term single mother, but by any means, it is hard work, and i'm very dedicated. and being a product of multiple different

environments, i'm coming from different places, and being able to speak for the masses and the majority. this here alone, being in a room, being at a podium, pushing beyond the limits is basically a test to what i set to prove and to be an example for and leading by example, as a mother, as a woman, as a woman of color, and a strong community activist. the skills i'll be able to bring, being that there be will multiple different challenges or issues coming to face, i am going to graduate with my master's in business in may. and i have a strong background in mental health, not only workinguitworkingwithin the juse committee, but things i will be able to bring to the committee. i am very strong with business development. i have strong finance, the ability to write and implement policy. but, more importantly, is being a strong community activist and building the partnerships with all and every entity throughout san francisco. my biggest focus to why

i'm choosing this particular seat is we're starting somewhere. i have no idea how policy goes, and i'm learning it from this perspective, and it is a little intimidating, but i'm going to fight through it because that's just who i am. i personally would like to focus a lot of my energy and efforts towards the bay view hunters point community specifically to address a lot the of parks, and lack thereof, and increase the safety for not only tfe youth, me having the youngest of four and the oldest of 16, and the middle 11, that i would want to feel comfortable, even though i have grown up in this neighborhood my entire life, to send my children out and not worry about any challenges. instead, i have to drive away from my own community to go to other parks and places for us to feel that bit of safety. and i want to address it because i know i'm notley onlnot theonly one, and i know i will not be the last. and i want to be a

suitable voice to make this change. i want to put in whatever work is necessary, and i will never give up. >> chairwoman: thank you. >> and i did it! [laughter] >> chairwoman: supervisor walton, any comments about your incredible nominee to the park and recs open spaces advisory commission? >> definitely. i was excited to nominate ms. ramiro. as you heard, not just in terms of her qualifications, but in terms of education, and she is native to the community, she has children, and she utilizes the parks, and she is going to be a fighter for equity. and as we look at all of our magnificent parks, we need to make sure that the southeast sector is not forgotten, and also the services that are offered in our parks. i'm excited to have ms. ramiro be ready and willing to serve, and i look forward to moving her forward. >> chairwoman: opening comments? i'm going to open up this

item for public comment. any member of the public wish to speak on this appointment? seeing none, public comment is closed. do you want to make the motion, supervisor walton. >> i would love to nominate ms. ramiro to seat 11 without objection. >> chairwoman: without objection, that motions motion passes. congratulations. [cheering] ch. >> chairwoman>> chairwoman: that the room cheers for an item they haven't come here for, so congratulations, you've made quite an impression. mr. clerk, can you please read item number two. >> the hearing to serve .0point five members, to the immigrant rights commission. >> chairwoman: wonderful, and i believe

adrian pon is here and wants to make some opening remarks. ms. pon is the director of the office of civic engagement and civic affairs. adrienne pon, and i'll just be very brief. we have a wonderful commission, and we're super excited your going to be appointing and considering other names to add to our commission of the work right now is at an all-time high with daily attacks on our immigrant population and our vulnerable community. so we need commissioners who are going to be active, show up for meetings, and help the city develop policy that is good for all of our communities of color, but particularly our most vulnerable members, our immigrant community. we have a lot of commissioners who want to make statements, so i'm just going to leave it at

that. that we've been lucky, for the last few years, that the board has supported appointments and the mayor's office. appointments of honorable, great commissioners, and we ask that you reappoint the four incumbents, and there are several individuals that we would like to see added to the commission. we do summer the voice of youth. and we need that on our commission. and we do not have a member of the trans community on the commission. so those are the gaps that we currently have. i appreciate your consideration. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. i appreciate it. so i am going to now call each of the applicants as they're listed on the agenda. if you could try to limit your remarks to three minutes, we're going to give three minutes for every applicant. i will call you up in

order. first we have ala chisti. good morning. goochisti.>> i'm going to put a timer on so i know -- >> chairwoman: there is a timer. >> cool. good morning, supervisor walton, supervisor ronan, and supervisor mar. my name is aldan. and i have been a community organizer, as a teacher for almost five years. i've taught in san francisco public schools, and i've also taught in d.c. public schools, and for many, many summers, i also taught in a program called "aim high," for summer school, which, also, i was a graduate of. the other piece is my personal background. i am a woman of

muslim/indian descent. my dad came to the states in the '60s, which was a long time ago, and he has a bunch of stories he could share, also. he eventually went back and got married to my mom, and all of my siblings and i were born at s.f.general. me, personally, i went to the university of san francisco. i doubled majored, and triple minored, and i got a master's in education, which is how i ended up teaching. but i also ended up going to u.c. hastings, and i went to d.c. to teach and got my master's in public policy. so i have a huge, huge knowledge of policy, and how policy is important to legislation because it needs to be based on numbers because you cannot refute numbers. you cannot refute numbers, unless you're trump.

and so that's one thing, just my qualifications, and it is a stepping ground as to why i would be appointed because -- one of the reasons why is because i, um -- like, i continue to believe in san francisco's policies for safe and i in inclusivity for all people. i refute the rescission to daca, and refute the continue raids and the separation of families. and that also kind of is a stepping point to the other piece, which is, it is also important -- that's one of the reasons why i think being being appointed is important because it is to educate

new people moving to san francisco, who are born in the u.s., so there is an ununderstanding why immigration rights are so important. that helps send a message. lastly, families are diverse, and they add to the social diversitiy, and they add to the economy locally. and in five seconds, i want to say that 9/11 changed the air, especially for muslims. and it changed the air for muslims around the world and in san francisco, and it became a free-for-all. but that's why it is important to protect families and provide them stability, for those who are seeking responsibilities. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. any questions? >> no. >> chairwoman: no questions. thank you so much. [applause] >> chairwoman: next, i wanted to call up hadagu, and i so sorry if i'm messing up your name. and your first name, can you pronounce it? >> hadagoo.

thank you for having me. i am raised in san francisco. i went to school locally, and i've been on the commission for several years now, and the reason that i think that this commission is important, and that being in this commission is very important, is that at a time like today, when there is so much hopelessness, this commission gives the community hope. and the most important thing that i've seen this commission do is allow space for im grapt immigrants to feel like they're welcome. our duty as americans, and specifically sa san franciscans, and as a san franciscan who has been welcomed here as a refugee from sudan in 1986, i think it is very important to have a space when the whole country seems like it is saying, you are not welcome. we want people to know that we, immigrants, are welcome. this is our home. this is where we belong. this commission has sessions where community members can come here and say, we are a member of

this community. most recently with the yemeni community that we had last month. they were here, able to express through grievances, and i think that is very important. i think we learned just as much from them as they take from us. in fact, much more because they expose us to what is going on. i would like to continue to serve on this commission, to be able to say, you are welcome in this city. and that is a space that -- a communication that i think should continue on. i am from there -- the original community is in san francisco, but i feel like i'm just a part of the san francisco community. and that's all i have to say. and i thank you for allowing me to be able to speak today. thank you very much. actually, i will add one more thing that we were talking about earlier. right now as an immigration attorney, i do a lot of work with persons

detained, people at the border, and in el centro, and part of the reason i said people should feel welcome is because when people enter the borders, they are not aware what america is going to look like. they are shocked by what they see. they are shocked by how we receive them as citizens because their perception coming in is that america will be a welcoming space. and i think that idea should continue to be sent and submitted. thank you very much. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. any questions? no. thank you, and thank you for all of your service so far. we really appreciate. next i wanted to call up ryan cudaste. hi. >> good morning. good morning supervisors. good morning supervisor walton, ronan, and mar. it is a pleasure to be with you all this morning. my name is ryan, and i'm here before you all today seeking reappointment to

seat number three on the immigrant rights commission. i'll first speak to my background, my qualifications, and then the work that i've done on the commission. and then, third, some future plans that i have for the commission, and then i'm happy to answer any and all questions that you have. i was born and raised here in the san francisco bay area to two immigrant parents who fled the revolution of iran in 1979. they came to this country fleeing the weaponization of religion, so that myself and my sister could believe in what we wanted, we can be what we wanted, and going up, i developed a great sense of respect for the immigrant story. i grew up without my grandparents, my cousins, my uncles and aunts because they're from iran, and now we have this travel ban. i haven't seen them for 13 years, and that is more than half my life. so i spent a lot of time giving back to that community, teaching english as a second language, helping immigrants fill out their n-400 forms, filling out

resumes. i was a volunteer in the santa clara county for the work i had done. i was a kindergarten english teacher, helping folks learn english because english was a way for them to have a better life. i went to law school at u.c. hastings, and during the 2016 election, with the elevation of vitrial, i felt like i needed to do more. and i'm honored to be elected to this commission. i've got a lot of great work, and i hope my colleagues can attest to that as well. i was appointed to the executive committee. i'm the co-chair of the immigration policy taskforce. i've taken a large lead in helping set the agenda and plan for our special hearings. i got hastings students involved to volunteer during the emergency daca renewal. i was a big advocate for the creation of the immigration defense unit in the public defenders' office.

i testified before the board of supervisors for instance and sub commit, i brought jeff adochi to hastings. right now i graduated law school, took the bar exam, and i started working at the public defenders' office three weeks ago. my whole life has been in service to marginalized individuals because i know what my parents went through. i know we need to look out for each other. some future plans i have going forward, we were honored to have supervisor ronan host one of our special meetings in the commission. i would love to partner with you, supervisor mar and supervisor walton to hold these community townhall meetings. i know we're more focused on federal legislation, but i would love for our townhalls to focus more on what the city can do legislation-wise to help uplift our immigrant communities. i think that's it. and i'm happy to answer any questions that you all have.

>> chairwoman: than thank you so much. thank you for your service thus far. >> one last comment -- >> chairwoman: sure. >> i would like to give my personal recommendation to jesse ruiz, who would bring a special per perspective. because i can't stay for public comment because i have to go to work, i want to recommend the s.r.o o. slate for agenda item number three. >> chairwoman: way to take advantage of the mic. thank you ochthank you so much. next we'll hear from paul munihe. >> good morning, supervisors, it is a pleasure to be here before you today. i've had the privilege of working with you all over the course of several years, but i want to offer a little more about my background. when my parents fled civil

war in el salvador in the early 1980s, they gave up everything they knew and had in hopes of finding safety and sanctuary in the united states. my parents were able to find that sanctuary right here in san francisco, we churches that were willing to house them, with schools that were willing to teach them, and with a community that was willing to take them in as one of their own. for generations, san francisco has offered sanctuary to thousands of immigrant families like mean. but sadly, as you all well know, we're in the midst of the worst housing and homelessness crisis that our city has ever known. and immigrant families across san francisco are being forced out of their homes and displaced from their neighborhoods. like the immigrants rights commission, i'm committed to making sure we're doing everything within our power to make sure that our city remains a sanctuary for generations to come. as a part of the immigrants rights commissioner, what i hope to accomplish is to develop develop a razor-sharp focus on how the housing and homelessness crisis uniquely impacts our

communities, and to work alongside our city departments to remove barriers to issues around housing and homelessness. i believe i have the personal and professional experience to accomplish this and more as a member of the i.r.c. i returnly serve as the policy director at compas services. many of our clients are immigrant families in high need. i previously have worked with legal services departments, and agencies like the defense collaborative, and helping families who are fighting unfair and unjust evictions throughout our city. and i served on the san francisco youth commission, where we initially work on compaigns for the youth, and working with the school district. and finally, personally, i

hope to rely, as a member of the commission, on my personal experience growing up in a low income household, as a queer person of color, to make sure the commission provides care and attention to the immigrant families that call san francisco home. with that, i welcome any questions, and look forward to your consideration. thank you. ( buzzer ) >> chairwoman: thank you so much. next we'll here from omro radwa. sorry. >> good morning, chair. good morning, supervisors. my name is amro radwan. i was appointed to the immigrant rights commission in 2017. i'm a person of color, who is muslim, and one of seven children of immigrants of egypt. my wife is also an immigrant who was recently naturalized. i served on the immigrant

rights commission since september of 2017, and i filled in someone else's seat, i think it was seat five. during my e tenure, i've worked to hold various public hearings, some which were very near and dear to my heart, specifically the hearing on the daca and deferred action, as well as the travel ban. i've also volunteered on many occasions in terms of the citizenship workshops that we have throughout the city. and most recently, as commissioner giam referred, the yemeni community hearing, where we held a public hearing regarding the civil war in yemen and the affect on

the community here in san francisco. as far as my career, i've dedicated the last 18 years primarily here in san francisco, serving social justice non-profits, and helping them leverage technology. i currently work with glide, and we're helping implement a volunteer management system for them, as well as young women freedom center, who does a lot of work with young women of color, who are both on the ins, and on the outs. let's see. and then finally, in terms of career-wise, i'm working with good samaritan family resource center here in san francisco. i've had a lot of time to sort of ruminant and think about what my position is, and, you know, what i've done over the past year or so in holding someone else's seat. and, you know, i think, at

this point i really did want to apply for my own seat in terms of moving forward with the immigrants rights commission. my focus, frankly, is trying to make san francisco a safer place for aum immigrants in general, but i want to give voice to my community, the muslim/arabic-speaking community. and i have this vision of bridging the gap between the different states. and given the islamophobia and anti-semitic rhetoric -- my hope is to bridge that over the next couple of years. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. any questions? thank you for your service thus far. >> thank you. >> chairwoman: next we will hear from larry sexon. is larry here? yes. hi.

good morning. >> my nam i name is larry saxon, and i'm the chief operating officer for the african advocacy foundation. i'm the first generation -- the second generation in my family that came out of the fields as share croppers. we started as slaves, and we became share croppers thereafter. i get it. i've been there. i appreciate it when i pick every peach, when i eat every bean. i know what went into that labor. my mother said, always remember the red clay in the folds of your knees no matter how high you get.

to me, it is important that the african-american community be afforded to reach out to the african community in particular, because the department has the assumption that you simply plop black people among black people and they will get along. and that's simply not the case. i live in district five, which is the highest population of african and ethiopian population. but there is no ability to have an ethnic relationship between the two of us, and it is problematic. and i work with a lot of north africans, who have blonde hair and blue eyes, who identify strictly as african first. and i'm seeing what they're having to deal with on a firsthand basis, with the new policies that

our prison has implemented. i'm a senior. i'm gay-identified, i am disabled, and i have served my city as well as i can for many, many years. i've lived in the western additions for 40 years. i've seen some radical changes. i'm the last black man standing on my block. and i always say they'll take me out feet first. my concern is immigration is not immigration. it is a civil rights issue. it is about making america live up to its credence in the constitution as the bill of rights. we do wonderful things on paper, but in terms of how we treat people, that's where the cognitive difference occurs in america. i think each one of us has a responsibility as citizens to do what we can. so i humbly submit my name for your concern. thank you so much. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. >> thank you for your time. >> chairwoman: thank you. next we'll here from

roxanna shacota. >> good morning, supervisors. i'm a first generation immigrant who has worked in social justice and philanthropy in san francisco for over 10 years. i'll briefly lay out what i do, how i do it, and how i feel i can contribute to this body. i listen to problems, and i bring together the right people to solve them. currently i work besides a progressive advocacy non-profit, when i facilitate immigration non-profits and philanthropy leaders. i work for the immigrants in detention, who's cases are often heard in the ninth circuit court of appeals in san francisco. we discuss the fact that attorneys across california lack the resources they need to represent these vulnerable individuals. so i recently raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to pair

non-profits with teams of experts to tackle these challenges. we're developing solutions that could support the over 450,000 immigrants in detention across the u.s. annually. at the end of this month, i'm visiting a detention facility, as well as migrant quarters. i convene people around shared purpose. i help centers connecting individuals with asylum-seekers. last year i hoste hosted dinners across the commission at the new tenderloin, and new friendships are develops. in two weeks, i'm hosting another dinner in the tendetenderloin, the first sudanese restaurant run by refugees, and i invite you all to join me. i want to impact one person at a time. i volunteer with a citizenship initiative, where i support individuals and immigrants through their t.d. s.

naturalization process. i recently spent three hours sitting across from an older iranian couple, translating, and filling out a document with over 175 questions. having experience in this space and reviewed the phenomenal accomplishments of my current commissioners, i would be the only person sitting at the philanthropy, as well as non-profit advocacy. i have witnessed the important work this group brings to the city. if selected for the role, i would build on the body's current areas including daca, family separation, and the census, while raising attention to critical areas, including youth mental health, domestic workers' rights, and access to legal representation. i propose partnerships to amplify the role this committee place in this city.

to address youth mental health issues who fear their families will be deported. i hold forums on the safety of immigrant and domestic workers. i'm a microphone for those without a voice, and a stage for those with conviction. i know how to build trust, community, and power. and i appreciate your time today for consideration on this board, and i'm happy to share more details. thank you. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. next speaker, bryant davinisia. >> it is my understanding he has moved out of the area and is no longer interested. >> chairwoman: thank you. next we will hear from alahi en suni. ensuni. >> hi, supervisors.

professor alahi teaches a class at university, and she left her class at 10:00, and is on her way here. >> chairwoman: okay. >> and i forgot to mention that the commission, in the last year and a half, has been really productive, so they worked me on the african immigrant and black americans first time convening with the aston institute. it is commissioners who called for a daca hearing, for a hearing on the travel ban, hearing with the yemeni community, where 70 members of the community were testifying, and they were all organized and invited to the commission by one of our commissioners. also, tonight -- and we invite the public to come tonight. we're going to hear from survivors of world war ii concentration camps, japanese-americans who took a recent trip to