about -- i'm sorry -- defending a tenant's position against experienced landlord attorneys is much more daunting than counselling a tenant about their rights. we understand the magnitude of the understanding that it takes. tenants lost an appeal last week against the largest landlord in a city, that will impact hundreds of households for years to come. a more experienced tenant representative would have been able to better defend these tenants. this is not about the current appointee's intelligence nor his level of caring for tenants. this requires relevant experience, not on-the-job training to defend the tenants against displacements. supervisor, please reject this appointment. thank you. >> supervisor ronen: next speaker.

>> hi, my name is carey gold. i'm the litigation director and director of policy at the eviction defense collaborative, the lead agency for right to counsel in san francisco. and i have come to speak mainly to the issue of the procedure that went -- that evolved to appoint mr. isbell, i.e., no procedure at all. so i reiterate what tommy said which was that there was no consultation with tenant groups. and -- but after i heard some of mr. isbell's testimony, i felt that i had to put out a few other comments out just about his skillset for this position which when he said my colleague handled most of the legal

argument, no -- we can't have one person making all of the legal arguments. it weakens the tenants' position in a hearing. and i think that he was relying on the other tenant commissioner who was a lawyer to make all of the legal arguments. and he admitted that that's not his skillset. that he can't make those legal arguments. and that's why he spoke from compassion which doesn't have anything to do with the decisions that were made at the rent board, especially with regard to what was before the rent board at that time. and the other thing they would like to add is that the rent board relies on precedent, and by eliminating the person who has sat on the rent board the longest we have lost an incredible amount of knowledge

of what precedent is at the rent board. and that is a severe loss. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. next speaker. >> i want to thank the board for supporting long-term tenants and so many laws that you have created. my name is amina rubio, i'm a 25 at 364 pal and graduated from san francisco state with honors and a student teacher for political science. i wanted to say -- what is at stake, whether it's some of san francisco's largest corporate landlords to squeeze more rent out of long-term tenants that are working to create sustainability. and we want to keep our rent affordable. so i urge you to reject the mayor's sudden and uninformed decision to replace polly marshall and to appoint an inadequate tenant commissioner. it comes at an important time

for long-term tenants and rent control tenants. last year the board of supervisors banned cent service and property tax being passed on to rent controlled tenants at the represent board. what -- rent board. what is at stake is using this law, they're making -- they're interpreting the law to their own benefit and what is being presented is a purchase agreement that is mainly redacted and has no signature, no date, no letterhead. so it's a very weak -- weak argument and i'm not an attorney. but i have common sense and the education to know that the rent board has to go by the current laws and not by just an opinion or compassion. thank you very much. >> supervisor ronen: thanks. next speaker. >> hello. my name is matthew cuza and i have lived for more than a decade under rent control at

2013, and last week our building had a rent board hearing with a significant rent increase to passthrough property tax and debt servicing. so my and my fellow tenants are directly affected at this representation at the rent board. why were the tenant groups not consulted as all san francisco mayors have done in previous appointments? why was misser miss marshall not informed about her sudden replacement? why was this seat given to an individual with no specific history of advocating for and protecting tenants? it's hard not to connect dots and see this rash appointment in bad faith, especially after last tuesday's ruling that denied an appeal against veritas with this new appointee on the board. as the housing groups and they can testify, it's one of the largest landlords and uses resources to squeeze out

law-abiding tenants and reinterpreting the hard won regulations to support the wealthiest in our city. renters need a fully informed, fully up-to-speed representative, such as miss marshall. and any case, regardless of miss i -- mr. isbell's qualifications or lack thereof, it's unaccept unacceptable that the tenant groups were not consulted. this threatens san francisco residents such as myself, my fellow tenants and we request that you reject the appointment to ensure that the tenant advocates have input and we strongly urge you to reconsider the replacement of miss marshall. thank you. >> hello supervisors, i'm also from the same building as mr. cuza. i'm going to make many of the same points that he made so i won't burden you with repeating myself. the only thing that i did want

to bring up were points that were already brought up -- the quick replacement of miss polly marshall, a representative that did not happen without checking with us. and veritas, and i have lived in san francisco for over 10 and when that housing crisis hit and i saw families living out of tents and also on my side streets it was the most devastating thing possible to not feel like you had any say in anything, right? so we need someone that's going to see us and has experience with all of these issues because they're so complex as you know. and this languaging, i had a chance to work with both brad from the housing commission and it's very vague, that they are hiding behind. and it's largely left up to interpretation. it's three lines in a rental agreement where they're trying to passthrough these expenses. i looked at what our building was worth before they bought it,

and $1.1 million and they bought it for $3.1 million and that's what they're trying to pass through to us and the building was already delapidated. we're not living in new units. like, this is not -- this is not something that takes us into... (indiscernible) so i request that you reject the appointment of this commissioner. thank you. >> supervisor ronen: next speaker, please. >> hi, renee curran and a 25-year renter here in san francisco. in my 10th year of counselling tenants. and i also work in criminal appeals as a paralegal, and i would say that i would not -- if i were -- accused of murder, to hire a family law attorney to represent me.

[laughter] you know, we're in a very unique time. we're in a time where there has never been such a huge differential between the power of landlords and the power of tenants. we need a strong, experienced, compassionate, advocate. and, frankly, i'm sorry to say that i'll just respect mr. isbell that he's not those. i have never seen him at any of these hearings with public comment, defending any of the laws that has been discussed. i was shocked by some of his answers and his lack of knowledge, particularly knowing that this hearing was happening. and when he said that we were -- the narrow issue of technical expertise at the rent board -- that is the essential issue.

i appreciate his compassion and with all due respect please have compassion for the tenants in this city and do not accept this appointment. and thank you, all of you, the supervisors, for all of the great work you've been doing so far. thank you. >> supervisor ronen: next speaker. >> good afternoon, my name is rosa and i have been living in san francisco for more than 30 years. and in 2012 we had a big issue with our building. and the landlord didn't treat us nice. and at some point our building got on fire and he at some point, the landlord told me to go back to mexico and wait for the building to be fixed. that is a building that took like three years for everything

to get fixed. and to tell you the truth i didn't know what to do and i didn't know where to go. luckily, i found a place and they helped me out. and i was surprised last week when i heard about what was going on with the rent board. i was at the meeting and i was very, very upset about that, you know, we (indiscernible) and i don't know -- i haven't heard very much about the new appointee, isbell is his last name? probably he might be good but, you know, at some point there is no time for tenants to wait for him to learn, you know, you know, the new rules and all of the stuff, because there are like way too many things going on between the landlords and the tenants and rent increases and this and that. and i think that we might be

better by the fall, be a better person to take care of it. thank you very much. >> good afternoon, chair ronen and supervisors walton and mar. thank you for holding this hearing. i'm a senior tenant who has had matters before san francisco's rent stabilization and arbitration boards commission over the course of 35 years of tenancy in my current rent-controlled apartment. the tenant community is aggrieved because a rent board commissioner with 35 years of experience representing tenants on the commission was abruptly removed and replaced without having been consulted about selection of an appropriate replacement to represent tenants on that body. as has been the tradition for 40 years in this city. this appointment is freaking me out because now an individual with no prior experience and

insufficient knowledge of 10ants' rights -- tenants' rights and the san francisco rent ordinance is supposed to decide cases on the apellet level and -- appellate level and to defend tenants' rights. mr. isbell who has no firm basis for deciding can be easily swayed by persuasive arguments of landlord representatives on the commission. so i have no confidence in his ability to adequately to represent my interests. mr. isbell is ill-equipped to go to bat for me or my fellow tenants. this is unfair to us and a disservice to the city of san francisco where the majority of residents are tenants. please reject this thoughtless appointment and allow tenant representatives to help to select a qualified rent board commissioner. thank you.

>> good afternoon. i'm here to support reese isbell to the rent stabilization and arbitration board. i first met reese when he worked for senator leno, and for the ellis act reform. over our years working together i have found him having a principled individual that puts in the work and i know that he'll go beyond on this board and do his work and i hope that you will join me in supporting his issues to the rent board. thank you. >> my name is lori leederman. we need savvy representation for tenants on the rent board. the long-established tenant

organizations were excluded from the selection process by the mayor. that a tenant rep was excluded is ominous and shows a lack of commitment for the crisis. no one questions mr. isbell's good attentions and allegiance to tenants but this is not enough for this position. as a union representative it would have been unimaginable to submit a dispute to an arbitrator who lacks specialized legal training in labor law and experience interpreting contracts and referencing case law and determining the application of past practices, state and federal statutes. i have attended a commission hearing about a project that needed a conditional use permit to legalize the existing group housing in a pre-1979 building. when asked whether the current residents were eligible for rent control coverage, the city attorney fumbled and as i subsequently learned offered

incorrect advice. this drove home to me the complexity of our rent control ordinance and its long development through case law and through new legislation. the value of institutional memory on this board is immeasurable. tenants have the right to expect that a commissioner whose job is to represent and to advocate for their interests on the rent board will have the skills and the knowledge to serve them and to provide a balance of power in the face of highly skilled attorneys representing the landlord's side of any dispute or issue, being an appeal or promulgating rules and thank you and please reject this appointment. >> good afternoon, supervisors. (indiscernible) with the land use coalition. i'm not a renter, but i am here to urge you to reject this appointment and, again, nothing against mr. isbell, but i just want to bring up to your attention that the issues that we're facing today because of

the hot speculative market that san francisco has become. it's not just about the ellis act eviction and now we have another category, the rent eviction, which is the landlord, that buy these buildings and they use renovations and an excuse to get rid of their tenants. so a pertinent question that you may want to ask mr. isbell, if he were on the rent board and presented with a case where a tenant is using his storage, his car garage because of the a.d.u. construction, how he would approach him and how he would adjudicate it? we have many cases coming up and one is in supervisor moore's district that we lost because despite the fact that the tenants was not amenable to giving up the garage space and it's certainly not a just cause for evicting their car and their

belongings, but we lost at the planning commission. so the next stop would have been the rent board. i am not aware if they're pursuing this but these are the cases that the commissioners are going to be working on and are going to be voting on. so it's important to have the legal knowledge of our rent ordinance to deal with these new situations. and i ask you to reject this because it was in bad faith. mayor breed should have consulted with the advocate and a tenant organization. thank you very much. >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is susan marsh. and i work with both the tenants' union and with the

housing rights community of san francisco. there is no doubt whatsoever that mr. isbell would be highly qualified for virtually any other commission position. is there any doubt at all that his heart is in the right place? however, the position that he's been appointed to is different. it is both a quasi judicial position and for advocacy for tenants and it requires the deepest, deepest technical knowledge to carry out. and we need -- aside from the answers that he gave this afternoon that were less than satisfactory to supervisor ronen's questions, we need to only look at what happened at the last rent board commission hearing where the largest and one of the most predatory landlords in the city extracted rent increases that will not only funnel more wealth to these

predators and to their equally predatory large institutional investors, but it will also inflict hardship and displacement. as you have heard from the -- from the victims themselves on many, many tenants for many years to come. this cannot happen and this cannot continue and i urge you to reject this appointment and i would also ask that we urge the mayor to sit down with the tenant advocates in order to settle on somebody who both represents the community and, above all, is qualified. thank you. >> good afternoon, board of supervisors. i am reese isbell's husband. as a chinese immigrant, and as everybody know that china is not a democratic country.

we really don't have election. but we are very judgmental towards our public policy decisions and workers in the public services. and we have a lot of experience in that. we talk a lot in the back. so basically the philosophy behind our thinking is that, yes, it's very important that someone needs to be hard working and professional and inte intelt to be a good public server, however, in our long history of a thousand years and all of the public servers that are honored and remembered in our history that actually have one merit which is instead of power that they have the people in their hearts. and they side with the people and they fight for the people. and i'm very proud that my husband reese isbell is this kind of people. as a long-term

renter in san francisco he went through ups and downs in this city, periods where he was unemployed and helping me to work to support a family. he truly understands the struggles and it's normal san francisco renters are going through. and he will be the best for the people and for our people. and he has the merits that we can talk about earlier, he's a hard working and intelligent person. and i have been watching him spending hours readin hour readh all of the issues.

>> hi, i'm ann ness and i have 10 years of experience as a legal secretary. and doing data entry twice a week and i sit there and i hear the counselors around me and i'm typing and everything that has happened at all of the meetings. so i have a vast knowledge just from one year of working there that is amazing. and the thing that i know is that it's dense and convoluted and you don't have to be a lawyer and you have to know what is going on and a labor lawyer wouldn't be qualified for this job anymore than i am qualified for this job. and being there a year and typing in everything that happens i still don't know it all. it's important to have a qualified person. everyone that i know who is in -- who helps tenants is compassionate and dedicated and has feelings, and just loves to help people but it's not enough. we need more than that. thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. eddie ohn, rent control tenant

in san francisco. i would vouch for the intelligence and the work ethic of reese isbell and i have not heard sharp disagreements on the policy or interpretation of law from mr. isbell. and i hope that given his willingness to listen that he'll continue to represent this seat with their perspective. and i'll just speak to qualifications briefly from a personal note, having gone through legal training and gotten to the bar license. i do agree that it's useful but it should not be the only qaifler for this seat. what i do is as a environmental justice attorney and i have taken on a lot of debt and gotten a lot of white hairs doing it but it's making it relatable and making sure that you represent the points of equity for the communities that need it the most and reese isbell will do that and he has the policy expertise to do that and i hope that you consider that in your deliberations. thank you.

>> hello, supervisors. oh, it's right there. thank you. hello, supervisors and hello, victor, good to see you again. i'm here to speak for reese isbell. something with me, i haven't been a commissioner for the city. commissioner appointments and they are appointed to serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority whether it be to the board of supervisors or the mayor. and you know that going into this that when your term is up you may or may not be appointed so that's how it's set up. and what i heard on the way here is the official qualification for this seat is to be a renter, not specifically to be an attorney. and the comments that i have been hearing from everybody is that he's not qualified or an attorney, and i am here to say that i have known reese for 10 years, he is qualified. and he's hard working.

i want to allay the fears of everyone that spoke ahead of me and saying they don't know him and i don't know what he's like or what he can do. i do know him and i know what he can do. and he will fight to the death for the renters of this city. and an they should be lawyers. i disagree with that. and is it more important to have two people of multiple and overlapping skillsets? somebody that is an attorney and someone who has his experience which is legislative. legislative and a background in policy. so, again, something else that i heard, i'm here to say that renters are not threatened by this appointment. (please stand by)

. >> good morning. i live in 1414 temperature

canada street. in this building. i also have been in the apartments. i am very concerned. having someone with experience is crucial. this is why we need to keep ms. marshall. she is an expert. she has experience. we need to have her in the position to support rent control. thank you very much. i am a renter here to express my support for issa bill. the issue today is whether she is qualified to serve. i have collatbrated with her

over the years first as press secretary with city attorney's office and under her leadership he sees issues through many different lenses. he talks with key stakeholders and gets all the facts. he has integrity. i know him more than a decade. i can attest to his personal integrity. as a renter. i like an advocate on the board who is able to make smart decisions through a thoughtful approach. it is important to have diversity in thought as well as

background. i request the who wills committee motion to approve the appointment. thank you for your time and thank you to all those that came out to support both potential options in front of you. thank you. >> good afternoon. i am a tenant. i come from international hotel struggles of the 1970. i reject the commissioner appointment. he is not experienced, and he might have willing of what is going on. in the judicial matter it impacts us the tenants in the city. i fee feel that the marshall shd

be back. back in 1986 the rule about the service by wrestling with the landlord and made a decision not allow the property owner service. i have this. i want this board to look at it. how did this service come back again? it was already passed in june of 1986. the landlords are bad actor. i want everybody to know. i have been a tenant for 40 some years in the same building. i want to ask this body here to rule and bring it back. thank you.

>> hi. i am a renter here in san francisco. i have been in the bay area for more than 10 years, and i would like you to reject this appointment. i'm sure he is very nice and has good intentions. this is too important there. are too many renters dependent on the rent board for protection. thank you. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am one of the tenant councilors. i am disappointed at this appointment. it reflects how important tenants are for mayor breed. the renter process is very

stressful and intimidating for tenants. i learn a new thing every time i go to the rent board. it is a very complex process and one of the only avenues that tenants have to assert rights in the city. landlords have the financial means, lawyers they bring to the appeal commission hearings and they are very aggressive sometimes. they will argue the decisions that have been issued by the administrative law judges. on this part you really need to know how you are going to respond to those appeals is very, very important. i think the actions that have been taken by israel have consequences by hundreds of

tenants. i support the reappointment of commissioner molly, and, you know, as i said again, tenants are tremendously intimidated in the process. you don't have much time during the commission hearings. we hope these appointments are not considered any more. thank you for your time. one of the things to remember is that tenants have the burden of proof when they present their petitions at the rent board so we need someone with strong skills to support them. thank you. >> good afternoon. i am a community advocate.

i am here to ask you to advocate for ms. marshall to be rein-stated and not to approve this appointment for mr. isabel. thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is wiley. i wish to put my support to isabel. isabel is a friend. i have known him for many years. he is the most known person. he is hardworking and patient. i look at him for public service and inspiration for me to be a public serving person myself.

so many community services, his dedication over h.i.v., aids, researches and housing has done a lot for the community. he serves his community interest in the finance center. he has supported the represent board to protect our community and residents and tenants. thank you. >> i am tony. i represent senior and disability action. mr. isabel seems very intelligent, very nice, but this really isn't about that. i would like to ask you reject the mayor's rent board appointment and reinstate commissioner marshall. this should be for the tenants. we live in an extremely critical

time, and we can ill afford somebody not ready for responsibilities. there is too much at stake. last week tenants lost an important appeal against the biggest land lord i also -- lann the city. there will impact hundreds of households. please reinstate commissioner marshall. again, i automatic sure isabel could it is on many commissions. we need somebody on top of it because of the critical time that we are living in. thank you.

>> i am michael majors. i can see dirty politics. i don't approve what is going on here right now our country is in a crisis. our president i do not approve of. i don't approve of many of his choices. i see this as a political appointment for money. it is big money against no money. police say no. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am lisa. as someone who has been fighting a bad eviction for two years. it is a crash course in eviction law and my head is spinning, i have learned one thing. landlord tenant law is impossibly complex. when the steaks are your -- when

the stakes are your home any mistake can result in loss of your home. my home of 30 years by my original landlord. my new landlord a real tore and top producer, currently owns three buildings on my block, all gifts from his dad. in 2001, the same landlord cleared a building of 10 tenants by evicting them. he had five units. last year they were condo converted. in my eviction fight my landlord changed the story three times. first claiming a relative. then owner move in eviction. when that failed, finally he is saying he will ellis act our building. i think the rent board is the san francisco supreme court for tenants and landlords because of the tremendous impact this

body's decision have on people like me. appointties must have a deep understanding of tenant law. this is not about mr. isabel. it is about relevant experience and knowledge of this complex area of the law. appointing a tenant to represent me threatened with econtradictions is like overseeing the care and treatment of a cancer treatment. please reject the appointment and reinstate marshall or ask the mayor to speak with the tenants group. thank you. >> hello. i am nikki. i am here to speak in support of reese isbell. i have known reese for close to

a decade working together on the friends of san francisco public library board, and we have both decided to serve because the library serves all. it is a wonderful resource that is open to all in the community, and it is a corner stone of our democracy. through that work with reese and knowing his advocacy for people in the community and responding to the needs of the people in the community, i am speaking on his behalf. he will be a strong supporter and renters. he is a renter, annual he is as many of his other supporters have said, he is smart, compassionate empathetic and principalled. that is very important that it

is not just legal expertise. i mean, my understanding it is not being an attorney is not a required qualification for this rent board, and i believe that having multiple skill sets with deep experience and reese has experience in public policy and dealing with regulation and grappling with the issues around those things that will serve tenants well. it seems like you would want to have collaboration between people with different kinds of deep experience and expertise to advocate on behalf of tenants. i think it is important that ease is a good listener. the fact that he is not an

attorney to me is not an indication. i urge you to allow him the opportunity. he is very good at outreaching to the community. >> thank you so much. >> i am victoria hansen. i am a tenant. i was one of the young people who came out here in the 1970s with my daughter. i am a mother of an developmentally disabled adult son. it is a miracle i can stand here to say i live in the rent controlled unit because of the people before me. there are thousands or millions of people out there that don't

realize they are in this tsunami, too. i have got a huge education from these well meaning people. i am not prepared to stand before you, but i want you to recognize that the people that come here are able to come here. there are so many people that are not able to come here that really, the decision you make to reject this nominee and to reinstate a really qualified advocate is crucial. thank you.

>> thank you for asking questions about the city role in our government. i want to recognize the incredible service from molly. what has been done here is completely unacceptable. i have to ask what is going on. what is going on when you have a commissioner who has served for decades with distinction. that commissioner does not get the courtesy of a phone call in advance to discuss a decision not to reappoint them? what is going on? what is going on when throwing aside decades of precedent, tenant groups in san francisco are not even consulted about the tenant see on the rent board? maybe someone from the mayor's office can explain why mr. isabel, ms. marshall, why is

everyone in this position? why have scores of community members have to take time off from work to come here. why have you had to spend be time on this? what is going on? this really smacks of political retribution and rewards rather than appointments based on what is best for san francisco tenants. i urge you to reject this appointment. >> good afternoon, supervisor. i have had the honor of serving with reese on the friends of san francisco library for four years. he is always an advocat where people can come together for knowledge and support. he will be a breath of fresh air for the residents at san francisco. i am expressing my own opinions. i am not backed by a political

group nor have i been given talking points. i was surprised to hear the questions asked of reese. if he was an attorney he would not be asked to give legal terms. it seems like sour groups which was an uphill battle over political groups not invited back. in my experience that is what i can speak to his approach is thoughtful. he thinks about the big picture for all stakeholders. he cares about the community he is part of. it is clear he is hits is ground running like he did when he joined friends of the public library four years ago. we are lucky to have him serving in this capacity. i am supporting reese, thank you. >> next speaker.

>> thank you for having this hearing, and thank you for listening and considering just what is at stake. i feel like i'm a deer in the headlights. i am frightened. i am a senior and person living with a disability. >> it is disgraceful.

i don't have notes, but i am begging you to reconsider this appointment from someone who is a lovely person but the consequences are much too great. thank you forgiving this the time that it needs and please reject this appointment and reconsider what we night do as a city, please. thank you very much. i am here as a san francisco rent dent and tenant. on the propriety of the appointment. it appears the mayor used a

preliminary epretext to replace marshall on the board. i think the circumstances warrant further investigation. until such time as the appointment should be rejected to preserve public confidence. the board has delegated significant authority to the rent board, meaning the board of supervisors has delegated significant authority. these appointmented need to be thoroughly vetted. i don't think under this circumstance the appointment should be approved. thank you. >> . >> sorry for the long day, supervisors. i am here to express what many in the room have expressed about the rejection of mr. isabellas commissioner for many of the reasons discussed.

i am concerned about the comments. it seems like it is not a good fit. and to quote the campaign slogan for the campaign for tom for mayor, i am another terrified tenant. thank you. >> thank you for taking time-out of your day for this hearing. this is really concerning for us. i am from the tenants united. i have spoken to you about how critical tenants rights are and you have spoken how much this matters to keep the vulnerable people in the city.

we counsel most of the tenants in san francisco in terms of staying. almost all tenants in rent controlled housing. since the rent board began it is made of two tent reps and two landlord represents and homeowner. tenants have chosen representatives for our side. the input of the landlord side is because these are mayor after mayor regardless of political views. that is because this is not about politics. it is about people staying in their homes. it is my understanding that the mayor's office didn't tell us they want the to replace the representative or didn't tell the commissioner they were

replacing or the director of the rent board. they didn't elevate one of the alternates with years of experience watching the rent board decisions take place and learning the ropes. this is not just a matter of respect. this is really dangerous for tenants as you heard from the tenants facing the decisions. we can see from the community members and friends that mr. isabel has a lot of skills and compassion. >> that you. >> is there any other member of the public who would like to comment on this appointment? seeing none.

public comment is closed. >> colleagues, i want to say that i came here today with an open mind. i came here with questions to ask to inquire into the level of expertise and experience of mr. isbell. i was skeptical. when i read his resume i didn't seetic tenant rights experience. knowing this area of the law which i learned here in the board of supervisors. i am a lawyer. i used to work in employment law before starting at the board, and when i came here, i ended up working with th the late great o was not a lawyer who anyone would appoint in a heartbeat to the rent board. you don't have to be a lawyer. i worked with "ted" and with my

former boss david compos and the city attorney. we authored together three or four pieces of tenant rights legislation. when i started that i couldn't believe how complex tenant law is. it is not only a complex area of the law, but we are san francisco, which means that we push the boundaries in this area of the law as far as we can possibly push them. we are often the precedent setters, the test case for the state and the country on groundbreaking tenant rights legislation. we usually get sued in the courts for when we pass this legislation, and what happens at the rent board in the interim is critical for the legislative record for the ad for the recore

laws go before the judges for the record. every part of the process at the rent board is critical not only to individual cases before the rent board but to the precedent that is going to be set and to the strengt strength of our lawe the courts. i must say that when i saw mr. isbell's resume and didn't see specific tenant rights experience it concerned me greatly. i came here today wanting to find out if maybe you studied on the side and it is not your profession, but you learned deeply about the laws. i remain concerned. i asked questions that were in no way meant to trip anyone up. when i asked about the burden of

proof to decide the cases or standard used to overturn an alj opinion, i would expect someone who has been appointed to serve in this critical, critical role would be able to answer those simple questions. when you are coming before the board of supervisors and i asked you about the latest tenants rights law to pass the board which only happened a few months ago and you didn't know what that law was or where the rent board was in creating regulations for that law, that is very concerning. you did know the concerns that i personally had. we had exchanged e-mails back and forth, and there were press articles about it. i would expect a different level of preparation even just for this hearing, but alone, you know, the level ofsure stantive

-- substantive knowledge needed for this position. i want to say if this board of supervisors doesn't approve or rejected the appointment, that doesn't mean that former commissioner marshall will be appointed. that is the mayor's decision that is the way the laws work. these are her appointments. i would say that, you know, if there is an -- if mr. isbell was appointed to an alternate seat. clearly you have the passion, clearly, you have the intelligence. clearly, you have the passion to do this job. my only concern is the substantive knowledge and not being, this is not the type of position where you can learn on the job because every single decision is so important. that may be a great place for

you to start to gain that knowledge is as alternate. then maybe, you know, promoting an alternate, this is an issue about the fact that a couple things. one, every single day tenants are in david and goliath fights for their homes to stay in their homes in san francisco. we have the most expensive housing market in the entire country. the the sophisticated and fully lawyered up decisions. it is no joke to try to fight them off. number three, the role that we play in san francisco in terms of the state and advancing the most cutting edge, most protectivennant rights education.

the board of supervisors per ths willing to push these legislations forward to make sure we have a rent board that is very, very technically strategic about enforcement of those laws, that sets up a record where they are more likely than not to be upheld by the courts. all of these things are so, so critical. you know, finally, i would just say that i feel like i have been as the rules committee chair very differential to the mayor in terms of her appointments. this is the first hearing i have asked for on an appointment where we can review that appointment. in another appointment that i thought wasn't handled very well, i still gave the benefit to thepp