she is here to celebrate his graduates this evening, and to help me welcome her, please put your hands together for the honorable london breed, mayor of synthesis go. [applause] >> hello, graduates. -- mayor of san francisco. [applause]. >> hello, graduates. how exciting is this? when i think about how far we have come with the city build program, i think about what happened when i was growing up in the western edition, where we didn't have city build. we had the community center, and we had people like lefty gordon and others fighting for opportunities for so many people in the western addition to work in construction jobs, especially because, a some of you know, the history of the western edition, where there were a number of projects that were taken place, a number of buildings that were

being built that weren't -- but not a lot of access for community members to be a part of building in their own neighborhood, and so the fight started in the western edition, and lead us to what i think has been one of the most successful programs in creating an opportunity for people to basically participate in building the city that they were born and raised in. that is why i'm excited to be here today. i'm excited because we have the graduates of the future, the ones who are going to continue to build the housing, to build the public safety buildings, to build the parks, to participate in making a difference in your city. just imagine growing up and playing at haworth playground, and all of a sudden, you are the one who is installing the new swingset and other things that future generations are going to

be able to play on for years to come. that is what this program represents. it represents an opportunity, yes for a career, yes, to help to make sure that you have a good paying job to support your family, but it also represents a place in history. this is your legacy, the work that you are going to do to build san francisco and make the lives of others better in addition to yours and your families. it is really what this program is all about. i want to thank so many of the friends in the family who are joining us here today, because this journey to get here is only the beginning. this is the beginning of a great future for our graduates, but they still need your support. they still need your support in this process as they apply for jobs, as they have to wake up really early to get to those

jobs. they need your support and encouragement on those days when they say, i don't think i want to wake up and go to work today. they need your support, because this is about a career, this is about the long-term, and this is about being able to have an amazing opportunity to participate in so many incredible projects in the city and county of san francisco. i want to thank all of our labor organizations for being here with us today, because those are the folks who will make sure that you get hired, right? [cheers and applause] >> right, tony, right, vince? the folks at the building trades , and others, they will be the ones to make sure you have good paying jobs, with good benefits to support your families. it is so exciting that this program started in 2005, and it is -- it has not only lead to a number of classes of graduates who have had incredible opportunities to work in our

city, it has also led to other amazing programs that we have launched. city drive, where people can go through a training to drive for munimobile here in san francisco , our tech programs, and other industries. we have so many opportunities in san francisco. our economy is booming, and we have to make sure that we don't leave anyone behind in this process. here in san francisco, we are going to do more to prepare the people in these communities for the opportunities that exist. yes, constructions to build our city, but also in the tech sector, and also in the healthcare sent -- sector, and also our public infrastructure projects and businesses, and all the great things that life has to offer. i will tell you right now, by going through this program, you have demonstrated your commitment to really buckling down, going through a program, and also preparing yourself for

an incredible job opportunity. if you can do this and make it through this program, there is nothing that you can't do to succeed in life. i know. [applause] >> i know that i'm so fortunate to be mayor of this incredible city, and i say this every single time, because i come from humble beginnings. i come from public housing, i have a brother who's incarcerated, i have a sister who i lost to a drug overdose, and when i think about the fact that i have this incredible opportunity, my goal as mayor is to make sure that what i had to go through, the challenges that i experienced growing up in poverty in this city, that we break those generational poverty and challenges that exist to make sure that this doesn't continue to happen to people growing up in our city. [applause]

>> and i say that if i can come out of these challenging circumstances and be mayor of the best city in the world, then you can do anything you want to do. congratulations, and thank you for having me here today. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. we want to recognize the president of the board of supervisors. thank you. thank you. [applause] >> okay. , we will continue with the program. okay, he wants to speak. okay.

>> thank you. do i really want to follow the mayor? wasn't she great? wasn't my colleague, supervisor fewer great, also? i guess there is a whole lot i can add to this, because it has always been my dream that we have a program like this where we can have young people learned the trades and and up with very good jobs. a big secret here, i never said this before, there was where i tried to make a living doing handyman work. i couldn't make a living because i wasn't trained, i wish i had the opportunity to learn the things that you all learned. how do you wire something, how -- what do you mean you have to hit the nail only three times and it should go into the woods? when i hit it, it took like 20

times, and i barely get it in there, so congratulations to you all. i really think you are going to do a big favour in making sure we have skilled people for when you work on these projects, that is making san francisco a great city. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. please help me to welcome our friend, our partner, chancellor rogers. >> thank you. thank you very much. i came here to perform a very important official duty to what we call city college, the class of 2019. on behalf of the board of

trustees and the authority invested in me by the board of trustees of city college of san francisco, on behalf of the 2,000 employees of city college of san francisco, most of them who work in the union, okay, on behalf of the over 60,000 students at city college of san francisco, and you no longer are , okay, you are graduating today, and on behalf of the over 30,000 alumni of city college of san francisco, i confer upon each one of you the status of alumnus of city college of san francisco. [cheers and applause] [cheering]

>> and now, it is my duty, and it is my pleasure. and that status, as important as it is, is a result of people like you, "not just talk it, but you walk it, you have grabbed the opportunity. i'm so grateful to the partnership that we have with the city of san francisco, because people can talk, and people say, there are so many problems, but we and you are the solution. so you have these responsibilities. number 1, when you get up and go to work tomorrow morning, and you will, you will not just be workers, you will be city college workers. number 2, there are so many people in here who are looking at what you are doing, and they are going, oh, my god, if they can do it, i can do it. you keep going. you keep working, and we want you back to get your degree, and to keep moving on. and the third thing, and this is

your last homework assignment in order to be official alumni of city college of san francisco. i will teach it to you, go rams! one, two, three, go rams. god bless you. [applause] >> just a couple of shout outs today. we've got dpr construction in the house. [applause] >> we have ironworkers union. [applause] >> web core. [applause] >> we also want to acknowledge the president of local 261 who

is here. [applause]. >> we see you. >> next we will have our student representatives speak. we have nicole then halton from cycle nine, and nicolas carter, city build academy cycle 30. [applause] >> hello, good evening, everyone welcome, thank you for being with us all here today. my name is nicole, i am the newest graduate from this year's program of spring 2019. this truly amazing program has been giving back to the residents of the community of san francisco through educating, training, and helping those individuals looking for

employment find jobs in the ever booming construction industry. by a show of hands, who here has ever had to make a career change in their lifetime? all right, lots of you. so most of you can understand just how challenging it is to begin again in unfamiliar territory. around this time last year, i had recently quit my job in the service industry. i had reached a height of my serving career, and i realize that i wasn't being satisfied in the same ways that it was making me satisfied before. to say that i was scared about what my future held for me would be an understatement. by the grace of god, i ran into an old friend of mine who had graduated from a program that she said had changed her life forever. the passion she had behind explaining what the program was is what really had me intrigued about this industry. from that moment on, i went home

, i hopped online, i did some research, i filled out a little application, and i started my new path on this journey in an industry that has since welcomed me with open arms sharing this journey with my classmates has been the most report wording part for me personally, i just want you all to know that. we were a multicultural class of people from all walks of life, all their to accomplish one goal each of us taking on the challenge of giving oral presentations, writing speeches, learning our microsoft skills, and excel, my favorite one of them all. [laughter] >> all while encouraging each other and supporting each other every step of the way. you could tell that was a joke, right? [laughter]. >> these past five months have shown me just what the power of hard work and perseverance can do for people.

i am so happy and grateful to the program for helping me out at a time when i was unsure of myself and ensure of my future. i finally regained the confidence that i had lost somewhere in the distance. the value that has been added to my life from everything that i learned in this program is unmeasurable, and the friendships that i've acquired along the way are worth everything to me. so it's an absolute pleasure to be part of this experience, and i hope that this program continues to enhance the lives of as many individuals, for as long as possible. i would like to share a quote from one of my favorite authors and public speakers. hornet name is mel robbins. she said, if you have the courage to start, you have the courage to succeed. to my fellow classmates that are here with me today, i just want

to say that i am so proud to have started this journey with you all together, and i am even more proud to have reached the finish line with you here today. before i leave the stage with you tonight, i would like to think if you people, and i would like to start by thinking mission hiring hall, especially, we have drew taylor standing over there in the back, and we have. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> i thank you for your passion, server. we have martha medina over here from mission hiring hall. [applause] [laughter]

>> these people have been there with us day in and day out, coaching, training, loving, having patience with each and every one of us, and making sure we were all finishing together, and finishing strong. i thank you so much for everything. i would like to give a thank you to the mayor's office for having us. and a thank you to the herero group for sponsoring our training on friday mornings, very early. i would like to say thank you to swint or ten for allowing us to give our presentation at their office. i would like to say thank you to our professors who are here tonight. they taught us with a lot of love and patience. thank you so much. i want to say thank you to my classmates were here in the front row. thank you for everything you have done and all the ways you have helped me. it has meant the world to me. i just want to say, thank you to my mom, and lastly, thank you to my wife who is here, who has been my rock through all of this

[applause] [cheers and applause] >> now we have nick carter coming to the stage. [cheers and applause]. >> thank you. all right. none of you all know, that man used to walk into class at 6:30 a.m. every morning and do that same thing, so that's why it got us all excited, because that is how big al road. i had a speech, but i couldn't make it home, i came here right after work, so i guess i have to freestyle it. my name is nicholas carter, i am part of cycle 30. [cheers and applause]

>> a little bit about myself, i am a san francisco native, born and raised in hunter's point, went to balboa, went to riordan, i have a child who is 14 now, 14 , going on 34. a little bit more about me, after high school, when i graduated, like a lot of us, i was lost, i didn't know what i wanted to do, i didn't know what trade i wanted to get in, i had dreams of being a baseball player, a football player, something making a whole bunch of money in athletics, and it didn't work out that way, so i found myself just doing low-end jobs, warehouse jobs, and i remember i got fired from my first warehouse job and i was real, real upset. i was upset at the fact that i had never been fired. i went home i talked my mom and she said, nicholas, those warehouse jobs, i don't thank you want to be doing those for the rest of your life, is that

mom, i was feeling like i was boxed in and it was the only thing i could do, just working or going to mcdonald's or something else. i love your food,. i just found myself lost, i stayed lost for about ten years. i got into the trade a little bit. i worked for a family member. he was doing home maintenance, and i loved it. i loved it, but i found myself, if i didn't go to work, i really wasn't making any money at all, i didn't have a pension, no insurance, nothing, i wanted to do better for my son. so i found out about city build. i looked it up on the computer, i bring in, i said oh, man, they

are having a class, i went down to the mission hiring hall, and i walk in, he is not here, i see chris, chris is here. that guy, chris. i walk in, and i said, hey, i am here to sign up, i have my papers all in my hand. i want to sign up, and he said to me, that's nice, but i don't think you can sign up because you look like you are late and i said oh, man, i was getting ready to cry ready in the mission hiring hall. gilbert shows up. gill is not here. chris calls over gill, and i had already applied for the apprenticeship out there in pleasanton. he shows up, and he said, oh, you want to be a carpenter, i said, yeah, i want to be a

carpenter, he said let me see that paper that you got. he signed it for the apprenticeship? i said, yeah, i sure did. he gets on his phone, takes it out, calls the preapprenticeship , okay, hangs up the phone, looks at me, and says get looks like you will be a carpenter in about ten years, you are a number 799. [laughter] >> when he said that, my heart falls to my shoes and i said oh, man, i was taking on these waves of emotions, i don't know if anyone has ever been there, but they have those big sliding doors there, and right when he said this, through the door, it was like god was coming, the light shined, in her head popped out and she said you want to work, and she said okay, do you have your license? i said yes, so she goes outside, she comes back in, you have your

highs will diploma, i said i sure do. >> she goes out she comes back in, she says, this is where i want you to go. so she told me to go here right to folsom. mind you, i don't know what i'm going through, i'm just following these people's directions. i'm like, okay, so i go to mission hiring hall, and as soon as i walk in, they said, hey, give me your social security, all this, and i'm thinking, whoa man, on my really doing this right now? i don't even know these people, but everyone all throughout the way, was just so friendly, that is just one thing i have to harp on real big because everybody was so friendly. you could feel the love as soon i walked in at the mission career center with chris, two gill, and to judy. thank you so much because you changed my life. i really appreciate it. [applause]

>> so you could feel the love. i got into the mission hiring hall, and i run into omar, i think. he was excited, nice and man, i don't know what you are so excited about, i am lost right now. is this the right place? i might have stumbled into somewhere else. he said, yeah, we will take your information, we will set you up here, and i said man, i still don't know what i'm doing, and then he introduced me to others. where is she at? over there. i am still giving more information, in mind you, i don't know what i'm doing, i still don't even know if this is the right place. everyone was just so friendly, so i said i guess, okay. you want my social, you want $5, too, i will give it to you all. so i'm giving them my information and soon as i am done, they said we have class. i am all dressed down and we are i'm dressing in slacks and a button up, i think i'm going to

an interview. and then when i went around the class, josh walked in. and i said who is this guy? but he was so excited. he was so ready to learn. i said okay, maybe i am in the right place now. everyone is moving to help me. i am all in. from that moment right there, i was all in, without even going to a city build class or anything. i was all in because those people, they made me feel so loved, just write out the gate. i am a person with big energy, and i can feel the big energy right there in that building. it was just big, so then, to take it onto city build, that was a whole another world. i can't think the liaison, the

teachers, the instructors, all of them enough because they were just a fountain of knowledge, with every problem i had, whether it be construction, life , whatever it might have been going through my head that day, i can reach out for anyone of them and talk to them about it. they would always give me some heartfelt info or advice back, and that is one thing, that is priceless. not to say that everyone is bad or anything, but that was the first time where i was in a group where everybody i felt cared about me, straight up. that made me want to do better. that made me want to change my outlook as a home human, and say , i have to open up more. you have to give back more. you have to push yourself more, and it all started with city

build. you to, mom, she was always pushing me. i don't know if she's trying to push me like a house or whatever , but she was pushing. everybody was always pushing and striving, and matter of fact, the whole class could do better. and even my classmates. they were bigger than classmates i still call them every other day, i still hang out with them, it is a family, even the instructors, it is a family. i am always thinking about you. i just texted you the other day said, hey, i'm just thinking about you, i wanted to say hi. dang, i stole the show, i can't thank you enough.

i appreciate all the instructors , my classmates, i love you all. thank you so much. [cheers and applause] >> thank you so much for your words, nicole and nicholas. thank you. that is why we do what we do here at city build. next we just want to acknowledge a couple more folks in the room, a couple organizations. we have a local 913 union, we have a fisher construction, also bright line defence, as well, local 38, and local 261. [applause] >> this is fun. >> okay. , now are you guys having fun? [cheering]

>> we have to keep the energy hi , this is just the beginning. okay, so we want to invite the program manager up who will say a few words. thank you. [applause] >> how is everyone doing tonight you know, when i first came up here today, i had written out a speech, and i was going to stick to the two and a half minutes i will get in. i will still stick to that, was so much for my speech. i think that i will turn back the? and make this thanksgiving day. and give thanks because without city build academy and without this, none of us would be here. so family members that supported them, thank you. the instructors that supported them, thank you. companies that gave them

opportunities, thank you, as well. because without you, we don't exist. it is important we look at these programs and understand it is their day. it is not our day, it is their day. we should give them a round of applause for just being here. [applause] >> we have all heard the phrase success breeds success, these folks are successful. what does it mean? means they pass it onto their kids, their loved ones, their kids' kids and it becomes a cyclical chain of success. absorb that. it turns cyclical in a negative sort of way. this will be a cyclical change of positive success, and for that, san francisco, be very thankful. i want to give a quick shout out to a couple of employers, a couple of folks who have talked, and then i will done be -- i will be done with this.

this is 15 strong, nearly 14 strong, two job offers came in yesterday for them. twenty-five% of the class has already been job placed. what does that mean? there is not a person in this class that the starting wage is less than $25 an hour. think about that. twenty-five dollars an hour coming out of this program. we would like to say that when your bills are paid, you make better choices. these folks' bills will be paid. they will be able to make better choices. whether it is continuing with education, doing whatever they want to do in this life, better choices are ahead of them. i want to move on to thanking the organization. our guest speaker was nicole. they have already picked her up. she is working for them. they have picked up four people from this class. we cannot thank them enough for

what they have done. rick more, i cannot thank you enough for what you have done for this program. i also want to thank city college instructors, wherever you are, hands up for you folks. without your diligent efforts, these folks do not learn the skills they need to compete at will employment. it's a tricky little thing. it means you can get fired at any time. these folks are competitive. they know how to get to work, they know how to produce, they know the challenges in the workforce, and they are more than ready to rise up to it. i also want to thank the mission campus. this program is held at the mission campus, they have supported it for many, many years and it is important to give a shout out to them. last but not least, i believe we had some people in the house have a training program that the program embraces.

it teaches folks big picture view of the construction industry from prebid to close out. this gives them added tools to once again be competitive. and you have heard meet her -- here the term competitive more than once. that is what it takes. these folks have to get up in the morning, get to work, you have to show your willingness to work and be competitive in that arena. essentially that is all he wanted to say. let me give one last shout out, i want to thank my boss. [applause] >> she puts up with a little bit of my craziness, and has faith i will not drive the program off the cliff. i really thank you for it. with that said, let's get these diplomas going to the folks that have earned them. once again, it is your day, city build academy, it is your day. do not let anyone take it away

from you. you have accomplished a lot. thank you very much. [♪] >> we will begin with the handing out of the certificates. first up is mark arnold. [applause] >> second up will be myrna garden. [applause] >> stephen downey. [applause] >> tina howard.

[♪] >> my when. [♪] >> adrian down off. juliana lara. [applause] >> my lemar sc peter ong.

kale so lease. [applause] >> nicole then how ten -- nicole then -- >> last but not least, wayland wu. this is cycle 19. give them a big round of applause. thank you. >> that was fun. congratulations. we are going to acknowledge a

few partners. d.p.w., dixon and associates over there. local 12, local 377, s.f. jay apc, the architectural foundation of san francisco, herero builders, san francisco building and construction. come on. >> congratulations. now we will have remarks from romero, the city build academy coordinator.

>> hello, everybody. i am guillermo and i am the coordinator of city build, of city college san francisco. i would like to acknowledge our faculty. i am here to turn in all the sick -- certificates for the city grilled -- city build graduates, cycle 30. we will start with james brown. [applause]

[calling names]

[cheering] [calling names]

[cheering] [calling names] [calling names]

>> congratulations and welcome to everybody. >> congratulations, city build academy cycle 30. just a couple more shout outs before we conclude this evening, local 483, young community developers, and o.c.i. i. thank you, everybody. we also want to recognize raphael. [cheers and applause] also, all my coworkers from city build and then more people.

senator weiner we already introduced him. c.t. build. -- city build. [calling names] >> emily, chad, nicole,... [calling names] and tonight's m.c. >> thank you for coming and joining us to celebrate us. it is time to eat. let's celebrate. the food is in the back. thank you for coming.

[♪] >> i really believe that art should be available to people for free, and it should be part of our world, you shouldn't just be something in museums, and i love that the people can just go there and it is there for everyone. [♪] >> i would say i am a

multidimensional artist. i came out of painting, but have also really enjoyed tactile properties of artwork and tile work. i always have an interest in public art. i really believe that art should be available to people for free, and it should be part of our world. you shouldn't just be something in museums. i love that people can just go there, and it is there for everyone. public art is art with a job to do. it is a place where the architecture meets the public. where the artist takes the meaning of the site, and gives a voice to its. we commission culture, murals, mosaics, black pieces, cut to mental, different types of material. it is not just downtown, or the big sculptures you see, we are in the neighborhood.

those are some of the most beloved kinds of projects that really give our libraries and recreation centers a sense of uniqueness, and being specific to that neighborhood. colette test on a number of those projects for its. one of my favorites is the oceanview library, as well as several parks, and the steps. >> mosaics are created with tile that is either broken or cut in some way, and rearranged to make a pattern. you need to use a tool, nippers, as they are called, to actually shape the tiles of it so you can get them to fit incorrectly.

i glued them to mash, and then they are taken, now usually installed by someone who is not to me, and they put cement on the wall, and they pick up the mash with the tiles attached to it, and they stick it to the wall, and then they groped it afterwards. [♪] >> we had never really seen artwork done on a stairway of the kinds that we were thinking of because our idea was very just barely pictorial, and to have a picture broken up like that, we were not sure if it would visually work. so we just took paper that size and drew what our idea was, and cut it into strips, and took it down there and taped it to the steps, and stepped back and looked around, and walked up and down and figured out how it would really work visually. [♪] >> my theme was chinese heights

because i find them very beautiful. and also because mosaic is such a heavy, dens, static medium, and i always like to try and incorporate movement into its, and i work with the theme of water a lot, with wind, with clouds, just because i like movements and lightness, so i liked the contrast of making kites out of very heavy, hard material. so one side is a dragon kite, and then there are several different kites in the sky with the clouds, and a little girl below flying it. [♪] >> there are pieces that are particularly meaningful to me.

during the time that we were working on it, my son was a disaffected, unhappy high school student. there was a day where i was on the way to take them to school, and he was looking glum, as usual, and so halfway to school, i turned around and said, how about if i tell the school you are sick and you come make tiles with us, so there is a tile that he made to. it is a little bird. the relationship with a work of art is something that develops over time, and if you have memories connected with a place from when you are a child, and you come back and you see it again with the eyes of an adult, it is a different thing, and is just part of what makes the city an exciting place. [♪]

>> this is one place you can always count on to give you what you had before and remind you of what your san francisco history used to be. >> we hear that all the time, people bring their kids here and their grandparents brought them here and down the line. >> even though people move away, whenever they come back to the city, they make it here. and they tell us that. >> you're going to get something made fresh, made by hand and made with quality

products and something that's very, very good. ♪ >> the legacy bars and restaurants was something that was begun by san francisco simply to recognize and draw attention to the establishments. it really provides for san francisco's unique character. ♪ >> and that morphed into a request that we work with the city to develop a legacy business registration. >> i'm michael cirocco and the owner of an area bakery. ♪ the bakery started in 191. my grandfather came over from italy and opened it up then. it is a small operation. it's not big. so everything is kind of

quality that way. so i see every piece and cut every piece that comes in and out of that oven. >> i'm leslie cirocco-mitchell, a fourth generation baker here with my family. ♪ so we get up pretty early in the morning. i usually start baking around 5:00. and then you just start doing rounds of dough. loaves. >> my mom and sister basically handle the front and then i have my nephew james helps and then my two daughters and my wife come in and we actually do the baking. after that, my mom and my sister stay and sell the product, retail it. ♪ you know, i don't really think about it. but then when i -- sometimes when i go places and i look and see places put up, oh this is our 50th anniversary and everything and we've been over

100 and that is when it kind of hits me. you know, that geez, we've been here a long time. [applause] ♪ >> a lot of people might ask why our legacy business is important. we all have our own stories to tell about our ancestry. our lineage and i'll use one example of tommy's joint. tommy's joint is a place that my husband went to as a child and he's a fourth generation san franciscan. it's a place we can still go to today with our children or grandchildren and share the stories of what was san francisco like back in the 1950s. >> i'm the general manager at tommy's joint. people mostly recognize tommy's

joint for its murals on the outside of the building. very bright blue. you drive down and see what it is. they know the building. tommy's is a san francisco hoffa, which is a german-style presenting food. we have five different carved meats and we carve it by hand at the station. you prefer it to be carved whether you like your brisket fatty or want it lean. you want your pastrami to be very lean. you can say i want that piece of corn beef and want it cut, you know, very thick and i want it with some sauerkraut. tell the guys how you want to prepare it and they will do it right in front of you. san francisco's a place that's changing restaurants, except for tommy's joint. tommy's joint has been the same since it opened and that is

important. san francisco in general that we don't lose a grip of what san francisco's came from. tommy's is a place that you'll always recognize whenever you lock in the door. you'll see the same staff, the same bartender and have the same meal and that is great. that's important. ♪ >> the service that san francisco heritage offers to the legacy businesses is to help them with that application process, to make sure that they really recognize about them what it is that makes them so special here in san francisco. ♪ so we'll help them with that application process if, in fact, the board of supervisors

does recognize them as a legacy business, then that does entitle them to certain financial benefits from the city of san francisco. but i say really, more importantly, it really brings them public recognition that this is a business in san francisco that has history and that is unique to san francisco. >> it started in june of 1953. ♪ and we make everything from scratch. everything. we started a you -- we started a off with 12 flavors and mango fruits from the philippines and then started trying them one by one and the family had a whole new clientele. the business really boomed after that. >> i think that the flavors we

make reflect the diversity of san francisco. we were really surprised about the legacy project but we were thrilled to be a part of it. businesses come and go in the city. pretty tough for businesss to stay here because it is so expensive and there's so much competition. so for us who have been here all these years and still be popular and to be recognized by the city has been really a huge honor. >> we got a phone call from a woman who was 91 and she wanted to know if the mitchells still owned it and she was so happy that we were still involved, still the owners. she was our customer in 1953. and she still comes in.

but she was just making sure that we were still around and it just makes us feel, you know, very proud that we're carrying on our father's legacy. and that we mean so much to so many people. ♪ >> it provides a perspective. and i think if you only looked at it in the here and now, you're missing the context. for me, legacy businesses, legacy bars and restaurants are really about setting the context for how we come to be where we are today. >> i just think it's part of san francisco. people like to see familiar stuff. at least i know i do. >> in the 1950s, you could see a picture of tommy's joint and looks exactly the same. we haven't change add thing. >> i remember one lady saying, you know, i've been eating this ice cream since before i was born. and i thought, wow! we have, too. ♪

>> good morning, let's get this press conference started. hi, everyone, i'm mary of the city and county and san francisco, and also resident. welcome to the lower hate, everybody. i am here with sorrow who is the owner of café international, which is really an important legacy business that really holds this community together, and your supervisor, vallie brown. [applause] >> you know, this café is one of the small businesses around our city that are more than just a small business. they are spaces for our neighbors together across close-knit communities, they are where young people get their first job opportunities, and they are an important part of our workforce.