talking about in the same breath these are two of the top competing global tech industries just saying. [laughter] google and microsoft, who are coming together. let's be clear, you compete, we were coming together to support people with barriers to employment. i will start by introducing katy brown. katy? there you are. come on up. katy is the vice president of enterprise sales of the west region at microsoft who is a lead sponsor of our good will microsoft space and with the grant that allows for learning possibilities beyond what residents have had in their past welcome. >> thank you. [applause] so thank you so much. i have to tell you it is absolutely in honor to be here and be part of this project. i am deeply touched by what i have heard this morning and all

that has been accomplished at the goodwill. chris, i think we might be able to up that offer if you are interested. [cheers and applause] come talk to me. i am serious about that. [laughter] i have been a resident in san francisco for 30 years and i have had the opportunity to work for three companies based here as well. i care deeply, very deeply about this city and this community. i can't even tell you have touched i am to see what is happening today with goodwill and all that you guys are doing. very much appreciate it. we are thrilled to be part of this process and we have been a partner of goodwill for the last 14 years. jason ford who is on my team is a member of the board and unfortunately couldn't be here today, but very much sends his well wishes. we have been able to donate not

only in software grants and in training and education and curriculum, as well as the building out of the maker space, which was incredibly important to us because we feel as if we need to actually help the people that you are training here, to learn some of those advanced high-tech degrees. there is advanced learning and innovation that you will see. i really encourage you to visit it. we are thrilled to be here. we appreciate the partnership and all that you do for this city and worldwide. thank you. [applause] >> i now have the pleasure of introducing the bay area giving program manager from google. google is supporting a future of work initiatives that funds digital training and certification programs in partnership with goodwill and you spend your career supporting social impact initiatives throughout the bay area. welcome. >> thanks. [applause]

>> thank you so much. before i get started, you also have to take my call, too. make sure we connect. [laughter] that is right. thank you for letting us join this beautiful space. i'm really excited to be here. i lead bay area area giving. we really strive, specifically to introduce -- make sure people can work with the economy. thank you for being our spokesperson. goodwill is one of the most innovative ones in the country and very near and dear partner to google. was this visit to san francisco in our meeting with tanya which inspired us to do a $10 million nation will -- nationwide grant to goodwill across the country. since we supported this

initiative, the goodwill digital career accelerator has supported over 93 good wills across the country and has helped more than 250,000 people received training and digital skills that are required in a majority of jobs, much like the training that chris has received. we are proud of the fact that goodwill is part of this program and proud of the fact it was born here in the bay area in san francisco, in our home base. in particular, we are proud of the i.t. support professional certificate, the program that teaches anyone who requires skills for a role. without the need for a bachelor 's degree. nineteen people have graduated from this program thanks to google and we have had the honor of meeting many of these graduates. you all have met chris here today. we appreciate -- we appreciate the work you are doing. we are looking forward to hearing more stories like this one in more story like chris' and looking forward to hearing the impacts that this new community space will have on the acceleration of the economic opportunities of others. thank you so much. [applause]

>> thank you. last but not least, we have -- i would like to invite mar and adam. they are both from phil tang's office and kamala harris' office who would like to share a few words. [applause] >> thank you, will. i am with assembly member philip tang. something cathartic about being here 30 years ago about this week, i bought my first halloween cost -- costume when i moved to san francisco. i was younger, thinner, think judy garland, that was my goal at the time. that was about the timing met you, too, will. phil couldn't be here today, but , you know, san francisco, i thank you said we are a city for everyone that works for everyone , and where everyone can work. there's something really powerful about that statement.

the state legislature has worked very hard over the last nine years to reduce prison sentences , review prison sentences, to make sure that we have opportunities for californians and goodwill has been a leader in that to allow people, as mayor breed said, with criminal histories to be able to get jobs and we want to thank you. and for people with mental illness and mental health challenges, they say the best thing you can do for a person with a mental health issue is to get them a job. so we want to thank you, goodwill, for all you have done. thank you, google, microsoft, all of the other partners who have supported goodwill. we can only turn around the challenges of our city with the work of everyone and this is just a great example. on behalf of the state assembly, i want to present you with this certificate congratulating the opening of this new facility. [applause]

>> hello, i am with senator kamala harris' office. she wanted to send a quick note over to you all in terms of congratulating you for this new space and taking an oath to break the cycles and iterations of poverty. she was most interested in your work on working with the young adult court and making critical interventions with young people trying to change their lives. goodwill is a long-standing champion a positive change for communities. best wishes on the brand -- grand opening of the new headquarters. [applause] >> all right. that is our program today. i just want to say, everyone, thank you so much for coming. i want to thank all of the goodwill staff and what we will

do is there will be tours over here. there's lots of classroom stuff and there's also food. please enjoy. thank you all for coming very much. [applause] [♪] >> go ahead and cut it. [cheers and applause] >> it did take a village. i was really lucky when i was 14 years old to get an internship.

the difference that it made for me is i had a job, but there were other people who didn't have a job, who, unfortunately, needed money. and they were shown to commit illegal acts to get money. that is what i want to prevent. [♪] today we are here to officially kick off the first class of opportunities for all. [applause]. >> opportunities for all is a program that mayor breed launched in october of 2018. it really was a vision of mayor breed to get to all of the young people in san francisco, but with an intention to focus on young people that have typically not being able to access opportunities such as internships or work-based learning opportunities. >> money should never be a barrier to your ability to

succeed in life and that is what this program is about. >> there's always these conversations about young people not being prepared and not having experience for work and if they don't get an opportunity to work, then they cannot gain the experience that they need. this is really about investing in the future talent pool and getting them the experience that they need. >> it is good for everyone because down the road we will need future mechanics, future pilots, future bankers, future whatever they may be in any industry. this is the pipe on we need to work with. we need to start developing talent, getting people excited about careers, opening up those pathways and frankly giving opportunities out there that would normally not be presented. [♪] >> the way that it is organized is there are different points of entry and different ways of engagement for the young person and potential employers. young people can work in cohorts or in groups and that's really for people that have maybe never

had job experience or who are still trying to figure out what they want to do and they can explore. and in the same way, it is open for employers to say, you know what, i don't think we are ready to host an intern year-round are all summer, but that they can open up their doors and do site visits or tours or panels or conversations. and then it runs all the way up to the opportunity for young people to have long-term employment, and work on a project and be part of the employee base. >> something new, to get new experience and meet people and then you are getting paid for it you are getting paid for doing that. it is really cool. >> i starting next week, i will be a freshman. [cheers and applause] two of the things i appreciate about this program was the amazing mentorship in the job experience that i had. i am grateful for this opportunity. thank you. >> something i learned at airbnb is how to network and how important it is to network

because it is not only what you know, but also who you know to get far in life. >> during this program, i learned basic coding languages, had a had to identify the main components and how to network on a corporate level. it is also helping me accumulate my skills all be going towards my college tuition where i will pursue a major in computer science. >> for myself, being that i am an actual residential realtor, it was great. if anybody wants to buy a house, let me know. whenever. [applause] it is good. i got you. it was really cool to see the commercial side and think about the process of developing property and different things that i can explore. opportunities for all was a great opportunity for all. >> we were aiming to have 1,000 young people register and we had over 2,000 people register and

we were able to place about between 50 and did. we are still getting the final numbers of that. >> over several weeks, we were able to have students participate in investment banking they were able to work with our team, or technology team, our engineering 20 we also gave them lessons around the industry, around financial literacy. >> there are 32,000 young people ages 16 and 24 living in san francisco. and imagine if we can create an opera skin it just opportunity for all program for every young person that lives in public housing, affordable housing, low income communities. it is all up to you to make that happen. >> we have had really great response from employers and they have been talking about it with other employers, so we have had a lot of interest for next year to have people sign on. we are starting to figure out how to stay connected to those young people and to get prepared to make sure we can get all 2400

or so that registered. we want to give them placement and what it looks like if they get more. >> let's be honest, there is always a shortage of good talent in any industry, and so this is a real great career path. >> for potential sponsors who might be interested in supporting opportunities for all , there is an opportunity to make a difference in our city. this is a really thriving, booming economy, but not for everyone. this is a way to make sure that everyone gets to benefit from the great place that san francisco is and that we are building pathways for folks to be able to stay here and that they feel like they will belong. >> just do it. sign up for it. [♪]

[♪] >> it's great to see everyone kind of get together and prove, that you know, building our culture is something that can be reckoned with. >> i am desi, chair of economic development for soma filipinos. so that -- [ inaudible ] know that soma filipino exists, and it's also our economic platform, so we can start to

build filipino businesses so we can start to build the cultural district. >> i studied the bok chase choy her achbl heritage, and i discovered this awesome bok choy. working at i-market is amazing. you've got all these amazing people coming out here to share one culture. >> when i heard that there was a market with, like, a lot of filipino food, it was like oh, wow, that's the closest thing i've got to home, so, like, i'm going to try everything. >> fried rice, and wings, and

three different cliefz sliders. i haven't tried the adobe yet, but just smelling it yet brings back home and a ton of memories. >> the binca is made out of different ingredients, including cheese. but here, we put a twist on it. why not have nutella, rocky road, we have blue berry. we're not just limiting it to just the classic with salted egg and cheese. >> we try to cook food that you don't normally find from filipino food vendors, like the

lichon, for example. it's something that it took years to come up with, to perfect, to get the skin just right, the flavor, and it's one of our most popular dishes, and people love it. this, it's kind of me trying to chase a dream that i had for a long time. when i got tired of the corporate world, i decided that i wanted to give it a try and see if people would actually like our food. i think it's a wonderful opportunity for the filipino culture to shine. everybody keeps saying filipino food is the next big thing. i think it's already big, and to have all of us here together, it's just -- it just blows my mind sometimes that there's so many of us bringing -- bringing filipino food to the city finally. >> i'm alex, the owner of the

lumpia company. the food that i create is basically the filipino-american experience. i wasn't a chef to start with, but i literally love lumpia, but my food is my favorite foods i like to eat, put into my favorite filipino foods, put together. it's not based off of recipes i learned from my mom. maybe i learned the rolling technique from my mom, but the different things that i put in are just the different things that i like, and i like to think that i have good taste. well, the very first lumpia that i came out with that really build the lumpia -- it wasn't the poerk and shrimp shanghai, but my favorite thing after partying is that bakon

cheese burger lumpia. there was a time in our generation where we didn't have our own place, our own feed to eat. before, i used to promote filipino gatherings to share the love. now, i'm taking the most exciting filipino appetizer and sharing it with other filipinos. >> it can happen in the san francisco mint, it can happen in a park, it can happen in a street park, it can happen in a tech campus. it's basically where we bring the hardware, the culture, the operating system. >> so right now, i'm eating

something that brings me back to every filipino party from my childhood. it's really cool to be part of the community and reconnect with the neighborhood. >> one of our largest challenges in creating this cultural district when we compare ourselves to chinatown, japantown or little saigon, there's little communities there that act as place makers. when you enter into little philippines, you're like where are the businesses, and that's one of the challenges we're trying to solve.

>> undercover love wouldn't be possible without the help of the mayor and all of our community partnerships out there. it costs approximately $60,000 for every event. undiscovered is a great tool for the cultural district to bring awareness by bringing the best parts of our culture which is food, music, the arts and being ativism all under one roof, and by seeing it all in this way, what it allows san

franciscans to see is the dynamics of the filipino-american culture. i think in san francisco, we've kind of lost track of one of our values that makes san francisco unique with just empathy, love, of being acceptable of different people, the out liers, the crazy ones. we've become so focused onic maing money that we forgot about those that make our city and community unique. when people come to discover, i want them to rediscover the magic of what diversity and empathy can create. when you're positive and good morning everybody.

thank you. it brings me such joy, gratitude, pleasure to welcome you to the re-dedication of ellis gardens. i hope you will join me in welcoming to the podium our mayor, london breed. >> mayor breed: i thought you were going to the project and talk a little about it. fine, i will get started. thank you everyone for being here today. i am excited about this project. this is the city and county of san francisco working hard to fulfill a promise. a promise to so many people who live throughout san francisco in public housing, in conditions that no one should have to live in. a few years back when i first started as a member of the board of supervisors, i met with mayor

ed lee to talk about priorities. my number one, two, three priority as supervisor was public housing in san francisco as a whole, not just my district. mayor lee supported the fact that we needed to do something different because the kinds of conditions that existed for so many years and the amount of money that we received, there was no way to get to a better place. over 20 years of my life in plaza east, i live in those conditions. the neglect, the bathrooms that didn't work, the mold, the conditions that you live in when you have had to live that way for over 20 years is something you never forget. this is why nothing is more important to me than changing the kinds of conditions that people live in.

here with 94 units of housing for people who are part of our very vulnerable community, our seniors, people living with disabilities, people who have challenges, not only physically sometimes but also many of our low income residents. they deserve the kind of place that exists here today. they deserve to live in conditions where when they flush the toilet it will work. where they have showers and some of the most basic things that some people take for granted. they have pest control so that they don't have to deal with the kinds of conditions that existed in the city in some places around public housing for far too long. when we brought in the program there were so many people who were skeptical. they were worried about displacement, what happened in the city in the past.

there were some mistakes made in the past. i continue to go back to my own personal experience of living in public housing 300 units torn down and only 200 units built. yes, a lot of people i grew up with were not given the opportunity to come back. that is why it is so important that we have partners and we work with each resident individually to help them understand that this is about them and to make the move and the transition while we are renovating these places as smooth as possible. that we make sure we are able to gain their trust and their support. in this city we have demonstrated through this program that we can be trusted to do the kinds rehabilitation work that is desperately needed to make sure people are living in great conditions, people are living in the kinds of

conditions that they deserve. i just want to thank tndc for being our partners, for doing the work with compassion. this place, i don't know if you have been in here before. what we see now, i am overwhelmed by the walls and floors and everything i see today. it is so amazing. we know that san francisco continues to have so many challenges. yes, we have to build more housing because we know even outside these doors, sadly, there are people struggling with homelessness. we also have to make sure that we are taking care of the people who deserve a safe affordable place to call home. preservation of existing affordable housing, building new housing in this city, that is

what we have to do to make san francisco a better place for each and every one of us. i am so grateful to be here, so proud of this work of this project, and i want to thank the people from project managers, to the financing. it does take a village that is expensive to do and to do rehappentation work in san francisco. we -- rehabilitation work in san francisco. i am happy for the residents. congratulations on this incredible property and thank you, don, for all of the work you continue to do. this is not our first project together and it definitely won't be our last. [applause.] >> i know i speak for a lot of people when i say we are

grateful for your leadership, mayor. join me in welcoming louise. [applause.] >> good morning. i am the president of the ellis gardens council. i want to thank the mayor london breed for making it happening for providing housing. i came to san francisco in 1962, when i was 12 years old from el salvador. most of my life i lived in the mission district before losing

my housing. thankfully, there was room for me at ellis gardens in 2012. ever since i have moved to ellis gardens, i have become involved in the community such as volunteering in the boys and girls club. volunteers is a positive and happy experience in my life. i love ellis gardens. it feels like an extension of the park now that the renovation is complete. it is now time to enjoy ellis gardens, have respect for one another and improve our community. on behalf of the residents we are very appreciative for the renovations and the support. thank you very much. [applause.]

>> thank you. please welcome supervisor matt haney. [applause.] >> thank you, don, mayor breed. i want to give a special recognition to louise. he is not just the red of the tenant council here, he is one of the greatest community leaders in the tenderloin. he shows up in the neighborhood. you make this such a wonderful place to live. please give him a round of applause again. >> i have been friends with who louise for a few years. last year he invited me to visit the believe. -- to visit the building. it looks so beautiful. this area back here, the units. i got to visit on the tenth

floor. this building is gorgeous. this is what people in this community deserve. this is what people in the tenderloin need in terms of open space, green space, finally living up to the name of this building, ellis gardens. this is a beautiful building for a neighborhood that is truly experiencing a renaissance of affordable housing, renovation for a community on the move in a positive way. i had a couple friends who visited the city recently. they are worried about the tenderloin. i said i was walking around and saw gentrification. i said what are you talking about? he said i walked around taylor and eddy and saw the condos popping up. i am worried we are building condos and not affordable

housing. i said those are affordable housing buildings. yes, they are beautiful. yes, they represent what people in this community need andy serve. people are going to walk by this and say, wow, i wish i could live there. that is what we want for everyone living in the city and the residents. thank you for allowing us to celebrate. thank you for going through this process. i am sure there was a level of disruption. thank you to bank of america and all of the project managers. i live one block from here right on hyde and ellis. this is my neighborhood. i walk by here every day and i am so happy for the residents and this entire community that this building has been expanded in the way that it has. thank you. (applause).

>> thank you so much, matt. please welcome the executive director of glide community housing. (applause). >> good morning everybody. it is my pleasure to be here today. flied community housing is honored to be in partnership. thank you, mayor london breed and supervisor haney. welcome everyone. we are so proud of the building we are being presented to you today the new ellis gardens. this project has been a labor of love. i would like to just pause and highlight the development team for a minute. thank you so much for your level of excellence devoted to this project. ellis garden reflects a strong commitment of collaboration and the team went above and beyond to make this a beautiful

project. as you tour the building you will see their efforts truly exceed the baseline for the project. the structure here is sound and we are providing units of quality housing for years to come. as a service provider, glide community housing believes communities like ellis gardens are built on the strengths and talents of the members in the community. we are here to provide supportive services through effective case management. the goal is housing stability for the entire population of not only this building but other believes in the community. our service team develops programming offering an array of multi-dimensional services and opportunities to travel new pathways to health, autonomy and growth. we believe that housing is the

essential first step in supporting individuals to reduce barriers and thus breaking the cycles of chronic homelessness. in closing, i want to thank a few people in the room today. i really want to thank our staff. glide community housing supportive services staff has gone the extra mile. it was our first time delivering services in an active construction site. not only did you take care of your yells, you continued to deliver quality services and make sure the folks here were taken care of. bank of america we thank you. we were able to deliver welcome home kits to every individual that received a new apartment got a kit full of basic household needs, dish us, towels, bathroom supplies to

help them settle into the community. gabe, thank you. your leadership on the development team is exceptional. you went the extra mile. we thank you for your leadership. d and h construction exceptional work. san francisco arts commission. we applied for the community challenge grant and were ag ablo partner. there is a beautiful mural on the wall. we are proud of the mural. our partners with hsh, thank you. you allow us to work through supportive services. this community means a lot to us. there is a tremendous amount of gratitude being a lot of thank u.s. from the residents coming to services every day.

very appreciative of what we have done as a team. thank you. we appreciate you. (applause). >> bank of america played a crucial role not only at ellis gardens but across the entire portfolio of rental assistance demonstration properties. please welcome our long time friend heidi. >> good morning, everyone. thank you so much for the warm welcome. thank you mathank you, mayor br. for those who may not know, bank of america was founded here in san francisco in 1904 as the bank of italy by the son of italian immigrants who wanted to serve immigrants, women, those who were just the common person, and not necessarily the

financial elite. fast forward over 100 years and bank of america represents over 4,000 teammates, clients, community partners in san francisco and if it is iconic moments like financing the bay bridge or restoring the ferry building or providing almost 100 residents in the ellis gardens with a wonderful new living condition and the well-being that comes with a place that is truly a home, we are so proud to be part of it. how important san francisco is to bank of america. it is fitting out of $4.8 billion. i am a banker. i will talk about money. invested in the community development across the country over $2.2 billion is here in san francisco. we are tremendously proud to be included today in the celebration.

congratulations to the entire resident bays, community partners and friends. thank you all so much for including us. (applause). >> finally, gabriel, it is your turn. >> thank you, don andthal you all for come -- thank you all for coming. my heart is filled with so much gratitude today. i recognize that i am the last speaker right before lunch. i will keep it quick. first, i want to thank the tenants especially for putting up with construction and relocation. today is an open house of sorts. it is not the first open house. when we completed the first floor of the top floor we

finished the first unit and held the apartment open for the tenants to come and take a look. everything was done. we had it staged modestly with flowers. people came out on to check it out. i will never forget one tenant walked in to the apartment and said is this what you are doing to my home? the tenant reactions were great. i wish we had hgtv there to capture it. those are a real reason why many of us are in this business and do the work we do. i will skip over the list of hundreds of people i want to thank. i would like to thank the dozens of people who will look after this building here on out and look after the health of the people in it. i am very proud what we accomplished together to be here today. we did so under budget, mind

you. i am proud tha that we will accomplish all of this in the future. thank you very much for coming. >> thank you. i want to just offer a few reflections. one is that i hope you will hear from all of us just the expression of gratitude. we realize we are in a privileged position to do the work to serve others. that is what a lot of us are very motivated by while in this room. seven years ago mayor lee and ed had a vision p.29 properties. $2 billion and where was that going to come from? how was it going to happen? a new program that none of us knew or understood very well.

i understand the housing director at the time telling me five single-spaced pages of exceptions to the rules. like this is what it took. that speaks nothing of all of the people and the institutions who are part of it. i hope you will takethe time to not just read but to grasp what is involved with every one of the people. most of you here and everyone on the list made a real contribution. i hope you will feel that you own this, if you will, because we were in this role at the center of the work but it is other people doing the work. i don't know what it means to own ellis gardens. this is a community asset. this is affordable housing forever to serve people with low incomes forever. there will be a whole generation of people here 40 or 50 years from now celebrating the next

rededication. it is a profound moment that i hope we can all appreciate how important not just the rededication but renewal. grateful to be a part of it. thank you all for coming. [applause.] >> five, four, three, two, one. [cheers.] [♪] >> i just wanted to say a few

words. one is to the parents and to all of the kids. thank you for supporting this program and for trusting us to create a soccer program in the bayview. >> soccer is the world's game, and everybody plays, but in the united states, this is a sport that struggles with access for certain communities. >> i coached basketball in a coached football for years, it is the same thing. it is about motivating kids and keeping them together, and giving them new opportunities. >> when the kids came out, they had no idea really what the game was. only one or two of them had played soccer before. we gave the kids very simple lessons every day and made sure that they had fun while they were doing it, and you really could see them evolve into a team over the course of the season. >> i think this is a great opportunity to be part of the community and be part of programs like this. >> i get to run around with my other teammates and pass the ball. >> this is new to me. i've always played basketball or

football. i am adjusting to be a soccer mom. >> the bayview is like my favorite team. even though we lose it is still fine. >> right on. >> i have lots of favorite memories, but i think one of them is just watching the kids enjoy themselves. >> my favorite memory was just having fun and playing. >> bayview united will be in soccer camp all summer long. they are going to be at civic centre for two different weeklong sessions with america scores, then they will will have their own soccer camp later in the summer right here, and then they will be back on the pitch next fall. >> now we know a little bit more about soccer, we are learning more, and the kids are really enjoying the program. >> we want to be united in the bayview. that is why this was appropriate >> this guy is the limit. the kids are already athletic, you know, they just need to learn the game. we have some potential college-bound kids, definitely.

>> today was the last practice of the season, and the sweetest moment was coming out here while , you know, we were setting up the barbecue and folding their uniforms, and looking out onto the field, and seven or eight of the kids were playing. >> this year we have first and second grade. we are going to expand to third, forth, and fifth grade next year bring them out and if you have middle school kids, we are starting a team for middle school. >> you know why? >> why? because we are? >> bayview united. >> that's right. >> my s.f. dove -- government t.v. moment was when i received a commendation award from supervisor chris daly. then we sang a duet in the board chamber. [singing]

>> happy anniversary san francisco government t.v. happy anniversary to you. happy anniversary san francisco government t.v. anniversary, anniversary, happy 25th anniversary to you.

>> he is a real leader that listens and knows how to bring people together. brought this department together like never before. i am so excited to be swearing in the next chief of the san francisco fire department, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome, jeanine nicholson. (applause).

>> i grew up total tomboy, athlete. i loved a good crisis, a good challenge. i grew up across the street from the fire station. my dad used to take me there to vote. i never saw any female firefighters because there weren't any in the 1970s. i didn't know i could be a fire fighter. when i moved to san francisco in 1990, some things opened up. i saw women doing things they hadn't been doing when i was growing up. one thing was firefighting. a woman recruited me at the gay-pride parade in 1991. it was a perfect fit. i liked using my brain, body, working as a team, figuring things out, troubleshooting and coming up with different ways to solve a problem.

in terms of coming in after another female chief, i don't think anybody says that about men. you are coming in after another man, chief, what is that like. i understand why it is asked. it is unusual to have a woman in this position. i think san francisco is a trailblazer in that way in terms of showing the world what can happen and what other people who may not look like what you think the fire chief should look like how they can be successful. be asked me about being the first lbgq i have an understands because there are little queer kids that see me. i worked my way up. i came in january of 1994. i built relationships over the years, and i spent 24 years in the field, as we call it.

working out of firehouses. the fire department is a family. we live together, eat together, sleep in the same dorm together, go to crazy calls together, dangerous calls and we have to look out for one another. when i was burned in a fire years ago and i felt responsible, i felt awful. i didn't want to talk to any of my civilian friends. they couldn't understand what i was going through. the firefighters knew, they understood. they had been there. it is a different relationship. we have to rely on one another. in terms of me being the chief of the department, i am really trying to maintain an open relationship with all of our members in the field so myself and my deputy chiefs, one of the priorities i had was for each of us to go around to different fire stations to make sure we

hit all within the first three or four months to start a conversation. that hasn't been there for a while. part of the reason that i am getting along well with the field now is because i was there. i worked there. people know me and because i know what we need. i know what they need to be successful. >> i have known jeanine nicholson since we worked together at station 15. i have always held her in the highest regard. since she is the chief she has infused the department with optimism. she is easy to approach and is concerned with the firefighters and paramedics. i appreciate that she is concerned with the issues relevant to the fire department today. >> there is a retired captain who started the cancer

prevention foundation 10 years ago because he had cancer and he noticed fellow firefighters were getting cancer. he started looking into it. in 2012 i was diagnosed with breast canner, and some of my fellow firefighters noticed there are a lot of women in the san francisco fire department, premenopausal in their 40s getting breast cancer. it was a higher rate than the general population. we were working with workers comp to make it flow more easily for our members so they didn't have to worry about the paper work when they go through chemo. the turnout gear was covered with suit. it was a badge to have that all over your coat and face and helmet. the dirtier you were the harder

you worked. that is a cancer causeser. it -- casser. it is not -- cancer causer. there islassic everywhere. we had to reduce our exposure. we washed our gear more often, we didn't take gear where we were eating or sleeping. we started decontaminating ourselves at the fire scene after the fire was out. going back to the fire station and then taking a shower. i have taught, worked on the decontamination policy to be sure that gets through. it is not if or when. it is who is the next person. it is like a cancer sniper out there. who is going to get it next. one of the things i love about the fire department. it is always a team effort.

you are my family. i love the city and department and i love being of service. i vow to work hard -- to work hard to carry out the vision of the san francisco fire department and to move us forward in a positive way. if i were to give a little advice to women and queer kids, find people to support you. keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying. you never know what door is going to open next. you really don't. [cheers and