♪ we will never be anything >> okay. i needed that. [laughter] how many of you needed this day? [ cheers ] [applause] yeah. all of us together pretty much saying you're not going to take our country away from us. nor are you going to take our future away from us. and we're going to take it back. [applause] i'm so excited that i get to be your emcee for this afternoon. you're about to hear from a couple of super powerful, amazing women. and to introduce them is a powerful woman in her own right. a san francisco native, a health

care expert, entrepreneur for 24 years, an awardee of the 30 working mothers of the year. janet lang is kaiser kaiser pere president and a major bad ass in her own right. please welcome janet lang. [applause] ♪. >> thank you so much. thank you. ♪ thank you. thank you. oh! kaiser permanente is in the house today. hello! [cheers and applause] good afternoon, everyone. you know, i was so excited to be joining you today. and i was coming to the conference and i saw the theme was to be invincible. i took a minute to take a look at the dictionary to say what are some of the other ideas and themes behind the word "invincible." and what stood out for me was

indestructible, unbeatable, and absolutely too powerful to overcome. >> all right! yeah! that's right. [applause] >> those are fighting words. so i asked myself, so what exactly are we fighting for? so i have four principles that i think that we're fighting for. the first is that we're fighting for recognition, that there is economic value in the role that women play in raising families. [applause] that's right. that's right. the second is that we're fighting for equal pay for equal work. it's very simple. [applause] the third is that being a woman does not limit our opportunity or our voice. and then, lastly -- lastly, we must be in a society where women are free from oppression and

physical violence. [applause] so at kaiser permanente i want you to know that leaders like myself and our workforce of over 79,000 believe in these four tenets strongly. we understand that women are decision makers for the health care for their family, you're mothers and you're sisters, you're wifes and partners and daughters. you make these choices for your family and we listen to you. you have a very important voice. the second is that we employ, i said earlier 79,000 people here in northern california, 70% of those employees are women. very proud to say that. [applause] but i also want you to know that women have opportunity at kaiser to become executives. so we have eight -- we're a national organization. and there are eight presidents. and the presidents run

everything that happens in our organization. we produce the money, we take care of our members, we provide your care. and we manage a workforce of over 200,000. of the eight presidents at kaiser permanente, five are women. five women presidents. [cheers and applause] and in most companies of our size, with over 200,000 employees, fortune 100 companies, you will see the executive ranks have about on average 15% women. and at kaiser permanente we have 47%. 47% of our vice presidents, our executives, our presidents are all women. and so there you have it. kaiser permanente represents being -- fighting for all of the things that you're here today to talk about. we believe in women being indestructible, unbeatable and too powerful to overcome.

and so i have the pleasure now of introducing two women who embody that. and i'm going to talk a little bit about them. you know them so there's not a lot to say. they're going to come out together. of course, is our very own mayor london breed, who is the 45th mayor of the city of san francisco. [cheers and applause] and -- and the first african-american woman mayor in our city. so she has a lot of firsts behind her name. we know her as a native san franciscan as well, raised by her grandmother in the western addition of the public housing. and she has fought for many of our city's most challenging issues that our community and our citizens face. safe, clean neighborhoods. affordable housing. particularly her leadership recently around homelessness and she fights for equitable education opportunities and for

services for vulnerable people in our communities. the second woman that i'm introducing, of course, is our speaker of the u.s. representatives house is nancy pelosi. [cheers and applause] 31 years. 31 years, not just elected, one of the first women to be elected, but also speaker of the house for over 16 years. she served three terms now, which is a pretty big deal, given all of the changes that happened over three decades. and i personally want to thank her. she's known for many, many things. many initiatives, investments in college aid, clean energy, helping veterans and small business. but i personally want to thank her for her leadership of the affordable care act. [applause] you know, 5 million more people in the state of california have

health insurance and access to care because of her. so she's made a difference in our country that will last -- she leaves a legacy in our country under her leadership. so please join me in welcoming these two wonderful, wonderful women to the stage. [applause] ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t- ♪ find out what it means to me just a little bit ♪ ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t- ♪ oh, a little respect ♪ oh, yes ♪ just a little bit >> hello, ladies. [applause] are you having a good time today? [ cheers ] now we have our special guest here joining us. our leader, our speaker, the

woman who basically is the only woman with courage in this country right now. speaker nancy pelosi! [applause] so, speaker, thank you so much for being here. we so appreciate your time. and we just want to have a conversation because we want to know who is nancy pelosi. and i think that you've been out there, we see you out there fighting the good fight, standing up to donald trump. doing what you do best to try and really move our country in the right direction. but we also know that you have a long history in the world of politics. during a time where it was difficult for women to even get engaged. your dad served as mayor of baltimore, your brother served as mayor of baltimore. you raising five kids ran for office and became a congresswoman for san francisco. [applause]

so tell us about -- tell us about those early years and how challenging it was at that time for women, because you were breaking barriers even back then. >> thank you very much, madam mayor. first, i want to congratulate you on the great job that you are doing as mayor of san francisco. [cheers and applause] i'm so very, very proud of you. and now it appears your re-election is quite obvious. as you gain even more standing in our city and i know our city is your focus. you're a national example of whether it's public education or affordable housing or issues that relate to gun safety, the list goes on. they're stories you can tell from personal experience. and i want everyone in this room to know that personal stories are the power -- are the power.

i remember when i first met the may, he was is -- she was a star at city hall. my daughter christina said she was also an officer of the california democratic party. christine is here with a ruth bader ginsburg scarf on today. [applause] and then you were involved in emerge and i know suzie beal is very much a part of this. you took all the steps. and now to be the mayor of this great city, to bring your experience and your values. so i hope in the course of our conversation, as i share my story, you'll share another generation's story, your own. and i'm sure you're doing it in the course of this very important meet. it's wonderful. wonderful to be in san francisco on any given day, but to be here with all of these women, these invincible women. we have our bracelet. it's quite an honor. i have to just tell you, though, it is a curious time in our

country. and the time for women to be invincible has never been more important, even though this year we -- will congress we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote. [applause] that's a good thing. as we do so, we have over 100 women in the house of representatives. 91 of them are democrats. 106, 91 are democrats. but they represent the beauty, the diversity of america. and when women first got the right to vote, we still had much more work to do to make sure extended to women of color and people of color across our country. so again i thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts on that subject. when women got the right to vote, the headline said "women given the right to vote." no, women fought, women were

starved, women starved themselves, marched, advocated for decades before the right to vote came. and now we have to do some of the same things to. in the course of our revolution, when times were dark, thomas payne said the times have found us. we believe the times have found us now again to save our democracy. to save our democracy. [applause] and the role of women in all of that is very, very important. so know your power. it's fabulous to see the strength of it all here. but understand how necessary that is. so i thank you for your leadership, your involvement, your courage to be invincible. >> thank you. [applause] now 100 years may seem like a long time. but it wasn't that long ago in our history when we basically

took the right to vote and we're celebrating that 100-year anniversary, but we're still in the midst of a lot of inequities that women face in this country. i know you have been a leader around equal pay. so tell us a little bit about your work and what you're doing to help address the inequalities and the pay gap for women and men. >> well, i appreciate you asking that, because one of our top items on our agenda, when we came in as the new majority in congress, was to pass the fair pass act, equal pay for equal work. and it's still stunning to me to see people voting against that. and mitch mcconnell in the senate is saying i'm the grim reaper, it's not going to see a vote in the senate. but i say to him, this may be -- you may think it's dead, but it's alive and well in the public. so i appeal to you, because no good thing happens with the outside mobilization.

we can maneuver to pass the bill in the house, to get it through the senate and the president, to sign it is absolutely essential, for us to have the outside mobilization. know your power. weigh in. i mean, who would vote against such a thing? the republican members of congress. i know this isn't a partisan -- [laughter] but it was amazing to see. and tied to that, which we're going to bring up in a couple of weeks, is raising the minimum wage to fight for $15. $15 an hour. [applause] that affects women in the workplace as well. but when you think of the fact that women are not paid for the same amount of work as men, and what it means not only to the well being of their families, but what it means to their pensions and their retirement and the rest, it's so very, very unfair. we can correct it, we passed the bill, rosa was the author of it. and now we just have to get it past the senate.

lincoln said public sentiment is everything. with it you can accomplish anything with it. in order for the public sentiment to weigh in, the public needs to know. so tell a friend, call in, especially into -- some of you are not from california. call home. tell those people -- call the republican senators. so bring up -- to bring up the bill. it's a threshold we must cross. we must cross. >> and that, along with a number of challenges that you've been dealing with for decades in the house of representatives, you work with a number of presidents and, of course, we had a great time working with president obama and we truly miss him now more than ever. and i just -- i just wanted to understand because we watch you on the news. and we -- in my mind, i don't know about you, but i'm like how is nancy pelosi sitting there

with a straight face, when -- [laughter] when some of those things are being said. i just wonder, well, what is going on in her head. and you, classy as always, try to hold him accountable. madam speaker, what is going on in your head? [laughter] with all of that? >> well, thank you for bringing up president obama and valerie jarrett, whom you had this morning was so -- [applause] so spectacular. so spectacular. i love her. and she's really a powerful force in our country. i have to just say this about the occupant of the white house. [laughter] [applause] it's really important to recognize that, again i'm just stating a fact, this isn't political or partisan. that the republicans in congress, house and senate by

and large agree with him on almost every subject. i'm not associating them with his behavior. but i am associating them with his policy. so before he even became president, they were where they were on being an anti-women's right to choose, lgbtq rights, the climate change, gun safety, fair immigration, fairness in our economy, diminishing the disparity in income between our haves and have notes in our country. they've been on the wrong side of both of those issues for a long time. so his coming in just -- he's their guy from a policy standpoint. so when we had our election '18, as i said to the candidates, something similar to what i'll say to now. don't even mention his name, just talk about you. i say this to the women here, as

you aspire to perhaps run for office, supporting those who do, as we sit here with this magself success -- magnificent success story with our mayor london breed. here's the thing. what is your -- i keep saying to the members. we have to distinguish our why. why are we here? what is our vision for the country. what do we know about the subjects that we can make a difference in the legislation. how do we intend to do this. are we strategic in our thinking? and show your sincerity, your connection to your constituents in terms of their fears and hopes and apprehensions and aspirations. don't talk about him. but the fact is that when you present where you are on the issues, you will make a very strong distinction between the republicans in congress and the democrats in congress. and the republicans in congress

are very much aligned with the president of the united states on these issues. that's really sad news that i have to convey to you. so when people say how come they're not speaking out? well, he's their guy. he's their guy. but they also have taken an oath of office to support and defend the constitution of the united states. and we're hoping that will weigh in on their decisions, as we go forward. so when you say when you're sitting there, he's the president of the united states. i respect the office that he holds. i think i respect it more than he respects it. but, anyway, i respect the office that he holds. [laughter] and we have to try to find common ground. our founders went back and said we are -- you know, the times have found us. they also gave us guidance in this respect.they couldn't

imagine how many we would be, how different we would be. they always knew we strived to be one. so for the good of the people, we have to always try to find common ground. stand our ground. stand -- that would be thomas jefferson. stand our ground like a rock. so you try to say, well, infrastructure, building a green infrastructure for the future. green, infrastructure for the future. lowering the cost of prescription drugs, he says he wants to do those things. let's try to find common ground on that. but at the same time we must mobilize outside. we would never have passed the affordable care act or save the affordable care act without the outside mobilization. i thank for her kind words. but it was the outside that made that happen. again know your power. be invincible. weigh in on these things,

because the public is -- it is the people's country. we the people and for the people. and most importantly for the children. so that's what i think when i'm sitting there, among other things. [laughter] >> yeah. [applause] >> well, speaking of knowing your power, it happens to be the name of the book that you wrote "know your power." and part of knowing your power, of course, is knowing who you are and what you stand for. and i know that this had to come from somewhere. and so tell us -- because as i said earlier, you know, you have been doing this incredible work since -- at a time when there weren't a lot of women who were actively engaged in the political world. and not until recently are we seeing incredible organizations that are coming like emerge and emily's list and other organizations that are helping to support and encouraging and

pushing women to run for office. but you didn't have organizations like that. you stepped out on face and really got actively engaged. and you also did it while raising five kids. i mean, i'm still trying to understand how that's even possible. so tell us a little bit about how you discovered, you know, your voice and your power and what motivated you in the early years to really step out and to do this type of work. >> well, i appreciate what you're saying. but the fact i was raised in a political family, as was mentioned. i was raised in a political family. we were taught that public service is a noble calling. and that we all had a responsibility to -- for the community. it wasn't about politics so much as about civic engagement and politics as part of that. and so i never had any intention

whatsoever of running for public office. none whatsoever. but i did feel responsible to make some contributions. so i volunteered and one thing led to another. but i'll just tell you this story about how i went from kitchen to congress. one of the paths through it. [laughter] so i'm at home, with five kids, running around, little kids. all of this. i get a call from the then mayor joseph alioto. he says, nancy, what are you doing, making a big pot of pasta. [laughter] no, mr. mayor, i'm reading "the new york times." [laughter] he used to come in the afternoon in those days before all of the technology. and my kids are playing there. and this is after school. and he said, well, i'm calling for ask you to serve on the library commission. [ cheers ] so i say to him, and he said because i know you love the library, kids and you all hang out there and everything. we go there all the time, help

with the books, this or that. this is -- this is almost 40 years ago. so i said, no, mr. mayor, don't give me that appointment. i love the library. i'll doing that. i don't need to be recognized as the library commissioner. and this man, not known as a feminist, but nonetheless said to me, nancy, you're doing the work, get the official recognition for it. and that was one of the best messages that i had. [applause] he said -- and, of course, no man would have ever said that. don't appoint me, i'll just carry the books around. [laughter] so i say that to the mayor, because her path was commissioners as well. so many of you here. but that official recognition, lo and behold i had a vote on the commission. people cared what i thought. we were putting meetings out in the neighborhood. you know, we were doing things differently.

and it was empowering. it was empowering. but it was my first official involvement was to be a library commissioner in san francisco. but that -- that message -- it was so clear. as a woman, you especially should receive the official recognition for the work that you're doing. so then one thing and another, i've become chair of the california democratic party, this or that. burton, the congressman from this area, takes ill, she encourages and insists that i run for congress. there it is. and there's some steps in between. [laughter] but then i go to congress. and i really didn't want to go. i mean, i've never thought about running for office. i was basically a very shy person. still am in certain respects. people don't believe that. but anyway. so i go to my daughter alexandra, who was the youngest, she was 16, about to go into senior year. it's around january, february

and so she would be going in september. i say, alexandra -- four of them were already in college, because the five were born almost to the day six years. that's why i like to talk to my colleagues about a woman's right to choose. [laughter] when you have a five babies in six years, you come talk to me about it. [laughter] [applause] can you believe these men standing in line to prohibit a woman's right to choose. come on! come on! don't get me started. >> go ahead. get started! [laughter] >> i go to alexandra, mommy has been invited to run for congress. it will be better when you're in college. but i love my life. and so if you want me to stay here with you, i'll be gone like three nights a week. i mean, i have to even win yet. i don't even know if i'm going to win. but i have to decide whether to run. any answer is okay.

if you want me to stay with you, that's fine. she says, mother, get a life. [laughter] i had never heard -- we're talking over 30 years ago, i never heard the expression before "get a life." [laughter] what teenage girl wouldn't want her mother gone three nights a week. [laughter] so there i went. another life. and then when i got there, never intended to run for leadership. but then people came to me and said, run for leadership. and when my name was put out there that i'd run for leadership, the men said, who said she could run. poor babies. [laughter] [applause] poor babies. so i believe this was like around 2000. why don't you just make a list of all of the things that the women want and we'll do them for them. oh!

double poor babies. [laughter] [ please stand by ]

>> -- encouraging women, pro-choice women to run, so now, we have this. and i say to the members our diversity is our strength. this caucus is over 60% women, people of color, lgbtq. it's so beautifully diverse, over 60%, and i say our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power. and it's that power that i bring to the table with the president of the united states.

[applause] >> the hon. london breed: so one of the biggest challenges that we're facing as women with our reproductive health, and what's happening with the country, it feels like we're going backwards with laws that are being passed in georgia and a number of other states like utah. it is devastating. we know ultimately the changes to these policies will mostly impact poor women and women of color, and it has just really had a devastating impact on the morale of just i think women in general because we are here, trying to push for pay equity, trying to make sure that, you know, we have a seat at the table and a number of other issues, and now, we've got to go back and fight a battle that we fought and won in the 1970's. it's like we're going back to the dark ages here.

and i just wanted to know your thoughts on this, and where do we go from here, and how do we continue to push this thing back? >> you put it in the exact same frame. this is all about respect, whether we're talking about respect in the workplace, respect for equal rights, a woman's right to choose. my hope springs from the fact that so many people understand this threat and are willing to standup and advocate against this threat to a woman's right to choose. this is a moment because not only are they passing these bills which are so harmful, but they are all going into other related seals.

embryonic stem cell research, all things that they think is at the moment of conception or whatever, life begins. without going into that, let me just say this to you because this -- for 25 years, my first 25 years in the congress, i tried to convey this, but it was so unbelievable that people were like, oh, i don't really believe that. if i believed that, i'd never vote republican. they don't believe in birth control, they don't believe in family planning. they don't believe in any of that. so understand, that's very strange to be telling you that. if you think that their whole goal was to reduce the number of abortions in our country, you think they would love family planning. but what is their bete noir in all of this? it's planned parenthood because they're so effective in giving people choices to make their

own choices and have reproductive health initiatives for people all over the country. so until they were defunding planned parenthood, which is technically not exactly what they did, but the effect was to defund planned parenthood. then, people got all aroused about it, and they lost that fight. and now, we have to again make sure they lose that fight. so women have to speak up in their faith. i was raised in baltimore, maryland. most of my family is not prochoice. i don't ask them, and they don't tell me. i don't think they're crazy about my exuberance on this. believe what you want, live your life, but don't believe that politicians are going to exact that on somebody else.

[applause] >> and when -- and when we talk about the hyde amendment, when we talk about saying that no funds can be used, that's the wrong thing to do because it's a penalty that diminishes the rights of poorer women, but that's a fight we have to fight. we have to win the white house to make that fight, but understand, the hyde amendment has to go. it has to go. [applause] >> so again, know your power, advocate for this. outside mobilization will make all the difference in the world in every state. and if people squlujust decide they think that a woman doesn't have the good judgment to decide the timing and size of her family, if she even wants to have one, then they have to pay a price at the polls for thinking that way, for thinking that way.

[applause] >> but this is fundamental. it's fundamental. and again, women of color pay a price, as you mentioned, and that's same as the hyde amendment. that's the same as equal pay for equal work thing, same as minimum wage. i do want to tell a story about sojourner truth, and the suffrage. since you had valerie here, i decided to tell the story. when we to we decided we needed to have more diversity in the capital, so we had rosa parks in the statues -- one of the most visits statues in the capitol, rosa parks, sitting -- that's the way the community wanted her -- her statue.

it's fabulous. but then, when we did rosa parks -- by then, when we did rosa parks, president bush was president. when we did sojourner truth, barack obama was president, and we had a new emancipation in the wing of the building. and our speaker was michelle obama. and she gets up, talking about sojourner truth, and talking about how she was an amazing mom, and suffragette. and she says, i can see how happy sojourner truth would be to see a woman standing there

as speaker of the house, but i can't imagine what she would be thinking as me, michelle obama, the first lady of america. [applause] >> we've come a long way, but we have much more to do, much more to do. >> the hon. london breed: yes. and i just want to touch on so many of the amazing accomplishments that you've had throughout your career. we know you've spent a lot of your time getting democrats elected to congress, and we appreciate that, and it's one of the reasons we have the majority in the house of representatives because of your hard work and a lot of national policies around pay equity. but you also take care of your home. we also appreciate the support that you provided for the hunters point shipyard, and the

accountability, and the issues that we've experienced this. thank you for your neighborhood preference and that you fought side by side to make sure that people have access to the affordable housing in their neighborhoods. a lot of the work that we've been able to do, that we get funding from the feds, and the california electrification, the support that you've given as you deal with the bigger challenges of the country, it means so much to have you in this leadership position. what really stands out to you as something -- a moment in time or a situation or policy or something that you were just so proud of, and maybe share -- share that with us today. >> well, i'm so -- as i say to my colleagues in the congress, all the honors you bestay upon me as leader, now speaker of

the congress now twice is wonderful, but nothing is more important to me than stepping on to the floor of the house as a representative of the people of san francisco. that is the most -- [applause] >> and we have a beautiful agenda here that in most cases would be a model to the country, so it makes me -- it easier for me to get resources for what we need to have done here, and also helps to be speaker of the house. but i will say that the -- most -- let me just say about san francisco, you know, they always -- san francisco values. they spent -- they had 137,000 ads, the republicans, against me in the election of 2018 as a san francisco values person, 137,000 ads, san francisco liberal. yes, proud to be.

however, it didn't work. we won 40 seats in the most gerrymandered voter suppression you can be. i said, you know what we are? we are the people of st. francis, the patron saint of peace. bring us hope, light, faith. you will share in our san francisco values. but the most proud thing in addition to representing san francisco every minute of every day is the passage of the affordable care act. and when there was a time when people thought it was never going to pass, the press said to me, what are you going to do? why don't you give up and make it smaller or something? i said no, this is our moment. it's social security, medicaid, medicare, this is the moment of our generation, and we're going to pass the bill. and i said it looks impossible. there's so many barriers to it.

and i said if we see a barrier too high for us, we'll go push open the gate. and if that doesn't work, we'll climb the fence, and if that doesn't work, we'll pole vault in, and if that doesn't work, we'll push our way in. and after it happened, the press said well, which one did you do? and i said actually, we pushed open the gate because we not only had the votes of the house democr democrats to do that, but we had the outside mobilization, and i come back to you. it was the people who cared whether it was for all of the things, preexisting benefits, being a woman no longer being a preexisting condition, protecting a woman's right to choose, all of those things, so a child staying on your policy, the list goes on, but everybody

was there pushing open that gate with us. it would not have happened without the outside mobilization. i tell you that because it is true for everything that we do, and i always say particular thank god for the nuns as opposed to the bishops, to the nuns who were so helpful to us, another element of women power. so i say to women, know your power. the best advice i ever got running your office is be yourself. don't let anyone diminish who you are and what you bring to the table. and they'll try to do that, but you don't let them do it. you know why? because you're invincible. thank you. >> the hon. london breed: thank you. ladies and gentlemen, speaker nancy pelosi. [♪]

[applause] >> the most powerful woman in san francisco, and the most powerful woman in the country, yeah. right here. [applause] >> you know, in my 22 years of running the national center for lesbian rights, when i first started at nclr, the idea of same sex couples having the right to marry was ridiculous even to me, and yet early on, we had champions like nancy pelosi, who again and again understood the importance of our relationships being treated

with dignity. it wasn't just about marriage, it was about employment, it was about our place in civic life. and over and over again, when i would contact speaker pelosi's office or as a congress woman, her office, or we would be in meetings with her, she would do that thing you always need allies to do, she would deploy her privilege in power to do what we needed. she would risk her political capital to say this issue matters to me. lgbtq people matter and need to be treated equally under the law, and she did that again and again and again, and she's done it on the range of so many issues. and that's how you -- that's the difference between a situational ally or an ally when it's convenient or throw down, and that's the difference.

we are so lucky to have nancy pelosi as our own. [applause] >> i'm so excited to introduce our next individual who will introduce our next speaker, and the woman i'm about to introduce is one of my very favorite longtime friends and colleagues. you don't stay in a position for two decades if you don't have a posse around you of people who protect you and support you and are your kitchen cabinet that you can rely on, and serina kahn has always been that for me. when i first met serina -- you can clap, sure. [applause] >> when i first met serina, she was the new executive director as what was then the international gay and lesbian rights coalition. after that, she moved to philanthropy, truly making her mark at the ford institution

and many others, and she's currently the chairman of the women's foundation in california. in every role, she has brought along others, in every role, she has elevated the role of young leaders. in every role, she has been that honored partner, confidante that i know you can trust. so please welcome my friend, serina kahn. [applause] [♪] >> wow, thank you for that. kate kendall is one of my she-roes. hello, san francisco. [applause] >> how are you feeling after

this incredible day? let me hear you. [cheers and applause] >> you have to be feeling invincible after that conversation between our mayor and our speaker, nancy pelosi. now that is some leadership. we are so fortunate to have women like that who are advocating on our behalf. i am serina kahn, i am the c.e.o. of the women's foundation of california, and i am so honored to be here with mayor breed and the summit organizers today because the women's summit was founded right here in san francisco in 1979. our founders broke new ground in 1979 by creating one of the first foundations in the country led by and for women and girls. they imagined a new feminist

fi philanthropy to distribute resources to transform our communities. i stand before you as a proud lesbian, as an immigrant, as a woman of color from a pakistan muslim family, we recognize all cisgender and transgender women and girls in all minorities. we believe that those problems that are closest to our communities are closest to the solutions of our communities. we are living in times of crisis, and we need community-led solutions. our golden state is a tale of two states, just like san francisco is a tale of two cities. we have incredible wealth in california and here in san francisco, and yet, california has the highest poverty rates

in the nation despite being the fifth largest economy in the world. a single woman in san francisco especially in california's 58 counties spends more on child care than she's bringing home every month. not only is she going into debt every month, but she doesn't have money for basic necessities, like food, clothing, transportation. that's why over the past four decades, the women's summit of california is committed to community-led solutions. through our institute, we've trained more than 500 community leaders from across the state who use their lived experiences, their powerfully

unpoli unapologetic voices to pass 35 bills into law. i know you've heard about the workers rights bill in california. that happened through our fellows in the california policy institute, domestic workers who need help themselves, came up with the policy idea and worked with legislators themselves. we are fundamentally transforming the halls of power in our state, and they are each connected to thousands of people, which means that we have the power to activate millions of people across california for progressive policy change, and that's a good thing because california is providing hope to the rest of the country in these dark times. [applause] >> we're so -- we're so

fortunate to have strong leadership in our city and our state, leaders who are responsive to community-led solutions. we applaud mayor breed who just this week announced, along with sheriff vickie hennesey, that victim will stop charging people in our city jails for phone calls. [applause] >> and stop marking up items in the jail store. [applause] >> that will put $1.7 million back in the pockets of families of incarcerated people and it will make it easier for them to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones. and again, this change happened because of the advocacy of the incredible, the invincible young women of the young women's freedom center, along with so many others.

and the young women's freedom center is an organization that started right here in san francisco, and they got their very first grant in 1994 from the women's foundation of california, and i couldn't be prouder of that. [applause] >> so community-based leadership led by women and girls is our hope for a better future. so today, i want you to be the first to know about another ground breaking initiative. our bay area young women's initiative is a partnership between the women's foundation of california and alliance for girls, and together, we support girl-led research, communities-driven -- community-driven research where the girls learn to do research, listen to community voices, and form policies to solve problems in their communities and the

solutions that they see. it forces young women of color to identify barriers and solutions so that they can reach their full potential. and i want to sign up about our updates so you will hear about our next big announcement that's coming soon that i can't tell you about now. but please, please stay tuned because we're going to take this work across the state. so now i'm so excited to introduce our next guest, and let me tell you why, because i love pop culture. it's how i relax. i go home, i watch netflix. and how many people do you know -- our next guest -- how many people do you know that can say they were so good at their job that it inspired a hit t.v. show produced by shonda rimes starring kerry washington. well, our next guest can. she's worked at the u.s.

attorney's office and the white house, and she's the inspiration for character olivia pope on "scandal." it's my pleasure to invite judy smith to join me in this conversation, so please well come judy smith. [applause] [♪] >> what a treat. >> this is great. look at -- i need to put my glasses on so i can see all these wonderful women. [applause] >> oh, this is so amazing. >> amazing. >> oh, my god. >> we're so happy to have you

here. >> thank you. >> so for so many reasons, not just "scandal," your career has been incredible. you're the founder and president of your own strategic advisory firm. >> yes. >> and you have offices in d.c., l.a., new york, communications, crisis management, media savvy, legal and political strategies, and you're working with clients on a wide array of issues. you're a former federal prosecutor. you served in the white house as deputy press secretary to the senior bush, president george herbert walker bush. so tell us about your career path. how did you get her today? is this what you wanted to be when you were ten years old, saying, when i grow up, i want to be. >> yes. well, i've all planned this out since i was four -- no, no idea whatsoever. i would probably say two things about it. the thing that when i look back

on it and think about it, it is all for me about taking risks, and people always say this, but it's true. it's about stepping out of your comfort zone. when i do things, whether it was the white house or the u.s. attorney's office, those were all things that came based on the work. there would be no reason why a poor girl from northeast washington, d.c., who had no political contacts, parents had no money, that i would end up working in the white house or in the u.s. attorney's office. and it was just really sort of based on -- you know, based on the work, which i think is important. the other thing i would say, as well, is that people always say to find your passion, and i sort of hate that sometimes because, like, how do you really do that, right?

how do you actually do that? and i was talking to a friend of mine. i've known her since i was four. her name is michelle, but i call her beanhead, because i can do that, and she calls me pocahontas. and we've been friends for decades. your question was how did we get into this. she called me up one day, and she wanted me to go out for drinks, and i said i can't. i'm writing this book and i've got to tell them how i got through crisis. and she said look, is that all that's strong between us and a glass -- standing between us and a glass of red wine? and i said yes. and she says you've been doing this since you were five years

old. and she reminded me, there was a playground down the street, and it was going to close, and it was going to close because there wasn't any money. and we said, how do we find the money? where are the money people? really true. so i organized the neighborhood -- we were about, like, 12 then, and we saved our lunch money, and we took our lunch money, and we made, like, little protest signs, and we snuck on the bus, and we got on the bus, and we said we're the money people. we didn't know, and there was a security guard. and he said, you mean city council? and i said, do they give people money? and they said yes. so it was literally 12 little scrawny little girls, we need money, we need money for our playgrounds. and somebody came down, and there was also like a camera

crew, and beanhead pushed me right up there, and i said we need money for our playground. and if not, we're going to become bad people and we might get into trouble. and let me just say, we got money for that playground. [applause] >> so you're a problem solver, and you know what to ask for when you want it? >> yes. and beanhead said, you've been doing it since you were little, it's in your blood. >> so what advice do you have for us, for those of you that have problems in our homes, in our communities? you're strategizing all the time, so give some advice for those of us that might find it difficult. >> these are tips for both personal problems and work problems. i think the first thing is you

want to look problems, like, dead in the eye. by that, i mean, most of the things that we think are problems or unpleasant, they're going to go away. they're not, right? they're still going to be there. i think that's one. i think the other thing that's important is when you're dealing with a truth, you want to stand in your truth. so sometimes when we have problems or issues, we try to view them in a way that's not actually accurate, right, sometimes from a point of view. so i think you should really look at the problem and really what are the root causes of the problem, right, so they won't come back, you won't face this issue again. because you see behind any issue or problem, there's always something standing behind it. you've just got to pull the

curtain back a little bit. >> have there ever been things you can't fix? >> oh, there's lots of things i can't fix. my kid's still on the payroll. i can't fix that. you know, i'm trying hard -- no, there are some things you can't fix. some things are unfixable. sometimes, people come and want to rehabilitate their brain and then their reputation, and sometimes, it it-- it's too fa down the line where you can't shape the narrative. it's sad, but it happens. >> i feel like we should be drinking red wine and eating popcorn. >> we should. you guys are so unprepared, there's no wine, there's no popcorn. >> so tell us about your favorite type of wine and give us a few metaphors and

descriptors about it. >> well, let's see. i don't think i have a favorite brand, but just two days ago, i had a very nice light rose. it's a little sweet, and that's nice. popcorn is always nice. i'll tell you a little story about that. usually, when the show comes on, i'm on the road because i travel. and i'm just so excited, i get to see the show at the exact time, right? so i got home, and i put my jammies on -- not what olivia would wear, a ripped-off top, and a bottom that didn't match. and i sat down, and i said oh, heck, i forgot the popcorn and the wine, and that's true.

i like that, as well. so i'm sitting down on the sofa with my popcorn and wine, and i'm, you know, cutting on the t.v., ready to watch it. and when i cut it on, olivia is sitting on her sofa with popcorn and wine. it was just one of those, like, crazy moments, do you know what i mean? what are the odds of this? she was looking fabulous, i was looking like heck. >> so art does imitate reality. >> it does, it does. except for sex with the president, let's be very clear about that. i don't want anybody to be confused about that one. >> so tell us, how did the show happen? we just don't hear that many stories like yours where you

inspired a t.v. show because of your success. >> well, i wasn't really trying to -- to pitch a show. i'll tell you the things for me that were really important about the show that were -- was one, as i said, i have kids, right? and so it was important to me that the woman who was going to be inspired by my work look like me. that was nonnegotiatable from -- nonnegotiable from me. [applause] >> and the first one, was a lead on television was the first time in 35 years. really, you guys are clapping for me, you should be clapping for yourselves, and i tell you

that, and it goes back to what we are all talking about here at the conference, is that people underestimate the power that each and every one of us have in ourselves. the show sent a message to the people that produce television and films that okay, a show that is -- that stars an african american woman can be successful and can make money. so without all of you watching it and supporting it, there would have never been that change, and it would have never been that door opened, so thank you, all of you, honestly. without you, it wouldn't have happened, wouldn't have happened. [applause] >> and what -- and you know -- a vision and image to provide for the next generation. >> yeah, and it was important that that person be a strong

woman but also somebody who is good at what she does and unapologetic about it. oftentimes, when we feel that we are good at what we do, we feel like we have to hide it or -- do you know what i mean? >> yeah. >> or don't show it. why not? >> well, many years ago, i guess five or six years ago, i was living in new york for the ford foundation, working for a strong, successful, african american woman. and i think it was -- "scandal" had just started. and i told my boss, you remind me of olivia pope. and she said, go on. >> that's great. that's great. >> so what's next for you? >> what's next? i don't know. i mean, i'm not a big -- when i say this, just sort of planner,

basically. we are expanding internationally, so excited about that, but i want to find a way to provide advice and to help more people, so that's what i'm trying to figure out. any suggestions, let me know, guys. >> and do you have a secret ambition of another career? >> it's unrealistic. it's unrealistic. i often say that i wish i could sing, but if any of you lived with me and at home, you know that that would not be possible. the only reason why is that there's something very special about music, and it can be very universal and bring people together in an amazing way, but i know that that's not a real possibility. >> yeah. so in the world that we all live in, there's often

competing voices, there's a lot of noise. it might be hard to get heard in a room. we still have gender inequity, so what advice can you give us on how to push forward and get our views listened to? >> sure. you know, one of the things that i've tried over the years that's been successful in terms of giving advice and counsel, when you're in a room and you want to speak about your point of view or opinion, i never start with "i feel that" you should do this and here's the reason why, i always start off with facts. it's not because i feel it, it's because i know it, right? and here are the reasons why -- yeah. [applause] >> and so i always start if i'm

going to be rendering advice, particularly if it's going to be starting with you is to point that out in a -- in a factual context, and oftentimes, when i'm talking to, you know, c.e.o.s and giving advice -- and there's nothing wrong with it -- people care about what the bottom line it, and how is it going to affect the bottom line? is that kind of magically usually pushes the -- pushes it up a little bit. >> well, judy, thank you for being here. it's been so nice to be in conversation with you. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you, guys. have a good conference. [♪] [applause]

>> i think somebody should -- i think there should be some sort of a play list for the summit, don't you think? that is some pretty good stuff up here. well, it's about to get better. it's about to get better. this is an artist, and before you be down to the red wine reception, there's going to be red wine, judy. there's no need about that defamatory talk. but first, i've been looking forward to this moment all day long. ledeci is an artist that's been totally killing it, totally killing it. and what you need to know is you're seeing here before she

really, really blows up. but she is going to be in the pantheon of prince and stevie wonder and gladys knight. and i've learned that you can cle -- i've been listening to her, and i've learned that you can clean the house to her, you can read to her, you can have sex to her, you can drink to her. she is the full service performer. so i want you to give it up for her. you're going to have a wonderful time, and she's going to be in rotation on your favorite play list. please welcome ledeci. [♪]

["come together"]

>> is it too early? it's never too early. here's a song my dad used to sing to me. [♪]

>> when i decided to really get out there, i'm originally from new orleans, louisiana, but i was raised in oakland, california, east bay.

[applause] >> 96 and holly, to be exact. and everywhere i went, i was met with resistance to appreciate me and my -- my presence. said i wasn't pretty enough or good enough to make it in this industry, and here i am, ten albums later, 12 grammy nominations. i'm an author, an actress, all these wonderful things, but it took a woman, one woman, when i was ready to give up, i wrote this next song when i was ready to give up. my mother. it took my mother saying -- i said mama, i think i'm ready to get out of this business, be a teacher.

and she said you can do this. and this song is still a song that resonates with me. it was three things that i learned by sleeping on the floor. one, i said lord, if you get me through this, what do you want me to express? he said the first thing, you must leap out in faith and trust and know that i will provide for you if you have faith. the second thing was you must love yourself by any means necessary. and the best thing about being a woman is we have a walk. even when we feel a certain kind of way, we've got a walk. that's the glory about getting a little walk. you can put a little heel on to get you up a little bit. you might even be feeling like

this, but that heel will get you right on up a little bit. and you can hold on to that walk no matter how you feel. you can take a breath and walk right into a door, you don't know what's going to happen, but you know you belong. so that's the lift that one woman told me. you must love yourself by any means necessary. and the last thing was be careful of who and what you allow in your personal circle. some people, you can love them from afar. far, far away. might even be your family, far, far away. because you have to hold on to your strength, that super power that we have. you know how magnificent we are? we do so many things at one time, it's unbelievable. but the one thing we must never forget is to take care of

ourselves first. don't put you last, put you first, so that you can go back in there and conquer the world. that's me moving my cape back so i can see everything. so here's a song called "all right." yes? all right. [♪] ["all right"]

[applause] >> give it up for this band i've never played with from the

bay area. aren't they awesome? [applause] >> i mean, i've played with you 100,000. here's a song i wrote for ladies. it's called "pieces of me." [♪] ["pieces of me"]

>> thank you for having me. [applause] >> thank you so much. god bless you all, ladies. i love you. [applause] >> it starts with us. we have to be together, no matter what. thank you so much. god bless you, take care. [applause]

>> all right. give it up for ledeci. give it up for ledeci one last time. she can hear you back stage. [applause] >> there you go. the mayor told me that she would pack into a crowded cafe and listen to ledeci years ago, so here she is back on the mayor's stage. so i got a promise from the mayor back stage that she wants

>> 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 >> when i open up the paper every day, i'm just amazed at how many different environmental issues keep popping up. when i think about what planet i want to leave for my children and other generations, i think about what kind of contribution i can make on a personal level to the environment. >> it was really easy to sign up for the program. i just went online to cleanpowersf.org, i signed up

and then started getting pieces in the mail letting me know i was going switch over and poof it happened. now when i want to pay my bill, i go to pg&e and i don't see any difference in paying now. if you're a family on the budget, if you sign up for the regular green program, it's not going to change your bill at all. you can sign up online or call. you'll have the peace of mind knowing you're doing your part in your household to help the environment. shop and dine on the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services within neighborhood. we help san francisco remain unique, successful and vibrant. where will you shop and dine in the 49?

san francisco owes the charm to the unique character of the neighborhood comer hall district. each corridor has its own personality. our neighborhoods are the engine of the city. >> you are putting money and support back to the community you live in and you are helping small businesses grow. >> it is more environmentally friendly. >> shopping local is very important. i have had relationships with my local growers for 30 years. by shopping here and supporting us locally, you are also supporting the growers of the flowers, they are fresh and they have a price point that is not imported. it is really good for everybody. >> shopping locally is crucial.

without that support, small business can't survive, and if we lose small business, that diversity goes away, and, you know, it would be a shame to see that become a thing of the past. >> it is important to dine and shop locally. it allows us to maintain traditions. it makes the neighborhood. >> i think san francisco should shop local as much as they can. the retail marketplace is changes. we are trying to have people on the floor who can talk to you and help you with products you are interested in buying, and help you with exploration to try things you have never had before.

>> the fish business, you think it is a piece of fish and fisherman. there are a lot of people working in the fish business, between wholesalers and fishermen and bait and tackle. at the retail end, we about a lot of people and it is good for everybody. >> shopping and dining locally is so important to the community because it brings a tighter fabric to the community and allows the business owners to thrive in the community. we see more small businesses going away. we need to shop locally to keep the small business alive in san francisco. >> shop and dine in the 49 is a cool initiative. you can see the banners in the streets around town. it is great. anything that can showcase and

legitimize small businesses is a wonderful thing. my name is doctor ellen

moffett, i am an assistant medical examiner for the city and county of san francisco. i perform autopsy, review medical records and write reports. also integrate other sorts of testing data to determine cause and manner of death. i have been here at this facility since i moved here in november, and previous to that at the old facility. i was worried when we moved here that because this building is so much larger that i wouldn't see people every day. i would miss my personal interactions with the other employees, but that hasn't been the case. this building is very nice. we have lovely autopsy tables and i do get to go upstairs and down stairs several times a day to see everyone else i work with. we have a bond like any other group of employees that work for a specific agency in san

francisco. we work closely on each case to determine the best cause of death, and we also interact with family members of the diseased. that brings us closer together also. >> i am an investigator two at the office of the chief until examiner in san francisco. as an investigator here i investigate all manners of death that come through our jurisdiction. i go to the field interview police officers, detectives, family members, physicians, anyone who might be involved with the death. additionally i take any property with the deceased individual and take care and custody of that. i maintain the chain and custody for court purposes if that becomes an issue later and notify next of kin and make any additional follow up phone callsness with that particular death. i am dealing with people at the worst possible time in their lives delivering the worst news

they could get. i work with the family to help them through the grieving process. >> i am ricky moore, a clerk at the san francisco medical examiner's office. i assist the pathology and toxicology and investigative team around work close with the families, loved ones and funeral establishment. >> i started at the old facility. the building was old, vintage. we had issues with plumbing and things like that. i had a tiny desk. i feet very happy to be here in the new digs where i actually have room to do my work. >> i am sue pairing, the toxicologist supervisor. we test for alcohol, drugs and poisons and biological

substances. i oversee all of the lab operations. the forensic operation here we perform the toxicology testing for the human performance and the case in the city of san francisco. we collect evidence at the scene. a woman was killed after a robbery homicide, and the dna collected from the zip ties she was bound with ended up being a cold hit to the suspect. that was the only investigative link collecting the scene to the suspect. it is nice to get the feedback. we do a lot of work and you don't hear the result. once in a while you heard it had an impact on somebody. you can bring justice to what happened. we are able to take what we due to the next level. many of our counterparts in other states, cities or countries don't have the resources and don't have the beautiful building and the

equipmentness to really advance what we are doing. >> sometimes we go to court. whoever is on call may be called out of the office to go to various portions of the city to investigate suspicious deaths. we do whatever we can to get our job done. >> when we think that a case has a natural cause of death and it turns out to be another natural cause of death. unexpected findings are fun. >> i have a prior background in law enforcement. i was a police officer for 8 years. i handled homicides and suicides. i had been around death investigation type scenes. as a police officer we only handled minimal components then it was turned over to the coroner or the detective

division. i am intrigued with those types of calls. i wondered why someone died. i have an extremely supportive family. older children say, mom, how was your day. i can give minor details and i have an amazing spouse always willing to listen to any and all details of my day. without that it would be really hard to deal with the negative components of this job. >> being i am a native of san francisco and grew up in the community. i come across that a lot where i may know a loved one coming from the back way or a loved one seeking answers for their deceased. there are a lot of cases where i may feel affected by it. if from is a child involved or things like that. i try to not bring it home and not let it affect me. when i tell people i work at the

medical examiners office. whawhat do you do? the autopsy? i deal with the a with the enou- with the administrative and the families. >> most of the time work here is very enjoyable. >> after i started working with dead people, i had just gotten married and one night i woke up in a cold sweat. i thought there was somebody dead? my bed. i rolled over and poked the body. sure enough, it was my husband who grumbled and went back to sleep. this job does have lingering effects. in terms of why did you want to go into this? i loved science growing up but i didn't want to be a doctor and didn't want to be a pharmacist. the more i learned about forensics how interested i was of the perfect combination

between applied science and criminal justice. if you are interested in finding out the facts and truth seeking to find out what happened, anybody interested in that has a place in this field. >> being a woman we just need to go for it and don't let anyone fail you, you can't be. >> with regard to this position in comparison to crime dramas out there, i would say there might be some minor correlations. let's face it, we aren't hollywood, we are real world. yes we collect evidence. we want to preserve that. we are not scanning fingerprints in the field like a hollywood television show. >> families say thank you for what you do, for me that is extremely fulfilling. somebody has to do my job. if i can make a situation that

is really negative for someone more positive, then i feel like i am doing the right thing for the city of san francisco. >> right before the game starts, if i'm still on the field, i look around, and i just take a deep breath because it is so exciting and magical, not knowing what the season holds holds is very, very exciting. it was fast-paced, stressful, but the good kind of stressful, high energy. there was a crowd to entertain, it was overwhelming in a good way, and i really, really enjoyed it.

i continued working for the grizzlies for the 2012-2013 season, and out of happenstance, the same job opened up for the san francisco giants. i applied, not knowing if i would get it, but i would kick myself if i didn't apply. i was so nervous, i never lived anywhere outside of fridays know, andfridays -- fresno, and i got an interview. and then, i got a second interview, and i got more nervous because know the thought of leaving fresno and my family and friends was scary, but this opportunity was on the other side. but i had to try, and lo and behold, i got the job, and my first day was january 14, 2014. every game day was a puzzle, and i have to figure out how to put the pieces together. i have two features that are 30

seconds long or a minute and a 30 feature. it's fun to put that altogetl r together and then lay that out in a way that is entertaining for the fans. a lucky seat there and there, and then, some lucky games that include players. and then i'll talk to lucille, can you take the shirt gun to the bleachers. i just organize it from top to bottom, and it's just fun for me. something, we don't know how it's going to go, and it can be a huge hit, but you've got to try it. or if it fails, you just won't do it again. or you tweak it. when that all pans out, you go oh, we did that. we did that as a team. i have a great team. we all gel well together. it keeps the show going. the fans are here to see the teams, but also to be

entertained, and that's our job. i have wonderful female role models that i look up to here at the giants, and they've been great mentors for me, so i aspire to be like them one day. renelle is the best. she's all about women in the workforce, she's always in our corner. [applause] >> i enjoy how progressive the giants are. we have had the longer running until they secure day. we've been doing lgbt night longer than most teams. i enjoy that i work for an organization who supports that and is all inclusive. that means a lot to me, and i wouldn't have it any other way. i wasn't sure i was going to get this job, but i went for

it, and i got it, and my first season, we won a world series even if we hadn't have won or gone all the way, i still would have learned. i've grown more in the past four years professionally than i think i've grown in my entire adult life, so it's been eye opening and a wonderful learning >> her administration has been so welcoming, so open can so accessible and on the ball and i am proud to call you my mayor. everybody, london breed. [applause]. >> thank you. first of all, thank you also much for being here. let's give brian and the q.

foundation another hand. [applause] rhys isabel brought brian and other service providers who serve people living with h.i.v. in san francisco and wanted to make sure that i knew what people needed because i didn't want to spend another dollar without clearly understanding where the deficiencies were, and it all went back to housing. it all went back to the need for subsidies, the need to help keep people housed, and this is the first time in 12 years that we have allocated a million dollars to provide subsidies which will help -- [applause] -- which will help at least 120 individuals and i'm so grateful and excited for the providers who are here, the people who will work with us on this. the work that we are going to continue to do because we want to make sure that we are helping

some of our most vulnerable populations. when you think about it, sadly people who are homeless, living with h.i.v., they are less likely to get services and treatment and stay healthy as much as they possibly need. they need stable housing. housing and health go hand in hand and it is why -- [applause] -- it is why i am fighting so hard to build more housing in san francisco. yesterday we opened a 200 bed navigation center and the embarcadero. the days are running in together we just announced yesterday a new navigation center for transitional age youth. [applause] so the investment that we are making our good investments and part of the challenge is we need

more housing. we need more housing. i grew up in san francisco, as many of you know and i have seen so many of my friends and family members, who i grew up with in public housing, a leave san francisco because in some instances, they couldn't get a unit even in public housing. they couldn't qualify for affordable housing, and we don't have enough units. so part of my focus is to address homelessness and to address the challenges that exist, but to also think about roads that lead out of the shelters, roads that lead to affordable places that are safe for people to live, and that means that we have a lot of work to do. i know this is going off course, but i also want to thank you all for supporting proposition a

this last ballot measure for $600 million for affordable housing. [applause] because we know we have a lot of work to do. there is nothing better than having a roof over your head and the support that you need and i can't -- i will say, if it weren't for my grandmother raising me and two of my brothers, i don't know what i would done. it could easily have been a situation that could have been the difference between me being here as you mayor today or anything else. that is what i think about when making these decisions. when i look at the data, another major investment we made that i am really proud of is trans home s.f. we know that folks, brothers and sisters from our trans community are 17 more times more likely to experience homelessness than anyone else when you look at the data. which is why those investments are so important. so here in the city we know there is a lot of work to do,

but i'm so grateful to this community and the work that you are all doing to be advocates to really push the city and what we spend our resources on in the right direction so they actually have an impact on people's lives i have said this to department heads and to folks who work for the city time and time again. don't waste a dollar on a paperclip because that's the difference between being able to house someone or help someone and we don't have money to waste because people are counting on us to make the right investments that is exactly what i plan to do. i want to thank brian and the q. foundation. and thank you all for being here i am so looking forward to seeing this program have an impact so we can continue to make the right investments. thank you, again, and thank you for all the support and the work

that so many of you have done for so many years. and finally, now i thank you have a great partner in the mayor's office who will continue to work to really put our money where our mouth is. let me just add one more thing, i talk a lot, i'm sorry. i have to say this one where thing because this is something i am also really proud of because so many people set the path to make this happen before i was even thought of and the fact that this year's data on new h.i.v. infections in san francisco has dropped below 200 for the first time in our city's history. [applause] i am so, so excited about that and how we, as a community will truly get 20. i also want to say that those numbers are still relatively high for african-americans and

latinos and that means its important it is important that we make deliberate investments, which we have, and those political -- particular communities to do a better job around outreach, around support, but ultimately, i keep going back to housing. we will continue to work with you on these things and we are grateful to have an amazing partner in the q. foundation and all of you. thank you for so much for having me here today. [applause] >> thank you again. her administration has really turned the tide when it comes to housing in san francisco and we deeply, deeply appreciate all the support. next is -- is regina here? where is miss regina? come on up. next i am so proud to welcome regina allen.

before i obtained the subsidy from the q. sub -- q. foundation , now i have a house. i live on folsom street. i have stabilized housing. there were times prior to me having stabilized housing that i couch served, looked for any temporary housing opportunities and with the hope that and -- i was worried about being homeless as a senior and as a mother. let's see. it hasn't been easy living in san francisco with h.i.v. i was diagnosed in 2005, so i have been living with h.i.v. for 15 years and this is the first time i'm actually speaking publicly about my diagnosis. [applause] i did speak with my children and my family about it first and

they said, do what you've got to do, mom. it is good. anyway, is so when i was homeless and i didn't have a place, i didn't think about my medication, i didn't think about -- life stresses were going on for me with children and everything else. i have my notes. >> you are good. >> i was a nervous wreck. anyway... before i got my stabilized housing, you know, it was so stressful because i didn't want to share with my family members that i am, you know, if i don't get housed, i might die out here because they didn't understand what it means to be homeless and with h.i.v.

i have always had a place. when i became homeless, it was very difficult. but now that i do have a place with these new luxury apartments , yes, i have a luxury apartment. i am on the sixth floor, baby, it's fine. it's beautiful it is beautiful. it is beautiful. it's so peaceful. i think i earned that working in the city forever and raising children. i'm so thankful for brian and the q. foundation. it's so easy with your services. once you are online with the services it is automated. i don't have to worry about getting my rent paid on time. i have money to even have cable. [laughter] i had to lie to even get into a project recently. i had to lie and say that i made x amount of money. anyway, in the last couple of years, that is when i met brian.

i never utilized services. i was a case manager. i realized i couldn't -- i could live here. i met brian and i fell in love with him and the whole staff. they are very beautiful. i want to thank london breed. i love london breed. [applause] i know some of your family members. i am thankful for what you are doing for san francisco. since you have been mayor, just to see in these areas where they don't want people housed, and to see that you fight for us. thank you for that. [applause] i think the q. foundation, i think brian. brian is just awesome. this man is a bail buster.

thank you, everyone. that is it. [applause] i can't believe it. i have never told people that. i have a client here of mind that you never knew and i didn't utilize services because i'm very private. i didn't want them to get a misunderstanding or judge me. anyways, thank you everyone. happy holidays. miss breed, thank you so much. [applause] >> regina, we are going to miss you. she was my ambassador at monterrey when i would go down there. i would turn around and suddenly there is an entourage of people walking around with us. always making me feel welcome and at home. we know that you are out here in this luxury high-rise, at least you are a little bit closer to the office now. [laughter] >> thank you, regina. next, joe from the san francisco

aids foundation has done remarkable things in transforming that organization. earlier i talked about mayor breed's administration and how open and accessible and effective they are, in the same thing under joe's leadership with the aids foundation. we're continuing to build closer and closer relationships and working together on solving all of our joint issues and it's absolutely the d.n.a. that joe is creating in the organization. i welcome you to come up and speak. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. i want to echo everything that was said in terms of thinking the mayor for her continuous support around addressing the homelessness crisis and the housing and affordability crisis in our city, and i want to thank and congratulate brian in the q. foundation for this exciting announcement today. is the mayor suggested and said, we are at a pivotal moment in

our fight to end the h.i.v. epidemic. last year we had fewer than 200 new cases of h.i.v. and over the last five years, we have seen a decrease by 50 1% in the number of new cases. what we also know as a number of new cases amongst people experiencing homelessness is on the rise. in 2,000 and for -- in 2015, there were 29. in 2018, there were 40. so what we know is that in order for our safety to get 20, which is the ambitious goal we are all railing -- rallying behind, we must address the issue of housing and we much -- must address the issue of homelessness. and of the people who are on the streets each and every night were living with h.i.v., we know that just 33% of them are virally suppressed and that the best way to get them access to care and get them into consistent treatment is to make sure they have a safe place to rest their head each and every night. that is not a shelter, it is a home.

so today -- [applause] so today's announcement is quite exciting and it will get us even further to this goal. would also want to acknowledge is it is not just people who are living on the streets that need the support. we are an amazing community and made amazing by the long-term survivors and the people who responded to the aids crisis in the early 80s. right now there are over 16,000 individuals living with h.i.v. in san francisco, and 65% of them were over the age of 50. what we know is that these individuals are not saying that they are -- they're h.i.v. care needs are going unmet. they are experiencing housing insecurity and experiencing isolation. so again, housing is the solution. housing is the answer. by making sure that these survivors, survivors of the worst epidemic in modern time

can survive this crisis of housing and stay in our city, the city that they made great, is something not only the aids foundation and q. foundation is committed to, but i mayor breed as well as supervisor mandelman are all committed to. i couldn't be prouder to be part of today's announcement and can't wait for their collaboration with the q. foundation and more of our partners in the room in ensuring everyone has access to affordable housing. [applause] >> i can't even remember when i first met rafael nadal him in. it was before my hair was grey. [laughter] and he has always been such an incredibly grounded, honest, and natural communicator. of the many things i like about raphael is he has the ability to so easily put into words his

values and how his policy positions connect with them and do it in a way that leads everybody else to that place. is like, this is why we believe in what we believe, and that is such an incredible skill that i always hope to aspire to, and so i'm so proud to welcome supervisor mandelman here today and thank him for his leadership and getting out this $1 million with the mayor. [applause] >> that's ridiculous, i'm not nearly as eloquent as brian said i'm not eloquent at all. we all know san francisco has a homelessness crisis and we also all know that the best solution to homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. so that is why this program is

so critical and valuable and why i am so grateful to brian and the q. foundation for your relentless, tireless advocacy, but also for the h.i.v. aids provider network and others who make the rounds every year in city hall, along with the aids foundation and joe, to ensure that the hiv-aids communities not forgotten in our annual budget. i think that we have gotten some significant wins in the last year. we are nowhere near where we need to be, but this is a really significant win. so thank you to all who made it happen. my aid and i are ready to go into another budget cycle and we look forward to working with you to make sure that no communities left behind, but particularly not to the hiv-aids community. thank you. [applause] >> there's a lot of credit to share. i'm so happy that we were able

to invite some of the people who deserve our thanks, but there's also many others in the space of time and we don't always get a chance to thank everybody. one of the things i want to acknowledge is our partnership with the mayor's office of housing and community development. we got our first funding with them 15 years ago and they have been an incredible partner. they are open, they listen to the community, they incorporate our feedback and it really is this incredible collaboration. they are also really good about getting contracts done, paying bills on time, so from leadership to envisioning, all the way down to administrative finesse, i am so thankful and proud to be a partner with the

mayor's office of housing and community development. helen hale will be our new connection point with the h.i.v. subsidies program. everybody, please give them a round of applause for all of their years of service. [applause] i believe all of our speakers are done. awesome. everybody who has spoken has to go to another event. you are allowed to go now. this is where we will just move into the part where we talk about some of the eligibility... ]

>> san francisco city clinic provides a broad range of sexual health services from stephanie tran medical director at san francisco city clinic. we are here to provide easy access to conference of low-cost culturally sensitive sexual health services and to everyone who walks through our door. so we providestd checkups, diagnosis and treatment. we also provide hiv screening we provide hiv treatment for people living with hiv and are uninsured and then we hope them health benefits and rage into conference of primary care. we also provide both pre-nd post exposure prophylactics for hiv prevention we also provide a range of women's reproductive health services including contraception, emergency contraception. sometimes known as plan b. pap smears and [inaudible]. we are was

entirely [inaudible]people will come as soon as were open even a little before opening. weight buries a lip it could be the first person here at your in and out within a few minutes. there are some days we do have a pretty considerable weight. in general, people can just walk right in and register with her front desk seen that day. >> my name is yvonne piper on the nurse practitioner here at sf city clinic. he was the first time i came to city clinic was a little intimidated. the first time i got treated for [inaudible]. i walked up to the redline and was greeted with a warm welcome i'm chad redden and anna client of city clinic >> even has had an std clinic since all the way back to 1911. at that time, the clinic was founded to provide std diagnosis treatment for sex workers. there's been a big increase in std rates after the earthquake and the fire a lot of people were homeless and there were more sex work and were homeless sex workers. there were some public health

experts who are pretty progressive for their time thought that by providing std diagnosis and treatmentsex workers that we might be able to get a handle on std rates in san francisco. >> when you're at the clinic you're going to wait with whoever else is able to register at the front desk first. after you register your seat in the waiting room and wait to be seen. after you are called you come to the back and meet with a healthcare provider can we determine what kind of testing to do, what samples to collect what medication somebody might need. plus prophylactics is an hiv prevention method highly effective it involves folks taking a daily pill to prevent hiv. recommended both by the cdc, center for disease control and prevention, as well as fight sf dph, two individuals clients were elevated risk for hiv. >> i actually was in the project here when i first started here it was in trials.

i'm currently on prep. i do prep through city clinic. you know i get my tests read here regularly and i highly recommend prep >> a lot of patients inclined to think that there's no way they could afford to pay for prep. we really encourage people to come in and talk to one of our prep navigators. we find that we can help almost everyone find a way to access prep so it's affordable for them. >> if you times we do have opponents would be on thursday morning. we have two different clinics going on at that time. when is women's health services. people can make an appointment either by calling them a dropping in or emailing us for that. we also have an hiv care clinic that happens on that morning as well also by appointment only. he was city clinic has been like home to me. i been coming here since 2011. my name iskim troy, client of city clinic. when i first learned i was hiv positive i do not know what it

was. i felt my life would be just ending there but all the support they gave me and all the information i need to know was very helpful. so i [inaudible] hiv care with their health >> about a quarter of our patients are women. the rest, 75% are men and about half of the men who come here are gay men or other men who have sex with men. a small percent about 1% of our clients, identify as transgender. >> we ask at the front for $25 fee for services but we don't turn anyone away for funds. we also work with outside it's going out so any amount people can pay we will be happy to accept. >> i get casted for a pap smear and i also informed the contraceptive method.

accessibility to the clinic was very easy. you can just walk in and talk to a registration staff. i feel i'm taken care of and i'm been supportive. >> all the information were collecting here is kept confidential. so this means we can't release your information without your explicit permission get a lot of folks are concerned especially come to a sexual health clinic unless you have signed a document that told us exactly who can receive your information, we can give it to anybody outside of our clinic. >> trance men and women face really significant levels of discrimination and stigma in their daily lives. and in healthcare. hiv and std rates in san francisco are particularly and strikingly high were trans women. so we really try to make city clinic a place that strands-friendly trance competent and trans-welcoming >> everyone from the front desk to behind our amazement

there are completely knowledgeable. they are friendly good for me being a sex worker, i've gone through a lot of difficult different different medical practice and sometimes they weren't competent and were not friendly good they kind of made me feel like they slapped me on the hands but living the sex life that i do. i have been coming here for seven years. when i come here i know they my services are going to be met. to be confidential but i don't have to worry about anyone looking at me or making me feel less >> a visit with a clinician come take anywhere from 10 minutes if you have a straightforward concern, to over an hour if something goes on that needs a little bit more help. we have some testing with you on site. so all of our samples we collect here. including blood draws. we sent to the lab from here so people will need to go elsewhere to get their specimens collect. then we have a few test we do run on site. so those would be pregnancy test, hiv rapid test,

and hepatitis b rapid test. people get those results the same day of their visit. >> i think it's important for transgender, gender neutral people to understand this is the most confidence, the most comfortable and the most knowledgeable place that you can come to. >> on-site we have condoms as well as depo-provera which is also known as [inaudible] shot. we can prescribe other forms of contraception. pills, a patch and rain. we provide pap smears to women who are uninsured in san francisco residents or, to women who are enrolled in a state-funded program called family pack. pap smears are the recommendation-recommended screening test for monitoring for early signs of cervical cancer. we do have a fair amount of our own stuff the day of his we can try to get answers for folks while they are here. whenever we have that as an option we like to do that obviously to get some diagnosed and treated on the same day as we can.

>> in terms of how many people were able to see in a day, we say roughly 100 people.if people are very brief and straightforward visits, we can sternly see 100, maybe a little more. we might be understaffed that they would have a little complicated visits we might not see as many folks. so if we reach our target number of 100 patients early in the day we may close our doors early for droppings. to my best advice to be senior is get here early.we do have a website but it's sf city clinic.working there's a wealth of information on the website but our hours and our location. as well as a kind of kind of information about stds, hiv,there's a lot of information for providers on our list as well. >> patients are always welcome to call the clinic for there's a lot of information for providers on our list as well. >> patients are always welcome to call the clinic for 15, 40 75500. the phones answered during hours for clients to questions. >>

>>

>> good morning, i'm c.e.o. of

pier 39 and i want to welcome you to our anniversary of the arrival of the sea lions. [applause] first i would like to take a moment to recognize a few special guests today. the executive director for the water emergency transportation authority, the executive director for fisherman's wharf benefit district, the director for the ports real estate division, the director of california traveling association, senior waterfront planner for the port, president of the local 16, president of san francisco travel, president of the port commission and commissioner of the port commission. thank you all for being here. [applause] >> thank you for braveing weather to be here to join us. it's been my great fortune to work at pier 39 for the past 41 years and i remember the dark days that followed the october 1989 earthquake.

visitor traffic on the pier dried up to a trickle in the months following the quake, and they were quite bleak. i remember dan rather leading the evening news for what seemed like weeks on end with images of the collapsed bay bridge and freeway. he certainly did not help the city's recovery efforts. by january the city was busy rebuilding but visitors continued to stay away. it was at this time the pier began receiving complaints about a small group of sea lions. the number of sea lions grew quickly and pier 39 realized it had a real problem on its hands. after conferring with regulators and experts who advised they were federally protected animals a decision was made to relocate the boat owners and let the sea lions continue to use the dock with the hope they would find a new home and leave. fortunately for us, they did not.

[applause] we then noticed that the few visitors who were here were gathering and watching these fascinating animals frolic and play. our pr team decided to send out a press release about this new natural attraction and word began spreading that something wonderful was happening at pier 39. within weeks, the sea lion story was covered by the today show, good morning, america, the new york times, the london times and dozens of other news out lets. one thing was crystal clear, the sea lions were big news with a capital b. pier 39's management congratulated itself of being public relations geniuses and the rest is history. [laughter] for three decades, this herd of sea lions have made it their home. over that time, over 250 million people have watched the sea lions bark, roughhouse and play king of the mountain on the docks below.

we are so proud to have been stewards of this amazing group of benefits and for the work of our partners at the bay and sea lion center. i want to thank all of you for coming today to help us celebrate these amazing animals. i would like to invite president and ceo of aquarium of the bay to the podium. george. [applause] >> a quick two-minute video on how we got here in the last 18 months. >> this is a truly compelling example of how they intersect to create one of the bay area's

most vibrant, visual, engaging and educational public artwork. introducing sea lions of san francisco. our celebration of 30 years of sea lions in the bay. sea lions are fascinating and much-loved marine mammals. they have a unique gift for san francisco. in 1989, they mysteriously began a arriving at the bay. they set up permanent residence and were soon making a big splash. the aquarium of the bay provides programs to educate and engage thousands of people around the world. despite being covered under the marine protection act, our much-loved neighbors are under threat. they are currently classified as endangered.

we want to generate awareness of the largest threat to our planet. no blue, no green. we selected 30 bay area artists to paint these sea lions, one to commemorate each year of their presence on pier 39. visit the sea lions today. follow the trail to discover each stunning artwork and learn about the animal, the artists and their messages. join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of our cherished marine friends. [applause]

>> i know that time is pretty tight. excess nitrogen creates an al ash algae bloom that affects the sea lions. stories like these, i'm really happy to see the artists today. the youngest is nine years old. and please scan your qr codes, and you can learn about sea lions. they can hit speeds of up to 25 knots. they can dive up to 900 feet. and they have hearing that can go up to 40-kilo hertz. there are conditions in the bay in terms of mic --

microplastics. this would not be possible without our sponsors. i want to acknowledge a few other people. dan from the port of san francisco helped us with the permitting process. thank you very much. i'm delighted to have the president of the port and commission kimberly and our board member, our partners from s.f. environment, s.f. travel and golden gate parks, partners from the u.s. army corps of engineers. and our friends from the media from b.b.c. to new york times, thank you for being here. and lastly but not least, our wonderful mayor, london breed. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, george. and with that, i would like to introduce and thank the

honorable london breed and have her join us at the podium. [applause] >> i was in high school during the 1989 earthquake. i went to the high school right up the street. i actually spent a lot of time at pier 39. in particular, sometimes we used to maybe leave class a little bit early and come and hang out in the arcade. but i also remember the time when one of my science teachers proposed it was like this period, it was right after lunch, and as an extra credit period said if we came down here to see the sea lions that we could get extra credit, we would all have to meet down here. he actually came down here as well. and we didn't understand the significance. we know they were loud and they were barking, and we were like doing the same thing. but then we started to study it. we had to write about it u we had to talk about it and its

significance, and it was just odd that this didn't happen before until after this earthquake. and just understanding, really endangered species and really studying science in a different way and looking at the environment and the planet and animals and so on and so forth, that's the kind of thing that really sparked a lot of my interest in really changing how we address the challenges around the environment. in fact, i drove my grandmother crazy, because i came home and wanted to recycle everything. and we didn't have at that time the blue bins and green bins and all of that stuff. and there were places you had to go to take those things. but it was really an incredible experience. and pier 39 has been just really an institution for so many years, so many visitors from all over the world come here on a regular basis to just not only enjoy the incredible restaurants, the aquarium by the

bay and many of the great stores and also the places that you can buy wonderful candy, including pink popcorn which i'm very excited. if -- if you know what pink popcorn is you are probably my age. it also, the sea lions really created a different kind of feeling, a different kind of warm. you see them, you watch them. and i don't know what it is about watching the sea lilyons and listening to them, but sometimes minutes go by, then sometimes even an hour can go by before you realize that you actually have to go. but it is so fascinating and great that for the past 30 years, they have continued time and time again to come back to pier 39. and people not only do the tourists who visit san francisco look forward to coming here, san franciscans look forward to coming here during that time as well. so i'm really grateful to be

here, excited about what this continues to do to really engage the community and really support the sea lions and call attention to what we need to continue to do to protect the bay, to protect our environment and to make sure that they do not become an endangered species. it is so critical we do a better job as stewarts of this earth. so i want to thank so many people here today including the pier 39 marina staff. the marine mammal center, the aquarium of the bay, marina operations, bay.org and port of san francisco. so many organizations continue to make sure that our port and our pier are attractive, are also economically vibrant but also stuarts of the environment. and i think that's so critical to the success and future of our city and of our planet. and so thank you all so much for being here.

and i invited the sea lions love to get attention. i invited the king of the sea lions to come here today to accept this proclamation, making it sea lion day in san francisco. [laughter] [applause] king herbert said you know what? king herbert couldn't lose the weight to come up the stairs this time around. as you know they weigh hundreds of pounds and it's very challenging so instead, i want to ask -- who do i want to ask to accept this proclamation. why don't you come up? and you can deliver the proclamation to the sea lions so they can know that today as we celebrate 30 years, it will always be remembered as sea lion day in the city and county of san francisco. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you, mayor breed, that was wonderful. next i would like to inshiite the director of marina -- to invite shina, the director of operations here. >> thank you. i'm not particularly used to doing public speaking. so here goes. when i heard our honorable mayor mentioned she was in high school when the sea lions first game to pier 39, i have to say i thought i had already been working here as master of pier 39 marina for four and a half years when that happened. so before you all do the math, i'm going to launch into this. so as taylor had mentioned, we had really been hit hard by the

earthquake. i felt like i was working in camelot when i was working at pier 39. it was so marvelous. we hadn't sustained a lot of damage but getting the visitors back proved to be pretty challenging. so it was really a momentous event when this one animal that came up on to the end of j dock had some line around his neck so he got nicknameed sleek holder y some children. that he he he heralds the most e arrival. this didn't happen over a protacted period of time. this happened very quickly. we went from maybe ten or 20 animals to 1400 on k dock within a matter of months. so it was a very overwhelming and incredible event. and we didn't really know how we were going to deal with it or what we were going to do.

and eventually the marine mammal center came out and they said you have to close down k dock. we have been trying to maneuver our way through hundreds of sea lions to allow our boaters that were there to get through it. and it was just proving a nightmare. so we closed it down, and we located our boaters to the east harbor. and that's when we started to talk about ways that we could accommodate them. because by then, it was so obvious that this was a huge attraction, not just as taylor said, to our local community, but also to international and national visitors. what i want to share with you very briefly is my own experience of what those first few months were like, because it was incredibly bizarre and strange, all of a sudden we had gone from having no business on the pier to having 1400 sea lions and about the same number

of press all converging on our property. and this turned out to be an incredibly happy and vibrant event that everybody wanted to record. and they wanted to make it humorous. and they wanted to make it something that everyone would enjoy. so every national, international news person came here and were filming. and we were treated to a burst of what i can only describe as ill literation. so there were headlines that trumpeted something fishy is going on, lion tamer sheila, the boys of blubber are back in town and so on. and my voice mail at my office actually it was a machine in those days, was full every morning with very miscohesive recordings. we didn't have a caller id so i

never was able to track them down. but it was sea lion barking messages and lots of versions of i left my art in san francisco. it was a humorous time, and it transformed our business. in addition to having to escort our boaters and then having to relocate them, we actually really just had to think about how could we make this, keep it a natural attraction. you don't want to make it some kind of artificial event. we had been blessed with this incredible opportunity, and we needed to manage it well. and we needed to manage it safely, and we needed to make sure that the public had safe access. so you've seen how that's evolved over the years, we have this beautiful overlook, the sea lion center. but at the time when i was making those decisions, along with the executive group at pier 39, there was some very helpful

suggestions that were coming in from the more quirky and whimsical members of society, which was a truly terrifying insight at the time into some people's minds. but those who thought we still maybe wanted to get rid of them would suggest things like detouring them by putting broken glass on the dock or some versions heavily designed cattle prods that would work and things like that. but on the fun side, some people designed all kinds of lovely attraction-style floats. but what we ended up doing, of course, was building floats that looked just like the normal dock. so we tried to keep that very natural attraction. anyway, it's been a phenomenal ride for all of us. it's completely changed my job description. because i never thought i would be an expert, if you like, in representing the sea lions. so i just want to say this last

thing. excuse me. we have a wonderful array of marine life from sea lions to dolphins, we've even had whales in the bay. we have pelicans. and it's all showcased, a lot of it is showcase in our lovely aquarium here. but you can also go out on the end of the pier and see all of that. so while we enjoy this phenomenon, i want to reiterate what our mayor has said. let's take this moment in history and continue that environmental stewardship and vigilance so they can thrive and keep coming back. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. to close the presentation, a couple of notes. as you leave pier 39, please make sure to look at the new sea lion taupe area that will be a permanent installation going forward, and we can't have a celebration without cake. so we invite you to stay.

here comes the sea lion cake. a couple photos and then we will all share it. so thank you all very much for coming. [applause] -