>> the commission has reconvened in open session. the announcement following closed session is that no action was taken and may have hav i haa motion regarding to disclose? >> second. >> do you move to disclose or not to doe disclose? >> move not to disclose. >> second. >> all those in favour. >> aye. >> opposed? the motion carries. this meeting is adjourned at 4:21.

sustainability mission, even though the bikes are very minimal energy use. it still matters where the energy comes from and also part of the mission in sustainability is how we run everything, run our business. so having the lights come on with clean energy is important to us as well. we heard about cleanpowersf and learned they had commercial rates and signed up for that. it was super easy to sign up. our bookkeeper signed up online,

it was like 15 minutes. nothing has changed, except now we have cleaner energy. it's an easy way to align your environmental proclivities and goals around climate change and it's so easy that it's hard to not want to do it, and it doesn't really add anything to the bill.

>> i personally love the mega jobs. i think they're a lot of fun. i like being part of a build that is bigger than myself and

outlast me and make a mark on a landscape or industry. ♪ we do a lot of the big sexy jobs, the stacked towers, transit center, a lot of the note worthy projects. i'm second generation construction. my dad was in it and for me it just felt right. i was about 16 when i first started drafting home plans for people and working my way through college. in college i became a project engineer on the job, replacing others who were there previously and took over for them. the transit center project is about a million square feet. the entire floor is for commuter buses to come in and drop off,

there will be five and a half acre city park accessible to everyone. it has an amputheater and water marsh that will filter it through to use it for landscaping. bay area council is big here in the area, and they have a gender equity group. i love going to the workshops. it's where i met jessica. >> we hit it off, we were both in the same field and the only two women in the same. >> through that friendship did we discover that our projects are interrelated. >> the projects provide the power from san jose to san francisco and end in the trans bay terminal where amanda was in

charge of construction. >> without her project basically i have a fancy bus stop. she has headed up the women's network and i do, too. we have exchanged a lot of ideas on how to get groups to work together. it's been a good partnership for us. >> women can play leadership role in this field. >> i tell him that the schedule is behind, his work is crappy. he starts dropping f-bombs and i say if you're going to talk to me like that, the meeting is over. so these are the challenges that we face over and over again. the reality, okay, but it is getting better i think. >> it has been great to bond with other women in the field. we lack diversity and so we have

to support each other and change the culture a bit so more women see it as a great field that they can succeed in. >> what drew me in, i could use more of my mind than my body to get the work done. >> it's important for women to network with each other, especially in construction. the percentage of women and men in construction is so different. it's hard to feel a part of something and you feel alone. >> it's fun to play a leadership role in an important project, this is important for the transportation of the entire peninsula. >> to have that person -- of women coming into construction, returning to construction from family leave and creating the network of women that can rely on each other. >> women are the main source of income in your household. show of hands. >> people are very charmed with the idea of the reverse role,

that there's a dad at home instead of a mom. you won't have gender equity in the office until it's at home. >> whatever you do, be the best you can be. don't say i can't do it, you can excel and do whatever you want. san francisco is surrounded on three sides by water, the fire boat station is intergal to maritime rescue and preparedness, not only for san francisco, but for all of the bay area. [sirens] >> fire station 35 was built in 1915. so it is over 100 years old. and helped it, we're going to build fire boat station

35. >> so the finished capital planning committee, i think about three years ago, issued a guidance that all city facilities must exist on sea level rise. >> the station 35, construction cost is approximately $30 million. and the schedule was complicated because of what you call a float. it is being fabricated in china, and will be brought to treasure island, where the building site efficient will be constructed on top of it, and then brought to pier 22 and a half for installation. >> we're looking at late 2020 for final completion of the fire boat float. the historic firehouse will remain on the embarcadero, and we will still respond out of the historic firehouse with

our fire engine, and respond to medical calls and other incidences in the district. >> this totally has to incorporate between three to six feet of sea level rise over the next 100 years. that's what the city's guidance is requiring. it is built on the float, that can move up and down as the water level rises, and sits on four fixed guide piles. so if the seas go up, it can move up and down with that. >> it does have a full range of travel, from low tide to high tide of about 16 feet. so that allows for current tidal movements and sea lisle rises in the coming decades. >> the fire boat station float will also incorporate a ramp for ambulance deployment and access. >> the access ramp is rigidly connected to the land side, with more of a

pivot or hinge connection, and then it is sliding over the top of the float. in that way the ramp can flex up and down like a hinge, and also allow for a slight few inches of lateral motion of the float. both the access ramps, which there is two, and the utility's only flexible connection connecting from the float to the back of the building. so electrical power, water, sewage, it all has flexible connection to the boat. >> high boat station number 35 will provide mooring for three fire boats and one rescue boat. >> currently we're staffed with seven members per day, but the fire department would like to establish a new dedicated marine unit that would be able to respond to multiple incidences. looking into the future, we have not only at&t park, where we have a lot

of kayakers, but we have a lot of developments in the southeast side, including the stadium, and we want to have the ability to respond to any marine or maritime incident along these new developments. >> there are very few designs for people sleeping on the water. we're looking at cruiseships, which are larger structures, several times the size of harbor station 35, but they're the only good reference point. we look to the cruiseship industry who has kind of an index for how much acceleration they were accommodate. >> it is very unique. i don't know that any other fire station built on the water is in the united states. >> the fire boat is a regionalesset tharegional assete used for water rescue, but we also do environmental cleanup.

we have special rigging that we carry that will contain oil spills until an environmental unit can come out. this is a job for us, but it is also a way of life and a lifestyle. we're proud to serve our community. and we're willing to help and we're willing to help >> good morning. >> good morning. >> welcome to san francisco city hall. i'm the city administrator for the city and county of san francisco. [applause]

and i'm so excited to be here today to kick off census 2020. in san francisco, our diversity is one of a kind and today we come together from every community across san francisco with one core message -- we count and we will be counted. [applause] from community members to non-profits, to our elected officials, such as assessor howard chu, and ta collector, ad norman yee and supervisor stefani and supervisor fewer, we are so excited to get this done together. every 10 years the federal government puts together a census to count everyone and to make critical decisions about our future. yet the hard work happens in our

local communities right here on the ground. this time we know that it will be harder because the census is digital. and so we must bridge that digital divide. some people discrust government, -- distrust government, so we must work with organizations such as the institute and self-help for the elderly to educate them and inform the community on why it matters that we get counted. let's face it, san franciscoians, many of us live in apartments and s.r.o.s. and folks are just plain busy and may not get around to being counted. so we have to remind them why it matters to be counted in this census. mayor breed and speaker pelosi are here today because they know just how important this work is and how much it matters. thank you and thank you for being here today and thank you for the work that you will do to make sure that everyone is counted and now it is my pleasure to introduce céline

kinelli to kick us off with "the star spangled banner." (♪) ♪ oh, say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ so what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rocket's red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night

♪ that our flag was still there ♪ oh, say does that ♪ star-spangled banner ♪ yet wave ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ and the home ♪ of the brave [applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, london breed. [applause]

>> mayor london breed: well, first of all, thank you so much, céline, for that beautiful, beautiful song, honoring our country, honoring the amazing citizens of san francisco. i am really excited to be here today to kick off s.f. counts, especially because we have our fearless leader, speaker nancy pelosi, in the house. [cheers and applause]. let me tell you, this woman -- i mean, just to watch what she does in washington, d.c., defending our city, doing everything she can to support us, but also to move this country forward, it is absolutely incredible. and no matter what she's doing in washington, d.c., she always finds time to show up for us, whether it's resources, whether it's her time, her staff has

been absolutely incredible. and we are so grateful to have her here today. and we also need to talk about the importance of making sure that our communities are counted. and no one knows how important that this is more than speaker pelosi, especially because we want to make sure that we have representation in congress. we want to make sure that when she's fighting for resources, for housing, for homelessness, all of the things that she's continuing to do, that san francisco gets its fair share. and it takes a lot of work. it's not easy, clearly. it's not easy with what she is fighting against now in washington, d.c. and i think that's why people here in san francisco, they understand the importance of the census. but don't always trust government.

i will tell you that it was a challenge often times to get my grandmother to fill out the form. she was concerned that people would be all in our business. i'm sure that many of you probably hear that some of your family members, i don't want government all in my business. and the fact is that we have to do a better job of reaching out to our communities, of really helping to educate people about what the census is actually meant to do under the law. the goal is to draw congressional lines and to look at the number of people within those congressional lines. the goal is to make sure that every person is counted and this statistical information is used for allocating resources and doing great things for our city and our communities. and i know that there's a lot of fear out there, especially with our immigrant communities. but that battle was won to make sure that people still feel safe

and comfortable with providing information on the census and knowing that they will not be targeted. and so we have put together a comprehensive plan with a number of trusted community-based organizations to reach out to communities, whether it's in spanish or cantonese or mandarin to make sure that we are communicating, to make sure that we are working with people and trying to as naomi kelly, our city admi minadministrator saids first time that the census will be submitted online. there's a lot of work that we need to do but we have been getting ready for this for some time. and i am really confident in a number of the organizations here who regularly work with members of the community to outreach and to do what's necessary to get

the job done. and so i'm going to be counting on the people who are here, who may not be affiliated with the organizations, to encourage our family members, to encourage your neighbors to do outreach. because we want to make sure that every single person in the city and county of san francisco is counted. how we generate revenues in order to help address many of the challenges, especially around housing and homelessness, has everything to do with making sure that we get our fair share from washington, d.c. and we need to make sure that our speaker has the ammunition she needs to do just that. and that includes making sure that every single person is counted. [applause] so we got our work cut out for us, folks. she's doing her part for us in

washington, d.c. so let's do our part for her and all of the people that we care about in this city by getting the word out now. so without further adieu i want to bring to the podium our amazing and fearless leader, speaker nancy pelosi. [applause] >> thank you very much, madam mayor. aren't we proud of our mayor, london breed? [applause] congratulations, madam mayor, on your inauguration. thank you for being the fierce fighter that you are for san francisco. our mayor came into office and

not only in just being mayor but into office with an idea, a vision, for yo for our city, frr own experience she knew what the challenges were and are. and our mayor came in with a knowledge, a knowledge of how to get things done and a plan to do so. and she has, again, because speaking from her own experience, she's connected so well with all of the people of our city, recognizing the beautiful diversity of san francisco. i always say the beauty is in the mix and, mayor, you're an absolute reflection of that beauty of leadership, brilliance and respect. thank you, madam mayor london breed. [applause] it's wonderful to be here with so many members of the official family of san francisco. and of our state. and also just everyone is part of the family when we talk about the census. we want everyone to be counted.

and the mayor mentioned how important it was, and i want to thank you for your leadership in this initiative. and to naomi, thank you for yours as well, and carmen and annie, and annie and i have been working together for like 40 years. she still looks the same, but i don't know how. she still has that energy. and mario paz, thank you for your leadership. good samaritan family resource center, a perfect name for all of this. because one of the fears that people have about the census is well-founded because this administration wanted to have a citizenship question on the census. in total violation and defiance of what our founders had intended in the constitution of the united states, that everyone would be counted. so, madam mayor, i'm going to talk about your grandma saying that she didn't want government in her business, from the standpoint of immigration that's a real and a legitimate fear.

that's why we fought so hard and working with some of the groups and with our own standing in congress in the supreme court to win that case in the supreme court. [applause] and even after the case we later learned the intention, the political intention, that was there to have a citizenship question so it would have an impact on politics. yes, it does have an impact on how many congress people from a certain state come to washington, d.c. but as the mayor indicated, and naomi alluded to, this is about meeting the needs of the american people. meeting the needs of the american people. and all the ways -- transportation, housing, food, whatever it is -- why the numbers are an imperative for how the resources will flow. shameful that people would say

that we don't want to know our numbers. but san francisco can be a model, not only for ourselves, but also to the bay area and let's say that we want every person in the bay area counted and every person in california counted because that is really one of the targets of the administration. now i know that in the 1990s -- and you can remember this one -- there was an assault on our immigration system. and they would go to the schools to see the little children, and the children, they thought that an official was coming they'd run and hide. and we were trying to get, you know, more food in the schools and the school lunch program and all of that and we were trying to document the need. but these children would run and hide if they thought that an official was coming because they were not fully documented. that's not the point. the point is that if you're here, you should be counted. and don't think that because if you may not be documented that

you're any less important in this count. believe in you -- believe in you -- you're being counted is not only good for you, but it strengthens the entire community. what the mayor said is very, very important. people may -- there may be fear of technology or the government and this or that, but the community groups who have standing -- not only standing officially, but standing with people, culturally, linguistically and geographically, appropriate and familiar, have a big role to play in making sure that everyone knows how important he or she is. so that everyone is counted. this is the life blood of america. who we are as a people. some people may have a fear of how that is changing. we think that is the beauty of our future.

and, again, any obstacles must be removed and that's why we were very proud in the fight -- we had to fight to get over to $7.5 billion more for the census so that the resources that were necessary were there. [applause] so this is the enabler of it all. this is the liberator. this just cuts everything free to say i'm as important as anyone else. and i will be counted. and this san francisco committee for total counts can be as i say a model to others. but isn't that just like san francisco, to be a model to others in terms of the respect that we have and the dignity and work of every person. [applause] and we're proud of our leader mayor breed for making this a priority. thank you, madam mayor, for making this such a priority,

because everything depends on that count. again, people just have to know how important they are, each and every one of them. so i thank each and every one of you for what you are doing in this regard. don't give them a victory. they want to scare people into not being counted. don't give them a victory. give yourself a victory by being counted. thank you all very much. thank you. [cheers and applause]. >> thank you so much for standing for me. [laughter]. welcome, everybody, and good morning, my name is carmen chu and i serve as the san francisco assessor. many of you associate the work that i do to make sure that we

bring in the resources that san francisco needs to do all of the work that we are trying to accomplish here. but today instead of talking about money, which the census does have a connection to money and, believe me, for every single person who doesn't get counted, san francisco loses out. but i come here to talk to you as a daughter of immigrants and the importance of coming out for the census. you know, nancy pelosi spoke earlier very eloquently about the effect on our immigration system and how it is that our immigrant communities are feeling under attack. i will tell you that there is no more important thing to do than to make sure that we say we will be counted and we don't care what you're doing. we're not going to let fear drive us. when we think about all of the communities who have come before us, my parents included, many of the people who have come before you, your families and your mom and dad and your aunt and uncle and grandfather, so many of them took the brave step to come to the united states. they came here perhaps under duress and they came here

perhaps because they were fearful of what they had to face in their own countries. but they came here because they believed in a better future. they came here because they believe that when they set their foot down here they would be counted, that their dreams mattered, that they mattered. and that's what this census is about. it's about making sure that all of our families, every single one, whether you're documented or not, whether you're big, you're small, you're rich or poor, that you get counted. and when we think about all of us in this room and what we're doing here, you all woke up early this morning to come here and i know that perhaps you came to see the mayor, and she's amazing, and perhaps you came to see our speaker, she's also amazing. but the reason that you came here is because you knew that each one of you has a responsibility and a role in making sure that we have a complete count here. and so as much as we have all of our wonderful non-profits who are going to do as much as they possibly can to get out the

word, as much as we know that they're going to go out there and to have ads and talk to our community members, truthfully, the way that we get counted is when each one of us takes initiative. when we each go back to our homes and we make sure that we count our families, when each and every one of us go back to our communities and help our grandparents, our parents, our aunties and our uncles who can't use the computer and we help them to get counted. so call this a call to action, make sure that you get counted. let's make sure that we raise our voice when we are faced with a decision to hide as immigrants or to stand up and to say that we should be counted, let's stand up and be counted in san francisco. [applause] now i'd like to introduce annie chung, someone who has been a fierce leader for not only our immigrant communities but many of our seniors in san francisco. annie chung.

[applause] >> good morning, everyone. so i'm joined today by my colleague and my co-chair of the san francisco complete count committee, miss andrea short. and can all of the members please stand up, please, along with our census attendees today. [applause] so, thank you. so we are the people of san francisco. the 2020 census is our opportunity for our diverse communities to participate and fight for our fair share -- fight for the resources and the political representation. for too long and especially in the past few years, communities of color, the poor, seniors,

youth, people with disabilities and other underserved groups have been left out. left out of the housing and economic opportunities, resources and the political process. my group self-help for the elderly and our seniors, serve the seniors across four bay area counties. we have a huge and a growing senior population. and we have at least our seniors are at least 150% below the federal poverty line, many of our seniors. our seniors rely on federal dollars to support our housing and our health care and our news programs and our social services. they have contributed economically to the city and county of san francisco, and have the right to participate. each person who participates in the upcoming census will bring enough federal funding to

support 222 meals for us, so let's be counted. in 2010, san francisco was the only county i count in californo reach a goal for the census. because every community partnered with the immigrant affairs, and with the city and with all of the other partners to bring the census to our neighborhoods and our communities. thanks to the community partners here today and the leadership of our city, we got the job done. this time around will be harder. the mayor and speaker pelosi said it, but we can do it again. that's why we're so grateful that speaker pelosi and mayor breed are here today along with all of our city and state leaders and taking time out to make the 2020 census a priority

and to encourage and to inspire us today. we have to get this job done for the people of san francisco. and for our communities. every san franciscoian has a responsibility to stand up and to be counted by participating in the census. our seniors, our youth, our families, all count on us. we are depending on each other. thank you. [applause] and i'm to introduce mario paz, my good friend. the vice chair of the immigrant rights commission. >> thank you. [applause] thank you. good morning, everyone. and i first would like, again, to thank our fearless leaders, mayor london breed, who is a fearless leader for our city. and our fearless leader for our country, nancy pelosi. speaker, thank you. [applause] california is home to over a

quarter of the nation's immigrants and over a third of san francisco's populations are immigrants. nearly half of our city speaks a language other than english at home. we know that the 2020 census is going to be hard for immigrants, communities of color, people experiencing homelessness, and many of our residents who lack access to technology and services. but in san francisco, our communities have always shown courage and resiliency. and as a city i know that we're going to come together and we're going to make sure that everyone gets counted. an undercount would have consequences for the next decade. although the citizenship question is off the questionnaire, the anti-immigrant rhetoric continues and all of this will have a chilling effect on participation. especially for undocumented and other immigrant groups. researchers predict that the 2020 census could lead to the worst undercount of black and latino people in the u.s. since 1990. we cannot let this happen.

and let me say this again -- we cannot let this happen. [applause] we are going to roll up our sleeves, we're going to work hard each and every day because at this time right now there are thousands of children sitting in our classrooms with hopes, dreams, for a better future. and we cannot let them down. and so i ask every and each and every person here to begin to roll up your sleeves, talk to your friends and neighbors and colleagues, strangers. we are going to work together for san francisco is going to be the leader in this country to make sure that no one is left behind in this country. thank you. [applause] and i would like to now please welcome adrian palm, the executive director of the office of civic engagement and immigrant affairs and the leader

who is leading the census efforts in san francisco. thank you, adrian, for all of your leadership. thank you, everyone. [applause] >> thank you. wow, there's a whole lot of awesome power in this room, isn't there? thank you all for your leadership and your inspiration. you know, we live in extraordinary times that require a sense of purpose and fearlessness and thankfully we have an incredible -- we have incredible people power, political will, and the ability to make positive change. we also have the most awesome and the fierce mayor and speaker of the house. [applause] you have heard many reason yes the 2020 census is so important to our city, to our region and our state. there are nearly 900,000 people in san francisco that need to be

counted by the u.s. census bureau. each person who participates in the census translates to $2,000 in federal funding each year. that's more than $17.6 billion coming to our neighborhoods and our communities over the next decade. we need that money for schools, libraries, roads, nutrition, and most of all affordable housing. we have a lot of work ahead of us as you have heard to overcome all of these barriers to make it possible for every person to participate, to motivate our residents to fill out their online census form as soon as it goes live in mid-march. since last fall, all of our community grantees and the network of partners, labor, arts and education and city partners, have been getting the word out that the census is coming. thanks to our art in action and their coalition of local artists who have started taking over the streets, the san francisco

campaign, s.f. counts, will be infused with creativity and art that reflects all of our diverse people. every library, deacon center and every social service site and interface will have information and in-language referral to help our residents to participate. and this is not just about san francisco, as you have heard our speakers say. the a partnership with the whole bay area and the state of california and the entire country. a quick shoutout to the california state select committee on the census, the california complete count, and the community affairs and our state assembly and senate offices and the u.s. census bureau who are all present in the house. for many, the 2020 census will be the very first step to civic engagement and exercising their right to participate. so who matters in this census? everyone matters. we look forward to working with all of you, and it won't be

easy, but we will get the job done together. i want to thank you very much. this concludes today's press event and please enjoy the reception and the event here. thank you very much, everybody. (♪) (♪) >> when i look at an old neon sign that's working or not working, i feel the family business that was in there. >> since 2009, citywide, sf

shines, has supported businesses and sites like the ones that receive new neon signs. >> you know, sf shines is doing an amazing job to bring back the lighting and the neon glow of san francisco. >> sf shines is such an amazing program, and i can't think of another program in another city that gives matching gunned funds to store owners, mom and pop owners, and if they've got a neon sign, they've really got a great way to advertise their business. >> this is a continuation of the sf shines program. >> focusing other neon signs is relatively new to us. of the seven neon signs, we've invested about $145,000.

>> a good quality sign costs more, but it lasts infinitily longer. as opposed to lasting five years, a good neon sign will last 15 to 20 years. >> in san francisco, the majority of neon signs are for mom-and-pop businesses. in order to be able to restore these signs, i think it gives back to your community. >> part of the project has to do with prioritizing certain signs in the neighborhood based on their aesthetics, based on their current signs, and base on the history. in the time that we've been here, we've seen a number of signs restored just on eddy street. >> there are a number of signs in the tenderloin and many more that are waiting or wanting to be restored. i have worked with randall and

al, and we've mapped out every single one of them and rated them as to how much work they would need to get restored. that information is passed onto sf shines, and they are going to rank it. so if they have x budget for a year, they can say all right, we're going to pick these five, and they're putting together clusters, so they build on top of what's already there. >> a cluster of neon signs is sort of, i guess, like a cluster of grapes. when you see them on a corner or on a block, it lights up the neighborhood and creates an ambient glow. if you havy got two of three of them, you've created an atmosphere that's almost like a movie set. >> some of the hotel, we've already invested in to get those neon signs for people to enjoy at night include the elk hotel, jefferson hotel, the

verona, not to mention some we've done in chinatown, as well as the city's portal neighborhood. >> we got the fund to restore it. it took five months, and the biggest challenge was it was completely infested with pigeons. once we got it clean, it came out beautiful. >> neon signs are often equated with film noir, and the noir genre as seen through the hollywood lens basically depicted despair and concentration. >> you would go downtown and see the most recent humphrey bogart film filled with neon in the background. and you'd see that on market street, and as market street got seedier and seedier and fewer people continued to go

down, that was what happened to all the neon strips of light. >> the film nori might start with the light filled with neon signs, and end with a scene with a single neon sign blinking and missing a few letters. >> one of my favorite scenes, orson welles is chasing ririt rita hayworth with neon signs in the background. >> i think what the office of economic and workforce development is very excited with is that we'll be able to see more neon signs in a

concentrated way lit up at night for visitors and most especially residents. the first coin laundry, the elm hotel, the western hotel are ones that we want to focus on in the year ahead. >> neon signs are so iconic to certain neighborhoods like the hara, like the nightcap. we want to save as many historic and legacy neon signs in san francisco, and so do they. we bring the expertise, and they bring the means to actually get the job done. >> people in tenderloin get really excited as they see the signs relit. as you're driving through the tenderloin or the city, it pretty much tells you something exciting is happening here. >> knee an was created to make the night more friendly and advertise businesses. it's a great way of supporting and helping local businesses. >> there's so many ways to improve public safety.

the standard way is having more eyes on the street, but there's other culturally significant ways to do that, and one those ways is lighting up the streets. but what better way and special way to do that is by having old, historic neon signs lighting up our streets at night and casting away our shadows. >> when i see things coming back to life, it's like remembering how things were. it's remembering the hotel or the market that went to work seven days a week to raise their money or to provide a service, and it just -- it just -- it just

>> good morning everyone. can you hear me? let's get this party started. before the sun goes away. good morning, everyone. thank you so much for being here with us on this exciting, groundbreaking. of course, you know, 20 years in the making. finally we are here, joined by community, our local representatives and leadership. as you know, for over 60 years, we have been at the forefront of providing community services, quality programs to our community from cradle to rocking chair. this building here really is a testament to the history and the commitment that we have two this multigenerational community, starting as a head start program , them the house of mission girls, and now, transforming into housing for formerly homeless displaced

seniors. [applause] thank you. yes. of course, this vision, this dream, this accomplishment, would not have been possible without the fearless leader, santiago. please let me welcome him. [cheers and applause] >> good morning. welcome and thank you all for joining us this morning. i would like to impose on you just for a few minutes, briefly. just to give some context to the comments that you will hear from distinguished guests this morning that we will take to the podium, starting with the honorable mayor, who had a most beautiful inauguration yesterday very classy, ma'am. i am not saying it because i was there, i'm saying it because it

was absolutely beautiful. that blue carpet, i have never seen it before. it has always been red. anyway, thank you very much, everyone. this site used to house one of our head start classrooms and we are providing -- we were providing services to 60 children, if i remember correctly. the site, over two decades ago, was put up for sale, and it basically, mission neighborhood programs were under threat for displacement. we were being evicted. we learned that it was being sold by the owner to none other than pepsi co. corporation. pepsico was acquiring both lots, specifically for a taco bell franchise. when we learned of this fact. --, we were somewhat alarmed, not just because we are being

displaced, but the economic impact, the negative and adverse economic impact it would have for the 24th street corridor considering the food establishments that are mostly family-owned in the area. so we opted to be bold about this issue and canvassed the 24 th street corridor and interviewed or polled residents, homeowners, tenants, business owners, and the consensus was unanimous feedback that we received that we need to remain on-site. so we rallied old friends, friends of the community, neighborhood residents, and nancy pelosi, are tagged no and jim gonzalez, who, in a 90 day period, were able to generate a

lot of help from the 24th street revitalization committee. i won't forget. they were able to identify $500,000 that we utilized as a down payment for the acquisition of these buildings. the idea was to make this a community asset, and it remained a community asset and it will remain -- it will continue to be a community asset as 45 seniors will be able to call this their new home. these are formerly displaced senior citizens. hopefully they will be senior citizens who are displaced from the mission and we will say -- [speaking spanish] [cheers and applause] with this piece of history being shared with you, i want to acknowledge a couple of individuals before the mayor takes to the podium. and romero is with us today. and, thank you.

the mere's office of housing and community development. kevin is also with us this morning. where is kevin at? did he leave? there you are if i am missing him, my apologies, but these are individuals that throughout the last 20 years were always by our side no matter what. one in particular that started a relationship with mission neighborhood centers is none other than barbara. i know she is here. where is she? [applause] she held onto this project like there was no tomorrow and so we are creating and we are extending or bestowing her with what we call the endurance award thank you, barbara. you are always by our side no matter what. with that being said, i would

like to introduce our illustrious mayor london breed. thank you. [applause]. >> thank you. i am really excited to be here today. this is the sixth round breaking in the mission since i've been mayor and i am so excited. it amounts to over 600 new units in this community. and the reason why this is happening at this pace has everything to do with the advocacy of the people who are part of this community, starting way back in 2014 when roberto and others were marching the halls of city hall as we prepared for the 2015 housing bond. in that housing bond, when the late mayor was our mayor, he committed to making sure not only that $50 million in that housing bond was set aside because of the gentrification and displacement of what was

happening in the mission, he committed to making sure that we did a better job to pay close attention to this community and to not only build more affordable housing, but we worked side-by-side when i was on the board of supervisors to pass neighborhood preference legislation, so that when we build in this community, the people from this community have access to the affordable units in their community. i am so grateful that the work that we've done, not too long ago, is actually, finally being realized. this incredible project of 44 units for seniors and the manager unit is just the tip of the iceberg. next month, we will be opening 94 units at shotwell, and those are all 100% affordable housing units. it is because, again, of this community and the work that continues to get done to make

sure that we are getting those applications in, that you are at the forefront of these groundbreaking his and the community activities that happen around affordable housing. this is how we support and protect this neighborhood for generations to come. [applause] so i'm looking forward to even more because of this community and because of the voters of san francisco. together we passed a $600,000,000.40 will housing bond last year, the largest in our city's history, and we are hopeful -- [applause] -- that with the support of what the 2015 housing bond has yielded and the 2019 housing bond with purchasing properties, we are breaking ground, we are building more housing, we are doing small sight acquisition to protect people in their housing,

because when it's all said and done, we know that what has happened in our city over the last 20 years has everything to do with the fact that we have not built enough housing in the city for the people who live here and are struggling to live here. that is our commitment. we will work harder, and hopefully with new policies, we will work faster and get more units open sooner rather than later. i want to thank sam and mission neighborhood centers for their dedication to this community, not just was housing, but with programs, childcare centers, with everything that you do to look at the entire family and bring people together and provide the wraparound supportive services needed. i want to thank mercy housing and doug schoemaker -- shoemaker for being here today and the work we are doing to make this possible. we are so looking forward to seeing the seniors move into this property and become part of the fabric of this amazing

community. thank you all so much. [applause] >> thank you. i would like to introduce hilary ronen from district nine. she has been a long time community advocate for the mission district, formally an attorney fighting for immigrants and workers rights and serving six years as the chief of staff for david campos. supervisor ronen has demonstrated a strong commitment to the community she now represents and is wholeheartedly dedicated to addressing street homelessness in our district and ensuring public safety and all district nine neighborhoods, building more affordable housing , and protecting the culture and character of our neighborhood. please help me welcome district nine supervisor. [applause]. >> good morning everyone. what an amazing way to start 2020. [cheers and applause] yesterday we got to go, and i

agree with you and sam, to the beautiful, elegant inauguration of mayor breed and we got to celebrate the inauguration and now we get to break ground on 45 units of truly affordable housing for formerly homeless seniors. what a way to start the year. what i wanted to say is i wanted to thank santiago and think mayor breed for the history lesson because we have to understand our history to both learn from our mistakes and to know what we have to do in the future. and what is another little piece of history about this exciting project is that it is the first 100% affordable housing complex built on -- [speaking spanish]

-- that is what happens when i try to makes languages. since the 1980s. since the early 1980s. that is not acceptable. thank you to all the communities for making this happen again. the way that we protect this community is by having housing that the city subsidizes, that the government subsidizes, because we know that nobody but the ultra rich can afford to live in san francisco nowadays if we don't have affordable units. so it took 20 years to get this going. that is way too long to state the obvious, but what all of these six projects that we have broken ground at at the mission, they all happens, they all started a long time ago, which means we need, right now, to be

fighting for the projects that we will break ground on in this decades to come. so i am 100% dedicated. i know the mayor is 100% dedicated to it. i know this mission community is 100% dedicated to it. we will get it done, just like we did last time. thank you so much. this is very exciting and it's a pleasure to be here today. [applause] >> thank you, supervisor ronen. we have been working hand-in-hand to ensure that our affordable housing vision for this corner, with an unwavering commitment to the cultural character of the neighborhood, becomes reality. mercy housing has been a great partner. with us today is doug shoemaker, president of mercy housing california, a leading provider of permanent homes and transformational services for

vulnerable people. previously doug directed the mayor's office of housing in san francisco, the city's engine for financing and developing affordable housing. doug has 25 years of experience generating affordable homes and leading initiatives to expand housing access. please help me welcome mr. doug shoemaker. [applause] >> i don't think i wrote that bio. it sounds better than the bio usually use. i will go with that. i also want to add our thanks. it really is an honor to have been asked by sam and mission neighborhood centers to partner with them. having started my career in the mission, i know the legacy that sam and maria and the rest of the organization have in this neighborhood. it really is an honor to be able to participate with you. we see ourselves as working in the service for the mission district. i really appreciate that, as to all of us.

you are right, barbara has held onto this project. she has projects that she loves, some more than others, and this has been a labor of love for her for many years. you deserve a perseverance award as well because this project has not been the easiest one to move forward. there are lots of people who could -- have contributed to making sure we are here today and we are finally able to get going on creating some new housing. i would not be able to mention everyone who has been helpful. i do want to acknowledge a few people. i saw miguel earlier. he has met big supporter of this project. our neighbors and amy and a supervisor's office who has been very important. our colleagues at the mayor's office of housing. i want to acknowledge our general contractor. these are not easy times, but this is a good time to be working on this project. [applause]

the designs are beautiful. for that we have to think our great architects who are standing behind us. they are doing great work. [applause] we have a number of financial partners on this project. it costs money to build buildings, so the national equity fund are here, from silicon valley bank, as well. the mayor's office of housing provides critical financing. the city provides really important financing to make sure we can serve seniors that are formerly homeless. for that we want to thank the department of homelessness, as well as the department of public health. this project is unusual, and maybe some people don't realize that along the way, as we are trying to scrape together enough money for this project, we had something that almost never happens to us is something called us up and said they wanted to give us some money for affordable housing. george and evan are here in the front. [applause]

this project is the beneficiary of five million-dollar requests from the betty ferguson foundation. we were very lucky through steve , who is a long-term attorney that some of you know, he referred them to us and said they wanted to do something to help create more for the housing for seniors in the bay area. we knew exactly where to put the first bit of money for this project and we want to thank them and the betty ferguson foundation for that. thank you so much. [applause] i am almost done. there is a long list of other folks. i'm sure i will not mention everybody who has helped move this project forward. i want to say that it really is an honor. i hope that this building, as beautiful as it looks on paper, when we're done, i hope we are around to celebrate. as roberto said to me earlier, we will do our best to make sure the folks moving in here are folks who have been moved out of this neighborhood, not there any choice of their own, but because of the incredible pressures that

this city is under. it will be an amazing day when we reopen this building. we welcome back folks who have been living in the neighborhood who have been forced out. that will be one of the greatest pleasures that we will all have. i share your wish and i thank you. [applause] >> thank you so much. last but not least, i would like to welcome eric. he is a founder and president of -- [speaking spanish] -- originally from nicaragua, he has called the mission district home since 1963. he has been a proactive community advocates since 1996 and an amazing community leader fighting for the preservation of latino culture district, and against the erasure of the latino community. please welcome eric. [applause]

[speaking spanish] how is everyone? welcome to the cultural district this is our centrepiece, right in the center of the latino cultural district. we are very proud. i want to thank, of course,, mayor london breed and supervisor ronen. thank you for being here. sam, it has been a long time coming. it has been 20 years. we have seen several designs, several ideas. money was there than it wasn't there than it was back. you did it. you had a vision, you followed it, you have the community together -- community together to support it. we are very proud for that. we have been fighting for affordable housing for a lot of years in the neighborhood. we have reached out to about four or 5,000 people in the area , finding out what their needs -- their needs are, and all we ever heard from the community was affordability, affordability, affordability, whether it is services in the area, and especially for housing here we are. we are providing that and we are very proud.

thank you everyone. congratulations to the entire community because it will benefit us all. thank you. [applause] >> thank you all. i wanted to acknowledge two things. one, i wanted to acknowledge the board of directors that are here present with us today. without the support of our board of directors, this would be a lot more difficult and they have been with mission neighborhood centers, with sam and part of this vision throughout the decade. if you could stand and be acknowledged, our board of directors. there we go. [applause] thank you so much for your support and your leadership. i also want to acknowledge someone who is here representing

assembly member david chiu who surprised us with three certificates of recognition, one for mission neighborhood centers , one for mercy housing of california, and one for -- [speaking spanish] -- acknowledging today's great event. thank you so much. [applause] finally, i would like to welcome back up to the podium sam who will be giving us our closing remarks. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, everyone. i will try to be as brief as i can. i just need to be honest with you. this is a very -- very emotional moment for me. bear with me, please. honestly, mayor breed, thank you for joining us this morning, as well as hillary.

this project is basically none other than a team effort. i am glad that layla asked our board members to stand and be recognized. i am a blessed man. i consider myself a change agent , a community builder, and when you engage in that level of practice, it is very contagious. i tend to attract people who think the same and to behave the same and to do it out of love with passion. not because of the money, but because what it represents to our community and to the future of our community. so it has been my board, year after year we questioned, one will this get built? it's not easy. sometimes i had to sweat it before a board meeting because i knew what the questions would be

all i could say is bear with me, trust me, it will happen. it's happening now. it wasn't just the board who asked those questions and supported my efforts, it was also community. there wasn't a single moment when i did not receive any support when i called community for help. whether it was our illustrious neighbor, whether it was the mayor of the mission -- [applause] -- or eric, and then, of course, , you have individual professionals in this community who believe in what you do because it is for the betterment of your community. so i want to say thank you and i want to ask a special friend whose name i just mentioned, to say a few words. a few closing words. i also want to acknowledge anthony. the number of times that i

sought your support in designing this, you were there for us pro bono. thank you. that is appreciated. but now i would like to ask my good friend, and i have to let you know that he is also my friend. the mayor of the mission. excuse me, madame mayor, to say -- [laughter] -- to please come up and say a few words. [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish] >> it's days like this that i feel like -- [speaking spanish] -- sam, come here, my brother. come here. you know what? to your board of directors, and defence of sam, what you did not know is that sam had a 2020 vision.

he had a vision this would get built in 2020. so next time you go to a board meeting, don't question him, just let it roll. sam is the man and sam will get it done. [applause] thank you, brother. [applause] i was reflecting this morning and i just want to give a little history and a lesson. this place has been a center of change. at one point, and i saw george simpson, where is george simpson at? this was the home for -- [speaking spanish] -- which was a drug rehab program. maria, please stand up. you were part of that. thank you very much.

[speaking spanish] worked with people who at that time were on heroin. it's very hard to work with people who were on heroin. then you had horizons limited, which went through some changes, and thanks to sam again, he provided a home for transitional -- for transitions and horizons unlimited, another organization from our community. and then you had the 24th street merchants association. where is eric? sam, once again, he gave a home to that space. and then he gave space when carnaval san francisco was going through transition. and mecca, and then mission grove. and. [speaking spanish] , anyone here from -- [speaking spanish]

where are you at? thank you. sam, once again, he gave home to it. so this has been a transitional space for our community, which has a lot of history. it's kind of a bitter but sweet moment today. as i walked over here, because i only live two blocks down, i didn't have to drive or catch a cab or ride my bike or my low rider, you know, but it is, as i reflect back, you know, i honor you, brother. thank you so much. i know that he did call me a couple of times because some people weren't paying their rent i won't mention which organizations, and sam was having a budget problem. >> i need you to make a phone call, and of course, i would call people up and say go pay sam. and they did. everybody paid their rent, right that is why the buildings are

being built because everybody paid their rent. and the last thing i wanted to share is when he talked about the eviction they are going through, and he did call me, and at that time, we had 24th street revitalization committee which i was part of creating with others. and at that time, supervisor jim gonzalez was the chair of the committee. we did that on purpose because we wanted to hold him accountable to make sure he did some work as our supervisor. it was insane how we were not only able to get 500 thousand -- $500,000 for mission neighborhood centers, but it was a package that we got of $1 million for 24th street. we were able to abide not only this property, but we were able to buy brava, theatre, and

mission housing was also able to buy a property across the street that was three properties we bought because we got creative with city funding within a short period of time. can it be done? yes, it can. we are the creators and we are the intellect. we are the thinkers of change. it takes everybody to work with us, and i'm glad we have our mayor here today who got sworn in yesterday, and that was sweet to hear santana. i look forward to working with you, to continue the work that we have been doing to build affordable housing so that we can have justice for our community who has been displaced and evicted violently. gentrification in this neighborhood, more than any other neighborhood in san francisco. once again, congratulations mission neighborhood center and

thank you, my brother. [cheers and applause] [indiscernible] >> thank you. for the record, i was able to spend some time with mayor brown on new year's eve and i acknowledge and thank him. he appreciated the reminder. thank you. thank you. with that being said, thank you, everyone, for joining us for this historic moment for our community. we all appreciate it and we hope that when we start accessing those units for our senior community that you will come back and that you will see this dream become a reality. thank you very much everyone.

have a good afternoon. thank you, mayor breed, and thank you, hillary. >> please join us for light refreshments and coffee right in here. >> are we ready? five, four, three, two, one. [cheers and applause] and our general contractor is going to clean it all up. >> this is critical work. [laughter]. >> yeah. you know what i'm talking about.

>> my apartment burned down 1.5 years ago in noba. my name is leslie mccray, and i am in outside beauty sales. i have lived in this neighborhood since august of this year. after my fire in my apartment and losing everything, the red cross gave us a list of agencies in the city to reach out to and find out about various programs that could help us get back on our feet, and i signed up for the below market rate program, got my certificate, and started applying and won the housing

lottery. this particular building was brand-new, and really, this is the one that i wanted out of everything i applied for. and i came to the open house here, and there were literally hundreds of people looking at the building. and i -- in my mind, i was, like, how am i ever going to possibly win this? and i did. and when you get that notice that you want, it's surreal, and you don't really believe it, and then it sinks in, yeah, i can have it, and i'm finally good to go; i can stay. my favorite thing about my home, although i miss the charm about the old victorian is everything is brand-new. it's beautiful. my kitchen is amazing. i've really started to enjoy cooking. i really love that we have a gym on-site. i work out four days a week, and it's beautiful working outlooking out over the

courtyard that i get to look at. it was hard work to get to the other side, but it's well worth it. i'm super grateful to the mayor's office of housing for having this for us. george washington high school marching band. [applause] >> please welcome kayla smith. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. how's everybody doing today? thank you. thank you for joining us today for this historical occasion. my name is kayla smith, and i will be your mistress of