we will come to order. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. please make sure to silence all

phones and electronic devices. completed speaker cards and copies of any documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. items acted on today will appear on the february 11 board of supervisors agenda unless otherwise stated. >> chair ronen: and can you please read item number one. >> clerk: item number one is a motion to appoint catherine stefani to the transportation board for a term ending june 30, 2021. >> chair ronen: and i will excuse supervisor stefani. and is there any public comment on item number one?

seeing none, wupublic comment closed. is there a motion? >> yes. i move to appoint catherine stefani to the golden gate bridge highway and transportation district board. >> chair ronen: thank you and we can take that without objection. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: would you please read the next item?

>> clerk: item 2 is a hearing to consider appointing one member, indefinite term, to the children and families first commission. >> good morning. miss armstrong brings a wealth of information overseeing our child health program, particularly for our african american families. in the coming years, we're hoping to bring other initiatives into even greater alignment. there's also several exciting opportunities coming down from the state in home visiting so we're hoping to explore those together, so really excited about the work ahead of us, and again, just really strongly encourage you to support miss armstrong's nomination to our commission. thank you. >> chair ronen: wonderful. thank you so much.

>> chair rone is there any public comment before i hearing a motion on this? seeing none, public comment is closed. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: is there a motion on this item? >> supervisor stefani: i would like to forward this to the full board with a positive recommendation for -- let's see -- i should put my glasses on -- ellie armstrong. >> chair ronen: thank you. we can do that without objection. [gavel]. >> chair ronen: mr. clerk, would you please read the next item. >> clerk: item three is a

motion approving president norman yee's nomination of maria theresa imperial to the planning commission for a term ending july 1, 2020. >> chair ronen: okay. do we have anyone who wishes to speak on this item? >> yes. my name is maria theresa imperial, and i go by theresa. as part of my community work in 2009 as a volunteer to manila town heritage foundation, as a result, i learned the rich history of manila town and the filipino heritage in san

francisco. in 2009, i also volunteered and worked together with other community members and cofounded a housing program in order to provide tenants' rights, education, and access to affordable housing which we believe was a gap in our community and citywide. it is in my community work where my issues are deeply grounded. socioeconomic issues are always grounded in people of color communities, especially in issues of equity and access. when i look back, i always look at the elders in the filipino community and others who have affected my position. i am deeply honored to be

considered for this position, and i have not told my family about this yet. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. are there any questions? supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: yes, thank you chair ron thank you, chair ronen, and thank you, miss imperial for wanting to be one of our commissioners. i just wanted to follow up with a few questions, and i wanted to make a few points before getting into the questions. as we discussed our growing homelessness issue and sky rocketing housing costs in san francisco, it is clear that we know that we are experiencing a housing shortage, and it's been my position, of course, that we must take responsibility and act locally to move the city in the right direction to provide housing for people at all levels. that's why i advocated for 3333

california, i advocated for 133 permanently affordable homes for low-income seniors, and why i advocated recently for the lucky penny project that i recently talked about, and thank you for indulging me on talking about all of those issues. i wanted to just follow up on a few of the questions that we had discussed. i talked about the fact that there are about 72,500 units that have been entitled that have gained approval from city department and planning commission but are not being built, and it's something that i mentioned to you with regard to the lucky penny site. i'm wondering again, what do you think we should be doing to ensure that homes in the pipeline actually get built? we talked about it a little bit, and i just wanted to see if you've given that anymore thought. >> yes. in terms of the 72 housing pipeline and in terms of

already entitled, we know that there is that -- there is a big affordability crisis. definitely in terms of, like, as to where our 72,000 housing are being built, that is something i will look into, including where is this being built, in which neighborhoods? because i've seen the housing development report and there's much more happening on the eastern side than the western side, and there's much more affordable units on the eastern side being built than the western side being built. so that's something i would look into, of course. i would look in the housing report, and the balance of where housing units are actually being built. >> supervisor stefani: and these are units that have been entitled, and they go through the process and they're approved. they go through e.i.r.

challenges at the board of supervisors, and yet, the time it takes to get through the planning department and the department of building inspection, by the time they get through all that, construction costs have sky rocketed and they're not able to build. so that's something of focus that i think that you should be aware of that planning commission focus is on, as well. another focus of the planning department is to provide proposals to the board of supervisors. and again, we talked about transit-rich corridors and housing and zoning and -- when we met. i'm wondering if there are any other places in the city along transit corridors and those types of things that you believe that zoning should change to allow for greater kinds of housing. >> yeah. i'm glad we had that discussion

when it comes to transit-oriented construction. i believe before we do that, we need to look at infrastructure proposals. so if we're going to change the zoning, we need to look at the infrastructure around that area. i believe our issues in our community, the south of market community and the issues that i have seen in the mission, as well or the eastern part of the city, as well, we create these kinds of zoning amendments, but there's actually no planning when looking into not just the planning, but transit, as well. even the effects of climate change, and even the effects of it historical. so definitely in all of the zoning amendments, there will be studies, and i would look into studies, you know, sufficiently. >> supervisor stefani: okay.

thank you. the charter also tells us that one of the primary responsibilities of the planning commission is to provide the mayor with at least three qualified candidates for director of planning and we're in that search right now, selected on the basis of administrative and technical qualifications with special reference to training and knowledge in the field. again, we went through your resume, and your work has been great, but if you would go through the process that you would select as planning director. >> i would like to see a planning director that has experience in working with people of color community and has a racial and socioeconomic lens. that's how i would like to see the planning director. >> supervisor stefani: okay. and also, i wasn't extremely familiar with your organization, bishop before, and it's a great organization

before meeting you last week, so i took some time to better familiarize myself over the weekend with it, too, and i notice that bishop helps people find and stay in affordable housing, which is great. and also for advocating for and against legislation. and what -- if you could just give me some examples of your advocacy work and whether or t bishop -- i know there's a lot, and whether or not bishop opposes or supports individual projects. >> you mean, in the past, for bishop? >> supervisor stefani: in the -- continuing. >> so my work, maybe let's start with the work. i've done a lot of housing -- advocacy when it comes to housing legislation and when it comes to community development -- or community planning, as you can say it. i worked in the ellis act

campaign, also in creating the housing balance report. also in the creation of an antispeculation tax. also, the copa tax that was passed last year. also, in the loan and finance for rehabilitation for -- you know, for small sites. in terms of, like, right now, you know, bishop in the past, we have -- yes, we have -- i mean, we have advocated against a development that leasing is going to be detrimental in the south of market community. that -- one example is the shadow impact around the -- on the victoria manila park. even though the shadow will be, like, in certainly parts of the year, but it's still going to

affect the youth program in the south of market. which, you know, d-6 doesn't have a lot of open spaces. in terms of right now, we are not working or talking, so it is in our -- actually in our mission is not to -- not to meet with developer, so we don't make deals with developers. we believe, you know, in community planning process. but in terms of like, you know, any kind of projects that are being put forth in planning commission, no, we are not doing that. and i have also talked to the city attorney in terms of what, like, bishop can do and what i can do. >> supervisor stefani: okay. that's great. and these are questions asked of most planning commissioners that come before us. i think we've seen other planning commissioners before us have rigorous questioning, as well.

and i just want to make sure, given your advocacy work and a lot of projects going up to the planning commission, do you think that you will be able to remain neutral when projects come up before you? this is a question i'd ask of anyone. >> you mean, neutral in terms of recusing myself? >> supervisor stefani: no, neutral in terms of projects that come before you? >> oh, yeah. you have to look at a lot of things. one is the community input. they're the expertise in the community. the second is the analysis and the reports that are being given to me by the planning, as well. so i would look into the code compliance in that neighborhood or in that corridor itself, and, you know, definitely there's going to be a lot of factors you need to weigh-in.

but you know, there's the community input and the information being given to me by the planning department. >> supervisor stefani: thank you. i have nothing else. >> chair ronen: thank you. supervisor mar? >> actually, i just wanted to thank supervisor yee for putting such a qualified individual before us for the planning commission and also for your dedication to housing and the at risk communities in our city. it's obvious that you bring a depth of knowledge in planning and housing issues, particularly in the south of market neighborhood which has been ground zero in the tech tech development boom that's

been playing out here in the last decade, but also that you're a resident, and i think that's good information that you bring to the role of a planning commissioner. i just wanted to ask your role in the west side and the role that the west side can play in addressing the housing availability crisis. on one hand, we have sb 150 which are trying to provide ke blankets, but then, on the other hand, as you mentioned, when we actually look at the data and something like our housing balance report, we see that the west side and my district, for example, has by far the worst housing balance in the city in market rate versus affordable housing development. and we're also seeing high

rates of displacement and loss of rent control units in district 4 and district 1. so -- actually, and one final point. you know, we -- recently, the board of supervisors passed legislation that -- that was sponsored by myself and supervisor fewer that expanded priority areas in the city because there is opportunity for development there, such as -- yeah, we'd like to -- actually, i'd like to hear a little bit more. >> yeah. i mean, that's -- i've been living in d-7 for the last ten years. i believe i lived there back in 2010. the -- as you have mentioned, the housing balance report, when it comes to the west side, there's actually not much or not at all when it comes to

housing units being built, and that's something i would like to see. i hope the community would like to see that, as well. but we know that there's affordable crisis in the city. i know that there's a lot of renters in the west side, and which is hard to see it in the rent board when you look at units being taken out. that's why i would like to defer a lot in terms of community people, especially on the west side, in terms of, like, how many communities are being taken out. if there is a disproportionate review on the west side being taken out, i would definitely defer to somebody living there. because we cannot afford to take a unit out, especially if it's rent control, and there is no affordable buildings being built, whether it's a renter or home ownership.

so that's something i would like to see more of, as well. >> thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. i really appreciate you for being willing to take on this role. we know that it's a huge commission to be a planning commission. it's not a paid position, it's a volunteer position. and anyone who's willing to put in the countless hours per week is really -- is dedicating themselves to the city in a way that needs to be commended, so i just want to thank you for your willingness to do this job which is so important to us. so my -- one of my questions is about map 2020. it grew out of the eastern neighborhoods plan, and the fact that so many folks in the mission district were being

displaced from the community and to try to figure outweig w to impact the displacement that's occurring there. but we have sb 50 and the housing accountability laws and the state laws that are really limiting the power of local jurisdictions to play a role. so i'm just sort of wondering your vision of how you're going to deal projects that might deal with further displacement given all of these constraints that we have around us. >> i think that's when i would also get your help as supervisors, as well. yes, there are the statewide laws that limiting ours, and i heard, you know, that, you

know, the state center is also pushing forward with new legislations, but that is something that i -- you know -- you know, what i see, you know, what i will bring in the planning commission is what i see in the ground and what the people says in the planning commission. and in terms of, like, you know, how to -- you know, what if a development is using a state -- you know, a state law, you know, i will speak out of my expertise and what i see, but i will also need help from your offices and how to counter that, as well. in terms of will the city be willing to go against a state legislation, so that's something i definitely would have to work with you guys on that. you guys represent the constituents, so -- and i will bring what i see in the ground, yeah.

mm-hmm. >> chair ronen: and then have you had the opportunity to learn about the planning department's racial and social equity initiative? >> no, not yet. i'm not -- i'm going to -- not yet. i would -- but the thing is, i would like to read that, yeah. >> chair ronen: okay. and then, i serve as the board's representative to the metropolitan transportation commission, the m.t.c. and i would love to see more direct interaction between the city planning department and regional planning efforts, and i'm wondering if you have any thoughts on how to make that happen? >> actually, i am aware of the m.t.c., the plan bay area 2030 -- now it's turned to 2050. i know that the city nominates, you know, a proxy at the m.t.c., as well, and if -- you

know, if there's a way, you know that, you know, whoever we nominate in the m.t.c. also has a background here in san francisco, that has worked in sfric san francisco, you know, that would be great. because in terms of -- what i'm thinking is, in terms of the transit and the housing. what i would like to bring or what i would like to envision of the planning commission is to provide -- you know, provide input or analysis or something that would be taken or considered by the m.t.c., as well. i will have to study in terms of like -- or, you know, have to study the dynamics or processes around it. and i have to admit, i am new to this, but i'm not new of, like, the way of issues that are surrounding san francisco. so i would definitely have to, of course, learn this process

along the way. >> chair ronen: and then, last question before we turn it over to public comment. it -- i know you are knew new lot of these concepts, haven't working with the nitty-gritty of the planning department, but you have unbelievable experience working in the communities and fighting for housing for residents of the city, for working people and for their families. just wondering why you think you're the best person for the planning commission at this point in time? >> yes. i believe i'm the best person -- it's kind of weird. i'm not a -- you know, i'm a pretty lay low type of person, really, and it's weird for me to be in this position, but at the same time, you know, i know

i have my experience. i see what i see, i know my truth. i know what my community says, as well, so -- and i have been at the planning commission hearings many times, and there are times that i feel like the planning commissioners don't really ask substantial questions that actually impact the every day life of people. when we look into the amendments of the codes or even if it's just discretionary review, that affects every day life. that affects a mental health of a person. so with my work in the community, and, you know, i was the first case manager in bishop. like, the every day interaction is really important, and i think it's something that needs to be heavily considered in the planning commission hearings, you know, when there's a development coming in, did the developer think about this, did

they think about life in the streets? simple as that, you know, did they think about the pedestrian? did they think about -- you know, as minuscule and really, as broad. the planning commission is a very unique position is it can go in every day life and in the bigger picture, so you have to balance the details and see in the bigger perspective, as well. so yeah, i do feel that, you know, i have that, you know, lens of background because i have deeply worked in the community. and also, i have learned about the history of, through manilatown, the history of urban development and how it impacted our community, and that's why we're here today, unfortunately, so yeah. >> chair ronen: thank you. and then, i think supervisor stefani has a question. >> supervisor stefani: yes, thank you. one last question. this is something that i talk about a lot, the fact that in

san francisco, really, even on the board of supervisors, we have so much more in common than we don't. what divides us is not as much as what, i think, unites us. and on the planning commission, things can get heated. you've been at the planning commission several times, and maybe between your colleagues on the planning commission. and for me, given what we see happening at the federal level, given what we see happening sometimes here in san francisco, i think it's so important that if we are in positions, whether or not being on elected or appointed commissions, i think we can disagree without being disagreeable. how do we deal with major conflicts and differences of opinion? honestly, i believe this because what i see going on in washington and what i see going on sometimes here is the fact

that if people disagree, instead of looking at it through our lens, it's easy to point fingers and demonize and think that because they think differently than me, that, therefore, it can cause a lot of issues. so for me, it's really important that we have people in these positions -- and you will disagree, because you have passion, which i think is great -- and i don't know you that well, but this is something that i say to everyone -- that you will be able to have cordial relationships with your planning commissioners and be able to disagree without being completely disagreeable. i wonder how you would handle that. >> yes. i've had those experiences, as well. every community has issues and,

you know, not even in our own communities, we agree, you know. i think we are all aware of that. i also -- lately, i've been taking meditation a lot, you know, and it's a way to -- it's a way for me to really reflect and also a way to -- great wisdom in all of this that's going on. i know that people have impression about me that i yell at the planning commission. i actually don't do that as much. i try to make sure that when i go to the planning commission, i'm straight to the point about housing. i'm nice, but i'm firm at the same time. there will be -- i can foresee that, and i will see that in my own communities, too, that we will be agreeing and disagreeing, but at the same time, you know, what matters the most are people's lives, and that would -- i know -- you know, that's how i would look

into things. in terms of dynamics, you know, i try not to think of things personally, you know? i do -- you know, in the buddhist philosophy, you learn how to detach and be attached at the same time, and so really balancing that, that yin and yang of life. >> supervisor stefani: no, and i understand. you can be firm and balanced at the same time. >> chair ronen: i just have to appreciate your comment for screaming but you don't think you're screaming, you just think you're being honest and straightforward and firm. often when you're honest and firm, other people interpret it as screaming. so i want to reflect back to you how much i appreciated that comment. thank you so much for your

time, and we're going to open this up for public comment. if there's any public comment, be sure to lineup to my right, your left. each member of the public will have two minutes to speak, and john, why don't you start us off. >> good morning, supervisors, madam chair, good morning. my name is john jacobo, and couple weeks ago, a group of community members that i think will be speaking today got together because we were attempting to try to have a very balanced race and socio equity lens when we look at a planning commission seat. months ago, we got together to have a similar conversation about the previous commissioner that was appointed and prior to that, for the planning director that we hope will be selected soon. it's incredibly important for us to have strong advocates that understand and have the framework that i think has been

missing on the planning commission for far too long. theresa imperial will bring that to the planning commission. she has the knowledge that we think she will not only make our coalition proud, make san francisco proud. so you will hear from many other speakers, but honestly, strongly, we are here to support our sister, theresa imperial. thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is raymond castillo. i work for the south of market neighborhood action or somcan

for support. we are happy to support theresa. she has shown she has the unique ability to understanding the planning and development issues that affect communities of concern which are often not represented equitably on the planning commission. as a filipina immigrant who works directly in the community to serve low-income individuals and families, theresa will bring much needed experience of working on the ground to the planning committees. as a member of the community on the front lines of the struggle against displacement, theresa bringing a much needed perspective to the planning commission that would help advance the goals of planning, equity, and socioeconomic justice for communities. we need someone that knows the

impact of planning regulations on individuals in san francisco. we need someone who has a strong commitment to racial and socioeconomic and gender equity in her long service, so vote in support of theresa. thank you. >> good morning, commissioners, madam chair. my name is cynthia gomez, and i am the president of local 2. we are happy to join many of our allies that are here this monday morning to support theresa's nomination to the planning commission. her work impacts san francisco and people of color. there are situations where certain individuals tend to get hit first by the strategies and policies of the planning committee. it's good to have the experience and lens that

theresa brings. as someone who knows my work knows that it takes me before the planning commission week after week. again, i'm very happy to have someone with her lens to be sitting on this body, and i'm also very happy to see someone who has community -- that is a community organizer that has such a rich history and deep roots of fighting for tenants' rights and fighting for displacement. again, as you can see by all the people lined up here to speak, that is a tremendous asset to the planning commission, and we ask that you please forward her nomination on. thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. my name's gabriel medina. i'm an officer with the latino democratic club. also, i want to speak -- first

of all, thank supervisor yee for his great choice and thank you for your consideration. theresa imperial, she's someone with such long dedication with the bishop housing project for ten years. that's hard to do, as well as working with the community on a daily basis, hearing their cases and working with them to resolve their problems. theresa has the most honesty and integrity that i can speak of. i think when it comes to those planning commission hearings, she understands what the community feels. you know, she's been there. she's testified, so i think she can help bring that with the planning commissioners, and she can help bring that forward -- she can bring that for the homeless, as well. she worked with the western regional advocacy project, and

she's worked with people that have housing as well as no housing at all. one of the things that i appreciate the most about theresa is she keeps her mind firm, and she knows all about these policies because she helped advocate for them, so please support theresa imperial. thank you. >> good morning, commissioners. my name is maya, and i am with the council of community housing organizations. i am here in support of the nomination of theresa imperial to the planning commission. i am so, so thrilled to be here in support of her. i've had the pleasure of working alongside her for the past 1.5 years, and she is just

amazing. she works alongside others, and she has the passion that we need on the commission. and she -- yeah, i could not have picked a better person to be on the commission. she sees beyond the architecture of our buildings and sees the persons who over the years created and recreated our neighborhoods. so she's extremely qualified. she cofounded a housing

program, which you heard about. i am here really in support of theresa. >> hello, supervisors. my name is honey lau, and i work for the office of civic and immigrant affairs, doing interpretation work during the day. i also want to echo the fact of theresa being in the filipino community. i have shared space with her in more contentious planning commission meetings, but i have also shared spaces with her in other events, and i can personally attest to theresa's leadership, which is something we need here now and in the planning commission. i just want to express support for -- i want to echo the comment about her equitiability

and sound decision. i know she will make decisions about her most impacts communities at heart. i feel like she's a leader that we needed a couple of decades ago, but yeah, we're moving forward, so thank you so much. >> good morning. my name is paul. i'm with the soma filipino heritage in the south of market. it's 100 years of history. unfortunately, part of that story -- a significant part of that story is unisex displacement, displacement of our ways, so it's great for our

community that somebody like theresa would receive this nomination. we're proud of san francisco, we're proud of theresa, and we ask you to support this nomination. thank you. >> hello, supervisors. david wu with soma filipinas. soma filipinas is excited to support the appointment of one of our community leaders, theresa imperial, to the planning commission. as a filipina immigrant who works directly in the community to support low-income individuals and families, she will bring experience of working on the ground to the planning commission. theresa's experience gives her the understanding of the challenges around housing rights, displacement, and the impact that inequitable has on working class families in san francisco. as someone who has done the

advocacy work and is working with people on the ground day-to-day, theresa bringing a much needed perspective to the planning commission in the process that is largely lacking that would help advance the goals of social and economic justice for san francisco's historic communities. we need commissioners that know the real impacts that land use decisions have on every day people in san francisco. again, thank you so much for considering theresa, and we really look forward to seeing her on the commission. thank you. >> good morning, commissioners. i'm joseph, chair of the somcan organization. having worked alongside her for

many years, i hold her in high regard and always keeps in mind the needs of the residents and communities she represents. it is always important to bring the perspective of being an immigrant and somebody who supports housing rights and immigrant policies. hopefully, she receives a recommendation today and looking forward to working with her as a new planning commissioner. thank you. >> chair ronen, commissioners, i think it's a very important time for san francisco. we, as i know, a few of you, when you look at specialized

boards, you wonder what's missing? women, women of color, women able to lead with a strong, bold voice. you have a woman of color able to lead with a strong, bold voice today. as many of you have said before, you have an immigrant, exciting because it's somebody who came here, had to navigate all of the strange customs and interesting conventions that american life brings to those of us that weren't born here. you have somebody who's dedicated her life to service by working with the folks that even though we try very hard to build affordable housing as quickly as we can and in every district, as was mentioned here, it still often is a really challenging opportunity for many to access. and we know it in the chinatown community where i work, we know

is in the soma town community, we know it in your communities where these efforts result sometimes in not a lot of folks from our communities or neighborhoods are able to access affordable housing. so i think you have somebody with an incredible perspective, with a bold voice, and with the -- with the experience we need on the commission, an experience of being in front of the commission. i was, you know, reminded that oftentimes, we try to find the perfect person who appeals to everyone, and that's challenging. but i think theresa is fair and smart, and she'll do well. thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. i'm here as a proponent of theresa imperial and also to make a point sometimes as young

folks having representation at the next level is something that, you know, is key characters, and i guess the land use dialect of san francisco politics is not often -- the knowledge is often not there, and so i'm here for those folks. so yeah. it's interesting how many people my age can come to a rules committee at 10:00 a.m., so i'm here for those guys, and i ask you to support the nomination. thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is charlie, and i'm a district 11 resident, and i'm here on behalf of poder. and this board of supervisors has heard about the need to have equity champions on the planning commission. theresa imperial is one of those equity champions, and i hope the first of many more. she really has these kind of triple super powers. i've known her for many years and see her as someone with a

high level of integrity, extremely principled, really strong community based relationships. she also has the second super power, which is a lot of know-how. she knows policy, she can navigate it, community policy, community relationships, experiences is something she will do. and the third is really just a high level of leadership. and when she comes to the planning commission with your blessing and the board's blessing, i believe she will not just ask the right questions and say the right things, she will really have the right conversation and move the conversation in the right direction, so i hope you support her. thank you very much. >> good morning. my name's krista. so first of all, thank you,

norman yee, for selecting theresa for planning commissioner. i agree, i don't know of a better candidate to show racial equity in this year of 2020. it's amazing. theresa, i think i can speak more to what affects theresa. she has done a lot of this work. bishop was actually not staffed. she volunteered and would do that after work every day and make it happen until we finally were able to raise money for it. and bishop, i know you're not familiar with it, but it is one of the only organizations that helps residents get into b.m.r., below market rate housing. i actually see it as her implementation.

she looked at the policy and figured out how to make it work when things didn't fit. we have these great ideas, but we don't know how to do that. i think it's important to have someone like her for all people in san francisco. whether you're a business, whether you're a senior, whether you're a parent. she also has a great big view picture. i sometimes get caught in the weeds and she would pull me out and check me because there's a bigger picture, and her wisdom -- for being as young as she is, she's old, an old soul. and i would imagine everyone can see that. and i think just the quality of people who support her, it speaks testaments to who you see on the day-to-day, and who came out here and is giving honest testimony about what she can do, who she can speak to, who she's going to listen to, which is everybody, but also make sure that some people are not going to be thrown off to

the side because it's not business as usual, and this is something -- this is like one of your -- one of the greatest all time honest public servant candidates we've seen in a long time, and i'm really proud of all of you for doing this. actually, i think uncle bill would be really proud of you all supporting her, so thank you very much. >> good morning. my name is jessie fernandez. i'm a district 11 resident, and i'm here with communities united for health and justice in support of theresa imperial who has demonstrated an ability to wrestle with issues that affect our communities. oftentimes, when i am in a meeting wrestling with the small sites acquisition program, with the dalia

program, issues on tenants' rights, development or design, i can count on theresa to be a voice of authority both because of her hands-on work directly with stakeholders. also because of her analytical rigor and her holistic approach. i just want to say on the heels of our racial and socioeconomic equities, i'm pleased to support theresa for the planning commission. >> good morning, commissioners. peter papadopolous with the economic planning committee, and i'm here to support theresa for the role of planning commissioner.

i've known her for sometime. she is a passionate advocate for using protections and legislative work, as well. [please stand by]

advisor, my name is rena tolo, i'm a direct 7 resident, and i also work in d-11. i'm here in strong support of teresa. i would like to tell you that while she has all of the qualifications that satisfy the technical requirements, i think we should see she also has a strong community connection that we have asked you for, and she has a lot of in tegrity. thank you.

>> buenas días. [speaking spanish] >> prime minister trudeau[speaking throughinterpr] hi, i have worked at the cause for the past nine years. [speaking spanish][speaking thrh interpreter] i'm here in support of teresa because she knows the community. and the work that she has done at bishop gives her the capacity to be able to make strong decisions.

and i ask for your support in appointing her to the planning commission because she has a really strong ear to the community. mucho gracias.[speaking through interpreter] thank you. >> good morning, supervisors. i've been politically schooled in the mission, and i have a deep, deep love for our city. i'm with a group of community organizers, racial equity activists, and neighbourhood activists, to support him for commissioner. i thank -- and i thank so much supervisor yee for selecting her. he had a lengthy list of

qualified candidates, who are steeped and versed in our communities, and teresa just floated to the top because she is so amazing. i can't even -- i'm not going to add what folks have already said. i think, for me, it is so refreshing to have a young, brown, and down woman to serve on the planning commission. i think that young javier said it best in terms of, like, i've been around for a minute, grinding myself around planning issues and affordable housing, and to have a new generation lie like javier -- when i first started coming here, javier was like this, maybe. so it is beautiful to see this resurge nce of young people of color. hook who she rolls withlook who.

those are the people who will be counselling her and lifting her up so she will be successful. so i thank you and i hope you move her recommendation forward. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. is there any member of the public who still wishes to speak who hasn't? seeing none, public comment is closed. [gavel] >> chairwoman: i just wanted to thank everyone so much for coming out today. this is why i love split appointments to commission because we get candidates that represent different communities, that are appointed to these positions of power, that really make a difference and change the history of our city.

and the planning commission is one of the most important commissions in the city and county of san francisco. and having an appointment like teresa imperial representing voices that are so often here to say that working folks, communities of color are not being prioritized, and their needs are not being met by the development in the city. and that something needs to change in order to make that happen, that it is the job of policy-makers to write laws to lift up these communities and to make sure that everyone's interests and needs are protected and lifted up in the city. and to me, what's been made clear today by ms. imperial and her supporters is that she

will be a champion of those needs and those voices. it is exactly the type of leader we need on the planning commission at this point in time in our city. and so i will -- i want to thank president yee for having put in ms. imperial. i am extremely supportive of this appointment and just really excited for you, hopefully, once your hopefully appointed by the full board of supervisors, excited for you to get to work. i wanted to see if any of my colleagues had any comments or wanted to make a motion, or i'm happy to make it myself? i did get a call from president yee asking not to move this item forward as a committee report -- the reason that he originally asked that i schedule it as a committee report was because they're

having core issues at the planning commission, and there is the urgent need of appointing a director -- or moving forward three names to the mayor to appoint a director to the department, but he said that, you know, this is such an important appointment that he wanted to give the regular time. so we will -- i will be following his wishes and moving this forward not as a committee report, but as a regular item, to not this tuesday's board of supervisors' meet, but the following. but -- sure, i will make a motion. let me just go ahead and do that. i would make a motion to approve -- to amend this item to move forward the nomination of teresa imperial with positive recommendation, to approve the nomination, and move it forward with positive recommendation to the full board of supervisors. did i say that correctly? >> yes.

so, in essence, we're deleting the word "rejecting "-- >> chairwoman: yes, to remove the word "rejecting," and keep the word "approving" with strong recommendation to the full board of supervisors. if i can take that without objection, that motion passes unanimously. >> recommended as mentioned. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. mr. clerk, is there any other items on the agenda? >> that completes the agenda for today. >> chairwoman: then the meeting is adjourned. thank you. [meeting adjourned at 11:

>> it did take a village. i was really lucky when i was 14 years old to get an internship. the difference that it made for me is i had a job, but there were other people who didn't have a job, who, unfortunately, needed money. and they were shown to commit illegal acts to get money. that is what i want to prevent. [♪] today we are here to officially kick off the first class of opportunities for all. [applause]. >> opportunities for all is a program that mayor breed launched in october of 2018. it really was a vision of mayor

breed to get to all of the young people in san francisco, but with an intention to focus on young people that have typically not being able to access opportunities such as internships or work-based learning opportunities. >> money should never be a barrier to your ability to succeed in life and that is what this program is about. >> there's always these conversations about young people not being prepared and not having experience for work and if they don't get an opportunity to work, then they cannot gain the experience that they need. this is really about investing in the future talent pool and getting them the experience that they need. >> it is good for everyone because down the road we will need future mechanics, future pilots, future bankers, future whatever they may be in any industry. this is the pipe on we need to work with. we need to start developing talent, getting people excited about careers, opening up those pathways and frankly giving opportunities out there that

would normally not be presented. [♪] >> the way that it is organized is there are different points of entry and different ways of engagement for the young person and potential employers. young people can work in cohorts or in groups and that's really for people that have maybe never had job experience or who are still trying to figure out what they want to do and they can explore. and in the same way, it is open for employers to say, you know what, i don't think we are ready to host an intern year-round are all summer, but that they can open up their doors and do site visits or tours or panels or conversations. and then it runs all the way up to the opportunity for young people to have long-term employment, and work on a project and be part of the employee base. >> something new, to get new experience and meet people and then you are getting paid for it you are getting paid for doing that. it is really cool.

>> i starting next week, i will be a freshman. [cheers and applause] two of the things i appreciate about this program was the amazing mentorship in the job experience that i had. i am grateful for this opportunity. thank you. >> something i learned at airbnb is how to network and how important it is to network because it is not only what you know, but also who you know to get far in life. >> during this program, i learned basic coding languages, had a had to identify the main components and how to network on a corporate level. it is also helping me accumulate my skills all be going towards my college tuition where i will pursue a major in computer science. >> for myself, being that i am an actual residential realtor, it was great. if anybody wants to buy a house, let me know. whenever. [applause] it is good. i got you. it was really cool to see the

commercial side and think about the process of developing property and different things that i can explore. opportunities for all was a great opportunity for all. >> we were aiming to have 1,000 young people register and we had over 2,000 people register and we were able to place about between 50 and did. we are still getting the final numbers of that. >> over several weeks, we were able to have students participate in investment banking they were able to work with our team, or technology team, our engineering 20 we also gave them lessons around the industry, around financial literacy. >> there are 32,000 young people ages 16 and 24 living in san francisco. and imagine if we can create an opera skin it just opportunity for all program for every young person that lives in public housing, affordable housing, low income communities.

it is all up to you to make that happen. >> we have had really great response from employers and they have been talking about it with other employers, so we have had a lot of interest for next year to have people sign on. we are starting to figure out how to stay connected to those young people and to get prepared to make sure we can get all 2400 or so that registered. we want to give them placement and what it looks like if they get more. >> let's be honest, there is always a shortage of good talent in any industry, and so this is a real great career path. >> for potential sponsors who might be interested in supporting opportunities for all , there is an opportunity to make a difference in our city. this is a really thriving, booming economy, but not for everyone. this is a way to make sure that everyone gets to benefit from the great place that san francisco is and that we are building pathways for folks to be able to stay here and that they feel like they will belong.

>> just do it. sign up for it. [♪] [♪] >> the hon. london breed: well, first of all, thank you here so much for being for the watch of all home. tameka, i just am so excited about what i know that you are going to do with this organization. you'll really transform how we address homelessness for people who are not just unhoused but

those who are struggling to hold onto their homes. i wish we didn't have to be here for this conversation, but we all know -- i've seen so many service providers and people who work in the affordable housing industry and other places, and folks who are really at the forefront of helping, you know, this city, and the bay area address these challenges. and here in san francisco, we've done been amazing job, but we still see the suffering on our streets. we still hear the stories about if someone, if they hadn't had too much rent, they wouldn't be living in their cars right now. the fact is 200,000 people families are low-income in the bay area, and we have 30,000 people who are homeless.

so what that means is we have to work harder than ever not just for the people that are unhoused but for the people that we know are really just a paycheck away from being homeless. and i'm sure you've heard that term, but now, that term means more to more people. so we can't do the work of addressing homelessness and housing affordability, you know, district by district or city by city. we have to work together, and this is why -- when, first of all -- [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: -- i was like, no, you're not, but then, when she told me she was doi doing, i was excited for that. but i've always felt we need

something else. we need something that follows in this regional approach, and we know there's been a lot of suggestions how to do that as it relates to changing policies and investments and what we should be doing across the state and in the bay area, and we need someone to really bring it together and to provide those wraparound supportive services and to work with organizations -- established organizations in various communities to try and make sure that we are collaborating more across our city's lines. and that's why i'm really excited about what she's going to do, and i'm going to go crazy when she's trying to do it because she's going to be reporting to me on a regular basis. let me just say this. you know, so many of you i know who work to help people on a

regular basis, whether it's direct case management or support, some of you do so much work, and i know that it is sometimes frustrating when you have someone who needs just an opportunity and just a nice place to maybe raise their daughter or their son, and you can't find it. and you feel helpless because there's nothing you can do, and the frustration, because the resources are drying up faster than you can keep up. and that's why this is so important. you all know it's important because you're out there doing the work every single day. but we also need to definitely continue to have, you know, the hard conversations about how we are going to do a better job of getting more housing built in the first place.

and to that extent, as you know, it's a very challenging conversation in san francisco and the state. and yes, we want immediate solutions now. we want the instant gratification of helping that person right now who is looking you in the eye in need of a place. we have to deal with that right now. and we have to deal with people that are on the verge of becoming homeless so that they are secure in their environment, and that's what all home is going to focus on. and then, i'm going to support that, and i'm going to focus on that, as well, in addition to changing policies in the city and hopefully in this state that will help us get more housing built faster so ten years from now, instead of 30,000 homeless people, we're

not looking at 100,000 homeless people in the bay area. we have to think about the future and what we are going to need to do to get there. we have to think about the fact that so many of you as service providers, your employees can't even afford to live here in the communities they serve. they're commuting long distances, and if they find something someplace else, they go from doing that because it makes better financial sense instead of doing what they love in terms of helping people. so we've got to think about the bigger picture in the course of what we're going to need to do to really change the bay area, and in my heart, i see it. i see the change. i see it because i know that an organization like all homes is going to be that convener, that middle ground, that supporter,

that push, that structure that we all need to lean on in order to effectively deliver for the people that we want to help get out and stay out. so i want to thank you all so much for being here and supporting this very important launch because we definitely have a lot of work to do, and this is an incredible start. thank you. [applause] >> i have been living in san francisco since 1957. i live in this area for 42

years. my name is shirley jackson, and i am a retirement teacher for san francisco unified school district, and i work with early childhood education and after school programs. i have light upstairs and down stairs. it's been remodelled and i like it. some of my floors upstairs was there from the time i built the place, so they were very horrible and dark. but we've got lighting. the room seems lighter. they painted the place, they cemented my back yard, so i won't be worried about landscaping too much. we have central heating, and i like the new countertops they

put in. up to date -- oh, and we have venetian blinds. we never had venetian blinds before, and it's just cozy for me. it meant a lot to me because i didn't drive, and i wanted to be in the area where i can do my shopping, go to work, take the kids to school. i like the way they introduced the move-in. i went to quite a bit of the meetings. they showed us blueprints of the materials that they were going to use in here, and they gave us the opportunity to choose where we would like to stay while they was renovating. it means a lot. it's just that i've been here

so long. most people that enjoyed their life would love to always retain that life and keep that lifestyle, so it was a peaceful neighborhood. the park was always peaceful, and -- i don't know. i just loved it. i wanted to be here, and i stayed. is -- >> our united states constitution requires every ten years that america counts every human being in the united states, which is incredibly important for many reasons. it's important for preliminary representation because if -- political representation because if we under count california, we get less representatives in congress. it's important for san

francisco because if we don't have all of the people in our city, if we don't have all of the folks in california, california and san francisco stand to lose billions of dollars in funding. >> it's really important to the city of san francisco that the federal government gets the count right, so we've created count sf to motivate all -- sf count to motivate all citizens to participate in the census. >> for the immigrant community,

a lot of people aren't sure whether they should take part, whether this is something for u.s. citizens or whether it's something for anybody who's in the yunited states, and it is something for everybody. census counts the entire population. >> we've given out $2 million to over 30 community-based organizations to help people do the census in the communities where they live and work. we've also partnered with the public libraries here in the city and also the public schools to make sure there are informational materials to make sure the folks do the census at those sites, as well, and we've initiated a campaign to motivate the citizens and make sure they participate in census 2020. because of the language issues that many chinese community and families experience, there is a

lot of mistrust in the federal government and whether their private information will be kept private and confidential. >> so it's really important that communities like bayview-hunters point participate because in the past, they've been under counted, so what that means is that funding that should have gone to these communities, it wasn't enough. >> we're going to help educate people in the tenderloin, the multicultural residents of the tenderloin. you know, any one of our given blocks, there's 35 different languages spoken, so we are the original u.n. of san francisco. so it's -- our job is to educate people and be able to familiarize themselves on doing this census. >> you go on-line and do the

census. it's available in 13 languages, and you don't need anything. it's based on household. you put in your address and answer nine simple questions. how many people are in your household, do you rent, and your information. your name, your age, your race, your gender. >> everybody is $2,000 in funding for our child care, housing, food stamps, and medical care. >> all of the residents in the city and county of san francisco need to be counted in census 2020. if you're not counted, then your community is underrepresented and will be underserved.

>> i'm rebecca and i'm a violinist and violin teacher. i was born here in san francisco to a family of cellists, professional cellists, so i grew up surrounded by a bunch of musical rehearsals an lessons. all types of activities happened in my house. i began playing piano when i was 4. i really enjoyed musical activities in general. so when i was 10, i began studying violin in san francisco. and from there, i pretty much never stopped and went on to study in college as

well. that's the only thing i've ever known is to have music playing all the time, whether it is someone actually playing next to you or someone listening to a recording. i think that i actually originally wanted to play flute and we didn't have a flute. it's always been a way of life. i didn't know that it could be any other way. >> could you give me an e over here. great. when you teach and you're seeing a student who has a problem, you have to think on your feet to solve that problem. and that same kind of of thinking that you do to fix it applies to your own practice as well. so if i'm teaching a student and they are having a hard time getting a certain note, they can't find the right note. and i have to think of a digestible way to explain it to them.

ee, d, d, e. >> yes. then, when i go on to do my own practice for a performance, those words are echoing back in my head. okay. why am i missing this? i just told somebody that they needed to do this. maybe i should try the same thing. i feel a lot of pressure when i'm teaching young kids. you might think that there is less pressure if they are going on to study music or in college that it is more relaxing. i actually find that the opposite is true. if i know i'm sending a high school student to some great music program, they're going to get so much more instruction. what i have told them is only the beginning. if i am teaching a student who i know is going to completely change gears when they go to college and they never will pick up a violin again there is so much that i need to tell them.

in plain violin, it is so difficult. there is so much more information to give. every day i think, oh, my gosh. i haven't gotten to this technique or we haven't studies they meese and they have so much more to do. we only have 45 minutes a week. i have taught a few students in some capacity who has gone on to study music. that feels anaysing. >> it is incredible to watch how they grow. somebody can make amazing project from you know, age 15 to 17 if they put their mind to it. >> i think i have 18 students now. these more than i've had in the past. i'm hoping to build up more of a studio. there will be a pee ono, lots of bookshelves and lots of great music. the students will come to my

house and take their lessons there. my schedule changes a lot on a day-to-day basis and that kind of keeps it exciting. think that music is just my favorite thing that there is, whether it's listening to it or playing it or teaching it. all that really matters to me is that i'm surrounded by the sounds, so i'm going top keep doing what i'm doing to keep my life in that direction.

>> we will call this meeting to order. i will call the role. (role call). >> the second item on the agenda are the minutes of january 21st, 2020. >> once the commissioners had an opportunity to review the minutes, is there a motion to approve? >> so moved. >> second. >> all those in favour? minutes approved. >> thank you. i'll note there is no public comment. item 3 is the director's report. >> good afternoon, commissione commissioners. we will have a separate update on the coronavirus rep