>> aye. >> opposed? the motion carries. >> 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.

. >> i love that i was in four plus years a a rent control tenant, and it might be normal because the tenant will -- for the longest, i was applying for b.m.r. rental, but i would be in the lottery and never be like 307 or 310. i pretty much had kind of given up on that, and had to leave san francisco. i found out about the san francisco mayor's office of housing about two or three years ago, and i originally did home counseling with someone, but then, my certificate

expired, and one of my friends jamie, she was actually interested in purchasing a unit. i told her about the housing program, the mayor's office, and i told her hey, you've got to do the six hour counseling and the 12 hour training. she said no, i want you to go with me. and then, the very next day that i went to the session, i notice this unit at 616 harrison became available, b.m.i. i was like wow, this could potentially work. housing purchases through the b.m.r. program with the sf mayor's office of housing, they are all lotteries, and for this one, i did win the lottery. there were three people that applied, and they pulled my number first. i won, despite the luck i'd had with the program in the last couple years. things are finally breaking my way. when i first saw the unit, even though i knew it was less than

ideal conditions, and it was very junky, i could see what this place could be. it's slowly beginning to feel like home. i can definitely -- you know, once i got it painted and slowly getting my custom furniture to fit this unit because it's a specialized unit, and all the units are microinterms of being very small. this unit in terms of adaptive, in terms of having a murphy bed, using the walls and ceiling, getting as much space as i can. it's slowly becoming home for me. it is great that san francisco has this program to address, let's say, the housing crisis that exists here in the bay area. it will slowly become home, and i am appreciative that it is a bright spot in an otherwise

>> my name is andrea, i work as a coordinator for the city attorney's office in san francisco. a lot of it is working with the

public and trying to address their public records request and trying to get the information for their office. i double majored in political science and always tried to combine both of those majors. i ended up doing a combination of doing a lot of communication for government. i thought it would connect both of my studies and what was i was interested in and show case some of the work that government is doing. >> i work for the transportation agency known as muni and i'm a senior work supervisor. >> i first started as a non-profit and came to san francisco and started to work and i realized i needed to work with people. this opportunity came up by way of an executive fellowship. they had a program at mta to work in

workforce development type project and i definitely jumped on that. i didn't know this was something that i wanted to do. all i knew is that i wanted to help people and i wanted to empower others. >> the environment that i grew up that a lot of women were just stay-at-home moms. it wasn't that they didn't have work, but it was cheaper to stay home and watch the kids instead of paying pricey day care centers. >> my mom came from el salvador during the civil war. she worked very hard. when she came here and limited in english, she had to do a service job. when i was born and she had other kids, it was difficult for her to work because it was more expensive for her to be able to continue to work in a job that didn't pay well instead of

staying at home and being able to take care of us. >> there isn't much support or advocacy for black women to come in and help them do their jobs. there also aren't very many role models and it can be very intimidating and sometimes you feel uncomfortable and unsure of yourself and those are the reasons exactly why you need to do it. when i first had the opportunity, i thought that's not for me. my previous role was a project manager for a biotech start up. i thought how do i go from technology to working in government. thinking i didn't know about my skills, how am i going to fit in and doing that kind of work. thinking you have to know everything is not what people expect have you, but they expect you to ask questions when you don't know and that's important.

>> my mom was diagnosed with cancer. that was really difficult. she encouraged me to go to school because in case anything happened i would be able to protect myself. i wanted to be in oncology. i thought going to school it would set me for the trajectory and prepare me for my life. >> we need the hardships to some of the things that are going to ultimately be your strength in the future. there is no way to map that out and no way to tell those things. you have to do things on your own and you have to experience and figure out life. >> you don't have to know what you are going to do for the rest of your life when you are in college or high school because there are so many things to do. i would encourage you to try to

do everything that you are remotely interested. it's the best time to do it. being a young woman with so many opportunities, just go for it and try everything. [♪] >> i really believe that art should be available to people for free, and it should be part of our world, you shouldn't just be something in museums, and i love that the people can just go there and it is there for everyone. [♪] >> i would say i am a

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

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

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

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

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

>> 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. >> i moved into my wonderful,ut. beautiful, affordable housing march 7th. i have lived in san francisco since i was two-years-old. i've lived in hunters view for 23 to 24 years now.

my name is vlady. i use titus and i am the resident commissioner for the san francisco housing facility. from the very beginning, this whole transition of public housing and affordable housing was a good idea. but many, many residents didn't think it would ever actually happen. it's been a life changing experience. and i'm truly grateful for the whole initiative and all those that work on the whole sf initiative. they've done a wonderful job accommodating the residents, who for many years have lived in delap tated housing. now they have quality housing. i was on a street where the living room and the kitchen and stairs. it wasn't large enough to

accommodate. the children are grown. i had the accomplish of having a dishwasher in my home. i really like that. [laughter] i really like not having to wash dishes by hand. we still do it from time to time. the mayor's office has been a real friend to us, a partner. we know that our city supports us. i love san francisco. just to be able to stay in my community and continue to help the residents who live here and continue to see my neighborhoods move into new housing, it's been a real joy. it's been a real joy.

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 ceremonies for the evening. growing up in san francisco d-5, hayes valley, to be exact, since the age of four, i have been privileged to receive mentorship from my community. i