good morning, everyone. the meeting will come to order. welcome to the april 27th, 2020 meeting of the rules committee. i'm supervisor hillary ronen, chair of the committee. with me on the video conference is rules committee vice chair catherine stefani. i'd like to thank sfgov for staffing this meeting. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. due to the covid-19 health emergency and protocols, board members, city employees and the public, the board room is closed. however, members will be participating remotely. this caution is taken pursuant to the statewide stay-at-home order and proceeding local, state and federal orders, and

directives. sorry, guys. >> supervisor ronen: sorry, i thought you were done. >> clerk: committee members will be attending through video conference and participating in the meeting in the same extent that they were physically present. public comment will be available on each item on the agenda, both channel 26, sfgov.org are streaming the number up. at the top of the screen. each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak. comment or opportunity to speak during the public comment period are available via phone call by calling (888)204-5984. again (888)204-5984. access code 350-1008. again 350-1008. when connected, dial 10 to be added hot queue alternatively,

you may submit public comment in either of the following ways, email myself, the rules committee clerk at cictor.oyung cictor.oyung@sf.gov.org. written comments may be sent by u.s. postal service to city hall, 1 dr. carlton b., good let place, room 244, san francisco, california, 9410 #. finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the board of supervisors agenda of may 5th, unless otherwise stated. >> supervisor ronen: wonderful. can you please read item number 1. >> clerk: item number 1 -- my

apologies. switching papers. item number 1 the motion approving rejecting the mayor's nomination for the reappointment of crstina rubke to municipal transportation agency board of directors, term ending march 1, 2024. >> supervisor ronen: wonderful. and i understand that ms. rubke is on the line and ready to join us. >> clerk: go ahead. >> yeah. she is -- go ahead. >> clerk: hello, ms. rubke. >> hello. i had you bleeped out for a moment. so i couldn't hear anything. now i can hear you. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much for joining us in this remote way. we really appreciate it. we would love to hear any remarks you have on your

nomination and then we'll turn it over to the supervisors to ask questions. >> thank you. thank you so much for taking the time today to hear my nomination to serve on the sfmta board. for the last eight year, i have had the privilege of serving i'm willing to serve a third and final term, should the board of supervisors confirm the mayor's nomination. you have my rezmy and i understand that we're focused on many other important needs. i'll keep my remarks short. but, of course, i'm here to answer any questions you have. very briefly about me. i'm a trademark lawyer, an avid sailor and a huge fan of public transit. i have a disability and used a wheelchair to get around. as a result, i rely on accessible public transportation to live an active life. one of the main reasons i moved to san francisco and since moving here in 2005, i have regularly been on muni. my main lines are the t, the n, the 47, the 10 and the 82.

as an sfmta board member, i have focused on the overall accessibility of our transportation system, including physical, economic, and programmatic accessible. very quickly highlight a few of the things i have worked on, let me know if you want more details. in the last six months, i have attended several san francisco human rights commission meetings that address transit equity. i hope to continue to work with the human rights commission, and the willingness to partner with sfmta on the critically important access issues. currently serve as the chair of the sfmta board's policy and governance committee, that meets monthly to look at the strategic plan goals and how the agency is meeting or missing key performance metrics. i hope that we can take this unique opportunity and time to examine our expectation work as a whole and come out of this with a better, more equitable system. and to me that would be better

prioritizing our transit, pedestrians and cyclists. i look forward to working with the other directors. another thing i have advocated for is expanding the accessibility of emergeing mobility like car share. to me the mode shift goals we need the options to be accessible to as many people as possible, including populations that have historically been excluded from such options. one initiative is the bike share pilot that sfmta ran last fall in golden gate park. finally and probably most important to me over the last eight years, i have focused on pedestrian safety. i'm a huge advocate of automatic speed enforcement, as well as other data-proven tools. additionally, i have focused specifically on pedestrian safety for people with disabilities and seniors, who as you know are statistically more likely to be victims of traffic violence. and i hope this continue this important work. if there were public comment, i

would already have been cut off. so i will stop there. i'm happy to answer any questions you have. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you very much. appreciate you joining us today. and your service thus far and your willingness to serve into the future. and i'm sorry i didn't have a chance to speak with you prior to today. but i know that you spoke to my staff and i really appreciate that as well. i'm just going to start it off with one question. i was very concerned that the m.t.a. board, including you, voted to increase fares on clipper card users during this period, when so many san franciscans have lost their jobs, are struggling to put food on the table, when service cuts on m.t.a. have been extensive. i'm sure that you know that the board of supervisors voted 10-1

urging you not to increase fares. and it's -- it's really concerning to me. and i wanted to hear more of an explanation on why you chose to vote to increase fares during this time. >> absolutely. thank you for that question. i voted without -- you know, there was much hesitation and thought and consideration that we -- that myself and i know all of us gave to both the board of supervisors' perspective on this and frankly just a lot of compelling public comment. so i voted for the budget because i really do think it balanced the needs of the agency to move forward in a sustain -- financially sustainable way to be able to provide transportation service as we come out of this. so to be clear, the increases that were -- that are part of our budget will go into effect at the earliest in november of

2020. they aren't going into effect now. one of the reasons that we chose to reduce the discount on clipper, which has the effect of raising the fare on clipper, is because when we did an analysis of the populations that use clipper, versus cash fare, the data though that more -- with this budget we were able to maintain fee cash fare at $3 for the next two budget cycles, the for the next two fiscal years. and so we -- in doing all of those things, in fact, we deviated from the board policy, that's a fair indexing policy that i very much believe in.

financial sustainability for the agency, as well as transparent and, you know, public transparency for what fares are going to look like as we move forward. the fare policy basically increases fares on an incremental basis over time, to match the cost of providing transportation services. as you probably know about 20% of our operating budget comes from transit fares. that's not an insignificant amount of money. we as board members have a responsibility to make sure that sfmta is in a position to continue providing service into the future. row

the exact circumstances you're pointing to. we do have various -- we have --

in addition to the muni use program, we have free muni for low and moderate-income senior and people with disabilities. we do have a lifeline pass for lower-income folks. and we do have other discounted programs. so i think the direction that our staff -- they were already working on this. but i think we're always looking for more options to better serve lower-income folks who may be in the middle zone, where basically they may not qualify for the low-income discount. so i think our focus moving forward should be trying to capture folks who may not qualify for the low-income discount programs we have in existence. i would look forward to input on those issues. because i think that's really important. >> supervisor ronen: so i serve on the m.t.c. and we recently were successful

in getting 100 -- i believe it's $197 million from the care act in congress for the m.t.a., which almost covers the cost of the losses during the shelter-in-place and covid crisis. was that considered when making this choice to raise the clipper card fares? >> it was. and i think an important thing to note that we entered this budget cycle with already basically, as i think the citywide is experiencing, a structural deficit that we needed to close the gap on. that was before coronavirus and covid, you know, that we're seeing now. so we are very grateful for the federal funding. it's allowing us to move forward and not have to make drastic service cuts in the future, when we're not social distancing.

we also have, as you know, a backlog of funding that we need to address, to ensure liability of our transportation system. so we did consider all of that when we approved the budget. >> supervisor ronen: okay. okay. thank you. do my colleagues have any questions? >> supervisor mar: yeah. thanks, chair ronen. first of all, thank you, ms. rubke, for your service to the m.t.a. board and for your willingness to continue to serve. it's critically important role in our city and for our communities. i just had some follow-up questions, sort of i'm drawing on chair ronen's questions around how you would approach the difficult and challenging decisions that the m.t.a. board is going to have to make in light of the significant

increased budget deficit. so, yeah, thank you for sharing your sort of general priorities around equity and expanding access, particularly for the disability -- disabled community and pedestrian safety. but i was just wanting to hear a little bit more about how you're going to approach making these really difficult budget decisions, particularly to ensure equity in our transit service and transit system in our city. yeah, i guess. i'm sorry. just a little more. i'd appreciate it. >> go ahead. >> supervisor mar: a little more elaboration on how you approach these difficult decisions. >> right. sees as a we move forward in just the financial situation, that we all are facing. is that right?

>> supervisor mar: yeah. >> right. i think this goes back to one of the reasons i approved the budget, which included fare increases to make sure that we are appropriately or as appropriately as we can, under the circumstances, funding our agency, so that we're not making painful cuts to service. because we already know that in communities of concern and there's certain parts of our city that are, you know, still would benefit from more reliable transit service. and so i think, as you know, the m.t.a. has an equity strategy. i think that strategy is something that i'm really proud that our agency does. and i think that would be kind of my first starting point as far as, you know, when we're having to make difficult decisions. you know, using that as a guide to making sure that we're providing service where it's needed most, in communities that

are historically, you know, left out or not, you know, have been -- have not had the service that the financial district has, for example. so i would start there. so, you know, transit improvements to the 3rd, for example. i mean that's just one obvious line that needs a lot of attention. but i would, you know, try to make sure that we are funding those -- that service appropriately, as we move forward, before cutting anything, you know, improving service all together i guess. that would be kind of where i would start. >> supervisor mar: yeah. thank you. just on that, you know, as we look at restoring service, you know, that has been so drastically cut down to the bone right now, besides you mentioned

prioritizing the t-line, can you mention how you would approach prioritying -- prioritizing which service lines to restore and if there's any other specific priorities -- specific priorities in terms of service restoration. >> yes. i mean, i think -- as you said, the equity strategy has a really good menu of the things we know we need to do. and so i would, you know, i would want to look at those particular line and get those up and running, you know, as we restore service. and as things go back to normal. we also want to -- and i know the agency is very committed to doing this, -- as we ratchet back up as a society in general, see where the riders need the service. see where people are traveling and because i would imagine that in the transition back to --

transitioning out of shelter-in-place, i would imagine transit trends would be slightly different than what we would expect before covid. i would be kind of -- looking at those two things. and i would also be -- i think it's really important that we look at non-transit options as well. so i think some of the initiatives that we have in place right now are really exciting to me. and i hope that we can use them as a way to transition back. so, for example, making safer streets for people who are cycling and walking. those are the streets initiative that's been really successful. i'd be interested in hearing the supervisors' perspectives on that. but i think enabling those types of modes to really -- to flourish as we transition back. i think it's really important, because i don't think it's appropriate to go back to businesses a usual with traffic congestion every -- business as

usual with traffic congestion everywhere. >> supervisor mar: thank you. i don't have any other questions. thank you so much. >> supervisor ronen: supervisor stefani, do you have any questions? >> supervisor stefani: yes, thank you, chair ronen. i thank you for meeting with me last week over zoom. thank you for your eight years of service thus far. i do have one question that came up subsequent to our meeting. and one of the issues that i have had and ongoing problem with with the sfmta is communication. and it seems like at least, as far as i'm concerned, i feel like i'm always the last person to find out what's happening in my district and what the sfmta is doing in my district. for example, the most recent announcement of street closures, the streets program during the shelter-in-place was announced as we all know, without any input whatsoever from the supervisors. there were no streets that were considered in district 2 at all. and i think it's absolutely

vital that when the sfmta is doing things that affect our constituents in our districts, that we be involved. and, first of all, i want to know your opinion on -- i don't think it's just anecdotal. i think it does happen. i don't know if the other supervisors feel the same way. i know supervisor peskin made the comment about it. why does that continue to happen? it seems to be a culture of lack of communication. and whether or not you see it as an issue at all. do people really think the supervisors need to be involved in these types of decisions? and also will you commit to making sure that we are involved going forward, because i think when issues are affecting our constituents, we should not be the last to find out. so physical you can just opine on that a little bit. yes. that's pretty much it. >> okay. no, thank you for that question. you're certainly not the first

supervisor i've heard that from. i think the sfmta has an amazing, talented, skilled staff. and i know that they're committed to communicating with you. i know that me as a board member, i very much value, you know, partnerships with the board of supervisors, because i think our projects are more successful when the supervisor in the district, is not only in support, but just engaged. because you are talking to your constituents and you're able to get a fuller discussion of the issues. and i think we end up with better projects that way. so i'm personally very, very supportive and very, you know, i think it's very critical that you all are involved in what's happening in your districts. and i -- you know, like i said, this is not the first time i heard a supervisor complain about this. i know that our staff is working amazingly difficult during this time. i know that the safe streets issue -- i do think that this

was -- the closed streets, sorry. the initiative i know that came out very quickly. and i did hear that from other supervisors as well that they didn't get advanced warning. i would -- i hope to look at this as a like an emergency precaution that, you know, rolled out very quickly. and so that is why that was -- that was the case. and i hope that that is not seen as a, you know, ongoing practice and certainly i hope that you all feel free to reach out to me if you feel this is a continuing issue moving forward. >> supervisor stefani: thank you for that. i just want to make sure that -- when items become -- when we have items that are before the board of supervisors, just to take note of that and make sure that that's a question.

and that's something that you ask about to make sure that we're involved. because a lot of times what happens is that we react. and then we're pegged as is not being supportive of the sfmta or the underlying project, when we haven't even had a chance to evaluate it. so in that -- that's unfortunate as well. that we're pegged as not liking bicycles or not liking this or that, when all we're doing is actually reacting to the fact that things are rolling out without our input, without us being able to even have a conversation with our community. and so i just really think that that needs to be a priority going forward. and it sounds to me that you're committed to that. so i appreciate your answer. that's all i have. thanks, supervisor ronen. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. i just want to echo everything supervisor stefani just said. the rollout of the slow streets was pretty disastrous. and it was -- it was really shocking to all of us that the

m.t.a. didn't consult with us on the streets, that it chose which were -- very strange choices. and certainly didn't have to do with anything that anyone wanted in my district. so i couldn't agree more with supervisor stefani on that. and we would ask you, if you are reappointed, to please make sure that the staff is communicating with supervisors in a much more direct and consistent way. >> supervisor mar: chair ronen. can i just -- yeah. just wanted to add on to this. and also say that thanks to supervisor stefani for raising this issue around the sfmta's practice of moving ahead with significant decisions without adequate input from the

supervisors or in other cases from neighborhood residents or businesses. and and i think for the slow streets initiative, i think that's a good example. that i totally agree with both of you on that it was very problematic how that went forward. although i do want to add that i'm very supportive of the slow streets initiative and the fact that it was something that i had already been in conversations with sfmta staff about. and in looking at how we could implement slow streets strategy in district 4. and specifically we had already spoken earlier with the sfmta staff about 41st avenue being a good candidate for traffic calming and slow streets. and so i was happy to see that 41st avenue, you know, was one of the first two streets to be implemented, you know, as a slow street on friday. and i was actually out there

this weekend on 41st avenue with my daughter bicycling on it. and it was wonderful. you know, enough space for walking and bicycling. but i think, ms. rubke, your sort of explanation about the problematic process with slow streets and the lack of engagement with the supervisor offices around, your explanation that was mostly due to an emergency -- the need to sort of act quickly during the emergency situation, that we're facing in a city, you know, really doesn't -- you know, that's not a question adequate or even reasonable explanation, because the slow streets, you know, initiative is something that clearly, you know, wasn't an urgent emergency action that had to be taken. and could have and should have been done in more collaborative way with the district supervisor offices in our communities. thanks. i just wanted to say that.

>> supervisor ronen: yeah. >> understood. i appreciate that feedback. i guess maybe -- i just think that our staff is working so incredibly hard, kind of around the clock at the ever-changing needs of the transit system. so i just think that this is a very unique time. i just hope that the inadequate communication that you all very well articulated isn't seen as kind of that's business as usual and that's our trend. that is not what we're aiming for obviously. >> supervisor ronen: okay. if there's no more comments from my colleagues, questions, we'll open this item up for public comment. mr. clerk, are there any members of the public who would like to speak on this item? >> clerk: madam chair, operations is -- actually sfgov is checking to see if there are any callers in the queue.

>> mr. chair, there are no callers waiting to speak. >> supervisor ronen: okay. there are no callers, that what i heard? >> clerk: yeah. just to say, if you were on the line and wish to speak, please press 10 to be added to the uaw. -- to the queue. give them a few moments if they decide to speak. >> supervisor ronen: sure. >> clerk: it appears -- just checking in with sfgov, it appears there are no speakers for this item. if you could confirm that, please. >> i can confirm there are no speakers. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you very much. public comment is closed. colleagues, do either of you have a motion on this item? >> clerk: please note an

amendment is required on this item. >> supervisor ronen: right. >> supervisor mar: chair ronen, i'd be happy to move that we amend the motion to remove "reject." >> supervisor ronen: send this forward to a committee report? >> supervisor mar: yeah. so the motion states that we approve -- the mayoral appointment of crstina rubke to m.t.a. board of supervisors, recommendation to the bull forward. >> supervisor ronen: great. can we have a roll call vote. >> clerk: yes. on that motion. supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar?

>> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: chair ronen? >> supervisor ronen: aye. >> clerk: this matter will be recommended as a committee report, as amended to remove the word rejecting throughout the motion. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much, ms. rubke. congratulations. and hope to talk to you again soon. >> thank you so much for your time. take care you guys. >> supervisor ronen: bye. mr. clerk, can you please read item number 2. >> clerk: item number 2 is a hearing to consider appointing one member term ending august 1st, 2022 and two members, term ending august 1st, 2023 to the south of market community planning advisory committee. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on the item should call (888)204-5984, access code 32501008. i believe at this time we have

two members -- two applicants on hold. i believe that mr. elberling has not called in. >> supervisor ronen: okay. before we call the applicants, i was wondering if abigail from supervisor haney's office wanted to make any comments? >> clerk: give us a moment while we unmute her line. >> supervisor ronen: okay. >> good morning, chair mar, stefani and ronen. this is abigail from supervisor haney's office. today for your consideration, is the south of market community planning advisory committee nominations. supervisor haney is unable to join us this morning. but would like me to convey that our office has nominated three people for those seats. seat 4 is john elberling, seat 5 is heather phillips, seat 6 is jane weil.

before we hear from the applicant, we have jessica look, a representative from the planning department here today, to briefly give some background about this c.a.c. and what the body hopes to achieve during its time. miss look are you there? >> good morning. can you guys hear me? >> supervisor ronen: we can. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is jessica look. and i'm a series planner with the planning department. a product of the central soma plan, which was adopted in 2018. the c.a.c. was created in response to both community and planning commission desires and introduced into a legislation in 2019 by supervisor matt haney.

the soma c.a.c. will be comprised of 11 members, seven appointed by the board, and four appointed by the mayor. there are also 11 alternates, which are appointed in a same manner and these board appointees will be before this committee. the c.a.c. is charged with providing advice on not just the implementation of the central soma plan, but also the east soma area plan and the western area plan. the c.a.c. is responsible to help prioritize projects funded by the eastern neighborhood area plan impact fees, that are collected in soma, along with projects funded by new central soma funding sources. in addition, the c.a.c. is able to provide input on proposed revisions to documents, that implement the respective plans. and the c.a.c. can also provide input on individual development proposals, comprised by individual development projects and the design and programming

of open spaces, including -- so once the soma c.a.c. is seated, he'll be working with the committee members to finalize the bylaws and develop a calendar of agenda items for a monthly meeting. this concludes a really brief overview of what the soma c.a.c. is. but i'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. thank you. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. is there any questions from my colleagues? i don't think we have any questions. but thank you so much for joining us and for that presentation. appreciate it. so now we will hear from the applicants. why don't we start with ms. phillips for seat 5. are you on the line,

ms. phillips? >> good morning supervisors. >> supervisor ronen: good morning. >> yes, i'm here. >> supervisor ronen: please. >> good morning, supervisors. thank you so much. i am heather phillips and i just want to say thank you so much to supervisor haney's office for nominating me for this opportunity to apply to serve on the south of market community planning advisory committee. a little about me, for the last 14 years i've lived and worked in the south of market. and i've had the privilege to work with many different community groups, collaboratives, neighborhood projects. currently i work full time as the director of programs at united players, where i have the opportunity to work directly with young people and their families, as well as supervise a program staff of 14 amazing people. i am also one of the founding members of the friends of jean and victoria park, a group which

advocates for the only full-service public park and rec center in south of market. as well as activate these spaces. most recently i was appointed to serve on the eastern neighborhood c.a.c. and that experience has helped me understand how community members, like myself, can influence the long-range planning that they're preparing for. ultimately the community's voice in this process is vital to understanding how to prioritize the needs of residents, stakeholders and most importantly our vulnerable populations, who often don't have the access or the resources to influence these huge systems. i do have a master's degree in urban studies and i feel that this gives me some insight. however, i think what makes me most qualified to serve on this committee is the experience that i share as a district 6 resident, a former service provider and a person committed to justice and equity. i would be proud to serve as a member of this committee and i'm

happy to answer any questions that you have for me today. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. is there any questions? i don't think we have any questions. so thank you so much for your willingness to serve in another capacity. we really appreciate it very much. >> thank you all so much for the opportunity. >> supervisor ronen: of course. next we would love to hear from jane weil, if you are available. >> hello. can you hear me? >> supervisor ronen: yes, we can. >> okay. well, hello, supervisors. my name is jane weil. and i appreciate speaking to you today to seek your approval for my appointment to the new soma community planning c.a.c. i live in mid-market on mission, between 7th and 8th. the densest, most quickly developing part of the city.

and it's essential that we try to balance the positive aspects of progress with the needs of the people who already live here. i represent several constituencies, homeowner, seniors, spanish speaker and grandparent of public school students. and i have worked closely with members of the filipino community, who have made soma their home for decades. and are trying to preserve the family neighborhood that exists today. gentrification and the lack of open space are a real problem here. as is the concentration of supportive housing, navigation centers and poverty. making mid-market a containment zone is not healthy for anyone. it's fair that the impact fees from the rapid development in soma be plowed back into the community, to stabilize it and enhance services to the low-income family and seniors live here. the fees generated by the central soma plan are used to benefit everyone. i have worked with the other nominees on earlier c.a.c.s and we're all committed to balance the needs of soma

residents and work with planning and all city departments as the construct impacts us all. i have lived around the country and committed to making my home in the heart of san francisco. but i want our central city to be the best it can be. and i want to leave with one sentiment, housing without green space is unhealthy. we can't continue to build high-rise buildings with thousands of new units, including many for families of all incomes, and not include more green space that's open to all. we can't rely on developers to provide open spaces. they'll put it where they want on shady back corners and ask to buy it back later as the public won't use it in the case of being a continental hotel. i represent district 6 to the park and rec open space, advisory committee. and i also look forward to serving on this new c.a.c. to help manage the development of soma. thank you so much. and i'm happy to answer any

questions. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. is there any questions? i don't think there's any questions. thank you so much for serving on yet another body to make soma even better. appreciate it. and then i just wanted to check -- thank you. with the clerk to make sure mr. elberling hasn't joined us? >> clerk: i believe that mr. elberling has not called in. can you please confirm? >> that is correct. mr. elberling has not called in. >> supervisor ronen: okay. well, i am very familiar with mr. elberling's work in soma. and it's been topnotch. so i am happy to endorse his appointment to seat 4. can we now open this up to public comment.

is there any member of the public who wishes to speak on this item? >> clerk: madam chair, we're checking to see if there are any callers in the queue. sfgov, please let us know if you're ready. for those already on hold, please continue to wait until you're prompted to speak. >> okay, mr. chair, i see one right now. if you want to please wait a moment to allow them to call in. otherwise there are none in the queue. >> supervisor ronen: great. we'll wait a moment. >> okay. there is one call in the queue. >> supervisor ronen: fantastic. caller --

>> announcer: you have one question remaining. >> supervisor ronen: good morning. if the public comment is on the line, feel free to begin. has anyone called in for item number 2 to speak in public comment on the appointment of the soma community planning advisory committee? >> announcer: you have zero questions remaining. >> okay. it appears that caller has dropped the line. >> supervisor ronen: okay. so i think -- is it appropriate now to close public comment, mr. clerk? >> clerk: yes, it is.

i am happy to make a motion to move these nominees forward. john elberling for seat 4. c. heather phillips for seat 5 and jane weil for seat 6, with positive recommendation. can you please take a roll call vote. >> clerk: on that motion, supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar? >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: chair ronen? >> supervisor ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes. >> supervisor ronen: wonderful. congratulations. thanks again for your service. mr. clerk, can you please read item number 3. >> clerk: item number 3 is a hearing to consider appointing nine members term ending december 1st, 2023 to the soma community stabilization fund community advisory committee. members of the public who wish to provide public comment, should call (888)204-5984,

access code 3501008 and press 10 to line up to speak. for this item, we have two members who are not able to call in, as of this time. shannon amitin and conny ford. >> supervisor ronen: okay. i wanted to see if abby wanted to speak before we opened the floor to the applicants? is abby from supervisor haney's office still on the line with us? >> clerk: yes, she is. >> chair ronen, thank you so much. i'm here. can you folks hear me? >> supervisor ronen: yes. now we can. >> wonderful. thank you, chair ronen, and

supervisors mar and stefani. i'm here again on behalf of supervisor haney. thank you for all of our applicants that have applied previously. i know that this matter has been heard by the rules committee at a prior hearing. today, for your consideration, are two remaining members of -- two remaining applicants for the permanent seated numbers, as well as alternate seats. just a brief background and a continuation of supervisor haney's remarks from the first meeting, the soma community stabilization fund was created in 2005. the mission of this soma community stabilization fund is to stabilize the community and promote equity through funding recommendations and priorities that mitigate the impact of development. throughout the fund's history, the board of supervisors has always honored the recommendations of this e.a.c. so it has very much had a very real influence on shaping the neighborhood and prioritizing

investments to stabilize residents and businesses and their expertise, history and relationships within soma, who will be critical in making impactful decisions in allocating the public dollars. the c.a.c. will work in partnership with the soma planning c.a.c. to ensure that its investments are aligned, cohesive and strategic. i would like to thank rosario from o.c.d. for all of her hard work with the c.a.c. throughout the years. we appreciate you calling in and thank you for your dedication to the c.a.c. chair ronen, we do have some recommendations following the applicants' comments. so i would like to turn it over to you to call the applicants for seats 6 and 7. >> supervisor ronen: sure. so if we can hear from christian martin first. that would be great.

is christian martin on the line? >> yes, i am. >> supervisor ronen: wonderful. good morning. >> good morning. good morning, chair, good morning supervisors. my name is christian martin. i'm the founding executive director of the newly formed soma west benefit district. the not-for-profit entity, our mission is to improve the quality of life for all of the residents, businesses and visitors to the western part of soma, through a variety of programs. the boundaries range from mina in the north to thompson in the south and 5th in the west. all 107 blocks, this will touch the lives of many diverse constituencies and people from many walks of life. our 20-member board of supervisors has broad

representation of the western soma community. and we are continuing to develop and expand our diversity and representation currently. we launched services in march and we provide daily cleaning and maintenance to this large and diverse neighborhood. we sweep trash, remove hazardous materials from sidewalks, remove graffiti, on public and private property and work to improve the conditions in the public realm. we ploy predominantly low-income residents dad this work and -- to do this work and we engage others through programs that bring clean, green and active public spaces to our neighborhoods. we will prioritize routes to school and transit stops, which disproportionately affect low-income residents. we prioritize bike safety policies and work to bring more green, open spaces to the public

realm for the benefit of all living, working and visiting the neighborhood. once the stay-at-home order is lifted and he can be with each other again, we will activate the victoria park with free books, games and activities for all. we will sponsor and support local arts and cultural groups, highlighting our historic and vibrant filipino culture. we will also activate the newly created eagle program, help ensure the park remains clean and a neighborhood asset that celebrates our community. and all of its beauty and diversity. so all of these programs will be free of charge and designed to make -- designed to be accessible and welcoming to low-income residents. in addition, we have hired personnel to conduct outreach to our unhoused persons and link them to services, de-escalate conflicts on the street and protect the health and safety of

the vulnerable population. in addition, our outreach personnel will be responsible for responding to the unique and immediate needs of very low-income people who are at risk of becoming homeless and currently homeless as they're transitioning into housing. this is a role that i'm familiar with, since i've served in similar roles in the past, most recently at the lower pope community benefit district, where we developed a tenant landlord clinic that aims to prevent homelessness through displacement. and throughout my career, i have aimed to give employment opportunities to individuals experiencing homelessness, formerly incarcerated, folks with mental and physical disabilities. and i have aimed to empower them to participate in the community-building process. i take pride in developing people, helping them advance in life and overcoming obstacles and setbacks along the way, as i have. cleaning and outreach jobs,

offering outreach, an opportunity to provide stable jobs for very low-income residents and their families. almost all of san francisco residents and representatives offer diversity of the soma neighborhood. i thank you for the opportunity to serve this population. and i'm happy to answer any questions you may have. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. do any of my colleagues have any questions? seeing none, we will move on to the next applicant. is janetta johnson available? >> good morning. this is janetta johnson. good morning, board of supervisors. >> supervisor ronen: good morning, janetta.

>> i've been -- an organization that serves community members that are currently in the janetta district. we have lived and worked in district 6 in the janetta area for over 20 years, providing district services, supporting members of the community and particularly working with members of the community that have been kicked out of various organizations. and have had many discipline problems, to help them stabilize and get back into access for services. supporting them to get to their next steps. and we're an organization that is very diverse in our staff. i feel like every race and

culture is represented in our -- well not every but primarily. we have a diverse group of staff, not just gender orientation and sexuality, but also various cultures that represent the city and county of san francisco. and i would like to emphasize on that we have been housing and supporting people in getting into -- we've been housing and supporting people in getting into stable, affordable housing opportunities and structures and a large part of that is through a grassroots plan. and really like using private foundation money and supporting

people into getting into affordable housing opportunities and structures, that could be a little bit more sustainable for various individuals, based on their income. or lack of income. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. >> that's it. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much, janetta. is there any questions? thank you so much for your willingness to serve and your presentation. next if we can hear from shanon amitin. >> clerk: i believe that miss amitin was not able to call in. >> supervisor ronen: okay. >> that is correct. miss amitin has not called in. >> supervisor ronen: and then carolyn caldwell.

>> hi. good morning, supervisors. this is carolyn caldwell. can you hear me? >> supervisor ronen: yes. we can hear you. >> okay. haney, good morning. thank you so much for this opportunity to speak and thank you to supervisor haney's office for the recommendation to be an alternate on this board. i am the director of operations at united players. and a co-founder along with rudy and alisha. the organization united players has the same timeline, trajectory as the fund. we incorporated in 2005. and we are a direct beneficiary of the fund. and a really great example of the impact the fund has had in stabilizing the community, by looking at the growth of our organization. and what we have been able to

accomplish through the support of the fund. i do all of the grant writing for united players. so i'm deeply experienced with the fund. and understand what it is set out to accomplish in the community, as well as all of the back end, you know, process and procedure and familiarity with how the fund operates. and so would just be so very grateful to be able to serve in -- as an alternate in helping the fund reach a greater impact across soma. >> supervisor ronen: wonderful. thank you so much. any questions? seeing none, we will move on to another applicant. christian martin on the line? wait, we heard from christian.

is kris romasanta on the line? >> hi, i'm here on the line. >> supervisor ronen: good morning. >> good morning. good morning, supervisors. thank you so much for this opportunity. i'm here to be considered for reappointment to the soma stabilization community advisory committee. i've served on the fund for about seven years. i was the vice chair occupying the housing seat. and i previously served as a co-chair of the soma fund for the previous four years. in addition, i served as a member of the eastern neighborhoods for five years. i lived in the south of market for six years. i'm very familiar with the neighborhood. i have also volunteered my time and have been active with many

of the soma groups, the non-profits, all that are related to land use, the filipino cultural district and the affordable housing issues. my professional background is in land use and community development. as an urban planner and a community development practitioner for various local governments, including aba, city of oakland and south san francisco. i currently work for the city of south san francisco and management the kdbg program. a program geared towards serving low-income families. in addition, i work on regional and local housing policies that directly affect low-income residents. so more specific to the fund, over the last four to five years the funds made great strides beyond the original intent, investing in small sites, non-profit ownership and programming for access to

affordable housing. our early purpose of the fund wasn't really to purchase property, but in 2014, me and along with others soma fund members, thought it was time to step in and invest in the first small sites property on natoma street. and this is where we were able to stabilize five very low-income residents, some making less than $20,000 a year. and a couple of them were seniors. this first site jump started the mayor's office of housing small sites program. and we've subsequently invested in additional sites in the neighborhood. as a member of the fund, i've introduced proposals of financial empowerment, cultural public events, programming for eviction defense. and have been an advocate for non-profits to purchase their own buildings. in addition, the fund has invested in areas of the city that the city has not made a

priority, such as pedestrian improvements near bessie, carmichael and acquisition -- non-profit acquisitions, mainly for united players. the fund has a finite amount of money. and soma continues to develop, the fund will need to see more proposals for the potential acquisitions. and we definitely need this more creative financing. and i want to be able to make sure that we adapt to these needs and changes especially now, since we're in this bit of a crisis. and now with the emergence of the planning committee, there needs to be more coordination between the two bodies, since i was a member of the eastern neighborhoods. and it was a very more -- it was a more technical body. and having coordination will have more seamless dialogue if we understand the social and the

technical aspects, that will -- that will be on the ground in soma. so thank you again so much for your consideration. >> supervisor ronen: sorry, i was on mute. thank you so much. is there any questions? seeing none, thank you again for your presentation and willingness to serve. and i wanted to see if gina rosales is on the line? >> i'm here. can you hear me? >> supervisor ronen: we can hear you. thank you, gina. >> awesome. hi. thanks so much for having me speak today. my name is gina rosales. i'm an s.f. resident and a former business owner. some of you may know me as the cofounder of undiscovered s.f.

creative night market, also run an event planning committee. prior to starting my company, i was also director of a non-profit dance organization in soma, where organized dance workshops and classes at city dance, as well as annual shows at the regency ballroom. i'm also a dancer myself. i've been dancing since my high school days at shcp. of course, i'm heavily involved with soma programming. in addition to undiscovered, i also run a non-profit, which is dedicated to building strong and empowered filipino community in the bay area. i'm also a recent partner in the new creative project, which is working on building programming to build the future filipino-american arts and cultural center in soma. and through my work, i've been really excited about this important work we've been doing around trauma-informed systems. and how to address community trauma by creating organizations

and programs. so i now apply the t.i.f. work into all of our events in soma. and all of our events. dishly, we've been doing a lot of cross-cultural and collaborative work over the years. i'm an active supporter of the trevor project, fundraising for lgbtq youth work. i was a former crisis counselor for them. and i'm also the event planner for a large tech. and prior to covid happening, i was suppose to be the planner of -- building strong partnerships with cultural district. during these times of crisis, i know that ours are typically the first things to get cut. it's my strong belief that arts and culture is exactly what we need during this time, to provide hope and life. and i'm committed to doing this collaborative work in soma and throughout san francisco. and i'm sure that t.i.f. is being kept centered for all of our arts and culture work, to

keep it thriving and inclusive in soma. and also to work on getting more young people to be active and involved in this work. so thank you so much for the opportunity. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much for your willingness to serve. any questions? seeing none, i just wanted to check to see if conny ford had called in or if she had not? mr. clerk. >> clerk: i believe miss amitin has called in. >> supervisor ronen: okay. i had asked about conny ford. go ahead, shanon amitin?

>> clerk: miss amitin, are you on the line? >> give me one second. please. i believe she is. she is unmuted. is available to speak. >> supervisor ronen: shanon, are you there? >> hello, miss amitin? can you hear us? hello, ms. amitin, can you hear us? >> supervisor ronen: i believe

it's mr. amitin? >> clerk: hello, caller? >> can you hear me? >> supervisor ronen: thank you. we can hear you. >> all right. excellent. i just want to give a shout-out to jonah. we've had a chance to work together on lesbian 2 tech. and i'm a huge fan. my name is shanon amitin. i'm currently on staff with san francisco pride. and i am also a representative today for the cultural district. i am a huge fan of the cultural district being a part of both the community and working side-by-side with our city government to preserve arts, culture, small business and especially lgbtq culture.

do you guys have questions for me? do you want to hear a little bit more about me? >> supervisor ronen: any questions? >> i don't have any questions. i'm just excited to be here. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you so much. then last but certainly not least just checking to see if conny ford had called in. >> miss ford has not called in. >> supervisor ronen: okay. we will now open this item up for public comment. if there's any member of the public who wishes to speak, now is the time. >> madam chair, we are checking to see if there are any callers in the queue. please let us know if they are ready. if you have not already done so, please press 10 to be added to the queue. this those on hold, please wait to be prompted to begin at the

beep. >> madam, there appears to be three callers on the line. >> announcer: you have three questions remaining. >> hi. my name is kevin. i'm a resident of the castro. undeafed -- ph.d. candidate. and i just wanted to speak on behalf of shanon. shanon is a well-known advocate for the lgbtq plus community, both from the side of private enterprise and a long history of public service, too. the lgbtq community and with s.f. pride and the castro hopeful, the castro cultural association.

i just wanted to say that -- to speak on his behalf that he plays -- a lot of involvement in the lgbtq community. fully endorse shanon for this position. thank you. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. >> announcer: you have two questions remaining. >> hi. i am beth hunt. and i'm the cultural district manager for the lgbtq cultural district here inssoma. i'm a resident of 12 years of soma and active participant and community organizer of the lgbtq community. i am calling in favor of two candidates today. first would be shanon amitin, who is a wonderful advocate for the lgbtq community, as well as rather active in a lot of our local business in soma and

castro. also i would like to support christian martin from the soma west. i have worked with both of these individuals on various projects and it has been a wonderful and delightful experience. great response and they really know how to activate constituents. thank you. >> operator: you have one question remaining. >> hello. my name is bob goldfarb. i'm president of the lgbtq cultural district in soma. and i would like to speak in favor of two candidates, both christian martin, who i have worked with in my capacity with the leather district and i have found him to be well reasoned and insightful and i think he would be an excellent addition to the c.a.c. and i would also like to speak in favor of shanon amitin, who

has strong community involvement as an activist, a community leader and an entrepreneur. he has involved -- excuse me, has volunteered with the compton transgender district, the castro lgbtq cultural district, has served on the planning committee for the trans march. and done a lot of fundraising in the bay area. in soma there's lots of placement going on. i think the c.a.c. is a vital element in preventing that. and keeping san francisco unique. and a wonderful place that i think we all enjoy to live. and i think that both shanon and christian would be excellent additions to the c.a.c. to help further those goals. thank you very much.

>> operator: you have zero questions remaining. >> no more calls, madam. >> supervisor ronen: i'm sorry, i was on mute. and with that i will close public comment. and we'll invite abigail from supervisor haney's office back to express supervisor haney's recommendations for this body. >> thank you, chair ronen. this is abby, supervisor haney's recommendations for the following seats are as follows. for seat 6, christian martin. for seat 7, janetta johnson. for seat 9, which is the alternate to seat 2, carolyn

caldwell. seat 10, which is the alternate to seat 3, gina rosales. seat 11, which is the alternate to seat 4, conny ford. seat 13 -- excuse me, seat 14, which is the alternate to seat 7, is kris romasanta. supervisor haney would also like to express that there are still some remaining seats open. unfortunately our office hasn't -- wasn't able to connect with everyone. if there are still some remaining applicants, that were not seated, we will connect with you at a future meeting, since there are still some open seats. and we thank everyone that has applied. and we appreciate all of your support and hard work to make soma a thriving community. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you so much. do any of my colleagues have any questions or comments?

>> supervisor mar: chair ronen, i would like to -- well, i just want to thank all of the applicants. you're an amazingly talented and diverse and committed group of activists and leaders working to support the soma community, which has been ground zero of the sort of tech-driven development, despite the boom. so thank you all for all that you do. and, yeah, i'm inclined to support supervisor haney's recommendations for the appointments today. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. supervisor stefani, do you have any comments before -- i'm happy to make the motion. >> supervisor stefani: yeah, i'm supportive of supervisor haney's recommendations as well. and thank you everyone for coming out. or for being on the line.

>> supervisor ronen: yes. thank you. i think it's appropriate given that this community advisory committee is in supervisor haney's district, that we follow his recommendations. so with that i will make a motion to move to the full board, with recommendation for seat 6, christian martin, with a residency waiver. seat 7, janetta johnson. seat 9, carolyn caldwell. seat 10, gina rosales. seat 11 conny ford. and seat 14, kris romasanta. mr. clerk, can you please take a roll call vote on that motion. >> clerk: on that motion, supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar? >> supervisor mar: aye.

>> clerk: chair ronen? >> supervisor ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much to all of those who applied and were here today. mr. clerk, is there any other items? >> clerk: that completes the agenda for today. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. the meeting is adjourned.

>> and welcome to the regular hearing for thursday, april 30th, 2020. before i begin, as has been the case for our remote hearings, i'd like to enter the following announcement into the record that on february 25th, 2020, the mayor declared a local state of emergency related to covid-19. furthermore, the mayor and governor have suspended -- suspending select laws applicable to commissions and making it possible to hold commission hearings remotely. and on april 3rd, there was authorization from the mayor's office to reconvene remotely through the end of the shelter-in-place. recognizing that the commission's consideration of certain projects is an essential government operation. and it directs the commission to prioritize the action items