>> announcer: sfgov tv. san francisco government television.

good morning, everyone. welcome to the june 15th, 2020, meeting of the rules committee. i am supervisor hillary ronen, chair of the committee. with me on the video conference is rules committee vice chair supervisor catherine stefani and rules committee member supervisor gordon mar. our clerk today is victor young. and i'd like to thank sfgov tv for staffing this meeting. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. my apologies. due to the covid-19 health emergency, and to protect board members, city employees and the public, the board of supervisors

legislative chamber and committee room are closed. however, members will be participating in the meeting remotely. this precaution is taken pursuant to the statewide stay-at-home order and all local, state, federal and declaration directives. committee meetings will attend the meeting through video conference and participate in the meeting to the same extent as if they were physically present. public comment will be available on each item on this agenda, both channel 26 and sfgovtv.org are streaming the number across the screen. each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak. comments during the public comment period are available via phone by calling (415)655-0001. again (415)655-0001. access code 145 307 5686. again 145 307 5686.

then press # and# again. when connected, you'll hear the meeting discussion, but you'll be muted and in listening mode only. when the item of interest comes up, dial star three to be added to the speaker line. best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak clearly and slowly, and turn down your television or radio. alternatively you may submit public comment to email, to myself, the rules committee clerk at victo victor.young@sfgovtv.org. ifyoucommitpubliccommentviaemail ,itwillbeforwardtothesupervisors a ndincludedaspartofthefile. finally,itemsactedupontodaywill appear on the board of supervisors agenda of june 23rd, unless otherwise stated. that completes my comments for

today. >> commissioner ronen: thank you so much. can you please read item number 1. >> clerk: item number 1 a motion reappointing supervisor sandra lee fewer, term ending june 1st, 2022 to the reentry council. >> commissioner ronen: colleagues, does anyone have any comments or questions? seeing none, can we please open public comment. >> clerk: yes. operation is checking to see if there's any callers in the queue. if you have not already done so, please press star three to be added to the queue. for those on hold, please wait until the system has indicated you have been unmuted. we will give operation a moment to double check the queue. >> commissioner ronen: okay. >> madam chair, there are no callers in the queue for item number 1. >> commissioner ronen: okay. public comment is closed. colleagues, does anyone want to be the honors?

>> commissioner mar: sure. i'd be happy to do that. i'd like to make a motion to reappoint supervisor sandra lee fewer to the reentry council, and send that to the full board with positive recommendation. >> commissioner ronen: thank you so much. can we take a roll call. >> clerk: on that motion, supervisor stefani? >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar? >> aye. >> chair ronen. >> aye. >> clerk: the motion passes. >> thank you. can you please raze item number 2. >> a motion approving -- appoint of lydia ely, she's redevelopment assessor successor agency over board, term ending january 24, 2024. >> goo good morning, ms. ely, is

that how you proannouncement -- pronounce your name. >> do you have anything to share with us this morning. >> good morning. supervisors, i know some of you, not all of you. i'm pleased to be considered for this spot on the board. i have worked at mocd for ten years and in affordable housing for about 25 years on the non-profit and the government side. most recently i've been focusing my efforts on public housing and as you all know, the oversight board is responsible for a number of things, including the completion of the alice griffith public house replacement project. i'm really excited to be able to expand my knowledge and expertise and serve on this board. and i'd be happy to answer any questions about my qualifications or experience, if you have any. >> supervisor ronen: colleagues, any questions?

>> supervisor stefani: no, i want to say i have enjoyed working with you over the years, especially on the edward ii, the project with community housing it partnership in district 2. and i know you'll be of a great service. so thank you for your service on this. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. supervisor mar. no? okay. then we'll open this item up for public comment. is there any member of the public who wishes to speak on this appointment? >> clerk: members of the public who wish to speak public comment on this item should call (415)655-0001, access code 145 307 5686. and press # and # again. please dial star three to line up to speak. a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. i will -- we will give operations a moment to check the

queue at this time. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. and i'll just note that we've been joined by president norman yee. good morning, president yee. >> madam chair, there are no callers in the queue for item number 2. >> supervisor ronen: okay. so we will close public comment. and i'd also like to thank you, miss ely, for your incredible work over the years. and be happy to make a motion to send this item forward with positive recommendation. >> clerk: madam chair, i believe we need to amend the motion. remove the word rejecting the legislation. >> supervisor ronen: i make a motion to delete the word "rejecting" throughout the delegation and move forward with positive recommendation. >> clerk: on that -- on that motion, supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: aye.

>> clerk: supervisor mar? >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: mare ronen? >> supervisor ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. thanks again, ms. ely. can you please read item number 3. >> clerk: appoint of anna van degna to the redevelopment assessor agency oversight board, term ending january 24th, 2022. >> supervisor ronen: hi, good morning, miss van degna. do you have any comments or statements for us this morning? >> sure. good morning, supervisors. i'm anna van degna, the director of the controller's office of public finance. i'm honored to be here today to consider my potential appointment to the oversight board. i've been a resident of san francisco for nearly two decades. and my role of the city's finance director, i manage a $4 billion debt portfolio and oversee the issuance of the

city's general fund back debt. prior to joining the city in march of 2018, i worked in public finance for over 15 years, assisting california local agencies with the issuance of debt, including redevelopment agencies, both pre- and post-disillusion. i understand that the oversight board has a fiduciary responsibility for the obligation and the taxing entities that are entitled to receive an allocation of property taxes, once the obligations are met. i appreciate your time and consideration. and please let me know if i can answer any questions for you. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. colleagues, are there any questions? or comments? no. okay. then we'll open up this item for public comment. is there any member of the public who wishes to speak on this appointment? >> clerk: again i'd like to make the statement. membecall(415)655-0001.

access code 145 307 5686 and press # and # again. a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. let's give a moment to operations to check the public comment line. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. >> there are no callers in the queue. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you so much. i'm going to close public comment. and mr. clerk, i'd like to make a motion to remove the word "rejecting" in the legislation and move this item forward with positive recommendation. and again, miss van degna, thank you so much for all of your work

for the city. >> clerk: on that motion, supervisor stefani. >> aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar. >> aye. >> clerk: chair ronen. >> aye. >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> supervisor ronen: congratulations. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> supervisor ronen: mr. clerk, can you please read item number 4. >> clerk: a motion approving/rejecting the appointment of cynthia wang to the entertainment commission, term ending july 1st, 2023. >> supervisor ronen: hi, is ms. wang here with us? hi, good morning. >> good morning. >> supervisor ronen: how are you? i'm so sorry i haven't had the chance yet to meet you. but i'm really looking forward to hearing from you today. and do you have any comments that you wanted to share with us to start off? >> sure. sure. good morning again, chair ronen, vice chair stefani, supervisor mar. my name is -- i want to check, my video has you frozen.

can you hear me? >> supervisor ronen: we can hear you. yes. >> great. great. my name is cynthia wang, i'm a freelance native, a community activist and a single mom. it's an honor to be nominated to serve on the entertainment commission, which as we know promotes and enhances entertainment and nightlife in the city. and regulates the industry by conducting hearings for entertainment-related permit applications. this sector includes restaurants, bars, nightclubs, outdoor events, art galleries and performance venues. the social spaces has been cultural touch stones, that have fueled our economy and the character of our city. in 2018, we had 3,850 nightlife establishments that employed over 63,000 workers and generated an estimated $7.2 billion. the motion of such space is being a vital part of our cultural fabric is also deeply personal to me. as a young queer person that grew up here, i found my

identity and sense of community in the queer nightlife scene. it is often the first place many of us feel safe and affirmed. yet only weeks ago, our oldest gay bar announced its closure. today this industry is among the hardest hit by the public health crisis. and we must do everything we can, as a city, to support its recovery. the entertainment and nightlife sectors operated on razor-thin margins with high costs and liability exposure, well before the pandemic. with more than 400 restaurant closures in san francisco, during 2019, small businesses were struggling to stay afloat long before social distancing and shelter-in-place. the already dire situation has been exacerbated by this pandemic. many of these businesses are suffering and many may not survive. i believe my career in municipal and land-use law, in public policy, hospitality, and insurance equips me with the technical background for understanding the challenges small businesses face in this sector and also for

understanding the tools that may help them rebuild. i currently work for wang insurance, the small family business my parents founded in 1979 in the sunset district. we insure over 1,000 restaurants and bars throughout the state, the vast majority being immigrant-owned. in my role i discuss risk management on a daily basis. so i have an intimate understanding of the issues they grapple with. i helped a dozen shared spaces and applications. prior to this, i worked in the hospitality industry as a public policy manager, as a u.s. diplomat during the obama administration, and began my career practicing law as assistant city attorney for several bay area cities, mostly focusing on land-use, zoning and code enforcement. additionally, as a child of immigrants, a queer woman and a single mom of an sfud kindergartener, i bring deep local roots and hope to be a voice for underrepresented

communities. above everything else i would be humbled for this opportunity to roll up my sleeves and apply my experience and skill set to help support an industry in crisis. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. your experience is tremendous. and i know you had a chance to talk to amy, of my staff, and she shared it with me as well. so you are extremely qualified for this position. i just had a question. i, too, so many of the queer bars and nightlife in the city are in my neighborhood or connected to my district in some way. and i attended the online funeral for the stud, which was inspiring and very, very sad. at the same time, i'm just wondering what ideas you have to help this industry that is so, so in trouble at the moment.

nightlife is taking one of the biggest hits in the city. and i was wondering if you have ideas for helping -- helping this industry survive and thrive again. >> yeah. absolutely. obviously being nominated for this position, i have spent a lot of time thinking about this industry and how to best help it. i think we've all watched the ground shift beneath our feet and this industry plunge into an existential crisis. i've been thinking about how we as city could help it survive. all should be on the table to reimagine business models and how to incorporate entertainment in a way that allows businesses to stabilize and stay open. based on what we're seeing from a public health perspective, it might be a long time before crowds can gather again in what we've traditionally known as nightlife. so i think the shared initiative

was a very strong start, in helping businesses to build capacity and make up for some of what they've lost indoors. some of the other ideas i've had are -- i'm not sure how familiar everyone is, but san francisco does have minimal restrictions regimes when it comes to last performance. it currently requires art galleries, restaurants and venues to acquire one-time event permits or limited live permits for any live performance, even non-amplified ones such as poetry readings. i believe loosening some of those restrictions, particularly with non-amplified being the lowest-hanging fruit, we can give businesses the ability to bring customers in a safe, socially distanced way, allowing artists, a community hilt very, very hard by the pandemic, earn some extra income. certainly anything we can do to continue commercial eviction, paired with mortgage or tax

relief for owners, at least through the end of 2020, would be wonderful. and then a few other things i think that, as i was talking about before, small businesses have been in crisis, you know, for a long time. a lot of it is the result of our local system of -- you know, best intentioned, interwoven codes, review boards, appeals and fees that don't allow businesses to be nimble and change their uses without a ton of review and processes. so for a bar, for instance, right now that wants to start doing some retail or production, this can be incredibly burdensome and prohibitive and slow in a time when they need to be nimble. so i think we need to think creatively about flexibility of use, spiethed re-- expedited review, suspension of enforcement when it comes to changes and improvements made for safety, such as to-go

windows, hand wash stations and again multiple uses of space, whether that involves food to-go production, wholesale, maybe suspension of some of these zoning guidelines and reviews processes, while they're in survival mode. perhaps remove some of the notifications requirements that there's usually a public notification, change of use process of four to six months as well as removal of successly use limitation. lastly, you know, ta tax reliefd fees. and then i was also looking at like business programs. i know your predecessor supervisor compost worked with s.f. heritage on this. and we -- there have been a list of businesses that have been seen as having contributions to neighborhood history or the identity of a neighborhood or community. i think there's a lot in your district, chair ronen, maybe we can look at opening up that

funnel again for, one, the historically important to the queer community or certain communities of color as well. and latinx and asian communities as well. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. it's amazing. thank you so much. i really appreciate that answer very much. and if you are appointed, i would love to work with you on some of those ideas, because this is a big priority for me and my district. and i'm very, very worried about this industry. i really appreciate your willingness to serve in this way. thank you for the really complete and really thoughtful answer. colleagues, do you have any questions for the applicant? >> supervisor stefani: i don't have any questions. thank you, ms. wang, for being will to step up and serve. we talked about everything that you just discussed, including the restrictive permitting schemes and how we can better there and how we reimagine

business. i think you're absolutely one of the most qualified candidates i've ever seen. you are absolutely brilliant. your experience is remarkable. and your passion is above reproach. i have enjoyed getting to know you, and i'm so excited to have someone like you serving hopefully. because i do support you immensely on the entertainment commission. i look forward to working with you, not only, you know, for businesses in my district, but throughout the city as you mentioned, with regard to the lgbtq community. i just think you're incredibly impressive and i'm very excited to support you today. >> thank you, supervisor, for your kind words. >> supervisor ronen: supervisor mar. >> thanks, chair ronen. i would echo supervisor stefani's comments and praise of -- for stepping up for this

important -- and her willingness to serve in this really important role. yeah, you obviously have very impressive, you know, professional background and life experiences, that you can really bring to the entertainment commission. especially we're thankful for you and your family operating your insurance business in district 4 for so many years, serving small businesses across different industries in our city. and beyond. and i look forward to working with you on expanding nightlife and entertainment in district 4 and the west side. we could definitely use more of that to help support the recovery and revitalization of our commercial corridors. so thank you. >> absolutely. thank you, supervisor mar. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. i just had one more question, because of your expertise. so we have -- when helping our

businesses in our district, we found it that the shared space program has been hard to implement because typical insurance packages don't cover outdoor spaces. just any thoughts or ideas about that? i only ask because of your expertise in this area. >> yeah. well, just in the last week or so, we've helped a couple businesses. i think manny is on the line. we helped prepare his insurance requirements for that. there are a lot of packages that will meet the two requirements that the city imposed, which is one way to include a waiver of subrogation on workers' comp and name the city as an additional insurer. we're able to meet those requirements on most general insurance packages. where it becomes more complicated, especially where it applies to like a sidewalk in front of your business, i think where it might become more complicated, and i discussed

this with amy as well, when we open the larger corridors, like if we were to shut off a large section of valencia street and multiple businesses are like -- have tables where someone might be sitting there and having a drink from one place and food from another place. and then an incident occurs, where that liability is going -- being distributed. and that's something i've already raised to some of the major insurance carriers. and flagged for their attention. now they're discussing this at higher levels, too, to figure out what to do. but i think they're also playing catch-up as we all are. >> supervisor ronen: got it. got it. thanks again. >> yeah. >> supervisor ronen: now i'd like to open this item up for public comment. we'll allow two minutes to speak. >> clerk: yes, members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call (415)655-000 (415)6, access code is 145 307 5686.

then press # and # again. if you haven't already done so, please dial star three to line up to speak. a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. please wait until the system prompt unmutes you and you may begin your comment. we have several callers on the line at this time. >> yes, we do have a few callers waiting to speak. i'll unmute the first caller. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. >> caller: all right. good morning. my name is tara. can you guys hear me? i just want to test. >> supervisor ronen: yes. >> great. i'm with an organization that's focusing on san francisco's district 10 neighborhoods, activating spaces of arts and cultural programming. i'm writin writing in store of a wang's appointment to the entertainment commission. i first met her through our

volunteer work together in community and she has a very special connection to her neighborhood, specifically small businesses, largely due to her family's history in small business and her due diligence and professionalism in the insurance space. as i have stated, wang insurance manages risk management needs for over 1,000 restaurants and personally as a non-profit founder, she's been a help to me and my organization as well. she has extensive experience in public policy, law and economic development. as someone stated earlier, she's probably one of the most qualified entertainment commissioner nominees i have seen. so congratulations to your nomination. and as an active participant through my work in systematic space, again she's been an asset. and i think she will really support the commission's mission to support a thrive going nightlife, culture in san francisco. and special connection to the lgbtq community, i think her professional is needed.

wholeheartedly support her appointment to the entertainment commission. and, of course, you're interested to reach out to me for further comment, i'm available. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> caller: hi. my name is maria and i live in the district 1 in the richmond. i'm calling in to support the recommendation to the commission. i have known cynthia since 2018. we serve on a board together and recently ran for a seat together earlier this year as well. in that experience, i have gotten to know cynthia very well and learned about her impressive professional history, as well as get to know her personally. cynthia is one of the most hardworking, effective and productive people that i have known both professionally and personally.

she has the experience and proven track record to be a strong commissioner. her legal experience in land use, her experience working with entertainment sector clients at her family business, her experience in the insurance business, and her personal experience as a queer woman, who knows how important preserving queer nightlife here in san francisco is, especially with the public health crisis. but we'll keep going on for the foreseeable future. she's willing to work with everyone to see progress. i strongly urge you all to vote yes today. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello. thank you for hearing this public comment. my name is una. i'm a youth activist and organizer in san francisco. and i'm speaking in support of

cynthia wang's appointment to the commission. i first met her run for the democratic committee. as i campaigned for her, i learned she was so much more than a candidate. wang is a c.f.o. of her family business, wang insurance, which manages the risk needs of 1,000 restaurants and entertainment stones throughout the state. she's been an insurance provider for many years and has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the entertainment industry. she's a leader in the small business community, and as a community activist, i have witnessed the connections cynthia has to our local community. cynthia has an extensive experience in public policy, law and economic development. she was a u.s. diplomat during the obama administration.

cynthia is a queer native san franciscan, mother to a kindergartener and speaks mandarin and spanish. she found her identity in san francisco's queer nightlife and will be a champion for this community. cynthia represents the rich diversity of our city. in this time of uncertainty for our city, i can't think of anyone better equipped to serve on the entertainment commission. i hope you'll give deep consideration to cynthia wang and vote in favor of her appointment. thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. >> hi, everyone. can you hear me? it's manny. >> yes, we can hear. please proceed. >> hi, friends. i have never done public comment before. so i'm so honored and excited to do public comment for the first time for cynthia. my name is manny.

i'm the owner of manny's on the corner of 16th and valencia. my only addition to the comments here is, you know, i'm a new small business owner. i went through the permitting process for my small business under two years ago. and i'll just say that it's a very frightening and scary experience to try to open up your own small business and navigate all of the various bureaucracies. and insurance is one of the most scary parts, because you know you have to have it. you don't know how to get it. it's very complicated. you don't know how much it's suppose to cost. i'll say finding an insurance agent who gets what you're doing, is there for you, wants to support you, and is more than just a provider of, you know, specific needs, but actually is a partner and friend, is something that's made the whole experience so much easier and better. cynthia cares about this city. she's a small business owner herself. i know she would make an amazing

addition to the entertainment commission. i really hope y'all vote for her to be tonight entertainment commission, because i think we could use her and an amazings a tote my small business. manny's in san francisco. thank you so much for hearing me out. i appreciate it. >> clerk: thank you. can we hear from the next caller, please. >> yes. good morning, commissioners. my name is -- i'm representing the chinese-american democratic club. and we want to strongly ask for your support for cynthia's approval to the commission. i myself have a lot of experience with my grandpa's laundromat in the early '60s and '70s. my dad's restaurant in the '70s and '80s. also working for the human rights commission on the local minority small business programs for close to 30 years. i think cynthia has the kind of

people skills and the professional that's ideal for your commission. at the same time, we've had discussions with her about trying are revitalize our chinatown businesses and entertainment world. it's been very hard hit over the last few years. and tourism in san francisco is also a big challenge. so she's volunteered to step up and help try to figure this one out for chinatown. we strongly encourage your support for cynthia. i thank you so much. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> greetings, supervisors of the rules commission. my name is brian. i'm an s.f. native in district 11. i'm an agent at new york life. and i actually met cynthia wang through chinese-american democratic club.

i'm here to voice my support for her as a fellow insurance professional. as you've heard, she's exceptionally qualified with a lot of experience managing insurance for san francisco businesses. she's uniquely qualified to understand a lot of the challenges, not just in her district, but all across the city. therefore, i believe she would bring a very great narrative to the entertainment commission and how we can help san francisco businesses going forward, as we try to figure out the best way to recover out of this pandemic. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning, everyone. my name is art. i'm the owner of the cafe in mission.

i have known cynthia for over 15 years. she is everything we are looking for. she's a true san franciscan. she was born here. she was raised here. she's lived through the changes that our city has been going through. she's very qualified for the -- she's actually overqualified as somebody else has stated, because of her knowledge of all aspects of the tasks at hand, that will need to be done to take us to the next level. i experienced her fight for me as a business, as an insurance agent, through the pandemic, and through the changes we had to go through and adjusting what the businesses needs were, according to the times that we're going through. and i have recommended her to people. and i never second guess -- when you recommend somebody 100% guaranteed, that's priceless. i think she will fight on behalf

of small businesses. she understands that politics are important and for the city. and she's overqualified for the job. and i hope to give her a fair consideration. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. just want to state that members of the public, who are already on the line, and wish to speak on this item, should press star three at this time. can we have the next speaker, please. >> caller: good morning, everyone. my name is mick. i'm a resident of district 6 and work as a public health advocate. i'm here today to give my full, full support for cynthia wang for the entertainment commission. i have known her to about five years or so already, working together on several projects and volunteered together. and i believe she is, like what other public comments and, you know, other folks in this meeting have stated, that

cynthia is highly qualified for this commission seat. her experience of being a former assistant city attorney, being a u.s. diplomat, and being in the insurance professional, that's needed in this kind of time we're in right now. her legal policy and insurance background would be very valuable to the entertainment commission, as they're able to help businesses recover from this pandemic. and during this time of this kind of serious crisis that we're in, you know, entertainment and small business communities are hurting. and we need someone with the skills like cynthia's to contribute to this important commission, as soon as possible. and, you know, i know it's not possible to do a double positive recommendation. if you can emphasize the kind of positive recommendation for cynthia's appointment, that would show that her kind of

qualifications were for this seat. i request that you recommend to the colleagues on the board of supervisors to appoint cynthia wang to the entertainment commission. thank you very much. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> hi. this is dalton woning. good morning, commissioners. i'm calling for voice my support for cynthia. i'm a local district 2 restaurant and nightlife business owner. and also a first-generation chinese-american. cynthia, as you've already heard, has the qualifications and background to help forge a path for recovery for critical industries. cynthia has lived the problems we're all going through at wang insurance and her professional background allows her to create immense value for our community. over the last several years, she has spoken at many events in support of small business. and has helped me personally on

many occasions, most recently with my entertainment permit that sat in queue with planning for over a year. we applied april 19th of 2019. and just got that passed. i'm also a long-standing client of cynthia. her leadership allowing us to find solutions to all of the problems that present themselves in the city, from restricted permitting to taxes and fees. i hope you vote in favor of cynthia. she has more fight than anyone i've met. she will be a great asset to entertainment and the city at large. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. >> madam chair, that completes the queue. >> supervisor ronen: okay. thank you so much for all of the public comment. cynthia, i have to say that i agree with my colleagues and the callers, you're one of the most

qualified applicants we've ever had for the entertainment commission. and it is my pleasure to support your appointment to this body. i think your ideas are fantastic. your experience is incredible. so you're going to provide so much to the city. so thank you very, very much for your willingness to serve. and i -- supervisor mar, would you like to do the honors? >> yeah. i'd love you temperature colleagues, i would move that we approve the mayor's appointment of cynthia wang to the entertainment commission. and move this forward to the full board with positive recommendation. >> clerk: chair ronen, would you like to add the amendment to delete the word "rejecting" throughout the legislation. >> supervisor ronen: i would. yes, please. >> clerk: all right. >> supervisor ronen: can we have a roll call vote,. >> clerk: chair mar, is that acceptable? >> yes, it is. >> clerk: on the motion to amend and recommended to the full

board, supervisor stefani. >> aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar. >> aye. >> clerk: chair ronen. >> aye. >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. and congratulations. >> take care. >> supervisor ronen: mr. clerk, can you please read item number 5. >> clerk: item number 5 is a charter amendment to attend the charter of the city and county of san francisco to authorize youth aged 16 and 17 to vote in municipal elections, at elections to be held november 3rd, 2020. i believe we do have translator services available for this item. i would like to give the opportunity to those parts -- parties to make a quick announcement at this time.

>> supervisor ronen: thank you. >> clerk: i believe we have additional -- >> supervisor ronen: i see. sorry. >> clerk: are there any other translators who would like to make an announcement at this time. >> this is connie. i'll do it in spanish. [speaking spanish]

thank you. >> supervisor ronen: thank you. is there any other translation announcements? >> clerk: yes. i'm going to add, this is fay. [speaking foreign language]

>> thank you, supervisor. that's it for me. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. >> i'd like to make one request. >> supervisor ronen: sure. >> clerk: to parties who are not members of the board -- this committee. i would ask that you turn off your microphone and camera at this time, until you're called upon to speak. i want to state that members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item, should call (415)655-0001, the access code is 145 307 5686. then press # and# again. if you haven't done so, please dial star three to line up to speak. a system prompt will indicate you've raised your hand.

please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. that completes my comment. >> supervisor ronen: thank you so much. i, for one, am very excited to be here today. i'm going to start off asking president yee if he has any comments, since he's the author of this legislation. but i also just wanted to note that we have the vice chair of the youth commission here with us today, sarah ginsburg, who is a mayoral appointee and district 9's own commissioner. and youth director commissioner, who we'll hear from shortly. but, first if we could hear from our very own president norman yee. >> supervisor yee: thank you, chair ronen. thank you to my colleagues on the rules committee. congratulations to cynthia wang. i'm happy to be here today to

discuss the charter amendment, to extend voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds for local elections. i'm proud to join my colleagues, supervisors fewer, walton, haney, safai, mar and preston in sponsoring this legislation. i would like to thank and recognize the san francisco youth commission. and youth advocates, who have been working so hard to make san francisco the first major u.s. city to allow 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. thank you for your continued work and tireless support of this effort. it has been a long road to get to this point and it is so important, especially at this critical time in our city, in our country.

it takes steps to strengthen our democracy and continue to build upon efforts to ensure that we have a government that works for everyone. we need to ensure that young people build a habit of voting as early as possible. and continue to participate in our democracy throughout their lives. voter turnout in the united states is far lower than any other established democracies. and turnout is lowest among the youngest of eligible voters, ages 18 to 29. of that group, only 30% of the em eligibility voters vote in national elections, since 1986. countries that have set the minimum age, voting age of 16, shows that lowering the voting age increases voter turnout among young voters and even

encourages parents to vote at higher rates. the voter turnout is the lowest in the two -- in the two neighborhoods with the highest number of youth and children, that is bayview and visitation now. we know that the issues we vote on, as a city, don't just impact everyone 18 and older. it impacts our young people also. 16 and 17-year-olds go to school, but they don't have a say in the decisions we make about their education system. 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds can be hired -- can be tried as adults for some crimes. but they don't have a say in our criminal justice system. and 16-year-olds and 17-year-old can work and pay taxes, but they don't have a say in deciding how we spend these tax dollars.

undeniably 16- and 17-year-olds are affected by the decisions we make at the ballot boxes op-edcation, transportation, housing, policing and economic development. they deserve to have a say. over decades i've had the opportunity to work with the youth in san francisco. i have seen that they can and want to navigate complex issues. youth are the forefront of local, national, and global movements to advance civil and human rights, address inequality, violence, a former criminal justice system and confronted with challenges of climate changes. earlier this month, 2,000 people joined a youth-led -- a youth-led protest at mission high school to demand justice for george floyd.

and then into the systemic oppression, racism and injustices that the black community and other communities of color continue to endure. the question is not are young people cape be of change -- capable of changing the world for the better, but we stand alongside them and let their voices be heard. the struggle for equal voting rights extends back to the earliest days of our nation's history, when the right to vote belonged solely to white property-owning it males. we have come a long ways, but still have far to go to ensure that everyone, who has been afforded the right to vote in this country, is able to cast that ballot on election day. we have a long way to go to ensure that groups that have not -- have not yet been afforded the opportunity to vote, but so

glad they deserve to do to change that right. that's what this fight is about. this is about moving us forward as a city. and similar message to our country, at a time where we are confronted with gridlock and so many soon-to-be intractable problems. it is about recognizing that our youth have always pushed our city and country forward. and it is about recognizing that our democracy is stronger, when everyone is informed, engaged and capable and able to participate in decision making. colleagues, let us get this passed out of rules committee today, so that we can put this on the ballot up for november. so as a supervisor -- as chair ronen mentioned, there are three commissioners today that will also speak on this issue.

commissioner from district 9, ariana arana, district 1 youth commissioner sarah chung. and mayor of youth commissioners, sarah begins. by the way, sarah is the only youth, young person that i know that actually went to an event many, many years ago and was excused from her class with a signed note from president obama. i'm always jealous of that. [laughter] thank you for being with us today. and the youth commissioners have been instrumental in moving this forward and i want to thank them for their leadership. your leadership and advocacy for the vote is so reflective of the why this charter amendment is needed. so i would like to allow them to

speak first before maybe my colleagues speak. so let's see. ariana, you want to lead it off? >> yes. hi, supervisors. thank you so much for having us here. i'm just going to re-introduce ourselves, while kylie sets up the presentation. so as you know, i'm commissioner ariana arana. and i represent district 9 on the san francisco youth commission. and i'm here with my colleagues commissioner sarah, who represents district 1 and commissioner sarah, who is a mayoral appointee and lives in district 4. we're here to-go present to you to expand voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in san francisco. next slide, please. >> good morning, supervisors. so just a quick history of vote 16. the specific engagement

committee on the san francisco youth commission did work on this ballot initiative in 2016. and it unfortunately lost by 2.8% on the ballot. but we did revamp our efforts this year, now more than ever youth deserve a say on the issues that affect them at the local level, so this year we really centered our efforts around community outreach to get youth informed and excited about vote 16. we've been meeting with coleman advocates for youth, s.f. rising, generation citizen and empower california almost weekly. as you can see, we have several other community stakeholders that we communicate with regularly. we currently have 30 community organization endorsements a right hand actively trying to increase that number. and over the past few months, our committee has sent over 200 endorsement emails to various organizations, political clubs. next slide, please.

>> okay. so i'm unsure we all know, young people are currently mobilizing for black lives matter. for example, supervisor yee, mentioned the youth protest. and there's also the golden gate bridge youth-led march. young people are creating a movement that's not only lasting a moment. they are keeping the momentum alive, through their communities and through social media. they're also actively calling for defunding the police and are holding their legislators accountable and pushing for change in policy. it is very important for young people to have a democratic way to participate in their government and not have to take to the streets every time there's an injustice and that they are unheard. it's important to note that young people will be the most impacted by the current covid-19 pandemic and they're currently being impacted in their schooling, employment, financing, housing and health. there will also be tasked with rebuilding after all of this is

over and creating a better plan, if something like this were to ever happen again. therefore, it is crucial that young people have a democratic way to voice their needs and to make change in the communities. next slide, please. so now we're going to elaborate on why we should expand the voting age. next slide, please. >> so 16- and 17-year-olds are ready to vote locally. they work jobs, they pay taxes, drive, take care of household responsibilities and they play key roles in the communities so they really already have many civic responsibilities. additionally, many policy decisions affects 16- and 17-year-olds, they should get a decision in how these decisions

affect them in voting. they use public services and utilize spaces like public pars and especially under covid-19, their education has been affected. so they should get a say in how these government decisions affect them. 16- and 17-year-olds are also essential workers. 13% of grocery stores are 16-year-old to 17-year-old nationally. they should get a say in decisions about their safety. next slide. >> from an equity perspective, it is crucial that 16- and 17-year-olds have the right to vote in san francisco. as you can see in the chart, youth of this age are predominantly people of color, so by excluding youth of color from the voting process, the electorate is really only catering to older, lighter voters and also in san francisco, one in three sfusd have an immigrant parent. so with immigrant parents

disenfranchised, it is important that youth are able to address the needs of their families and communities, so that policies and elected officials we vote on and that benefiting everybody in our city. , not just those with a privilege to vote. next slide, please. >> so expanding voting to 16- and 17-year-olds builds lifelong voters. 16 is a much better age to start the habit, 18 a year of a transition. many of 18-year-olds are going off to college and it's a challenging time to start the habit of voting. research shows that those who vote in one election are 25% more likely to vote in the next one. so it's important to make voting more accessible by letting 16-year-olds volt. -- vote. also many 16-year-olds have grown up in san francisco their whole lives, like i have. so they understand and they care about issues in san francisco. like commissioner ronen mentioned, youth are organizing their own initiatives right now

to fight about issues they care about, especially with the black lives matter movement. lastly, 16-year-olds learn civics in school, like i did this past year. so they have the resources to support informed voting choices. ultimately voting at 16 will get more young people involved in our democracy. therefore, we urge you to vote in support of this charter amendment 16- and 17-year-olds voting in municipal elections. next slide, please. thank you so much for listening and now we'll take questions. >> supervisor ronen: oh, president yee, did you want to? >> supervisor yee: yeah. because i can't tell who is in what -- >> supervisor ronen: oh, i'm sorry. i'm happy to -- i thought you were running it. do you have -- >> supervisor yee: it's harder for me to run it from my -- my

colleagues -- colleagues, i want to say something then. >> supervisor ronen: sure. sure. then take it over. sounds good. supervisor mar, stefani, did you have any questions? it doesn't seem -- >> i look forward to the public comment. >> supervisor ronen: okay. i didn't have any questions either, because your presentation was so complete and so impressive. i learned a lot from it. i had no idea how the majority of youth in this city are youth of color. that's fascinating. i've never seen those statistics presented before, which is such a compelling reason, among the many others that you mentioned for why a 16- and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in municipal elections. i just want to say that this is -- i wish the whole world agreed with us that this is a no-brainer. to me what you have presented is

so clear and complete. and almost -- it's not obvious, but the way that you presented it makes it seem obvious. every generation that passes the deep intelligence and understanding of the world around them continue to get wider and wider i think. i couldn't be more impressed by your generation. as a matter of fact, it's your generation that makes me feel -- is really the only thing that makes me feel a lot of times like we're going to be okay as a world and as a society, because your engagement in the issues of the day, the leadership that you are assuming and that the power that you are taking for yourselves, because you understand that the impact of policies are going to hit you the hardest. so you should be at the forefront of being the voices,

the thought leaders in making that change. i could not be more impressed or proud of you. and actually tearing up a little bit. sorry. but i have a 7-year-old daughter and knowing that you're going to be her role models and the people that she strives to be makes me feel excited and safe and optimistic about the world. i could not think it is more timely or relevant or important that you should be able to vote in our elections. and what that will mean for the future in terms of increasing voter turnout. it is so sad that we have such a low voter turnout in this country. what a better way to increase that turn by getting young people engaged in civic responsibility and voting. so i just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you, thank

you for your engagement, for your brilliance for your organizing, to your leadership. i am so happy to follow your lead here. and very enthusiastic and vote in favor of this. so thank you so much. and i'll now turn it over to supervisor stefani, if had any questions or comments? stefani than-- >> supervisor stefani: i'm excited to this. and the presentation was excellent. i'm looking forward to hearing public comment and then i'll make remarks after that. but i don't want to hold up the public comment. >> supervisor ronen: perfect. supervisor mar, you feel the same. great. let's open this item up for public comment. are there any members of the public that wish to speak? you have two minutes each. >> clerk: if you have not already done so, please press star three to be able to speak. please continue to wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted. i believe we have approximately

12 people on the line to speak. operations. >> yes we, do have a number of callers. i will unmute the first caller. >> yes, good morning. my name is zach. i'm calling with the aclu of northern california. we are proud of this important stand with san francisco youth leaders and encourage you to vote in favor of placing vote 16 on the november ballot. as you heard today, freelance's jung voters are vital members of the public. and also promote civic engagement by allowing young members of our community to get out and vote. so thank you. >> clerk: can we have the next speaker, please. >> hi, there. my name is -- okay. my name is millo.

i'm 28 years old and i'm a former san franciscan, who now lives in east bay. i wanted to vote when i was 16 and my experience at that time made me now work for the national youth association. thanks for hearing my public comment. i support the charter amendment, because i think 16 and 17-year-olds would be affected by the decisions we make today for maybe 70, 80 years of their lives, where the older voters may be affected for 10, 20 more years. so i think younger voters can serve the biggest say in decisions that we make. and furthermore, when we set different ages, like the driving age or the voting age or the drinking age, i think we often think, 16-year-olds are ready to drive, but not ready to vote. or 18-year-olds are ready to vote, but not read ready to dri, and we often get this thinking

backwards. if we don't allow young people to do certain things, they won't be able to develop those capacities. so when i started voting in my late teens or early 20s, i found some of our state ballot measures confusing, as you might as well. and probably voted a couple of them wrong. but if we give 16- and 17-year-olds the chance to be included in conversations about,. >> commissioner haney:, why are you voting on this one this way, we'll have a generation of smarter and salvier voters that will benefit the state and entire country. thanks for hearing my public comment. and i urge you to support the charter amendment. can we have the next caller, please.

hi. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning. supervisors, can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, we can. please proceed. >> great. so great to see you all again. just to re-introduce myself, i'm ariana. and i'm the chair of the civic engagement community. i'm grateful grateful that you've taken the opportunity to hear about vote 16. like i said in the previous meeting, the charter along with the u.s. constitution are written in a way so that they can be amended to reflect changing needs in those population, in order to better represent the electorate during election season. and as we've seen more than ever in the past four years, youth have demonstrated an increased level of adult interest and demonstrates the need to have the voices represented in the

electorate, currently the san francisco electorate is about a decade older than the average san francisco citizen. what that results is legislation being passed that does not reflect the needs of the average san franciscan. and, therefore, makes san francisco less of a family friendly city. now as you mentioned before, san francisco youth are more progressive and on average represent a more minority population that's not being reflected in legislation, and especially now more than ever. there's a need to have those voices heard. and, therefore, i encourage the board to motion in support of board 16 vote and placed on the ballot. hope in two to four years from now, we'll see legislation being passed in the city that reflects the needs of the younger population. thank you for your time and have a lovely day. >> clerk: hi. can we have the next speaker, please.

>> caller: good morning. my name is eric. and i'm a 17-year-old district 1 resident. i have also served as an intern in a supervisor's office and for a few weeks with supervisor stefani before the shelter-in-place in order. it's extremely evident that our youth are more civically engaged that any other group. in the past few week, hundreds of instagram posts regarding the black lives matter and #metoo movement from you. in addition, all san francisco youth take at least one civics class in high school. many of those haven't done the same in decades. the youth are just as educated on the issues as many adults, with -- if not more. it defies logic why some of my peers, just two months before me, have the right to vote in

the crucial 2020 election. we can drive, work and protest, but we can't vote. s.f. should lead the charge in eliminating this nationwide inequality. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, board of supervisors. my name is chan. i work for a community youth center in san francisco, coordinating the district 7 youth council. i support vote 16 and working with youth. they have engaged in community, they've taken initiatives and stand up for issues they care about. most of the issues they bring up are community issues like housing, public transportation, gun violence and mental health. i would say this gives young people the opportunity to have a say on the issues and hear them out. let's give them the tools they need to become more civicically

engaged. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we hear from the next caller, please. >> my name is valen tina. i'm an incoming freshman. i live and represent district 2 on the san francisco youth commission. i'm also a member of the civic engagement community within the san francisco youth commission. as a 14-year-old living in san francisco, i'm ready and excited to vote. a lot of what elected officials do affects my future. it will give us a chance to make an impact on our future as well. i'm supporting the charter amendments. be the voice of the 16- and 17-year-olds is necessary to our democracy. young san franciscans deserve a say. many 16- and 17-year-olds have lived in san francisco their entire lives. covid-19 pandemic makes it more clear how the essential workers are to our city's success

nationally 13% of gross rye work workers are 17 to 19. they work in restaurants and other industries that remain open. what policies that will determine their safety and their family's safety. i urge you to support the file number 200477. thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning, supervisors. my name is michelle parker. i'm calling with two hats on today, a member of the political action committee and and a parent. and i'm calling in support of this charter amendment. i just have three points i would like to make. and one is just to talk about a personal experience. i grew up in a home that didn't talk about voting. i'm sure my parents voted, but we didn't talk about it.

we didn't talk about issues, i did not start voting until i moved to san francisco 22 years ago, as a young adult. i think it would have been -- i would have started voting much earlier, had something like this been in place. the second point is related to something supervisor ronen directed your attention to, that's about the diversity of our youth in san francisco. 16- to 17-year-olds are predominantly people of color. we need to make sure that the young people of color have a voice in our local democracy. and as they stated in their presentation, many of our children in san francisco are living in households where their parents can't vote, they may be undocumented citizens, but they have every right, this is why i have supported in the past the voting rights of undocumented families in school board elections as well. because their voice is still really important. and then the third point i wanted to make is that there are conversations about cold cognition and hot cognition. and part of why i believe that

our young people at age 16 are ready, is because cold cognition, the type that relates to judgment and unheard decision-making, it's in place by age 16 at the same level as young adults. by this age, our young people can gather and process information, weighs pros and cons and reason logically with facts. i think it's really important to give them this opportunity to vote good habits and become voters and help shape our communities and our country. thanks so much and i urge you to support this. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, supervisors. my name is kathy cormier. i live in north beach. and i'm a parent of two kids who graduated, now are young adults, who would have loved to have had this opportunity to vote as electorate and 1-year-olds.

-- vote as a 16- and 17-year-olds. at the main library we had many public events in 2016, in support of vote 16sf. and i want to echo what others have said, in particular that last caller who mentioned the difference between cold cognition and hot cognition. it's something that i experience every day working with teens. and it has been heartwarming to see that teens taking peaceful action, our young people in support of black lives matter. and having a more democratic way to hear their voices, to see them is inspiring to see young people at this time exercising their constitutional right here in san francisco in a peaceful way. in so many ways we have become beacons for the entire nation for young people. and i think that it is now time. this is the time as everyone has

said for youth to have the opportunity for our 16- and 17-year-olds to develop the good habits of voting. for those people who come to the mix, are representative of the young people in san francisco, predominantly people of color. and i just want to make sure that we allow the voices of our young people to be heard in this democratic way. so i urge you to give your support to this charter amendment. thank you very much. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. >> caller: hi. my name is crystal chan. i'm a recent graduate of lowell high school in the district 7 representative on the san francisco youth commission. as well as a member of the commission civic engagement committee. i'm here in support of vote 16, because i believe that expanding votes rights to 16- and

17-year-olds is crucial to building a more equitable, inclusive and representative government that works for all of us. every day there are policies being implemented that directly impact young people, and yet we don't get a say in those decisions. i believe that young people should be able to elect the public officials, who make decisions on our behalf, cast ballots to raise the standard for gun ownership, because firearms are the number one cause for death in children and teens. our generation will have to live with the consequences of rising temperatures and intensified natural disasters. 16- and 17-year-olds are functioning members of society and valuable constituents of our representatives. it's important that they get a say in how decisions are made, because policy decisions will have long-term and immediate effects on their lives. the young people in our city understand how policies impact them, their families and their communities and it's time that they get a voice in our local government. i urge you to support file number 200477. thank you.

>> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. >> caller: hello, honorable supervisors. my name is michelle. i'm a rising senior attending high school in and reside in district 1. as a teen member of the san francisco chapter of the united nations association, co-founder of the charity organization manchesters -- masks for all and a student, i'm concerned about the lack of investment in youth voices in san francisco. more specifically the current inability of 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in the san francisco municipal election. i fully support the charter amendment, as vote 16 would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to exercise their voice on issues that impact their future, as well as advance equity in our democracy. in san francisco, 16- and 17-year-olds are predominantly people of color, especially compared to the overall population with one in three

students having immigrant parents. youth have proven to be actively involved in their communities. organizing protests for climate change, gun control, and racial equality. in response to the lack of resources during covid-19, myself and hundreds of s.f. youth volunteers have provided over 3,000 handmade masks for marginalized communities so we understand the needs of our city intimately. youth such as me pay taxes and address inequalities, so why must i sit back and watch policies affecting my future be decided for me? we are capable, frustrated, but hopeful. it's imperative that we allow diversity and perspective in our voters, especially those who will come to be the most affected by the decisions of those elected. we can't hope to have a fully representative and democratic san francisco if we don't invest in the voices of our youth. i have the faith that you will make the right decision. i urge you to support the file number 200477.

truly thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, everyone. i'm the youth development specialist for the youth commission and i also live in district 4. as an advocate for youth, i'm concerned about the youth voice not being taken seriously in our government's decision-making. i'm supporting the charter amendment to expand voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in municipal elections, because many children in san francisco are living in households where parents cannot vote. one in three students has an immigrant parent. vote 16 would help them ensure they have a voice in the democracy on the local level, and vote 16 will help diversity s.f.'s electorate for habitual voting, among san francisco people. i urge you to support file number 200477 to be placed on the november ballot.

thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, supervisors. can you hear me? >> clerk: we can hear you. please proceed. >> caller: all right. hi. i'm a former district 8 youth commissioner and a member of the civic engagement committee that started this movement back in 2016. i strongly support this movement. in america, we really, really lack voter turnout, not even cracking 50% in some presidential elections. however, the science clearly shows that the earlier one-start voting, the more likely you are to make a lifelong habit of it. and youth do -- youth 16 and 17-year-olds do turn out to vote, when given the chance, as

shown in multiple other countries, as well as small cities in the u.s. furthermore, youth are educated on these subjects, far more even i would say than the average adult, given the advent of social media and many other forms of information-sharing. i hope you all support putting this ballot -- putting this measure on the ballot. all right. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next speaker, please. >> caller: can you hear me? >> clerk: we can hear you. please proceed. >> caller: okay. i'm a former san franciscan that lives in east bay now. vote 16 came about in 2016.

over 150 san francisco youth worked on the campaign, affecting the youth and -- in the past four years since, youth are leading more and youth leaders. more than ever that young san franciscans deserve a say in a rapidly changing city. and are unafraid and bold enough to take it one way or another in the streets, advocacy or legislating change. many 16- and 17-year-olds have lived in san francisco their inventory lives and deserve a say in their future. they're fighting for real change and they will keep calling attention to the issues. it is our time as allies to not

just be humbled by the bravery and their initiatives but to actually follow through with this movement. and require this charter amendment and see it pass. thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you. can we hear from the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning, supervisors. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, we can hear you. please proceed. >> caller: hi, my name is rocky. and i'm a 16-year-old rising senior at university high school. i'm a mayoral appointee to the youth commission and a vice chair of the engagement committee. i'm concerned about the public transportation. i think i take the bus to school every day and it's overcrowded and behind schedule. i want to able to vote on issues that affect me. i'm supporting the charter amendment to expand voting rights to 16-year-old and

17-year-olds in municipal elections, because we know people deserve the opportunity for our voices to be heard at the ballot box. we're activists and leaders of social movements. we care deeply about the future of our city and affected by the legislation. the issue of transportation for people like me, education for the thousands of students, or countless young people with jobs who don't have a say where the tax dollars go, these issues are important and need to be recognized. additionally, we want to be given the opportunity to vote. in a survey of thousands of students, 75% say they would definitely most likely vote and in other cities like tacoma park, which implemented vote 16 policy, registered 16- and 17-year-olds have turned out at double the rate of the average age group. san francisco will see greater voter turnout than other age groups. vote 16 is the way to create a more representative and fair

city. we are essential workers, students and the future of our city. and our voices need to be recognized immediately in the most civic process we have, to vote. i urge you to support file number 200477. thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello. i'm a 16-year-old living in district 2. and i volunteer as a poll worker in the march primary. as we've heard during the presentation, many people of san francisco are often the leaders of protest movements. and my peers and i are civic quickly engaged in youth-led proprotests and most recently black lives matter. however, because we cannot vote, it's challenging to have our voices heard and create real change. as a potential young voter, i'm ready and eager to have my voice heard in my community. and i appreciate your support for this charter. thank you for your time.

>> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, supervisors. i'm a district 4 representative, a recent graduate of sfusc. i'm here to support my fellow commissioners in their amazing work to expand voting rights to all 16- and 17-year-olds in san francisco. as a student, so much of what the determined my education, my school life was controlled by the the board of education. i had absolutely no say over that. so do thousands of students. in our schools, we are taught u.s. history and civics, starting at 15 and 16 years old. we are equipped with all of the skills to be able to vote and to make proper decisions and advocate with our government, however we don't have the means to.

this would create a much more equitable system and a more representative electorate in san francisco. also as people have stated, young people can pay taxes, drive and use so many different city resources, but they don't have control over because of voting. we -- i fully support this amendment and i hope you also do. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller. >> caller: good morning, supervisors. i'm a district 8 resident and the california executive director for generation citizen here in san francisco and around the country. we are standing behind students who are standing up, as they are today. i want to thank supervisor yee and the co-sponsorses for their leadership in making this charter amendment possible. we believe it's important that

you give your constituents the opportunity to decide in november whether we share the franchise with young people. [ please stand by ]

. . . . >> a hi, can we have next speaker please? >> caller: hi. i aim mary and i am a resident of the 62. and i fully support this amendment to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the fall elections as does my dog who you may hear barking in the background. i agree with all the points the commissioners made and i would add my own teen is fully capable of understanding the issues that face the city and have minds of their own and often see things more clearly that adults. the earlier they can develop the habit of participating in the democracy before they transition to college as other speakers have mentioned, the better off

we'll be. i hope my hometown of san francisco will lead the way in this movement, and thank you for considering this proposal. >> thank you. next speaker please. >> caller: he low, supervisor. i am the director of the san francisco youth commission. thank you so much for the opportunity to have the youth leaders speak directly to this today and they have been working so hard on this. i have had the tail end of the 2016 effort and focussing on voter reregistration efforts and now currently staffing the current 2020 effort. and i want to use this as an opportunity to thank the 2016 youth organizer who is helped to build a foundation and pave the way for the second 2020 vote 16 effort and take this time to

highlight the team youth organizers. they have really built this second effort and have enthusiasm and dedication to the efforts. i would really like to take my time to thank the major community partners. we would not have gotten as far as we have without the direct high level support and appraising and community youth center and generation citizen which is a national organization and power california. chinese corrective association and chinese for affirmative action. and san francisco is the opportunity to make history as the first major city to expand voting rights and i don't want to belabor the point, but we will win. this is our time. the young people have spoken. we're going to do this. i urge you to support 200477. thank you for your time. >> thank you. next speaker please.

>> a hello, supervisors. i am an advocate for children and youth. i am in support of the charter amendment to expand voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds if it's not been an example enough by the young people standing up to be heard and in a democrat way and speak up by the legislation that has pass and things that they have to follow and pay taxes and do all the things that want to effect them and have the voice to represent the 10 and 111 youth and go to a lot of the high schools and all of them have expressed just assuming they don't have the voices heard and they don't get the opportunity to speak up and

have real changes and they have taken it into their hands and we have given them that opportunity and allies and let the voices be heard. thank you. >> thank you. can we have the next speaker? >> this is megan imperial calling and serve as the policy chair and i am concerned about creating a new block of hyper tensive voter who is will utilize this to dismantle equity and supporting the charter amendment to expand voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds in municipal elections because we have seen that we have given legislative amendments and the form to speak truth to power. this will allow our youth to allow to shape their own system

and the futures. it can be noted and said that folks are too young, 16 and 17 year olds don't know any better and won't make a difference. however, currently there are plenty of folk who is can vote now and choose not to. and there are many uninformed voices in our system and the voices of 16 and 17 year olds are actually necessary in our democratic process. those will an allow 16 and 17-year-olds to exercise their voice and issues that impact the future and with covid-19 and the inequities that are highlighted as the digital divide and essential workers and seeing that grocery workers are 50% of 16 to 19 year olds and that will determine the safety. i urge a positive recommendation voting in the municipal elections. thank you.

>> thank you. can we have the next speaker please. >> that completes the queue. >> wonderful. thank you so much for all the public comment. i will close public comment now and turning it over to supervisor supervisor stefani. >> thank you, chair ronen. i wanted to start out by thanking the youth activists and the youth commissioners for the work on this legislation and the incredible advocacy and president yee and the co-sponsors for bringing this forward. it's so wonderful to hear my appointee on the call. i have known her since she was a toddler and it's just so wonderful to see this advocacy. also, eric who has interned in my office, thank you for calling in. i had the benefit of having so

many incredible youth intern for me and to see the passion and advocacy has been, like you said, supervisor ronen, inspiring. i know that there is critics of this idea and they said in 2016 that they should not have the right to vote and a lot has happened since 2016. we have seen incredible youth advocacy in response to the government's atrocious acts under trump and in the march on climate change advocacy and of course, under against gun violence and the parkland students march for life that was so inspired by the students then. and now to reaffirm that black lives matter. i was so inspired by what happened and that teenager organize the march over the bridge. and it was inspiring and impressive and necessary.

i do believe that san francisco voters should have another opportunity to way in on this important question. and i look forward to continuing the conversation with my colleagues, the youth commission, and members of the community. i want to thank everyone and you inspire me and give me hope in this political climate that feels very -- i don't even know sometimes how to put the words to it. and you give me hope and seek to things that destroy our democracy as citizens united, the gun laws and systemic racism, all of it. and all of you that took time to call today. all of you that continue to work on this at such a young age are

really what will make the change. and i can't thank you enough. i am inspired by you and again, i look forward to hearing what the voters have to say this time and putting it on the ballot. i will definitely vote to do that today and thank you so much for advocacy. >> thank you so much. supervisor mar, do you have any comments? >> thank you, chair ronen. elled echo supervisor stefani's comments in thanking president yee and the youth commissioners and bringing this incredibly important and ground breaking measure forward. and as a teenager growing up under president trump and so many environmental and other crises i understand on a personal level and absolutely agree that now more than ever young people are yearning for and deserve a voice in important decisions that impact them, the families and the communities and

quite literally the bright future. and the cities needs civic engagement to address the challenges that confronted all of us and i look forward to moving both vote 16 forward to the november ballot and having san francisco might be taking to expand this to democracy. thank you to everyone who has done hard work on this over the last few years. >> supervisor: thank you and last words from president yee. >> thank you, chair ronen. and really want to thank the young people that spoke today and particularly the commissioners and youth commission. and and i want to thank all of

them for taking the time to do. i supported this ballot measure in 2016 and saw the enthusiasm of so many young people at the time getting engaged and and this effort that we are currently engaging in is no different. i am seeing the same type of energy and the same interracial people or young people to make the statement and and why they are doing this and why we should get behind this. my two daughters who are mothers now were engaged in civic issues when they were young teenagers also. and my younger one in particular and carissa was a youth commissioner when she was 13 years old.

and i had the opportunity to speak to both of my daughters and they are so proud of the young people today and the way it could happen. i want to thank my colleagues from the committee that is supporting this. thank you very much. >> thank you. and with that, a bit of wonderful way to end the rules committee meeting today. i would like to make a motion to send this item forward with public recommendation. can we have a roll call vote? >> supervisor stefani. >> aye. >> supervisor mar. >> aye. >> chair ronen? >> ronen. the motion passes without objection. >> yay! congratulations. thank you very much. >> thank you, everyone. and mr. clerk, is there any other items on the agenda today? >> that completes the agenda for today. >> meeting adjourned. congrats, everyone. have a great week. bye.

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>> chair peskin: good afternoon and welcome to the land use and transportation meeting for june 8, 2020. i am the chair of the committee, aaron peskin, joined by vice chair ahsha safai and dean preston. our clerk is miss erica major.

miss major, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. because of the covid-19 pandemic, the board of supervisors and legislative chamber are closed. however, members will be participating in the meeting locally. [inaudible] >> clerk: each speaker will be allowed to speak. comments or statements during the meeting are available by calling 415-655-0001. again, that's 415-655-0001.

the access code is 1454836716. again, that's 1454836716, then press pound, pounce. you will hear the meeting discussions but will be muted, in listening mode. when public comment comes up, dial star-three to be added to the speaker line. best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak slowly and clearly, and turn down your television or radio. alternatively, you may submit public comments in the following ways. e-mail myself at

erica.major@sfgof.org. that's erica.major@sfgov.org. lastly, the director of the office of civic engagement, adrian pond, has applied a spanish interpreter on item 1 to assist speakers in their native language with our public comment. let's have arturo consenza interpret the public remarks. [speaking spanish language]

. >> interpreter: that's everything. thank you. >> chair peskin: gracias, arturo. madam clerk, can you read the first item? >> clerk: yes. item 1 is an ordinance amending the administrative code to prohibit landlords from evicting residential tenants for nonpayment of rent that was not paid due to the covid

pandemic. >> chair peskin: thank you, miss major. first of all, before i yield the floor to the primary author of this legislation, supervisor preston, i want to apologize to everybody who waited patiently a week ago today. unfortunately, we were forced to cancel that meeting because the rules committee meeting went all day long last monday, so i want to thank everybody who waited patiently for many hours, and i'm sorry that that meeting had to be cancelled, but we don't have technology or staff ability to run two committee meetings at once in the covid-19 period. with that, supervisor dean

preston, the floor is yours. >> supervisor preston: thank you, chair peskin. colleagues, today, i'm asking you to move forward with positive recommendation this legislation to provide permanent eviction protections for renters impacted by covid-19. currently, the city and county of san francisco has banned eviction for nonpayment of rent for the duration of the current health crisis. the concern remains what happened after, particularly for those who have experienced loss of income, many of whom were struggling to make ends meet before the coronavirus became our new reality. without legislative change, there can be little doubt that when the eviction moratorium expires, that landlords will

give tenants three days to pay for quit. what will happen will be an avalanche of evictions, massive in scale and irrepairable in harm. we must do everything to oppose that change. in effect, this would permanently take nonpayment eviction off the table for san francisco renters struggling to payback rent that came due during this state of emergency. this change would make san francisco among the most forward thinking cities in terms of protecting vulnerable low-income tenants, but we would not be alone. in march, the oakland city council passed a similar ordinance which would likewise ban nonpayment evictions for covid related rent debt thanks

to the leadership of nicky fortunado-bass. i know my colleagues have heard in recent days about this legislation, so i wanted to take a moment to clarify some key points. first, here's what the legislation does. it prohibits the eviction for nonpayment of rent where rent payments become due during the state of emergency and nonpayment one arose out of a substantial decrease in household income or substantial out-of-pocket expenses. two, that was caused by the covid-19 pandemic or by any local, state, or federal government response to covid-19; and three, is documented. in addition, it prohibits any interest, late fees or charges to tenants for late rent, and it is clear that the delayed rent cannot be used as grounds

for eviction. no one who can pay their rent on time because of a global pandemic, which is something out of their control, should ever have to worry about being penallized with late fees and convictions. here's what the legislation does not do. it does not remove the obligation of the tenant to pay the rent owed. it does not remove the obligation to pay debt. a tenant with the means to pay would have every reason to follow through on their contractual obligation in the same way they would have every reason to pay their monthly credit card bill or student loan payment. for tenants who cannot pay their back rent, this legislation seeks to protect

tenants from landlords who would seek to evict. there can be no doubt that if the law remains as is, the san franciscans who will soon be kicked out of their homes will be from low-income communities, and i believe it's in our duty to offer them the full protection available by law. colleagues, i ask you, as many san franciscans have been unable to work for ten weeks and counting, to forward this legislation without delay and with a positive recommendation to the full board of supervisors, and in so doing, you would be joining a long list of organizations demanding this measure and its he is annual, including the san francisco tenants union, affordable housing alliance, chinatown development center, seiu 1021, seiu 2015, seuifww,

transport union local workers, harvey milk lgbtq democratic club, poder, senior and disability action, black pan they are, tenderloin development neighborhood corporation, latino democratic club, noe neighborhood council, richmond district rising, united to save the mission, delores street community services, somcan, ace, coleman advocates, filipino community center, chinese for affirmative action, soma filipinos, and colleagues, before i wrap up, i would like to offer some amendments, both of which i believe to be nonsub-stantista

which i believe you have received from the clerk, and one that we have heard that is relative to all small property owners who may themselves suffer hardship in the event that they are no longer able to receive or lose rental income. and i want to point out, in particular, and thank my colleague, ahsha safai, before this legislation was introduced, he and i, on the floor, discussed relief commitments for property owners to make sure that no one is harmed in their housing by this pandemic. i will be introducing at tomorrow's board meeting a package of proposals that will propose long-term housing stability, among them, an

increase in the fees on real estate transfers valued at $10 million or more that would allow some relief for owners who rent to tenants who cannot pay rent or the back rent obligation. all of these are critical steps in our relief efforts, and i would be offering an amendment to this legislation to create our intention to create this rent relief fund and program. the amendment, which has been distributed, as i mentioned, to committee members as a paragraph at page 3, lines 11 through 13, and reads as follows, that the board of supervisors intends to create a covid-19 rent resolution and relief fund whose tenants are unable to pay rent due to the impact of covid-19, and i'm

cleaning up the finding sections and reference some changes since the legislation was introduced to the mayor's directive and governor's executive order. and as mentioned, all of these are nonsubstantive, as i'm advised by the city attorney. i would like to, before wrapping up, thank my cosponsors of the legislation, supervisors hillary ronen, matt haney, shamann walton, and aaron peskin. i would like to thank my legislative aid for his work, and aaron collins on the rent board who i understand is available to answer any questions that may come up. and finally, i'd like to thank

the san francisco antidispla l antidisplacement coalition and its membership and leadership on this for all of their work to protect the most vulnerable san franciscans from displacement. thank you. you are muted, chair peskin. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. preston. are there any questions for mr. collins? supervisor safai? seeing none, why don't we go -- >> supervisor safai: chair, i'm going to hold my questions and comments until after public comment. >> chair peskin: understood. okay. so why don't we go to public comment. madam clerk? >> clerk: mr. chair, operations is checking to see if there are any callers in queue. operations, please let us know if there are any callers already. if you have not already done so, please press star-three to

be added to the queue. you will be prompted that your hand has already been raised. for those already on hold, please continue to wait. >> chair peskin: sorry, arturo. go ahead. [speaking spanish language] operati

>> operator: okay. there are 70 callers in the queue. i will start with the first caller. >> clerk: thank you. >> a city does not have legal authority under the governor's order to restrict a landlord's ability to cover rent due. this will make it nearly impossible for -- proposal will make it nearly impossible for small landowners to pay rent during covid-19. this proposal, along with the closure of the court system, would allow tenants to live rent free from march 2020 to potentially september and beyond, and landlords would have no legal resource to recoupe unpaid rent. the board of supervisors cannot and should not prevent landlords who have been financially impacted by covid-19 from enforcing our rights. small landowners are particularly hard hit by renters who cannot pay.

even one in four who cannot pay, the owners are experiencing a hardship. i'm a landowner in san francisco. i waited patiently the last four months for rent, and i feel like i should be made whole. i feel like my role is not to provide free housing. that's the role of san francisco, so i'm looking forward to hopefully getting my complete rent back, but san francisco feels that i should delay getting rent. that's it. >> clerk: thank you. next caller, please. hello, caller? >> hello? >> clerk: yes, you have two minutes to speak. hello. >> hi. i am a landlord here in san francisco, and i am completely opposed to 300 -- this

legislation. it shouldn't put the -- all the financial burden of tenants who are unable to pay on the backs of small business owners in san francisco, and that's all i have to say. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> hi. i only oppose this ordinance. please know that just last month, the full board vote for $15 million -- $15 million funding care. can you direct $5 million every month to san francisco renters? can you do that? you can do that, right? do that now. tomorrow, $5 million for san

francisco renters to help people in this audience. that's all i want to say. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> i'm mina young. i'm a long time san francisco owner, and a voter, and business -- please say no to this legislation. it's unconstitutional, so any workers who can get paychecks, you're not going to tell them that because of the covid-19, they should not expect to get paychecks, they should just go through the small claims court to get it. and you, as supervisors, you should not be getting paid, either, you should expect to only go through small claims court to get your money, so that's why you're saying. the homeowners are already providing essential service

during this critical time. covid-19 knows no colors. it impacts everyone, no matter whether you have house or not, so everybody's impacted. you should not expect one party to provide free service to another and singlehandedly burn the difficulties, so please say no to this legislation. thanks. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> hi. can you hear me? >> chair peskin: yes. >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes to speak. >> yes. okay. great. my name is abe fields. i i i'm a resident of district 5. i'm calling in support of this legislation. i distribute rental assistance for a living. before this pandemic hit, our city was already in a housing crisis, and i spoke to a never

ending stream of families who were at a high risk of defaulting on their rent families because it's so freaking high. many families work over 60 hours a week only to be able to afford a shared bedroom in the tenderloin. in the past through months, our office has been flooded with calls asking about covid related back rent assistance. we actually started turning people away. some renters have such large back rent balances that our office can't help, and their cases will turn into an unlawful detainer action if this legislation does not pass. the six-month period the tenants are give right now -- given right now to payback their covid rent debt is not enough. forcing people out of their homes because they cannot pay

rent will not only put more pressure on the city and will further exacerbate the covid-19 crisis. thank you, supervisors, for hearing me, and that's all my time. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. my name is tom, and i'm a renter in the sunset district, number 4. before this pandemic, i've had to choose between fixing my vehicle and keeping a roof over my head. living in san francisco is hard enough. please support this eviction relief. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. if you have not done so, please press star-three to be entered into the queue. if you've already done so, please continue to hold. >> hello, supervisors. my name is jason, and i'm a resident of district 1.

no one who has lost their job during this time can be expected to pay tens of thousands of dollars in back rent. it's just not going to be possible. anyone who supports a moratorium on evictions now but does not pass this bill had better be ready for a huge wave of evictions a few months from now. i would first ask you to support the bill supervisor preston just spoke about, which is intended to payback rent on behalf of your tenants. you will be made whole because of this legislation. please, please support this bill. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please.

hello, caller? hello, caller? >> my name is gabby. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, you have two minutes to speak. >> thank you. my name is gabby ruiz, and i am the policy and planning manager at tndc. we are in full support of this ordinance and feel that it will protect many of our tenants who have struggled to pay rent during this time. in my work consulting with other staff members who consult other residents in our tndc building, the biggest concerns i hear of our clients' loss of income, potential evictions, and what will happen to our clients' housing if they cannot

pay rent once this pandemic is over. there is a fear that they will become homeless if rent protections are not put in place. i also want to thank you, supervisor preston, for introducing those amendments because i feel it is important to acknowledge the concerns of nonprofit housing providers as we enter the potential for significant loss of income due to the nonpayment of rents in the coming months and years, and as protections are given to the tenants, we hope that consideration is given to housing providers that would incur a reasonable repayment schedule or create some type of public funding process that allows for landlords to recoup lost rent. it is important for our properties to have sufficient rent to operate our properties at a high level of property, and although we'll be sharing in the collective struggle of our tenants, we hope we'll be able to create a way that all

parties have equitable protections moving forward. again, thank you so much for introducing this ordinance. we are in full support of this legislation and its intent, and we will work with the public to identify a reliable source of rent repayment. thank you so much. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. hello? caller? next speaker, please. >> hello. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. you have -- >> okay. wonderful. hi. i'm a musician in san francisco and a freelance facilitator. i receive a -- received

multiple hiring freezes and gigs cancelled and have had zero income since the pandemic hit. all of the rent that i'm not able to pay, i don't see clearly how i'm supposed to come up with that. even as employment starts to reappear, it would only cover basic expenses. this is a huge unnecessary burden, and it's awful to think that people are going to be punished for not paying rent when they simply live in san francisco. when i'm told i cannot go to work, i should not have to pay my rent because i don't have any money to do that, so i want to support this measure and i appreciate dean preston for introducing this eviction legislation because there's many, many of us. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please.

>> hi. my name is katie sass. i'm a district 8 resident and a tenant rights attorney in the city. i strongly urge the board of supervisors to pass this legislation because no one should become homeless from unemployment during the pandemic. this will become a concrete reality for thousands of san franciscans if legislation is not enacted. i know this because every day i see the overwhelming impact that eviction has on our community. even if folks are able to resume the jobs that they had before the pandemic, many will simply not have the financial means to catch up on back rent within six months. this will be devastating to our neighbors and to our city. san francisco cannot have the economic recovery that it wants if there's a wave of evictions in january, and it would be cruel and unjust to put our fellow san franciscans on the streets through no fault of their own.

thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> hello, supervisors. on behalf of district 11 neighborhood alliance, communities united for health and justice, i'm calling in strong support of supervisor preston's eviction protection ordinance. as this pandemic plays out, our population is especially vulnerable. we have the highest population of youth and seniors, a high population of undocumented immigrants. in the middle of this pandemic, housing relief is vital. d-11 has the highest number of single-family homes in san francisco, and most of them are

owner occupied. asian law caucus study found that 70% of excelsior residents were renters, and that half of all tenants lived in secondary units. of these households, 87% were very low-income, and 60% were extremely low-income. the need for bold preventative legislation to prevent mass evictions on renters whose rent debt is amassing through no fault of their own is acute. as written, supervisor preston's legislation would stop the eviction of tenants who cannot pay rent because of covid-19. it does not prevent landlords from getting what they're owed. we support this legislation. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please.

hello, caller? >> i am the owner of a nine-unit apartment building in san francisco. we recently added four new units. to absolve the tenants from their rents will place an undue hardship on me if i have the added expense of paying for the new units, how do you expect me to pay for the building of these units? it is greatly unfair for the board to grant the tenants free rent for so many months when we landlords have to pay construction workers, maintenance, electric, and overall maintenance of the building. it will not help the tenants if the building is reduced to a slum property, and we as landlords cannot keep up with the maintenance expenses.

i do realize that there's evictions for our tenants. i would not allow that, but this ruling is going to take advantage of a lot of landlords. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> hi. my name is tyler, and i live in district 6. i really think that legislation like this is kind of a no brainer. at least for me, and i think this is true for a lot of people. i look at my expenses every month, and rent is my highest one, so rent relief or any kind of thing like this that helps renters is welcome, rather than a check for $1200 from the government or anything like that. as the supervisors said, if we have an eviction moratorium and nothing like this, we're just

going to delay them and see a huge wave of evictions in the future, which i don't think anyone wants. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> hello, supervisors. my name is david wu. i'm with soma filipinas, filipino cultural heritage district. i just want to give -- soma filipinas is in full support of supervisor peskin's legislation. thank you for introducing it. the filipino community has faced waves of historical displachl, from the igrant hotel to -- displacement, from

the igrand hotel to landlord tycoons, so we support this. thank you so much. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. my name is kathrin -- [inaudible] >> -- to multiple pathways.

[inaudible] >> -- decreathank you.

>> clerk: thank you. next caller, please. >> yeah, hi. my name is carrie -- i'm sorry. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, i can hear you. >> my name is carrie. i'm a district 5 resident, and i'm also an sfusd teacher? i'm calling in support of this legislation? i think it would be immoral of our city to leave such a huge part of our community behind at this time. i do hear all of the landlords that have called in, and i obviously support any measures that need to be taken to also ensure that landlords can be stable and be made whole. that needs to be part and parcel of what happens in order to bring all of our community

along together. as a schoolteacher in the last ten weeks, i have seen the impact of unstable housing on so many of my students and the move from unstable housing to homelessness. as we all know, homelessness is a factor that causes children to miss school, to leave school earlier, to have lower test scores. really, in the classroom, it looks like kids are just sitting there and looking worried, or looking out the window, wondering where their family is at the moment or asking what are we doing now because it's really hard for them to concentrate because of the stress that they're facing. in the last few weeks, my students have become even more stressed and even more unable to focus. one way or another, the city of san francisco will end up paying for what happens during the covid-19 crisis. either we can take care of all of our residents and pay now and put that money into our

community now so we're not leaving it behind, or we can leave tons and tons of people behind and see increased hospital usage, increased e.r. use a usage, and increased expenses as far as the department of public works, and all of these people will have been put out of housing. so to me. >> clerk: speaker's time is -- [inaudible] >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please.

>> hi. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes. >> i am a journalist and disability advocate. i am disabled myself, and i work closely with the coalition on homelessness, as well. i want to first and foremost thank dean preston for his unbelievable leadership during this pandemic. few people have stepped up to show leader should be during this crisis, and -- leadership during this crisis, and i want to thank him. i want to point out that the number -- what we're talking about has very real consequences. when people don't have a home, oftentimes, they die. the number of homeless people has tripled during covid-19. if mass evictions go through, you will see that number greatly increase. 275 people died homeless on our

streets last year. we will see that number at least tripled if evictions are forced to go through for people who cannot work during this crisis. i think this legislation offers protections for small business owners, the amendment that mr. preston has clearly stated, and i think the fallouts of not passing this amendment will be absolutely horrible. it will make the protests we have right now look like a walk in the park. it will make the legal problems we have right now look like a walk in the park. it'll very important that our homeless, the vast majority of whom are disabled should not be penalized for a health crisis that they did not create and they are a victim to. thank you for your time. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. hello, caller? >> hello? can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes to speak.

>> thank you. my name is cynthia gomez, and i'm the data analysis with the union that's representing hospitality workers. as would be no surprise to everyone, our members have been devastated by this pandemic and are facing a tremendous fight to get made whole again, and we support this legislation because it will provide protection against one of the most psychologically devastating things that a family can understand go, which is being forceablely evicted. as other callers have mentioned, it does not just provide psychological and emotional protection, but it provides protection against the extremely december remittal and physical health effects of being made homeless. so we support this legislation this. would stop landlords from evicting tenants, but it would not stop landlords from getting what they're owed.

it keeps that on the table, so we support this as a tool that san francisco can take to prevent mass evictions after the pandemic emergency. san francisco takes a leadership role. it's a role we embrace, and it's an example that we hope that cities around the country and state will follow. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> thank you. my name is curtis ackerson, and i'm a landlord. one thing-a single duplex. i live in one part of the house, and another person lives in the other part of the house. this ordinance divides rather than unites people in our city. you can't say we're for everyone when you go after

landlords. why not bring all the stakeholders to the table and come up with some solutions, rather than tieing some of the stakeholders to the stake? this isn't time for esca for scapegoatism. some people seem to be taking a play out of president trump's play book. the reality is that landlords are small business owners that need help. rather than attacking small business owners, why doesn't the supervisors themselves do something within their power to alleviate the health crisis? why don't they give full or partial property tax credits to landlords who forgive rent for those affected by covid-19? you've heard many people on this call talk about payments, yet this bill does nothing about it. it was a little addendum as an after thought, which is not

what this is doing. i used to be a renter. if you want more consumer debt, raise your hand. that's what you're getting, more consumer debt from this legislation that either the landlord nor the tenant created. why don't you amend sb 1410? it uses state of california money to do exactly that: make direct rent payments to renters and landlords, and it helps them cooperate and get paid. there's state money available for this? y the state solved the problem rather than -- >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next caller, please? >> my wife and i own small flats in san francisco, flats where i've lived for decades. covid-19 affects everybody, but

many landlords face similar situations to tenants. they face bills they must pay. if landlords don't pay their expenses, they may well lose the property, and himself or herself is evicted, often with the tenants. no one will save them. what will the housing landscape look like in san francisco with more foreclosed and shuttered properties than we already have? will these same low-income tenants will be able to maintain the property? sadly, not. san francisco may begin to look like havana after castro forbid landlords from charging rent. havana is still in a state of decay today. supervisor preston's

legislation is so one sided that likely, at some point, it will be overturned by the courts, making tenants liable for back rent they didn't think they would have to pay and subjecting the city itself to myriad and sometimes excessive lawsuits from landlords who lost their property or forced to sell in a down market. landlords didn't cause the housing crisis. we didn't cause the covid-19 pandemic. the only solution lies at the national level, through the state most likely, and targeting landlords, you're hurting everyone and failing to take the action that might really alleviate the problem. remember, the banks and corporations that bottom feed on those affected by the legislation will not be better

landlords. moreover, these banks and corporations will be able to litigate matters in the courts for decades, and the owner may s -- city may see themselves on the losing end of the process. no on 200375. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i am marlene tran. i oppose this proposal, as well. many renters and even some housing providers out of work, it seems a reasonable temporary stopgap measure, but it really isn't. this proposal may have unintended consequences to tenants, as well. i became a small property from frugal savings and 35 years of part-time teaching of immigrant students. after years of hard work, some

people have managed to buy their properties while some have made investments. they appeal to me to ask you to make fair proposals for all. this would make it impossible for small property owners to recoup their rents because it places the burden on mom and pop owners who still have to pay mortgages, maintenance, and other expenses, and we have to pay the fees during lawsuits when tenants get free legal representation. personally, since the city does not provide help for us, this legislation will make it even harder for us to continue to be providers.

how about all the supervisors pitch in and donate 25% of the pay to have tenants, as well? don't force small property owners into foreclosures that ultimately will displace our tenants. during the challenging time, please maintain reasonable legislation to allow property owners and tenants to coexist. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, we can hear you. you have two minutes to speak. >> okay. my name is kelly, and i am a renter from district 5? i'm calling in incredible support of this bill. i want to thank my supervisor, dean preston, who i'm really thankful for. i work for san francisco

unified school district as a school psychologist. we currently have thousands of homeless students, and we risk even more becoming homeless. i want to correct an earlier comment that said that everyone is equally affected by this pandemic. we know that covid-19 is disproportionately affecting people of color, and we see families of color being further displaced as a result of the impact of lost jobs and health complications in working, and a loss of income. please consider this bill. i am in major support of it, and again, i just want to thank dean preston. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. hello, caller?

next speaker, please. hello. you have -- you have two minutes to speak. >> hi. my name is ivy mcclellan. i'm a long time san francisco resident and work with people of color in particular those who have experienced homelessness for the past 20 years. i'm in a very unique position. i could face homelessness due to the fact that i lost both of my jobs due to covid, and i want to advocate for this really important bill in order to save rental housing for people like myself who do not have the luxury of savings or any other way to -- to payoff

this debt that came about because of covid-19. i strongly support this bill, and thank you for your time and effort in putting it together. >> clerk: thank you. for those listening, you can press star-three to be added to speak, and you will be prompted that you have raised your hands. for those who have, please continue to wait. next speaker, please. hello, caller? >> hi. my name is scott weaver, and i work at the eviction defense collaborative, and i've been related to issues related to tenant eviction for the past 30 years. i can say without a doubt we anticipate a tidal wave of

evictions unless legislation is passed. we know a tsunami is coming, and we know that the after shocks will be increased homelessness, a strain on our social services and incalculable human cost. everything needs to give something up, and landlords, especially san francisco landlords own extremely valuable property with some of the highest rents in the country, which tenants have been paying. they simply have more wealth than most tenants and will not be put out on the street or have to use our safety net. furthermore, it doesn't mean

the tenants will nbe able to live rent free. it means the tenants still have the financial obligation, and it's a debt rather than an eviction, which is what the legislation is intended to prevent. some landlords will be hurt, but not as bad as the thousands of tenants will be, and supervisor preston's trailing legislation will immediately relieve some of this financial burden that they will immediately face, and i urge you to support all of this legislation. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. this is eileen from the san francisco tenants union, a volunteer. i've been directing calls that we've been getting about tenants not being able to pay. this does not count tenants who

have considered moving because they're unable to pay. our mission at the tenants union is to prevent homelessness. we're already facing a housing crisis here in san francisco, and this will affect it more, including landlords. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. hello, caller? next speaker, please. >> hello? >> clerk: hi. you have two minutes to speak. >> hello? >> clerk: hi. we can hear you. >> hi. i'm miranda -- can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, we can hear you. >> can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. >> all right. i'm miranda hanrahan-beech.

i live in district 10, and i want to urge the board of supervisors unequivocally to pass the legislation which is an absolutely essential move to protect thousands of people from losing their homes a few months ago. i've -- it's hard to see how there's even any question that this is necessary, given that the board of supervisors has already agreed that people should not be losing their homes due to nonpayment of rent due to this covid crisis which is not their fault by suspending evictions. to not make that ban permanent is just to postpone, as many people have said, that wave of evictions that will result in a massive wave of homelessness that will confront the city with yet another giant public health crisis which is going to be incredibly destructive to the health of the city and the economy of the city and will hurt everyone. so i want to unequivocally

express my support for this bill, and i want to thank the board of supervisors for their leadership in protecting tenants and protecting the city as best as they can from the disaster that is covid-19 and the economic crisis that comes with it. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello. i'm from the san francisco tenants union, and we support this legislation wholeheartedly because without this legislation, we know we're just kicking the can down the road of thousands of evictions possibly. what's the purpose of an eviction mo eviction moratorium if people have to pay it at the end of

that time. we know what's coming unless we solve the problem with a reasonable piece of legislation, like this one. the landlords who are speaking on this call, this lemgislatio does not come after you. it merely prevents eviction for a certain period of time when they can't go to work. we asked people to not go to work for a certain period of time so they don't have to support the burden themselves. i ask the board of supervisors to support this legislation. please support some of our most vulnerable residents. as the supervisors have said, the people who are having the hardest time coming up for this money are people who are unemployed. folks who are undocumented, folks who are low-income. those are the folks we need to

protect most in keeping in our city, and those are the folks who need our help the most at this time. thank you so much. >> clerk: hello. next speaker, please. >> hello? >> clerk: caller, you have two minutes to speak. >> is that for me? >> clerk: yes. yes, ma'am. hello. you have two minutes to speak. >> yes. i have been affected as a small business owner with this covid-19 crisis, and i meanwhile am a landlord owning three-unit buildings. i think small apartment business owners -- apartment building business owners should not be responsible for providing free rent and not be able to evict. i have to provide a living for my family and my small

business, which is a restaurant, has been terribly impacted, and we should get some support from the state or the government if we are going to help the tenants that cannot pay their rent. so, you know, both of us, all of us have to get support, not just the tenants. which i understand they are high impacted, as well, but so am i, as well, so thank you for this measure. thank you so much. -- so i am against this measure. thank you so much. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. hello, caller. you have two minutes. >> thank you. good afternoon, supervisors. i am a district resident in the i want to thank supervisor peskin for working with the

community on this balanced approach to protecting tenants and honoring the needs of certain landlords to recoup last income. i hope you will support this legislation with the proposed amendments. please remember that thousands of san franciscans, disproportionately low-income people of color have lost their jobs. [inaudible] >> -- that tenants will not lose their homes as they struggle to get current with their rent obligations. landlords will still be able to recover the rent payments owed to them. landlords start evicting tenants for unpaid back rent, both landlords and tenants

would lose because landlords would not recover the back rent, and tenants would lose their homes. when small property owners are generally worried about income, this legislation addresses that. this legislation strikes the right balance of protecting tenants from evictions and upholding landlords rights. i ask for your full support in this. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello.

anastasia iannopoulos. thank you, supervisor preston, for your stopgap measure. it will keep tenants housed. it doesn't mean landlords will not receive rent. tenants will owe that money. it will become a consumer debt, so otherwise, landlords would have to evict the tenants, tenants would be out on the street, and they would never collect the money anyhow, so i think this is the best solution for the time being. keep tenants housed and give them time to payback the money. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. hello, caller. you have two minutes.

>> hello? can you hear me? >> clerk: hi. yes, you have two minutes. >> hi. great. hi there. my name is laura connor, and i'm a ten-year resident of district 8. i'm a renter, and i just want to express my enthusiastic support of this legislation. i think it's the most compassionate choice in terms of what we can do as a city for the vast majority of people who will be negatively affected by covid-19. so thank you so much, dean preston, for introducing this idea, and i hope it goes through. thank you. thank you very much for your time. >> clerk: thank you. next caller, please. >> hello. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes, you have two minutes. >> yes. my name is hannah flannery. i'm a staff attorney at legal assistance to the elderly, where i represent seniors and

people with disabilities facing eviction. when health advocates explain what protections are currently in place, we have to explain that these protections are temporary, and tenants will have to payback the rent. for many tenants, there's one big problem. it's unclear where the money will come from, and howtenants are supposed to protect themselves when these protections disappear. while tenants will be working hopefully with the city to payback the money owed, they should not be facing or threatened with displacement. i heard earlier in this meeting that the impact on "mom and pop landlords." here's the thing. even if this ordinance passes, landlords will be able to get the back rent they believe they are owed. they will go through the cou , courts, just like they would have to do if they are going through eviction proceedings.

they just won't be able to permanently remove their tenants from their home. nobody calling in to oppose this ordinance hazas articulat why they feel that forcing tenants from their homes through eviction is necessary for a landlord to be made whole. this hasn't been articulated because it's not necessary. if san francisco wants to consider itself a prerogative community that actually acknowledges the existence of all of its community, we need to take bold initiatives like this to keep people housed. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello. >> clerk: hi. you have two minutes. >> i'm a three year resident of san francisco, and i'm -- these last several months have been really tough everyone. i'm currently helping support

my brothers, mostly disabled, and my daughter. my expenses recently went up. in addition, i'm paying property taxes, insurance, and maintenance expenses. the building we have was built in 1904, so you can imagine there's a lot of maintenance. over $30,000 in repairs last year alone. now i understand the board wants to fund tenants to help pay rent out of the general fund. they should do that. i don't think it's progressive at all to pass the expense onto mom and pop landlords. they're basically small business people, and they may be struggling financially. i ask if you wish to do this, please give direct grants to the tenants rather than forcing the landlords to try some pie in the sky scenario in the future to try to recover lost rent. thank you very much for your

time. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker. >> hi. my name is jackie, and i am a tenant in district well as a well as a tenants right attorney in san francisco. i'm calling today to ask the board of supervisors to enact this legislation. the current protections in place set tenants up who have been financially impacted by covid-19 for evictions in just a few months. san francisco renters should not be forced from their homes during a global pandemic. we have to prioritize working class folks in our neighborhoods, otherwise we will lose them as neighbors. we will lose the diversity of our city, and it will become what we're afraid of: a city of the ultraelite and homeless.

while every other area of the economy has taken a hit, landlords expect to receive their rent in full each month, regardless of what's happening around them, demonstrating a lack of compassion and empathy. while changing this rent into debt is not much, it's a step in the right direction and keeps tenants have being evicted from their homes. thank you to the supervisors. i appreciate your time. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. my name is lauren, and i'm a resident of supervisor district 1, and i can thank supervisor preston for bringing this bill forward. i'm calling in enthusiastic support of this bill, and i think i paid enough of my landlord's mortgage through my rent to have a say in this. i just want to acknowledge that most of us -- as joseph

mentioned before, most of us our bank tenants, and we owe a lot to banks. this is what we can do at the local level to help the most vulnerable. this ordinance is for all of us. by protecting the most vulnerable, we protect all of us because there's no situation in which a landlord might not find themselves becoming a tenant. there's really no situation, right? so we're protecting all of us, so i fully support this bill and want to acknowledge that all of these conversations are being held on ohlone land, and

we should not forget that. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. [inaudible] >> so i think while this is going in the right direction, i do oppose this bill because it does not protect the landlords enough from potentially losing their property or maintaining their property. i think a really good suggestion is the government should take a part in paying for the rent that's not being covered right now so that we can all kind of work together? because i think for a big part, most of the landlords would like their tenants to be able to stay where they are, but simply, this rent not being covered makes it challenging on all ends of the spectrum.

thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes. >> hi. hello. >> clerk: hi. you'll have two minutes to speak. >> hello? are you talking to me. >> clerk: yes, i'm talking to you. you'll have two minutes to speak. >> i'm bill kwan, and i'm calling to oppose this legislation. i think it will practically make it impossible to collect the debt, and i think the legislation provides incentives to latch onto that i was covid-19 impacted because it looks like the tenant providing voluntary information. it doesn't say anything about

the landlord being able to require verified information. i think in that situation the landlord would be intimidated because they feel like they might be charged with harassment and so forth. i think it would have the possibility of impacting those tenants who had not been paying rent prior to the covid-19 orders being put in place. also, in terms of national surveys, the -- before april, there was an outcry from many tenant activists that many people would not be able to pay their rent in april and may, and that hasn't been borne out by national statistics. approximately 90% of people both in april and may have paid, so i don't think that

your information you have there is based on any kind of case study or any kind of thorough studies. i think it sounds like anecdotal, and we've heard these cries before about the coming disasters, but the national statistics don't bear it out. also, i think that the legislation -- [inaudible] >> -- and i have a few already with my tenants, and i don't like to see them interfered with, especially since we both entered into an agreement voluntarily. so for the above reasons, i urge you to vote no on the proposed legislation. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> supervisors, elaine petty here.

i'm a long time renter and voter of district 5, the fillmore, and i'm a member of senior and disability action. i support supervisor peskin's legislative package. i believe it offers help in a very fair and balanced way to all san franciscans in threat of losing their homes due to circumstances completely not of their making. we have been hit with a triple epidemic: the virus, economic recession, along with the ongoing racial and social injustice. and on top of all three, we can see the fourth epidemic coming: the mass evictions as soon as the emergency is declared over. now many, many landlords are fair, but we know there are those that will strike immediately, evicting as soon

as they're allowed, and we know they will affect immigrant tenants, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities. in other words, people with no options. we can do something now about the fourth epidemic. supervisors, it's within your power to stop this threat. please make sure we don't lose our homes. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. again, the caller number is 415-655-0001. the access code is 4156836716, pound, pound. for those of you who would like to speak in public comment, please star-three, and continue to wait. we appreciate your patience. next caller, please. >> hi. my name is allison, and i completely support the ordinance 200-375. i'm a renter in san francisco, district 8, and i work in

public health here in the city. as you know, san francisco has some of the work income inequality and high rent in the country. 70% of people who are currently homeless in s.f. had a home at one time. the pandemic and the homelessness, covid, and police brutality are all connected. renters in san francisco should not be expected to pay thousands of dollars in back rent in a short amount of time when so many of us are trying to survive off of nonexistent or slashed wages. i would like to say that the landlords who have spoken today have spoken about the threat of foreclosure while the tenants today have spoken about the threat of homelessness. it's not the same. instead of fighting tenants over scraps, the landlords on

this call should push for relief from state and local governments. no one should become homeless as a result of this pandemic. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. hello, caller? >> hello. hi. my name is dawson. i'm calling from seniors for actions with disabilities. i'm calling because young disabled people and working seniors who have recently lost their jobs, they should not be placed on the streets, and there's a critical lapse in affordable housing in the city and county of san francisco? for them to find another place to stay is almost completely

impossible? and it is a good remind-- [inaudible] >> also, incredible housing insecurity is big amongst our members. other members that we have have been complaining and also been very in pain because they cannot afford to pay rent? almost all of their s.s.i. and s.s.d. checks are going into rent, leaving them with just loose change? also, to respond to previous comments, covid survival rate heeds color as it does age and disability. it's d it's despicable that landlords speaking out during this pandemic are saying that their worlds will change forever. the only way for tenants and

the city of san francisco to be made whole is to provide for all of our residents and to continue to build from their together. thank you very much. >> clerk: thank you very much for your comments. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes. hello, caller? >> hi. can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes. >> hi. thank you. my name is jessica, and i'm a resident of district 1, the richmond? and i just want to voice my support for this ordinance, and i just want to thank dean preston and all of those organizations and leaders involved? as a -- like, as a resident of san francisco, a tenant, i have -- i have had the privilege of being able to -- of having an income to pay rent, and i acknowledge that many, many others have not? and i also echo many other callers who have spoken to you of the interconnectedness of homelessness and, like, the police brutality system as well

as education and our youth? it's also interconnected, and i hear many of the landlords on this call, and i urge you to, like, not support evicting tenants and to work for relief directly to landlords? again, i fully support this ordinance and yield my time. >> clerk: thank you. and next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes. hello? >> hi? >> clerk: you have two minutes. >> hi. hello. my name is sarah, and i'm a resident in district 5? i wanted to start by thanking supervisor preston for this legislation and say that i fully support it. i am an educator, and i live in

a marginalized low-income community of educators and activists and artists, and just two days ago, we received a threatening letter from our landlord in san francisco who owns over 300 properties in san francisco and makes over $300 million a year. this is extremely aremalarmingd i feel extremely vulnerable. and that makes it hard for me to engage in my community and stay in san francisco. we see gentrification and white washing all over this city. a bill like this, making sure that people stay in san francisco who belong in san francisco is extremely crucial for maintaining the integrity of our city, and so i strongly support this legislation. thank you so much, supervisor dean. i'm proud to be in your district, and i'm proud to have

voted for you. i will always vote for you again. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next caller, please. you will have two minutes. hello, caller? >> hello. my name is lolita hernandez and i'm a housing affordability lawyer. and i'm here to advise my strong support for supervisor preston's legislation -- [inaudible]

>> this is the time for us to stand with our community and support our working class and person of color immigrants who are not eligible for unemployment benefits and the state relief 1410 as it is now written that landlords refer to on their calls. i urge you to support this important legislation and protect our vulnerable community. thank you for your time and consideration. >> clerk: thank you. next caller, please. >> hi. i'm here to voice my strong support for supervisor preston's eviction protection

ordinance. [inaudible] >> even before covid-19 as everyone has mentioned, san francisco renters, particularly the community who we serve, were struggling to make ends meet. with so many people out of work and without a stable way to earn income for the foreseeable future, we know that there will be widespread evictions after the state of emergency expires. we are concerned that this wave of evictions would further exacerbate this pandemic, putti putting more tenants at risk.

[please stand by]

. >> -- during covid-19, many of those jobs will not reopen in the immediate future. in addition to this, there are seniors who have lost their roommates, and that income made it possible for them to actually remain in their homes, and due to their under lying health conditions, sheltering in place, this has meant that they cannot bring in new roommates right now. they are also very worried about losing the current protections that they have, and fear eviction in the future. so many have been trying to scrape together all that they can, actually selling household items to get $5 to $15 for items to help make it possible to pay their april and may rent, and it's frightening for them to be a part of this have vulnerable population that is dying with this virus.

and adding to that, then, the isolation and thinking of delaying that, building up debt, and resulting in he vacations is just truly unbearable. so with this -- with this protection right now, with this ordinance, people will have a chance to catch up on their loss of income, on their loss of roommates so that they can continue to pay their rent and remain in their homes. i'm happy to support the amendment that would establish a rent relief fund. the small property owners that i know -- and when i say small property owners, i mean a couple of buildings that are three to six units, as long time landlords, that they should be able to access that while tenants are unable to pay

rent while they are unable to work during that time. so thank you, supervisor preston. i so support this. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker? you have two minutes. >> i want to say this is not only an important legislation. but there's a moral imperative for these supervisors to pass this ordinance. why do we underestimate the long-term economic effects of what we're seeing now? in the last week of march, 1.1

californians applied for unemployment. the effects of the covid-19 situation does not end when landlords throw tenants outside. [inaudible] >> -- working remotely. these techies are the ones that have created shortages by pushing out renters are disproportionately not black and latinx. if they matter to you, keep them housed and keep them in san francisco. this is the easiest possible bare minimum litmus test for basic human empathy towards the working class of san francisco. people deserve a roof over their heads after being laid

off for something outside of their control. make no bones about what your answer to that question is, if you vote against the bill. i'd also just like to add that earlier in these conversations, a comparison of trump and some fabricated targeting of landlords. it's so intellectually dishonest to say that. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. hello, caller. you have two minutes. speakers who are in the queue, please continue to hold. thank you. >> hi. good afternoon. my name is leticia, and i am calling in to voice my strong support for supervisor preston's eviction protection ordinance, file 200375? i am the sfriesk housi-- san

francisco housing organizer with casa husa. we've spoken with hundreds of tenants calling our hotline, and the majority of those are people calling facing evictions due to covid-19. [inaudible] >> -- when rent comes due. i am terrified of the word eviction, what will happen after the state of emergency expires, and there will be a wave of evictions if we don't take urgent action now. this ordinance would stop

landlords from evictioning tens who can't pay because of covid-19. it won't stop them from getting what they're owed, it just takes eviction off the table. now i want to say that i also feel for small landlords. my landlord is my mother-in-law, and my dad is a homeowner. we should be cancelling rents and mortgages to support everyone keeping and staying in their homes. this is something that our governor has the power to do, and while that happens, the board must pass this ordinance. we are urging you to vote yes and support this important legislation from passing and protecting thousands of tenants probably who will be at risk of -- >> clerk: thank you for your comments. [inaudible] >> clerk: next speaker, please.

next speaker, please. next speaker, please. hello? >> hi. my name is simon, and i'm a resident of district 8. i'm strongly in support of this legislation, and i strongly urge the supervisors to support this ordinance. [inaudible] >> we are not asking thank you.

next speaker, please.

>>. >> joy with housing rights committee. i am also a resident of district 8. i strongly support legislation to make nonpayment of rent nonevictable. even though there's an eviction moratorium in place, tenants will still have to payback rent. we see tenants paying rent over buying food because they're facing eviction. this will give tenants an opportunity to come up with a rent payment while having a place to call home. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you will hear that your line has been unmuted. >> good afternoon. this is bruce bowen from district 8 and the san francisco land use coalition. thank you, supervisor preston,

for this compassionate and balanced measure to protect tenants during this time. i strongly support the additional steps discussed earlier today. the board can't stop here with this ordinance. there'll be more actions for the city to take to protect other classes suffering from this crisis. thank you. please pass this ordinance. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes to speak. >> hello. my name is peter, and i'm a -- i live in district 9, and i've been a resident of san francisco for 12 years. i urge you to support this legislation in order to protect housing security. the landlords are concerned about loss of rental income? we must remember that they're speaking to equivolate their

mortgages with tenant rights and basic human decency. this would protect tenants who might never see another opportunity like this in their lifetime. i urge you to completely disregard landlord complaints about this matter. this serves one part of the homele coalition, and we need to increase services, not depress systems. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next caller. you will hear that your line has been unmuted. >> hi. my name is truk, and i am actually not afraid of being

evicted right now. i'm calling in for people who don't know this is happening or who can't call in. i strongly ask the landlords to check their own privilege. if they own property in the city, they have a lot more than a lot of us. i just urge you to continue to fight for all of us and consider our most vulnerable. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. hello, caller? next speaker, please. >> hello? >> clerk: hi. you have two minutes to speak. >> hi. my name is brittany henry, and i am a current renter in district 9, the sunset mission district. i have lived in the bay area my

entire life, as have my parents and as have their parents. i am calling to support this legislation, and i ask that the supervisors do the same. i am a memory kber ber of u.s.d to safe the mission, and i work on a -- save the mission, and i work on a number of other cultural organizations in s.f. because of my own health concerns and other concerns during the pandemic, i have been left unemployed, and due to ongoing issues with my work documentation, i have been unable to obtain unemployment. i continue to pay rent even with the moratorium in place.

i have been relying on a lot of friends and family, and due to my recent financial position had to rely on the moratorium because i couldn't pay the rent on my home. i found out last monday the morning of the original hearing date that one of my family members was fatally wounded during a protest in the east bay the night before. she was only 18. i say this because you need to hear how much people are hurting right now, how long i am hurting right now. i am not sure how i'm going to be able to maintain my housing in the coming here if my

landlord snatches it from me. >> clerk: thank you for your comment. next caller, please. hello, caller? >> hi. i am sorry. i was on mute. can you hear me okay? >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes to speak. wonderful. can you so much -- thank you so much. [inaudible]

>> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hi. i am a long time resident of district 9, the mission. i'm calling in support of this legislation. thank you, dean preston, for creating this for us. i want to start by saying shame on all the landlords that are dissenting this right now. if you're complaining about this, you clearly didn't listen to dean preston explain how landlords would also be protected. how many of these landlords that claim to be affected even live here in san francisco? also, if you own a property, you're more able to get financial assistance than

renters, who depend on low-income paychecks. the renters who should qualify for decisions are the same that have suffered for years as supervisors subsidize homeowners who live in other parts of the country and -- [inaudible] >> -- and i yield my time. >> clerk: thank you. if you want to participate in public comment, press star-three to be added to the queue. you will hear that your hand has been raised. please stay until you hear that

i acknowledge you for public comment. if you havenaren't hearing any, stay on the line now. next speaker, please. [inaudible] >> -- if the tenants are not paying rent, i will not be able to keep the property more than three months. this ordinance will make it almost impossible for me to makeup the unpaid rent and force me to offer free housing. both property owners and tenants need assistance due to the pandemic, but i think it's really unfair to us, the small property owners like me, to foot the bill on all of this. if the city is expecting small

property owners to assist the tenants, then they should help me by waving property tax or my mortgage at the same time. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes. hello, caller? speaker, please? >> oh, hi, is it me? >> clerk: yes. you have two minutes. >> hi. i'm seth. i'm calling on behalf of a household of six who are affected financially during the pandemic. i'm calling in support of the bill that dean preston has sent

out. our landlord hasn't spoken to us in two months, and we've been unable to make payments and will continue to be unable to make payments. it's not only the right choice to be making but the one that will be saving lives. i think putting any cost on human life is abhorrent at this time, and i thank you all supervisors for supporting this bill, and thank you, dean preston, for putting it out. have a wonderful day. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes to

speak. >> hi. [inaudible] >> -- greatly provide ongoing housing for an indefinite period of time. obviously, no one wants to be without a home, and that includes me. i'm still responsible for the mortgage, expenses, and everything else that goes along with this, and i don't have the deep pockets to foot this unless the tenants pay. i have wonderful tenants, and i deeply care for them, but i cannot continue to provide housing if they don't pay. i think you assume that i have unlimited means of making up for other people. i have been in a place where

i've had to work three jobs for years during economic crises. i understand the pressure firsthand. i've had the life experience of losing my home during another recession. callers have said no one should be put out on the street because they can't pay their rent. tell that to a mortgage lender. it's unfair to assume that landlords have deep pockets. please don't add this to other landlords who are in my position. landlords did not create this crisis, either, and you are expecting us to foot a financial bill that many of us cannot sustain. please consider all our welfare. please do not support 200375. there has to be a better solution for all of us. thank you. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. you will hear that your line has been unmuted.

hello, caller? next speaker, please. >> hello. my name is nancy lang. i've owned a building in district 5 since 1988, and it's a three-unit building, and i also live in district 5. i just wanted to say, you know -- and i consider myself a mom-and-pop business, but i'm really just the mom part of it. there's no pop, and i'm a senior citizens. one of the issues that's happened to me, of the three units, i have two vacant right now. they just became vacant right before the covid, and i'm in an age group -- vulnerable age group. so i'm basically in a situation where i'm hearing all this going on, and i'm concerned about actually even rerenting the two vacant units partly because i'm concerned about

getting other people moving in who won't pay rent. they'll take advantage of the new law, the new ordinance. i'm really on the fence. i've always been a conscientious landlady. i've always respected my tenants, and i'm alarmed at the hostility toward the people who have provided housing. i've considered it over the years a good thing to do, and i've worked well with people. but in recent years, it's becoming more and more difficult because everybody seems to be really hostile and also assuming that you're out to get everything and you're not going to be reasonable, and i've worked with people many, many times, where they've had a little trouble, and i've worked things out with them. but i'm automatically considered not worthy of having, you know, any rights to control my building or run what

is a tiny business. so any way, i appreciate the opportunity to speak, and i really feel terrible about what's going on for everybody. so, you know, i'm against it, obviously, so i would hope for other improvements. thank you. >> clerk: next speaker, please. hello, caller. you have two minutes. next speaker, please. >> hello? >> clerk: oh, hi. you have two minutes to speak. >> hello. i'm from housing rights committee. i have to say, at housing rights, the phone has been ringing off the hook by tenants who can't pay their rent.

people who are scared, people who lost their job during this period or who are sick. tens of thousands of people can't work now because they are honoring the stay-at-home order. they are protecting others' health or their own, and frankly, they won't be able to pay this back, many of them. you can't get blood out of a stone. so the question is for those tenants -- many tenants are going to pay the money back after this, but many tenants already paid 50 to 70% of their income before this, and the question is, when they don't have the money, you can't get it from a tenant who doesn't have it, and the question is should these thousands of people be evicted? should these thousands of people be evicted during the

pandemic? we've heard from the small landlords that they've been able to talk to their mortgage carrier about postponing payments during this pandemic, too, so small business owners often call their bank, but we're not hearing the majority of these landlords also waiting gleefully for their tenants to not -- long-term rent controlled tenants to be able to repay this because when you get back to work, if you can get back to work, and you're working that job, you're still not going to be able to pay the rent. we ask everyone to sacrifice right now. we all have to be together in this pandemic. >> clerk: thank you.

thank you for your comment. [inaudible] >> clerk: we have 144 listeners and 67 people in queue to speak. again, press star-three if you would like to get -- get in the queue to speak. if you have already, please continue to wait. again, we appreciate your patience. you will hear your line has been unmuted, and you will have two minutes to speak thereafter. >> resources are underfunded.

these kinds of experiences are unavoidable, during a public health crisis, that they have no ability to cope. evicting people during this time would be a direct act of violence and systemic racism. this board should be aware that they will be held responsible for that. i support this legislation. please hear us. that's my comment. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. next speaker, please. you'll have two minutes. >> thank you. i'm a renter with two children living in a building, and it's really hard. my job just got consolidated,

and i don't get paid over the summer. the fence is dilapidated, and we don't have any money to fix the fence. it costs us $8500 a month to maintain the building, and i couldn't afford to be on the main floor. i don't think it's fair for legislation to leave us out. we'll figure it out ourselves, and when we talk about foreclosure, it really means that we have three months to leave the property if we cannot keep up with the payments. we only have three months, and

the eviction law here in the city is not mutual, and i think you have to treat us like family and friends, and it's not fair when our mortgage and electric and all those utility companies won't give us a break. how are we supposed to maintain it all ourselves? right now, it's about $10,000 or $11,000 for property tax, and i have a hard time paying it. and i wish you could just put some of the p.p.p. money or idea money that you have received from the federal package -- [inaudible] >> clerk: thank you for your comments. we have 137 siclisteners with in queue.

this is your opportunity to speak. >> my name is kathy lipscomb, and i live in district 8, and i've been a tenant for all of my time in san francisco, which is over 25 years. as the deadline for the eviction moratorium draws near, tenants who cannot pay their rent because of covid are grateful that you have taken a proactive role in this matter. dean preston and the other cosponsors of the legislation, we don't need another disaster, which is what mass evictions would be. people in unemployment don't need to go through hell with worry over losing their homes. ideally, small landlords who can't meet their bills should have access to financial aid, and i'm very glad that supervisor preston is moving in this direction. but meanwhile, the landlords and small landlords should be knocking on the doors of the

san francisco apartment association and asking them to do something, such as set up a fund to help them immediately. this could happen if there's enough pressure put on them by their members. these people in the association have access to some of the wealthiest people in the city, so i think that would help immensely in the immediate urgency of poor landlords not meeting their bills. this ordinance is a great example of what other cities in the country should be doing. it breaks new ground for human rights. thank you very much for listening. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next caller, please. you'll hear that your line has been unmuted. >> thank you. my name is cynthia, and i am a renter in district 9 and an organizer in district 1. on behalf of housing rights

committee and the tenants association which represents renters in the richmond and sunset, i am calling to express full support for this legislation. according to recent surveys, a lot of renters actually paid rent in may. part of why that has happened is a lot of our renters are making really difficult decisions, choosing to pay for rent, even over things like food and medicine. this is not about making your mortgage in the end or not but in surviving this crisis. we know what will happen to tenants after the state of emergency expires without legislation like this, and months of back rent becomes due. they will be evicted unless this legislation passes veto proof. and if you don't pass this bill, you will be choosing to allow a wave of evictions in san francisco, knowing it will disproportionately affect our most marginalized renters.

it doesn't actually stop landlords from getting what they might be owed, it just takes evictions off the table. these landlords are worried about bills? join us in the movement that cancels rent and mortgages. this is the most important step that san francisco can take in the fight against displacement during this national emergency. thank you. >> clerk: hi. thank you for your comments. next caller, please. you have two minutes. >> hi. i am in support of this bill. >> clerk: hello, caller?

>> -- because i believe -- hello? can you hear me? >> clerk: yes. >> i believe the goal of this bill is not simply to provide free housing, but to protect those at greatest risk of homelessness during the pandemic. the plan also includes reparations for tenants who are unable to pay. an increase in homelessness is also a huge threat to public safety and leaves those without shelter to contract the covid illness. instead of worrying about contracting covid-19, they should be able to worry about preventative protection measures from the virus. the people of san francisco are not the cause of the pandemic and should not have to worry about eviction or lost jobs. thank you. >> clerk: next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, supervisors.

ozzie reaume from district 8 speaking on behalf of noe neighborhood council. >> in the past three months, many of our local and national leaders have correctly compared this crisis to a war, a war against a deadly pandemic. so here's what i'd like to say to those disgruntled landlords who spoke in opposition to this ordinance. we're at war, and all you care about is what's owed to you? these tenants didn't choose to go to war. they didn't choose to shelter in place. they didn't choose to not have a paycheck. the government made those choices to save their lives, including the governors who called in earlier in opposition

to this -- including the landlords who called in earlier in opposition to this legislation. that's why they should protect tenants who have no income through no fault of their own from eviction. i would also like to add that this has made the need for a rental registry even more urgent. if we had a rental urgency, we could have better foreseen the impact of this crisis and could have better planned solutions such as this ordinance. if los angeles could create a rental registry as early as a few years ago, so could we. time is now for us to stop the paralysis and provide policy to

react to this crisis. in a city with 64% tenants, there is no excuse for not knowing where tenants are, so please, supervisor preston, supervisor peskin, and supervisor safai, thank you so much for introducing this measure, and i 100% support it along with noe neighborhood council. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. hello. you have two minutes to speak. hello, caller? next caller, please.

[inaudible] >> -- i am also a renter in

d-10. [inaudible] >> clerk: thank you. we have 136 listeners with 58 in queue. next speaker, please. >> hello. my name is andrea danger. i'm a finance manager, and i live in the mission in san francisco. i've been here 28 years. i'm calling in strong support of this measure. i'm a renter. i would say that 25% of the people in my building, we've been