>> chair ronen: good morning. the meeting will come to order. welcome to the november 30th, 2020, meeting of the rules committee. i'm supervisor hillary ronen. with me on the video conference is vice chair supervisor catherine stefani and rules committee member supervisor gordon mar. our clerk today is victor young. i'd like to thank sfgov tv for staffing the meeting. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. due to the covid-19 health emergency and to protect board members and employees and the public, the board of supervisors committee room are closed. committee members will attend the meeting through video conferencing and participate to

the same extent as if they are physically present. public comment will be available on each item on the agenda, both channel 26 and sfgovtv.org are streaming the number across the screen. you can offer public comment by calling (415)655-0001. again that's (415)655-000 (415). the meeting i.d. is 146 045 2296. again that is 146 045 2296. then press pound and pound again. you will hear the meeting discussion and will be muted and in listening mode only. when the item of interest comes up, dial star 3 to be added to the speaker line. call from a quiet location, please clearly and slowly and turn your television or radio down.

you may submit public comment via email to myself at victo victor.young sfgog.org. that completes my initial announcements. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. i just wanted to mention that i'm very, very excited about the items on the agenda today. we have items that both acknowledge and bring some justice to two communities, the american indian community and the african-american community in san francisco, that it has been denied justice for a very long time. so i just wanted to recognize the historic importance of today's rules committee meeting. and with that, mr. clerk, can you please read item number 1. >> clerk: yes. item number 1 a motion amending

the rules of order of board of supervisors by adding rule 4.7.1 to require the president to read a statement acknowledging the ramaytush ohlone community. >> chair ronen: thank you very much. this is appear motion that i'm sponsoring that wool amend the rules of order, of the board of supervisors, by adding a new rule that would require the president of the board to read a statementing recognizing ramaytush ohlone. this is a time when we must not only celebrate the history and contributions of native people, but also engage in the critical work of recognizing and repairing the generations of harm caused to native communities at the hands of our own government institutions. it is undeniable that our own city of san francisco has been

-- complicit in the marginalization of people -- to systemic underfunding of american indian organizations. the board of supervisors has a duty to honor the first people of san francisco, ramaytush ohlone nation by recognizing their continued relationship to this land of which we are guests. this motion would require the inclusion of a land acknowledgment statement at every public board of supervisors meeting, as a way to recognize the presence and power of san francisco's american indian residents. and inspire others to take action in support of native communities. the proposed statement, which was authored and approved by members of the ramaytush ohlone community, reads as follows. the san francisco board of supervisors acknowledges that we are the unseated ancestral homeland of the ramaytush ohlone, the original nal inhabitants of the san francisco peninsula.

in accordance with their tradition, the ramaytush ohlone have never seated, lost or forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place. as well as for all people to reside in their traditional territory. as guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. we wish to pay respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders and members of the ramaytush ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. in the coming weeks, we plan to expand upon these efforts by working with american indian community leaders to introduce a city ordinance that would require the use of the statement during the public meetings of all city, boards, committing and commissions. i would like to express my deepest expression to agrees of ramaytush ohlone and the american indian cultural district for developing the statement and their tireless

advocacy on behalf of the san francisco's american indian community. i also want to give a special acknowledgment and huge thanks to paul mohay from my office, who worked very, very closely with this community on this item, as well as the next item, the american indian cultural district. and with that i wanted to see if any of my colleagues had any remarks. we also have cheryl davis here from the -- the director of the human rights commission in case she wanted to say anything before opening this item up for public comment. anything? okay. i don't see anyone. supervisor -- oh, director davis, did you have any comments? >> i just wanted to thank you and your office for your leadership in bringing this forward.

and also to recognize sharah and greg. they were amazing and have just been pushing through. and i think coming off of thanksgiving, but false a day of remembrance and having all of these different emotions and feelings about how we engage and how we see people, i think this is really a new habit that i'm hoping will become so automatic, that we just, you know, realize that we haven't done it, so thank you for your leadership on this. >> chair ronen: thank you, director davis. supervisor walton, who has joined us in the committee. googood morning, supervisor wal. >> supervisor walton: good morning, chair ronen. i want to thank you for bringing this forward. this is something that we should be doing at our board meetings. and i appreciate you for taking that step to make sure that it's indoctrinated in our rules. so thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much.

oh, supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: yeah. thanks, chair ronen. i also just wanted to thank you for your leadership on this issue. and for working -- and also for the leaders of the community for working with you on this. and i would love to be added as a co-sponsor. >> chair ronen: thank you, supervisor mar. supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: i, too, want to thank you for your leadership on this. i think it's so important. and, you know, for the healing to begin over what happened is -- is actually that i think is required and i just appreciate it. i think it's really good to do. so thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. and i'll just mention that i feel incredibly privileged to be bringing this forward, but this statement and this effort has been led by and created by the ramaytush ohlone community. and i feel almost like a vessel to bring it forward. but it's really their leadership that i feel so grateful for.

so thank you for all of the acknowledgment. really all of the acknowledgment goes to the incredible community of survivors and advocates. so thank you so much. and with that, if we could open this item up for public comment. >> clerk: oh, yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call (415)655-0001. sorry about that. i was just disconnected from my

computer. i am on my phone right now. so i am on my phone right now. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item, should call (415)655-0001. the meeting i.d. is 146 045 2296. then press pound and partnership -- pound again. please dial star 3 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. mr. coup, do you have any members of the public for public comment at this time? >> yes, i do have three > callers on the queue. >> caller: hi, this is april mcgill. i'm the executive director of the american indian cultural center. and i just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported

this. and all of the hard work that shariah has done and also to greg castro. i think it's really important as we think about today being the last day of native american heritage month and thinking about all of the things that have happened in history and, you know, we think about all of the things that have happened in the year in 2020. and how we need to continue to be united and come together to really help each other. i think that acknowledging the ramaytush ohlone people and this land acknowledgment is so important. and i think that it follows a lot of the other -- what was discussed. i want to say thank you to everyone who has worked hard with supervisor ronen, cheryl davis and all of the other allies. the american indian community has been asking for this for a very long time, to support our relatives.

i want to thank you for the support. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning, everyone. my name is shariah. i'm the director for the american indian culture. i want to mimic the message april just said and thank supervisor ronen and really thank paul. i can't count the number of times he called me on the weekends or week nights or just text to really get this done. soy just want to appreciate him and director davis and the efforts of the human rights commission as well. you know, my brother greg for his excellent work. he's a board member with us and for getting this passed. i really hope that every time you read this, i know i've said this over and over again, this is a reminder that we're here and this is a reminder of those survivors, those few folks that came from the original thousands of the ramaytush ohlone. and that were alive and that

folks still continue to talk about. i say this from the ramaytush ohlone acknowledgment. it's a start of acknowledging all of our people. and so -- and i also want to acknowledge my sister april. this isn't just myself and the ramaytush ohlone folks. you know, when people like her and other people in our community have been pushing this for a really long time. this is just now gaining momentum. i want to put this on your plate. this isn't new. this isn't something that myself or greg came up with. it's been in the works for generations. and just today we're doing this. so just thank you, supervisor ronen, thank you, everyone. i hope this is a starting point to greater conversations that really, really need to be had as we leave this time of native american heritage month. it's not just for this month. it's for moving forward. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: yes. hello.

i'm a member of the california tribe. and i thank everybody around the table for acknowledging this and i thank -- and i echo the voices of april mcgill and shariah souza. and also for the tireless work of greg castro for the land acknowledgment, for the ramaytush ohlone people. again this has been a long time coming. and bringing it forward now, during this time of this month of native american heritage month is most positive. and the most innovative way for us to open up those and to prepare -- repair those -- from old centuries up until today. this year has been a very crazy and very uncertainty year for all of us. so this is very good that this is going forward. and i also thank even behind the

scenes of jonathan cordero, even though he hasn't been doing most of the work. but i think the ramaytush ohlone people also allowing us to be, you know, cousins and ancestors to all here today. so i thank you for moving forward on this land acknowledgment. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can i have the next caller, please. >> operator: madam chair, that completes the queue. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. public comment is closed. thank you so much. and i do want to also thank april mcgill, who has been serving your community and fighting for the justice you so much deserve for so long. and was so good to hear your voice. and very excited to move this forward. and so i would love to make the

motion to move this item forward with positive recommendation. is that how we move forward motions? i have never moved a motion forward in committee before? >> clerk: yes, it is. >> chair ronen: okay. >> clerk: a recommendation to the full board. >> chair ronen: perfect. if we can have a roll call vote. >> clerk: on that motion, supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: chair ronen. >> chair ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: all right. thank you so much. can you please read item number 2. >> clerk: item number 2 is an ordinance amending the administrative code to expand the boundaries of the american indian cultural district, and provide additional details regarding the cultural and historical significance of the district. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. and this is another one of my

items that we'll seek to broaden the boundaries of san francisco's american indian cultural district, which was established by the board in april of this year. cultural districts are one of the most important tools we have as a city to strengthen the cultural identities of neighborhoods and communities, that face the pressures of gentrification of displacement. few communities in the country that have experienced disappointing as profoundly as the american indian community. the recently formed district, which is situated within the mission district and mission dolores neighborhood, in an area that spans both districts 8 and 9, provides a recognized home base for the american indian community, to ensure the history or communications are not for gotten or overwritten. we've been working with supervisor mandelman and several stakeholders to propose slightly expanded boundaries for the cultural district, than what was included in the original version of the legislation that the

board approved. due to covid and the urgent need to establish this cultural district, in order to channel city resources to the american indian community as quickly as possible, we decided to approve with the original boundaries and revisit expanding the boundaries through an amendment, once things stabilized a bit more. now that most functions are back in operations, we're following through with the commitment to recognize the -- roughly bounded by 17th street, market street, dubois avenue and fulton street. at the november preliminary hearing, the historic preservation commission unanimously recommended approval of the expanded cultural district boundaries, with an additional mod physician to include mission dolores park as part of the american indian cultural district, which has the support of the american indian community leaders. so today i will be introducing an additional amendment to recognize dolores park as a part of the expanded cultural

district boundaries, that have been proposed, which will require a continuance to next week's rules committee for a final committee action. dolores park and 9 broader area are defined as part of the cultural district, hold a unique concentration of school resourceses and services and gathering spaces that of significant, present and historical importance to the american indian communities and the san francisco bay area. it is again my great honor to partner with many leaders to bring this important and historical cultural district to fruition, especially at a time when they're playing a critical role in connecting our communities to the resources and information they need to navigate the ongoing public health crisis. and again a special thanks to paul from my office, who has put his heart and soul into this cultural district from the moment he began working in my office.

so thank you so much, paul, for your extraordinary work. and with that i'll call on supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: thank you, chair ronen. first of all, i just want to thank you for all of the work you've done on establishing cultural districts throughout san francisco and the underlying policy. i think this is obviously such a good thing to do for the reasons you mentioned. i would love to add my name as a co-sponsor. >> chair ronen: thank you so much, supervisor stefani. and with that, we can open up this item to public comment. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item, should call (415)655-0001, the meeting i.d. is 146 045 2296. and then press pound and pound again. if you haven't already done so, please dial star 3 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 may begin your comments. mr. coup, do we have any members of the public for public comment? >> operator: yes, i have five callers in the queue. >> caller: good morning. my name is greg castro. i'm the principal consultant for the ramaytush ohlone. sorry my phone wasn't earlier, that i couldn't comment on the much-appreciated resolution for the land acknowledgment earlier. but this item is equally important to us, as ramaytush ohlone and members of the native american community herer in san francisco. as much as of the peninsula -- the dor es park has cultural sites on it, and other

significant places that are very important to us. and so we would, you know, be very appreciative of the expansion of the district into that area, so that we can give some special recognition and attention to that place, along with the other places within the clearly -- cultural district. on the behalf of the ramaytush ohlone, i want to thank the board of supervisors, supervisors ronen, davis and the others and plus their staff that have promoted both of these issues. and hopefully you'll move them forward and provide a more integrated welcoming place for the american indian community here in san francisco. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: yeah. this is april mcgill. i'm the executive director of

the american indian cultural center. i'm also a board member of the -- [indiscernible] tribe. i to want to acknowledge that worked really hard on this expansion, which is paul and shariah, who really worked hard on the mapping. and mary jean roberts, debby santiago and the rest of the community, the american indian community that looked at the district. san francisco is home to the ohlone and we consider the whole city a sacred site, special places of our gathering places. so for this expansion, this is the original expansion that we had proposed. it's really a small expansion when you think about it. and being that today is the last day of november, which represents native american heritage month, i would hope that this would finally get approved. i also would just like to say

that it's really important for those to always remember the first people here, when making any decisions on land and giving back to communities. because american indians are the one who have the least here. we're fighting for our cultural center. we're the only community that doesn't have an american indian cultural center. cultural district is opening up so much for the american indian community. and i really want to say that and for all of you to think about, because as we're looking at budgets in the future and we're looking at that, we need to think about american indians first, because it's 2020. and we're just now having these. yes, these are great things that are happening. but it's our time. it's time for that. and so i just want to say thank you to all of the support from our black relatives, latinx communities, dolores park.

folks who supported us. >> clerk: your time has elapsed. thank you very much. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, everyone. this is shariah again, executive director for american indian cultural district. i want to give people a little bit of context on why we didn't necessarily expand this area initially, as we were doing our mapping. mention a couple of folks who have been really key to outlining our district area. and that's really because, you know, we wanted to have that approval and that green light from the ramaytush ohlone relatives, given the high, high sensitivity of this area in our cultural district. as you move forward and think about whether or not you want to pass this motion, just really think about the historical and cultural significance of the particular mission. you know, the average lifespan of ten years of slavery, you

know, the removed relatives from the area that have passed away. the average lifespan and all of the things that are associated with the mission district and what we've done. i know we're about to move on the conversation of reparations for another community. when you think about whose hand you're on, start here, too. think about the reparations for the communities, the people you currently sit on -- the land you've been living on and, you know, as part of the communities that you serve. so when you think of that, think of these expansions hopefully as a starting point. think of our sacred waterways. as april said, a lot of the city is sacred. think of the cultural sites that have been destroyed and developed on. think what you can do in your district as different supervisors, those reparations, our communities. while not just for native american heritage month, but as moving forward. so i just want to say thank you to ramaytush ohlone relatives for allowing the culture and take this on and letting folks know this is the ramaytush expansion. anything along the waterways,

and honor those people as we should. thank you again, supervisor ronen and all of the other supervisors that have played a part in this. i think i know supervisor peskin has offered to work with us as well and supervisor mandelman, of course, this is your area. thank you for your support on this. and we're excited to continue to build out this district for future generations. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning. my name is mary travis ellen. i was recently elected as the board president for the american indian cultural district. i want to thank everybody for your support today. what has just been passed and what we're anticipating will be supported going forward. san francisco was built on ramaytush land. like in all parts of this

continent, as well as central and south american, the native people were on the land to begin with. the land was taken. here in california, with the disguise of religion, it was taken from the people in the name of god. we need this cultural district to permanently recognize the original people and contain all of the things that revitalize and provide supports for our communities. the youth, families and elders. we respect all other communities that have had communities established. but we can seek -- when we speak of equality, you cannot speak of unless you recognize the original land keepers. thank you very much for doing this support. but again we need to start this monumental task and, mind you,

san francisco with its cultural district, it will be the first in the nation for the american indian people, who have been here all along. thank you. and i anticipate your support of this effort. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: oh, yes. hello. this is debby santiago again. i'm also a native san francisco here. and part of the mission has always been a part of the mission. and our people have been here for a long time. and my grandmother has come here in relocation. and during the early '20s. and so being raised here, born and raised, and knowing that we had shared land and laid on the land of the ramaytush ohlone

people. our relatives that were, you know, brought here and shared a lot of different cultures between us. so again i do urge that you move forward in this land and allow the cultural district, so we can be a -- the mission can be a part of our mapping in this way to future generations here and work along with our communities that sound us. and also those who have lived on the land. to acknowledge all that has been before. thank you to the supervisors and everybody involved around the circle. i thank you for this. i urge you to move forward in making this a possibility for the cultural district. i thank you. >> clerk: thank you. can we hear from the next caller, please.

>> caller: good morning, supervisors. my name is dr. monique lesar. i'm a resident here on sacred ramaytush ohlone land in san francisco. and fully support the land acknowledgment and support all of our relatives. my native community is from the east coast. and so i feel very honored to be on this land here in san francisco. this is so long overdue. and just the beginning of an acknowledgment. i hope that san francisco can be the first. and it's just the very beginning of the recognition and restoration of the broken treaties, promises and genocide and deaths of native american indian land. so i want to really implore us to stay the course and really listen to what our relatives are saying. and put their voices first. thank you so much.

>> clerk: thank you. if you have not already done, so please press star 3 to be added to the queue to speak. i believe we have one additional speaker. mr. coup, can we have the next speaker, please. >> caller: hello. >> clerk: hi. please proceed with your comment. >> caller: hi. yeah. my name is -- i would like to thank my sisters for inviting me on, for this space that you have. first of all, acknowledgment to you all and for having this discussion. if you look at me, i am of african descent, although i have native american blood in me. so we do share the same space.

i am a relative of native americans, of india indians and african descent. and i am fighting for the same cause for reparations and everything, because we were here. we want to stay here. we're not going anywhere. so the first -- whatever the first is, i am in it for my people. >> clerk: thank you. we're waiting for you -- if you have any additional comments? if you're done with your comment, mr. coup, do we have any additional callers? >> caller: hi. i'm the executive director of

the resources institute. and i just would like to acknowledge as a -- actually a native descent myself. when you look at me, you see african-american. my grandmother is cherokee and my other grandmother is -- [indiscernible]. to bring this to the table now is a long time coming, considering that this was our brothers and sisters land many years ago, that was taken from them. [indiscernible] and so acknowledging this now and all aspects is a blessing. it's a long time coming. so i do stand beside my sisters and brothers of native american descent in honoring their request. i just want to tell you thank you for those who took the time to work really hard on getting this person brought to the

forefront now. thank you. >> clerk: thank you. mr. coup, do we have any additional callers? >> caller: hi, my name is julian. i was bon and raised in san francisco. i'd like to speak on behalf of the asian community in offering our support for this first step of acknowledgment. and hope that you'll be able to continue to put substantive reparations for the land that we're so fortunate to occupy for so long. i yield the rest of my time. >> clerk: thank you. are there any additional callers? >> operator: madam chair, that completes the queue. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. thanks for all of the beautiful public comment. i neglected to invite up shelley from the c.p.c. to speak.

shelley, are you still here? >> yes, i am. hi. hello, board members. my name is shelley. i'm a member of the cultural district staff with the planning department. i'll be very brief. i just wanted to reiterate the historic preservation commission's strong support for this amendment. in conversation with community, prior to the historic reservation commission's hearing, we wanted to include dolores park as part of the boundary and the commission felt that that was very promote. and made a friendly amendment, recommended a friendly amendment to the board. so very happy to see you include that as well. and we understand that the final action will be at your next meeting. but we're happy to see that. and we're available for questions if you have any. and thank you to all the community members who spoke today. and thank you to the leadership of director souza and her staff

and also to paul mohay. he was amazing in coordinating all of the details on the boundary. so thank you. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. and i just wanted to make a final comment before introducing the motion to include dolores park in the cultural district boundaries. the importance of the cultural districts are bringing resources to communities that have been left out and pushed out of the city and county of san francisco. and we know that acknowledgment is the first step to making sure that we keep people where they are and bring people back to the historic communities, where they want to live and continue to advance their history and culture in this city.

but it's not enough to just acknowledge. we have to steer resources and make sure that these communities own and control land in the city, in order to make this commitment real. and that is the ultimate purpose of cultural districts is to bring land and resources to community has have been pushed out of the city. and that's why i think bringing these two items together, both the land acknowledgment and the expanded boundaries of the cultural district are -- have to work hand-in-hand together. and that's why the reparations conversations, spearheaded by supervisor walton and director cheryl davis is so important, because we can't just

acknowledge without resources, land and power behind that acknowledgment. and so i'm so glad that the cultural district comes up, it has taken off so well in san francisco and this it is working to help increase the power and land of historically -- historic communities that have built this city and then been pushed out of it. so we're undoing that. and i feel incredibly proud of that work. some with that i will make a motion to introduce the amendments that i emailed -- that paul, who would be spearheading this work, emailed to all of you in this committee to add dolores park. thanks to the historic preservation committee for their recommendation and that friendly amendment. if we can have a roll call vote

on that motion, i would appreciate it. thank you so much. >> clerk: on the motion to amend the ordinance to include dolores park, supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: chair ronen. >> chair ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: thank you so much. and then i would like to make a motion to continue this item to the december 7th meeting of the rules committee. >> clerk: on the motion to continue to the december 7th meeting, as amended, supervisor. >> supervisor stefani:. stefani aye. >> clerk: supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: chair ronen. >> chair ronen: aye. >> clerk: the motion passes without objection. >> chair ronen: thank you. and i know i should have made this comment beforehand, just wanted to thank our clerk angela for joining us here today on these items. thanks for being here and

enjoying your support. i want to thank our former colleague vallie brown who is a member of the american indian community and so supportive throughout all of these processes. and with that, can you please read item number 3. >> clerk: oh, yes. item number 3 is the ordinance amending the administrative code to establish the reparation advisory committee. examines current structural discrimination within san francisco, and proposes institutional reforms to guard against the need for future redress. just to note, i have received a request for a committee report on this matter. >> chair ronen: perfect. thank you. supervisor walton, would you like to start us off? >> supervisor walton: thank you so much, chair ronen, and to

my colleagues for hearing this legislation this morning. i do appreciate, chair ronen said it earlier. this is a day of making sure that we right some of the wrongs of history and continue to work for true equity here in san francisco. as you know, earlier this year burg black history month, i introduced a resolution number 376-20 supporting a reparations plan and advisory committee that was unanimously sponsored and passed by this board of supervisors in august. so i want to thank all of my colleagues as well. african-americans were enslaved in the united states from 1619 to 1865, when slavery officially ended, with the pass of the 13th amendment. our african-american community was red lined and sent to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in isolation. the united states of america and san francisco has a history of inflicting trauma on communities of color and that trauma

continues to exist in the black community. this can be the san francisco that we need to correct. i'd like to acknowledge the work from the human rights commission with director cheryl davis and her chief of staff, human rights commissioner lewis jones and also portions of black wall street, reverend amos brown, the entire black community and the bette-- burns' institute and heg over the past few months, by holding community forums and space together input on what a reparations plan i don't look like. i would also like to thank deputy city attorney for helping us draft this legislation. as part of the reparations efforts, this ordinance will formally create and establish a reparations advisory committee

to develop and implement a reparations plan for the black community here in san francisco. the reparations advisory committee will have 15 members of various expertise and experiences working and live income the african-american -- living in the african-american community. to research and develop a plan for san francisco. this is 100% appropriate time to ensure reparations for black people here in san francisco. with the commitment of resources, for the investment in the black community, with the unanimous passage of a reparations resolution here in san francisco, with the commitment from all communities to improve outcomes for black people here in san francisco, and with the organized collaboration of black people here in san francisco, the dreams of equity can only be realized with a reparations plan, that allows for wealth accumulation, generational opportunities and true community ownership.

and now if it's appropriate, chair ronen, i'd like to bring up director cheryl davis, who has been an amazing partner in our work to achieve equity. >> chair ronen: absolutely. really quick before we do this, our colleague supervisor stefani has to leave for an emergency. i'm going to make a motion to excuse supervisor stefani. can we take a roll call on that motion, victor. victor? sorry. is victor or -- >> i was on mute. my apologies. >> chair ronen: okay.

>> clerk: on the motion to excuse supervisor stefani for the remainder of the meeting. supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: aye. >> clerk: supervisor ronen. >> chair ronen: aye. >> clerk: i believe that supervisor stefani will be excused from this meeting. >> chair ronen: thank you very much. >> clerk: i believe that motion passes to excuse you, supervisor stefani, with supervisor stefani excused from that vote. >> chair ronen: thank you, victor. thank you so much. sorry. yes, of course. director davis. >> thank you so much. really grateful for this opportunity to share a little bit. thank you so much, supervisor walton, for your leadership and partnership. i'm going to share a couple of -- a little bit more than a couple. but i'm going to share my screen. i thought it was interesting and i thought i'd share with you all

the idea and notion of reparations and this idea that the impact of slavery has like far exceeded the duration of slavery itself. and when i saw this background, it made me think about brown paper bag test, which was something that was for years where -- even within the black community, certain folks would say if you didn't pass the brown paper bag test, if your skin was darking than a brown paper bag, you couldn't be part of a group. it made me think about the willie lynch letter and the system was rigged to actually have african-americans or slaves fighting against each other to continue the work of slavery. there's so much that is embedded, that's been kept going, that needs to be addressed as we try to think about and design a plan for reparations for black san franciscans.

this quote. if we think that the issues of slavery are the issues of the past, then we are sadly mistaken. today's inequities that are put out are not dependent on intentional racism. it's not based on our personal racism or racist acts. it is baked into the system, as i shared earlier. it is embedded. and seeing that's something that happened hundreds of years ago is not going to be the solution to address that. 40 acres and a mule is a story that we heard often times. and the truth that was it was about 40 acres, the mule was a

gift that was a little bit extra. it was a promise that was never made happen. never came to fruition, because after the assassination of president lincoln, the new president disregarded the promise and returned the land to the confederate owners. the question is what does that look like in san francisco? right. this isn't just about the 40 acres and the mule. if we think about redevelopment, specifically in the western addition, where people were imminent domain to people's properties, where businesses were closed down, the harlem of the west was destroyed. what does it look like in san francisco. so part of what we're hoping will happen with the reparations task force, the advisory committee, is that we start with the facts and put them in context. again starting with the facts and understanding what was lost, what was stolen, what was taken. we know that black people came here and they built the ships, they worked on the shipyards. they really built up in so many ways the industry and the

economics of this city. but they did not get the benefits from it. and it just takes me to the poem. i always think about the poem. it was turned into a play "a raisin in the sun." this dream deferred of having, right, this greater life, right. and go from slavery, you experience the middle passage in terms of the culture, in terms of the people. slave labor, segregation, jim crow, civil rights, housing policies, the new jim crow. all of these things continue to happen, keep dreaming and what happens. and i personally believe he talked about in his poem or does it explode, right. i think a lot of what we're seeing happening now, from black lives matter to protests, the explosion of this dream deferred. and we have the opportunity now to begin to help people realize the dreams that was taken and

stolen from them. so community input. we had several meetings pre-pandemic. city hall, the o.m.i. lake view, the western addition. we had two virtual meetings with policy link. and then we've

and some of the questions will have to really ask and answer where. where do we start? right. do you start at education, economic development, justice reform. there was a lot of discussion just in the community members, meetings around like what the priorities are. are we talking about the lack of the ability to inherit wealth. if folks had actually been given 40 acres, what would that impact have been on their wealth and their income. what about liveable wage. what do we know about who -- their employment practices and what those were and the ability for folks, even when imminent domain came in and people were forced out of their homes. could they take the money that they had and go buy another home. and a lot of places black folks weren't allowed to buy houses here in the city. fair employment, the credit to buy a home, wealth building and even just previous from harassment and racism that we

know built the american psychology association and the american medical association all come out and have said that racism is a health issue. that it impacts mental and physical health. the other question that comes up who. how long does someone have to live in san francisco. do they even have to live in san francisco. does it include people pushed out and displaced. is it open to all income levels. really those conversations need to be had. and then what does it look like, too, when we talk about this. who are we engaging. are the leaders engaged. the folks that can actually make this happen. is there buy-in, is there a sense of urgency and then what. what does it look like. is it giving money to everyone. is it paying off student debt. we hear a lot from folks talking about being able to just make sure that their students, their young people go to college and not having to pay for that. i think the most important thing that we want is not transactional change, not just that we get to have another

policy or another piece of paper or more things that people have said. but that we actually want to transform, we want transformational. we want to create change in the structure. people had mentioned previously what this might look like for indigenous people, like if we are able to really develop a formula and have some ideas and strategies. what does it look like to embed them, move beyond transactional chain and really transformational change. to pull that out, as we do this, what are we doing. these are just a few points that came from a study about what successful change looks like. what transformational change looks like. well, first and foremost, creating this advisory committee, a powerful guiding coalition, assembling a committee, a group of committed folks, who are diverse in their experiences and their access to resources and not just connecting with the usual

suspects, how do we get to some of the voices of people who may have some amazing ideas, but have never been invited to be part of the discussion. just sit at the table. the vision piece. we have a lot of directives and plans and programs. but what's the vision. what is it that we hope to achieve. what do we want to see happen. what's the chloroand compel -- clear and compelling statement. do we want to make sure that people are building wealth. what are those things that we want to build out. support and resources, short-term goals are going to be really important. we need to make sure that in the short-term, because this is going to have a long shelf life, what are we doing to encourage and support each other and to make sure that this doesn't get put on the shelf and forgotten about. and then, lastly, it is going to be impossible to do this without taking risks. i thank supervisor walton again for making this list. we'll have so make some sacrifices, but most importantly

collaboration between communities, between our elected officials and department heads to actualize this. and to actually have this to show for it. so i'm excited about the potential. i am grateful for the community. i have to say, it has been -- i hear this with supervisor walton in a couple of other folks. like these community conversations and engagements. like the last few months, over 60 of those. it has been a lot. but i would say it has definitely been the highlight of my year, just to be in company with people to hear the hopefulness and to hear that people are excited to, i think as our american indian brothers and sisters mentioned, just to be seen, to feel heard. and the promise of something actually happening. so i'm just really grateful to be a part of this movement. so thank you all so much.

>> chair ronen: thank you so much, director davis. this is -- this is just such profound work and your leadership -- both you and supervisor walton has just been guiding this with so much brilliance and love and respect for your community. and it's just been something really beautiful to be proud of our city for. it's really -- it's really transformational. and just can't thank you more for your work, both of you on this. if i could be added as a co-sponsor to the item, it would be an honor. so thank you so much. supervisor stefani also mentioned that she was so sad that she has to leave, taking her son to the e.r. he's fine. he fell off his skateboard and the doctor suggests he goes in. she just said she really wanted

to be here to vote on this item, because it really -- it is so extremely exciting. so just wanted to mention that on her behalf. >> sorry. i would be remiss, too, if i didn't acknowledge and thank mayor breed for her leadership in this as well. i know i can't remember, supervisor walton, when it was that, you know, she told me and asked to give a call to make sure we were working and collaborating. i just want to acknowledge her. she's been behind the scenes pushing for this as well. so i just want to acknowledge that. >> chair ronen: absolutely. thank you so much, mayor breed, for all of your incredible work as well on this. thank you. supervisor walton, did you want to say anything more before we open this up for public comment? >> supervisor walton: thank you, chair ronen. just want to -- i did want to say thank you to mayor breed, as we worked on investing the resources from the police department and making the

investment to the book community. we saw this as first step towards reparations. i do want to thank the mayor's office for all of her work on that. [ please stand by ]

( starting in progress) p. >> if you could just turn off your tv or your radio, it would be appreciated. > i'm having a hard time hearing you. >> is that any better? [inaudible]

[inaudible] >> thank you. >> hello?

[inaudible] >> hello? >> yes, we can hear you. please proceed. you can proceed with you call, ma'am. >> hello, this is gwendolyn brown. i'm executive director... >> yes, please proceed. [there is no audio] >> i'm here with my support for the formation of this advisory board that will be giving out

policies and procedures for preparations in san francisco. my participation is on behalf of black homeowners who held a lot of wealth and equity here into o.m.i., being homeowners. about 20 years ago, a huge part of our population was pushed out and, um, moved into housing to abstain violence, and so i'm part of this -- i'm here to advocate for those folks that were victims of red-lining and being pushed out by policies, etc. so on behalf of all of my residents -- and i'm here to pledge my full support. so i appreciate having that time, and i yield my time. thank you. >> thank you. can we have the next caller, please.

>> caller: good morning, susupervisors. i thank so much. my name is dr. monique kazar (indescernable). today i represent (indescernable). reparations are vitally important for black san franciscans as the city and county has harmed the black communities with anti-black practices, with red-lining the war on drugs, discrimination practices, employment and labor, and is decades overdue for housing. reparations are necessary to apply to the hundred

years of freedom. the november journal of american medicine states there has not been a single year since the founding of the united states when black people in this country have not been sicker and died younger than white mothers. black mothers are three times as more likely to die from pregnant-related causes than white mothers. and the rate of premature deaths is 30% higher among black americans than white americans. the "new york times" states that this is a racial health divide. blacks cannot close the racial wealth gap by changing their individual behavior or by assuming more personal responsibility or acquiring the portfolio management insight associated with financial literacy. moreover, the racial wealth gap is not from a lack of labor, but from a lack of financial capital.

i support mayor breed and her incredible work, and the incredible work of director david, in reparations and demand reparations; it is time. >> chairman: time. can we have the next caller, please? >> caller: thank you so much. and thank you so much. my name is arnold townsend, reverend arnold townsend. obviously, i'm happy to see the city approaching this issue of reparations, and the treatment of black people historically in this city. i do want to say that while i think reparations for slavery is a national issue, and there should be national solutions for it, i must say that san

francisco has its own legacy, racist legacy, to stand on, which gives it reason enough to consider reparations without even a discussion of what happened in slavery. the reality is going back from the times when black san franciscans left this city to move to canada and other places because of the whole racism that existed here, where they took our wealth. and people will say, well, they paid you for it. they took our wealth and gave us money, and it's not the same thing. and we need to know that. it is important, though, that we also use this opportunity, as cheryl was talking about, to transform attitudes

towards the african-american community and put out penalties for people who still carry those attitudes and make them part of their work, and even part of their city work. to be proud that we're doing this, i think is the wrong approach, madam chair. we should be ashamed, one, that it happened, and certainly that it has taken this long. and no had we not uniquely come into a tragic situation that gave us the mayor that we have, and gave us the supervisor that we have -- >> chairman: that's time. thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hi, good morning, supervisors. my name is randy seragucci, and i'm the executive director of the academy, and we're a non-profit down in the bay view, and looking to place one african-american male

teacher in the elementary schools in the city. i want to say we wholeheartedly support the formation of this advisory committee. it is long past due. we applaud the leadership of supervisor walton, director davis, and mayor breed's commitment to this work. it is refreshing to see that this is something being taken seriously and at this level. we look forward to the work that this committee will do. i'll say tha that that as a non-san franciscan native, someone who moved to this city from the east coast, i always had this image of san francisco as a progressive beacon, a place where everybody was treated with respect and had the same opportunities. it was surprising to learn as much as i have learned in the last of five years in my role doing this work. obviously, there are

atrocities we can talk about across the board from the school system to the criminal justice system, etc., etc., but as was said by reverend townsend,this is transformational work we are seeking to find and do and invest in. i think when you talk about the destruction, the red-lining of the policies that were enacted and affected in communities, there has to be a radical disruption and turn around with resources that will right the wrong and right the ship for generations to come. and for this to be that place that i think everybody wishes for it to be. so i applaud the opportunity for this vote and encourage the vote for the formation and proper investment in the community that has long past needed it, deserves it, and should be here for hundreds of years while this thrives as the city that it is and can be. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next

caller, please. >> caller: hi, my name is mr. crawford. i'm the executive director of the new community foundation. i want to thank supervisor walton for this commission, and reverend brown, and the naacp, as well as the rules committee. we left ji jim crowe's south, and we never got our 40 acres and a mule. but we built 40 acres and a mule for ourselves. we became known around the world with a thriving economic corridor and potential to be one of the premier communities in the world. it is the highest

ownership of homes among black people. and through systematic racism -- as we're building our community, san francisco, through systematic racism had red-lining, and highways in bay view that isolated or communities, and demolition of communities. while we didn't get the 40 acree built our own 40 acres and a mule, and san francisco systematically destroyed our 40 acres and a mule. i'm encouraging this committee to create this advisory board. what happens in san francisco spreads around the country. when san francisco implemented urban removal to systematically remove black back from the inner city, the rest of the country followed suit. now it is time for san francisco to help undo

this damage. what you do here in san francisco will spread visit the country. if we undo the harm, and give black people reparations, you will see other cities across the world taking these initiatives. i encourage this rules committee and this board of supervisors to be bold and take this bold step. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, caller, you may proceed. [inaudible]

>> caller: hi, my name is suzanna, and i'm a resident of san francisco. and i wanted to call today to thank the supervisors for putting forth this measure. i firmly support the formation of this advisory committee and in general, the american economy was built on the backs of slave and neither they nor their ancestors was ever compensated for it. 40 acres and a mule was talked about, but it was never implemented. i think in particular, the city of san francisco has intentionally disinvested and harmed the black community through many types of anti-black practices, such as red-lining, war on drugs, anti-black discrimination, and others, and, therefore, i think that reparations are definitely necessary for black americans in san francisco. thank you for allowing me to speak today.

>> chairman: thank you. may we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning. my name is virginia marshall, and i'm president of the san francisco alliance of blacks who are educators. i want to thank the wonderful suffolk walton, mayor lo london breed. it is absolutely time that san francisco repay the debt of the harm that was caused when so many of our brothers and sisters had to move out of san francisco. i wasn't here when you talked about the grace fi filmore center, but it sounded so wonderful, black-owned business and black-owned homeowners, who were not allowed in san francisco 40 years ago. [inaudible] none of my two children

can afford to rent a home, no less buy a home in san francisco. we're all entitled and overdue for our 40 acres and a mule. the question is: what does that look like in 2021 and 2022. this will give every african-american in this city to reinvest in this city, to purchase a home, to have a wonderful community center, to have jobs, to further educate our children. there are so many things we can do to make us whole. so thank you for this opportunity. i encourage each of you to vote yes on this advisory committee board, and in a few years the world will look at san francisco and say, they did not just talk about it -- and it

will be in the history book -- they actually gave reparations to settle somewhat the harms that have been caused to the african-americans in this city. and this is one of the richest cities in the world. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning. i am the co-founder the s.f. black wall street. i would like to begin by thanking supervisor walton, mayor breed, and the members of the board for their time and their work. i think it is critical at this moment in time that san francisco stand in front and show the rest of the world how to invest in a community that has been

intentionally harmed and displaced through policy and procedures for years and years. i've heard a lot of my community colleagues and family members come on it'on theline and mention 40 acs and a mule, and while i appreciate that was a gesture that the government wanted to make for the black community, we deserve much, much more. we are committed to continue to fight the economic injustice in san francisco, for a real stake and what our city looks like now and will in the future. we cannot do that if we're not parts of the decision-making and policy process. i want to thank you all for your time. i want to thank you all for your commitment. and we are committed to standing with you to see this across the finish line, and to be able to provide the practical examples of what it looks like when economic justice is given to a community to be able to build and heal. thank you.

>> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> thank you. i am a native san franciscan. and this is a long time coming. thank you, san francisco leaders, district supervisors, jamal walton, the mayor, and mr. davis, for all of the work you have initiated and put into this, and the words you have said. there is no need to piggyback because we all know what needs to be done. and it doesn't have to take a long time because it is already on the books, what we need to do. we just have to take action and do it. san francisco is a very

rich city, and you find money for everything else and for everybody else. let's find find the money to do this because it is a long time coming, and it needs to be done. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please? >> hi. i ms. greene. and i'm the director of (indescernable), which is a non-profit that we create that that is based here in the public housing area. i also am a member of s.f. block, and s.f. wall street. and repration reparations are vy important to the african-american community. i've been here to for six

generations now. and the systematic racism with the policies and procedures put in place in san francisco has been those that have kept black people from not gaining the wealth and the economic standing that they so much deserve. so the american economy was actually built on the backs are enslaved people, and neither them nor their ancestors have ever been compensated for it. and these same systems are still in place. i wanted to commend director davis, supervisor walton, and above all, our mayor breed for putting this motion into affect and bringing this to the forefront. no longer can we say that the white man is keeping us down. we can now say it is the systems that have been keeping black people down for so long. and now coming together to establish this african-american advisory, reparations advisory committee, is something that is very, very

important. don't go with the myth of people can't work together. it is for you to stand strong and say, no, you know what? this is long overdue and this is something that needs to work in order to benefit those, especially our children that are coming up behind us. because we no longer want to have the same conversation 15, 20 years from now of saying we are now going to establish an african-american reparations advisory committee again. this is the time to do this now. we have been talking about this for a long time. i commend -- >> chairman: your time is up. thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> hi. can you hear me. >> chairman: we can hear you. please proceed. >> hi, my name is dr. cederick jackson. i'm the president of the

black leadership forum here in san francisco. i'd like to lend my voice to supporting reparations for the african-american community in san francisco. i even suggest that the city redirect the money not only from the police department, but also other criminal justice departments that have historically been part of the punishment not the empowerment of the community. that money can go to the empowerment of our community through not only economic revitalization concepts in our major neighborhoods, but it can also go towards the healing. and we have to understand we are not in a post post-racial american. we are 73 million strong against what we're talking about now in america.

not we, but there are 73 million people in america who don't agree with you. that's a sizable amount. 47%, to be exact. we have to do what is right now to start the healing of our community. there is no such thing as post-traumatic when it comes to the black community. this is a traumatic stress syndrome that we experience every day. reparations are the only way we can stem this tide of destruction that is going on in our community. we need reparations to heal us and to make us whole again, and to give us back or dignity and determination. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hi, i'm tiffany, and i'm the

co-founder of s.f. wall street. my grandparents came here from the south to escape the racism of jim crowe. they worked ought the shipyard. i have witnessed my generation being pushed out of san francisco. i'm hoping that san francisco will lead in this formation, as we have lead in everything else. it is definitely something that i want to see. san francisco is the capital of america. i'm really hoping we can get this done. thank you. >> for those already on hold, please continue to wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted. we have approximately five additional callers online for public comment.

can we have the next caller, please. next caller, you may proceed. >> caller: hi, good morning. i am a 40 year resident of san francisco in district 10, and a fourth generation african-american descendent of my family, who has lived in san francisco since their migration from the south. i am a member of transformational miracles, and with two non-profit organizations that have been occurring.

i want to express my gratitude to all of the people tirelessly working to see change happen. i'm in full support of this advisory committee, and expect that the members of this rules committee will be honored to do the same. i thank you for allowing our community members a space to speak for our community. when we lift the black, all communities thrive. thank you, respectfully, and i yield the rest of my time. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello. >> chairman: hi. yes, we can hear you. good morning. goo>> caller: good morning. this is reverend amos brown, and i'm president of the san francisco branch of naacp.

i first want to share, as an historian, some nuggets of history. that we must never forget. it has been rempse referenced that we dent didn't get didn't r 40 acres and a mule by several of the previous speakers. but the idea of 40 acres and a mule didn't come from the government.

but the idea came from a baptist preacher, named garrison, who on january 12, 1865, was asked by general sherman, after he burned down atlanta, what do you feel that the union owes these enslaved persons? it was that old revered clerk that looked at general sherman and said, sir, i can't speak for everybody in this meeting. >> chairman: the speaker's time has -- >> but at least we should have 40 acres and a mule.

>> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, my name is shevon hunter. i currently live in district 10, and i'm also executive director of peace international. i'm calling because the city and county of san francisco has intentionally disinvested and harmed the black community with explicit anti-black practices, around red-lining, the war on drugs, and they practices both unemployment in labor, and it has been decades of broken promises in rights for housing, jobs, health equity, just to name a few. the american economy was built on the back of enslaved people, and we're

not asking for a handout. we're asking for what is due. the descendents faced undescribeable violence that has been passed on from generation to generation to generation. here in san francisco, we are purposely dismissed, as if you don't see us or hear us. and we are just saying we want what is due to us so we can have equitable opportunities, and so that we don't continue to live in poverty. it really only takes one person to make a decision for those who are continued to be harmed, to move from poverty to prosperity. these people on this advisory board need to push the envelope forward. you can be responsible to help us move forward in these reparations.

again, i just implore you to make that decision to help us help ourselves to do a better job. in closing, i support mayor breed, supervisor walton, and drek director davis' work. and i demand reparations now -- >> chairman: your time is up. thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hi. i find it somewhat distressing that one of the speakers earlier said that the effects of slavery has outlasted slavery itself considering that -- at least referencing slavery in the u.s., that started in the 1600s, so that is still a couple hundred years of

slavery versus 150 years post-slavery. so, yeah, i hope that at least that our advisory committee will have more accuracy. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. can i have the next caller, please. >> caller: yes. hi. i just want to thank the board for presenting this, supervisor walton and cheryl davis and also mayor london breed. myself is a contributor for having the african flags put over the bay view district, which has been spirited to the african-american culture district. i came and spoke on february 11th, 2020, around that time, but i

was the representative of black lives matter movement. i'm sure some of you remember the mother of yalani, who was murdered in san francisco, the san francisco quadruple homicide. so truly you know that the time is now for righteousness to be come to the african-american community. there is no question about what needs to be done. as far as i'm concerned, it is a long process in even having a committee. it is time to do right by the nation because we built this country. it is no nationality that would have entered on this land if it had not been for the indigenous nation, commonly called the blacks. i'm looking forward, sherm mosherman walton, and mayor

breed, and i'm one of the persons to sit on this advisory committee because i say what i mean and i mean what i say. the time is now to do right. and i'm going to end by saying, harriot tubman, with the underground railroad. and what did they say? go down to egypt and tell pharaoh, "let me people go." shalom. >> chairman: the speaker's time as elapsed. thank you. next speaker, please. >> caller: hello. i would like to say i agree with almost most of

what has been said, so i don't need to repeat it. i would like to say what one person did say, that it has been too long. but it is never too late to do the right thing. establishing an african-american reparation advisory committee is the right thing to do. i wholeheartedly support this. speaking of the negro spirit, "this little light of mine," this advisory committee will be a little light, and what i'm hoping is that it will grow and grow and grow until it shines all over the world. thank you, everyone who has been a part of this movement. thank you. >> chairman: than thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello, this is bob adams, jr., pastor of the providence baptist church of san francisco.

and i want to begin by saying that there is a long history of the past, and it cannot continue this way any longer. we must create this change and be the change. the reparations, along with this advisory committee, and along with our faith leaders, it is important that our voices are heard. and so i want to end by thanking supervisor walton, director davis, and the honorable mayor breed for taking this lead. it is time. it is past time to get it done. and with god's help, we will. thank you very much. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hi.

my name is erica. this affects housing, parenting, education, environmental injustices, even leading to (indescernable), it is evidence that debts need to be paid. it is pressing down on the direct community members. they must be the decision-makers. i hope finances can get funnelledefunnelled into educatn with the focus of the black residents. [inaudible] in support of black families who have lost loved ones. that is to say that the city must do what organizations do, like s.f. wall street, have been doing so far. if the city cannot do it

in full measures, perhaps those organizations should be the ones to lead the way. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning. reverend dr. sheralynne staff calling. >> chairman: if you don't mind, could you please turn off your radio.

>> caller: you have the opportunity to do what is right in reparations and reconciliation. and here in 2020, i would just ask, after all you've heard, that you continue to consider doing what is right. i'm grateful for our honorable mayor london breed, dr. davis, and supervisor walton, and all that are sitting in on his to make this great decision. thank you. >> chairman: can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello. can you hear me? >> chairman: we can hear you. please proceed. >> this is reverend brown. i was just giving my introduction earlier. if i could add some humor

to this occasion. madam chair -- >> chairman: mr. brown -- >> i am proud -- madam chair, i want to say thi this -- >> i'm sorry, dr. brown, but we have a board rule that only allows each person to make public comment once. so any additional information, if you want to provide it in writing, we will make sure to add it to the record. thank you so much. >> chairwoman: next speaker, please. >> caller: good morning. my name is felicia jones. i'm the founder of wealth and disparities in the black community. and i would like to make some points. of course i am in support of reparations, but i'm also in support of reparations now. there have been three reports in 55 years written on black people,

studying black people. and as of today, we are worse off now than we were years ago. we need to address the san francisco black workers who are right now, at this moment, experiencing unfair wages, no promotion. we also are looking at police accountability, where use of force, arrest, and racial profiling is highest in the black community. we are known -- san francisco is known as the golden city by the bay. but to black san franciscans, it is known as the racist city by the bay. we need to create change and end the structure of the board of supervisors who create policies -- we need accountability, and we need accountability now. these issues need to be addressed now instead of kicking the can down the road. we want accountability now. we need the advisory committee, yes.

but, also, we need to address the issues of black san franciscans and how we are treated all across the board, from education, health, mass incarcerations, economic in justices, etc. i'm urging everyone on the board to address the issues of black san franciscans now. thank you very much. >> chairman: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: hello. i name is keith. i'm the founder of "welcome back." and i'm glad this advisory committee is being formed. i'm interested in occupying the seat to help brothers re-entering the community. thank you. and i'm yielding my time. >> thank you. >>.mr. core, are there any

additional callers? >> caller: yes, my name is reverend james, and i'm the secretary of the san francisco branch of the naacp. i would first like to thank mayor breed, supervisor walton, and director davis for your work. in the words of the poet, the african-american poet nicky giovanni, and she said, i really don't think life is about the i could have been; life is only about the i tried to do. i don't mind the failure, but i can't imagine that i could forgive myself if i didn't try." so we're grateful that we, as a city, we're going to try to do the right thing

by the african-american community. and we're excited about the work ahead for the advisement committee, to put actions in place, to create a more equitable san francisco. thank you. >> thank you. are there any additional callers? >> caller: hi, good morning. i am a co-found of s.f. black wall street, and also a san franciscan native. and i would just like to say that i am elated and enthusiastic about this new reparations convening, and i'd just like to say i'm really happy to here all of the callers calling in to not only talk about the damage that was done, but how do we repair that damage and how do we go forth together to ensure that, like one of the other callers said, we are

reimbursed for the work that was already done on our backs and on the backs of our ancestors. and i would just like to say that i welcome you guys as well to ensure that housing remains a priority, small business remains a priority, and that san francisco really goes back and actually makes due on its promise to include black san franciscans in every part of the economic development and the success of the city moving forward. thank you. >> thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> that completes the cue. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. thanks for the tremendous amount of really knowledgeable and compelling public comment. supervisor mar? >> thank you, chair ronan. i also just wanted to thank all of the african-american community

leaders and activists for sharing your powerful comments. and, of course, thank you to supervisor walton, director davis, and mayor breed for your bold and thoughtful leadership on reparations for the african-american community and reinvestment and full support and equity for the african-american community looking ahead. so, yeah, i -- you know, as so many speakers noted, this is long overdue, but i'm really excited that, you know, we're -- we have a strong commitment here at city hall to move ahead with some bold initiatives to ensure equity and justice for the african-american community. thank you. >> chairwoman: supervisor walton? >> thank you so much, chair ronan, and supervisor mar. again, i just want to thank the entire community for stepping up and being heard.

it is really important that we hear from you so that everyone knows and understands we are lock step on the same page with the black community with regard to reparations. i want to thank, again, cheryl davis, as well as her team. i want to think natalie g. from our team, and she has worked closely on the legislation with everybody. thank you. we are working hard to achieve equity. the one thing i do want to say to my community, because i know that everyone wants to serve, and we only have opportunity for 15 members, but i want everyone to know we're going to be working hard, of course, to select the appropriate folks to do work on behalf of all of us. but i know everyone is going to want to serve. so there is going to be some hard work, as we work to get to the 15. but we will do that together with the community. thank you so much, chair ronan, supervisor mar, and

i appreciate everyone for calling in and all of the work today. >> chairwoman: thank you. i'm happy to make a motion to send this item forward as a committee report, with positive recommendation. can we have a role call vote. >> supervisor mar? >> yea. >> chair ronan? >> yea. >> the motion passes without objection, with supervisor stefani being excused. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. mr. clerk, can you please read item number four. >> an ordinance to modify the number and qualifications of numbers on the african-american arts and cultural district community and advisory committee to extend the date of the committee to january 2023, and to extend to july 2021, the report and recommendations

from the city department describing the district and proposing and acknowledge and preserve the cultural legacy of the district. we also have a request for a committee report on this matter. >> chairwoman: thank you. supervisor walton? >> thank you so much again, chair ronan, and supervisor mar. just for a little bit of history, in 2018, the board of supervisors established the african-american arts and cultural district in the bay view neighborhood, and i want to thank chair ronan for all of her work. it is very important work and we truly appreciate you. under that ordinance, several city departments must prepare to report to the mayor's office of housing and community development by july 2019, which was the date. the reports are to assess and look at the assets and needs in the district, and will recommend programs,

policies, and funding and sources that can benefit the district and preserve its cultural legacy. after these reports are completed, they will prepare a culture history housing and economic strategy report, the chess report includes the demographic and economic profile of the district, including past, present, and future trends, identify areas of concern that could inhibit the preservation of the district's unique culture and propose legislative, economic, and other solutions and strategies supported by the district. the ordinance today will extend the african-american arts and cultural district citizen advisory committee to january 2023, and extend the reporting of the recommendations to the city department. describing the attributes of the district and the proposing

(indescernable). the amend amendments will change the size from 15 members to 7 members. and to include an owner of a business located in the district, an employee of a non-profit organization in the district, a person with knowledge or expertise regarding the history or culture of the district. a youth between the ages of 14to 24, and three other at-large members. the african-american art and cultural district is critical in supporting african-american culture along third street in our community and across the community. i want to acknowledge my legislative staff, percy burke, for all of his work, john gibner, for working on the amendments, and larry, with the office of economic and workforce development, and evelyn, the director, and erica scott, the director of

projects and programs for the cultural district, as well as all of the folks who worked hard to bring this into realization. april, ms. eloise, oscar, our local historian, and everyone who played a major role in bringing the african-american arts and cultural district into fruition. thank you so much, chair ronan. >> chairwoman: thank you so much. and if none of my colleagues have any questions, we can open this item up for public comment. >> yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment ton this item should call 415-655-0001. 0001. if you haven't already done so, please dial star

3 to line it up. please wait until the system indicates you have been unmuted and you may begin your comments. mr. core, do we have any members of the public for public comment? >> yes. i have three callers in the cue. >> caller: good afternoon, rules committee. my name is evin glen. i'm the operations director of the african-american arts and cultural district. i'd like to thank supervisor walton for his leadership and support. the implication is the historic preservation (indescernable) in the black community, and this is a powerful step forward with this critical work. i yield my time. [sirens blaring] >> can we have the next

caller, please? >> caller: hi. this is dr. cederick jackson again. i'd like to thank all of the elected and all of the appointed officials for bringing all of this together. there are way too many to name. there is such a great effort going on with this. but it is imperative that this committee and this cultural district have the resources to go forward. we have some ideas that will not only enhance our district, but will enhance the city if we get the opportunity to do it. we have a wonderful culture,and this gives us an opportunity not only to educate, but also to entertain in a way that benefits us finally, and not everybody else. so please, with all of your might, put all of the resources and all of the commitments you can into finally giving the african-american community an opportunity to

highlight itself in a positive instead of a negative way. thank you. >> thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> caller: good morning again, virginia marsh, the president of the san francisco alliance of blacks of educators. the african-american cultural district in the bay view is so wonderful. it supports our students. my school is right next due to the bayvie bay view hop pra house opera house. and they have been very supported to our students. she posts the students' art around the walls. we've had our band club there over the years.

if you have never been to the christmas at the bay view opera house, please come. when i stand in the window and look out and see cheering down the bay view, playing in the snow, it is something fantastic to see. they may not have the opportunity to go to lake tahoe, like you may take your children. last year we had a horse-drawn carriage, and i've been known to open studios. so i'm thankful that on third street we have all of these great systems that support our students' programs. the same in the filmore african-american art and cultural program. thank you so much. >> thank you. can we have the next

caller, please. >> caller: hi, this is fitiffany carter again. i want to say i definitely support the san francisco african-american culture traculturaland art district. i just want to say i fully support it and want to extend it to really show our place in san francisco. thank you. >> thank you. can we have the next dawrl. caller, please. >> [inaudible] i would like to say that we have to be very, very honest about what it truly means to be the african-american art and cultural district. first and foremost, it

identifies with our nation of people, to who we are and where we extended from. it should not be connected to the political realm, as far as the reputation. it must be a person that understands the thought patterns and the essence of truly who we are. we have to look into the opera house, as far as who is running the opera house, the african-american art and cultural district. we have to have the correct representation to empower our children to know we are capable of doing the work. we must also have something sent from africa and having an african embassy. this is not a joke, neither is it a game.

ok, well, remember last week when you hit vinny in the head with a shovel? [chuckling] i do not recall that. of course not. well, it was too graphic for the kids, so i'm going to have to block you. you know, i got to make this up to you. this is vinny's watch.

>> good afternoon, everyone. thank you so much for joining us. last week when we announced some rollbacks around the restaurants and a number of other businesses, we did make it clear that we are sadly seeing an increase in the number of covid cases and in fact, last week our reproductive rate was at 1.2 and today it is at 1.3. just this past friday we have seen an increase in over 20 # o cases. our case as of today are 13,756 with 38 people who are hospitalized, 156 people who

have lost their lives since the beginning of this pandemic in san francisco in particular and the positivity rate is at 1.87. dr. grant colfax is joining me to talk more specifically about the numbers and what they mean and where we are, the same way he did so last week. what we're seeing here and what we've seen all over the country is what looks like to be a significant uptick, one that we have to pay i a tension to. and more importantly, one that has put san francisco which has been really a leader on fighting against this pandemic, it has put all of the incredible gains that we have made at jeopardy. effective tomorrow, we have been informed by the state of california, and we will be going from the yellow tier which we were so proud to be at to the red tier. and what that means is, sadly, a

number of things will need to come off the table. one of the things that i have made clear from the very beginning is we are going to proceed with caution so that we can do everything we can to avoid a complete shutdown. and as of tomorrow, we will need to unfortunately roll back nonessential office space, making sure that people who are nonessential, that have opened their office spaces will need to close them at this time. and unfortunately, the gyms will need to go from 25% down to 10%. these particular things were mostly chosen because under state law in red we have to follow those guidelines, but also we understand that there are certain things that put us more at risk of increasing the virus than other activities. and again, dr. grant colfax is joining me today and will explain some of the specifics

around what this means for our city, especially in light of what we see happening. and we want to continue to make sure that we don't go backwards. and how do we do that? we don't go backwards by not getting comfortable, not getting complacent. the weather has been pretty nice even though it's been cold. but the sun has been shining. people have been enjoying san francisco. i had an opportunity to walk around the city this weekend, and i saw so many people out and about enjoying the parks, doing -- walking, jogging, hanging out at the restaurants and other things. a lot of people were outdoors. and what we have to continue to do is not get comfortable because the fact is the virus is still out there. and we are still going to have to adjust to this so that we don't continue to see a significant spike in san francisco. what's happening next week, of

course, is one of our favorite holidays, and that's thanksgiving. and so we know that so many people want to travel and then there's other family members that want to come visit. the department of public health has put out a travel advisory asking residents to avoid nonessential travel, but more importantly, we need to think about the folks that come to visit us as well, especially in places where we are seeing higher case numbers. this year we're asking people to sacrifice because of thanksgiving when we get together and we see large family gathering, especially indoors, when those happen, we could be dealing with the impacts of those decisions by christmas with a significant increase in hospitalizations. so what we're asking people to do is sacrifice. sacrifice and put off the things that we all know and love especially during the holiday

season. for the sole purpose of trying to get to a better place and for the sole purpose of making sure that people don't continue to catch this virus and so that folks aren't continuing to be hospitalized and that we don't see increased number of deaths as a result of wanting to come together for the holidays. this is where we are now. this is me sounding the alarm. this is me asking san franciscans to do exactly what i have been asking this entire time, to make adjustments, to make sacrifices, and to do everything you can to remember that this virus exists and make sure that our behavior and what we do helps to avoid circulating the virus in the first place. we remember not too long ago the when we finally made the announcement that we would be opening gyms and hair salons and nail salons.

just think about how good it felt to feel normal. to go and get your hair done or your nails done or to go and workout at the gym and enjoy your time there, but just think about how much more important it was to the people who were finally able to open their business, who were finally able to get a paycheck, who finally had some level of certainty in their lives that they would be able to take care of themselves. now, think about what's happening now. i'm sure that so many of those people are scared. last week we told the restaurants that they would no longer be able to operate indoors. what that meant was not only layoffs, but it also meant that there was a lot of lost revenue because of the food that they no longer were able to use. when you think about some of the things and the sacrifices that

people are making, that's what makes me continue as much as i want to be around people and i want to be around friends and family, it's why i choose to make sure that i am doing my part by keeping my distance and by avoiding large crowds and by not getting complacent. it's not just because i'm the mayor of the city and i am asking you to do, but it's because i want to get our kids back in school. it pains me every time we have to make an announcement to close a business because i know what that means financially for that business. and it has been very, very difficult for so many people. we know that since the pandemic began, almost 300,000 san franciscans have filed for unemployment. and we know that people continue

to suffer financially. and we also know that people are still in the hospital and people are nervous and concerned about their own personal health. we know that we disproportionately have seen a lot of infections in our latino community, and we made significant investments and we are seeing a real difference. i'm really proud of that work, but there's more that needs to be done because when we look at the data, which has been the driving force behind every decision that we have made, we make good decisions. we make adjustments as it relates to the data. one of those such adjustments is moving soma location, a testing location, to the alamany farmer's market because we know in this community which touches the o.m.i., touches the bayview hunter's point, and it touches

that whole region, we know there is a need for more access, more consistent testing. this location was doing over 500 tests a day, and in san francisco, we're going close to 5,000 tests a day. when i think about how far we've come, being able to provide people their test results anywhere between 24 and 48 hours, it is significant. when i look at the maps of what shows us specifically where the areas which carry the higher infection rates and where the areas are that have testing both public and private, we have to make an adjustment. we had no choice. so tomorrow that location will be at the farmer's market. and i am really grateful to the department of public health and the work that was done in order to make the adjustment and to move the site to this specific

location as well as the work that has been done to get us to this point where we are adjusting to the needs of the people of san francisco. this will continue to be a challenge, and it's hard to get up here and tell people that you're going to have to close your business. you're going to have to make some adjustments. can't see your grandmother who is in a nursing facility. you can't hang out with your friends. children can't spend time with one another like they used to. it pains me. and so because of that, we need everyone's cooperation so that people's lives aren't impacted as a result of our decisions. we've come a long way, san francisco. we have been a leader on combatting this virus.

we should be so proud that we've done an incredible job. and now i'm asking for more. and i know it's hard. i know it's hard every single day that you have to make that decision. i know it's hard, but i'm asking for more. as we come upon the holiday season with different kind of flu and hopefully you got your flu shot, we know that this is going to be a next tough couple of months. so let's continue to do our part. let's continue to be creative and keep our distance. let's minimize the number of households and the people that we interact with. let's cutback on those holiday dinners with large families gathering on the inside. let's do what we can so that we can see the change.

and as we see the change, that will put us in a better situation to begin to reopen our city and to put our economy back on track and to put our kids back in school and to look behind us and say because of everything we did, we are in a better place and we are so grateful for the sacrifices that we all made to get there. thank you, all, so much for your cooperation, and at this time, i want to introduce dr. grant colfax to talk specifically about the data, where we are, what we need to continue to do, and information from the department of public health. dr. grant colfax.

good afternoon and thank you mayor breed. we are now experiencing on the national, state, and regional level. so let me be clear that san francisco is in the midst of the major surge of covid-19 cases. it is sobering that we have reached this point again. as you know, this is the third surge we have experienced and

unfortunately, the virus is moving aggressively in our community. unlike the previous two surges, this surge is impacting every state in the nation. in the last two weeks, deaths have increased and the c.d.c. cited a new record and as you can see on this slide, san francisco is trending behind the national average of cases per 100,000. and that is no reason for us to believe that we couldn't catch up to the average and catch up quickly. and in california, we are seeing the fastest growth in daily cases since the pandemic began.

the rate of increase that we are seeing in california is faster and steeper than the summer surge. and here in san francisco we are seeing an explosion of new cases throughout is city becoming more widespread. we are now averaging 10 dayses per 100,000 people in the red zone and you can see represented in the blue bars the sharp increases in cases we have had since october. and the black line represents the seven-day rolling average of new cases in our city. from october 10 to november 10, daily new covid cases jumped from an average of 29 cases a

day with the additional perspective, let me share additional numbers. it took us 29 days to go from 11,000 to 12,000 total cases in san francisco. it took us 18 days to go from 12,000 to 13,000. and now we anticipate that it will take us just 12 days to go from 13,000 to 14,000 cases. let's go to the next slide. this slide shows the increase in cases in san francisco per 100,000. you see the rapid rise. this rate of rise is higher than ever before. right now the other health indicators remain stable.

the hospitalizations remain stable at the green level. however, and unfortunately, we do expect to see an increase in hospitalizations. we currently have sufficient hospital beds in i.c.u. and intensive care unit capacity, but if the surge continues, we could exceed that capacity as, unfortunately, we are seeing in certain regions and states across the country. and we continue to test more than 5800 people a day with the testing rate and contact tracing over 85% of cases. so let me take a moment to talk about the state tier changes. today the state announced they

have seen an increase in cases and in most cases that increase has been dramatic. the state has placed them in the most restrictive purple tier. and we have moved from the least restrictive tier, yellow, to where virus transmission is minimal to this red tier where virus transmission is substantial. that means instead of moving back to just one tier to orange as was previously anticipated under is state system, we have unfortunately moved back two tiers. this is indicative of how fast and due to the red tier

designation, we will have to have people return to return to remote work and reduce gyms and indoor climbing walls to 10% capacity. i do not want to continue to move backwards. additional restrictions could be necessary if each of us does not take immediate action today to do our part to limit the spread of the virus. so let's take a moment and think about that. let's think about how that relates to the upcoming holidays that i wish we could celebrate in the normal times. next week is thanksgiving. so as hard as it is to say this, please do not travel. please do not travel.

stay at home with the immediate household. as hard as it might be, we must exercise caution and do our part. and please do not use testing to determine whether you can travel or not. we have seen the repeated failure, the repeated failure of this type of testing strategy across the country including in washington, d.c. a negative test cannot be an excuse to put yourself or others at risk. remember, please remember, that people who test negative can still harbor the virus if they are early in their infection. that is why when people are exposed to the virus, they must quarantine for 14 days regardless of their test results. san francisco, once again, we

simply must double down or triple down and do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus. we cannot be reckless or complacent and take everything precaution to protect ourselves, our family and the community. the choices we, the choices you, the choices i make in the next two weeks will determine the remainder of the holiday season. we have the ability to bead back the third surge in other parts of the country. and we can choose by the actions we take this week and the upcoming week. the safest way to celebrate is

to to not expose and i strongly recommend against it and strongly recommend against it keep it to no more than six people and keep the masks on, period. the best way is to give your friends and family the gift of good health. as we have learned, the past months is we have learned that together we can beat it back. so we have done it twice and we can do it again. i know that everyone is tired and fatigued. and i know i can sound like a broken record. but covid 19 is not resting. and neither can we. remember, we know how to sol slow the spread of the virus.

limit gatherings and wear your mask and let's be cautious, diligent and safe. let's make sure that we and our loved ones are here for that vaccine so that we can really celebrate big next year. thank you. thank you. >> thank you, dr. colfax. and welcome, madam mayor, as we begin the q and a portion.

the first question somes from should public schools continue to aim for a january 20 target date? >> absolutely. it is essential to get our schools open as safely as possible and before the science makes it clear that the spread of covid amongst elementary and middle school students and is not the same as amongst adults and kids who are in high school. so we know what the data is. we know that educators and others are involved and we know that it's so critical that between now and january we do

the work to prepare to safely open as quickly and possible. so we are hopeful to get to a better place. they have provided a significant amount of resources to continue the process so that we are prepared to open as quickly and safely as possible. we now have a few health-related questions for director colfax.

in terms of testing, is there an increase in demand or are they providing better access? as the major mentioned, we are to go to where the virus is now averaging 5800 tests a day, higher than any other jurisdictions we are aware of. and from the beginning we focus on insuring that people have access to the testing to the essential workers who have symptoms and who have a high rf risk exposure and who do not have insurance. the city is also currently conducting 55% of the 5800 tests. with the probably testing and

kaiser, for instance, has greatly eliminated many barriers in testing. any explanation on this? >> this reflects the overall surge from across the city and is important to emphasize that the virus remains concentrated in the communities most impacted by the the the virus and it is important no matter where you are that everyone does their part to reduce the risk of the viral transmission. this is not a time to let up and

not a time to socialize in close quarters with other people. keep activities outdoors and wear the masks. >> thank you, doctor. the last set of questions. is there any plan to reduce ak pan si at retail store or personal services such as salons? -- to reduce occupancy. and if san francisco were to drop to purple, what would that mean for businesss? >> we are focussing on trying to keep from moving further backward which is why it is so important as the holiday season that we see the surge that everyone do their part. if we do into purple, we will need to take the steps that the state requires and purple require. right now we do not have any media plans to place further restrictions. as you know, indoor dining closed on saturday. this is with madam mayor for

your time. there are no further questions and this concludes today's press conference. thank you.

>> everything is done in-house. i think it is done. i have always been passionate about gelato. every single slaver has its own recipe. we have our own -- we move on from there. so you have every time a unique experience because that slaver is the flavored we want to make. union street is unique because of the neighbors and the location itself. the people that live around here i love to see when the street is full of people. it is a little bit of italy that is happening around you can walk around and enjoy shopping with gelato in your hand. this is the move we are happy to provide to the people. i always love union street because it's not like another

commercial street where you have big chains. here you have the neighbors. there is a lot of stories and the neighborhoods are essential. people have -- they enjoy having their daily or weekly gelato. i love this street itself. >> we created a move of an area where we will be visiting. we want to make sure that the area has the gelato that you like. what we give back as a shop owner is creating an ambient lifestyle. if you do it in your area and if you like it, then you can do it on the streets you like.

>> the goal is simple. it's to raise women's voices. >> learn a little bit about what you should be thinking about in the future. >> we had own over 300 -- over 300 people who signed up for the one-on-one counseling today. >> i think in the world of leading, people sometimes discount the ability to lead quietly and effectively.

the assessor's office is a big one. there are 58 counties in the state of california and every single county has one elected assessor in the county. our job is to look at property taxes and make sure that we are fairly taxing every single property in san francisco. one of the big things that we do is as a result of our work, we bring in a lot of revenue, about 2.6 billion worth of revenue to the city. often, people will say, what do you do with that money, and i like to share what we do with property taxes. for every dollar we collect in

property taxes, about 68 cents of it goes to support public sstss, our police officers, our fire departments, our streets, our cleaning that happens in the city. but i think what most people don't know is 34 cents of the dollar goes to public education. so it goes to the state of california and in turn gets allocated back to our local school districts. so this is an incredibly important part of what we do in this office. it's an interesting place to be, i have to say. my colleagues across the state have been wonderful and have been very welcoming and share their knowledge with me. in my day-to-day life, i don't think about that role, being the only asian american assessor in the state, i just focus on being the best i can be, representing my city very well, representing the county of san francisco well. by being the only asian american assessor, i think you

have a job to try to lift up and bring as many people on board, as well. i hope by doing the best that you can as an individual, people will start to see that your assessor is your elected leaders, the people that are making important decisions can look like you, can be like you, can be from your background. i grew up with a family where most of my relatives, my aunties, my uncles, my parents, were immigrants to the united states. when my parents first came here, they came without any relatives or friends in the united states. they had very little money, and they didn't know how to speak english very well. they came to a place that was completely foreign, a place where they had absolutely nobody here to help them, and i can't imagine what that must have been like, how brave it was for them to take that step because they were doing this in order to create an opportunity for their family. so my parents had odd jobs, my dad worked in the kitchens, my

mom worked as a seamstress sewing. as we grew up, we eventually had a small business. i very much grew up in a family of immigrants, where we helped to translate. we went to the restaurant every weekend helping out, rolling egg rolls, eating egg rolls, and doing whatever we need to do to help the family out. it really was an experience growing up that helped me be the person that i am and viewing public service the way that i do. one of the events that really stuck with me when i was growing up was actually the rodney king riots. we lived in southern california at the time, and my parents had a restaurant in inglewood, california. i can remember smelling smoke, seeing ashes where we lived. it was incredibly scary because we didn't know if we were going to lose that restaurant, if it was going to be burned down, if it was going to be damaged, and it was our entire livelihood.

and i remember there were a lot of conversations at that time around what it was that government to do to create more opportunities or help people be more successful, and that stuck with me. it stuck with me because i remain believe government has a role, government has a responsibility to change the outcomes for communities, to create opportunities, to help people go to school, to help people open businesses and be successful. >> make sure to be safe, and of course to have fun. >> and then, i think as you continue to serve in government, you realize that those convictions and the persons that you are really help to inform you, and so long as you go back to your core, and you remember why you're doing what you're doing, you know, i think you can't go wrong. it's funny, because, you know, i never had thought i would do this. i became a supervisor first for the city under very unusual circumstances, and i can remember one day, i'm shopping with friends and really not having a care in the world

about politics or running for office or being in a public position, and the next day, i'm sworn in and serving on the board of supervisors. for many of us who are going through our public service, it's very interesting, i think, what people view as a leader. sometimes people say, well, maybe the person who is most outspoken, the person who yells the loudest or who speaks the loudest is going to be the best leader. and i think how i was raised, i like to listen first, and i like to try to figure outweighs to work with -- out ways to work with people to get things done. i hope that time goes on, you can see that you can have all sorts of different leaders whether at the top of city government or leading organizations or leading teams, that there are really different kinds of leadership styles that we should really foster because it makes us stronger as organizations. >> take advantage of all the wonderful information that you have here, at the vendor booth, at our seminars and also the

one-on-one counseling. >> i wouldn't be where i was if i didn't have very strong people who believed in me. and even at times when i didn't believe in my own abilities or my own skills, i had a lot of people who trusted and believed i either had the passion or skills to accomplish and do what i did. if there was one thing that i can tell young women, girls, who are thinking about and dreaming about the things they want to be, whether it's being a doctor or being in politics, running an organization, being in business, whatever it is, i think it's really to just trust yourself and believe that who you are is enough, that you are enough to make it work and to make things successful.