discussion by the members on the nominations will begin. okay. are there any questions. and is there any objection to proceeding in this manner? okay, so, madam deputy, i don't see any name on the roster but i just wanted to check with you to make sure. >> i think that myrna melgar put her name above by accident. >> clerk: oh, okay. okay, great. so if the roster is clear and there's no objection to proceeding in this manner, seeing no objection, the nominations are declared open. >> so, hello, colleagues. thank you so much. it is my great pleasure to nominate my colleague,

supervisor walton to be our president. i as a new member have had the pleasure of knowing and working with supervisor walton for many years when he was the president of the board of education, and before that his work in the bayview community. i know him to have a kind heart, a generous spirit, a strong commitment to justice and a strong work ethic. i am very grateful that he is willing to rise to this challenge and to help us by taking on this position. during these difficult times, i know that supervisor walton's quality and experience will help us to bring our diverse and wonderful city together. leveraging our strength and helping us govern efficiently and fairly. i am grateful that supervisor walton would like to do this and i nominate him wholeheartedly.

>> clerk: okay. >> second that nomination. >> clerk: nominated supervisor walton and supervisor ronen has seconded that. okay, supervisor peskin, is your name on the roster? >> supervisor preston: my name is on the roster and thank you, madam clerk, and thank you for your service to this body as the best clerk that i have ever seen in what today is the 20th year since i was first elected. and i just want to start by publicly saying what supervisor walton already knows -- which is that you have become more than just a colleague, in some ways you have become a little bit like a sibling. i remember the last wall street

event that we went to and i think that someone remarked that we were kind of an odd pair -- you tall and black and me short and jewish. and i don't know, but i really have been honored to deepen our relationship which i think that is one of mutual respect since our mutual friend sophie maxwell sat us down in her living room and said that you've got to endorse this guy. and congratulations, my friend. i think that we both and all of our colleagues love this city to the core and we're all going to keep working at this job during a pretty tough little moment in this city and in this state and in this country. and we've got a whole lot of work to do. and then, colleagues, i really want to address the elephant in the room, which compared to

anywhere else on this planet and particularly our nation's capital, is small ball, but i do want to talk a little bit about the political divisions and the camps and i think that these are, frankly, what i would call mini-hatches. and i think that we need to bury them. and i think that we can do that together. i think that the 11 of us need to come together, which doesn't mean that we won't have our policy differences. and the same goes for the relationship between this board and this mayor. and i've served on a few boards of supervisors, and this board of supervisors was, frankly, elected by the people to do grievous battles with the likes of willie brown and gavin newsome, and i profoundly believe, colleagues and incoming

president walton, that now is not that time. now is the time for true, honest, intellectually honest collaboration which, of course, is give-and-take. i don't confuse that give-and-take with abdicating our responsibility to provide checks and balances as what we collectively are -- the legislative branch of government. and there would be a time for those fights in the work in this coming year in an economic recession and covid and climate change is way too important. so i want to join arms with all of you. i want to really thank my family and my beloved staff and the voters of district 3 and i'm counting on all of you and it's time to get back to work. i've got a ton of emails to respond to. so, thank you, madam clerk, for

recognizing me. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor preston. supervisor safai. >> supervisor safai: thank you, madam clerk. i want to echo some of the things that supervisor peskin said. it's my great honor today to support my colleague, supervisor walton. we have worked together prior to being on this board together. he is someone that has dedicated his career to serving the underserved. he has a very strong quiet confidence about him. he's not someone that is bombastic. he's not someone that is about taking credit when it's not his to take. and i think that he's a true bridge builder. i think that in this time as supervisor peskin said, there has been quite a bit of division. and that's okay, it's okay to have division within this body at times. it's okay to have division with our executive branch, and the mayor, but i believe that the

mayor is absolutely dedicated to working with this board and all 11 of us and i know that supervisor walton as he assumes the role of board president will come together with the mayor and work to rise above this time of division. the citizens of san francisco require our unity as we come out of the worst economic calamity and public health calamity that this city has seen in over a hundred years. as supervisor peskin said, that does not mean that we abdicate our responsibility to challenge the mayor and challenge the executive branch and push for the betterment of the entire city. but it also means that we can come together and challenge be one another in a healthy way and challenge the mayor in a healthy way. we have two new board members. i'm very excited about them coming on to the board. i think they bring a wealth of experience.

and they bring a style of collaboration that i'm really looking forward to. so, it is my great honor to support supervisor walton, to encourage his style of bridge building, and, quite frankly, you know, to help not only come and work past this economic and public health calamity. but also to rebuild trust in the city government. the trust in the city government has been shaken over the past year. and that requires all of us coming together, all of us working hard to restore that trust. and i have nothing but faith and confidence in supervisor walton's ability to do that. and, lastly, i will say that we're going to have to make some tough choices economically and budget-wise over the next year. and it requires someone that comes with a lens of equity. it requires someone that is coming from a lens of thinking about the most underserved first. and i couldn't think of a better

person to assume that responsibility right now, to lead this body, than supervisor walton. so it's with great honor that i will be supporting him today. thank you, madam clerk. >> clerk: okay, thank you, supervisor safai. supervisor haney, i believe that you're next on the roster. >> supervisor haney: thank you, madam clerk, and thank you for stepping in and serving in this role in the absence of a president right now. well, first of all, i want to say welcome to supervisors chan and melgar. i think that many of the things that we're talking about -- and i echo supervisor safai and peskin in terms of our hopes and desires to really have a collaborative board that works in unison, effectively under the leadership of our next president and also with our new board members. i want to congratulate the two of you as well as our supervisors who are re-elected. i have had the opportunity to work with supervisor walton for six years, four years on the board of education, and two years on this board.

and one thing that i know about supervisor walton, which many of you have said, is that he is about the work. anytime that you have a conversation with him, he is going to be concerned about the people who are impacted and the work that needs to get done. and this is one of the most challenging years -- well, we've already seen 2021 is not going to be all flowers and roses and butterflies. it's going to be a continuation of the challenges and the recovery and the rebuilding that's needed from what was one of the most difficult, damaging, devastating years for our city and for the country in 2020. and so i do believe that we need somebody and we'll have somebody in a president walton who is focused on the work, who will bring us together, but who will also stand up for fairness and for people to be treated well, especially those who are most vulnerable and who have taken

the brunt of this pandemic. our small businesses, our city workers, our latin x community, and the black community and the a.p.i. community, he is going to stand up for them. so i just -- as someone who has known you for a long time, supervisor walton, i am proud to be a friend as we are all your friend, and i have seen you work. i was a president and vice president with you on the board of education. and i know that you're the right leader for this time and we will all back you up. and we will all need you to have the backs of the residents who -- all of us represent at this most challenging time. so i'm excited for you and i'm excited for this board, echoing the comments that were just made, working together at a time when our residents need us more than ever. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor haney. next on the roster, i see here is supervisor ronen. >> supervisor ronen: thank you, madam clerk.

and i just also wanted to appreciate you for not only guiding us through today, but guiding us through this entire pandemic. you have just -- you and your staff -- have been extraordinary. and always very consistent and prepared and just really appreciate you. thank you. and welcome supervisors chan and melgar. i could not be more excited to see your faces on this screen. i wish we were in person. but it's so great to have you join this board of supervisors. you're already making it a brighter board. so, thank you. and then, finally, it looks like we don't have any other nominations, so i'm going to assume that our esteemed colleague, supervisor walton, will become the next president of the board. and i just want to say that very little has made me this excited and happy in a really long time.

someone soon-to-be president walton is someone who chairs my passion and my focus on the most vulnerable communities here in san francisco. he is someone that leads with integrity, and always does what he believes is the right thing irregardless of the politics and the surrounding circumstances. he is kind, respectful, and, frankly, a natural born leader. and i am so excited that i will soon be calling you my president of the board, and just feeling happy, happy today to be able to support you. thank you. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor ronen. we are fixing the plane while we're flying the plane.

next on the roster is supervisor stefani. >> supervisor stefani: thank you, madam clerk. and i will echo the sentiments of my colleague, supervisor ronen, as to our gratitude for you madam clerk. you have been so wonderful in leading all of us. and welcome to supervisor melgar and supervisor chan. i'm very excited to get the chance to work with you and i love that we've gone from three women to four and we'll keep trying to go up that in the future. but, welcome. and, you know, i just wanted to say that the event -- the events of recent days, which we've seen which have been very disturbing, a mob of white nationalists laying siege to the u.s. capitol at the urging of the president of the united states have made it all the more important that we have responsible, accountable leadership at all levels. while we may have a renewed sense of hope with the new presidential administration and the new congress, we cannot

assume the profound shift in the federal government will solve our problems for us. and for families and working people in san francisco, change starts here at the board of supervisors. in the years ahead, each of us needs to redouble our efforts to confront the city's greatest challenges from homelessness and housing to racial justice and public safety. and most immediately we need to come together to continue to crush covid-19 and create a local economy that works for all san franciscans. i believe that supervisor walton is uniquely qualified to lead the board through the turbulent months and years ahead. supervisor walton, over the last two years we've served together. i have watched as you have tirelessly advocated for your constituents and the people of san francisco. you're always direct about what you believe in, you speak truth to power, and you deliver results with the legislation that you write and pass. and although we don't always see

eye to eye on every issue, i am always grateful for your perspective that you bring to our discussion and the fearness fierceness that you bring to urging your colleagues to follow your lead. we are all better off having you play such an important role as we debate policy here on the board. so that's why i'm proud to support your nomination to the board president today. the issues that you are most passionate about -- equity and racial justice -- are the issues that matter so much and the most to our country and our city right now. and i know that you will use the presidency to advance those necessary goals. district 10 is among the largest and the most populous in our city and it has incredibly diverse array of neighborhoods. there's no denying that everything that is happening in our city is happening in district 10. and that it is incredibly powerful and a unique vantage from which you will preside over this body. i know your experience on these issues have formed your career

in public service and it will continue to drive you as you chart your term as president. two things in particular that i'm grateful for are your work and gun violence. and your long commitment to addressing food insecurity. we as a body are going to face both these issues in the coming term, and as challenging as they are, i commit to working with you to bring an end to both. in closing the events this week reawakened to me just how delicate our government is. and i was thinking this past february -- i was on the floor of the house with my 11-year-old daughter, 10 at the time, and before i walked on the house floor with my daughter i had to put my phone outside of the chamber. i walked in there and i said, g.g., take a picture with your eyes. the way that i felt in that room, the way that i felt when i was in that room when i was 16, it's such profound respect for

our government. and we can't afford to lose that. and i think about my kids and my son is 16, and my daughter is 11. they don't know much different than what we have been seeing in the last four years. and it's on us to show them that we can all work together in spite of our differences. i want to leave that legacy for my children and i know that you all want to as well. and as senator angus king said on the senate floor, we are a 240-year anomaly in world history, democracy as we have practiced it is fragile and it rests upon trust. sadly, untold thousands across our country have taken that for granted. and as elected leaders we have a responsibility to show the public what it means to peacefully transition. and i just want to note that as we elect a new president and swear in two new members, i want to express my pride and admiration serving with all of you and our collective

reaffirmation that our elections are among the freest, fairest and the highest turnout in the country. and that we will work together with respect for our differences, while always remembering that what unites us here in san francisco is so much more than what divides us. i'm very proud to support you, supervisor walton, and i look forward to working with all of you in the coming two years. thank you. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor stefani. i feel your heart. supervisor mandelman. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, madam clerk. i have been thinking this morning about doris ward, and the historic nature of today. i -- my first experience at city hall, in this amazing building, was when i was a summer after my freshman year of high school and i got myself an internship in doris ward's office, which was one over from where i am now. and that was a time when san

francisco's african american population was large enough to elect not one african american supervisor, but two african american supervisors, to the board of supervisors at the time. it was willie kennedy and doris ward. and, of course, doris ward would go on to be the first black president of our board, the first african american woman president of our -- of this board. and today we are joined by two extraordinary women, connie chae representation matters. it is not everything about these people, but it is worth noting that connie chan i think is going to be the first native cantonese speaker in many, many, many years on this board. i think that we'd have to go back to mable tim, and it should be that we should have a native chinese speaker on this board. so that is exciting, in addition

to all of her accomplishments behind her and ahead of her. and myrna melgar's election as my neighbor to the east -- or to the west, rather, in district 7. it addresses another historic wrong on this board that we -- that for the first two years i was on this board and even prior to that we had no latin x representation on this board. and that is insane in san francisco. and so, again, myrna melgar is much more than a latino woman. but that is one thing about her, and it is worth noting, and it is important to have that representation on this board. and we are going to elect the first black man to be president of the board of supervisors. and that is a huge deal. and supervisor walton is much, much more than the first black

man to be the president of the board of supervisors, but it's worth noting that. i have not known president -- soon-to-be president walton, as long and as deeply as some of the other folks on this board. but i have did have the honor of supporting him two years ago in his run, and i have had the honor and privilege of serving with him in the last two years. and i have seen some of his great strengths. he has a backbone of steel. he is not afraid to challenge some of the most powerful interests, not just in san francisco, but in the world. and i have stood by him in one of those fights around our healthy airport ordinance. and that -- and it was a privilege to do that. and i note that he's been doing it in a number of other areas as well. his commitment to afflicting the comfortable and comforting the

afflicted is unmatched. and -- and he is kind and respectful. so i, as i said when i traded voicemails and spoke with him earlier today, i think that these are going to be a rough couple of years ahead, but i'm happy to support -- to support supervisor walton as the board president and i would provide any help that i could provide during his term. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor mandelman. next on the roster is supervisor preston. >> supervisor preston: thank you, madam clerk. and, madam clerk, thank you and your whole team as we're starting a couple months to a year of these remote meetings and all of you and your team doing incredible work to keep us all together, even though we can't be physically together. i want to join with my colleagues in welcoming supervisors chan and melgar to the board. very excited to serve with you both, and congratulations on

your victories. i will be casting my vote today for supervisor walton for board president. and i'm excited to do so. i believe that supervisor walton has the integrity, and the independence, the skill, the dedication, and the staff, and the relationships with his board colleagues to be an excellent board president. and i believe that he'll bring an incredible amount to this position. you know, a lot of folks who are watching us, colleagues, are very familiar with what a board president does and the importance of this role. but just for the benefit of the public who may be watching -- the board presidency is a very important leadership role in san francisco city and county government. including such things as making appointments to committees, to commissions, to task forces, presiding over our board meetings, acting -- serving as

acting mayor if -- if the mayor no longer served. and really being the leader of this 11-member body. and i believe that supervisor walton will provide the leadership that we need during what is going to be a really tough couple years as we get through this pandemic and recover. i also want to say, you know, my district includes the philmore and western edition, one of the last remaining african american neighborhoods in san francisco. and supervisor walton and i have partnered on many efforts to really center black lives in city policy. and our work together -- i know that it will continue. and from a lot of african american residents of my district who i have spoken with in recent weeks, i know that -- that a lot of folks are excited,

as am i, for such an outstanding black leader to be selected for board president here in san francisco. i didn't really know supervisor walton. i hear some of you talking about your years and decades and i have always heard great things about you. but we didn't really know each other before 2019. so my very deep respect for supervisor walton has emerged from working together over the last year during this unspeakably difficult time in a pandemic on this board. we agree a lot. we don't always agree, but there's one thing that i know and have learned and that is that supervisor walton makes his decisions always based on what he thinks is right. and what he thinks will help the people of san francisco. the person of enormous integrity and i'm very, very proud to

support you today, supervisor walton. >> clerk: thank you, supervisor preston. supervisor mar. >> supervisor mar: thank you so much, madam clerk, for convening this inaugural meeting and for all of your incredible work as well as the clerk's office during the past challenging year especially. i want to start, like others, by saying to my friends supervisor melgar and supervisor chan, welcome. the voters of district 7 and district 1 chose wisely and in many ways district 4 is a sister district to both of yours. and i can't wait to get to work with you both in close collaboration and to listen and to learn from your depths of experiences and insights. and i do want to add my enthusiastic support for supervisor walton, as the best to lead this board in the coming

two challenging years. i'm very grateful to supervisor walton for his willingness to step into this role in service to the board of supervisors and the entire city and in just two years, supervisor walton has build effective working relationships with all of us and distinguished himself as a powerful voice for justice and compassion and equity. so we're in very good hands and i'm thrilled to work with supervisor walton and this entire body to push for solutions that center the most vulnerable and that meet the scale of the problems that we face. thank you.

>> we're here to serve the good people of the city of san francisco. it's ha an honor to be joining u today. >> thank you, madam clerk.

thank you for leading us an moving us forward through all of our work for the board of supervisors with grace and efficiency. i appreciate you and your entire team. i want to say one thank you so much to supervisor melgar for nominating me. i was supporting both of you in your elections and through the campaign. i'm excited to have two women of color serving alongside all of us. to all of my colleagues for one, speaking up. i appreciate all of our relationships and all of the work we've done together. i won't speak long because if things go the way i think they

will, we'll be coming back and making comments again. i graciously and humbly accept. >> the board president i'll just ask are there any further nominations. i'm looking at the roster. i doan see any names on the roster. nominations are now closed. before any further discussion or the vote is taken. let's call for public comment.

>> we welcome your public comments. please turn down your tv. as there is a delay. when you hear the prompt please enter the meeting id. press pound and pound again. you will hear that you joined the meeting as a listener. to get into the queue to provide public comment, press star three and listen carefully to the prompt that you have been unmuted. when you hear that prompt, that is your prompt to begin speaking. just a quick word about what is eligible for public comment today. you may speak for items on the

agenda. this will be your only opportunity to provide comments on the nominations. you may make comments on items four through seven. you have two minutes to provide your testimony. address your comments to the legislative bodies as a whole . the office of civic engagement have provided three interpreters who are available to jump in and assist.

(speaking foreign language).

>> thank you for being with us here today. for person's who may be experiencing any connections issues. we have a live person in the office answering phones to assist you. if you are having trouble with the public comment line. can you please bring forward the first speaker. >> caller, are you on line?

circle back to them. hello caller. >> i'm a part of district five under supervisor preston. i'm echoing support for supervisor walleto walton for bd president. thank you. >> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller. >> hi. good afternoon supervisors. i wanted to say a great shout out to the board. i am a d10 resident. i want to congratulation

supervisor chan. my community is very pleased by the nomination. i have known supervisor walton for decades. we have worked together on committee and city wide agents. i wanted to give a kudos to mayor, an excellent mayor by all measures during this pandemic. a lot of san francisco yan san . now is the time for everyone to work together. i agree that supervisor walken has what it takes to help the

businesses and citizens of san francisco regardless of gender and sexual orientation. congratulations to you. it's an honor to speak with you all of you today. thank you for your time and services to the city. >> thank you for your comments. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, legislative affairs officer. i want to condprat lat congratue returning and new supervisors. congratulations on your elections . just want to call in to remind you that the youth commission exists. we have just approved our

preliminary budget priorities. the budget is one of the most important value documents that the city produces every year. we're tasked that what is in the budget and laws that we are meeting the unmet needs of san francisco. i believe that we will be presenting to budget and finance committee sometime in the near future. they have been forwarded to all of your e-mails. we look forward to working with all of you over the next year and beyond on the issues that are facing youth across our city. once again, congratulations and look forward to working with you. thank you. >> thank you. do we have a next caller?

>> hello. i live and work in district eight. i want to congratulate the supervisors today. i'm mostly calling because i want the board of supervisors to know we're still watching and want to see 100% defunding of pd at every -- it's past time to divest from these harmful -- sfpd have proved again and again that they show anti black bias and despite the progress, no

matter how many black lives posters there are they put up on their precinct. the board did not cut the budget by any significant amount. the board also -- meanwhile the sfpd shot and killed vargas, they shot twice and taized another -- they do not protect

our communities during these vulnerable times. >> we have thirty one people litsenning and 14 in the queue. >> i live in district five. i'm calling to defund the sfpd. twept twenty was exhausting. it was exhaust pg ting to get te attention of our public officials. we need change now. even after last year's protest, the board did not cut sfpd's bummingebudget by any significat

amount. >> thank you for your comments. next caller, please. >> my name is eddie. when i've been pulled over by

police here is what is running through my mind. why is their hand on their gun, why do we continue to let police terrorize like this. cops don't need guns to kill people. how many people need to lose their lives to consider that it hasn't made us any safer today. we will never be able to fully support and uplift our communitiecommunities that upho. >> thank you for your comments.

do we have the next caller? >> i just want to congratulate supervisor on your reelection. all the supervisors that will be returning. our neighbors in district seven. also to say i'm proud of the nomination of supervisor walton. as a black san franciscan, this

is a very historic day for us. pride, honor, gratitude are a few things that come to mind. i'm so excited to usher in 2021. this wonderful pr wonderful supd great body. we want to continue to show the world what equity looks like. thank you. >> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller. >> good afternoon, everyone. i run the san francisco rebels. i'm so happy. i have tears in my eyes.

i'm so happy that the board of supervisors has elected him and trusted him to be the president of the board. he is a fearless leader and cares about the community. he was boots to the ground or whatever people needed. his support continued throughout this whole pandemic. you have brightened a lot of african american kids day. you continue to inspire them. i appreciate you. good luck. you know i'm here for you. thank you. >> thank you for your comments. next caller, please.

>> good afternoon supervisors. this is doug block with team sisterteamsters. i'm very happy and looking forward to working with you all. also want to congratulate supervisor walton. you are a capable leader. you dpet stuf get stuff done. you have integrity. we need that right now. i want to note that historically across the bay and oak land.

another good friend of our union got elected as president of the oakland city council. it just feels right that we have people of color on both sides of the bay in our government. >> thank you for your comment. may we have the next caller, please. >> thank you for allowing me to speak today. i grew up in district seven and live in medium income affordable housing. i'm a community organizer for justice coalition in district five. i'm an sf public school teacher in bay view in district ten. i'm committed to this entire

city and support all its residents. as a teacher in this district i hear firsthand from families about his incredible work. he created legislation that focuses on equity and protecting the most vulnerable in our city. i know he will move us toward a san francisco that we are all proud of. thank you so much. >> thank you for your comments. next caller please. >> hello, president of the small business commission speaking on my own behalf. wanted to congratulate new

members. i wanted to commend the board as a whole for supervisor walton as president. i look forward to working with all a of you over the next challenging years we have ahead as you all have acknowledged. i am here for you personally and privately and in any way i can be of assistance. thank you again for making such an excellent choice as president. >> we have thirty four listening and 16 left in the queue. next caller. >> i live in district seven.

i want to wish all the board of supervisors happy new year. i want to congratulate all returning members and supervisor chan who i've had the pressure of working with. i'm looking forward to working with you. also very proud that the board nominated supervise yo supervis. for all your hard work and all conexit wefntconstituents of sa. >> thank you for your comments. next caller r, please.

>> my name is sarah. i live in district ten. you made an excellent decision -- i am calling to demand the board defund the police this year. we're demanding better this year. police don't keep us safe, housing, health care. the people have spoken. we urge you to defund, disarm, and disbhan disband the sfpd th.

even after decades of so called reform, sfpd officers point their guns at people at least four times a day.

research proves it does not make students safer. they voted to end their contract with police . >> thank you for your comments. next caller, please . >> good afternoon. i want to congratulate supervisors for their election. i'm so glad to hear this, i was one of the very few socialists in the city to support him. he delivered a wil lot.

he really stands up for the rest of us. we're going to have a really progressive -- [indiscernible]. we really need to defund the police. we really need to do that. that's what the board should do. we're in a big deficit. the only way to come out is to cut the cops . really having a lot of courage around things and being the first cosponsor of the rent reductions . i hope that

this budget cycle takes money away from cops . i yield my time. bust the police. >> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller. >> hello. i am -- [indiscernible]. i'm calling you from d7 where i'm a union member at sf state. i would like to congratulate my amazing reppive on his appointment as president. i would love to echo the previous callers . in your open statements today all touched on

how much work you have ahead of you and the deficit you face. it's all there . all the money you need, all problem in san francisco is in the police budget. right there. take it out and redistribute it. the only way forward for public safety is through reparations and investing in the community. public housing, all of it. looking forward to an explosive 2021. looking for justice coming to life by disbanding sfpd. >> thank you for your comments . may we have the next caller.

>> i live and work in district seven. i grew up in san francisco. i'm looking to defund the police. the police have not and never provided the city with real public safety. it's past time to divest from these harmful systems. sfpd has proven again and again that the police cannot be reformed. they show an extreme form of anti black bias.

>> next caller.

>> hi board of supervisors. i'm a district five lifelong resident. i'm a social worker. congratulations. you are all lawmakers in the coolest most progressive cities in america. it's time to live up to that and defund the police. it will show that you can take action and refund our communities and fire sfpd officers. i think the events of this week have shown that law enforcement does not protect. it upholds white supremacy and

capitalism. those are not the vibes we need in san francisco. make it a top priority. refund our communities. >> thank you. may we have the next caller. >> this is president of the deputy sheriff association. i would like to say congratulations to the new board members. this is a very positive moment that supervisor walton was nominated for the board president. we look forward to working with you. thank you. >> thank you. next caller, please. >> good afternoon everyone.

i am a native san franciscan. arangely from d5. i just want to say how proud i am today to see that the first latina board of supervisor member. in light of everything that we've seen in the four hundred plus years of de deg degradatiof indirchinindigenous people in t. i'm thankful for all of the

people who are support of black lives in san francisco. i hope they support that black voices have a voice at the state level at well. i'm so happy to see everything going on. we push towards a more equitable san francisco no for all. >> may we have the next caller. >> i'm a resident in district nine. it's imperative that you meet the demands of your constituents and defund the sfpd. police have proven themselves

over and over again to be racist mother f*ckers. the police budget is going towards violence and white supremacy. this is your job. make it happen. >> thank you for your comment. may we have the next caller, please. >> i'm calling from the youth commission. i'm a staff member here. i'm calling to express my excitement to be working with supervisor's chan and meglar.

>> next caller. >> hello everyone. i'm a cofounder of sf black street. we would also like funds and

equity to be invested in the black community. thank you to all the supervisors. >> thank you for your comment. next caller, please. >> current staff for fire fighters. i would like to congratulate the new ee elected supervisors. i'm here to show my support for supervisor walton. i look forward to working with all of you for a better safer

san francisco. >> thank you for joining us today. may we have the next caller. >> i reside in d9. i'm calling to defund the sfpd and sheriff's at every opportunity this year. they do not provide safety and never have and never will. we need to fund systems of care and services.

the problem is that elected officials have failed to dismannedle police violence. they funned it by a seven billion dollar budget. you defund schools and health care more than you defund the police.

we need a budget that puts communities first, not cops. we need cops off our streets. we look forward to working with the new board on making some new progress this time. listen to the communities. >> next caller, please. >> good afternoon members of the board of supervisors. i am the executive director of young community developers here in strict ten. i'm also a commissioner on the police commission. i wanted to call in today as a rez den.

resident to say congratulates and welcome. really to say to everyone on the board of supervisors -- thank you all for your steadfast leadership in electing now board president walton. he is an unwaferring leader in our community and will continue to do that for this city. we stand on his shoulders and couldn't be more than happy and elated and proud and excited to working with you all. i wanted to say thank you and phenomenal job on this election.

>> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller, please. >> good afternoon. i'm a district ten resident. i'm calling to kn gra congratuly president by getting elected to led the board. defund the police. i know that we've expressed that through many public comments, through public action and activism. we expressed that at the ballot. we don't want sfpd brute lizzing our community.

i'm asking him to live up to the city -- we know what that money goes to. we shouldn't pay the racis racio be here. i hope we all hear it newly. i'm thankful and i hope he can doa fun thdefun thedefund the p. >> may we have the next caller.

>> i want to congratulate all of the supervis supervisors. super excited about your leadership. i'm going to close out by giving a huge shout out to supervisor

walton. you will represent us here in san francisco and take us to national recognition. equity for all san franciscans. i'm thankful to be in relationship with you. i want to close out by saying that this board of supervisors makes me excited. as a former public servant in the black community for a number of years, it's been a very long time since i've been able to look across the pored o board of leadership and make it move throughout the state and country. let's get to work. i'm excited. thank you for the time.

>> thank you for your comments. >> i'm an epidemiologist here in san francisco. as a representative of many families. i'm calling to defund the police. the data is clear. police departments across the country do not keep us safe. they disproportionately hurt communities of color. we have the imagination to change things.

defund the sfpd and reinvest in things we know work. our budget reflects our values. put together clear and comprehensive recommendations of how to do this. we have every excuse to act right now. the police and law enforcement do not keep us safe. let's be an example of what is possible for a new way of public safety. >> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller. >> hello. i work for the san francisco

department of public health. i'm calling today as a resident of d10. i was born and raised and my family has been here since the 1940s. yei'm honored to support

supervisor walton who stands tall and great in controa verse. continued prayers and blessings to all of our supervisors. >> thank you for your comments. may we have the next caller, please. >> i am the founder of disparities in the black

community. i'm calling to congratulate supervisor walton to be elected as the board of supervisors. i show my support due to the fact of the work that i've seen him accomplish. i'm very proud to have them as the newest president of san francisco board of supervisors. i want to say that we are fighting to have san francisco police department to work and report -- differently per capita around the use of force and arrest and also around racial profiling of black san

franciscans. the board of supervisors letters and response for the support of the board of supervisors. some of you have not responded. for those who have responded wealth and disparities, thank you. for those who don't feel -- if we write you, it's your obligation to respond. to not respond is to be tolely didisrespectful to the black

community. >> can we have the next caller, please. >> i'm a resident of district six. congratulations to all board of supervisors on your elections.

i'm calling to say that yes, you have a new term. now would be a great time to yeah, like spread that around. restructure san francisco. get rid of some cops. get rid of the sheriffs. that would be fine. honestly, the point is to make san francisco a more beautiful city. one in which horrible things are less likely to happen. a shining beacon to the future. we can do that. we can start by making these people leave. happy new year.

-- go to the next caller. >> caller: hello? >> clerk: yes, proceed with your

comments. >> caller: this is cheryl davids from the human rights commission. i was calling in and i want to congratulate and welcome supervisor melgar and supervisor chan. it's good to see you on the screen. and good to see the other supervisors as well. and then i was sitting and listening to everyone's comments and i was like i do not want to run into supervisor walton later and know that i didn't call in. so, congratulations, supervisor walton. and i am excited, you are literally going down in the history books this time. so thank you for your service and thank you for your work and as others have said that it's all been said and this happened without a fight, and i am impressed. thank you for being who you are and the work that you do and i look forward to working with all of you, but i'm excited to see

supervisor walton sit behind the clerk of the board there and where she is now. i don't know if you'll still have that red light and blue light when you go tote sit there, but congratulations, supervisor. >> clerk: thank you for your comments. can we have the next caller? >> caller: hello, i live in district 8, and i've been a san francisco resident for about 10 years. and i'm calling for the board of supervisors to 100% defund, disband, disarm and abolish the sfpd and the s.f. sheriff at every opportunity that you get this year. i'm sure that there are other people who have said this before, but i wanted to reiterate it again -- police have never provided the city with real public safety. we have invested in systems of punishment and control which harms our communities and will no way lead to the changes that

our city needs. it's past time to devest from these harmful systems and focus on the supports and services thaservicesthat our city needs . 2020 was an absolute dumpster fire, and 2020 was a dumpster fire and 2021 will be another dumpster fire if we don't meaningfully defund the police and using that money -- that billion dollars a year that was defunded by 2% last year, but that's peanuts. so we need to actually do better this year. and i hope that with the two new supervisors on the board and with the new board president that we can get this done this year. sfpd has proven again and again that police cannot be reformed and external studies continue to show anti-black bias within the sfpd despite the progress of toothless performs and no matter how many black live matter posters they're forced to put up in their presichts. we demand the full abolition of

the sfpd and the s.f. sheriffs and look forward to the new board making progress for the defunding. i'm really, really hopeful that this will happen in 2021, and we will all be here to continue advocating for that and to comment on that and to protest on that. and, lastly, do we have an update on the queue on how many people are in line? >> caller: thank you for your comments. mr. coe? >> madam clerk, that completes the queue. >> clerk: thank you. madam clerk. >> clerk: okay. seeing no other speakers for public comment, public comment is now closed. thank you to all of the callers who called in today and thank you to deputy samara for your great assistance today. to item 5, the next item on this agenda is the election for board president.

without objection and in the interest of time, let's dispense with the reading of the election principles and move directly to the roll call vote. when your name is called, please indicate aye or no on the question. checking the roster. seeing no objection. seeing no objection we'll start in order on the question. and the question is, shall supervisor walton be elected as president of the board of supervisors? [roll call vote]

it's unanimous. the gavel is yours president walton. congratulations. [applause] >> supervisor walton: first of all, i want to say that it's such an honor that you have chosen me to lead this body and to serve the residents of this beautiful city, during which i hope will be the tailend of the current health emergency and the reestablishment of our great economy here in san francisco. i look forward to serving this body as its president, with compassion and values that we together guard very fiercely.

i look forward to working closely with each of you on issues that matter most to your district and to our precious city. and before i go into my complete address, i believe that we have our honorable mayor london breed here who is present. and if she would please provide some brief remarks at this time. madam mayor >> i believe that the mayor is logging in right now. but congratulations, president walton. >> supervisor walton: thank you so much, miss kittler. and we will take a pause and let's just have a one-minute recess while we give the mayor some time to log on and we'll be back in let's say two minutes.

thank >> supervisor walton: thank you so much and we are back and ready to resume our january 8, 2021 board meeting and with us we have the honorable mayor london breed, who is going to say a few words here at this meeting. thank you so much, madam mayor. >> mayor london breed: thank you. i want to welcome the two newest members of the board of supervisors, myrna melgar and tanya chan. i remember what a proud day it was for me when i was first sworn in as a supervisor. and i'm sure that you and your friends and family are feeling the same emotions today. i want to congratulate you both on your election and welcome you to your new roles. i look forward to working with you to make positive change for your districts and the city of san francisco. i want to congratulate the returning board members on their re-election and the new board

president. and the election of awe new board president and the swearing-in of new supervisors are an important part what we do every two years here in san francisco. and we know that this is a special occasion for everyone here. but after what we have saw this week in washington, d.c., we also need to take a moment to recognize how critical days like this are for our government. like everyone here, i was shocked to see our nation's capitol and, more importantly, our democracy assaulted and denigrated by a violent mob, resulting in the death of several people, including one capitol police officer. this was a true low point for our country. a shameful and a sad moment. it's not what this country stands for, or what we strive to be. and i know that we are better than this. there is an opportunity here for us to recognize our basic democratic institutions.

there is always room for disagreement in government but never room for the violence that we saw in washington, d.c. and that's why days like today are so important for us to come together and to begin a new year of working together to support our city. this last year has been incredibly challenging for all of us, for our city and our country. and if anyone thought that 2021 will be easier, i think that the last few days have shown us that it is not likely to be the case. we have a lot of work ahead of us for our city and for our residents. we need to lead an economic recovery, unlike any that we've seen in a long time. we need to help our small businesses survive and recover, and reinvigorate our merchant corridors. we have to address the behavioral health challenges on our streets. continue to help people out of homelessness and to ensure that people who have been moved to

shelter in place hotels are connected with stable housing. we need to continue to reform how our city government works. streamline redundancies in our bureaucracy and increase transparency and to make our government work for our residents. and before we can fully do all of this, we need to get out of this final covid-19 surge and work with our state and regional departments to support the vaccine deployment so it happens quickly and effectively. this is a time for serious work. i understand that we'll have our disagreements. that is to be expected. but if there's anything -- any time to put aside our differences in the name of accomplishing something greater, this is that time. we can do so much to move our city forward and help the people

of san francisco, if we could only put aside our differences and make a commitment to work together. if something is not working, let's fix it. it's not enough to simply declare that something is broken and we're the ones -- because we're the one who have been elected to do something about it. let's stop pointing the finger. the people of san francisco are not interested in that. they're interested in results. that's why we ran for office and why we're all here today. last year, san francisco showed that we can do great things when we put our differences aside. in 2021, let's learn from that and build on the progress together. we are going to make great things happen for the residents. it takes each and every one of us to do our part to make sure that that happens. thank you for the opportunity, and, again, congratulations, president walton, and i look forward to working with you and the members of the board of supervisors to take care of the people of our great city.

>> president walton: thank you so much, mayor breed, and we look forward to working with your office to unify this city and to, of course, to make sure that we have the response and have, of course, to set the example for the rest of the country as we move forward through this pandemic. thank you so much. with that said as i have mentioned earlier, colleagues, and as we continue to let everyone know, it's an extreme pleasure to be able to serve the residents here in san francisco. we have colleagues here that have worked very hard to gain the trust and gain the votes of people in their various districts. so what we are going to do today, one, i want to say congratulations again to our newly elected supervisors. also congratulations again to my colleagues who have been re-elected. i will introduce each nil newlyd and re-elected board member, one

by one, for the opportunity to make brief remarks and family introductions. and we're going to do this in the order of district number. so we're going to start with supervisor connie chan, district 1. >> supervisor chan: thank you so much, president walton, for introducing me to speak. and thank you, colleagues, for allowing me the honor to join you today. this is a great day. and i really look forward to working with all of you, you you know, as today is a day that helps me to remember in 2006 i was 21 years old and i am 42 now. you know, that was the time when i first stepped into city hall as a legislative aide to the former supervisor sophie

maxwell. that is the first time that i stepped into this beautiful building and recognized that i have a job to do. my job then was to serve the people of the city and county of san francisco, but, really, to really assist supervisor sophie maxwell to help the people in district 10. and comes full circle today in 2021. i have the opportunity to serve the people in district 1 and it's an honor to do so and i look forward to doing that. what i look forward to doing, and i will definitely speak more about this next tuesday when we have really our full board meeting, you know, this is a tough time for san francisco. and we definitely want to recover. and the priority for me in the coming year and the next four years is to help working people to recover in san francisco. working people like my family,

an immigrant family, communities of color. and i look forward to working with all of you to make that happen. i do want to say, you know, i do believe that for me first generation immigrant, my mom still lives in the same rent-controlled apartment that i grew up in chinatown. that's where i came from. you can take a girl out of chinatown, but you can't take chinatown out of the girl. and so that is still where my heart is as well. so i look forward to working with supervisor peskin to continue to make sure that, you know, chinatown remains. it's not just a place for tourists, it's really a place for all chinese-americans in the greater bay area. it's the heart and the soul of who we are. it's our culture anchor.

but also i recognize the fact that immigrants and communities of color have been greatly impacted, you know, during this pandemic. you can see that, you know, immigrants who are all really out there -- they are still the essential workers to get the job done, to get us recovered and keep us safe. we are impacted. and we need to make sure that we truly have equitable health access for all of us. and as, you know, a public -- as a mom of a public school student, second grader, i really want him to go back to school, not just for his academic learning but to make sure that he and his friends who still have the ability to be together and to learn together in a very diverse but at this time mostly a safe learning environment. so, thank you, again. i really appreciate all of you. i did not keep this brief this

time around. but i appreciate the opportunity. thank you. >> president walton: thank you so much, supervisor supervisor d congratulations again. i will now call on the senior member of this body, supervisor aaron peskin, representing district 3. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, supervisor walton, mr. president. i'm sorry, my thing has failed and i just rebooted it. and i do want to say to my former neighbor, incoming supervisor connie chan whose mother lives down the street from me, welcome to incoming supervisor myrna melgar, who i knew in her days when she was working at the mayor's office under gavin newsom, and i have known and respected you for a decade and a half and i'm delighted that as of today that we are colleagues. and as i begin my fifth inaugural speech as a member of

this body, i will start as i always have by thanking my loving family. i really wish that my father, harvey, who passed away a couple years ago could be here to see me having taken the oath of office one more -- maybe this one last time. my mother, sepa, and my very patient life partner of over three decades, nancy, who are both here with me virtually. i really want to thank the incredible staff that i have retained over the years. i want to say that my reputatio- i still have the highest staff retention record on this board over the last generation. so in addition to acknowledging my incredible current team and sonny and lee and calvin and sarah, i want to sincerely thank all of you colleagues and mayor

breed for your individual endorsements in my most re-election. and i want to particularly thank the voters of the northeast corner of san francisco, district 3, who saw fit to re-elect me for one more tour of duty. mucof all of the issues that now almost 40 supervisors have said this when norman yee was retiring two or three days ago, 39 supervisors that i have served with. as of a few minutes ago, six board presidents, five mayors over the last 20 years. today is the exact anniversary of the first day that i was sworn in 20 years ago. thank you again, sean elsman, for reminding me of that this

morning. but today -- and i think that supervisor chan just said that, that the issues that we are facing are more particularly and more remarkably profound. and we were all steeped in the 1906 earthquake and fire. i used to go down there at 5:00 in the morning with willie brown, and we became an example of national emergency preparedness. but nobody taught the harsh lessons of the 1918 pandemic, which we are learning and re-learning right now. so i really want to thank our frontline responders, our doctors, our nurses, ambulance drivers. and we've got a clear mandate to

continue to reform health care, which started actually in san francisco. we had quasi public health care in this city -- thank you tom -- before obamacare or the affordable care act was passed in the united states of america that has hung on after four harrowing years. and as they say, i work with a few indian tribes in nevada. we're going through a pretty heck of a rough patch right now, and we're going to have to make some painful decisions, mr. president, colleagues, madam mayor. it's going to be quite difficult. and whether it's my constituents in chinatown or north beach or our constituents from the sunset or anywhere on this side of the san mateo border, let's be clear

-- 2021 may actually get worse before it gets better. but i know that we're going to get through this together. if we continue to take care of each other and heal those many hatchets and to my incoming colleagues, and to the mayor, i pledge to work with all of you to do everything that we can do to assist those folks who are besieged and are beleaguered and are weary and are vulnerable first. and face with what is a once in a century, 103 years i think, global pandemic and the political and the social upheaval that we have seen from george floyd to what we saw the day before yesterday at our

nation's capitol. and what is really our ultimate pan-ultimate challenge which is climate change and the economic recession that we're going to weather. i actually think that we're all going to come together and that we all love this town, and i'm honored to serve one more term on the san francisco board of supervisors. thank you, madam clerk. thank you, colleagues, thank you to the voters of district 3. >> president walton: thank you so much, supervisor peskin. now we'll bring up supervisor from district 5, supervisor dean preston. >> supervisor preston: thank you, president walton, and i think that i'm going to say that again just because i like the sound of it. thank you, president walton. and congratulations to you on not just -- not just becoming board president, but doing so unanimously. i think that says a lot. i want to thank the residents of

district 5 for giving me the opportunity to serve as your supervisor for another four years. and i have to say that to talk openly about fundamental change, to have this platform to work towards replacing capitalism, to be part of a movement and a struggle to serve and to mobilize the working class in our collective effort, to reverse centuries of oppression, inequality, and injustice, is really a privilege. and i feel fortunate to be here. i feel humbled to have been re-elected. and this time to have the opportunity to have a full four-year term. i want to thank my wife, and my daughters, skye and keira and my father. my brother. my late mother. and my late sister who made me

promise before her very premature death that i would run again when the seat became open. and she saw me in my first election, and was determined that if the seat should become open again i should run. so i want to thank my team and as others have said we're only as good as our staff, kyle, jen, avery and preston. a special thank you to the democratic socialists of america, to all of the activists and to the progressive labor unions and the dozens of organizations and community groups that are really the backbone of our movement here in san francisco and beyond. you are the builders of the better world that is to be. and that we will get to. i also want to thank the city

leaders and the district 5 voters who believed and trusted our vision. i wish that we could be together in person, and i recall last year in the special elections that we were able to all gather in chambers. if we were together in person, i would hope to be able to give you some of the energy and inspiration and resolve that you all have given me. as a democratic socialist in this year in government, i have found common cause with my colleagues on this board, and so many people across city government on many issues. but i've also had to learn how to stand alone at times. and that that's okay. i want to thank the activists and the visionaries who have stood with me, who have held me accountable. thank you for being my moral compass as i serve in office and as i navigate the complexities

of serving in the legislative office. and to the billionaires who smeared us, who attacked homeless people, who tried to take away rent relief, and the promise of social housing in the name of their ever growing bank account, i say while your tactics were wrong, you were right to oppose me. because i'm coming after your billions. we will build a more equitable society. we are making history together in the face of threats and opposition of all kinds -- not just the pandemic, but racism, fascism, corporate dominance, forces of actual evil, masquerading as we see in the capital as patriotism. we're fighting the fight locally and beyond, through real material gains and progressive policies.

you can love your city and your country without hate. you can love this land and the people on it without loving the system as it is. and to those in trump's america who call us traitors for our unwavering progressive values and our socialist values, we are proudly disloyal to your corporate and white nationalist agenda. we will not support the ongoing exploitation and abuse of the oppressed, of people of color, of the poor and working class, for profits and life supremacy. as a democratic socialist i stand in firm opposition to the status quo and in support of reordering our society, redistributing the wealth, privilege and the opportunity that for too long has pooled at the very top. last year locally in this last year, and just to name a few things, i mean, we banned evictions during the pandemic. doubled the transfer tax on high-end real estate sales to

help renters to pay back rent and to build social housing. helped immediately ban in san francisco the knee and neck chokehold that killed george floyd and launched the city's first pandemic hotel program. moving district 5 homeless women and children in hotels and joining with our colleagues on this board to pass unanimous legislation to require the city to house homeless people in hotels. we championed in district 5 one of the safe sleeping sites in the city for our homeless neighbors and established slow streets in the district, and renamed a street after earl gauge jr., and championed protections for local small businesses against evictions. and reversed muni fare hikes and won a fare freeze. and had a aid operation with volunteers helping district 5 seniors and distributing thousands of masks and gloves and hand sanitizers to underserved communities. and stopped the increased health care for city workers and passed

a law to have 10,000 units of social housing and won rent protections for midtown park apartments, among many other things. so that's in our one year and i can't wait to see what we can do in a year, especially a year when we don't have an election. this pie in the sky tastes pretty good and we need more of it. so let me just say, colleagues, on so many of these issues that you were right by my side and i was right by your side on your valuable legislative efforts. i am excited that we're only strengthened with the addition of supervisors chan and melgar to the board as we kick off 2021 and continue our work. and i think that as others have referenced, i mean, this promises to be an extremely difficult year. covid is raging in the community. it poses serious challenges to everything that we hold dear. we have rent debt mounting. evictions are right around the

corner. unemployment on the rise and neighborhood business we know from our hearing and talking to folks in our district, these businesses are closing left and right. and our infrastructure investments will be really hobbled by the recession. but amidst that our goal cannot be just to stabilize things. we need to do that, but we also really need to reimagine what rises to replace the failed system that has made us so vulnerable to covid, to hate, to misinformation. together we need to remake this system so that it delivers for the people. thank you all for giving me this opportunity to serve. >> president walton: thank you so much, supervisor preston. as we said earlier i want to once again congratulate the next supervisor of district 7,

supervisor melgar. >> supervisor melgar: thank you so much, president walton. i'm so excited to be a member of this body, representing district 7, the best district in our city. i was coming up the stairs as i have done, i don't know, thousands of times i think over the, you know, the many, many years that i have served at this city and as a commissioner and as a member of the board of supervisors and i worked for the mayor newsom, and this morning coming up the stairs was a special privilege as the first latina elected to this body in 25 years. only the second ever. having been sworn in yesterday by the former treasurer, the supervisor suzanne liad who was the first. and i do feel just a great responsibility and also just so

much gratefulness and honor. my family came to san francisco during the 1980s, actually, during the civil war in el salvador. my family of five lived in a small studio apartment off mission street. we had very little food. my dad, who is an engineer with an engineer back in el salvador, worked odd jobs to earn money. and this city was good to us. you know, my sisters and i eventually went on to have successful careers and families of our own. my husband, shawn and i, bought our house in engelside 10 years ago. and our girls have thrived there in district 7. the best district. they have attended our excellent schools and played in beautiful parks and open spaces. and i ran for supervisor to ensure that those opportunities are there for the next generation. there for my girls and for our kids. our city is in a whole lot of

trouble right now, as is our country. folks are sick and dying. san francisco is number one in hospitality industry and it's been decimated along with our small businesses. people are leaving their homes and their livelihoods. this has been a tough, tough year. on top of the crippling pandemic, we have been dealing with a reckoning of our collective legacy of the oppression of black people, the oppression of women. and also, you know, making room for the movements that have resulted, movement for black lives, police reform and the "me too" movement. i believe in the san francisco spirit. and i believe in our city. and we will rebuild our city and our neighborhoods working together. we can do it deeply rooted in our values, our san francisco values of progress, justice, equality, and economic opportunities for all.

i want to thank my husband, shawn -- shawn donahue. and my daughters for their support. and my neighbors, my campaign team, for all of the hard work that they did to get us here. i want to thank jen moe, and jennifer siever, to want to come to do this with me, this little adventure. and thank you to the voters of district 7 for their faith to me. and i will commit to you all and to my colleagues that i will work very hard and i will work collaboratively with you all for a better tomorrow. thank you for giving me this opportunity and i look forward to our work together. >> president walton: thank you so much, supervisor melgar. and now the re-elected supervisor from district 9, supervisor hillary ronen.

>> supervisor ronen: thank you, president walton. i am just very excited. this is a good day. and serving as the district 9 supervisor has been truly the greatest honor of my life. and i am very grateful to my constituents for electing me to serve a second term. i will be working non-stopover the next four years to remediate the unbelievable damage and the difficulty that both the pandemic and four years of the trump presidency and the mcconnell senate have left behind. since we have so much to rebuild, i believe that we should take every single opportunity similar to what supervisor preston said, to rethink the ways that things were done before the triple nightmare and to create something even better. extreme inequality, white supremacy, and reverence for individualism over collective needs continues to reign supreme in this country. if we want a better and a bright

future we need to dismantle and conquer each one of these rigid systemic barriers and that is my goal locally here for the next four years. i want to talk a little bit about the work i want to do, because i'm excited about the ambitious, always ambitious agenda, that i have created together with my amazing team. i'm going to work non-stop to fully implement mental health s.f. so that it becomes the best behavioral health care system in the country, bringing a humane response to help people on our streets with serious mental illness and addiction. we will set and stick to a goal of zero deaths from overdose. when we finally get kids back in school, we will have a lot of work to do to undo the year or more of educational deficit caused by distance learning. the flight from our public

school system. and the ever widening achievement gap. it is time that public school kids get all of the perks and the bells and the whistles and the opportunities that wealthier children receive in the private system. and i am so excited, stay tuned, colleagues, to be working with supervisor melgar and the new board of education commissioner kevin bogus on precisely a solution to these challenges. stay tuned. next week we'll talk more about that. when i ran the first time around i had a goal of creating 5,000 units of affordable housing in the district in a decade. and four years in we have achieved 1,700 units that are built in the pipeline to be built or purchased off of the private market. and i am hell bent on reaching this 5,000 unit goal in the district. the market disruption caused by the pandemic, paired with prop i in november and the new leadership that we have in

washington, i think that it's going to allow the level of land and building acquisition to help us to make a serious dent in our affordable housing crisis. this is how we solve our homeless and workforce crisis in this city. affordable housing and lots of it. we also have to help small businesses now more than ever. several of you have said this. it shouldn't be hard or expensive to launch a new small business in this city and i want to make it free to do so. we can and we should remove any impediments for businesses to reopen after this pandemic. i will make this happen. and then, finally, as many public commenters called in to talk about today, we are not immune from this systemic racism that permeates the police departments and the criminal justice system everywhere in this country. i will continue to work on measures that fundamentally alter the way that the city polices its residents. to bring transparency to police

efforts and to partner with our new police leadership, and to hasten these reforms. we will close down county jail 4 and juvenile hall responsibly. and in a way that makes our communities even safer. colleagues, i want to first off to thank you all so much. both my past and my present colleagues. while i often disagree with many of you, the one thing that all 11 of us always have in common is our love for this city and the love for the people who live and work here and i really appreciate everything that you have done and everything that you doll to constantly strive to make san francisco even better. and i am going to thank my amazing, incredible, current and former staff, sheila hagan and carolyn, and nate, and natalie g, and you're a chief of staff now, and amy finearts and

jennifer lee and santiago, i could not have achieved anything without you all. and i am so excited about our work going forward. i love and respect each and every one of you tremendously. and, of course, i always have to mention my mentor and my hero, david compost. you continue to be my guiding example of what it means to be an effective public official that always leads with integrity. finally, certainly, not least is my family. my extended family, my mom, my dad, my sister and my nephew and my nieces, michael and marita, and my brother-in-law marlin and my sister-in-law, mora, you hold me up and make me fight hard and take chances. and then, of course, my beloved francisco and i have to mention oreo cookie, our guinea pig, because i will never be talked to again if i don't mention

oreo. so to you all, you are everything to me, everything that i do is because i have you to lean on and come home to each night. i love you three to the ends of the universe and back. thank you. >> president walton: thank you so much, supervisor ronen and now the newly re-elected supervisor from district 11, supervisor ahsha safai. >> supervisor safai: thank you, president walton, and thank you, colleagues, it's always a pleasure to go last because i get the opportunity to hear so much of the great things that everyone has to say. and sometimes i feel some of the things they say are things that might have forgotten to mention. but one of the things that i noticed in listening already, and this is something that i think is important for the public to note, is that so many of us on this board -- all of us -- care deeply about this city. and i think that it's evidenced in the election of supervisor

walton today, how that was unanimous. you know, there's always behind the scenes and how the great conversations, but in the end how we came together, and i think that is an important message for the city to hear right off the bat. we're ready to work with the mayor and that's evident right off the bat. and so i think that the city's leadership is coming together. i want to recognize, again, supervisor chan and supervisor melgar, to welcome them, and let them know that when i first got on the board the members that had been here for some time, particularly our mayor, was very welcoming. and ready to help. and so we are here to help you and to do anything that we can to make your transition easy. but, colleagues, it's with great humility and pride that i speak to my supporters and everyone here today. while this is my second term being sworn in as supervisor of district 11, this moment in san francisco is very different and

in the state of california and in the united states than it was from four years ago. as someone that was born out of this country, as someone that is a child of a muslim father from a country that was targeted by president trump, immediately -- there was an immediate amount of anxiety and apprehension of what it would mean. there were only words on the campaign trail, but actions immediately evidenced itself in his racist behavior and his anger. and it only got worse, and our worst nightmares have cull mitt nateed in this -- cull i had cud nateed in the last week. and now with kamala harris, the tide has turned and i know that speaker pelosi as well at the helm for the next four years there is optimism that we will turn the tide. it couldn't come at a better time with what this city is

facing. so i'm optimistic and hopeful about that. when i was first elected i promised to work every day for the working families of district 11 so they no longer would be treated like the forgotten part of san francisco. i know that a lot of people feel like that in certain areas of this city, but it was truly the mantra of our district. i listened closely to the narrative and the constantly fought every single day with my staff, with my supporters and with all of you to ensure that we earned and received our fair share. and that the families and the children of district 11 got what they deserved. i took this messaging to heart and i worked every single day to make sure that the working families were prioritized, and that district 11 finally had a strong voice in city government. i learned very early in my career -- i grew up down the street from tip o'neill, that all politics is local. and it truly is the case. so when people call and people

have concerns, we listen, we respond, we follow up and we deliver. for the past four years we have done amazing things for south central parts of san francisco. and yet we straddle between the western part of the city and the southeast part of san francisco. so maybe that's why we're often overlooked and jumped over. but under my leadership, our district has received over -- well over half a billion dollars in city resources and investment that's currently being used to build the first ever family affordable housing. we have 260 units that just got full funding this past week, two separate projects, and then two private projects that are under construction as well. over 560 units are in the pipeline and will be done in the next year and a half, two years. and our janitors, our bus drivers and our muni drivers and our grocery store clerks and our labor and civil service workers

and our non-profit workers, they have been prioritized and we have prioritized working families as part of this conversation of building affordable housing. when i came into office we were still having that fight and i'm proud to say that four years later it is part of the mantra that working families deserve to be included in what is affordable. we've also been able to put to the front of the line the building of the largest neighborhood library in our city. and that will break ground in the next few years. we also have opened up the very first job center, and thank you supervisor walton for being there that day. and thank you -- excuse me, thank you, mayor breed, for making that happen in your very first year in office, supporting our desire to have a job center in historically underserved engelside-lakeview, and making sure that the well-being of our constituents were put first. lastly, some of the other things that we did was about greener and safer. supervisor walton -- excuse me,

president walton, we planted over 2,000 trees in our district and i'm very proud of that and we repaved roads and we also installed hundreds of speed humps and traffic calming at the request of our neighbors that has reduced the flow and the speed of traffic and made a significant impact with vision zero pedestrian safety. we have accomplished a lot for our district and on the city-wide level things like city-wide labor project agreements and inclusionary housing updates and prioritizing our family child care centers and family child care, passing the affordable housing bond, and one of the things that i'm the proudest of, particularly in this time, is to ensure that our schools are funded at the right level. and i'm proud to have led along with our teachers' union and the mayor, the passage of prop j, and that is something that will have a significant impact as we head into these times. as i entered next four years of

this term in office, i would be remiss not to speak about the impacts and the devastation that covid-19 has had on our community and our businesses and most importantly our children and seniors. my community has been particularly hit hard by covid. i'm very proud of the work that our community leaders have done to open up testing sites, both in lakeview and the excelsior that are free and accessible to all members of the community. and ensuring that our city workforce -- and we have fought very hard and thank, madam mayor, for supports us to make sure that we had the workforce and support that we needed during this time. i want to ensure all san franciscans that i will work tirelessly to make sure that our health care, like kaiser and others are working in collaboration and coordination to ensure that san francisco is ready when it comes and, it's coming very quickly the time for mass vaccinations and ensuring that we get that done.

i will fight for equitable funding and support for san francisco's most vulnerable populations. those that are in extreme poverty, undocumented families, and those that are often left out of the conversation. while covid-19 recovery will be our top priority and as supervisor ronen said, whatever we can do to work collaboratively to prioritize opening up our schools for all children, it's one of my highest priorities and i'm there to help all of you working on this priority. we'll be making sure that some other priorities are also at the top of the list. the police department is actively and aggressively ensuring that it meets all of the department of justice recommendations. that will be one of my top priorities. i will also work to reenvision food security, stabilizing housing and opportunities for our homeless, and working to ensure that there's the proper oversight for early education

and making sure that is delivered in a fair and equitable way as we move into the next phase of delivery. and, finally, ensuring that our board's commitment to racial equity is uplifted and expanded. i'll continue to ensure that our city departments and authorities are working for the people, being fiscally responsive, but also prioritizing those that are the most in need right now during these economic times. while fulfilling their job duties at the highest ethical standards as public servants and ensuring that we reinstate and rebuild the public trust. as i conclude, i'd like to thank all of the volunteers and the supporters of my campaign, organized labor in particular. i came from the labor movement. and i carry that with me every step of the way. and the lens that i look through is through the lens of labor in terms of ensuring that our policies are fair and equitable for working people. all of the elected officials and the colleagues that supported my

re-election, the mayor, thank you for her support as well. and my former and current staff, kathy, and judy lee, and sew sue sandoval, and others, all of you and sam, for your tremendous support. and as many of you have said that we're nowhere near anything without the hard work of our staff. finally, i would like to thank my amazing and devoted wife, avita, my two lovely children, saul and rumy and our cat measha, i'm taking a page out of your book, miss hillary ronen, that's a good idea. and my entire family for their support. and my mother, marcia, to san francisco as this is her new home and it will be for the rest of her life. so we're so excited to have her here in san francisco. all of that has allowed me to run for office and to serve the

people of district 11 in san francisco. there's no other job that i would want at this moment. i'm reminded constantly of the principle that i have every single day as the amazing as this city is and the opportunity to be an elected official. the next four years are going to be economically tough for our city, but we're going to come together to overcome this economic disaster in covid-19. and i'm confident that our recovery will be better. we'll come out as a more vibrant city, centered around san francisco values and residents and small business owners and others. thank you all. and i assure you that the best is yet to come from my office and from our city. >> president walton: thank you, supervisor safai and, again, congratulations to all of the newly elected and re-elected supervisors. we do now have an opportunity for any other supervisors that may want to say a few words, supervisors from districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.

and i will look to see if anybody wants to jump in from the roster. and i don't see anybody jumping in on the roster. so i am now at this point going to just first off start off by saying that i want to first give an honor to god and to just say that i am truly humbled and honored and honored and heartened just to be chosen to serve as your board president. i also want to say thank you to our immediate past board president norman yee for his service and the black women who serve as president of this board of supervisors before me. including our mayor london breed. early 2020 started with a major pandemic. and then we witnessed so many injustices for black people and people of color. whether it was the killings at the hands of law enforcement, or a divisive leader in the white

house trying to racialize covid-19 and blame a specific community. this all led to a movement that set us all to bring everyone together. to understand that the lives of black people and the lives of people of color do matter. through all of those challenges, this board of supervisors has remained focus on addressing the issues and concerns that exist in all of our communities. i also bring the voice of all communities to the table. this board has taken a bold step entrusting me with collectively carrying out a vision of unity for all of san francisco. and sending a bold message that we can and we will work together. covid-19 has changed all of our lives forever. it has forced us all to see the

disparities that our most disenfranchised communities face during this major health crisis and our essential and frontline workers have carried us through this hardest time, by providing food, transportation, medical services, education, and services to meet basic needs. these workers really get the recognition they deserve, but now we all see and appreciate them even more. we are at a pivotal time when a unified voice has never been more important. peaceful transitions should be the norm and we have seen that that was not the case at the national level, and so we will be an example as a city, and, quite frankly, for the country.

and what an honor to serve as the board are president during one of the major moments of crisis during our history. everyday decisions that we make will impact people's lives and that is and it must be all of our priorities. i want to say thank you to the most amazing staff in city hall, my legislative team, natalie g, and tracy brown girardo, and tracy birch, and as well as all of the board of supervisors' legislative aides. without all of your hard work and the amazing talents and abilities, we would not be prepared to serve in this capacity. and i want to thank my family and my wife and my kids and pie grandchildren who have no clue what is going on right now. but most certainly will one day. having the support of family and friends is very important in

this work and i also want to thank this city for entrusting me to serve as a member of this body. and the clerk's office for keeping us focused and succinct as we address the day-to-day business of this city. this board of supervisors will be remembered for years to come on how we come together through this adversity. along with our mayor, we must roll up our sleeves and lead san francisco through a recovery from this pandemic, and to be a model for the nation. how well we all come together and work for the people that we serve will be a testament to the power of collaboration and focus, and that is what makes us wonsan fraone san francisco. we have work together as a board and as a city as we continue to fight through this pandemic,

address the number of folks that are living on our streets and making sure they get the housing and the supports they need. as we deal with the increases in certain crimes and work to keep our communities safe, as we fight for social justice and equity, and fight for environmental justice, as we work to get our children back in the classroom, and as we fight to support our small businesses and businesses that have suffered immensely during this pandemic, and as we work to bring more testing and to get the vaccine out to everyone, and as we work to stay unified. i look forward to working with mayor breed's office, my colleagues, community, labor, educators, essential and frontline workers. the one thing that i can

guarantee to everybody and i have said this before -- is that we will disagree at times. but how we work through this agreement is everything. i am extremely excited about keeping us focused on the issues that will bring us all together for the betterment of this city and our city that we all love. let us get to work. and if i may be obliged, because as i look at the time that we are in, i just have to say this -- to all historically black college and university alumni, and all young people looking for institutions of higher education, when someone wants to know what a black college degree can get you, you can tell them that it can get you elected to serve as the president of the san francisco board of supervisors.

you can tell them that it can get you elected to serve as the united states senator in the state of georgia. you can tell them that it can get you to serve as the vice president of the united states of america. this is relevant because i want all of our young people to know that no matter what that you can achieve and be true to your community and culture at the same time. i'm going to end with this, in the words of the late great ucla basketball coach john wooden. imagine how much work we can get done together if nobody cares who gets the credit. we love you, san francisco. i'm truly honored and humbled to serve in this role. and we will have a lot of work ahead of us but we're prepared to do it in unity. thank you so much, colleagues,

for electing me and voting me to this position. i do not take this lightly as i know what we are faced with every day. and the one thing that i'm going to guarantee you is that we're going to work hard to address the issues and concerns of our constituents. madam clerk, is there any other business today? >> clerk: that concludes our business for today, mr. president. >> president walton: thank you so much, madam clerk. and thank you so much to everyone watching and thank you so much, colleagues. this meeting is adjourned. >> good afternoon and welcome td

transportation committee meeting for 2021. i am not sure which of my fellow

committee members are on there. clerk, is ms. major -- thanks for all of your work in 2020. do we have any announcements. >> city employees and the public -- we will be ar be participad remoting. committee members will attending the meeting through video conference. public comment will be available on each item of this agenda. we are streaming the public comment number on the screen. each number will be allowed two minutes to speak.

you may submit public comment in either of the following ways. you may emay myself or the

transportation clerk. if you submit public comment via e-mail it will be submitted to the supervisors and be entered as part of the public file. finally items acted upon today are expected to appear on the agenda for january 12th unless otherwise stated. >> if you will do us the kindness and turn your camera off until you are called, that would be great. madam, clerk, will you please read the first item. >> item number one is granting to sz300 grant ll c to occupy

raise crosswalk improvements. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on item number one shud should cal. if would you like to line up for this item please press star and three. mr. chair. >> thank you, madam clerk. why don't we get a brief presentation from public works. >> hi. i don't have the option to present currently. >> we will give you those permissions momentarily. will you please give permission to present.

>> absolutely. we are working on making the button available. >> can everyone see it? this is a project for major encroachment. demolish two existing buildings for a retail space. improving existing -- >> haven't those improvements been made already. >> correct. the improvements have been constructed at risk. >> there we go. the improvements are located on grant avenue. under the major encroachment two

paifers witpavers with sidewalk. on the north and side sidewalks. on here you can see the landscape plans show exactly where the areas of major encroachment are included. you can see the raised crosswalk. green, you can see the ba -- s hard to see but the pavers and

benches. for this planning found the application is in confirmity with the general plan. the project was also presented at the advisory safety committ committee. subsequently approved by the sfmta including a proposal to close harland place from 3:30 p.m. under public works order 202063 to a come dai a come daid the d sidewalk. the permit was recommended for

additional approval and submitted to the board of supervisors signed april 12th 2020. this project has been reviewed and approved by the state agencies. san francisco public utility commission, hid hydraulics divi. we have terry williams the owner of the project on line with us as well. she would like to give some comments as well. >> absolutely. please make any statement on behalf of the ll c. >> i have to turn my camera on. >> we can hear you and see you. >> great. thank you.

i'll be brief. good afternoon member of the committee. i represent the owners of the 300 grant project which is a brand new just completed sixty nine square foot in the union square district. this project has been a long time in the making. we've been working closely with city staff to bring it to fruition. i just wanted to say that the improvements are an important part and converting these types of alleys and streets to open space and vibrant mini destinations. when we acquired the property it was in a heavily deteriorated

position. a plan for closing off the street and opening up to the public seating, eating seven days a week at least four hours a day. benches, street lighting landscaping, trees decorative pavement, a very cool dynamic art installation. intended to enhance the overall vibe of harlan place. we are eager to complete this final step so we can close the

street and open it up to public access as soon as covid restrictions permit. thank you very much. >> thank you. congratulations on the last four years on your work. i've been not far away and watched it. this is clearly within the public interest and extent witht with the general plan. any questions? seeing none -- why don't we open it up for public comment. any members would like to comment on this? >> i hav communication that thes

no one in line for the queue. >> happy new year. based on what was reported. public comment is closed. i would like to submit this for hearing tomorrow morning. >> (roll call) you have three ayes. >> next item, please. >> article ten of the planning code for one mon montgomery str. for public comment please dial the number on your screen.

if you have not done so already, please press star three to line up to speak. the system prompt will indicate that you have raised your hand. >> colleagues, this building where i worked for many years across the street at 44 montgomery and for many years down the street on new montgomery is a city treasurerrer fotreasurerfor ban. it is listed here today, i believe it warrants landmark

designation under article ten of the planning code. this would be the initiation of said designation which would go to the historic preservation commission for consideration and would ultimately have to come back to the board of supervisors as designation for a landmark. when that report comes we would hear fl th from the planning department. at this point it's just the initiation of the landmarking process. if there are no questions from colleagues, i would like to open this up for public comment. >> no caller ns in the queue.

>> i would like to make a motion to send this item to the board with full recommendation. >> (roll call) you have three ayes. >> thank you, madam clerk, can you please read the next item. >> a resolution initiating a landmark designation for coffee company. members of the public who wish to provide public comment should call the number on the screen. if you have not done so already, please press star three to line up to speak.

>> thank you. colleagues, not dissimilar to the last item. constructed right after the great eart earthquake and fire. what is prefn present day finanl district. it's under threat of dho demoli. there will be on going conversations relative to preserving in whole or part the edifice which not only is historic but survive dollared te redevelopment. it's remarkably handsome building and also listed in any numbers of surveys, including

the 1968 architectural heritage. this would initiate the landmark zig anythings process . it would come back to the board of supervisors. it's a warehouse surviver but linked to the history of coffee in san francisco and i would like to start the landmarking process for said edifice and if there are no questions or comments, i would like to open it up to public comment. >> thank you. there are no caller nz queue. >> okay. public comment is closed. colleagues if there's no objection i would like to make a motion to send this item to the full board.

>> (roll call) you have three ayes. okay. everybody have a very safe happy new year. we are adjourned.

>> president koppel: good afternoon. welcome to the san francisco planning commission remote hearing for sures, january 7, 2021. happy new year and very merry christmas. on february 25, 2020 the mayor declared a local state of emergency. april 3, 2020 planning commission received authorization from the mayor's office to reconvene remotely through end of shelter-in-place. this will be the 33rd remote hearing. it requires everyone's attention and patience. if you are not speaking please mute microphone and turnoff video to enable public participation sfgovtv is steaming live. we will receive public comment for each item. opportunities to speak are available