with covid-19. for sfgovtv, i'm chris manners. thanks for watching. >> mayor london breed:good morning, everyone ssmentsd today we have 27,000 cases of covid-19 that have been diagnosed since the beginning. 249 people are hospitalized and, sadly, 235 people have died from covid in san francisco. we are now almost three weeks past christmas and nearly two weeks from new years and we are still seeing a post-holiday surge in our covid cases. dr. colfax will go through the numbers, but a few things to note. while our cases are still higher than ever, the rate of increase isn't as severe as we saw after

thanksgiving. this is some good news and it means hopefully that people are following the health orders. however, we started this holiday at a more precarious point. so even a lower rate of increase is seriously concerning. our cases and hospitalizations remain dangerously high. and our infection rate is still above 1. the bay area as a whole, like pretty much the entire state, remains in a very difficult position. yes, the vaccine is rolling out but we're not able to see the curve flattening. so we need to focus on three things that we can do -- staying home and limiting our interactions as much as possible to stop the spread. supporting the vaccine rollout. and finding ways to help those that are struggling, including our small businesses. we know that there has been good news recently for small

businesses from the federal relief package and the extension of the p.p.p. loan. and with the state's recently announced covid-19 relief grant, there is hope. but there's so much more that we need to do. that's why i asked my budget staff to go to the departments and find any ways to cut costs, to reprier to tease funding to support our small businesses. and the good news is that we found some. today we are unveiling a new plan that will provide significant relief for our small businesses, mostly impacted by covid. this new plan will include a mix of 62 million dollars in grants and loans that will be available for businesses most impacted by covid. these are businesses who have not been able to open their doors, or have been severely limited in the services they can

provide. we're talking about our restaurants, our nail salons, our bars and our nightlife venues and our gyms. this new plan will more than triple the amount of local support that we have provided in grants and loans so far during this pandemic. let's start with the direct grants. the s.f. relief program will provide $12.4 million dollars in grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 per business. while we want to support our small businesses, we especially want to target those businesses located in high need neighborhoods, that are operated by those who have had less success accessing the existing programs, like businesses owned by women and people of color. those that have been most impacted by the stay-at-home orders. and those that are unable to access the federal programs. our goal is for these grants to come quickly. starting in february, to provide immediate relief for our small

businesses who so badly need it. next will come our proposed loan program. the focus here will be longer term support, especially for those businesses that have been left out of our existing relief program. our plan is to provide up to $50 million in low-interest and zero-interest loans of up to $250,000 each. and while we need to focus on supporting all of our small businesses, part of this plan will focus on supporting what we call our anchor community businesses. these are small businesses with slightly higher revenues that are often left out of our small business relief plan. this includes many of our restaurants, restaurants which, of course, are such an important part of what makes our city special. but they also employ more people than many other small

businesses. that's an important point, because when we talk about relief, this isn't just about saving our small businesses, but it's also about keeping people working. and we will also have a microloan program that will support very small businesses who may not otherwise be in a position to borrow money. these loans will come after the grants and they will help to stabilize our small businesses through the challenging months ahead. as i said, this new $62 million plan will triple what we've done so far. our previous efforts include $29 million in grants, loans and fee waivers. in addition to the grants and loans, we've also provided through programs like great place which pays local restaurants to provide meals to those in need. we have also launched our "jobs now" program which will help to pay a portion of staff wages so that businesses can hire people as they start to reopen.

and, of course, we are continuing to do the work to streamline the process permitting us to open up businesses in san francisco. we're implementing prop h, approved by the voters this past november, which requires the city to grant permits to new businesses within 30 days. this streamlined process will be essential as we begin to reopen our economy in the months ahead. we have to make it easier to open and operate businesses in our city. for more information about all of the support that we are providing go to eowd.org/covid19. supporting these businesses is so critical as we work to flatten the curve and to get people vaccinated. now, i know that everyone is anxious about the vaccine. not just because i want everyone to be protected from this virus, but also because i want -- i

know what it means for the future of our city. we all want to open and get back to normal. it means that we can start to move san francisco forward and be around one another again without the fear of spreading the virus. i'm looking forward to the days when we can walk down the street and see each other without a mask on. when we can go to a warriors game or to a concert or a play or anything that is available where we can gather. or just go hang out with our friends. really when you think about it, we never knew how good we had it. now i know a lot of people have questions about the vaccine -- when is it my turn? when do i get my turn? when is it going to happen for me? when will we get the city back open? when can i open my business? and when can i send my kids back to school? especially when can i send my kids back to school, because i know that most parents have probably had it up to here. now that we are on this, first

and foremost, we are following the state guidelines on how the vaccines are distributed, to who, and we are working to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. while the state has set up a distribution of the vaccines, so most people will get vaccinated by their health care providers, we're working with our health care partners and pharmacies on ways to scale up vaccine delivery. this is a all-hands-on-deck moment and we all have a role to play. dr. colfax will go into a little more detail on this, but know that the city is working to identify sites to set up for vaccination. but it can't just be about one large massive site. one lesson that we learned from our testing system was that we need to work with our community partners and meet our most impacted communities where they are. we have to build trust with these communities to ensure that they are getting the care they need. that's the kind of thought that we have put into how we reach

people as this rollout continues. we also know that in our country, in our city, too many people still remain uninsured. d.p.h. is -- in addition to vaccinating workers and residents at city-run facilities like s.f. general and laguna general hospital, they will continue to fill the gaps for those who won't be vaccinate board i a private provider. that means people who are homeless, uninsured and undocumented. the people that d.p.h. has provided health care to for years will be able to get vaccinated through our city resources. once we actually have more vaccines and we can move into the next phases where we start to see these individuals eligible, we will have systems in place to get them vaccinated as quickly as possible. rolling out this vaccine is a big deal. and it's complicated. but we will work with our health care providers and our community

partners to reach people as best we can. to the people of san francisco, i know that it's been hard. but i thank all of you for everything that you continue to do. there is and i know that you hear this very often, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but there really is. there's just a lot of sacrifice that we'll have to make in order to get there between now and getting out of that tunnel. now i'm going to turn it over to dr. grant colfax who will provide us with an update on the numbers and what we're seeing out there and the latest information around the vaccine. dr. colfax. >> thank you, mayor breed. and, good morning, everybody. thank you for your time and attention. first, i want to start out with a note of appreciation today before i provide an update on the numbers -- the covid-19 numbers in san francisco. as you hear these numbers,

especially when we talk about the number of patients in the hospital, please remember that each one of those patients have multiple, dedicated health care professionals providing their care. from the people who make the meals, to the technicians providing the tests and x-rays, to the nurses and doctors at the bedside, san franciscans are in good hands. and health care workers are shouldering a tremendous burden for our city and our communities right now. as our post-new year's cases surge on top of our post-december holiday cases on top of our post-thanksgiving cases, these health care professionals are showing up every day, ready to meet the mounting challenge. they are as skilled as they are

compassionate. they are incredibly dedicated. and we often say that they are, quote "tireless." but i know that they do get tired. faced with a relentless virus, they are doing their very best. my gratitude to them is deeper than i can express in any words. and if you know any of these hard-working people, please take a moment to thank them. and, please keep doing the things that protect them from infection. let's not put them in the position of so many of their colleagues across the country where hospitals are overwhelmed. please, for their sake, for your sake, for our community's sake, cover your nose and mouth when you go out. wash your hands.

keep your distance from others. please do not gather with people outside of your household. and if you are sick, of course, stay home. our health care workers thank you for doing your part so that they can do theirs. and now let's look at the numbers. first slide, please. as you might remember, last week we said that it would take until mid-january to get a fuller picture of the impacts of the december holidays. what we are seeing now is a holiday surge on top of an even larger thanksgiving surge. we are in a dynamic situation where the cases are rising post-december holiday surge above an already record-setting surge after thanksgiving. as this slide shows, post-thanksgiving we saw about a 70% increase in cases in the

weeks following that holiday. now we've seen about a 28% increase in our post-december holiday surge. we are now averaging the same new cases per day that we saw during the post-thanksgiving surge. and san francisco is currently averaging about 280 new cases every day. next slide. and as our cases continue to increase, you can see that our number of hospitalized patients with covid-19 across the city continue to increase. we have as of yesterday, 249 covid-19 patients in san francisco hospitals. for comparison, during the last surge in july, we topped out at 114 patients. fewer than half of what we are

seeing today. and, of course, this local surge that is happening amid a regional and a state and national hospital surge. now san francisco thankfully still has enough i.c.u. capacity to treat our patients, the surrounding county's i.c.u. bed availability continues to shrink. our own history tells us that so far san francisco can successfully manage surges such as this. but we must continue to work to flatten this curve. we need to turn this around. the current trajectory is not sustainable. by working together, taking precautions, and making hard sacrifices, we have saved so many lives and we can continue to do so again. and now we have another tool to help to push our

hospitalizations down and to flatten the curve. vaccines coupled with those prevention measures. there's been a lot of news and a lot of discussion, and some controversy, about the rollout of vaccines. and it is complicated. but it is happening. and, believe me, we are working hard with partners across the city to get as many vaccines into as many arms as possible. many of the decisions regarding allocation of vaccine are being driven by the state and federal governments, including the amount of vaccine that the county will receive, and when and how. the state has developed the distribution plan for the vaccine. under the distribution plan, vaccine is shipped directly to health care providers such as kaiser, and others. it includes the department of

public health, which as you know is a health care provider for the city. the state is prioritizing population for the vaccine because the initial supply of the vaccine is limited. the first phase of distribution known as phase 1a, prioritizes the workers in health care settings most likely to be exposed to the virus or to trans mitt the virus. the majority of these workers are being vaccinated here in san francisco by their employer, whether it be kaiser, ucsf, or here at the health department. phase 1a also includes vaccinating residents of skilled nursing facilities where residents are at a particular high risk for complications of covid-19 and from dying from covid-19. and i have some really good news to share with regard to

vaccination in nursing facilities in our city. all residents of laguna hospital, the largest skilled nursing facility in the country, have been offered a first dose of vaccine. and across the city, 13 of the 18 skilled nursing facilities have had their residents offered vaccines through the federal pharmacy program for long-term care. the remainder of skilled nursing facilities are expected to be completed this week. in the meantime, we are working with the city's health care providers and pharmacies to scale up vaccine delivery. because the federal and the state governments are distributing vaccine directly to health care providers, these partnerships will be absolutely key, are absolutely key, to our success as a city. covid command center is working with health care providers to stand up large vaccination sites

where providers can efficiently and effectively serve their patients. in partnership with the health department, the city's covid command center and the department of emergency management director, mary ellen carol, is identifying the specific facilities across the city, including specifically in neighborhoods with the most highly impacted and vulnerable communities that can serve as high volume vaccination sites for our health care providers. we are working to ensure that vulnerable populations and that those who do not have access to private health care, as well as those who are in the most impacted communities, are prioritized for vaccine. one key mission of the health department is to serve those that do not have access to private health care systems. this is the focus of our city's community clinics.

the health department serves as a safety net, providing services through the san francisco health network and other programs for those uninsured or underinsured. d.p.h. is working to ensure that these populations and those impacted by the virus, receive the vaccine as efficiently as possible. this will be done by bringing the vaccine directly to vulnerable populations and those most impacted by the virus through our health department's community clinics and other community-based sites that will provide access to vaccine. for instance, we are partnering with community organizations such as the latino task force, and with ucsf to offer vaccines at community sites and in neighborhoods with the highest covid-19 prevalence to ensure access to vaccine with the highest covid-19 prevalence among workers and those who may

not have access to health care. now over 95% of san franciscans are covered by some form of private or public health care providers. that is why our partnerships with major health care providers are so important for distribution of vaccine. the remainder of san franciscans are enrolled in medicare, medi-cal, healthy san francisco, or other city-run programs. and some people have no coverage at all. these are the most vulnerable to covid-19. the health department will ensure that these populations are offered vaccines. for instance, as of this week, within our san francisco health network, our clinical care system of the health department, people 65 years of age and older will begin to be offered

vaccine. among the san francisco population, people 55 years of age and up only account for 15% of covid-19 cases. but they account for over 80% of san francisco's covid deaths and nearly half of our hospitalizations. we are working to ensure this group has access to vaccine as quickly as possible. and we will start offering vaccines to these patients at the san francisco hospital, and the maxim hall, and our covid command center clinic this week. getting the shots in the arm will save lives. our goal is as a health department is to make sure that vaccines are provided to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and as equitably as possible.

and this is an unprecedented undertaking. the mass vaccination of the entire nation to end the pandemic. as vaccine supply increases, more people will get the vaccine, including younger people and people at lower risk for complications from covid-19. most people will get the vaccine from their health care provider or insurance provider going forward and hopefully later this year. until then, and for now even after you are vaccinated, we must all continue to take the precautions we know so well. wearing a mask over your nose and your mouth. washing your hands. physically distancing. avoiding those mass gatherings. remember how much it helps those hospital workers when you stay home and avoid gathering with others outside of your household. remember how it will save lives

of our most vulnerable neighbors and loved ones. remember that you are making a difference every day, even when sometimes during this pandemic things do seem a little bit out of control. one day we will remember this massive effort and the pandemic will be behind us. that will be a day for mass celebration. and for everything that you are doing until that day, i thank you. >> thank you, mayor breed, and dr. colfax for your remarks. before we begin the question and answer portion we're going to take a moment to allow reporters to submit questions on webex. thank you for your >> thank you for your patience. when you're ready to begin, director, we will start.

>> i'm ready. thank you. >> your first question comes from multiple media outlets. will san francisco open up mass vaccination sites like san mateo county does? >> yes, so we are getting vaccine into arms as quickly as possible. when we have sufficient supply of vaccines to meet the need for our mass vaccination sites we expect to have that site up and running. our goal is to open such sites as fast as possible when the state supplies us with more vaccine. we really need to get more doses and move through the different phases of the state levels in order to accomplish the goal of a vaccine site which is, obviously, to get many, many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. director carol in partnership with the health care providers across the city assures me that sites will be available in a

match with the supply of vaccine that we expect to be coming soon. so we are looking, we are planning, and we expect these to be on the ground soon. and, certainly, in time for us to ensure that people who become eligible for the vaccine have a place to get it through their health care provider, and if they don't have a health care provider, that there's also access for people who meet the state criteria to get the vaccine at that site as well. >> thank you, dr. colfax. the next question comes from christian captain, ktvu, channel 2 news. how will san francisco residents know when, where, and how to receive vaccinations? will there be an online registration or text or email from the city, notifying them of the time and location to receive their shots? >> so since the majority of people will be receiving their vaccine from their provider,

they will receive notification from that provider when and how vaccine is available. for those that do not have a private provider, we are going to be working obviously within our health care system to notify patients within our d.p.h. community clinics when vaccine is available. and to provide them with appointments as expeditiously as possible. and we will continue to do the community outreach and partner with the community leaders to ensure that people who may not have access health care systems have access to vaccine through various vaccine clinics that, again, we expect to scale soon. it's with our vaccine supply. and we'll also be working with the business partners, other social media and other platforms to make sure that people know that vaccines are safe and encourage people to learn about

the vaccine and to get the vaccine when it is offered. >> thank you. your next question comes from ron len of the "los angeles times." we know that in other counties in california, ambulances are enduring wait times up to seven hours or more to drop patients off at the hospital. and hospital morgues have exceeded capacity and emergency rooms are forced to turn away ambulances. is san francisco seeing any of these problems? and, if not, why? >> well, i think that we're seeing, certainly, a serious surge. as you saw in the data, our surge now is twice -- twice as many people in the hospital than we did during the summer. and, again, as you see our cases continue to increase. so we are certainly going to continue to experience high hospital admission rates among

covid-19 patients. thankfully our intensive care unit capacity is still there, and we're not close to running out of hospital beds now, but remember how quickly this virus can continue to spread and how quickly it can get out of control even further. so we have avoided the worst compared to some of our fellow californian jurisdictions. but, certainly, we want to continue to be as careful as possible to prevent further spread and to prevent overwhelming our health care systems. >> thank you. the next question comes from heather knight of the "san francisco chronicle." when do you anticipate the city being able to lift its current restrictions? >> well, our numbers are still

going up. and it usually takes a couple of weeks for those numbers to start going down once they have gone up. right now we're under the state shelter-in-place order. and i expect that we will continue to do that, to be in that until at least the end of this month. and, really, we're going to have to watch the numbers to see if the cases and the hospitalization rates start to come down. and then we will have a much better sense of when we will be able to gradually reopen. vaccine distribution uptick will be a factor in that and hopefully we're hopeful that the feds will provide the state with sufficient vaccines. we can get that out and into arms and that will also move us closer to a reopening. but until we get everybody access to the vaccine, which is many months, many months away, we're all going to have to continue to practice those other

prevention measures. >> thank you, dr. colfax. we will wait just a minute more to field additional questions. thank you for your >> thank you. there are no additional questions. this concludes today's press conference. thank you, mayor breed, dr. colfax, for your time. for future questions please email bmnpress@sfgov.org. thank you and have a nice day. (♪♪♪) (♪♪♪)

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>> san francisco mayor london n. breed. for persons who wish to ask questions, include your name, outlet and up to two clearly stated questions in webex chat. and now we welcome mayor london breed. >> thank you so much. and good morning, everyone. i am excited to be here today because we know that most recently we have a vacancy in the city administrator's office, and i am so proud to announce that i am nominating carmen chu to serve as san francisco's city administrator. many of us know carmen over the years. she has served the city and

county of san francisco since 2005. she currently serves as our assessor recorder and in that role she is responsible for managing a team of over 200 people. under her leadership, the aassessor's office has reversed a decades old backlog of assessment cases and generating $3.6 billion in property tax revenue annually to support public services in san francisco. had it not been for carmen's leader snip that role, we would have a budget that was deficient in the amount of $3.6 billion. that gives you an indication of how amazing and how valuable she is to san francisco. such achievements have earned her office the prestigious 2020 good government award, an honor recognizing excellence in public sector management and stewardship. she currently serves on the san francisco employees retirement system board where she oversees the investments and policies of

a $26 billion public pension system in san francisco. assessor chu has really stepped up during covid to lead our economic recovery task force as one of the co-chairs. this was not in her job description, nor was it her responsibility, but when i called carmen to ask for her help because we needed all hand on deck to address the challenges that none of us thought we would be dealing with with covid, she immediately said yes. and with her leadership the task force developed 41 recommendations and policy ideas to make the city's economy stronger, more resilient, and more attainable. prior to the career as assessor, she was an elected representative of the board of supervisor. when she served as budget chair of the board of supervisors, there was no one who was more

fiscally conservative and focused on equity and serving the public's best interest and made sure we understood the value of every single dollar we spent. there was no one more of an advocate in that role than carmen chu when he served as the budget chair of the san francisco board of supervisors. she also served as the deputy director of public policy and finance for gavin newsom when he was mayor. she's been actively engaged in really changing bureaucracy in san francisco on so many levels. and just to go back to some information about the assessor recorder's office which was experiencing a lot of challenges, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of confusion, the work that she did to put everyone for the most part on an electronic system and to re-organize the files in that system was pretty amazing. now, i know it's very bureaucratic and very technical,

but to make san francisco work in a more efficient way that provides information to the public in a way that people can understand so that they can pay their taxes and they can do whatever business they do with the city t work she has done has really been about making sure that the average, everyday citizen in san francisco who is not connected to city hall, who is not involved in city hall in any way, that they have a voice. and they have some level of understanding and access to the resources we provide. she is the only asian american woman elected as assessor in the state of california, and she is the daughter of immigrants. her family worked hard to make sure she had some amazing opportunities to succeed in life, and boy, has she made them proud. the city administrator's office consist of more than 25 departments and programs that provide a broad range of services to other city departments and the public. and ladies and gentlemen, i am

so honored to introduce the next city administrator for the city and county of san francisco, assessor recorder carmen chu. >> good morning, everybody. first off, i just want to say thank you so much, mayor breed, for your confidence in me. i am humbled and i'm honored by your nomination, so thank you so much for this opportunity. >> thank you. >> if confirmed by the board, of course, i look forward to working not only with you but also with the board to make sure that we continue to move san francisco forward. i want to speak a little bit about my parents as i start off with the this. my parents were immigrants. mayor breed spoke about this a little bit ago, and my parents had a small restaurant and we all grew up, my sisters and i, working in that restaurant. i tell you this and i share this with you because so much of our

service and so much of what we do in life is grounded by our life experiences. how we were raised. the people who loved us. those who supported us. those were part of our lives. and what they taught me was the importance of making sure that we provide honest day of hard work, and making sure you do everything you can in every single role that you play is important. but they also taught me the importance of helping those who are in need. mike like my parents, not everybody starts off with resources. not everybody starts off with money, with support, and not everybody starts off with even the ability to communicate or speak english. and i think it's recognizing that so many people start off from different places that it's a privilege when any of us have the ability to serve in the public capacity. it is this grounding, this

belief that government can serve and the belief that government can help to support people, especially in their greatest times of need that gives me the privilege and honor of working as a public servant for the city and county of san francisco. first off, i want to recognize the people of the city administrator's office. your responsibility is a big one. the span of your responsibilities serve as a backbone for all of the city's operations. and i really want to thank you, a heartfelt thank you, especially during this time this, time when we're asking you to not only carry on with that work that you do, but also to do double duty especially as we continue to respond to an active global pandemic. this is something that is not easy. and i know that san francisco is better off for all the work that you are doing not only in your existing roles but also in the extra work that you are doing to make sure that we respond to with the best way possible to serve is city well.

to the people of the assessor's office, and i simply put and i want to tell you that i will miss you. we built a really great team in the assessor's office and we have accomplished so much. and things that seemed insurmountable to do and reversing a decades backlog and exceeding revenue expectations in half a billion during my time. and making sure we are completely overhauling outdated tools and systems that we have in our office. these may sound boring to many people, but honestly, it is this kind of attention and this kind of work that really drives change and excellent public service. i want to thank each and every person in the assessor's office. i enjoy working with you on the professional growth and challenges that you took on and

i hope you will carry on the accomplishments and legacy with you as you go forward. and finally, i want to close by recognizing and thanking the contributions as city administrator naomi kelly. i understand your decision was a difficult one. and thank you for helping meet the needs of the city during the global pandemic when we needed the support to lift up so many things that we have done. the accomplishments are not to be diminished, and icismly want to say thank you. with, that i am available, of course, for any questions. and i am really honored for this responsibility coming forward. >> thank you, assessor chiu and we are honored that you are willing to take on this responsibility. i want to provide member of the public with information about the city administrator's office. they are responsible for overseeing animal care and control, the office of cannabis, the medical examiner's office,

and the real estate division. the technology division. our community challenge grant, our grants for the arts program, the mayor's office on disability, risk management, and all of the things, many of the things that make the city run and often times we may have an interaction with any of the departments and not necessarily fully aware that they are all within the scope of the city administrator's office. it is a major responsibility, one that i know you are up for the task. and i am excited and grateful that you are willing to put your hat in the ring and allow yourself to be nominated for such a position. so thank you so much again, aseser to -- thank you, assessor chu, and with that we can open it up to any questions. >> thank you, mayor breed. before we start the question and answer portion, we are going to take a moment to allow reporters to submit questions on webex.

. >> okay. no questions, leo? >> thank you. okay. when mayor breed, the first question comes to you from joe with kqed. mayor breed k you ask ms. kelly to resign? if so, or if not, why? >> well, many of you know better than to ask about personnel issues. the fact is we cannot discuss them.

so we will not be discussing anything regarding anything that is personnel related. >> thank you, mayor breed. and should she be confirmed, are you tasks carmen chu with any specific tasks to address the allegations of corruption within the city that would be in her purview? what are those tasks? >> so just to be clear, last year when many of these allegations first began to surface, i immediately sent out an executive directive asking our city attorney and our controller's office as well as all city departments to not only investigate many of the allegations but to also look at ways in which to strengthen our policies so that we can make sure that the things that we saw happen or that people were being accused of are not easy to be able to happen moving forward. so what we did was to make sure that people are on alert when

they are making recommendations and changes to the policies for the department. and there is not a doubt in my mind that carmen chu will manage her department and make the appropriate changes necessary to address many of the challenges that we have heard over the past year as it relates to some of the department. >> thank you. and if i could just add to, that i think in any person who is assuming a role whether you are leading an organization as the assessor or city administrator, one of the things all of us will be doing is looking very, very closely to make sure we have the systems in place to ensure that there is transparency and how we're delivering the public service and how it is that we run our organization. these are all things that i am absolutely committed to. it is a fundamental piece to make sure that we have public trust. >> and there is no public

servant more respected, who has more integrity, who just basically is one of the most incredible, admirable persons that we have serving the city and county of san francisco than carmen chu. >> thank you, both. there are no additional questions for mayor breed. the next question is for assessor chu from ktfs. as the first chinese female administrator, what does this mean to you? >> i think this is -- this is always a heavy responsibility. i recall back when i served on the board of supervisors. at that time when i was nominated to the role, i was the only elected, only chinese american supervisor serving in the entire san francisco board of supervisors. and since that time much has changed in the city, but i think any of us, any of us who fill these roles understand that we play a very important spot in

making sure that not only do we lead the way but we also create opportunities and how people see no matter where you come from, no matter where you start from, there is an opportunity for you and a seat in government that no matter whether you had resources coming in or whether you were immigrants, that you have the opportunity to serve. and so i think serving as the first chinese woman as a city administrator, i hope to be able to to put my mark on creating a san francisco government that works well, that earns your trust, that is delivering services that you can be proud of in san francisco. >> okay. one moment. >> an i thought someone was going to ask me about taxes. >> the only questions about

taxes is why is my bill so high? >> indeed. >> and the next question is what's carmen's first responsibility after the nomination? and that comes from sky link. >> i think immediately especially during this time when so much of the city's response to covid is important, it is very important to make sure we continue to deliver on what is necessary and respond not only from a public health perspective, but also to support the city in the economic recovery. first and foremost, that has an impact on the lives of residents and operations. a big focus right away will be starting to take a look t a making sure we continue to support the efforts. that we do that in an excellent way and we also look forward to the future means. in addition to that, we're going to continue to look for more efficiencies. what's going to happen is we're going to go through a very tough time. i think the city is

understanding that not only are we going to be coming to recovery, but that will mean we have fewer resources at exactly the time when san franciscans need us the most. and that will really require that we do more, that we work harder, and that we're creative in terms of how we deliver the best services possible to the city. so in my role we're going to be taking very much a close look at this recovery effort, how we support that recovery for the city as well going forward. >> there are no additional questions. this concludes today's press conference. thank you, mayor breed and aseser to chu for your time. if you have questions, email the mayor's press office at sfgov.org. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you again. . . .

>> hello, i am with the san francisco parks department serious we are featuring some wonderful locations in your and very own backyard. this is your chance to find your heart in san francisco with someone special. we are here at the lovely and historic palace of fine arts, located in the bustling marina district. originally built for the 1950's

exposition, the palace is situated along san francisco's waterfront. it is ada accessible and is reached by the 28, 30, and 91 bus lines. with its rotunda, columns, uncut the reflecting waters against the eucalyptus trees, it is one of the most romantic settings for special dates, and memorable proposals. it is also a perfect spot where you can relax with that special someone while listening to the water and fountain in the lagoon. beautiful to view from many locations, and inside is an ideal place to walk around with your loved ones. the palace is the most popular wedding location in the city park system. reservations for weddings and other events are available at

strecpark.org. shakespeares' guard and refers -- has plants referred to in shakespeare's plays and poems. located near the museum and the california academy of sciences, shakespeares garden was designed in 1928 by the california spring blossom association. flowers and plants played an important part in shakespeares literary masterpieces. here is an enchanting and tranquil garden tucked away along a path behind a charming gate. this garden is the spot to woo your date. appreciate the beauty of its unique setting. the cherry tree, the brick walkways, the enchanting stones,

the rustic sundial. chaired the bards'w ro -- share the bard's words. the garden is a gem to share with someone special. pack a picnic, find a bench, enjoy the sunshine and let the whimsical words of william shakespeare float you and your loved one away. this is one of the most popular wedding locations and is available for reservations. shakespeares garden is ada accessible. this park is located at the bottom of a hill. it is a secret garden with an infinite and captivating appeal. carefully tucked away, one block from the bottom of lombard

street, it makes the top of our list for the most intimate picnic settings. avoid all tourist cars and parking hassles by hopping on the cable car. or the 30, 45, 41, or 91 bus. this garden was designed by a the landscape architect thomas church in 19 to -- 1957. grow old with me, the best is yet to be is inscribed at this gem of a park. a lush oasis anchored by gazebosanchoreddekcs, -- gazebos, anchored by decks. this is the place to tell your family the love you share. reservations are available for this hidden gem.

i am jamie hopper. until next time, don't forget to get out and play. for more information about reserving one of these romantic locations, or any other location, call 831-5500. this number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and the county fair building. for any athletic fields and neighborhood parks, 831-5510. you can also write us. 501 san francisco, calif. 94117. or just walk in and say hello. and of course you can find more information and reach us at sfrecpark.org.