>> supervisor peskin: we'll be joined by vice chair supervisor rafael mandelman. mr. clerk, do we have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. comments or opportunities to speak during public comment are available via phone by calling 415-655-0001. the meeting i.d. is

187-725-3857, then press pound and pound again. when connected, you will hear the meeting discussion but you will be muted and in listening mode only. when your item of interest comes up, dial star, three to be added to the speaker line. best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak slowly and clearly, and turn down your t.v. or radio. alternatively, you may submit public comment to me via e-mail at victor.young@sf.gov. that concludes my

announcements. >> supervisor peskin: and please call item number one. >> clerk: item one is motion appointing supervisor rafael mandelman, for an indefinite term, to the transbay joint powers authority. >> chair peskin: and supervisor mandelman would be excused, but he isn't clear. we'll open this up for public comment. >> clerk: it appears we have three listeners but no one lined up to speak at this time. >> chair peskin: okay. seeing none, public comment is closed, and let me just say that i'm pleased that supervisor mandelman is willing

to succeed supervisor haney as a role in that committee's history as the downtown rail makes progress on a modicum of transportation. with that, i'll make a motion to recommend this to the full board with a positive recommendation. mr. clerk, roll call, please. [roll call] >> clerk: the motion passes with supervisor mandelman being absent. >> chair peskin: all right. next item, please. >> clerk: next on the agenda is item number two, motion

reappointing catherine stefani, term ending january 31, 2023, to the golden gate bridge, highway, and transportation district board of directors. >> chair peskin: is there any comment from members of the public? >> clerk: yes, members of the public, please press star, three to enter the queue or wait until your system line is unmuted. there are four listeners but no one lined up to speak. >> chair peskin: thank you. supervisor stefani is not here nor does she need to be. i would like to make a motion to send this recommendation to the full board with a positive recommendation. roll call vote, please. >> clerk: on the motion -- [roll call]

>> clerk: the motion passes with supervisor mandelman being absent. >> chair peskin: and mr. clerk, this is very unlike supervisor mandelman. you will attempt to contact him again, correct? >> clerk: i or my staff. >> chair peskin: yes. could you please read the next item. >> clerk: yes. item 4 is a hearing to consider appointing four members, terms ending january 31, 2023, to the golden gate bridge, highway and transportation district, board of directors. >> chair peskin: thank you. i want to thank everyone seeking reappointment on the golden gate bridge board, and i'd like to thank the fifth

member, mr. francis gleason, for his application. let's start with the names on the agenda. sabrina hernandez? >> thank you. can you hear me? >> chair peskin: we can hear you. >> thank you. i'm here seeking seat one public at-large to be appointed to the golden gate bridge highway and transportation district board of directors. it's been my honor for the last over ten years to sit on this board. it's particularly important work, and i thought i made significant contributions on the part of our labor partners who have, under the terms of this pandemic, come under a lot

of stress because of the logistics. that's what you do when you sit on the board, is make difficult decisions and make sure everyone is heard. as i've said, i've been on the board for ten-plus years. i currently sit on the public policy and industrial relations committee. i sit on the advisory committee for the [inaudible] and on the committee for the evaluation of executive officer performance, and recently, i was able to work with the president of the board barbara parr to establish a committee on review of disparity and equity on this subject. first, we're looking at how we procure our contracts, and second, how we evaluate our employees, and how we select our committee members, and the

president has selected me to help run that, so if you have any questions of me, i'm happy to answer them. thank you very much. >> chair peskin: and i just want to apologize to committee members and the public that i am in receipt of a note that supervisor mandelman was going to be 30 to 40 minutes late, so i would like to make a motion, if i can do so, to excuse him from the previous vote, and mr. clerk, if we have to retake that vote in order to set the record straight, i'm happy to rescind the vote later on on item 2 after we disposed with this item, but i apologize, i did have a note to that effect that i overlooked. thank you, miss hernandez. why that, why don't we go onto mr. hill? bert? >> can you see me? >> chair peskin: i can hear

you, and now i can see you. >> good. that's great. good morning, chair peskin, supervisor chan, and hopefully supervisor mandelman in a few moments. first, i would like to acknowledge my fellow commissioners, hernandez, grosboll, and theriault. these have been very trying times, especially this last year, they have had to make decisions with gravity affecting the lives of our employees and their families. to date, our decisions have minute mined loss of income, supported safety protocols, and allowed operations to continue. we face a challenging future, recognizing the possibility that the 84-year-old revenue model and vehicle tolls may not continue to produce sufficient

subsidies for public transportation. i serve on various committees. i serve on the transportation committee, government and rules committees, and also on the labor advisory committee and the equity and diversity committee. director hernandez started it recently, and we've had a couple of meetings, and it's really going well. i would lastly like to thank victor. victor young, i've known him for years, and he does just a fabulous job. he must work very hard and very long hours, and i hope the supervisors recognize the work that he does, so this is just a

little push for him, and the last i want to mention is that we need supervisors on our bridge board. we also have a minority. we're going to be making hard decisions. we really need support on the committees. >> chair peskin: yes. i'm painfully aware of that, mr. hill. i might even have to return. >> well, that would be good. >> chair peskin: not for me. >> i'm honored to serve on the golden gate bridge district, and i'm happy to take any questions. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. hill. i see no questions. mr. grosboll. >> hi. dick grosboll, can you hear me all right? >> chair peskin: yes, we can, dick. >> thank you, it's been my

pleasure to serve on the board for quite a while, since 2006, and my primary stage and goal is working with the suicide deterrent system. we originally had a completion date was january of this year, and unfortunately, we were not able to make that, and now, completion because of some issues is not until january 2023. i am chair on the deterrent system, and sabrina and michael have been valuable members of this committee, and bert has contributed on that issue. you know, we do have a good staff at the bridge. we're fortunate in that regard,

and we've gotten a lot of help from m.t.c. and the government in getting money over of the years, but it's been hard this year in terms of loss of revenue as well as possibly driving over the bridge. it's been hard work, but i would like another couple of years on the board to work on these issues. thank you. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. grosboll. mr. theriault? >> now i can hear you. okay. new program for me. little hard to get used to. so i want to start as director hill did, in praising my three fellow current board members on the bridgeport. director hernandez has been absolutely wonderful. as she said, she helped

established the new advisory committee on equity, and we're looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish there at the district in that regard. she manages to share some of the same upsets and passions that i do on the board while being much more polite on it. director hill, i see nothing from bert but devotion to the bike, but he's a little better acquainted with policy matters in that regard and in transportation generally has been an absolutely valuable voice there. director grosboll, having an attorney's background, asks some of the hard questions that i've never thought to ask, and i appreciate his leadership on the suicide deterrent advisory committee, as well. my own reasons for being on

are, in some reasons, fortunately or unfortunately, are the same as i applied two years ago. i think i bring some particular expertise to that committee with my knowledge of the construction industry, with my knowledge as a retired ironworker of the bridge in general and of bridges, and i think i've made important contributions at flex points in the discussion of that -- of that suicide did he tern system and the contractor difficulties we've had there. the other item that i've brought before the committee last time i was here was the bus drivers pension trust. i'm a management trustee on the bus drivers pension trust. that is a pension trust that

has seen considerable difficulties. it is, as some of you with knowledge of pension terms would understand, a mature pension. it has a high ratio of retirees to actives that presents particular challenges in contribution to the plan itself and its funding and its administration over the years. we have gradually been working through the issues of the trust. many of the changes that have been achieved have been achieved in large part thanks to my particular identification of them and my particular suggestions with regard to them, and there are others still to be accomplished. the third thing that is new in my particular presentation

today, in the course of how things work on that board, as supervisor peskin would understand, there's a set of rotation for the offices of the board that is based on two things, on geography and on seniority. it alternates on the presidency and vice presidencies between directors from north of the golden gate and directors from south of the golden gate. currently, i sit as first vice president on the board. in a year under that rotation, i would be president of the board. at that time, i would like to undertake a task that has not been taken in quite sometime for the bridge board. currently, as supervisor peskin, again, is aware, the board agenda tends to be staff

driven. one way of countering that to some degree is to come up with a new general plan that provides some direction to the staff in providing us agendas, and i'd like to see some direction with that. with that said, supervisors, you have my biographical information before you, you have my information, and i welcome any questions. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. theriault. i see no questions, so why don't we move onto mr. gleason. mr. gleason, the floor is yours. >> hello, supervisors. are you hearing me? i'm going through a tunnel right now. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. gleason. we hear you. >> i'm going to read something just to introduce myself to the

two of you, and maybe you can pass this onto the other supervisor, mandelman, when he shows up. my name is francis gleason, and i live in san francisco. my last job was on the golden gate bridge. hopefully going to be on the board. i live near [inaudible] city boulevard and now how the bridge can affect my neighbors. i know the passengers, the employees, the supervisors. i'm familiar with the other five county board members. i will bring firsthand knowledge of the employees and passengers and residents concerns. because i travel the bridge daily, i will be able to contribute empirical dialogue to call bridge board discussions. i'd ask you to please utilize my experience and knowledge by recommending my appointment. the golden gate bridge has many

advocates, and i love the bridge, and i am an advocate for those who use the bridge. by appointing me, you will be getting a native of san francisco, a concerned neighbor who will work with all parties for fairness, transparency, and equity within the city of san francisco. and as far as my experience with the board itself, as the other directors have just spoken, no. we do have a very bad, poorly funded pension for the -- >> chair peskin: you're breaking up there, mr. gleason. >> [inaudible] with my efforts, we've actually got the contribution rate up to the right amount. before, it was in the 15s for many, many, many years. i've represented my fellow workers when we were all going to get laid off when there was

still money from the c.a.r.e.s. aid fund. i'm very glad that nobody was laid off, but initially, there was plans to lay us off. i do agree with the board of directors who have just spoken, however, none of them have [inaudible] employees in this district need to have a little bit more respect. this is a bridge, but this is also a transportation district, and that's going to come back when people get all these vaccines. i got mine. people are getting them, and we've got -- 35% of california are getting vaccines. things are going to be popping back faster than we think, and

that's why the c.a.r.e.s. funding is there because when it pops back, it's going to pop back as quickly as it fell off. most people that are working from home are anxious to get back in their cars and go and drive to work. they want to see their friends from work, they want to see the things they want to see at work. i have hopes that the transportation industry is going to be more successful than before, but you need planning, you need more information, and you need a boots on the ground guy to see what's happening. and because i drive all of these every day -- i drive the three bridges every day. i'm a union member, i'm an amalgamated transportation union member.

i support people driving the bus that are getting up early in the morning to do the landscaping and maintenance in san francisco and marin, and i appreciate your support. >> chair peskin: all right. we've heard from the five members for four seats. i see no questions from my colleagues. mr. young? >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to contribute public comment, dial 415-655-0001. meeting i.d. 187-725-3857. press pound, and pound again: press star, three to enter the

queue, and you may begin speaking when the system indicates you've been unmuted. >> chair peskin: okay. somebody needs to unmute. >> good morning. >> chair peskin: good morning. >> good morning, supervisor peskin and supervisor chan. [inaudible] i'm calling in support of sabrina hernandez for seat number one, dick grosboll for seat three, and michael theriault for seat four. their experience will serve the district and the citizens of san francisco over the next two years as they look to come out of the crisis. on behalf of ibew number six, i enthusiastically support their

appointments. thank you for allowing me to speak. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. dougherty. next speaker, please. next speaker? >> can you hear me now. >> chair peskin: we can hear you now, mr. pillpel. please proceed. >> good morning. david pillpel. i'm sorry. i missed the presentations earlier. i joined last, but i do know the incumbent directors. i attend and participate in many of the bridge committee and board meetings. i know that the four incumbent directors have worked hard for the district and for the public, and i support their reappointment, but i did want to offer a couple of brief comments. i hope that with their

reappointment that they would try to deescalate the recent tension on the board and reduce the divide between those perceived as more or less supportive of labor. in my opinion, the environment on the board is not good right now, and hopefully will get better. there are important and difficult issues and decisions before that board related to finances, policy, transportation recovery, labor, a number of issues there, and as i say, that divide amongst board members has become more apparent, and i believe is not helpful for the district or the public, so i hope that that will be high on the minds of the appointees and presumably director theriault would become board president next year, and i think he would do a good job,

but i believe that we need to bear in mind that they work for the public, the entire public, and that the district needs to be kept whole and sound, and that, again, that dwight should be reduced, and we should try to work together in difficult times. that's all from me right now. thanks very much. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. pillpel. next speaker, please. >> good morning, chair, and distinguished members of the committee. my name is rudy gonzales, and i'm secretary of the construction and trades union council. we call in this morning to weigh-in in support of the

incumbents, first and foremost, director sabrina hernandez, who has served with incredible integrity and vision. she has pushed the committee and her colleagues as a whole to develop more committees and find more solutions. i have to say that the times that we find ourselves in are not unique to the district, but the bridge is truly an iconic piece to our bay area, in addition to being an essential part of our infrastructure. the view that bert hill brings has been important. i would say the same with dick

grosboll. finally, seat four, michael theriault, an ironworker, whose hands served to build this iconic piece of infrastructure. it is important, the last comment talking about ways that we can work together. there is a lot to be desired with the overall composition of this board, but let's be clear. these four seats are intended to represent san francisco, and i think these four directors have done a heck of a job in terms of working together, making sure that san francisco is well represented and working together as much as possible in bringing all of their personal and professional experience. we appreciate the incumbents, we appreciate the opportunity to weigh-in, and we appreciate the public comment.

thank you. >> chair peskin: thank you, mr. hernandez. are there any other public comments on this item? >> clerk: there may be one additional caller. do we have any additional callers at this time? i believe we do have one additional caller. next speaker, please. >> hello? hello. good morning, supervisors. my name is john bolden. i'm a native san franciscan of the north beach district two community. i would love to say that the past president, sabrina hernandez, has done an excellent job in representing san francisco, as well as director theriault, who has mentioned that