>> good morning. welcome to the rules committee of the san francisco board of supervisors for today, monday,

april 19th, '21. i'm joined by supervisor ahsha safai and supervisor chan. >> clerk: members will be participating in the meeting remotely. committee members will attend the meeting and participate in the meeting as if they were physically present. public comment will be available. comments are offered to speak during public comment period by calling (415) 655-0001. the meeting id is 187 733 9419. then press pound and pound

again. when connected, you will hear the meeting discussions but be in listening mode only. when your item of interest comes up, best practices are to call from a quiet location, speak clearly and slowly and turn down your television or radio. you can also submit public comment to me. if you submit public comment by e-mail, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and will be included as part of the official agenda. that includes my initial comments. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, can you please call the next item? >> clerk: yes. item number one is concerning two members april 27th, 2023, to the sunshine ordinance task

force. >> supervisor peskin: okay. colleagues, we have gotten this one on time as both of these seats expire at the end of this month on april 27th. so this is timely. we have two encumbents for two seats, seats 4 and 11. and, with that, why don't we turn it over to the two applicants and if you will briefly address the committee, we've got, as you heard, some thirty-two applicants for nine seats on the next item. so if you can keep it to 2 minutes a piece, that would be great. i want to appreciate your work on the sunshine ordinance task force. the floor is yours. >> thank you. good morning and thank you to chair peskin, and supervisor mandelman and supervisor chan.

thank you for considering my nomination to the northern california chapter of the society of professional journalists to serve the sunshine ordinance taskforce. just about two months ago, i went through this process. i've worked in the tech industry for about a decade. my first job in this space was with india currents, a bay area company which has been a monthly print publication. a few years ago, i left my job to become a freelance journalist. though i continue to serve on the foundation board and advisory council, being as i am deeply invested in the

community publications. in 2015, while add india currents, i met michael hard, the editor of the san francisco examiner and convinced him to take me on as a columnist writing about issues confronting communities of color in san francisco. i'm also the director of programs for sb media services. i'm sorry. there was some noise there. ethnic media services. a dear friend and mentor and i began to gain tremendous.

as part of the gratto i teach a class to columns to san francisco writers of color. my work is situated almost entirely in the city. what do i bring to the sunshine ordinance task force? i bring enthusiasm, dedication and a service to the city. i bring with me a commitment to ensure and protect public access in meetings by the sunshine ordinance, the brown act and the public california records act. and i bring an experience. if the rules committee and the board of supervisors see fit to approve my nomination to the sunshine ordinance taskforce, thank you for this opportunity. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. why don't we move on to

mr. wolf if there are no questions from colleagues. the floor is yours. >> thank you, chair peskin, supervisors chan and mandelman. i appreciate once again this time for reappointment as we had just done a couple of months ago. >> supervisor peskin: right. >> but i won't keep you -- i'll keep it brief because i know you have a full schedule for today. i appreciate your we have a really great team on the task force now and everything is beginning to get back in motion. >> supervisor peskin: thanks a lot, bruce. like you said, we did just do this a couple of months ago and we too are hitting our pandemic

stride on this committee. so thank you for that and thank you for your service. are there any questions from committee members? seeing nobody on the chat which i have now fixed. thank you. are there any members of the public who would like to testify on item number 1. >> clerk: yes. members of the public should call (415) 655-0001. the meeting id is 187 733 9419 then press pound and pound again. press star to speak to lineup. please wait until the system has indicated you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. at this time, i believe we have three callers but nobody is in line to speak. actually we have -- there's no one in line to speak. >> supervisor peskin: okay. then public comment is closed,

then colleagues, if there's no objection i would like to make a motion to send jaya padmanabhan for seat 4 with a residency waiver and bruce wolfe to seat 11. seeing no names up in the chat. mr. clerk, can you please call the roll on that motion. >> clerk: yes. on that motion [roll call] the motion passes without objection. >> supervisor peskin: okay. next item, please. >> clerk: next on the agenda is item number two to the cannabis oversight committee. i'd just like to take this opportunity to remind members

our applicants today to please turn off your camera and mute your microphone until we call on you to speak. i'm trying to keep your comments to 2 minutes. thank you very much. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. young. colleagues, in the three months that we've been together or so -- three or so months that we've been together on this committee, i don't think we've seen such overwhelming interest in this case, 32 individuals for 9 seats. let me just start with a little bit of house cleaning the encumbent would like to apply

for that seat again. and somehow there was some communication error as to how he did not reapply. but there will be a forthcoming application for that seat which nobody applied for. every encumbent in the existing seat has reapplied of the 32 individual applicants, you will note that some seven of them would require residency waivers if this committee were to forward them. with that, i thought that what might be helpful and, colleagues, if you will indulge me would be for us to actually start by hearing from the office of cannabis,a, as to where they are in their process in any number of ways ranging from how many permits have been

issued, how many equity assets have been approved, thousand things are going with peace agreements and collective bargaining agreements and any other questions we may have. so if that is okay with you supervisors mandelman and chan, i wanted to turn it over for a quick briefing from the office of cannabis as well as to ask them how the cannabis oversight committee function within the office's work has been going and whether it's been helpful and with the utility of the oversight committee has been. with that, i don't know whether we have ms. rodriguez from the office of cannabis or whether we have mr. law or mr. patell. which one of you are here? >> good morning, chair. this is marcy rodriguez from the office of cannabis. i'm here with my colleagues ray law and cash patell.

thank you for having us this morning. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. >> so right now, i think we're just waiting to share our screen or have the authority to do so. once that's done, we can run through a very brief update answering all the questions you just proposed. >> supervisor peskin: that would be great. mr. clerk, could you please give ms. rodriguez. >> please give that to ray law. he's got the presentation. thank you. >> thank you, chair peskin. and thank you, victor, i just got the function. let me share my screen very quickly. all right. >> thank you. and while ray's getting that situated for everyone, i think there's a square box on the side, ray, to get rid of that. and to your point, chair peskin, thank you for acknowledging the overwhelming interest and i think that shows how effective and supportive

the cannabis oversight committee has been to the process for, you know, furthering our -- pardon me, that's the doorbellment for the work we've been doing for the industry t. very briefly, i just wanted to orient all of us here with this slide. we are a young office. we've been around for just about three years. it was 2018 when we opened our equity application process and the actual application came online. there was overwhelming interest, as you know, and their queue formed for our equity applicants. that q form has gone away. we are still a small, but mighty team of seven. next slide, please.

thank you. these are the core functions that we oversee about the cannabis. there are quite a few here, important ones. certainly equity vrgs. e we permit businesses and events. what kind of events, events like land and we're hoping the pilot program can continue in light of covid, of course, we had to put a pause on all of that. we're hoping october will sort of be back to normal. we will make, we enforce, we will ensure that businesses we have online will continue to be compliant. as well as pushing back with the illicit market. we do our part to limit youth access and exposure. our oversight committee as you know and yule meet cash patell. we do cross department of

racial equity work as our office is grounded in equity work and we stood up the first of its kind cannabis grant program where they supported the state and funding that's coming from the state to support equity in the community. next slide, please. so here is to help orient everyone. tiers one through six. tier one. tier three those who have been federally forced against and forced to shut down their businesses. our existing industry. that would be our legacy operators as well as medical dispensaries. ones who came through our amnesty program. and general applicants is tier six. i'm going to focus on tier one

through four for today's presentation. tier one applicants, they have been prioritized. i think was the right one supportive to our community. certainly, we'll take a little time before we're recovered as far as the office of cannabis is concerned, but definitely an important decision to make on behalf of the city. these are individuals who have decided to support our equity commitment and support businesses providing rent-free commercial space or technical assistance in exchange for their own permit. prioritized because they ceased operation in order to get an earlier priority. our existing industry, these are our medical dispensaries, the operators that have been operating all along as well as our temporary permits, our manufacturers, our distributors, our delivery operators.

next slide, please. and, ray. you're on mute, ray. >> sorry. i was on mute. in order to unmute myself i need to get out of the full screen and i will get back in and move on. all right. thank you, mojz. rodriguez. we have a total of 167 applications 30 of them in the bay which means they are very close to permit issuance, but the pandemic has caused pro visional challenges and secure contractor to do the work. and so, now, we have 14 equity permit issue and the next one system expected to be issued

this week and the rest of the applicants are actively engaging with the public parcels across city agency. so for tier two applications which means two of them are actively engaging with building department of sf now. so for tier 3, that's pre-existing and nonconforming operators. operators and free federally enforce mcds. our office has processed this group of applications, one of which is actively engaging with the permitting process now. so, lastly for tier 4 applications, that includes existing mcds and temporary

public holders. for mcds, we have 55 mcds who are currently operating under the permit and as we just mentioned. besides this group, we also have 75 temporary public holders with 145 cannabis activities from the supply chain side which includes cultivation and manufacturing, so on and so forth. so this slide talks about the cannabis oversight committee. so it's been one year since the first meeting was held on december 9th, 2019, because it took some time for the recoupment and appointment process. these meetings are led by our office, but because our office is a small office, we want to

maintain as a mutual party. so we had to identify funding in our budget to contract with a third party vendor, resources development associate to provide administrative support to this body. this body has 16 members including voting and non-voting members. there are nine voting members of 16 and a membership renewal for voting members are happening right now. and this body has built a great momentum in the cost of last year in terms of providing recommendations on different letters including legislative priorities, compassion programs and shared manufacturing. for technical assistance programs, areas like permit and grant support as well as workforce and business development. this body also provides recommendations on direct grants, eligibility criteria,

including ownership stake and ehlingbility determined by individuals, but not businesses. those are the quick highlights of the cannabis oversight committee and before we conclude this meeting, i just also wanted to mention my colleague cash patell is also on this call. >> supervisor peskin: so let me just ask a host of questions that i referenced earlier and thank you, ms. rodriguez and mr. law, for that high-level update. and i think one of the most important things there is really for all intensive purposes this committee kicked off right before the pandemic and has for all intensive

purposes has really only been operational for a year and i say that because while there is as we note to the good vast interest, it's also a very, it's a young office with an even younger oversight committee and the reason i say that is because i would -- i'm always interested in getting new blood and i think my colleagues would agree with that, but it's also such an infant oversight body that that leans a little bit towards encumbency because it's still getting its feet on the ground. how much enforcement staff do you have. do you have an enforcement backlog? how is that going? >> thank you for that question. i think that's a very important question. as you know we're seven. we have over ten core

functions. we are spread pretty thin and enforcement. our focus right now is to ensure we can support our existing industry, those who are permitted and make sure they're compliant because this is a duel licensure. we want to make sure san francisco shines bright. that said, there is an illicit market that is thriving and we need to do what we can to push back on that. as of now, we take a civil position. in other words, we go by way of our code enforcement. we are not focused on the criminal side wanting to not criminalize this industry. we are short-staffed. we take incidents and calls as they come to us both through

311 and our anonymous process online with our website. we at a later date would love to talk with you if you're interested in hearing more about this. i think it's an important part of the work that we do to ensure that all of this work continues to thrive and support our city. and be a wonderful opportunity for tourism and other things, we want to make sure we have a safe and robust industry here in san francisco. i know, earlier, you talked about l.p.a. and so all businesses come under compliance under article 16. we are in the process probably by the end of this month to start to process tier 4 which means bringing our medical existing industry through our process, they will be under our per view and they will be required to follow our rules, but there have been some

challenges i do believe with respect to the industry. with respect to article 16, everyone is currently compliant. >> supervisor peskin: excellent. thank you. colleagues, are there any questions for the office of cannabis? and i'm pretty sure my chat button's working thanks to billy. seeing none. why don't we go to our 32 applicants in the order they appear on the agenda and if you can hold to to two minutes each, that's going to be over an hour before we get to public comment. so thank you, ms. rodriguez and mr. law, and seeing neither of my colleagues asking any questions, why don't we start with perry jones.

>> hello, can you hear me. >> supervisor peskin: yes, are we can. >> hello, all. i want to thank you for your attention today and thanks to the office of cannabis for all the work that you've been doing. i would like to introduce myself. my name is perry jones. i'm a san francisco native born and raised. i'm also the owner and c.e.o. of caly hills which is an equity ran company. i have a long history of grass root organizations. working around publications for youth at risk and juvenile justice and reform. i was able to work with juvenile hall by being able to have workshops there. i think i would be a good candidate for this position because i have been able to be outspoken when it comes to

equity preservation being impacted by the w.o.d. which is the war on drugs. and also being the face of showing that it can be done and in a right way thanks to the office of cannabis and this initiative to proposition 64. i've been able to learn this program, it's been two years since identify been in equity. a lot of people probably don't believe in it. it is restorative justice at its finest and definitely a good look for our studio. because it started off pretty slow. i know we have some butches along the road. i myself as a business owner, i can say there are some safeguards that i have in place and i would like to be furthermore apart of that.

it's still taboo when it comes to coming up to this platform as post traumatic stress. me, myself personally, i believe i will be an asset to this committee. i have been involved i've also been outspoken when it comes to legislative aspect of it and also present myself in rules and regulations in order to make this right as far as moving in to the industry. i know we talk about the wholistic market and that's the market that i represent. i would like to be a spokesman for that but also disenfranchised community. the mission community which has been marginalized and red lined. so, again, this is an opportunity and i would give thanks to have this opportunity to be a business owner which i never thought would be possible, but it is possible and i would like to shed that light to those who are in the darkness about this opportunity in making sure that no

predatory deals are made. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. jones. we will move on to ali jamalian for seats 8 and 9. >> good morning, chair peskin, supervisor chan, supervisor mandelman. good morning all. i'm going to keep my intro short. i'm the owner and founder of sunset connect, an sf brand that pays ohmage to community. i've been supplying dispensaries in sf for over a decade and i was directly affected by the war on drugs when i was arrested and charged on parol. this almost got me deported.

today, i'm a u.s. citizen and proud to say it changed my life significant. from a basement on sunset to now a cutting edge facility which is 100% owned by myself. and city hall created together. i've navigated the building and planning department multiple times and industry as well as -- >> supervisor peskin: ali. >> yes? >> supervisor peskin: sorry we lost you there for a second. >> i've navigated the building and planning department multiple times. therefore, i'm able to bridge the gap between industry practices and policies effectively which has also earned me an invitation to work on cannabis tax policies. i kindly ask you to reconsider my appointment as our appointment was short. programs that benefit our communities as evidence with my

engagement with city college program. we recently initiated with united players. i would like to continue to be part of building an all-inclusive in the streets our city's been setting an example in the whole country and i would be honored to be working hand in hand with policy makers. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. we will move on to cynthia boedihardjo. i'm sure i messed that up. >> great. can you guys hear me? >> yes. we can. >> wonderful. hi, thank you for this opportunity. i'm cynthia boedihardjo.

we're still in the process of applying for cannabis retail permit in the japantown district of san francisco. this space will have an on site consumption lounge that will include an art gallery. given the stigma of cannabis in the asian community, a large part of our york is provided by whole educational experience of the people and help them experience the support and property as a plant. i work closely with all the organizations in japantown to ensure cannabis consumption meets the community guidelines and keeps the neighborhood safe and lively. last year, i was given the opportunity to be apart of the ysment momentum accelerator. having collaborated with these

companies. sorry -- hello? during the pandemic, we launched a brand and partnered with social equity companies to distribute our products to retailers. throughout the past four years, i've seen the logistical marketing companies in this emerge legal cannabis industry and want to be apart of trying to find ways to be the standard across the globe. i opened a community space in the mission district in where we provided art space for dealers and sharing with the public. is that my two minutes. >> supervisor peskin: yeah. thank you. go ahead and wrap up. >> thank you. >> supervisor peskin: we'll

move on to christopher callaway >> good morning everyone. eye i'm chris callaway. i hold my experiences and words will help many of those in the equity community. i'm honored to have received the city's first equity retail permit over in supervisor mandelman's district where the heart of the cannabis movement began. this movement brought me out to california 20 years ago and i consider working in the cannabis industry to be my life's work. i can emphasize deeply with the frustrations many applicants have faced as they navigate the program. i have several equity businesses, but i'm not here to use this as a platform to promote my businesses or brands. i truly believe this program

can bring life-changing opportunities to individuals and positively impact communities in the city. the previous and returning members, i would like to focus on the preservation of the equity, creating meaningful opportunities, lowering cannabis sales and cultivation tax. and when we're all ready to be coughed on again, consumption lounges. i strongly hope you consider me as a seat for this committee. and thank you for your consideration. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. we will move on to william dolan. >> all right. good morning, supervisors. my name is william dolan and it's a pleasure to be here today. i applied for seats 8, 12, 13, and 14 on the committee. i wanted to briefly highlight

five key reasons as to why i believe i'm an ideal candidate for a seat on this committee. first, i am an equity applicant and 16-year resident of san francisco and i'm intimately familiar with the challenge equity applicants have faced and continue to face as we establish businesses in this highly competitive cannabis industry. i also provide technical assistance to other equity applicants and i'm currently working with andrea baker consulting under a contract of san francisco of cannabis to provide technical assistance and guidance to other. i'm also a cannabis business owner, the equity applicant and project sponsor of a cannabis retail project located at 560 valencia street in the mission district which received unanimous approval from the planning commission to conduct all activities including retail. i'm also a licensed attorney

and have deep subject matter on the expertise on the state of california cannabis laws. my professional focus has been cannabis law and regulatory compliance in addition to real estate and land use law, landlord tenant law, employment law, i'm also a licensed real estate broker and have extensive experience working with cannabis clients in san francisco. given that control of real estate is mandatory, it is imperative that a member of the cannabis oversight committee have a deep understanding of our local commercial real estate market and have the ability to relate to the real estate challenges to cannabis entrepreneurs face when opening a cannabis business in our city. i'm also a medical cannabis patient for over 20 years and cannabis has effectively helped me managed my conditions and

disability and i can speak directly to the benefit of this plan and how it has allowed me to live a productive life. i am fully committed to developing a more equitable and just cannabis. i've committed my life and career to this mission and will work hard to encourage others to do the same. as someone who has experienced both

and i've had the privilege of growing my company gold seal from a staff of four to a staff of 17 all operating out of the bayview. i'm proud to say we have a very diverse staff from all walks of life. many of our staff members have been promoted from within. started as trimmers or on the manufacturing line and are now managers and some of them are even stepping in to executive roles. i believe that i bring a wealth of knowledge about how to actually get a business licensed and operate successfully in san francisco on a nonretail side of the industry and i'm very proud of the work that we were able to do last year in the cannabis oversight committee. i thought we made a great deal of progress and i'm very interested to continue to bring my knowledge and expertise

towards that progress. you know, i think one thing that continues to stand out is a report that we receive from the controller's office in regards to how difficult it is and how competitive the landscape is in san francisco and i think it's critical in order to create an equitable environment for every business that we continue this work with a focus on making sure that everybody can participate in this industry. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. flynn. next up is jessica cry for seat 10. >> hello. i'm jessica cry. i am reapplying for seat number 10. thank you for having me today. i really enjoyed serving previously and i'm really looking forward to us continuing the work that we've began having to do with the grant recommendations, the plans that we would like to

move forward with compassion as well. i have lived in san francisco for over 11 years now living in district 6. i've worked at three different dispensaries since 2012 in san francisco and after working with my -- at a union shop and learning more with my workers what it was to have a union contract and for us to speak up for ourselves and to unite, i later became a special projects union representative. i was basically trying out for my union is to see if working with cannabis workers is a good fit for me. and in the meantime during our last committee meeting, i was actively organizing city workers and they successfully have union representation for group authentic members. with the oversight committee, i'm looking forward to a future where more workers are getting

involved and they're able to uplift their voices and be active in their community because this industry needs them and we also need this industry to do well so we can continue to see this as a career that we don't have to be shy about or hide in the shadows. we can be proud to say we're cannabis workers and i look forward to them participating more in this oversight committee and really helping to uplift those voices as a union worker representation. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, ms. cry. why don't we move on to cindy de la vega for seat 12.

>> is ms. de la vega available, mr. young? >> clerk: i am checking to see if they are logged in. >> supervisor peskin: if not, we can circle. >> clerk: please move on to the next caller. i will double check. >> supervisor peskin: okay. mr. shawn richard. >> how are you guys doing today? can you hear me? >> supervisor peskin: well. how are you? >> i'm applying for seat 12. thank you for having me. as being the first african american equity administrator ait's an honor to serve on this oversight committee. i have a long standing history in san francisco. born and raised here. fifty-three years.

next one actually c.b.b. thank god for that and been doing a lot of work in the community over the last 25 years with my nonprofit organization. and recently last year learned so much in this cannabis industry. it's been amazing. met so many wonderful people. so many great minds and have really sat down and probably, you know, with some of the best thinkers in this industry to put together a plan that they can help all equity and ensure equity opportunity to, you know, advance in this industry. i just see that, you know, in the coming hears that this industry is going to be the leading industry if not now, in the next year or two to kind of develop people from cultivation, retail, manufacturer, and distribution, and also the bigger picture is branding and one of the things that, you know, i have personal

been doing over the last six months having holding workshops and teaching folks not everyone may get a retail, not everyone may get a cultivation or manufacturer or distribution, but start thinking about your own branding and learn how to brand and i've been teaching classes with that. so i'm very happy to be apart of this oversight committee and hopefully i get reappointed to sit on the seat again. and, if not, i'm sure someone will sit in that seat 12. but i just thank you guys for giving me this opportunity and taking this matter of cannabis to the highest level that it can and a big shout of-out to the o.o.c. who's been really supportive of all equity applicants and melissa and her team have been pushing the line. so, thank you, i'm hoping i get

reappointed and i'm sure i will make everybody on this rules committee proud. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. richard. and happy birthday. >> thank you. >> supervisor peskin: next applicant wyatt lin has withdrawn. is ms. dela vega available, mr. young? >> clerk: i have not seen her. >> supervisor peskin: okay. why don't we move on to brendan hallinan for seats 12, 14, and 16. mr. hallinan. >> sorry about that. >> supervisor peskin: no worries. believe us, we understand. >> okay. good morning, supervisors. thank you for the opportunity

to speak. i chose to volunteer as a candidate for this committee because i believe that my extensive real world experiences gained working on the front lines of cannabis legalization as an attorney, advocate and a small business operator here in san francisco for the past 15 years can add a new and helpful perspective to the implementation of the adult use cannabis program. i've spent the last decade building bridges across the city between the cannabis community and different groups including law enforcement the executive and legislative branches of our city government and local regulators and department heads and most importantly our communities. i've worked on cannabis projects in every district in san francisco from visitation valley to north beach from the financial district to the sunset district from the mission to the marina. i'm very familiar with the challenges and the concerns that arise in these community that is are not familiar with having cannabis businesses in them and i've worked through

solutions and seen through trial and error which solutions are effective and which are not. have have an in--depth knowledge of cannabis in san francisco and i can provide that to the various areas in the committee. i want to provide my experience to this committee in service of the city of san francisco to help find solutions to the challenges that lay ahead and to build the best socially responsible and economically just cannabis system in the world here in san francisco. i'm available for any questions and i thank you all for your consideration. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. hallinan. why don't we move on to charles pappas for seats 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. >> yes. can you hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. we can. >> okay. i apologize for not being there with you. why do i want to join the

oversight committee, i think i can improve them immensely. i appreciate the work they've done especially considering the pandemic. the office of cannabis really facilitating the meetings through ray law. in my view, it was a little limited because i don't think they were organized enough, what i would bring to that committee, i worked eight years on the cannabis committee. we accomplished a lot from 2011 to present and, before that, i was a dispensary owner, we were closed by [inaudible] boo. and we started in 2005 in the tender -- south of mission -- south of market. sorry about that and we did move to the tenderloin right after that and we were very

well received there. and i have a report from our landlord and the union and also the mayor's office of disability. i'm very impressed by the members you have, but i hope you will consider me i think we can improve this group and go farther. the most important thing about legalization, no one's getting arrested anymore, but what's bad is the price of cannabis is now dependent on regulation, not on the constant production. i've attended a lot of p.c.c. meetings. i'm have you the bureau is familiar with that. thank you for your consideration. i appreciate it. >> supervisor peskin: before we go to the next speaker, mr. hallinan, if you can do us the kindness of turning your

camera off. next applicant is aisha hampton, residency waiver requirement for seat 13. >> can you hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. we can. >> okay. thank you. i would like to thank the board of supervisors and the rules committee just for this opportunity today. i'm aisha hampton. i'm a new equity applicant. i'm a native san franciscan and i'm a woman striving for change in the cannabis community. i'm hoping to, i take this seat as a honor and as well just in representing the equity community and just hope to inspire change and create laws on the story of justice initiatives and creating policy that further support the cannabis community and as well to see more diversity of race

and gender opportunity for those like myself becoming an entrepreneur within the cannabis community, i'm in hopes to open up a microbusiness within the next two years in san francisco and i feel as an equity applicant that i can really speak to the challenges that we're faced with just in finding funding and as well locations within san francisco, the struggle is real and i would just like to further of seeing programs that are available for equity applicants for people in the city. things are becoming easier accessed for folks. i currently have been taking advantage of a lot of the trainings that are available through the applicants and the success centers, andrea baker's

agency making green dough and as well i work as a project manager for the super nova women's workforce development where we're training cannabis operators within the communities with manufacturing skills and as well providing jobs after completion of the program for folks, for operators to be hired by other manufacturing companies. so i just really am honored to apply for this seat. it's hard to be able to say that you could speak for the whole equity industry because everyone's experience is different, but i have an open mind and i think that as well bringing over 20 years of administrative expertise and reliability and business to the seat that the sky's the limit and i believe we can provide and come up with more policies

with respect to all the work that has been done. i think it's a great program in just want to continue that work for those that have gone and are doing the work before us at this time. so i thank you for this opportunity and um, thank you for your consideration. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next up -- >> clerk: we might have ms. de la vega on the line. >> hi. this is ms. de la vega on the line. my purpose for applying for seat 12 is because my name is cindy de la vega. i'm sorry. i'm in traffic right now so i'm

trying to pay attention but also let you all know. so i applied for that seat because i felt i wanted to be involved in, you know, the things that are going on with all the candidates and so i also felt that i could learn something out of it and just to be apart, you know, as a store front owner what my input can do to help or how we can make things just be better and, you know, more opportunity. i'm looking to like just to positive things. not negative, you know, i want to -- yeah. i'm sorry. i pretty much just want to get in and make a change and i feel that with this position, it gives us a chance to speak and the woman who spoke before me said we all are different and going to have different things to say and so i applied because

i feel like i have a voice and i would like my voice to be heard and how i feel about it and that's my purpose. i'm a san francisco native born and raised. i grew up in the sunnidale housing projects. i'm a united player i have always been and always will be a volunteer of theirs and, again, i just opened my storefront october 9th, 2020, and it's been a learning experience overall a blessing and, you know, again, just seeing everything unfold. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. why don't we move on to cloudell douglas for seat 13, residency waiver required.

go ahead. it looks like you're trying. is that, victor, is that the 588 number? >> clerk: i'm not aware of the call-in number. >> supervisor peskin: okay. >> clerk: i can check on that while we move on. >> supervisor peskin: why don't we move on to joshua aaron weitz. >> hi. can you guys hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yeah. >> all right. first, i would like to thank the board of supervisor rules committee for hearing me today and good morning. my name is malcolm joshua waitz. i've known since i was young that i wanted to be a cannabis entrepreneur. it's a path that's granted me

the skills. -- my personal experience within sf cannabis program and within the criminal justice system for the need for anning teal program to start with. i know what it's like to have multiple charges. sitting in a cell not knowing how many years it will be before you see your family. then i watched my father go through the same struggle. i've experienced what it's like to fight for equity in cannabis. that recognized the damage for the prison pipelines and the fact that local sf cannabis entrepreneurs play a nationwide role in the cannabis business. i know the difficulty equity candidates have looking for property in sf. i found three viable locations and signed three leases. i've experienced what it's like to negotiate deals and the right decisions are critical utilizing the equity cannabis

present as my backbone. i've worked on getting three separate retail applications through planning and once through a conditional use program. i know what it's like to negotiate with a diverse set of local community stakeholders, union, institutional investors and landlords. i know what it's like to dream because i choked on them and i digested those problems and hope i can avoid those others. i will bring that knowledge and experience and passion to the justice reform to the cannabis oversight committee to serve all my fellow applicants in the city of san francisco. thank you for this spunt. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, sir. let's move on to rubin sorrell. seat 13.

mr. young? >> clerk: um, my apologies. i was checking on ms. douglas. i do not have any contact information to check on her. >> supervisor peskin: okay. no problem. do we have rubin sorrell? okay. how about leah nina parks weitz. >> hello. can you guys hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. and we can see you. >> amazing.

good morning, supervisors. >> supervisor peskin: kin. >> i was blessed to be able to serve as the chair last year. my background is that i was born and raised here in san francisco and i have been on the front lines since 2015. i operated a 215 delivery service. actually, that belonged to my brother malcolm who you all just heard and i ran it while he was incarcerated in rikers island. my family really has pushed forward to help advocate the community in oakland. who aisha's now working for. and i helped to create the

first equity program in oakland and i helped to organize a bunch of passionate organizers to create the one we have in san francisco. i also helped to cofound an organization called the original equity group which ran a series of educational workshop to help people get to understand how to navigate the new regulations as they were rolling out. and now, i'm partnered in a local equity distribution that has been -- is one equity owned, three equity operators from california, the primary partners on it as well as a small family farmer from nevada county. we are in a conversation of small business owners and small operators in northern california as well as our small businesses and equity operators here in san francisco. i also am a founding board member for the color coalition

so i get the opportunity to work with regulators from all over the united states that are helping to roll out equity programs in our state. really, the term for this seat was supposed to be for two years and we made recommendations and didn't have the pleasure to work with the board of supervisors to see it through. really looking to do one more term just to be able to finish out what we had started and really looking forward to see other people take over in leadership and involve what was already created. so, thank you all for your time and i am open for questions when they are available. >> supervisor peskin: thank you for those comments and your work. why don't we move on to unless a couple of the earlier folks who didn't testify cloudell douglas or rubin sorrell are available.

if they are not with us, let's move on to raina jackson seat 13 residency waiver required. >> good morning. my name is raina jackson. i'm very grateful for this opportunity and i commend the office of cannabis and the board of supervisors for this ground breaking program. i've been in the cannabis industry in the bay area for the past six years and sales, management, distribution, on site marketing and compliance. i'm a san francisco native raised in the hayward ash bury and for me, i really want to hold this seat to be part of the solution, help fill the gap between what is needed to qualify for the program and what is needed to truly succeed in terms of technical assistance and financial support. i want to definitely commend the successors and [inaudible] for doing an excellent job in terms of filling those gaps. i want to see more

accountability with incubators. i have a wonderful incubator who is truly a partner and a coach. in some cases, a lot of people have been kind of left behind and so i just want to see something in terms of match making or something to kind of reduce the number of applicants or just kind of floating out there and also, just in terms of stronger incentive possibly for incubators, things like the free rent for incubates that's not really happy as anticipated and we just have to be happy and creative to change that. and then, also, i'm very concerned about like in terms of grant funds disbursement, just a more equitable disbursement kind of revisiting some of the eligible categories for reimbursement and

advancement things like marketing and kind of allowing for some of the license types that are not, you know, as space intensive. the rules are for skewed in favor of retailers, cultivators and manufacturers, traditional distributors but didn't look at type 13 transport only. people who brand. who have more intangible assets and not so much space intensive. so those are the two areas that i'm most interested in having an impact on. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. >> and i want to thank you for this opportunity. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, ms. jackson. next is izzabella velez also for seat 13. >> hello, can you hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. we can, kinda. >> okay. >> supervisor peskin: you are

terribly broken up. it's very hard to hear you. can you try again? >> supervisor peskin: okay. can you hear me now? >> supervisor peskin: yes. perfect. >> i represent not just the a.a.p.i. community but website

and instagram page for seat 13. the public can reach directly out to their representative and voice their needs. equity applicants can leave public reviews on city funded consulting firms on this platform in order to make sure allocated funds for this service are truly pressed. our city's equity operators must be protected from incubators and investors and must be educated on their rights and supporting farmers. i also plan on advocating for lowering cannabis taxes making it comparable to other industries. it's an honor to run against some of my peers and even my own mentor from sfeg. we are truly the faces of the equity program. my position for this seat is

evidence when nonprofits and city funded programs come together we can uplift people who otherwise don't have a chance. i believe these voices need to be heard and everybody has the capability for success given their opportunities. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next. we'll move on to john nauer also for seat 13. >> hello. good morning. hello. >> supervisor peskin: good morning. >> good morning supervisors. how are you this morning and thank you for this opportunity. my name is john nauer. i have been a verified applicant since 2018. i'm also a member of the san francisco equity group who has helped verify over 30 applicants. i want to sit on this seat to make sure that those who have not yet enjoyed this

opportunity have an opportunity to enjoy it and also to make sure some of the challenges that i've seen with my own eyes and that i have been part of everything from getting real estate to finding the right partners, there are so many challenges that needs to be addressed. this program and this opportunity is a great one, but they lack resources especially from the city. in order for it to make the opportunity available for all of those that should benefit from this opportunity. i believe that the cannabis equity program can help a lot of those who have been impacted and are still being impacted from the war on drugs and i just want to make sure that those voices that haven't been heard and their needs and concerns are brought to the table. i'm looking forward to this opportunity if given an opportunity to sit on the oversight committee, but most of all, i just want to make sure that the spirit of the

article 16 is being met because when this opportunity came out, a lot of folks like myself who not only were apart of the war on drugs saw that this was our "dot com" or this was our tech break through but i see now this program is into its fifth or sixth year. so i just want to make sure that sitting on that seat those voices heard and also those people are given that opportunity like everyone else. as you see right now as a verified applicant, it's basically set up for failure for those who are trying to get in that don't have the support and don't have the means of getting in to the industry, so i just want to bring that to the platt tomorrow. thank you for this opportunity. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. nauer, good to see

you. next up is jesse stout. >> good morning supervisors. my name is jesse stout. i currently serve the cannabis oversight committee in seat 14 and demonstrated expertise in california cannabis laws and organizations. i've been in the medical cannabis movement since 2002. i was the cofounder and executive director in the nonprofit meeting and organizing for patients. in 2012, i graduated from u.c. hastings and became a criminal defense attorney for medical cannabis patients and, since 2013, i've been a corporate lawyer in the cannabis industry. so i've helped clients track state law and i also help represent equity applicants including permitting, licensing, and zoning. from 2016 to 2018 i served on the state legalization taskforce to the cannabis committee. i helped draft reports and

presented to the board of supervisors including advocating for the equity program, its benefits and it is criteria to include people criminalized as well as their families for the zoning rules including setbacks from uses and for events permitting to merely mirror state law and in 2019 that body appointed me to the cannabis oversight committee. and the board of supervisors including to advocate for more equity permits to be issued faster to make medical marijuana identification card to be free and to have more money in the office of cannabis reinvestment fund and i'm happy to stick around and answer any questions. >> supervisor peskin: next up is joshua adam ridless for also

seat 14. mr. ridless. >> good morning. i'm trying to turn my camera on. there we go. thank you, chair peskin, and supervisors chan and mandelman and the o.o.c. my name is joshua ridless and i'm applying for seat 14. i've been a resident of san francisco since 1990 and served as a small business attorney. for the past 20 years, i've had the privilege of being an active leader in the san francisco bar association and expanding access to justice. i've served on this board of directors. and currently serve as the chair of the lawyer referral and information services. the o.r.a.f. is a regulated consumer protection services which provides legal service to

the community including probono services. i have contributed to the shaping and execution of its mission of diversity, equity and inclusion. as the chair of the sf bar association's information service and in cooperation with the office of cannabis, our committee created a pro bona legal services panel to assist them with complex business and legal issues. i also serve on this panel and regularly provide pro bono services to equity. from a small business attorney perspective. i believe this background as well as the experience i bring in representing equity candidates would be an important voice on the cannabis oversight committee and a shared voice and an important

partner of the city and county and i'm happy to take any questions. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, sir. now why don't we move on to yet another seat 14 applicant. juell marie stewart. >> hi, good morning everyone. thank you chair peskin and supervisors mandelman and chan for your consideration. my name is juell marie stewart. i've been a proud resident of districteight for the past five years and though i'm not a san francisco native, the city has truly become my home. my cannabis subject matter expertise is rooted in my background in urban and economic development through a racial justice lens. i have a masters and i'm currently a manager at policy race forward racial equity organization and i'm proud to say this will be into the city of san francisco where i'll be

the program manager in the house and human rights commission. i participated in the i fallal co-hoard of the hood incubators business accelerator program. i was part of the h.r.c.'s cannabis taskforce and i spoke in front of state legalization taskforce to illustrate the importance of spatial and racial equity considerations in crafting the office of cannabis's equity program. the committee seat i'm applying for requires expertise in the state's cannabis laws and regulation. although i'm not an attorney, my approach to public policy is informed by my background in urban policy as well as my past experience across several

states and local jurisdictions as a business consultant. i also contribute a unique racial equity lens as i'm well versed in the structural barriers presenting equitable participation in the community. in addition to the persistent disparities in enforcement. i believe i can support the office of cannabis's goals with engaging in applicants and i also plan to bring a perspective that incorporates our city's unique built-in environment challenges such as retail evacueys, land and zoning. i look forward to serving the great city of san francisco. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next for the same seat is lara decaro. >> hi. thank you. chair peskin, supervisor chan, and supervisor mandelman. it's good to see everybody here.

i was born in the bay area. spent most of my childhood growing up in the city and i have been living back in d3 since the year 2000. my children attend sfusd schools and we're very proud residents of the city. i am applying for seat 14 because i feel like i do have the requisite advocacy and legal knowledge to really bring something new to this oversight committee. we have a rare opportunity to bring significant change and progress coming out of this pandemic and i just want to help move that forward. i'm a cofounder of several successful cannabis programs. i was the cofounder of the cannabis international bar association. cannabis law section and also

the san francisco pro bono legal services project. that came out of the conversation that i had with the office of cannabis several years ago: i have a deep knowledge of cannabis laws in san francisco. my primary focus has always been on ethics in relation to the laws surrounding cannabis in california and social equity. i've been part of a multi-state effort to analyze social equity programs with multi-state level regulators. i'm also closer to home. i've been council for the state flower, several verified equity applicants and others in the bay area community for approximately 15 years. on that note. i won't take any more of your

time. i'm thankful for your consideration. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. and now we'll move on to sara payan for seats 14, 15, or 16 residency waiver required encumbent on the committee. go ahead. sara? if not, we can circle back. >> oh, no. i'm here. sorry. can you see me on video? >> supervisor peskin: no. but we can hear you. >> okay. let me see here. >>. >> supervisor peskin: there we can see you and hear you. >> perfect. good morning, supervisors. my name is sara payan. i've lived in san francisco for

24 years and i'll be reapplying for a seat on the cannabis oversight committee. prior to my work in cannabis, i worked in the nonprofit civil rights sector. i'm the public education officer for san francisco and the vice chair of the san francisco bay area mayor and this past year, i was past seat sixteen for the oversight committee for three years of the san francisco cannabis legalization taskforce. i've had the on of speaking and lecture cannabis policy and the importance of compassion programs. with over 16,000 hours of hands-on cannabis parable research, large health care organizations such as kaiser and s.f.h.. to accredited schools for health care practicioners through my private practice. i created some of the first cannabis market curriculum for

city college as san francisco's continuing education program and a lecture series at u.c. berkley hospital of business. my civil rights background fuels my passion and creating compassion programs to provide free cannabis to the critically and chronically ill low income. it's a hardship not only mentally, but also financially. and this is why i created during the medical days of 215 and why i fought so hard to provide my colleagues at the state level to we can reinstate compassion programs in this new era of legalization. we need to insist our community members so they can have a better quality of life. we have so much more work to do and i'm partnering with other advocates throughout the state to create more compassion programs to serve those in need.

i thank you for your consideration. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. and thank you for your service thus far. next up is darius kemp. >> hello. supervisors, can you hear and see me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. we can. >> thank you, supervisor peskin, supervisor chan, and supervisor mandelman. i currently live in district 10. i've been in san francisco for about 11 years now. i'm originally from birmingham, alabama. before i joined, i spent 4 years -- i spent two years as an s.e.i. organizer and two years working with the america project as a regional director for the south organizing and working with trade unions on worker development into trade unions and building out black and latino supports for trade unionization. also, but since i've joined the

cannabis industry in the cannabis space, one of my greatest successes has been working with localities such as los angeles and san diego on exposing and educating local officials on workforce development within the cannabis space. since joining, i started as a community manager and i eventually built up my own position as head of equity and community change. because of the work i've been able to do with creating our first social equity program, the first of its kind to the nation, the first to sell $4.5 million in the social equity cannabis here in the state of california. also, working with our ease momentum program and building wrap around programs and support for social equity partnerships and building and working with our investment partners to try to help build actual opportunities for social equity partners. and so, basically, you know, i think i have a very specific

space in this industry because as a black queer man that's an executive of a cannabis company, never thought i would be here from birmingham, alabama too, but with all of this work i've been here to do i've been able to create actual wealth and business opportunities for social equity partnerships. some of the first and biggest in the nation and many of those partners are actually san francisco based companies such as san francisco roots and kingston memorial and james hemston sf and so i want to thank you for your time and i hope that i can sit on the oversight committee seat because i think i have a lot of experience that would be super valuable to the committee as a whole. thank you again, my name is darius kemp, i currently live in district 10 here in san francisco. that's the bayview right across the street the from the opera

house. so, please, consider me for seat 15. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. kemp. impressive credentials. jennifer salerno also for seat 15. >> clerk: i believe ms. salerno has withdrawn. >> supervisor peskin: okay. that is news. so i will note that. why don't we move ton to michael patrick doherty for the same seat. >> good morning. my name is mike doherty. we offer many to the cannabis industry. i have extensive international accurate ground both in europe and west africa. in europe, i was the angel boot camp director where we taught high net individuals to do angel investing and build economic development.

in west africa, up until covid hit, i was working in ghana helping them find grants to help them build typically agriculture businesses. i'm currently working with bayer pharmaceutical where we align small businesses with partnerships with bayer pharmaceuticals. we help them deal with the massive bureaucracy so they can pursue partnerships with bayer. in the past, i've had the opportunity to work in san francisco and support many initiatives through the renaissance entrepreneur center. we've worked in the bay years supporting programs like the sunshine facade improvement program and supporting local entrepreneurs. i've had the opportunity to

work with the national chain of cannabis with regard to restoring justice, social equity issues, licensing and compliance. i think it's tremendously important that we look at successes in other communities such as older where we can see definite economic development. so i would like to bring that experience to this position and see san francisco benefit from that as well. thank you for this opportunity. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. and, now we go on to robert jones for the same seat. >> let me get the microphone on here. i'd like to thank the supervisors for the opportunity to share my desire and qualifications to serve my civic duty on seat 15 or 16 of the cannabis oversight committee.

you know, workforce and economic development is critical now for the future of reducing unemployment in san francisco especially among the minority communities. as a native of san francisco with a background in finance and self-employed, i've committed over 30 years of volunteering time to helping my community and a reliable voter in san francisco. i will be able to engage and bring leadership teams and labor, businesses, health care, first responders, and education from a vast network and my personal connections to regards to addressing the cannabis industry issues and concerns. i've worked with the employment development leaders in san francisco and the bay area. i also had a chance to work with a lot of tooth pick team collectives, farmers, manufacturers, adjust to the new cannabis laws and requirements to be transparent on their finances, compliance,

and documentation. i worked with consultants, attorneys, investment bankers and investors eager to engage and support the cannabis industry owners. my qualifications will add value to the committee by sharing the feedback from the financial committee cannabis industry owners, and by focusing on common ground in addressing unemployment issues by holding investors and owners accountable for hiring our struggling communities implementing real-life support for child care, transportation, medical clinics, and serving the underrepresented neighborhoods. i have and i feel my civic duty is to represent the students of san francisco and families living in our beautiful city by protecting the youth from illegal activity and enforcing the laws that target the youth.

the revenues collected by the city from the industry should be employed to improve the city's infrastructure, public schools, public safety, roads, and parks and beaches too. also, we must refrain from high taxing of the industry. we need to find better ways to make them successful first by education and mentors on site. reviewing our incoming revenues from the industry and forgiving new companies for taxes for a certain time period similar to the deals we provided to the internet industry. the cannabis industry in san francisco is right for success with tourism, residents, and the history our loving the plant by local population. we should be the leader in industry in research and development, employment, revenues and new small businesses. san francisco must be a leader in the world in regards to the blueprint of the cannabis

industry policies and success for our citizens. thank you very much. i would love your consideration for seats 15 or 16. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, sir. and, next, why don't we move on to theresa foglio-ramirez for seat 15 residency waiver required. >> good morning supervisors. my name is theresa foglio-ramirez. you may recognize me. while i will bring the experience from that role and helping to create and administer three separate public sector apprenticeship programs and the mayor's pre-apprenticeship program. i am replying for the san francisco. on the california statewide

apprenticeship program through the guidance of the governor's office, we created four separate career pathways in the cannabis industry that include cultivation, distribution, pharmacy technician and manufacturing. the san francisco oversight committee will focus on equity, backlog, in permitting and grand processes and distribution. post pandemic, there's a desperate need to focus on workforce development and economic recovery. and workers looking for new career opportunities. municipalities and governmental bodies such as this one share in an obligation to provide two career pathways in new innovative industries. certified apprenticeship programs have built-in mechanisms for accountability. if granted the honor to serve again on the san francisco oversight committee, my focus will be on creating true career

pathways that will provide equity in the workforce through state certified apprenticeship opportunities. thank you for your time. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next, is kayla bearg. ms. bearg, are you there? mr. young, do we have kayla? >> clerk: i can double check. i will try to give her a call. >> supervisor peskin: okay. and while we're waiting for kayla, why don't we go on to russel tenofsky and there are a couple of individuals who we called earlier cloudell douglas or rubin sorrell.

if any of these few remaining applicants and ms. bearg that will take us to the end of our list. >> ya'll ready. >> supervisor peskin: yes >> hi. good morning. thank you. thank you for taking the time to consider me for a committee member. i am russel tenofsky and i'm a medical marijuana patient and worked in the cannabis industry. i started working in a san francisco dispensary in 2003. i'm also an m.m.i.c. holder. this unique experience has given me both insight as a patient and a provider including an ebb extensive knowledge in the m.m.i.c. system. working at medicinal marijuana dispensaries and working with our compassion in helping hands program is in particular extensive. i have over eleven years of

experience. and all of them have run compassion-based programs. i also have experience working with the lgbtq community, people from every ethnic background assistancing people living with hiv and aids and other chronic illnesses companion and/or service animals. i've been working at mendocino care since 2003. i also had the pleasure of working for market street cooperative which was san francisco's dispensary, a dispensary that helps force the way for the medical community. i've been working at berkely's patient group to ensure they are a proper patient.

i also assist patients in had working through any doctor recommendation in navigating the project itself. b.p.g. caters to medical and recreational users. i truly believe cannabis is medicine and have witnessed its unbelievable effect on chronically ill be patients who have nowhere else to turn. in addition to my long-time professional medical cannabis experience, i also have vast experience on san francisco commissions. i've been a member of san francisco's commission for the past eight years. i've successfully passed seven resolutions to the commission and many the board of supervisors pass three of those resolutions. my past professional and volunteer experienceco aless

into as a committee member. medical based cannabis, education, support in sales. proposition 64 has taken most of the focus away from medical patients and pointed towards sales and my bottom line. people have once again fallen through the cracks. the cannabis industry needs to recognize support and value the medical community as it once did. as a committee member, my compassion and commitment would be to invigorate the community for the most vulnerable and needy members. thank you once again for considering my application. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. are any of the other three individuals who were called earlier available to testify? >> clerk: chair peskin. i'd like to note that ms. bearg previously informed us by e-mail she was unable to

attend. >> supervisor peskin: how many folks are in the queue for public comment? >> clerk: i'm waiting for a quick update. one moment. >> there's 51. >> supervisor peskin: got it. why don't we open this up for public comment. two minutes per speaker. >> clerk: yes. members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item should call (415) 655-0001. the meeting id is 187 733 9419 then press pound and pound again. if you haven't already done so, please press star 3 to line up to speak. a system prompt will indicate you have raised your hand. please wait until you have been unmuted and you may begin your comment. we currently have one member in the public queue to speak. >> supervisor peskin: first speaker, please. >> thank you. and thank you for the opportunity to speak. i will keep this short out of

respect for everyone's time. my name is john gomez. i am a representative of u.f.c.w. local 5. i just wanted to speak in support of reappointing jessica cry for seat 10 of the cannabis oversight committee. jessica is a, you know, long-term involvement in the cannabis industry. she also is the, you know, represents a lot of the cannabis workers. so, again, i wanted to speak my support and thank you for the opportunity to speak. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, mr. gomez. are there any other members of the public who would like to testify on this item number two? >> clerk: i believe we have one more. >> supervisor peskin: next speaker, please. go ahead, speaker. >> hello. this is carol con. i'm appearing on behalf of the

bar association executive director yolanda jackson and executive that's the bar association of san francisco and we currently administer to the cannabis pro bono equity panel. i'm appearing to support the candidacy of josh ridless for seat 14 of the commission. i've personally have had the privilege to know josh for over 15 years as the oversight committee and since 2019 as its chair. i've also known josh with the lawyer panel as attorney and businesses in law. through my dear friends and clients to rave reviews. josh has also regularly given back to those who unable to afford representation. when the bar association

reached out to the office of cannabis, that effort transferred to the lawyer referral and information service at the direction of executive director in 2019. this was done in order to ensure all lawyers rendering pro bono service met requirements, mal practice insurance, ongoing education requirements in cannabis laws and are in otherwise good standing with the state bar of california. for those on the committee who may not be aware, the lawyer referral service is certified through the state board of california under regulations and rules prom ill gated by the state supreme court. so, josh was at the helm and helped to shepherd the development of a cannabis qualifications application and he also actively participates as a member attorney of the cannabis pro bono panel. his cannabis practice includes

businesses with dispensaries, growing operations as well as companies -- >> supervisor peskin: thank you, carol, for your testimony. are there any other members of the public for this item number two? >> clerk: yes. i believe there's an additional caller. >> supervisor peskin: okay. >> hello. i want to thank you all for this great work that you're doing for the cannabis industry and equity. i am calling in regards to raina jackson for seat 13. some of you might know i'm the chair of the san francisco public utilities commission c.a.c. i'm not here in that capacity, but in working with raina over this past year, her focus on equity and getting things done is amazing. in addition, she is not only a

san francisco native, she also went to stanford and also got her mba at nyu and has been an active member of actually giving great feedback back to the office. so i hope that you can consider her to be part of the commission. i think she'd be a great asset to you all. >> clerk: thank you. i belief we have three additional callers. can we have the next speaker, please. >> hi, my name is jessica mataka and i work with andrea baker consulting. we're contracted with the office of cannabis to provide technical assistance to verified equity applicants and i'm calling to offer my support for a few candidates started

with will dolan he also is one of our technical service providers helping us with providing support to verifying equity applicants as they navigate the permit process. and over the past year working with will it's just become really clear on how much knowledge he has about cannabis industry, about real estate. he's been a vital asset to our team. i've seen him work hand in hand and he's really committed to this work in his part and so i just want to offer my full support to him and i also want to offer my support to cindy de la vega for seat 12 and aiash hampton and izzalella velez for seat 13. they're also people that care a

lot about the cannabis industry and i think can offer meaningful voices and perspective. thank you so much. >> clerk: thank you. can we have the next caller, please. >> good morning, supervisors. it is your old colleague connor johnston. i am a cannabis retailer in san francisco. i haven't been in the industry for a few years now. i recognized a lot of names on the candidate list today. i want to speak specifically about my partner shawn richard who is applying to the reappointed to seat 12. he was the first social equity splint in san francisco and i think with good reason. the man is an inspiration having served time in jail for a drug offense 25 years ago and

losing family members to gun violence, he founded against guns and has been a role model for generations of youth in this city and has taught himself the cannabis industry from the ground up and is now running a multi-million dollars business that allows me to sleep relatively well at night knowing he's literally watching the store. so i really hope shawn can continue to serve. he's done a great job on this community, lastly, i would never give good government advice to chair peskin. but i notice this committee is due to sunset at the end of this year, and i think if extending that, you may also want to make these terms staggered in length because i think right now the committee's unable to meet because all of the committees so it might be when you do that expansion if the board decides to do so. thank you and it's good to see

you guys. >> supervisor peskin: good to see you too, connor and we look forward to having recommendations from the oversight committee itself as to its future. thank you for those suggestions. next speaker, please. >> hello, can you guys hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. we can >> okay. hello. my name is david and i'm san francisco born and raised. i've been following closely on everything it's that's been going on and i've been seeing everything that malcolm josh weitz has been doing for this community. and i'm just excited to see what would happen next. >> supervisor peskin: are

there any other speakers? >> my name is desire. hello. my name is desire flynn. as a staff member of gold seal for a little over three years, i've seen firsthand what it takes to build a cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution company from scratch in san francisco. i'm sure i will not be the first to tell you that it is no easy task. i'm speaking in support of aaron today because not only has he navigated the formation and growth of our community through difficult processes posed by state and city requirements, but he has done so with the focus of creating a small business that provides stable employment with opportunities for upward mobility that will be apart of

san francisco landscape and culture for the long term and belief in the fair equality treatment of staff, vendors, customers, and the public is demonstrated by his focus on supporting equity brands, veterans groups and diversity in the workplace. our diverse staff of 17 bay area represents compromise from all walks of life with several employees working with a strong emphasis of promoting from within the company. as the owner and operator of gold seal in san francisco, sf manufacturing, distribution company since 2015, aaron understands the nuances and the challenges standing up and sustaining a successful business in a very challenging landscape. the expertise that aaron can bring to the committee in regards to the nonretail side of the industry is invaluable and i believe his focus on helping to create a sustainable

landscape in which all sf cannabis operators can exist and thrive makes him an ideal candidate for re-election for seat number 9. thank you guys, and i appreciate it. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. are there any other members of the public to comment on this item? >> good afternoon, supervisors. my name is johnny deal plain. i'm an entrepreneur here in this fair city. and i'm calling today to lend my support to my partner shawn richard for seat 12. along with mr. johnson who you heard earlier, we're partners with shawn at an independent cannabis operator and, you

know, we have seen shawn grow so much over the past two years and really attack this thing head-on. the guy has a lifetime commitment to the city of san francisco running his nonprofit brothers against guns and i couldn't be prouder of the partnership we've been able to form. we hit a rough patch through all the civil unrest. shawn was at the store literally to keep our store safe and i'm proud to support him for seat 12. i'd also like to lend my support to aaron flynn with seat 9. i originally joined the cannabis community as a cultivator and aaron and i were apart of the san francisco cannabis licensing groups, one of the first groups asking for the licensing of nonretail in cannabis and i've just watched aaron lead his company and our entire cannabis community in

san francisco through the very rocky and just the regulatory transition. we were building it out of nothing. i think rocky is maybe unfair. it's just that's what it was. we built it out of nothing, the supervisors in the industry. congratulations to all that it's rolling now. i just want to give my support on aaron. thank you very much for your time. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. are there any other members of the public? >> clerk: we have approximately four more -- >> supervisors. in all the deliberations, we have forgotten cherokee k. so whoever is appointed, you have to substitute the word "compassion" with "empathy" and when you understand what empathy is, you will understand how best you can serve those

who need cannabis for the medical needs. what i am monitoring is the violence on our streets. the cannabis is sold freely as opposed to what those who have fences with all sorts of cannabis are selling. so those who are appointed on the oversight committee have to address quality of life issues. in order to do that, they have to know how to make a needs assessment. this shouldn't be about some people making a lot of money.

this should be serving those who most need help. and, as human beings, we need empathy. study the word empathy. thank you very much. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next speaker, please? >> hello, can you hear me? >> supervisor peskin: yes. >> how are you doing? my name is ruly have youlamazar. i ask that you strongly consider malcolm for seat 13. i've been working with him for a long time. he's been working really hard. so i just want to make sure he gets a chance to do his thing. thank you. >> supervisor peskin: next speaker. >> thank you, supervisors for

this opportunity to address you. i am the principal and founder of green bridge corporate council. we are a cannabis law firm, a business law firm that serves the legal cannabis industry in california throughout california and other jurisdictions as well. i'm speaking in favor of reappointing jesse stout. my colleague jesse stout who works with me at greenbridge over the last eight to nine years have worked closely together to advise cannabis businesses throughout the state on law and regulation. jesse has been a tireless advocate on behalf of entrepreneurs and businesses including folks from minority communities and has contributed greatly to efforts to advance social equity in the cannabis industry as well both in san francisco, but also nationally. jesse worked very closely with

me in putting together the model, social equity municipal ordinance for the minority cannabis business association which was posted to the website after it was published. jesse has shown his commitment time and time again in racial and social justice as well advanced in social equity. so jesse has earned so much expertise and a strong reputation for his expertise with the california laws and regulations and, for that reason, i think he should be reappointed and should continue to leverage that passion and expertise on behalf of san franciscans. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next speaker. >> hi. i'm calling in regards to izzabella velez.

she's a great candidate for seat 13. she's been working alongside cannabis community support. she's an up and coming candidate, but also has a lot of just to back her up in terms of her power and her [inaudible] towards the cannabis community. and i feel like with her strides that she's been giving, she can definitely go hard. so i definitely recommend izzabell velez for seat 13. thank you guys. >> supervisor peskin: thank you. next speaker.

>> clerk: the person is on the line but is not speaking. >> supervisor peskin: okay. let's go on to anybody else. >> clerk: there's nobody else in the queue. >> supervisor peskin: all right. public comment is closed and i'm anxious to hear from my colleagues on this panel, but i just want to start out by thanking all of the applicants, the existing encumbents, as well as everybody else who applied. i think we have -- there are various ways we can go. obviously, we do not have a applicant so that seat we will need to continue and consider applicants for that seat in the

future and i know that mr. block intends to reapply for that and we will consider that one, the application when we renotice that seat. one of the seats is very easy wherein there is one applicant for one seat with an encumbent of that body and that's jessica cry for seat 10. i think we can go through these things. there may be an easy way to do this which is to given as i said at the beginning the newness of this committee to stick with or largely stick with the encumbents particularly given that the last year has been something of a hiadus for many workings of government. and the other thing we can do is stew on this for a week and continue this to our meeting of the 26th and send things forward as a committee report

on the 27th. so i just wanted to throw that out to colleagues as different ways that we could proceed and depending on what you say, i'm happy to try to dispose of the matter or to continue it a week as my colleagues so desire. so with that, i will turn it over to vice chair mandelman and supervisor chan. >> supervisor mandelman: i don't know that i have clear solutions because we definitely have far too many excellent candidates for these positions. i think it might benefit from a continuance. i think, in general, the notion that these folks have not, you know, have been serving in a weird time and for not terribly long and insofaras folks serving in these jobs. i have a mild preference for

san francisco applicants for residents who require residency waivers. and there are a couple of folks it would be nice to find space for on this committee. i think brendan hallinan has been working here for many years. i think and i think i don't only believe this because she is a constituent of mine but i think juell stewart is an excellent candidate as well. those are some of my preliminary thoughts. >> supervisor peskin: supervisor chan. >> supervisor chan: thank you, chair peskin. i want to talk a little bit about the candidates that i'm looking for to support and i'm really looking at three queue elements and one i think first and formal, i'm really glad that ms. jessica cry has no

other competitor for her seat because i think that she made a really good point today. it's really about in this juncture of cannabis business, i really am looking forward to seeing licensees that really care about the workers in terms of safety, providing a safe, healthy, and fair working environment and i'm also really looking forward to seeing businesses that really focus on good neighbor policy and really have an understanding of what san francisco is about but most importantly how different all neighborhoods are and really take the time to understand our neighborhoods and invest in the neighborhood and invest in our community. and, third, but not least, i'm also looking for candidates that really actually understand the elements of the ongoing importance of research and

education about cannabis that we should not stop where we were a decade ago when we talk about medical cannabis. we should continue to think about its impact on our communities and on users. i look forward to seeing people who will advocate for that. so, with that, i do think that with 31 candidates now, that's what we're down to for the seats, perhaps, give ourselves a one week continuance will definitely help, but i also agree with the fact that having encumbents on a taskforce really helps to build the next steps and the fact that a lot of these encumbents are also are the people who have been in the cannabis industry for a long time in san francisco will help us with the institutional knowledge to help things move forward in the coming years or

so. >> supervisor peskin: thank you, supervisor chan and thank you supervisor mandelman. how about this as an inbetween suggestion. let me just try this on you which is maybe we can get a little bit of this done today and leave the seats seats 12 through 16 where there is extensive competition for a continuance. maybe we can get a little bit out of the way based on what i think we all think are the theory ys of diversity experience. i think it's very easy as we all three agree to move ms. cry for seat number 10. and, in the case of seat eight, we have two applicants and in the case of seat nine, we have two applicants and i think if we're leaning towards encouple balancy and testimony made on

their behalf i would suggest we continue with ali jamalian continuing eat 8. i would like to make a motion to move ali jamalian for seat 8. jessica cry for seat 10 and continue the balance of the items to our next meeting on april the 26th at 10:00 a.m. on that motion, mr. clerk, a roll call, please. >> clerk: yes. on that motion [roll call] the motion to appoint ali

jamalian to seat 8. aaron flynn to seat 9 and jessica cry to seat 10 passes without objection. >> supervisor peskin: and, in that motion was also continuing the balance of the items to our meeting next week and, with that, colleagues, we are adjourned.

>> when i look at an old neon sign that's working or not working, i feel the family business that was in there.

>> since 2009, citywide, sf shines, has supported businesses and sites like the ones that receive new neon signs. >> you know, sf shines is doing an amazing job to bring back the lighting and the neon glow of san francisco. >> sf shines is such an amazing program, and i can't think of another program in another city that gives matching gunned funds to store owners, mom and pop owners, and if they've got a neon sign, they've really got a great way to advertise their business. >> this is a continuation of the sf shines program. >> focusing other neon signs is relatively new to us. of the seven neon signs, we've

invested about $145,000. >> a good quality sign costs more, but it lasts infinitily longer. as opposed to lasting five years, a good neon sign will last 15 to 20 years. >> in san francisco, the majority of neon signs are for mom-and-pop businesses. in order to be able to restore these signs, i think it gives back to your community. >> part of the project has to do with prioritizing certain signs in the neighborhood based on their aesthetics, based on their current signs, and base on the history. in the time that we've been here, we've seen a number of signs restored just on eddy street. >> there are a number of signs in the tenderloin and many more that are waiting or wanting to

be restored. i have worked with randall and al, and we've mapped out every single one of them and rated them as to how much work they would need to get restored. that information is passed onto sf shines, and they are going to rank it. so if they have x budget for a year, they can say all right, we're going to pick these five, and they're putting together clusters, so they build on top of what's already there. >> a cluster of neon signs is sort of, i guess, like a cluster of grapes. when you see them on a corner or on a block, it lights up the neighborhood and creates an ambient glow. if you havy got two of three of them, you've created an atmosphere that's almost like a movie set. >> some of the hotel, we've already invested in to get those neon signs for people to enjoy at night include the elk hotel, jefferson hotel, the

verona, not to mention some we've done in chinatown, as well as the city's portal neighborhood. >> we got the fund to restore it. it took five months, and the biggest challenge was it was completely infested with pigeons. once we got it clean, it came out beautiful. >> neon signs are often equated with film noir, and the noir genre as seen through the hollywood lens basically depicted despair and concentration. >> you would go downtown and see the most recent humphrey bogart film filled with neon in the background. and you'd see that on market street, and as market street got seedier and seedier and

fewer people continued to go down, that was what happened to all the neon strips of light. >> the film nori might start with the light filled with neon signs, and end with a scene with a single neon sign blinking and missing a few letters. >> one of my favorite scenes, orson welles is chasing rita hayworth with neon signs in the background. >> i think what the office of economic and workforce development is very excited with is that we'll be able to

see more neon signs in a concentrated way lit up at night for visitors and most especially residents. the first coin laundry, the elm hotel, the western hotel are ones that we want to focus on in the year ahead. >> neon signs are so iconic to certain neighborhoods like the hara, like the nightcap. we want to save as many historic and legacy neon signs in san francisco, and so do they. we bring the expertise, and they bring the means to actually get the job done. >> people in tenderloin get really excited as they see the signs relit. as you're driving through the tenderloin or the city, it pretty much tells you something exciting is happening here. >> knee an was created to make the night more friendly and advertise businesses. it's a great way of supporting and helping local businesses. >> there's so many ways to

improve public safety. the standard way is having more eyes on the street, but there's other culturally significant ways to do that, and one those ways is lighting up the streets. but what better way and special way to do that is by having old, historic neon signs lighting up our streets at night and casting away our shadows. >> when i see things coming back to life, it's like remembering how things were. it's remembering the hotel or the market that went to work seven days a week to raise their money or to provide a service, and it just -- it just -- it just

. >> you're watching coping with covid-19 with chris manners. >> hi. i'm chris manners, and you're watching coping with covid-19. today, my guest is phil ginsburg. he's the director of the san francisco rec and parks, and he's a national rec and park ranger. thank you for being here. >> hi, chris. thank you for having me. >> i've heard you have an exciting new exhibit that features social distancing and is outside, so it's safer. can you tell us a little bit about it? >> the golden gate 50

anniversary wasn't the celebration that we hoped for, but when life deals you lemons, you hope to make lemonade, and we tried to engage people in the park in different ways. behind me is what we did. it's a public exhibit which has transformed peacock meadows into an enchanted forest of other worldly shapes and lights. it's to close out golden gate park's 150 years and to allow people to have outdoors socially distant fun. >> great. and what are the hours, and

when can people go see it, and are there access for wheelchairs and strollers? >> well, it will run until february 27, and the ways are wheelchair accessible. it will close in time to make the city's curfew. we're not supposed to be gathering. we're not supposed to be celebrating out there, unfortunately. it is a beautiful exhibit and is one that can be seen from the sidewalk or you can wander into the meadow, but we ask that people be really mindful of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. the most important thing for us is to be safe and healthy. do not show up with other households. come and see it, get a little

taste of the holidays and leave so other people can enjoy it. if it's too crowded, comeback because it's going to be around for a while. >> how long does it take to walk around the exhibit? >> well, you could be there for five minutes or 15 minutes or longer if it's not crowded. it's about in an acre of meadow, but it's very visible even from a fully accessible sidewalk. you'll get a sense of it. basically, there are sculpted trees, and it's gorgeous. i got an opportunity to visit it over the weekend. the conservatory of flowers is

there, and then, we have our amazing spreckels temple of music which was recently renovated and lit up in lights. >> i have information that it was created by a local artist. what can you tell us about it? >> well, it's a new concept, but the lights were previously installed in a park in toronto and also in las vegas. the installation has been paid for through private donations to the golden gate park's san

francisco 150 campaign. it reflects a culture steeped in science and history and culture. >> i can't wait to visit it. safely, of course. >> wear masks, distance, sanitize, and don't gather. >> well, thank you for coming on the show today, mr. ginsburg. i appreciate the time you've given us today. >> thank you, and thank you for giving so much attention to golden gate park which has been so wonderful for us during covid and deserves a lot of extra love and attention on its 150 anniversary. >> and that's it for this episode. we'll be back with more information shortly.

thank you for watching coping with >> the hon. london breed: good morning, everyone. let's get right to it. this is not unfamiliar territory for us. many of you remember, when i started at supervisor for district 5, 4-20, although it has been a tradition in san francisco for many, many years, there was one year in particular that was a little different than most years. we saw thousands of people come from all over the bay area to robin williams meadows to celebrate this unsanctioned holiday, alex, is that what we want to call it, right here in golden gate park? and i think when i was supervisor, i think that was

the most complaints that i got from constituents after it was over, the conditions of the park. as much as we want to celebrate here in san francisco, and as supportive as the city has been to continue to see the tradition occur, it has been really challenging, of course, to gather in large groups during covid. now last year, what i really appreciate about people who come here year after year, is we asked you not to, and you followed our health guidance. you followed the health orders and you stayed away from golden gate park and prevented that from being a super spreader in our city, and we thank you for that. now i know that man of you thought we -- many of you thought we would be celebrating and that we would be in a

better place. we are in a better place. we've seen the case numbers go down in san francisco. we've seen the hospitalization numbers go down in san francisco, and we've vaccinated at least 50% of san franciscans with the first dose of the vaccine, but we are not there yet, we are not at a place where we can have large number events, so what does that mean? that means this year's 4-20 celebration are cancelled. robin williams meadows will be fenced off and unavailable for access to any member of the public. it means we will be patrolling the area and on the lookout for mass events in our city. because the bigger issue for us is, the issue we don't want to see, is san francisco to go

backwards. we only need to look at what's around a number of variants in the united states and what's happening in michigan. as much as we are tired about the virus and as much as we are excited about reopening, we are still not at a place where we can have large scale events, large gatherings of people. we don't want to go backwards. yesterday, i went to brett hart elementary school in the bayview-hunters point community. i can't tell you how excited i was for those children who were going back into the classroom finally. when i had lunch at a thai restaurant in the soma area, the owner asked, mayor, when are we going to bring businesses back? my business is suffering. people are still struggling.

we are not completely 100% open, but we are in a decent place. in fact, we expected to have more news about going into the yellow sooner rather than later, and we have not gotten that news. so the point is, as grateful as we are as to where we are as a city, and how we have kept the infection rates down, how we are one of the densest cities in the country with one of the lowest death rates anywhere, as grateful as we are with where san francisco is, we're still not where we need to be, and so i'm asking members of the public who were making plans, which we know were happening on-line, on social media, we're making plans to go to -- media, were making plans to go to san francisco on 4-20, unfortunately, we will not be able to provide the space or the support for large scale events anywhere in our city.

we need everyone to celebrate at home, responsibly, with your mask, in limits numbers in whatever way, shape, or form, and be patient with us because as we begin to reopen, we can look back and be proud of the sacrifices that we made here in san francisco to get us to this point. so i just want to -- we have a number of folks here to speak to talk specifically about what's going to happen so you can know, that even if you want to come any way, it's going to be virtually impossible for you to get to the location that you're trying to get to because it will be fenced out -- fenced off, it will be patrolled, and unfortunately, we will not be able to allow it this year. and with that, i want to introduce dr. grant colfax

about where we are, and phil ginsburg, and a number of other speakers, and we're happy to answer questions after everyone's had an opportunity to speak. thank you so much. >> good morning, everybody, and thank you, madam mayor, for the introduction and your tremendous leadership during this unprecedented time. i'd also like to thank director ginsburg in the rec and park department for inviting me to be here for this important event. i'm here today to applaud the people of san francisco for the sacrifices that you have made and for following our health guidelines throughout this pandemic. your hard work and commitment has helped us beat back three surges, including our winter surge, and we continue to move forward with reopening. but i'm also here with words of caution. i am, we are watching with concern about what's happening in the -- in the mid western

part of the country, including and especially in michigan, as well as in other parts of the world, including europe, and just yesterday, the director of the c.d.c., recommended that michigan go into another lockdown to bring its surge under control. i think we can all agree that's certainly the last thing that we want to see here in the state and in san francisco. i think we need to take the possibility of a fourth surge seriously, and gatherings like the 4-20 events we've seen in previous years could set us back. i applaud the efforts that organizers have done in cancelling the event. thank you. and i encourage everyone who looks forward to this annual event, if they choose to do so, to enjoy this day from home. we are making great progress on

vaccinations. we are now vaccinating in san francisco over 12,000 people a day, but we are still not at that point where we can let our guard down. we still need to do, in addition to the vaccines that we know can slow the spread of the virus, masking, social distancing, avoiding nonessential travel and limiting gatherings with people outside of your household. we will be introducing this week what we call the enhanced orange tier. but i want to remind people that outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people with same households with masking and social distancing. starting on the 15th, outdoor gatherings with increase to 50 people with masking and social distancing with no household

restriction, and with food served, that restriction drops to 25 people. so that is progress, and i know we are all eager to make even further progress and to put this chapter of limitations behind us, but let's continue to take the precautions necessary for now. finally, i also have to mention that if you are going to purchase cannabis, we encourage you to procure your gear from licensed businesses and not from the street. cannabis from licensed retailers is tested and safe for consumption. and again, i want to thank all san franciscans for your on going support during this challenging time. when it's your turn, get vaccinated, do the right thing, and let's get through this pandemic together. thank you.

>> the hon. london breed: thank you, dr. colfax. now, i want to introduce the new captain for park station, captain padrini -- am i saying your name right? all right. captain padrini. >> thank you, mayor breed, dr. colfax, director ginsburg, and [inaudible] my name is [inaudible] padrini, and i'm the captain of park station. we know that 4-20 is an event that has been held here in the park for a long time, and many look forward to celebrating. unfortunately, we won't be celebrating this year. san francisco has come so far in response to the covid-19 pandemic, and we just can't afford to let our guard down now. as you heard others mention already, the area of golden gate park where all have

gathered to celebrate 4-20 day, that area will be closed. the city will be erecting and installing fencing and barriers to limit and control access. san francisco police officers, working with our partners, park rangers and parking patrol officers, will prevent access to these areas and keep traffic moving. we are prepared to do enforcement if necessary, but we're asking for your cooperation by celebrating safely at home or in your neighborhood. so again, please celebrate virtually this year so that, hopefully, all can celebrate in person next year. thank you. >> the hon. london breed: thank you, captain. you're, like, the third captain that we've worked with at park police station to deal with some of the challenges at 4-20, and the third one to say you

look forward to it, as well. so with that, i want to introduce the director of the rec and park department, phil ginsburg. >> thank you, mayor. i want to thank the mayor, our health director and d.p.h., the office of cannabis, all our partners here in this effort to continue to keep our parks joyous and safe. it's been a long year for us all, but our parks all over the city have been places where we've been able to pursue our physical and mental health. we're almost there, but we're just not ready to party. so as the mayor alluded, and as captain padrini alluded, there will be no party here at hippie hill in robin williams meadow

on 4-20. officers will be disbursed, making sure there are no large crowds. consider me director buzzkill. getting outside is fine, right? 4-20 is a holiday. celebrate it, but getting outdoors is not. you can celebrate in your household by live streaming 420hippiehill.com. our goal here is to maintain our treasured open spaces as places where we can, again, pursue physical and mental

health. we welcome people to enjoy their parks. get out and enjoy a park. in san francisco, we have 225 of them. all of us live within ten minutes of a park, and if you're coming from someplace else, there are amazing parks and open spaces all over the bay area, the peninsula, and marin. use them. thank you. >> the hon. london breed: thank you, phil. but when you go to the park, make sure you know you cannot gather in groups larger than 25 with a maximum of three households, so we will be enforcing the health order throughout san francisco. enjoy our parks but follow the rules. and as i mentioned to you before, this event initially has grown into something that none of us could ever have imagined, like the pandemic. the fact is because we're san

francisco, we didn't just shut our doors and say, it's not going to happen. we're going to end it, we decided to figure out what was the most effective way to make it safe, what was the most effective way to recover our expenses in terms of our cost. how were we going to make it the kind of event that you can celebrate, enjoy san francisco like many other events that occur here. we put our heads together, phil ginsburg and i and others, and fortunately, we have identified a native san franciscan who said -- we didn't go to him, he came to us. he said he wants to make it safe, he wants to work together. he owns a business on haight street, born and raised in the city, and really wanted to support this gathering, and as a result, put together a number of sponsors and entertainment and a number of resources to

cover expenses related to transportation and things that are necessary to make this event happen, and we created an amazing partnership. and i think since this partnership has started, alex, you were only able to do one so far? is it two? so at this time, i want to introduce alex aquino who is really -- three? three? we've known about three traditionally in the city. technically, you're not supposed to smoke in the park, but we're trying to understand and be open-minded about this. we get it, and we have worked with alex over the past couple of years, and i want to introduce him now to say a few words. >> and good morning, everybody. is it still morning?

good afternoon. thank you, mayor breed, director ginsburg, for having me this afternoon. it's best for our public and public safety and health. we encourage people not to gather. instead, take advantage of some of the great live streams that we're producing this year in the safety and comfort of your own home. we have a great show lined up this year by burner, hosted by michael blackson, paul rodriguez, and bob saget. we are working with weedmaps for a free live stream, hosted by snoop dogg, rocky, and more. these will be benefiting local businesses and local entities.

so please go to 420hippiehill.com. >> the hon. london breed: thank you, alex, and thank you so much for putting together an alternative where people can still enjoy 4-20. a lot of folks we know this year and this past year have had to do virtual events. many people have adapted, and 4-20, no different, and fingers crossed, you'll all be able to return and enjoy golden gate park next year. i also want to recognize the director of the office of cannabis for the city and county of san francisco, marissa rodriguez. thank you for being here today, and at this point, happy to answer any questions that you may have. [inaudible]

>> the hon. london breed: yeah. i definitely was saddened and disappointed and concerns when i heard about the johnson & johnson vaccine being removed, but unfortunately, we've had this challenge before. we know with a separate vaccine not related to covid, the pfizer vaccine, they talked about that, and my hope is that not a lot of people were impacted, and we're going to continue to do vaccines. we have other vaccines which have not been problematic. i have not had any symptoms or have experienced any clots related to the johnson & johnson vaccine. of course, i'm disappointed because it's a one-and-done

vaccine that we all have encouraged other people to get. what we don't want people to do is to be discouraged from getting vaccines period. if i had to do it all over again, i'd still get the vaccine, and in light of the new information, probably would choose another option. those options have been in circulation and available to people even before the johnson & johnson was available. so i would say to those people who have received the johnson & johnson, to definitely contact your primary health care provider or reach out to the place where you have received the vaccine, like a number of the community places we have available. this is a set back, but it's not going to stop san francisco from moving forward and doing everything we can to provide vaccines to the public.

[inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: so what was asked was about the new sobering center i announced today. let's just back up, because this goes back to even when i was on the board of supervisors and my support for safe injection sites. now, we know that people struggle with addictions in various capacities, whether it's drugs, alcohol, gambling, there are a number of addictions that people face, and just because we don't want to see them doesn't mean they're just going to go away, so we can't keep doing things the same way we've done them and expect to get a different result. we have some amazing programs like delancey street and healthright 360, but people using drugs that create

psychosis can sometimes do permanent damage to folks who may not necessarily be able to say, i need help, and we see that playing out on our streets every single day. so what was important for me is to not let it play out on the streets, so get people in a safe, clean environment with health care professionals who understand people working with addiction, and hopefully, those people are able to get the help and the support that they need. and i will also say that as much as we want to see people get help, we all -- i mean, i have had family members that have struggled with addiction. we all know that until someone says i need help, it's a whole different process to getting them help. so hopefully, these sobering centers and safe injection sites for people will help prevent overdosing, will help

present an option into treatment or some form of support, because we want to make sure it's easier to access help than it is to access drugs and alcohol on our streets, and that's what this sobering center is about. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: do we have that information or do we need to get back -- [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: okay. i think we need to get back to you on the data because we haven't received the latest numbers from the controller's office as to the financial impacts on the city's resources, but you know that we provided equity grants for many of our equity applicants,

people who were disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, and making sure that they have opportunities to have capital to open up these businesses, but we do know, sure, that cannabis and a number of other businesses have thrived as a result of this pandemic, and we'll have more data probably at another time. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: i'm going to let dr. grant colfax answer that question. >> good morning again. so right now, we have the capacity to put over 20,000 vaccines in arms. we're doing an average of 12,000 because of the lack of

supplies. i think the johnson & johnson, we're following the f.d.a.s and c.d.c.s lead on that and putting a pause on johnson & johnson, but because of the decrease in supplies that the state announced this week, we're getting a third less vaccine. this week, we've only gotten 500 doses of johnson & johnson. we'll put those on pause, but we don't anticipate disruption in the scheduled appointments, and we'll continue to follow the situation closely. [inaudible] >> no cancellation will be as a result of this. we have very small part of johnson & johnson, so we're continuing to focus on getting the vaccines into arms that we do have, the vast majority of which are moderna and pfizer. >> the hon. london breed: all right. thank you. thank you.

>> as a woman of color who grew up in san francisco i understand how institutions can have an impact on communities of color. i think having my voice was important. that is where my passion lies when the opportunity to lead an office in such a new space came up. i couldn't turn it down.

i was with the district attorney's office for a little over nine years, if you include the time as an intern as well as volunteer da, all most 13 years. during the time with the da's office i had an opportunity to serve the community not only as the assistant district attorney but as director of community relations. that afforded the opportunity to have impact on the community in an immediate way. it is one thing to work to serve the rights of those without rights, victims. it is really rewarding to work to to further the goals of our office and the commitment we have as city employees and advocates for people who don't have a voice. i don't know of anyone surprised to see me in this role. maybe people have an impression what the director of the office of cannabis should be like, what

their beliefs should be. i smash all of that. you grew up in the inner city of san francisco. my career path is not traditional. i don't think a person should limit themselves to reach full potential. i say that to young women and girls. that is important. you want to see leadership that looks diverse because your path is not predetermined. i didn't wake up thinking i was going to be a prosecutor in my life. the city administrator reached out and wanted to have a conversation and gave me interest in the new role. i thought you must not know what i do for a living. it was the opposite. she had foresight in realizing it would be helpful for somebody not only a former prosecutor but interested in shaping criminal justice reform for the city would be the right person for the space. i appreciate the foresight of the mayor to be open how we can be leaders in san francisco.

i was able to transition to the policy space. here i was able to work on legislation, community relations, communication and start to shape the ways our office was going to reform the criminal justice system. it is fulfilling for me. i could create programs and see those impact people's lives. i am the change. it took truants youth to meet with civil rights movement leaders who fought to have access to education. being a young person to understand that helped the young people realize this was an important thing to give up. what we find is that young people who are truanted have a really high homicide rate in our city, which is a sad statistic. we want to change that. >> coming from a community we are black and brown.

i don't reach out to other people. i don't think they feel the same way. >> i had the great opportunity to work on prison reform issues and criminal justice reform issues. we created a program at san quentin where we brought district opportunities to lifers and talk about how we are all impacted by the criminal justice system. we brought over 40 elected das to san quentin for the situation. now we are inviting the police department. our formerly incarcerated group born out of this programming asked for the opportunity to work on a project where we could bring the men in blue on the outside to come speak to the men on blue inside to start the healing dialogue around how the criminal justice system specifically in san francisco impacts the community. i was attracted to the role. there was a component of equity

that was part of this process. the equity community here in san francisco is a community that i had already worked with. before i took steps to visit cannabis businesses i thought it was important my team have a chance to go inside and speak to men who had been impacted. that conversation needed to happen so we know how we are making an impact with the work that we are doing. the da's office as we were leading up to the legalization of marijuana in the state we started having conversations on the policy team what that could look like. the district attorney was really focused on the right side of history for this. we realized it would be quite a heavy lift for individuals who have been negatively impacted by the war on drugs to expunge the record. it was important to figure out

the framework to make it seamless and easy. they put their minds to it after some time and many conversations the data analysts and other policy walk throughs on the team came up with the idea to engage the tech community in this process. code for america helped us developed the rhythm to be used for any jurisdiction across the state that was important to create a solution to be used to assist all jurisdictions dealing with this matter. the office of cannabis is the first office to have a completely digital application process. we worked with the digital team to develop the online application. there are going to be hiccups. we are first to do it. it is one of the most rewarding parts to offer a seamless -- to offer a seamless approach. that is how they can find solutions to solve many of the

community challenges. the best way to respond to prop 64 was to retroactively expunge 9,000 cannabis related records for san francisco. it feels like justice full circle for my personal experience. in the past i was furthering the war on drugs just as my directive. really coming from a place of public safety. that was the mandate and understanding. it is nice to see that pass a society we are able to look at some of our laws and say, you know what? we got it wrong. let's get this right. i had the privilege of being in the existing framework. my predecessor nicole elliott did an incredible job bringing together the individuals super-passionate about cannabis. >> the office was created in july of 2017.

i came in early 2018. i have been able to see the office's development over time which is nice. it is exciting to be in the space, stickily in thinking about her leadership. >> looking for the office it is always we might be before my time when i was working for the forboard of supervisors. i learn new things every day it is challenging and rewarding for me. >> we get the privilege to work in an office that is innovating. we get to spearhead the robust exprogram. >> i am excited she came on board to leverage experience as a prosecutor 10 years as we contemplate enforcements but approaching it without replicating the war on drugs. >> i was hired by cam laharris.

i haven't seen a district attorney that looked kind of like me. that could be a path in my life. i might not have considered it. it is important that women and certainly women of color and spaces of leadership really do their part to bring on and mentor as many young people as they can. it is superimportant to take advantage of as many opportunities as they can when they can intern because the doors are wide open. plans change and that is okay. the way this was shaped because i took a risk to try something new and explore something and show that i was capable. you are capable, right? it was about leaning in and being at the table to say my voice matters. you find your passion, the sky

>> it was an outdoor stadium for track and field, motorcycle and auto and rugby and cricket located in golden gate park, home to professional football, lacross and soccer. adjacent to the indoor arena. built in the 1920s. the san francisco park commission accepted a $100,000 gift from the estate to build a memorial in honor of pioneers in the area. the city and county of san francisco contributed an additional $200,000 and the stadium was built in a year. in the 1930s it was home to several colleges such as usf, santa clara and st. mary's for competition and sporting. in 1946 it became home to the san francisco 49ers where they played nearly 25 years. the stayed de yam sat 60,000 fans. many caught game the rooftops

and houses. the niners played the last game against the dallas cowboys january 3, 1971 before moving to candlestick park. the stadium hosted other events before demolition in 1989. it suffered damages from the earthquake. it was reconstructed to seat 10,000 fans with an all weather track, soccer field and scoreboards. it hosts many northern california football championship games. local high schools sacred heart and mission high school used the field for home games. the rivalry football games are sometimes played here. today it is a huge free standing element, similar to the original featuring tall pink columns at the entrance. the field is surrounded by the track and used by high school and college football and soccer.

it is open for public use as well. >> hello, everybody. thanks for coming out. today is a bright, sunshining day, turning our faces toward the sun and looking to help recover our businesses. we are couraging you to take the -- encouraging you to take the small business challenge, and the small business challenge, is for the month of may, can you shop and dine at only small businesses. with that, i'd like to introduce mayor breed, who's been such an advocate for small businesses.

it's been a pleasure to work with her office in creating shared spaces, so with that, mayor breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: hello, everyone. i am really excited to be here at manny's, with manny, who is not just the owner of this really wonderful space, but a commissioner with sharky on our small business commission, when we put these two together, they make magic happen, and part of that magic is really advocating fiercely for small businesses in san francisco. throughout the pandemic, they have been key for pushing for supports and fee and permit waivers for a number of small

businesses in san francisco, especially for the people that they play. in san francisco, i'm proud that we stepped up early on. we waived fees, we provided grants and loans and no interest loans and other resources to small businesses. in total, san francisco has provided about $75 million throughout the course of this pandemic, not including state and federal resources, but to help our small business community. last week, i was in japantown, announcing an additional $10.6 million in grants for small businesses who could not get access to p.p.p. loans and some of the other resources. because when san francisco starts to open, what's important to me is that we all recover together, and what that means is making sure that we support one another. not just through city resources, but by going to our

local stores and our businesses and our communities. now since this pandemic began, i am really proud that i would go out and walk in the neighborhoods, i would go to some of the these businesses, i would just walk down the street if i needed to pick up a plunger for my toilet or anything else -- go to the local hardware store or anyplace where i needed anything, and you know what? if we just take a moment to look around us, all the things that we may typically honestly order on amazon, we can find them right here in shops right here in our city right here in our neighborhood. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: now although i appreciate the selection and fast delivery of amazon because i have needs, i also appreciate and want to keep in business mom-and-pops, like sammy, who he and his mom

get up every morning at 4:00 to make it to their dry cleaners at 6:00 to get all the machines ready and do all the work. this is a family-owned business, and i've been going here because i was a kid, and because people aren't getting things dry cleaned as much, they've been struggling. it's important to me, as someone who uses them, it's important for me to continue to use them even when it's a small thing and i could probably clean it myself. it's important for me to support plant stores during the pandemic. i went from zero to 31, and i think now, i have 33. as soon as i walk past or drive past any plant store, i have to go in. there's an aquarium on clement

street that has not just fish but really good plants. there's furniture stores right here in the mission? what's the name of fiona's place? >> harrington furniture. >> the hon. london breed: it's a third generation irish family that owns it. you can go visit fiona, and she can get you anything that you want. there's something about connecting to your community. there's something about connecting to the small businesses in your community. it helps them stay in business, but it also helps us stay a better community as a whole. some of you remember food land.

it turned into another store, but we all called it food land, and we knew everybody that worked there because that's what being in the community is about. when we take the time to do that, something different happens. we connect, we connect with community. so what we're asking people to do for the month of may is to connect with community, to connect with our small businesses, to go out of your way, to go out of your way -- well, not just go out of your way, but to make effort to buy locally. during this pandemic, this is what i've been doing, is going

to my businesses. crystal way and a number of other crystal shops, they've been taking all my money, and plant shops have been taking all my money. i have a candle obsession, and i've been buying some candles at places down the street, as well. there's so many opportunities to shop locally, to dine locally, to help san francisco locally. let's roll up our sleeves, san francisco, in may, to buying our coffee locally, to support a small business that we've never visited before, and i'm committed, as we come out of this pandemic, our recovery begins, and we come out stronger and more vibrant and more resilient than ever, and that means that we leave no san franciscan and no san

franciscan business behind. thank you for joining us. don't forget, #sanfranciscosmall businesschallenge. ultimately, i will be supporting small businesses in san francisco, and i invite all of you here to take the challenge. >> we put some crystals down here for the mayor. >> the hon. london breed: good energy. >> so we have a special surprise guest. state assemblyman david chiu will be making a couple of marks. >> good morning, san francisco. we ready to shop locally?

all right. so usually, i'm in sacramento on a wednesday, but i happened to be in town for a few hours, and i got the word this is happening. i have to tell you, i am so excited about this challenge, and the mayor, i know, has laid out just how incredibly challenging it has been for our small businesses. in chinatown, a year ago, in february, the small businesses in our country's oldest and most historic chinatown reported a 50% drop in business because of the expectation that, somehow, covid was floating around chinatown, and that has impacted not just that neighborhood but every commercial corridor in our city. i think the stats are close to 60% drops in revenues in small businesses in our city. so when i was contacted by sharky and ben bleiman and others about this idea, it's brilliant, but i know it's going to take a commitment, and i will tell you, as i was running out of the house to

join this, i asked my wife, i said hey, babe, i'm going to take this challenge. can you join me, and it literally delayed me five minutes because she said, dave, we often buy at big box stores. how are we going to do this challenge? i promised i am going to be buying all the groceries, but we have to do that because our small businesses are the heart of our economy, are the heart of our character and the heart of our city. i want to say, i just want to thank all the small business leaders. years ago, my very first position -- my first public position in this city, i was a small business commissioner. and 14, 15, 16 years ago, we did not have the energy, the vision, the creativity of the

leadership that we're seeing right at this moment, and we need that leadership more than ever, so just want to thank all of you who are hearing, moving this forward. let's get this done, make the challenge, and keep it going. thank you so much. >> and dave, i just want to say, my wife and i had the same discussion, and a 15-minute debate. so with that, i'm going to introduce manny yekutiel, who is the owner of manny's and who is a small business commissioner. >> thank you. i just want to say welcome to manny's. it's many things in one, and i just want to say how happy i am to be able to stand here on our

shared spaces and say, we survived, we made it. honestly, i think a lot of small business owners were sure that this day would come, and i want to say, i think a third of the businesses that were opened in january 2020 are closed. we don't know how many are closed temporarily, how many are closed permanently. but i am so excited because one, if you take this san francisco, if you get your token and you use it, you will be bringing much needed business to small businesses like mine. secondly, with this challenge, it'll change some of the behaviors of our fellow san franciscans, and next time we want to order something off amazon or something for convenience sakes, they will remember the mom-and-pop

hardware store in the neighborhood. they'll remember the small coffee shop in the neighborhood, and they'll say, i'm going to go support that small business. thank you to sharky laguana, the president of the san francisco small business commission, for taking this idea and making it so amazing and running with it. thank you so much to mayor breed for our tireless support of small businesses for the last 1.5 years, for getting it up and passed, and helping our retail and small business establishments survive, for finding $1.75 million for grants for our small businesses. thank you to assemblyman chiu for fighting for small businesses in the california state assembly. and thank you to everyone who will, for the next 30 days, will take the challenge and

say, for the next 30 days, i pledge to only shop at small businesses and help san francisco small businesses emerge out of this pandemic. thank you so much. >> thank you so much, manny, and we'll take questions at this time. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: you know, san francisco has really been very conservative in its reopening efforts, so even though the state has given us permission to go into the orange tier, we did not allow all of what was allowed under california state law to happen. we've proceeded with caution, and now with our hospitalization rates down, the number -- our reproductive rate and other things, we are able to do more, so we're able to allow live music, we're able to

allow venues and other places, and as you can see, the ballpark can allow for fans. when we're starting to open more, we still have a requirement to wear a mask, and the businesses and the entertainment, they will understand what those requirements are, and we expect them to be followed. for example, i was at a restaurant last night, and when the waiter was coming up, we still put on our masks even though we still were vaccinated. we want to make sure that people get vaccinated. we have about 60% of san franciscans that have received at least their first shot, and we're in a good place, but it doesn't mean we can get comfortable. we still have to follow the health orders.

enjoy san francisco, enjoy our small businesses, but do our very best to wear your mask and limit our interactions with people. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: no. what we did first, we deferred city fees for 20 and 21. so many of the fees, the bills that people get on a regular basis, they don't necessarily have to pay, so we deferred them. but then, we took it a step further and provided financial resources so that even though we can't say -- we had to come up with the money when we said to businesses, we're going to defer these fees, but now, you don't have to pay them, and so we had to come up with money in our budget to makeup for that particular resource, so there

are going to be many small businesses that will not have to pay city fees, so that's one of the things that we've done. we also have provided grants and loans, no-interest loans, and just last week, i announced an additional $6.10 million of grants to people who may not have been able to qualify for other things. so we have a whole spectrum of things: the latino revolving loan fund, the black resolving loan fund, so those are some of the major things -- of course, shared spaces, our equity applicants. about 40% of people who have shared spaces are minority owned businesses and have gotten some level of city support to do so. we tried to make it as easy as

possible. when the voters approved the proposition to make it easier to streamline the process -- for example, a woman who had a nail salon, she was able to get a permit within one day that allowed her to reopen her business as an ice cream parlor. so it's cutting the red tape so we can get businesses open. the city should not be an impediment to the ability of small businesses to operate in this city, especially as we're on our road to recovery. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: i am sorry. i can't hear you. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: i think we're going to have to continue doing some of the things that we're doing. there are a lot of -- i hear

restaurants. they're having trouble with hiring people, and we want to make sure a small business owner, that's a mom-and-pop shop, as they expand, they can find people to work in their shop and afford to live in san francisco. it's going to be a balance, so when there are resources available, there will be money in our upcoming budget that i will introduce to allow some additional support for our small business community, but we also have to continue to connect our businesses with the resources -- thanks goodness we have a new president and vice president because that has been so critical in helping to provide more resources to small businesses who have been struggling the most, so we definitely anticipate we will be doing more. [inaudible] >> the hon. london breed: so part of why we added an

additional $10.6 million in grants are for those businesses that are having the most difficult time, where they have to go through a process to access city resources. this is about those who could not get resources, who have, like, six employees or less who are struggling and need support. but also, we're not here to micromanage what they use the money for. we know there's a moratorium against evictions for rent. that moratorium expires for the state at the end of june, i think it is, june 30. we know that rent is still going to come down, and we're going to need these resources, so our office of economic and workforce development has been working so hard with so many of these businesses. it wasn't a loan pool, it was a grant pool, and we removed so many of these barriers to be able to access this money.

all right. don't forget, shop local businesses, #smallbiz, b-i-z, because manny doesn't know how to spell. small business challenge. thank you all so much.

>> san francisco recreation and parks department offers classes for the whole family. rec and parks has a class for everyone. discover what is available now and get ready to get out and play.

henri matisse. frida kahlo. andy warhol. discover the next great artist. get out and play and get inspired with toddler classes. experience art where making a mess is part of the process. classes and the size the artistic process rather than the product. children have the freedom to explore materials at their own pace and in their own way. talks love art, especially when they died into the creative process -- dive into the creative process. at the end of the classes, they have cleaned and washup.

of.com great way to get out and play. for more information, visit sfrecpark.org. that out and play and get into the groove. rec and parks offers dance classes for seniors. first-time beginners or lifetime enthusiasts -- all are welcome. enjoy all types of music. latins also, country and western. it is a great way to exercise while having lots of fun. seniors learn basic moves and practice a variety of routines. improve your posture, balance,

and flexibility. it is easy. get up on your feet and step to the beat. senior dance class is from sf rec and park. a great way to get out and play. >> for more information,

>> good afternoon. this meeting will come to order. welcome to the april 19, 2021 regular meeting of the land use and transportation committee of the san francisco board of supervisors. i am supervisor melgar joined by dean preston and aaron peskin.