there were challenges with child care, challenges to school, access to transitions and new and rewarding opportunities in the work industry, women have suffered really during this pandemic, and so it is so important to me that when looking at our economic recovery as san francisco began to reopen, that we can look at ways of supporting and invest in san francisco. now today, we have some really big announcements. now it's been hard, but two thirds of san franciscans have been vaccinated. as we begin to reopen, we want to keep people safe, and we are hopeful, jennie lam, that we are going to get the schools open this fall because i don't know about you, but i'm sure that many of the parents are ready to see their children go back to school. now what we're announcing today is going to be really incredible, and it has a lot to

do with so many women expressing concerns about leaving one industry to go work in the other. if they were working in the hospitality industry, it's, like, this is the sector that i'm working in, but the hospitality industry was devastated during the pandemic, so how do we provide ways for people to shift? so part of the announcement today is focusing on getting people prepared to shift from various industries in san francisco. so we're announcing 300 opportunities that will help women in the hospitality sector, in the construction sector, in the tech sector, and a number of industries where whatever we choose to do, because we know we are women and we are fierce, we can jump on those opportunities. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: but it's not just about an opportunity, it's about what do you do with your children when you're trying to work? and so child care plays an important role, but here's the challenge we've had in san

francisco. we have resources sometimes for the very low-income women, although we may not have a sufficient number of slots. and then, there's those women that just are right over the threshold where they don't necessarily qualify, but they face challenges in child care. so we are announcing today that not only are we offering more slots for our very low-income women that need help with their child care, but the moderate income, as well. 800 new slots for child care because you know mothers, they work hard, but they need a break. i don't know if you remember when you were a kid and how many problems you gave to your parents, but i was a handful to my grandmother. so i understand when she was, like, go ahead. she can go. take her. i need a break. well, it's not just about a

break. it's about the learning loss, it's about having an opportunity to play with other children, it's about having a well rounded childhood and making sure that our child care centers are funded, our educators are funded in a specific way that we're able to provide some sense of normalcy after having such a tough year, so today is really about making sure that women are uplifted and supported; that we continue to breakdown these barriers as we head down the road of recovery. yes, san francisco is a major city, a dense city, with many, many challenges, but you know what? this is a challenge that we have to consistently work on. it should not be an issue for women, but it is an issue for women in san francisco and in the country. with that, the person that is going to lead this effort, a mom herself -- as a matter of fact, i was on meetings with her as she was dealing with distance learning with her

child. we are so excited to have as our new executive director of the office of economic and workforce development, kay solfus [applause] >> good morning. so as i stand here, day seven -- day six in this new job for the city i love, i am very aware that i stand here on the shoulders of generations of women in my family, mostly single mothers in my family. and as i raise my children, my s.f. born children, my two daughters, one of woman is intellectual -- one of whom is intellectually and physically disabled, i realize i wouldn't be standing here being able to contribute to our city were it not for the incredible schools that have supported my kids and the child care, especially for

my younger daughter, especially in the early years when many child care facilities didn't know how to handle someone with intellectual disabilities. rec and park stepped in, ggrc stepped in, and i'm able to do what i do as a direct by-product of being a woman and being supported in this life. i grew up as the daughter of another single mom in buffalo, new york, and she was not supported in the same way. she was always struggling to make ends meet, out of work, trying to figure out how to borrow neighbors to help care for my brother and i, and so i'm also aware of the unnecessary struggles women are put through trying to balance all that they do. so as i stand here today, thank you, mayor breed, thank you, my team at oewd, thank you, everyone standing behind me.

i can't be more proud to have this be one of the first initiatives launched under my helm, and i commit to you and to this city that this is the first and it will not be the last, and that women and their children and their families are a key part of our economic recovery plan, a key part of equity in this city, and a key part of our future, and you have my commitment to lead the way. thank you. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: thank you, kate. and now, we have serina marie, who is a health care academy graduate with home bridge. [applause] >> good morning. i would like to thank mayor breed and health care academy -- thank you -- health care academy and all those who put this wonderful event together. i would like to share with you my story.

my name is serina maria, and i am a care supervisor at home bridge. several years ago, i knew i wantsed -- wanted to be in the health care field, and home bridge gave me the opportunity in hiring me as a health care provider. during my time at home bridge, i wanted to grow in the field, so i decided to participate in their career advancement program, which is a collaboration of the health care academy and home bridge. through this training, i was able to gain the skill and opportunities needed for advancement in home bridge. in the training program, not only did i learn the technical skills of the job, but i also learned the interpersonal skills that have helped me not only support my clients and home care providers but also helped me in my every day personal life. shortly after completing the

program, i was able to advance into a mentorship role supporting new providers coming into our organization. eventually, i was promoted to care supervisor, which is my current position. these advancement opportunities helped me to support my family, especially during the pandemic. this experience has also contributed to my ability to support home care providers i supervise who provide critical care for some of our most vulnerable members of our community, contributing to the safe reopening of our city, as well. once again, i would like to thank the health care academy and home bridge for creating advancement opportunities through effective training programs. my hope is that more woen will be able to benefit from collaborative programs like these through the mayor's

initiative. thank you so much. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and at this time, i want to introduce members of the board of supervisors myrna melgar and catherine stefani. >> supervisor melgar: thank you, mayor breed. i am so grateful for your position in centering economic recovery on women's needs. i, along with supervisor stefani, worked on a resolution earlier this year asking our city to do just that, and i'm so grateful that the mayor has responded. thank you, mayor. for women, we cannot go back to the way it was before the pandemic. we need to make progress, and to make progress on social and economic issues, we need to make sure that women have the tools that they need to succeed and that children have their

needs met, and so i think that this is a great step, and i look forward to more in the future. supervisor? >> supervisor stefani: thank you, supervisor, and thank you to mayor breed for gathering all of these incredible women today and for basically walking the walk. she knows exactly how to respond when there's a need that's unmet, and to do what she's doing for mothers that need child care, to lift mothers up, to lift working mothers up is exactly what we need in response to this pandemic. i am so proud to be a part of the board of supervisors and women that actually show up for women. i am so excited that we have kate sophis leading the office of workforce development. there's a saying, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu, and we are at the table. so thank you, mayor breed, and thank you to all the women here today. >> the hon. london breed: well, women in this city are definitely at the table, and

we're running things. yes to women everywhere. you know, i just really appreciate these two amazing women on the board of supervisors. sadly, many of you heard about the tragedy that occurred in san jose, and our hearts go out to the families of the people who lost their lives in the tragedy, and the mayor, sam liccardo, who i already reached out to. i want to thank supervisor stefani for her role in gun legislation in this city. i want to thank myrna, who's considered basically a freshman supervisor but who already has hit the ground running and made her mark around children and support. we made some announcements as we began to wind down this budget process, these women have been advocating for processes that will benefit the people of san francisco, and i

really appreciate their partnership in this effort. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: all right. next up, we have tracey liss, who is the executive director of frandaya. am i saying that right? >> you were close. >> the hon. london breed: tell me how to say it. >> frandaja. >> the hon. london breed: oh, frandaja. >> thank you. this initiative is the perfect extension and next step for what's needed. every year, we get families who call who do not qualify. they don't make little enough money -- like anyone wants to make less money, right? especially our moms, our single moms. they don't make enough to qualify, and so we don't have anything to help them. we did fight for some

scholarship programs so they could come to our center, and it still wasn't enough. i don't know if you know, the fee for a single-family with several kids, it's one fee. so even if they're paying the highest cost, it's still $600 a month for three kids, and then, they don't qualify anymore. they go on the track, they get the promotion for career advancement, and then, they don't qualify. now you're looking at about $2,000 per month per child. who can jump from $600 to $6,000 a month out of their pocket for care? it's been an impossible task. we saw in the pandemic how important child care, schools, and meeting the needs for children was for working families, and this initiative is prime to help us recover in a way that we haven't seen before. 800 slots for moderate to middle-income families is an amazing thing, and we're so honored to be a part of it.

it's a natural next step for us, and we're looking forward to working with those families, to working with the city and all of the leaders of san francisco, including mayor breed, to make this happen. we're committed with the office of early care and education, the mayor's office to have successful opportunities, quality care for kids, and to help families achieve both economic and educational success as we move forward. this is a good day. it is a beautiful day in san francisco, and it's an amazing day for women. thank you so much. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and yes, it's an amazing day for women, and i can't necessarily call out all of the women here, but all of the people here who are almost faceless are women who are leaders in various capacity in the city. they make this work happen. ingrid mesquita with the office of early childhood education. thank you for all of your

advocacy. we have women from the human rights commission. i see sharon lai from m.t.a. i know other women from the commission on the status of women are here with us, as well as the a. philip randolph institute. jackie, thank you so much for all of you do. this represents an amazing coalition of leaders in san francisco who are doing the hard work on the ground, women from all parts of san francisco. the way we address the challenges around equity, and we bring our city back stronger than ever is when we come together and we make sure that resources are not a barrier to the success and opportunities that we all deserve in life, and so that's what this is about. today is just one step further in that direction. i'm looking forward to seeing the city come alive again, and i'm looking forward to seeing this city continue and finally lift up those who too often

have been left behind. this is another great opportunity, so thank you all so much for joining us here today. [applause]

>> good morning, this meeting will come to order. welcome to the june 3rd, 2021 regular meeting of the government audit and oversight committee. i am supervisor dean preston, chair of the committee, joined by vice chair supervisor connie chan and raphael mandelman mand. the committee clerk is john carroll. mr. clerk, do you have any announcements? >> clerk: yes. in order to protect the public, board members and city employees during the covid-19 health emergency,