any signs, stay home. >> thank you. sadly, that is the end of our time. we want to thank all our panel and people participating for making the time to be with us today. as well as the host partners, the department of public health, uc san francisco. we know that there are many more questions that we have time to answer. we will work to get these answers to these questions and share that information through your organizations. we'll send material and esend out recording of this meeting that is on sfgov tv youtube channel and facebook live. thank you again for being here

and good night. and, thank you for joining us. i am sister roma. a 34-year member of the san francisco sisters of perpetual indulgence. [applause] >> it says "hold for applause." thank you. thank you. i am truly honored to join you today for this historical event. as your host, as we recognize the nation's first transgender history month right here in san francisco. [applause]

>> i would like to begin by thanking our wonderful san francisco mayor london breed for hosting us today and your incredible support of the trans and lgbt community and also the transgender for making this historic month possible. thank you to all the city and elected official leaders who are here joining us including dccc chair honey mahogany. supervisor rafael mandelman, si cilia chung and many more. so i moved to san francisco after graduating from college in one thousand nine hundred eighty-five and within two years, i met the sisters and sort of was propelled head

first into the front lines on the war against hiv and aids and began fighting for civil rights and the thing that has impressed me most about san francisco is our community, we are intelligent, we are compassionate, we are creative and we are determined. the sisters of perpetual indulgence started here in san francisco. we are the first ever gay men's chorus. we fought for the right to serve. we have laid down and screamed i can't breathe and black lives matter and worked with women and gun control. so it's very fitting that san francisco has celebrated this historic milestone. the birthplace of the

transrights movement. this month markses the 55th anniversary that took place in august 1966 in the tenderloin. the riot was a response to the ongoing violence and police harassment of transwomen and transwomen of color. the incident was one of the first lgbtq up risings in protests perhaps the riots gang on a against the ongoing

attacks injustice, and discrimination. san francisco has come a long way in strong policies and innovative programs. the transcivil rights heroes whose shoulders we stand on. this includes legendary transleader who are no longer with us that we recognize in spirit jazzy collins, fe leash shall flames, bobby jean baker many more one of our transelders and heroes. so thank you all. but also impressed me about hour we couldn't do any of this

alone and we're very fortunate to have such an amazing powerful ally right here at this beautiful in this wonderful city, please welcome the amazing mayor of san francisco london breed. [ applause ] >> thank you so much, sister roma and thank you to everyone who is joining us here today. it's so good to see you, donna, you're always here at all these amazing events and we appreciate your work and advocacy over the years. i want to recognize commissioner chung and thank you for your work not on behalf of just the trans community, but the city and county of san francisco. we're here today to celebrate an incredible milestone and supervisor mandelman, we appreciate you so much so work

for your work here in city hall, but i want to take this moment to just reflect back and just realize our assess joaquin torres is joining us. joaquin, why are you sitting down, you should be standing up. standing up for the trans community, buddy. an incredible ally. i want to take this opportunity to really recognize two really incredible people who have been extraordinary leaders in san francisco. first, aria sayed who has been just really amazing in leading the transgender district and really advocating and pushing and coordinating and collaborating and bringing people together to help push the city in a direction where we are doing incredible things. her leadership along with claire farly who is the

director of the first transgender initiative. but i've got to tell you, it's women like this, who are the reasons why we have been able to launch extraordinary programs that no one ever thought of. it is because of their advocacy and many of you here today that we launched the first program providing universal income for the transcommunity. so many gangs. but so much more work to be done. that's here in san francisco. it's not happening in other

cities across this country and we know that this movement goes back to 1966 as sister roma talked about. everybody likes to talk about stone wall as the catalyst, but we all know here in san francisco that it started right here and it took three years before it catapulted into a movement that continued on and to support and uplift the transcommunity. i have a very dear friend that i truly in the past '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s to allow your child

to be who they are born to be would not have been possible. had it not been for the extraordinary advocacy of this community. so it is so that we honor that history, that we honor that legacy. that we make those investments. that we continue to push and san francisco continues to be that example. this past budget season thanks to supervisor mandelman and other members on the board of supervisors and i see supervisor matt haney. this year, we put forth $12 million to make sure that we are investing in the first ever lgbtq museum in san francisco to highlight and document and maintain the history of this community in our city.

because it's such a rich history. because it is where the movement started. because we continue to be leaders in advancing the goals that are necessary to be supportive and inclusive and to make sure this community is not forgotten is not discriminated against, is protecting and supported and uplifted. it all sounds good in san francisco, but the reason why we recognize these milestones and we highlight them is to continue to make sure people know that there is more work to be done because there are still women and men and mostly transwomen who are being killed just because of who they are, and in san francisco, we recognize them, we honor their lives and we make sure that we highlight the need for justice and highlight the need for

changes, policies, to hold people accountable who would attack this community. in san francisco, we pride ourselves on being inclusive. we pride yourself on being the first. we talk about all the great things that we want to do, but we also need to make sure that with those words, there are deeds, there are policy changes. there are investments. there are things that will show a difference in peoples' lives, and so i really want to thank you all for being here today to celebrate what we will continue to do in the month of august to recognize this community and the person that i must credit for all of the knowledge and the understanding and the information about the transcommunity is felicia

flames. my relationship with her started many years ago before i was even on the board of supervisors, her telling me they always forget the "t" in the lgbt movement and i'm not going to let them forget the "t." she had a lot of courage along with donna and others who just would not back down and were not afraid at a time when they were not treated with a lot of love and respect, but they still stood strong and you're still here with us today, donna, and we're so grateful to you and we're so happy to have you and we're so grateful to felicia and her legacy and her work. she would be so proud of the many gangs that we've made. i know i'm proud of san francisco and i really want to take this moment too to recognize our former mayor ed

lee who started this first office of transgender initiative as a way to highlight and support this community and, claire, as i said has done an extraordinary job of bringing the community together and helping to make sure that me as mayor and other policy makers do the right thing and put our money where our mouth is. and so today, we're going to sign this proclamation to declare it officially transgender history month in the city and county of san francisco. so aria, before you say a few words, the rest of you, sister roma, please join me. [ applause ] >> that's a lot of whereas

clause. are we ready? ready? let's do this. [ applause ] >> it's official. [ applause ] >> thank you, mayor breed. thank you everyone. this is so exciting. this is history. this is our history. [ applause ] >> i would also just like to recognize the mayor's unprecedented leadership in this crazy time of the pandemic when who could have foreseen we would find ourselves living through this once in a century

catastrophe and you have rose to the occasion. keeping us all safe. so, you guys, we really have to appreciate our mayor. many of the women who started here before her, she is destined for more. we need to thank her while we still got her because she's going places, baby. [ applause ] >> so as we mentioned, we have some amazing leaders in our community and this next person has proven to be absolutely outstanding in everything and looking good while she does it. please welcome aria sayed. >> hi everybody. oh, no. that was a permission to respond. hello everybody. i get really nervous actually when i'm asked to publicly

speak and, you know, during the pandemic, we had the luxury of zoom and so i was able to do these speaking things in a room alone and now it's even more nerve racking because this is family. thank you so much, mayor breed, if for this moment. it's such a beautiful day today that it is transgender history month. it is also marsha p. johnson's birthday, a mother of our movement who famously said i want my gay rights now. and so it's very special to not only be celebrating the 55th anniversary of the compton's cafeteria rights and the amazing incredible history that we have as trans people. and so all my trans siblings in this space, i want us to know how powerful we are and how resilient we are and how we are

more powerful than our minds can digest and it was harvey milk who actually advocated for san francisco pride. once upon a time it used to happen in golden gate park and he fought tirelessly before, you know, but he fought tirelessly for pride to actually happen at city hall every single year because he said that queer people and trans people deserve to be at the seat of power in the city. and so i'm so grateful that we have this moment and that we have mayor breed and the office of trans initiatives truly advocating for trans peoples' history and our experience and culture and all the contributions that we've made to the world not just since 2007, but for the last hundreds and hundreds of years to be known. and i want to also acknowledge

some very special people that were also going to be honoring today which is ms. talara chang who was at the compton cafeteria riots who has been fighting for over 55 years for trans people and ms. si cilia chung since the 80s and 90s. and ms. camille moran. and i'm just so grateful to be soaking up this moment so i don't want to hold al. i do want to introduce a very special lady. she's a trans latina advocate. she's also undocumented and a doca recipient and she is actually a huge reason why today is happening. she has been fighting and advocating and harassing me and claire and everyone in between to make this moment possible and for trans people to be

heard during this month in this way. and so i'm going to ask that the ladies of the trans district come up with ms. jupiter peraza who is the director of our social justice initiative. [ applause ] >> sorry everyone. very beautiful earrings, but very hard to navigate. can you hold these? thank you so much. thank you aria. thank you, mayor breed for this wonderful opportunity. and, i just wanted to say that this is a step in the right direction. in order to understand our community, we must understand

the history. and, in a society in which trans people are regarded with so many misconceptions, it is time that we alleviate those misconceptions with education, candor, and legitimacy. when we learn about others, we learn about ourselves. what we have here is an opportunity, an opportunity to embrace how similar we are from one another. an opportunity to deseminate and uncover how much my community, the trans community has given up for the well being of all of us. trans people are my past, they are my present, and they are my future and they are yours as

well. as we have proven, we are capable of transending what is imposed on us to attain a life in which we are authentically and exquiz italy us. i talk about us and being us because we should talk about that more. and with transgender history month, we will talk about that. the goal is to remind every single transperson whether you're thinking about transitioning or you've lived years as the person that you were bound to be, how vital and how critical you are. you are a cornerstone. you are a beacon of progress.

thank you to all the leaders in this room. to mayor breed for welcoming this proclamation. you always know what the best san francisco looks and feels like. thank you to claire farley and everyone at the office of transgender initiative. you are representing us with might and cleverness. to honey mahogany for spearheading and breaking down barriers and most importantly, an immense thank you to the co-founder and president of the transgender initiative aria sayid for being the leader our

community needs. you are brilliant, relentless, when it comes to what direction progress is. and, to the ladies that stand beside me, we have a very bright future ahead of us. happy transgender history month everyone. [ applause ] >> i'm so motivated and inspired today. we're going to if you're following the program, we're going to change it up just a little bit. i would like to welcome -- it looks like she's being interviewed.

sicelia, would you like to come up and say a few words? >> hello everyone. thank you, sister roma. interestingly, i think in san francisco 1985 i started college. so we just dated ourselves i think. it's really wonderful to be here to be able to talk about the rich history and all the stories that san francisco represents for the transcommunity. i still remember the first time when i got to the city, i came here because i know my community was here. and i could find someone to understand what i was going through. san francisco will always hold and is still holding a very special place in my heart. this is the city where i began my transition. this is the city where i became homeless. this is a city where i found a

way out and this is a city who gave me these communities, you know, to serve in this privilege to be on different commissions to lead by different positions. i was lucky enough to be appointed to the human rights commission and then the department of public health, the health commission, i really am grateful for the opportunity to serve and to show the world that transpeople can lead too. it's not an accident that we see such a big and beautiful community here in san francisco. it was because of all the resilience we endure and all the fights we got into. by the way, i think we're also the first city that the community actually fought with

and made the supervisors apologize to the community. and to be able to see the progress means a lot and i'm old in a grateful way because i get to see all the young leaders emerging. and also to celebrate some of the names that maybe you have never heard of or maybe you know such as ms. major and marilyn robinson who recently just passed away. their leadership helped to save the movement today. without them, we wouldn't have so many, social justice

organizations that are being led by these beautiful transwomen. that shows we're capable of doing more. or and maybe one day, we will see a trans president. you can be as big as you won't because of the rich history because of all the giants who paved the way for us and thank you for being here and thank you mayor and making the office of transgender history month. [ applause ]

>> so we've seen some great leaders, we've acknowledged that we have new leaders who are giving us all hope for the future. i think one of the talents of our community is we've been compelled to re-elect them. please welcome supervisor from district 8, rafael mandelman and omar runcon. oh, well, he's an important person. sorry, rafael had to leave. i'm glad you're still here, mayor. thank you. should we do the awards? >> what would you like to do,

ladies? i'm always happy to introduce ms. honey mahogany. i like to always watch her meteoric rise to leadership and power here in san francisco. please welcome honey mahogany. [ applause ] >> thank you mayor breed, thank you claire farley. one of my truly best friends and one of the reasons why we are all here today jupiter peraza for her advocacy. i just want to say a few brief words about how we ended up here today. when we founded the transgender

initiative, that have been serving the transgender community for decades here in san francisco. that includes organizations like t.j.i.p.. it includes organizations like st. james infirmary and it also includes organizations like the q foundation. we all banded together because we saw what was happening to our beautiful city of san francisco. there was rapid gentrification and development that was displacing so much of our community from our beloved venues to our residents. back then, i was actually working as a social worker and one of the most heart breaking things that i would see is the transpeople who are displaced from housing in the city to places like pittsburgh and antioch who were displaced from resources, family, transportation, unwaebl to get jobs and i saw many of our clients evolve and

self-medicate and some even attempting to that he can their own lives and create opportunities for transpeople where we have been for more than a generation. so i amex streamly proud of the work the transgender community has been able when it was just getting started. since aria has taken leadership it has become an organization that's been internationally known. people are being housed, people are being given jobs, people are creating change in the physical environment of the tenderloin and fighting for a brighter future where we can

all still be here. so i just want to give a shout out to the entire transgender team. an ally to the trans community. he's an honorary trans. and, of course, the leadership of our mayor, claire farley, and all the supervisors who invested so heavily in the transcommunity. thank you for believing in this vision for continuing to fight for what is right for not just trans people, but for san francisco. so thank you. it's an honor to be here. [ applause ] . >> of course, honey is the first elected black transchair of the d.c.c.c. [ applause ]

>> the first trans president. where do i vote. i'm ready. so i believe that concludes our program. do you have something? >> sorry everyone. we didn't want to leave here without giving certificates of honors to members of our community that have truly shown their dedication, resilience and tenacity making sure our community is advancing and progressing. we have required certificates of honor from supervisor haney's office. we'd like to recognize and her monumental role in health equity and social empowerment

spaces for and by transgender people over multiple decades as a transgender activist. cecelia chung. [ applause ] next, we would like to give this in recognition of the tremendous contributions that she has made to the transgender community making institutional strides for equity during a time where opportunity and change for transpeople were limited, socially challenging and fatal. we award this to camille moran. and, finally, in recognition of her role as a transgenderer and queer freedom fighter at the cafeteria riots in august of 1966 and continued activism and public service for the transgender community spanning over 50 years, we thank tamara

change for her advocacy in the community. thank you, honey. and, we meant to supply cecilia chung with a certificate of honor not just from supervisor haney's office, and we have omar rincon who is here also to extend his certificate of honors to these three lovely individuals. however, cecelia, you already heard from her. but we wanted to present these certificates of honor for all they've done. >> that's wonderful. i'm glad you were able to do that. thank you all for joining us. let's mingle safely and if you are invited we will be doing the flag raising on the balcony

outside the mayor's office. you're invited to watch it from below. happy transgender history month. [ applause ] >> all right. are we ready! [ applause ] [cheers and applause]

yesterday was my birthday and i was out a little later than normal. it was nice to really celebrate a birthday for a change and i celebrated in ashia sf in san francisco where -- oh, my goodness, the performance was amazing. the food was great. the drinks were wonderful, the people were wonderful, but what i most enjoyed about being at asia sf is that they require everyone who comes through the door shows proof of vaccination. and so i felt a little bit safer when i was there last night and today's announcement is really about making sure that people feel a little bit safer in our city, but most importantly, what we're seeing now with this virus is very

challenging. and of great concern to me and i know many of you as well. but let's take it back just a little bit. the fact is that we should be proud of san franciscans. when i asked you all over a year ago to shelter in place and basically change your entire lives to support one another and ensure this virus didn't spread. you answered the call, you stepped up, you did your part. our health care workers showed up to the hospital to take care of those who unfortunately contracted the virus. but ultimately, we saw the best of the people of this city. and now, we need just a little bit more. and, again, going back to where

we are. we've seen in this city 78% of people in san francisco have been fully vaccinated. that's still more than any place else in the country. and i know the rest of you all are coming kicking and screening, but let me explain why this is so important. it's important because kids under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated. so we have to make sure we're protecting them. it's important because there are still people who are elderly and sick and those with underlying health conditions that may not be eligible for the vaccine. we're doing this for them. so the reason why we're here today is because we're actually following the lead of small businesses and in particular, many bars in san francisco that decided on their own we're going to require proof of

vaccination before you enter our bar and the reason why we're here at vericio is because the owner, wherever she is, there you go. janet clyde, she took it the extra step. she took a lot of heat for it. she said i want to keep my customers and my employees safe, so i'm going to do this despite how challenging it was. how it impacted her business because she put the health and safety of the people of this city and her customers and her employees before anything else. that's what being a good san franciscan is all about and so we appreciate you letting us be here at this historic location to recognize that we really are in this together. and because this delta variant

has been so brutal i don't know about you, but when the virus first happened and over that time period. i knew less people at that time who actually got the virus. and there are a bunch of folks that i know how who have in some cases been vaccinated that have contracted covid because the delta variant is just that more contagious and we are not out of the woods as it relates to covid, we're still going through it. yes, we're sick and and tired of it, but it's not tired of us it's still coming back with a vengeance. we're seeing 263 new cases and those people are younger in some cases than what previously

existed and dr. cofax said if i'm going to get covid anyway. it's a difference being home every day or being in a hospital on a respirator where you can't breathe and this is real and it's hard to understand when you don't complooeld see it, but in some cases they can't talk where in this past year and a half, there have been people who died who have not been able to have funerals. when we think about those sorts of things, how can we not do our part to get better, to get vaccinated to make sure we're protecting one another.

to make sure we're protecting our children because they can't get vaccinated. so why are we here today? well, part of it is we're taking our steps around vaccinations just a little bit further and starting august 20th, you will need proof of vaccination in businesses for your customers in high contact areas like bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters, entertainment venues. indoor gyms and fitness and large indoor events with more than a 1,000 people. by october 13th, employees at these establishments must be vaccinated as well. all of the employees need to show proof of vaccination by october 13th to their employer. now, to be clear, this will not

include people or kids who are under the age of 12 because they can't get vaccinated. so what we don't want folks to think is a family of four that you can't go to a restaurant, you can. because we know that your children cannot be vaccinated and will not have the ability to show proof, but the parents will need to. and, this does not impact those who are coming to pick up to-go orders. a lot of folks who do the deliveries. so this won't impact that. as i said, why are we doing this? it's to protect the workers. it's to protect kids. it's to protect those who can't get vaccinated. it's to make sure we don't go backwards. it's to make sure that i never have to get up in front of you and say i'm sorry we just re-opened and now the city's closed again because we are

seeing too many people die. so to find out information about getting vaccinated go to sf.gov/vaccinated. you can call if you have any questions or need additional information, but this is an important step towards our recovery. i saw on the news hamilton just opened and people were there with smiles on their faces. underneath the mask, i saw the high cheekbones. i know you guys know what that looks like and it felt good. i don't know about you but when i went out to asia sf, the

women who performed there to be out in a city, to go to a restaurant, to see people again, there was a time we could not do this, so if we want to continue down this path if we want to make sure people are healthy to make sure we're in a good place as a city from a public health perspective so that our economy can really recover to its fullest extent, then we all have to do our part. we need to get vaccinated. we need to make sure that we are respectful to the businesses that ask us to put on our mask, or to produce your vaccination cards. we need to continue to have grace as we deal with one of

the most and count your blessings and let's make sure it isn't anyone else in the future because that's what this is about. making sure that now that we have a vaccine that we take full advantage of it because that's going to make the difference for us. and i want to thank a couple of folks here joining us including rodney fong from the san francisco chamber. thank you for being here. sharky laguana, thank you for your work and advocacy. thank you. and we have a couple of other folks joining us.

i think ben blyman is going to say a few words representing the bar owners here today. you know, it was not -- asia sf is somewhat like a bar. it's a bar, performance, food, they have it all. so it's like the perfect bar space where you get everything. anyway, ben is here to talk a little bit about that. mary ellen carol is here from the department of emergency management to answer any questions. and, i think um, who else is here? like i said, it was a long night. and, right now, i'm going to call up dr. grant cofax to talk a little bit about the specifics of our health order, what the plans are and just thank you all so much for being here and thank you all for continuing to do your very best to comply with these very complicated sometimes numerous health orders, but they will keep us safe and they will save

lives. thank you so much. well, good morning everyone. and thank you, mayor breed, for your steadfast leadership. as we continue to navigate covid-19 as a city. and thank you, janet, and visuvio for your important efforts as we recover from this pandemic. and i want to thank our acting health officer who worked hard on these orders and for director marry ellen carol for your ongoing partnership in this response. the business community has been an important partner in our efforts ever since the early days of the pandemic which is now well over a year and a half. from capacity limits to masking requirements to everything in between, you have responded and adapted to the many new ways of doing business throughout. and, for that, we thank you.

i look out at all the new outdoor dining pots and walk-ups these days and i'm so pleased to see the way san francisco has adapted and come bang to life. even in just the last few months. the difference is palpable. our ability to adapt, change and respond will service well because even as we beat back this disease. we also know that covid-19 will be with us in some capacity for the foreseeable future. we are now in a new phase of the pandemic. and even as we see a surge of cases, we have the powerful tool to fight this disease and keep ourselves and each other safe. the vaccines. let's use them. the updates to our safer return together health order are designed to make sure we can continue to keep businesses open and enjoy our lives in san

francisco safely even as we face the delta variant and other variants to come where people are at close range. breathing heavy indoors. it's simply common sense. it makes sense to require vaccinations in indoor settings where food and drink is served like restaurants and bars and where aerobic exercises happen in gyms and fitness establishments and where many people gather like at indoor venues of a thousand people or more. we believe we will continue to make a major difference in lowering the spread of covid-19 with the common sense solution of vaccines. the vaccines continue to work remarkably well especially and dramatically lowering the risk of hospitalization and death from covid-19. the vaccines are our armor.

they are our life jackets. they are parachutes. d.p.h. launched a vax to you campaign last week that will bring a mobile vaccination team to your home or business if you have at least five people ready to get the vaccine. we ask businesses to please take advantage of that and you can go to sf.gov/vaxtoyou for more information. you can continue to get the vaccine from your health care provider or at a farmee or many of our drop-in sites across the city. we are also ready and in hand to have the new tools to

implement the new vax even requirements. while today's announcement applies to these specific kinds of business, we also encourage all businesses in the city to do their part and require their employees and patrons to get vaccinated as soon as possible. for anyone who is on the fence about getting vaccinated or hasn't made the time, we very much hope that the incentive of eating at your favorite restaurant in san francisco or grabbing a drink will remove any barriers that you may have for getting vaccinated. the vaccine is safe, effective, and appointments are readily available. and, just a reminder, that even if you've already had covid-19, we in the city strongly recommend that you get fully vaccinated. thank you, and, with that, i'd like to introduce ben blyman, head of the san francisco's bar owner's alliance and an early leader in requiring

vaccinations at bars and encouraging others to join. ben, thank you. >> thank you. first of all, i'd like to say happy birthday to mayor breed. happy birthday. second of all, i just want to thank mayor breed for her leadership throughout the pandemic. for many of us, it's the worst year and a half of our professional lives and i can't say how grateful we are to have somebody in the highest leadership of san francisco who actually cares about us and doesn't just help us when it's politically expedient to do so. time and time again the mayor's shown she truly cares about our issues and is willing to go to the mat for us. thank you for that. i just wanted to call that out. about three to four weeks ago, the san francisco bar owners started to notice alarming cases of break through infections with staff members of ours. these are vaccinated individuals working in bars who

suddenly were coming down with covid, thankfully, none of the cases were serious. there were no hospitalizations but it was enough to give us pause and have a robust conversation. in that conversation, three things came up that i noticed and it was a very robust conversation. one was how scared we were for the health of our staff members. specifically, we have a lot of staff members who have young children. we have a lot of staff members who take care of elderly parents and the idea they could bring something home and put them in danger was scary for us and real. we have a sacred obligation to our staff members. we know that. we feel that way, and that was really first and foremost in our minds. the second was the impact it was having on our businesses. if somebody comes down with covid, even if they don't go to the hospital, they're out for at least ten days and we're having a staffing shortage already across the u.s., so this has a serious impact on our ability to do business.

i myself had to close a bar for a night because my bartender got covid at a different job of his and we were unable to find coverage. and the third thing that came up was the frustration that we felt as a community. for the first year of the pandemic, we were fighting an uncontrollable virus. it could be sort of managed, but it was kind of out of control and we kind of had the sense of fatalism. but that was no longer the case. and the bar owners were veryis a sievous and it was something that came up and we floated the idea what if we just don't let them inside. after a poll we did, over 80% of our membership responded that they would like to go through with that and they declared we would only allow vaccinated individuals to hang

out indoors at our establishments. in actual practice, it was a little bit of a nothing burger. if anything, almost every single person was happy about t. they were thrilled. they were thankful. they were safer. the pushback we got was online from a bunch of remarkably right wing trolls whose trolling was so bad hopefully i could teach them about how to troll correctly. that said, we've gone through with it. it works. it's helping to decrease exposure to our staff members. we know that unvaccinated individuals are eight times more likely to contract and spread coronavirus and we need to make sure that we keep them from exposing our staff and their families as much as we can. even though there wasn't much pushback, we still kind of felt like we were on an island as a group. we didn't do it thinking other

people would follow. we didn't do it to change hearts and minds. if hearts and minds do change, that's fantastic. but we did to to protect our staff and families. but the fact that san francisco is doing this now is a huge thing for us. we're not alone anymore. the city is making a bold statement if you want to participate in our society fully, if you want to be able to cough into the mouths of other people around you in closed tight areas, you must be vaccinated indoors. the fact that we're not alone is a huge benefit to us and i thank the city of san francisco for going through with this. it's a giant deal for us so thank you very much, thanks for having us. >> thank you, ben. and, thank you to all the bar owners in san francisco. thank you to the vasuvio and janet in particular for your leadership and work and advocacy. as i said, the bars did this a couple weeks ago and the city is following their lead which i

think is truly remarkable. the example that they're setting what we're doing to keep people safe is most important at this time. and, with that, i'll open it up to questions from the press.