i'm going to get started. thanks for your patience this morning. i want to start off by welcoming you to the yerba buena neighborhood and to -- yeah. [ applause ] we're actually standing in the east garden of the yerba buena

gardens. so welcome to this area. my name is cathy maupin and i'm the executive direct or of the yerba buena. i also am the chair of the yerba garden conservative that oversees this park. we are honored to have mayor london breed celebrating the launch of the welcome ambassadors program here in yerba buena. yerba buena is a community or a neighborhood i should say, it really is a neighborhood of where culture, conventions and community come together. we are home to world class museums like the one right behind me. we are home to the mosconey center and to the public garden mixed in with live, work, loft, condos, and senior housing. every day, visitors, residents and commuters converge here in yerba buena and we thought this was the perfect backdrop to launch the san francisco welcome ambassadors program. for my colleagues from the downtown community benefit districts, or benefit districts i should say. and i'm speaking specifically of the east cut, downtown, fisherman's wharf and we welcome these ambassadors with open arms. they will be an extension. [ applause ]

they are an extension of the work that our districts are already doing. with our ambassadors, with our clean and safe team, and it's incredibly important as we emerge from the pandemic. we want to thank mayor breed and her team for their leadership and focusing on the recovery of downtown san francisco. without further adieu, it's my honor and privilege to introduce mayor london breed. [ applause ] >> thank you, cathy, and it's really great to be here today to celebrate a program that's really been in the making for some time now. san francisco is coming alive now. i know today is a cloudy day. a little drizzle here and there. the weather that most of us san franciscans are used to. every now and then, that sun is shining and san francisco is shining bright because what we're seeing as it relates to those who've been vaccinated,

84% of san franciscos fully vaccinated. and, next week, children will be eligible under the age of 12 between 5 and 12, and we are doing everything we can to make sure that that continues. 98% of our city's workforce is vaccinated. incredible. [ applause ] so as we try to keep one another safe like we've done from the very beginning of this pandemic, we also want to keep our economy going. we want to open our businesses. we want to make sure that residents can enjoy san francisco. we want visitors to enjoy san francisco. we want conventions to come back to san francisco. we want this city to thrive and when businesses are open and people are coming back downtown to work, events are happening our yerba buena center for the arts, that is really part of our economic engine.

it's how we generate revenue, but more importantly, bringing people together is something that i love to see happen in our city. now, part of what we've been experiencing as well is what i feel the wrong messaging about what our city is. we're the people who as san franciscans know how to communicate what's happening here. we still have challenges with homelessness. we still sadly have challenges with homelessness and crime. what we have to do is make some adjustments to ensure people who are here get the help and support that they need, but making sure those living here and working here also feel safe. we can do both and that's why this new program having

ambassadors who welcome people to san francisco, who make people feel like we want them here, who make people who live here feel safe. it's why that is so important. a couple of years ago, we launched an initial program. we know that a number of the b.i.d.s, business improvement districts around this area, they have people who are out here doing the hard work and welcoming people and helping to keep the neighborhood clean and safe and we launched a program bringing some of the retired police officers including your old captain, captainen garrity who understand and know these communities and have relationships with our police officers to try and deter a lot of the activity we know should

not occur. we're taking it up a notch. who under the mask will keep a smile on their faces. who will be really the faces of san francisco. so when people are getting off at bart, when people are on the buses, when people are walking to their hotels to the convention center. when people are moving about san francisco. they know these bright orange jackets mean that they can get help. which direction. what do i need to do. how can i get to where i need to go. what do you recommend for the best restaurant in this neighborhood? what's happening in san francisco? that's what they're here to do. provide that level of support and when they see activity that might be questionable or challenging to call the right people to help to deal with it we know that it's been a challenging almost two years of

dealing with the global pandemic; but now that we've gone through it and we've protected one another through this process, it's time to take it up a notch. it's time for us to open the city. it's time to make sure our people feel safe and welcomed here. it's time to clean up these streets. it's time to do the work and it's time to ensure that people feel safe. as we re-open san francisco, placing strategically our community ambassadors. our police officers. our union street folks working as ambassadors as well, it's time for us to work hand in hand in san francisco to really make sure that we bring our city back to life and we make people feel good about being apart of this city. we make sure that they walk away and say i had a great time in san francisco.

i felt safe in san francisco. i recommend you visit san francisco because they have this incredible exhibit at the museum, the dejeoung. this is our city and now it's our time to take care of it to do everything we can in our respective positions to improve upon it. to make sure we're putting our all to it. not just for our economic future, but for the prosperity of each and every one of us. i want to thank so many people who are joining us today including rodney fong and helping bring businesses together. kevin carol from the hotel council, thank you so much and i want to see those hotels packed with people who are coming to the city. i'm fighting to get all these conventions and other activities and things here, but we know there's so much more

work to do. i want to thank our deputy chief and david lizard. so many people working collaboratively together in order to ensure that this city is open for business, it's thriving and we're taking good care of one another like we did throughout this pandemic. thank you all for coming out here today. [ applause ] i always forget my job. and i also want to introduce this supervisor that we have been working hand in hand dealing with so many of the challenges that this community faces, but also we take a moment to. yerba buena as a whole. and we want to keep it that way and the supervisor who

represents this community. supervisor matt haney. >> supervisor haney: thank you mayor breed and for your entire team. one thing we all know about mayor breed is that she loves the city of san francisco and she also loves to show off the city of san francisco. and this community in particular, this part of san francisco has so much to show off to visitors and to the world. we have some of the most important and dynamic arts institutions in the world right here within a block of where we're standing. we have beauty and open space. we have cultural institutions and arts institutions and night life. this is in so many ways, apart of san francisco that we want to show off and when we show it off, we know there are tremendous benefits to our entire city. this area accounts for billions

of dollars in revenue that's being brought to our city and spending that comes here. tens of thousands of jobs, folks who work in our hotels, folks who work in all of the surrounding businesses that rely on the people who live and work here. so when we are opening up and welcoming people and when we are making it safer and cleaner and more welcoming overall, it's something that all of us benefit from. i represent this area here, this is a dense residential neighborhood and this isn't only going to be about a better place for visitors. this is only going to be about a safer place, a cleaner place for the people who live here. i want to thank everybody who has come together for this initiative. mayor breed and the investment and the innovation in the approach we've taken here. yes, we know that police have a very important role in walking the beat and i want to thank our officers who are here and

the leadership. sometimes it's as simple l as just having a friendly face who makes you feel a little bit safer and the folks behind us are going to play such a key role in making sure our city comes back even stronger. i had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the folks behind me. moana and devonte and they told me that not only are they enjoying a lot of people, but they're getting to experience a lot of these great sites themselves. they're walking around and seeing the table turn around. they're going to stand and be apart of our museums. this is something that i think is a tremendous pride for our city to have people who can welcome and represent the best of san francisco and everyone here behind me, thank you. thank you to all of the folks from our cbds who do this as

ambassadors all over the downtown area. this has been under mayor breed's leadership, a very challenging time. it's been a team effort with all of you here to get us through this and it will be a team effort to make sure we come back even stronger. with that, i want to introduce the next speaker who is from one of our most important downtown businesses and we know that by making this area more welcoming for visitors, we also hope that we can see many of our office workers and city employees as well. thank you, michelle. [ applause ] >> hi there. thank you so much mayor breed and the city of san francisco. again, my name is my stel schneider for our amazing real

estate team. some of you may know sales force started in san francisco. today, we're so proud to be san francisco's largest employer through these incredibly challenging times by giving more than $3 million to support local small businesses. this year, we also reach an exciting milestone contributing more than $100 million. as i come in each week. it's great to see the city starting to recover. we see people out and about. our employees are coming in. we're so excited to welcome employees whack to our offices. we've already opened more than

60 offices globally it's really about bringing our company culture to life. but soon we'll open it up for the public and nonprofits to come back. we remain committed to supporting the san francisco community that's been our home for the past 22 years. we're so grateful to the city and the mayor for their support and leadership. so thank you so much for having me today. now i'd like to introduce the executive director of moad.

>> yerba. arts and culture are part of the essence of our city. our from moad to the children's creative museum, these are just a few of the museums in the neighborhood. there is something in san francisco for everyone, but our museums and cultural institutions can only flourish and continue if we have visitors coming to them. that's why we are thrilled to have the welcome ambassadors

helping visitors find their way around the city. there's another reason i'm excited for these hospitality investors. also an investment in our visitors and residents. it's proof that san francisco values you and wants you to feel safe and cared for so you can enjoy your time in the city. i want to thank you again to our madam mayor, to all all of of a great partners today and to all the supporting the san francisco and head of the government affairs of the

california academy and science. >> all right. good morning everyone. good morning, mayor. the biggest question on my mind when i woke up today was, man, i hope this suit still fits me. i haven't warn this in two years. today is a great day for the tourism and hospitality industry for our city on our road to recovery. mayor london breed has been our champion and she has answered our calls for hospitality ambassadors to help our visitors feel welcome, safe, and taken care of when they come to san francisco. our hotels, restaurants, retail, sports venues, theaters, museums and all attractions are open. our gate is open. this past weekend, if you felt in the city, it was vibrant and check with outside lands and also halloween events on top of

this, we are so excited we cannot wait to welcome back our international visitors come november 8th now, our hospitality ambassadors she's probably the best ambassador that the city could have representing us wherever she goes. i think as someone said here before is that when you walk around the city it's that you are welcome and safe and it's a great place to be. so i would like to invite the mayor to come up here. i want to introduce someone. it's my privilege. mario is one of our amazing

welcomed ambassadors. he is a native san franciscan. and you were born at st. luke's in the mission. i just happened to know that. since he was in high school working at places like our homegrown boudine and our iconic cliff house and as a former waiter myself, i identify with you so, with that, i'd like to introduce mario to say a few words and welcome in the mayor. >> good morning everybody and good morning mayor breed. my name is james jeffery. i am a san francisco welcome ambassador and i am here today with the rest of the welcome ambassadors to present mayor

breed with her very own welcome ambassador san francisco [inaudible] >> thank you. >> i'm going to say james. what's so great about having someone like james as an ambassador is he knows san francisco. and there's nothing like someone coming to san francisco for the first time and running into somebody like james and

saying, james, nice to meet you where do i go to get on the cable car and see the best view? and i bet james could tell him exactly what anyway. the point is, these ambassadors are exactly what this city needs. we need people like james and some of the folks who are here that are out on the streets that enjoy this work and what they're doing and that want to help people because that's going to make all the difference in everyone's experience and part of that is it's not just our officers and our ambassadors, it's also all of us and how we greet people and how we make them feel welcome and how we stop to say if they ask for directions, you know.

actually, now, everybody has a smartphone, so people don't even stop and ask for directions anymore, do they. the point is this is going to be great for our city. i'm so happy we're launching it. we want it to be successful. we're hopeful and we're going to keep shining san francisco is a great city and so thank you all for being here. >> thank you, mayor breed and thank you everyone for coming. have a great day. [ applause ] .

>> neighborhood in san francisco are also diverse and fascist as the people that inhabitable them we're in north beach about supervisor peskin will give us a tour and introduce is to what think of i i his favorite district 5 e 3 is in the northwest surrounded by the san francisco bay the district is the boosting chinatown oar embarcadero financial district fisherman's wharf exhibit no. north beach telegraph hill and part of union square. >> all of san francisco

districts are remarkable i'm honored and delighted to represent really whereas with an the most intact district got chinatown, north beach fisherman's wharf russian hill and knob hill and the northwest waterfront some of the most wealthier and inning e impoverished people in san francisco obgyn siding it is ethically exists a bunch of tight-knit neighborhoods people know he each other by name a wonderful placed physically and socially to be all of the neighborhoods north beach and chinatown the i try to be out in the community as much as and i think, being a the cafe eating at the neighborhood lunch place people come up and talk to you, you never have time alone but really it is fun

hi, i'm one the owners and is ceo of cafe trespassing in north beach many people refer to cafe trees as a the living room of north beach most of the clients are local and living up the hill come and meet with each other just the way the united states been since 1956 opposed by the grandfather a big people person people had people coming since the day we opened. >> it is of is first place on the west that that exposito 6 years ago but anyone was doing that starbuck's exists and it created a really welcoming pot. it is truly a legacy business but more importantly it really at the take care of their community my father from it was formally

italy a fisherman and that town very rich in culture and music was a big part of it guitars and sank and combart in the evening that tradition they brought this to the cafe so many characters around here everything has incredible stories by famous folks last week the cafe that paul carr tennessee take care from the jefferson starship hung out the cafe are the famous poet lawrence william getty and jack herb man go hung out. >> they work worked at a play with the god fathers and photos he had his typewriter i wish i were here back there it there's a lot of moving parts the meeting spot rich in culture and artists and musicians epic people would talk with you

and you'd getetetetetetetetetett a city like no other, san francisco has been a beacon of hope, and an ally towards lgbtq equal rights. [♪♪]

>> known as the gay capital of america, san francisco has been at the forefront fighting gay civil rights for decades becoming a bedrock for the historical firsts. the first city with the first openly gay bar. the first pride parade. the first city to legalize gay marriage. the first place of the iconic gay pride flag. established to help cancel policy, programses, and initiatives to support trans and lgbtq communities in san francisco. >> we've created an opportunity to have a seat at the table.

where trans can be part of city government and create more civic engagement through our trans advisory committee which advises our office and the mayor's office. we've also worked to really address where there's gaps across services to see where we can address things like housing and homelessness, low income, access to small businesses and employment and education. so we really worked across the board as well as meeting overall policies. >> among the priorities, the office of transgender initiatives also works locally to track lgbtq across the country. >> especially our young trans kids and students. so we do a lot of work to make sure we're addressing and naming those anti-trans policies and doing what we can to combat them. >> trans communities often have

not been included at the policy levels at really any level whether that's local government, state government. we've always had to fend for ourselves and figure out how to care for our own communities. so an office like this can really show and become a model for the country on how to really help make sure that our entire community is served by the city and that we all get opportunities to participate because, in the end, our entire community is stronger. >> the pandemic underscored many of the inequities they experienced on a daily basis. nonetheless, this health crisis also highlighted the strength in the lgbtq and trans community. >> several of our team members were deployed as part of the work at the covid command center and they did incredit able work there both in terms

of navigation and shelter-in-place hotels to other team members who led equity and lgbtq inclusion work to make sure we had pop-up testing and information sites across the city as well as making sure that data collection was happening. we had statewide legislation that required that we collected information on sexual orientation and our team worked so closely with d.p.h. to make sure those questions were included at testing site but also throughout the whole network of care. part of the work i've had a privilege to be apart of was to work with o.t.i. and a community organization to work together to create a coalition that met monthly to make sure we worked together and coordinated as much as we could to lgbtq communities in the city. >> partnering with community organizations is key to the success of this office ensuring lgbtq and gender nonconforming people have access to a wide

range of services and places to go where they will be respected. o.t.i.'s trans advisory committee is committed to being that voice. >> the transgender advisory counsel is a group of amazing community leaders here in san francisco. i think we all come from all walks of life, very diverse, different backgrounds, different expertises, and i think it's just an amazing group of people that have a vision to make san francisco a true liberated city for transgender folks. >> being apart of the grou allows us to provide more information on the ground. we're allowed to get.

and prior to the pandemic, there's always been an issue around language barriers and education access and workforce development. now, of course, the city has been more invested in to make sure our community is thriving and making sure we are mobilizing. >> all of the supervisors along with mayor london breed know that there's still a lot to be done and like i said before, i'm just so happy to live in a city where they see trans folks and recognize us of human beings and know that we deserve to live with dignity and respect just like everybody else. >> being part of the trans initiative has been just a great privilege for me and i feel so lucky to have been able to serve for it for so far over three years. it's the only office of its kind and i think it's a big opportunity for us to show the country or the world about things we can do when we really

put a focus on transgender issues and transgender communities. and when you put transgender people in leadership positions. >> thank you, claire. and i just want to say to claire farly who is the leader of the office of transgender initiatives, she has really taken that role to a whole other level and is currently a grand marshal for this year's s.f. prize. so congratulations, claire. >> my dream is to really look at where we want san francisco to be in the future. how can we have a place where we have transliberation, quality, and inclusion, and equity across san francisco? and so when i look five years from now, ten years from now, i want us to make sure that we're continuing to lead the country in being the best that we can be. not only are we working to make sure we have jobs and equal opportunity and pathways to education, employment, and advancement, but we're making

sure we're taking care of our most impacted communities, our trans communities of color, trans women of color, and black trans women. and we're making sure we're addressing the barriers of the access to health care and mental health services and we're supporting our seniors who've done the work and really be able to age in place and have access to the services and resources they deserve. so there's so much more work to do, but we're really proud of the work that we've done so far. [♪♪]

>> the market is one of our vehicles for reaching out to public and showing them how to prepare delicious, simple food. people are amazed that the library does things like that. biblio bistro is a food education program. it brings such joy to people. it teaches them life skills

that they can apply anywhere, and it encourages them to take care of themselves. my name is leaf hillman, and i'm a librarian, and biblio bistro is my creation. i'm a former chef, and i have been incubating this idea for many years. we are challenged to come up with an idea that will move the library into the future. this inspired me to think, what can we do around cooking? what can i do around cooking? we were able to get a cart. the charlie cart is designed to bring cooking to students in elementary students that has enough gear on it to teach 30 students cooking. so when i saw that, i thought bingo, that's what we're missing. you can do cooking classes in

the library, but without a kitchen, it's difficult. to have everything contained on wheels, that's it. i do cooking demonstrations out at the market every third wednesday. i feature a seafood, vegetable, and i show people how to cook the vegetable. >> a lot of our residents live in s.r.o.s, single resident occupancies, and they don't have access to full kitchens. you know, a lot of them just have a hot plate, a microwave, and the thing that biblio bistro does really well is cook food accessible in season and make it available that day. >> we handout brochures with the featured recipe on the back. this recipe features mushrooms, and this brochure will bring

our public back to the library. >> libraries are about a good time. >> i hired a former chef. she's the tickle queen at the ramen shop in rockwood. we get all ages. we get adults and grandparents and babies, and, you know, school-age kids, and it's just been super terrific. >> i was a bit reluctant because i train teachers and adults. i don't train children. i don't work with children, and i find it very interesting and a bit scary, but working here really taught me a lot, you know, how easily you can influence by just showing them what we have, and it's not threatening, and it's tasty and fun. i make it really fun with kids

because i don't look like a teacher. >> in the mix, which is our team center, we have programs for our kids who are age 13 to 18, and those are very hands on. the kids often design the menu. all of our programs are very interactive. >> today, we made pasta and garlic bread and some sauce. usually, i don't like bell pepper in my sauce, but i used bell pepper in my sauce, and it complemented the sauce really well. i also grated the garlic on my bread. i never thought about that technique before, but i did it, and it was so delicious. >> we try to teach them

techniques where they can go home and tell their families, i made this thing today, and it was so delicious. >> they're kind of addicted to these foods, these processed foods, like many people are. i feel like we have to do what we can to educate people about that. the reality is we have to live in a world that has a lot of choices that aren't necessarily good for you all the time. >> this is interesting, but it's a reaction to how children are brought up. it is fast-food, and the apple is a fast-food, and so that sort of changes the way they think about convenience, how eating apple is convenient. >> one of the things that i love about my program out at the market is the surprise and delight on people's faces when they finally taste the vegetable. it's been transformative for some people. they had never eaten those

vegetables before, but now, they eat them on a regular basis. >> all they require is a hot plate and a saute pan, and they realize that they're able to cook really healthy, and it's also tasty. >> they also understand the importance of the connection that we're making. these are our small business owners that are growing our food and bringing it fresh to the market for them to consume, and then, i'm helping them consume it by teaching them how to cook. >> it connects people to the food that they're buying. >> the magic of the classes in the children's center and the team center is that the participants are cooking the food themselves, and once they do that, they understand their connection to the food, to the tools, and it empowers them. >> we're brokering new experiences for them, so that is very much what's happening in the biblio bistro program.

>> we are introducing kids many times to new vocabulary. names of seasonings, names of vegetables, names of what you call procedures. >> i had my little cooking experience. all i cooked back then was grilled cheese and scrambled eggs. now, i can actually cook curry and a few different thing zblz . >> and the parents are amazed that what we're showing them to cook is simple and inexpensive. i didn't know this was so easy to make. i've only bought it in the market. those comments have been amazing, and yeah, it's been really wonderful. >> we try to approach

everything here with a well, just try it. just try it once, and then, before you know it, it's gone. >> a lot of people aren't sure how to cook cauliflower or kale or fennel or whatever it is, and leah is really helpful at doing that. >> i think having someone actually teaching you here is a great experience. and it's the art of making a meal for your family members and hope that they like it. >> i think they should come and have some good food, good produce that is healthy and actually very delicious. >> cooking is one of my biggest passions, to be able to share, like, my passion with others, and skills, to h h h h h h h hh