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 it is open for public use as >> testing, testing. there we go. good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the newly renovated maxine hall. [cheers and applause]. i'm san francisco mayor london breed, and i am so glad to be

here. and it has been a long time coming. and it has been a trusted location that so many people in this neighborhood would come to time and time again. and there are various challenges with the vaccine, and issues around trust, there's no doubt that when we in this community need maxine hall, maxine hall is there for us. and this is a trusted place for people of this community. [applause] a friend of mine many years ago -- her mom was struggling. her mom was only in her late 50s. and she went from being a

vibrant person and she started losing weight and looking a lot different and looking unhealthy she was a woman almost 60 years old and never went into a hospital. never felt comfortable going into a hospital. and what's interesting is that her daughter was very, very much worried about what might happen to her mom. it was a very scary time for them. and eventually she convinced her to come to maxine hall. and the people here and how she was treated -- she was open to doing the kinds of tests with needles and blood and things of that nature because there were people here who others had worked with within the community that basically reassured her that she could trust them. and eventually they discovered some things about her health and were able to get her on the right medications to get her back into the way that she did things before. and i see her on a regular basis out and about in the community

as if nothing ever happened. she loves maxine hall. she loved coming here when she needs to get her flu shot, or other things. and we know that this location was temporarily moved to elio hutch community center. and i want to start by thanking james -- i'm not sure that he's here, but the eliose hutch community center, because we were concerned that during this project that broke ground in 2019 that this service wouldn't be available to the community, and we were able to open up a temporary location with a number of trailers and elio hutch community center. want to thank the staff because it was a big thing to work in a way that you have not worked before, and we really preeshed appreciatethat. [applause] this project -- $15 million. new elevator -- elevators are

expensive, by the way. i know -- when i was at the african-american culture comflex, that elevator cost us like $300,000, and that was years ago. elevators, accessibility, because a lot of people that get served here are elderly. and they need a different level of support. they can't walk up those stairs and they need this clinic. they need this location. and so accessible -- i know that sometimes food and fruit and other things are given out and counseling sections, having the privacy in a room to have those discussions. this place means so much to so many people. and i'm so glad that this was prioritized in the 2016 health and safety bond when i served as a member of the board of supervisors and there's no way that i wouldn't make sure that organizations like this that serve the community in such a way would not receive the support that they need.

so here with so many folks who are part of this community and here with i think carmen shu, the city administrator -- did she take off? oh, she's on the phone? [laughter] so carmen shu, she is the city administrator and the department of public works and carla short -- i don't think that she is here -- oh, you are? these masks are just throwing me off. so carla short, her department, the department of public works, they managed this project to get it done on time and under budget. almost. [laughter] you guys sure know how to spend some money, don't you? and i want to thank dr. colfax for being here as well from the department of public health and the work that you do to work with the folks here in order to ensure that there's health in this community and i want to say that it's been a very, very difficult time where the city had to shut down.

and we have relied so heavily on our public health folks, our nurses and our folks and our clinicians and our people out there on the field, because of the challenges that existed. and so i know that many of the people who were working at maxine hall, at elio hutch community center, they were the folks who answered all of the questions about covid and dealing with a lot of the concern and the fear from the community. and i want to thank you for continuing to be on the front lines, even when we didn't understand the impacts of covid and what it would do. and then when we provided the vaccine, that has been a destination. and i sent everybody to maxine hall. i said get your shot at maxine hall. everyone knows what this means -- i can trust this place and i can trust the people who are part of this place, and it has made a world of difference. and now we have this world-class facility that is

state-of-the-art and that should be exactly what it should be for the western edition community. and here to talk a little bit about the bond and what it means and all of the specifics who was supposed to be at the beginning of this -- this presentation, groundbreaking or whatever it ir carmen chu. [applause] >> thank you, mayor. you never want to be on the end of the mayor knowing that you're not punctual, right. but i wanted to just come and to welcome everybody and to say a big congratulations. i know that this facility in particular has a very special place in this mayor's heart. not only because of the community that it serves, but because this is her center, right. this is the place where she grew up, and where the people in the community were served. the a place where people trusts the services here and the people who are here to take care of the community and to make sure that

we continue to provide the public help that is necessary for all of our community members. so we do have a number of folks that we want to be recognizing today. and i have to apologize to the mayor, i was actually in the middle of a board meeting, hence, i could not kick off right away. but, again, i just wanted to say thank you. we have carla short here with the department of public works who has helped to deliver this, the department of public health, grant colfax who is here as well and can speak to this. and our district supervisor right now who is dean preston who has joined us here today as well. without further adieu i would like to invite supervisor preston to come up and to say a few words of greeting and comments. thank you. [applause] >> supervisor preston: thank you, carmen, and it is really wonderful to be here with you all, thanks to the mayor, dr. colfax, director short. and to carmen chu as well. let me just say that the -- what

the mayor has said is so true around not only the importance of this center to the community, but also looking back to how the funds come about, and i just want to remind everyone that when those bond measures come on to the balance, and it looks like a bunch of numbers, what we are celebrating today is when the voters of san francisco give us the green light to do big things to serve our community. and this is all made possible because of that vote in 2016. i want to really thank all of our health care heroes. the folks who work here. the folks who had to operate. everyone knew that it would be a challenge to operate in a temporary location. like, that's tough enough. and then try doing that in the middle of a global pandemic. everyone knew that this would be

a big project for d.p.w. to do. think about doing that project in the midst of a global pandemic. think about all of the work for everyone involved with the department of public health and everything that they -- all of the challenges that they have helped this city to overcome over the last year. i remember my late sister ran a behavioral health clinic in the east bay, in oakland. and i remember the incredible stress in the years before she passed when they were operating in a trailer, in a temporary location. how difficult it was -- not just for the patients and clients, but for all of the staff to come to work in cramped quarters and for people in the community to not even really know where to go to find them. and i remember when they moved back in with the pride and the excitement that i know that folks feel about this amazing

facility. and how much it meant to all of the folks who had worked so hard in these temporary locations to actually be in a permanent office to have the city invest in such a meaningful way financially in making sure that there is a home, not just now, but in the years to come, for decades and forever, for all of you to continue serving the community. and i want to especially thank dr. james who is recently retired for her incredible work [cheers and applause]. during the pandemic. there you are. and lucia, who i know that is around. [cheers and applause]. thank you for your partnership during the pandemic and thank you for all that you do and the team here. i can't imagine who is going to fill your shoes, dr. james, but i know that some folks will try

so we will look forward to continuing to partner with you and i want to introduce next the department of public works, director carla short, with thanks from my office for all of your incredible work since you have assumed the directorship of the department. welcome. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, supervisor preston. thank you, mayor breed. and administrator chu, and dr. colfax for your outstanding leadership. it is really an honor to be here with you today. i'm carla short, the interim director of san francisco public works. and our team -- project managed this and designed this and delivered this project. the very exciting to be here at the re-opening of maxine hall. as the mayor noted, the building was originally built in 1968, and it was our job to bring this building into the 21st century. so with a very expensive elevator as well as seismic

improvements and state-of-the-art facility, new patient rooms, larger exam rooms, we really hope that this facility will continue to provide for the community as it has done. i also really want to acknowledge what we just heard. you know, the staff worked throughout this pandemic. our team worked throughout this pandemic. they came every day to, you know, to carry out their essential duties to get the job done. so i do want to recognize a few folks on our team, led by ron alameda, who is the city architect. and joe chin and charles king of public works. [applause] and especially our colleague at the department of public health it is partnerships like this that we come together that we can really deliver something magical for community. so i too want to thank the voters who approved the public health and safety bond. when you support those bonds, you support these very important projects that really then goes on to support everyone in the community. so we are very grateful for

that. and i think -- we just want to recognize the important role that these types of centers -- as the mayor noted -- play when we have a global pandemic. who knew that was coming? but thank goodness that we had a facility like this to provide for folks a trusted facility. so public works is so proud to have been part of this project and the grand reopening today. and thank you all for your support. and with that i would like to introduce dr. grant colfax. [applause] >> well, good afternoon, everybody. thank you. it's so great to be here on this beautiful day. i want to thank mayor breed, supervisor preston, city administrator chu and dr. short, and the voters, for bringing this project to fruition. it has been a while. most of all i want to thank the dph team, the incredible dph team, who worked on this both

here at the clinic and across dph for your resiliency and strength and for getting this work done. this is so amazing. thank you so much. [applause] i also wanted to just say that i have connections with this clinic that goes back some ways i actually trained here as a resident. and i will say that it needed a bit of refurbishing, shall we say, at that point. and i remember talking about the elevators and was recalling getting stuck in an elevator here at one point and that was a while ago. and really excited to be here. and these renovations are really about ensuring that we provide a caring environment for people to get the care they need, to serve the whole patient. and serving the whole patient means providing an environment that is welcoming for people to get check-ups, for people to get primary care, and women's health care and medical testing and doing that all in one location. you know, in the medical jargon

we call this low-barrier access, but that's really just a way of saying that we're flexible, that people can drop in, that we support people and caring for themselves. and it really takes a team in many cases to ensure that people realize their full ability towards health and wellness. it is has been over a year and a half. we've had the pandemic fight and, again, it is amazing what this clinic have done and what the staff have done and most importantly i think what the community has done to ensure that their health and wellness is maintained as well as possible. i also want to call out james and thank him for his partnership, including elio hutch, especially with the implementation of covid testing and the vaccinations, that took some work and it took partnership. it wasn't always easy. and there were some difficult conversations. but we built those partnerships, and look where we are now. since the start of the panhandle, maxine hall has administered over 17,000 covid tests and almost 10,000

vaccines. [applause] yes, amazing, over 10,000 vaccines. and i just have to say it -- there are some kid over there and i wonder if they're vaccinated yet and they look like they're between 5 and 11, right, and if you are eligible for your booster, get your booster. i also really want to acknowledge westside community services and executive director marianne jones for their important ongoing work. [applause] right. we know how important behavioral health is and this clinic stayed open during construction and during the pandemic to provide those all-important substance treatments to the community. so we have done well here. part of this is work allows the western edition to have one of the highest rates of vaccination in the city, with 78% of people fully vaccinated. [applause] that's great work. and that is in partnership with the community leaders and people who received their cure here at maxine hall. and in that regard it is my

great honor to welcome roslyn fraser with a long-time member of maxine hall advisory committee and has lived in the western addition for a period of time i believe. over 30 plus years. so thank you so much for being here and i appreciate your wisdom and your guidance as we do our work and serve the community. welcome. [applause] >> welcome, mayor london breed, mr. grant colfax and supervisor dean preston and all of the representatives and the city leaders and also the patient advisors that are here today. thank you, everyone, for coming out to see our new renovated maxine hall clinic. you could have been anywhere else, but you chose to be here

with us on this special day to celebrate with us. i know -- i know that mrs. maxine hall is smiling down on us on this special day. she was a big advocate in the western edition and she would have been proud. my name is roslyn fraser and i have been coming to maxine hall health center for more than 13 years. and i have served on patient advisory committees for about five years. and it have been a pleasure to serve on different projects. such as the hypertension equity group. the city-wide pack. and the subcommittee for the covid vaccine outreach. i thank god for my health and strength for allowing me to serve on these different committees. now that the clinic is remodeled, what i like most about the clinic is that it is very up-to-date, and thank god

that we have an elevator. [laughter]. [applause] for the seniors and the disabled. and we have large exam rooms. something we have needed for years. i know all of our patients will really appreciate this. i want -- i personally want to thank the entire staff of maxine hall and the porters and for all of the hard work and dedication that y'all have done -- have shown during this pandemic. i know that it wasn't easy, but god gave y'all -- each and every one of y'all -- the strength. i know that it was stressful, but you did it. thank you for all that you do. god bless each and every one of you. and thank you. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you, roslyn, for your comments and for joining us today. of course i want to say again a big thank you to all of the city departments who helped to deliver this project. i have mentioned the department of public works, the health department, and also the mayor's office of disability with regard to that elevator. so we definitely want to make sure to remember them. but we have been throughout all of this project really it has been the community effort and how people came together to continue serving the community. again, i want to thank all of you for doing that. and james, i think that the mayor had mentioned our thanks to you to make sure that we continue to have temporary sites and services. of course, we want to thank mary ann and all of the folks here at maxine hall.

so without further adieu we are here to cut a beautiful ribbon. so mayor, come on up. and supervisor preston and roslyn, we would love to have you join us. >> thank you. (♪♪) >> i have been living in san francisco since 1957. i live in this area for 42

years. my name is shirley jackson, and i am a retirement teacher for san francisco unified school district, and i work with early childhood education and after school programs. i have light upstairs and down stairs. it's been remodelled and i like it. some of my floors upstairs was there from the time i built the place, so they were very horrible and dark. but we've got lighting. the room seems lighter. they painted the place, they cemented my back yard, so i won't be worried about landscaping too much. we have central heating, and i like the new countertops they put in. up to date -- oh, and we have

venetian blinds. we never had venetian blinds before, and it's just cozy for me. it meant a lot to me because i didn't drive, and i wanted to be in the area where i can do my shopping, go to work, take the kids to school. i like the way they introduced the move-in. i went to quite a bit of the meetings. they showed us blueprints of the materials that they were going to use in here, and they gave us the opportunity to choose where we would like to stay while they was renovating. it means a lot. it's just that i've been here so long. most people that enjoyed their life would love to always

retain that life and keep that lifestyle, so it was a peaceful neighborhood. the park was always peaceful, and -- i don't know. i just loved it. i wanted to be here, and i stayed. welcome everyone. beautiful botica park.

my name is sandan bertrain. it's our job to lead the evolution of the neighborhood into a vibrant community for all. we're here today to pick up some litter in the tenderloin, but we are going to do a lot more than that. we're going to be building connections and civic pride and neighborhood pride. so, first, i'm going to introduce a bunch of the partners that are here and explain how we're going to do that together. thank you to next door and -- yes, next door. and our friend katie kobe. when next door moved into the neighborhood, they reached out to try to figure out what can we do to get involved in our neighborhood. we also have next door

volunteers joining our safe passage kids to their after school programs. welcome to the neighborhood next door. we're really excited at the beginning of this partnership. and just like all these next door employees, people in san francisco are really eager to help. everywhere i go, people are looking for ways they can engage with the city. they don't often know how. and i think we're lucky at this moment coming out of this pandemic we have all these new groups. so, today, this event was organized by together sf which is a new organization helping to get people informed and engaged in their communities. . we have vince young who's helping us lend a hand and so, together, we can refuse refuge. and then, of course, we also

have shine on sf all of them figuring out how we can work together and i really want to say thank you to the mayor for bringing this together. the private resources. we have public works who's out there every day cleaning up we have all the private resources coming together. and this is i think the first of many events that are going to be about cleaning up this city and bringing those public and private resources together. today's obviously about cleaning. we're going to be picking up litterment i want to make two points. this is really about bringing that neighborhood pride. so bepaired you with a clean team member or a staff member who works in the safe pass program. these are people who were out on the sidewalks every day

helping to keep this neighborhood clean and safe for people who live here. just to call them out, we have clean team members. every day, they're walking these cell racks and they're picking up and you're going to see. you're going to see how much litter there is out there and then you're going to be very appreciative of the hard work that this team does every year. and then we have safe passage and pedestrian program. they are going to be leading teams and they're out there every day helping kids get to and from school every day. so in addition to these staff members that are going to be there to help you connect to the neighborhoods, their main job is also going to be to keep you safe and i'm going to give you a bit of a safety briefing. i think the reason we're doing this today is that we want you to be able to connect to this

neighborhood. we want next door who just moved in we really appreciate it. can't wait to introduce you to all the restaurants in the tenderloin. we have some of the best food here and i think you're going to be very excited that your office is in the tenderloin because you're going to have a chance to give a chance to connect to them, say high to them. gets kids as they're walking to the playground. anything that any san francisco can can walk out the door. our job is to make sure it's clean and safe to do that. one last call. urban showed up in force today. they're one of our community partners helping us to keep

these streets safe every day. we have a team 10 now. some of the blocks that we didn't want to put the volunteers in touch with and now i am excited to introduce the mayor of our great city. mayor london breed. thank you. >> thank you. as someone who grew up in the city not too far from the tenderloin, this community over the years unfortunately has always had a lot of challenges. and what we are trying to do as a city is to make sure that despite those challenges, it's important that people know and feel the love that we have for

the tenderloin. and part of that is what the department of public works does every single day. when they come into this neighborhood, clean up and power wash the sidewalks and maybe an hour later, it looks like no one was here. shine on sf is an initiative that was started more so because it is time to restore pride in this beautiful city. you hear people talk about it all over the world right now. sadly, sometimes negatively. and you also hear people talk about it and how oh, my goodness, san francisco is so beautiful. and what we are doing today is we're changing the narrative so that more people know that it's still beautiful in every part of the city and especially the tenderloin. this community needs so much love and support. we have so many children who live in this community and it breaks my hard when i have to see a parent walk out onto the

streets with a baby stroller because people are completely occupying the sidewalks, committing illegal acting and doing things that we don't want to see in the middle of the day anywhere in our city. it's not fair to the people who live here. it's not fair to the people who work here. so we are going to do everything we can to clean up this neighborhood and next door, i want to express my appreciation for not only being here to be apart of the community, but investing in san francisco as our economy begins to recover. we want people back at the offices. we want people enjoying the great restaurants. i go to la cocina once or twice a week because the food is not just amazing, but it's affordable as well. and it changes my mood and part of why we're here is to make sure we're going to change this, we're going to turn this

around, but it's going to require a lot of work and a lot of patience and that's why we are here today. so many people play an important role in not only keeping this neighborhood clean, but keeping it safe and i don't feel anywhere safer than when i come to the tenderloin and i see urban alkamie in full effect. the work that they do along with the police department here, it is amazing. we have our street outreach workers. we have a number of initiatives that are blanketing the tenderloin and i'm hopeful that eventually, we will see and feel a difference. so, today, they're going to feel us out there. phil ginsburg from rec and park, thanks for being here. and with together sf, we'll be consistent in our efforts to go out there and clean. i was asking to come out here and to speak and get you all excited. and i was like i need you guys

to carve out time in my schedule. so i'm going to go out there and clean out the hard areas with urban aklakmine because i'm a good cleaner and because it's important that we lead by example and part of what i'm committed to especially now that we re-opened. the city used to be a number of these clean team city initiatives all over san francisco. my hope is that you will continue to join us and i will be out there with you and we may even have some sort of contest so you can clean with me because i'm determined to clean up this city, get it done and all of you play an important part in making that happen. so we are so appreciative to have you all here today. let's get san francisco clean and the person who is also a fellow native san franciscan who cares so deeply about this community and this city. she spent some so much time with this department of public

works making sure we get every nook and cranny and ladies today in charge of the department of public works, join me in welcoming dejada. >> thank you so much. i appreciate that. thank you, mayor for the kind words. look at all of these volunteers. it's a long time coming and well deserved. thank you, next door. give yourself a big hand. so as deputy director of operations, it's tough to keep the city clean, do our job with the sweeping, but we can't do it alone. we need residents, schools, business owners, nonprofits, everybody hands down to help clean our city. we definitely need your support.

i'd like to educate you a little bit on public works. our community engagement program will work with residents throughout the city. we work with over 3,500 volunteers and with 200 events throughout the city just like this to clean up your neighborhood. it's important for everybody to have a buy-in your neighborhood. it's important for us to step out and it's important to have groups like this. this is what we do. like she said, i'm from up the street and i love this neighborhood. i came to this park and i was just saying how beautiful this park is. i remember playing in this park when it didn't look so beautiful. look at it now. it's because of the community and because of the people. we deserve it. it's well overdue. so working with groups like shine on sf, together sf and the tenderloin cbds and all the cbds throughout the city. let's acknowledge those people for standing out. i want to let you know that

public works is here to support anyone on any volunteer group. >> thank you. i'm happy to say, a rescue dog momma, avid gardener, and enthusiast as well as a proud san franciscan. katie. >> thank you, simon. hello, neighbors. how's it going. i'm katie. i'm so thrilled to be here. i love san francisco. i moved to this city to go to sf state and i loved it so much that i never left. and i'm really proud to be working at next door. i don't know why they picked me to be up here, but all of you,

your passion for the neighborhoods. i'm so grateful to all of our partners at the city with the department of public works. can i just say there's a community elm bass so thank you to urban alkamine for being so passionate about neighborhoods you're doing amazing work in the city and i think what's really cool about today is that this is probably one of the first times we're really seeing this multi-layer partnership between companies, between and people of the city who live here and work here. for all of you for showing up on this special day. to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can belong and kindness, exactly what

we're doing today showing it making our world giving back to others i'm so thrilled that our headquarters is just a few blocks away that we're going to be able to contribute to this neighborhood. so thanks so much for having us here. [ applause ] >> thank you, katie. and we have one mr. speaker. vince, who i mentioned before came out of nowhere in the sense of in like the last year has developed a whole organization dedicated to helping all of us figuring out how to lend a hand to clean the

streets. >> real quick show of hands. raise your hands if you've done a community clean-up before. still a lot haven't. so i apologize. once you see the trash is very hard to unsee and they dropped you in the tenderloin which is the major leagues of trash. you're going to see that tenderloin, all the cbds, they cannot do it alone. us residents need to step up and put in the work. there will be sacrifices and and now we've turned them into handy trash back holders so i

started this not knowing what and it blew up and so thank you for next door for making it happen, you know. so i want more neighbors to continue to join me and it's a cultural change. you know, we have to make public service, community service in the san francisco dna whether you're a native like mayor breed. you're expected to put in the work and show up for your communities. thank you guys for showing up today. have fun out there. [ applause ] >> thank you, vince. two more items. we're going to have two more discussions. i want to remind everyone that the number one priority when you're out there. please be aware of your surroundings. your team will be there to help you with any situation. specifically, if you're picking up trash in the gutter.

please stay on the sidewalk. also, really importantly, if you find anything that's either sharp, maybe it's a syringe maybe glass, maybe code brown, alert your team lead. and we'll follow to be able to deal with that. you're not prepared to pick up those things today. so alert your team lead if you see anything like that let's gather up some litter and take some photos. streets.

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> i wanted to wish you a best wishes and congratulations the community has shifted a lot of when i was growing up in the 60s and 50's a good portion of chicano-american chinese-american lived in north beach a nob hill community. >> as part the immigrant family is some of the recreation centers are making people have the ability to get together and meet 0 other people if communities in the 60s a 70s and 80s and 90s saw a move to the richmond the sunset district and more recently out to the excelsior the avenue community as well as

the ensuring u bayview so chinese family living all over the city and when he grape it was in this area. >> we're united. >> and growing up in the area that was a big part of the my leave you know playing basketball and mycy took band lessons and grew up. >> (speaking foreign language.) >> allergies welcome to the community fair it kicks off

three weeks of celebrations for the year and let's keep everybody safe and celebrate the biggest parade outside of china on february 11th go best wishes and congratulations and 3, 2, 1 happy enough is enough. >> i grew up volley ball education and in media professional contrary as an educator he work with all skids whether or not caucasian hispanic and i african-american cumber a lot of arrest binge kids my philosophy to work with all kids but being here and griping in the chinese community being a chinese-american is important going to american school during the day but went to chinese

school that is community is important working with all the kids and having them exposed to all culture it is important to me. >> it is a mask evening. >> i'd like to thank you a you all to celebrate an installation of the days here in the asian art museum. >> one time has become so many things in the past two centuries because of the different did i licks the immigration officer didn't understand it became no standard chinese marine or cantonese sproupgs it became so many different sounds this is convenient for the immigration officer this okay your family name so

this tells the generations of immigrants where they come from and also many stories behind it too. >> and what a better way to celebrate the enough is enough nuru with the light nothing is more important at an the hope the energy we. >> (speaking foreign language.) >> relative to the current administration it is, it is touching very worrisome for our immigrant frames you know and some of the stability in the country and i know how this new president is doing you know immigration as well as immigrants

(fireworks) later than you think new year the largest holiday no asia and china those of us when my grandparents came over in the 19 hundreds and celebrated in the united states chinese nuru is traditional with a lot of meaning. >> good afternoon my name is carmen chu assessor-recorder i want to wish everything a happy new year thank you for joining us i want to say. >> (speaking foreign language.)

>> (speaking foreign language.) >> i'm proud to be a native san franciscan i grew up in the chinatown, north beach community port commission important to come back and work with those that live in the community that i grew up in and that that very, very important to give back to continue to work with the community and hope e help those who may not be as capable in under serving come back and give