>> san francisco is coming back for real. the weather is all right. hi everybody. i'm san francisco mayor london breed and i'm glad to be here with all of you today at city hall. i know we come and we gather for so many different things, but today is an opportunity for us to recognize some unsung heroes in our city. and let me tell you it has been a very challenging 18 months when the decision to shelter in place was made and we had to

communicate to the public. we had a very challenging time. so many people said what are we going to do. there are people who need to be fed. there are people who don't have a roof over their heads. their folks who need support. we don't even know what this virus is. how are we going to get ppe? it was a very tough time and not only did san francisco do an incredible job, the people standing up here with me today. they rolled up their sleeves. they didn't shy away and they put themselves at risk in order to help other people. and so today, we are honoring

them you saw us as the faces of the challenges of the pandemic and people throughout the city, but a lot of folks don't realize when we first were dealing with this pandemic, we embedded an equity team in our response. and part of that was to make sure we got resources to places that traditionally would be left out had we not made those investments who were apart of the fabric of the community. they were already on the ground doing the work and when we needed additional help to provide additional resources. they didn't hesitate. they didn't hesitate and it was tough because there was so much uncertainty.

it was tough because in some cases, you know, outbreaks happened, uncertainty, concern about friends and families, but they still showed up every single day with the people that were apart of their teams that were dedicated to doing the work to take care of people and the reason why we're here today is because we need the entire city to know what they did. we need the entire city to recognize they took care of our kids in chinatown. they took at the forefront of reason and i could not have done it without them and so i

want to thank them for raising their hands to do testing and setting up makeshift testing sites. to i want to to get people in the community who had concerns about the vaccine. to go out and educate and support and answer questions all of these things that's why san francisco is so amazing and so special. because these people represent. they represent what is so amazing and so good about our city. yes. we have our challenges like any

other we have compassionate people who believe in service, who believe in the very best of other people and believe in making sure that everyone deserves an opportunity to get resources, to get support. to have a roof over their heads and whether this pandemic hit or not. they would still be out there doing that work. so today we honor them and they would call them up individually. i want to bring back dr. grant colfax. i was not very happy with the news that he was reporting to me because i know what it meant for me to go out there and have to tell members of the public who were going to be upset with me and the decisions we had to make. but we did it and what we saw in san francisco, one of the

lowest death rates in the country although we're one of the most dense cities in the country. what we saw or what we continue to see one of the highest vaccination rates. so say what you want about san francisco. we're trying to be safe. we're trying to be healthy and we're trying to live and we're trying to thrive in this city and public health is at the forefront of this city and the person who helps make those decisions is dr. grant colfax. [ applause ] >> well, thank you, mayor breed and a heart felt thank you to our 9 leaders here today and

then the testing questions that came and then the vaccine questions and i want to thank you for everything that you've done. because of your work and equity based approach, we have kept hospitalizations and deaths low. we have re-opened the city. schools are back in session and we resume so many of these activities that make us feel whole again and it really is because of you. the results show for instance with vaccines, our vaccination rates. our vaccinations among people of color are highest in the nation and lead our vaccination rates in the city. and it's no accident. it's because of your work that vaccines and testing are

readily available. we have 100 vaccine sites. and san franciscans are within a 10 minute walk of a site and that's why we managed to get 80% of our eligible population. and i was just talking to several of you before the event, needles are going to kids' arms. they're getting the shot and we're doing over a 1,000 a day great progress. now, that is one thing, but i think one of the key things in our responses is they're only one thing. they are so important. they're key to getting out of this pandemic, but there's so many other key issues that are of importance for us to address. the wide ranging emotional and social well being of ourselves, our family and our community. you all saw this early on. we had conversations.

you led the department in our response from providing diapers, food, masks, digital support. families struggling with remote learning. this is about the whole city, the many city departments and the community coming together to help with education and helping people understand and abide by our health orders. helping seniors get to medical appointments and reaching our most vulnerable who are unhouseded. we have so much to be proud of and the challenges ahead. i am confident we will meet them together. thank you for your dedication and partnership with the city. let's keep it going and let's get our boosters. all right. so we are now going to recognize our vaccine heroes and i will read the name of the

recipient and the mayor will present. correct? okay. bay point advocates. bayview. we're doing a photograph with each one and then a group. correct? >> i didn't even know i was supposed to speak. i'm honored to receive this award. representing the folks in bayview hunter's point. through the pandemic, it has been such a life lesson learning and just an experience

because i experience and got covid myself. so that was just, you know, an eye opener for me just one of those things. i'm in the community. when it came down to me, i'm like, now, what do i do. that life experience and hesitancy, i know what folks and residents are experiencingment you lose someone in the community. thank you to everyone getting the vaccine. if you're not doing them if you're not thinking about getting the vaccine, find different approaches, wholistic approaches and thank you all for this awesome experience and award. [ applause ]

>> so our next honoree is father moses agud of the parishes. father organized the safe spaces and set up vaccine clinics and helped conduct online masses during shelter-in-place to help people stay connected. thank you. >> actually, i haven't prepared anything. when i used to prepare things i'd talk for two or three hours. so i just want to say thank you to the mayor and the people they are working with. i think it's important for us for the city of san francisco as much as possible receive these and collaborate and be responsible. and i think if we can work

together the benefit for the people. [ applause ] >> our next honoree is annie chung from self-help for the elderly. during a time where our seniors were struggling to get access. annie and her team stepped up to help and to get them vaccinated. annie, thank you so much for your work. [ applause ] >> thank you, mayor. and thank you dr. colfax. i accept this on behalf of our community. l all american medical group to do all the vaccination for our home bound seniors and the seniors that couldn't come out and get vaccinated. so thank you, mayor, for all the resources that you give us

as well as all the help that department of public health gave us. thank you very much. >> next up is earnest jones for the southwest community corporation. >> happy birthday! >> it's your birthday too? well, happy birthday. earnest led in areas where we needed to set up testing and vaccine clinics for people who could not make it all the way down to mosconi and other sites. thank you for being an unsung hero. [ applause ] >> just to be really brief and quick, i want to give a shout-out and thank you to the covid command center and the leadership of our city.

aaron geoffrey at the time did an amazing job at the time. beyond that, it was a supportive effort. this is for all of lakeview. the community came together and worked together to make sure everyone was safe and that was because of the love that everybody has for their community. thank you for your leadership and thank you for the work. [ applause ] >> next up is berta hernandez with dph, department of public health. berta was with a local nonprofit that helped our latino families get access to what they needed. berta, thank you for being there and everywhere and thank you for being an unsung hero. [ applause ] >> thank you everybody.

i am very proud of my community. the community i belong to was more hard hit in the beginning of the pandemic. we lost people, many were sick. many lose their jobs and even had the resources to be quarantined. so it's at the same time, i'm so proud of the community because everybody was able to come together and to look for each other and not let anyone behind, so we were able to survive. i'm so thankful to my newco workers at d.p.s. and i'm so proud of them. thank you. [ applause ] >> all right. our next honoree is felicia

thibedeau. she has helped get more than a 1,000 people vaccinated by referring them to vaccine clinics. thank you for being an unsung hero. [ applause ] >> thank you to mayor breed, dr. colfax, the dph staff and to the wellness hub. the we rock. that would be i.c.y., win, mary harris omicpp our kids first and african american early childhood educators. together, we partner with our resources. they work hard, they bust, they

rock. thank you everyone. [ applause ] . >> next up is isabella ventura with ryan martin health services. isabella's been on the front lines as a primary care provider and helps support our lgbtqi communities and especially our transgender residents to help get access to covid resources. thank you for your work. [ applause ] >> on behalf of my team, i'd like to thank dr. colfax and mayor breed for your amazing work. thank you for your dedication and your dedication to provide health -- quality health services to our marginalized and underserved population here in san francisco. and thank you dph for this

recognition. thank you. [ applause ] >> our next honoree is monica worked on street outreach medical teams to help people experiencing homelessness. monica, thank you for your work. >> so i'm so grateful to the city of san francisco and especially to you, mayor breed because you guys believed in science, you put that first and put everybody's well being in priority and i'm so grateful for that because we were able to go to the streets and help the misunderstood populations and we were able to take this head-on. so thank you so much and thank you for this award.

[ applause ] >> and our final honoree today is gwendelyn westbrook. i think as so many people know here to address food induring the pandemic. emblem attic of our wholistic approach. congratulations and thank you. >> everybody knows how much i love them especially people at united council. i want to thank everybody who helped me, even the ones i had to chase down to make you get your shots. it's all good.

the mayor, she knows how much i love her. we've got a girls group and we're all so proud of you. this has been a very difficult task, but without the team that we built that united council which includes maestro curtis and the c-notes. helping us get the word out. making sure people in the community knew we were out there to give food. he did all that. him and his wife and dhirn supported united council and i have so much love for all of them. my staff, you guys are the most remarkable people in san francisco. you never took a day off. you worked your tails off, we stepped up and we worked as a team. we know the team work makes the dream work and that's what we did in bayview hunter's point. that not having any cases of

covid at united council with as many people we serve is because of you. it's because you guys were diligent to the cause. we knew what we had to do and i'll be darned if we didn't get it done. i am so proud of all of you. this award is for us, for all of us, not just me because like i have always told you, i couldn't do it alone. so i'm up here accept. thank you, mayor.

>> well, gwenyth and maestro and the c-notes. i'm sure you caught them on america's got talent. the world i had to tell shamman, not the bayview. we even served the whole city, but they were born and raised in the fillmore. they're doing great things we have all these incredible people. just saying thank you. we are here to appreciate them and recognize them. we're grateful for their service and i'll tell you, whether there was a pandemic or not, whether there was an award or not, these are the people still on the ground doing the hard work every day and so we appreciate them so much and grateful that they came out and we're here to celebrate and uplift you and thank you all so

much. it's a true blessing to the people of san francisco. [ applause ]

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 ]

thank you. would you kindly read the admonition, please. >> clerk: due to the covid-19 public health emergency and given the public health recommendations issued by the san francisco department of public health mayor breed has lifted restrictions on public teleconference. today, we're participating via teleconference. this will ensure the safety for the board, for the staff, and members of the public. this technology allows us to hold these meetings via teleconference, it may not employ as seamless as we'd like it to be. a reminder to board members and staff to mute themselves while not providing comment to minimize background noise.