>> they were early. i'm on time. well, it's great to be here and portrayal hills somewhat dog patch at the bottom of the hill, one of the iconic night life venues in san francisco celebrating 30 years in business. this is absolutely extraordinary for night life venue. when i think about all the places i went to growing up. the one-up, the glass cat and all these other venues, they're

not even open anymore. so growing up in san francisco, live music, entertainment, events happening in the day and events happening in places like bottom of the hill were just apart of our culture. it's where so many people got their start. and when you think about it, can you imagine back in the day, if you had an opportunity to come to bottom of the hill and actually see santana perform. those kinds of iconic artists performed or got their start in places like this. and when i think about the fact that that pandemic, we have had to all sacrifice and we've had to sacrifice because we've not been able to not only be around 1 another, but we weren't able to enjoy live music. from performing artists, those who dj, those who entertain, play musical instruments, those who sing, it was very hard. can you imagine it being hard

on us not being able to see it, but being hard on the artists who weren't getting paid. hard on the venues who weren't making money and had to lay off staff. it was a tough almost two years we've experienced this pandemic and although we're in a much better place, we still know that many of these venues continue to have challenges. so in san francisco, what we've been able to do which i'm very proud of is our entertainment fund which i work with supervisor haney to establish, we actually invested over $3 million to help night life businesses and i want to thank a lot of folks here from the entertainment industry to make sure we carve out resources specifically for night life entertainment businesses in san francisco. our jams permits, providing opportunities for restaurants in places that normally don't have live entertainment to have live entertainment for their customers especially with all

the new park lites and open space and the outdoor dining. san franciscans know how to adapt. it was challenging, but we adapted, we opened up a lot of great open spaces and provided opportunities for artists. in addition to that waiving over $15 million in fees for light bottom of the hill and other places. and we know there are a lot of state and federal programs and our office of economic workforce development. they have been working hard to make sure everyone who qualifies for any of those resources helping them through the application process to make sure no money is left on the table. because what we don't want is to see more businesses close in san francisco. before this pandemic, it was already challenging and since this pandemic we know it has been extremely brutal. and that's why having resources and programs and things like what we're announcing today are so important. and everyone is probably

wondering, why is the city attorney at a press conference? well, the city attorney just became our city attorney and normally, you probably won't see it at a press conference. but former city attorney david chiu and many of those things were finally starting to feel in some cases the fruits of his labor. a $2.5 million investment from the state thanks to our city attorney former assembly member david chiu that will invest in entertainment venues and parks and plazas and open spaces all over san francisco to support not just paying our artists, our local artists to perform, but also the production costs and all of the things that go

into setting up these venues to entertain you cost a lot of money. and we want to make sure we're supporting this industry and keeping night life and entertainment alive in san francisco. that we're all when you think about it, the city starts to re-open and all of a sudden, you hear music, there's something about that that makes you smile. all of a sudden, you see someone dancing in the streets. but, it's something about seeing people out in the public performing and entertaining the public. the shakespeares in the parks and all the things that we know make san francisco such a great place not just for the people who live here but also who visit here. i remember one of my first concerts as a kid, it was at the fill more and ice cube was

performing. i'll be honest, i snuck in. i didn't have money to buy a ticket and i was probably under age at the time because i was still in junior high. but the fact is, it was like nothing i've ever seen before. but having someone live on stage going to a concert and having a good time and listening to music and feeling good and everyone feeling good and everyone singing the words, there's just nothing like that feeling. it brings people together. it is apart of the fabric of what makes san francisco such a wonderful city it's about our health and well being because entertainment, music, fun, night life is the heart beat of why san francisco is so special. i'm grateful to be here today and at this time, i'd like to introduce city attorney david chiu who is really the champion of this program and the reason

why we're here today. >> thank you so much, madam mayor. thank you for your leadership. do we have any fans of live music here. thank you, madam mayor and reminding me while i am the city attorney, i'm here really as a former assembly member who has been a bit obsessed by live music. i've been asked by a couple folks this morning how i got involved in all this. it started for me when i was in junior high school. and i wrote my first paper on the festival known as wood stock. i am a musician in a past life and the violin is actually what got me through high school and college. it's what allowed me to make some pocket money in orchestras and weddings. and some of you may know that i carry that on here in san

francisco. if you google apparently david chiu and electric violin, i might have been known but let's fast forward. when i first moved to san francisco, i fell in love with the live music scene in our city. and it's not just about the music and the arts and the culture. but it's about what this scene means for our city when it comes to our economic vitality. when it comes to attracting tourists and the rest of the world that wants to come here and have a good time and enjoy the scene that we have. and the men and women behind me have been responsible for that scene represent literally thousands of folks would are part of what makes san francisco great. and we're here in part because the last couple of years, the pandemic and the recession have been catastrophic to this world, to this community.

and so a few years ago when a number of folks, when kc from the san francisco venue coalition, when some of our small business commissioners, i know when ben blyman and sharky laguana and others came. and representing the independent venue association. they came to us and said what more can the state do to assist this. that was when mayor came and said can you help us and figure out how to get some state support for this struggling industry that needs to continue and that is where this idea for sf live was born. what we're talking about is being able to support outdoor performances in and around these incredible live music venues to really remind folks of the magic of music and to ensure that we are keeping folks employed and bringing people back to these incredible establishments like the one

that we're in front of right now which rolling stone said is one of the very best live music venues in the united states. i'm just so delighted to have an opportunity to work with everyone here. i'm looking forward to coming to all these performances. i'll tell you this, my five-year-old son took his first tap dancing class on saturday. when he moves. as the mayor said, he won't be caught dancing on the streets. he likely will be found dancing in front of these venues when we get these performances going and because of that, i'm just so grateful to all the work by everyone here to make this happen. with that, i want to invite up someone who's going to make sure that it all happens. the woman who is now the new head of oewd building on the good work of our former ahead joaquin torres. take it away. >> well, it seems we all have a personal story about music and the arts, so i'll share mine.

i'm the daughter of two professional musicians. from day one until the day they passed four years ago. in classical music. and, for me, that's really informed so much of what i have done in my life and my professional life because i remember how much they struggled and as i carried that forward in my life and my previous incarnation which is about makers and artisans and helping them grow and sustain themselves here in the city to now in my role here at oewd a lot of what drives me is wanting to make sure that musicians and artists and performers and really the cultural trusts of our city have a way to make it for themselves, for their families and to earn a decent respectable life-sustaining living. so, from that, and you look at

what is the infrastructure you need to make that happen? so there are the musicians themselves are artists. there are these cherished venues. when i came here to san francisco 30 plus years ago, i actually was amazed at the new wave and the punk scene and that was what i was personally into and so some of the clubs i started at were more about electronica and this whole mash-up of what has flourished into live music and house and hip hop. we have it all here. but it needs tending like a flower so when i look at something like this investment, thank you as some former assembly member chiu and my team ben laurel for helping

really bring this to culmination these wonderful precious jewels will grow here in the city. at the highest level of economic recovery. this is also i believe the way that we get our city back. we get to reimagine and reinfuse san francisco with what makes us special, what makes us only here in san francisco and i fully believe that our arts and music and cultural assets need to lead the economic recovery front and center. they are the reason people move here. they are the reason people are starting to return back to their offices in downtown and they are certainly the reason why our visitors international and domestic are going to continue to come back here to san francisco. so with that, enough of us government folks.

let's hear from somebody who actually knows how to do this, please. [ applause ] >> wow. we feel really supported. oh, my gosh, i need notes. i'm not good at this. for our venue, bottom of the hill, we were closed for 17 silent months. it seems pretty excruciating and that was the first time that we ever considered the possibility that we might not open again. we prided ourselves on being scrappy and resourceful and survivors, but i think everyone here and across the country and the world realized for the first time that live music venues are fragile and need to be supported. that created change though which is good. we were pushed to forge friendships and alliances and

the san francisco venue coalition which were and still are working hard for positive change and adaptation. and adaptation is definitely needed because there's a lot of continuing hardships in this field. we have a lot of band camp cancellations. people are not showing up because they're so afraid. supply chain issues, rising costs. somehow it's a rebirth and it's been completely joyful and we've had seven sell-outs in the past two weeks. so that's fantastic. and other days, it kind of seems like we're never going to be out of the grip of covid and its continuing challenges. so this initiative is incredibly exciting for me and many venues. it allows a venue like ours that's very intimate to go to

larger arenas and reach the people that don't feel safe going inside to a live show and without all the red tape and the prohibitive price tags that putting on a live music outside once entailed and it allows us to bring our individual venue styles to different spaces across the city to show visitors and locals what we're all about. i think most importantly, in marks a historic time where our leaders are taking music seriously and making a choice to invest in it. there's no reason why cities like norlz, nashville, and austin get to be a music city. music drives tourism and music runs through our veins in san

francisco. it's the best city in the world. we need to show it off and now we can. but i want to thank a few people. everyone here, i want to thank -- he didn't want to be thanked, but ben van houghton. this guy actually listens to people in venues and since well before covid and makes change happen. he didn't want to be thanked, but i had to. and city attorney david chiu and mayor london breed, you all are amazing. thank you for stepping up to the plate for us. and we really look forward to partnering with you on this, for innovative initiative. it's the right move. it's very san francisco and we hope not only to survive but to

thrive in the near future. that's it. now i have the distinct pleasure of introducing casey who has worked hard for the music industry and he's fabulous and he works for the san francisco alliance as well as many other hats. take it away. [ applause ] >> thank you city attorney chiu and mayor breed for your support and engagement throughout the pandemic. i'm the assistant general manager at bill graham civic auditorium as well as the co-founder of the san francisco coalition. and during the pandemic provided an opportunity for over 40 independent venues in san francisco to share ideas, commiserate together and most importantly to engage our elected officials. we are thrilled to see this effort and look forward to developing these plans along with the office of economic

work force and development. live music in san francisco is synonymous. thank you >> thank you casey and thank you to everyone that's joining here today and i just want to take an opportunity to recognize our entertainment commissioners. ben blyman and starkey are all here. can you guys do a little wave. these are true night life and entertainment advocates in san francisco and just to be clear.

i'm not just doing this because i like to party. i also think that it is needed at a time like this. nothing has made me more happy than to be out and about watching live performances, plays, and sees events. some of you also know that i used to run a nonprofit organization and just to see kids from not even looking you in the eye. like who is that kid, like who is that person. the arts and entertainment in san francisco, it does so much and i remember when i served as a member of the board of supervisors and there were a number of new housing developments going up and there was some threats of places like even bottom of the hill being closed because of complaints

from neighbors who had just moved here in some of the new developments. and so i remember some of the legislation to say you basically have to sign and know that a night life exists within a certain range because i just think that it's sad and unfortunate and unfair for a place like this that's been around for 30 years to be able to be sued or to be closed or to be, you know, taken away from our city in that way and so i think i want people to know in general, you know, san francisco's a major city. it's a great city. there's a lot of noise everywhere and what we are going to continue to do is make sure that we protect our venues like bottom of the hill. they've been around for 30 years. it's a great venue. there's just something about being in an intimate space and listening to live music and also walking into a place where people know who you are. where you feel like you're

connected to the bartenders and the staff. it just makes you feel good and so part of what i wanted to do today to recognize bottom of the hill for their resiliency, for staying here, for working with us, for providing the input in the changes to policies and resources that we needed to provide as a city, i wanted to take this opportunity and recognize you and bottom of the hill on your 30th anniversary and come on up. and just present you with a certificate of honor because we know that bottom of the hill is now eligible to be a legacy business. so we need to be well on our way to protecting this institution in san francisco because we want to see the next santanas and other incredible musicians continue to come out of here. this is a real jewel. you're a real jewel for doing all the hard work to make it happen and continuing this great work.

i know you started working in the kitchen at this location and now you're in charge of it and running the show. it's pretty remarkable and it is truly what makes san francisco a wonderful place. congratulations on 30 years. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> and, i noticed your lovely vintage attire as well. you can tell she's very artsy. i love that about san francisco. with that, without further adieu before i open it up to questions, valley brown is joining us as well as our assessor recorder and i've mentioned the other commissioners and others. so, you know, this is really a team effort. it's something that we all care about and something we're going to continue to push and as you know, grants for the arts presents a lot of funding for the festivals and the parades and the other activities that we do. and so we're going to beef it up because we want our streets

to be fun and live with entertainment. so thank you all so much for joining us. and then i'll just hope it up for a few quick questions. >> in addition to the $2.5 million in state money, are there any rule changes coming with this initiative to make it easier to do these live performances? and if i could ask a second question. talk about that old mcdonald site. i'm wondering if you can give an explanation about your administration would not move forward. what was the first one? >> those are two questions. >> anything to make it change. >> so i think what we tried to do specifically the jams permit during the closure was to make it easier for not just night life venues to have entertainment, but also for some of our restaurants and other places that traditionally don't have that.

we are definitely looking at ways to make it easier to get permits and to have these things occur in san francisco. i think we did that during the pandemic and i'm hoping that it will continue and, clearly, ben is doing his job. so, ben, you get to stay at oewd because, you know, that's an indication that he is doing his job. the office of economic and work force development. we are of the business of getting to yes to support our businesses in san francisco, to make sure they have the resources and support they need to cut the bureaucracy. so whatever we can do policy wise or resource wise, we're going to do it. before i move on to your next question, i need to answer any other questions related to this. >> i'm just confused as to how this is going to work. how is it going to work? >> yeah. the way it's going to work.' there's a lot of people also who may not own brick and mortars, but promoters who are going to use a lot of our

plazas, like downtown holiday plaza, u.n. plaza, various plazas and parks and open space, civic center. all over san francisco and various neighborhoods i forget what this new location is called over here. we also need to look at geographic equity. we can't just have it in the center of the city or the downtown area, we want to have it in neighborhood activities, festivals and other events and so the plan is to work with the entertainment community. many have already expressed interest, but concern because of the cost related to it. there's definitely a market to do this and the goal is to make sure it's spread throughout the city and ultimately, we want to make sure that local artists are prioritized and paid for this program as well.

>> [inaudible] >> i don't know. i just showed up here. does anybody know why we came here? why not here? >> yeah. why not here? i'm like, i don't know why did we hold it here? >> okay. you can quote me on that. >> [inaudible] >> and, i'm sorry, are we finished with the questions related to this night life venue related stuff? okay. >> reporter: okay. so members are calling on the city to donate to the if fillmore area nonprofit for reparations. what do you think of that?

>> we haven't made a decision about that. it's a lot more complicated because the property is under redevelopment disposition laws so it's not as if it's as simple l as donating without making sure there's some financial -- i don't know how to explain it exactly, but there's things that we are obligated to do as a city which will require money and so until we have a clear understanding of what that would entail and what it would mean, we don't know if that's going to be possible. so we're going to do everything we can to work with the community which we have from the very beginning, but at this point, the state law will super cede what we're able to do here locally. >> i've not made a decision on that yet. >> going back to the same -- >> i'm sorry. i'm going to go back to him. >> i think your administration's going to be asked again the rationale for not going forward.

>> i think i made my answer clear when i talked at the board of supervisors meeting. the supervisors put money in the budget to pay for a drop-in center. it went out to bid and the only organization that bid on it basically asked for a lot more money in order to do it and we were not willing to provide any additional resources to do it nor were we willing to use the amount of money just to cover their staff expenses. so how is that going to work? part of it was money. the other challenge is, you know, just the challenges of what has existed in the hate ashbury community and needing to make sure that we have an organization or group or program that's going to help to eliminate some of the problems that have existed with this population for a very long time. clearly, what's happening there now is not working and i'm not 100% certain that adding this additional resource is going to make a difference. >> [inaudible]

>> i don't know yet. because again we have an obligation under state redevelopment disposition law and that's what's made it way more complicated. we would have done something already, but there's certain obligations that we have to meet under state law. and so i'm not sure if the ability to provide it to the community is even an option without financial support being attached to it in some capacity. so i don't know. we are working on it and it's more complicated than that and as a member myself of the black community, not everyone is in agreement. at the end of the day, you know, the work that we do with the city is going to be responsible and ultimately hopefully be of benefit to the community and we're going to try to work on that and we'll see what happens. >> would you like to see this happen? i would like to see the venue open. i would like to see the venue become a huge success. i don't want to see the venue continue to be a financial drain on the city. and so that's one of the things

that we need to work towards, but ultimately, a lot of the guiden principles for how we make decisions with that venue have everything to do with state law. thank you. >> we worked very hard with the san francisco venue coalition, the independent venue alliance to advocate for venues. put this issue on the radar of the supervisors and obviously mayor breed. the entertainment commission and the office of small business and we went to meetings and showed up and did public comment and it was a concerted effort between

50 venues in the city and they are kind of traditional like live performance venues and we all made a concerted effort to get out there and sound the alarm and to her credit, maybe breed really stepped up, worked with matt haney, who is a supervisor haney was a huge champion for us and they got this done and they got $3 million into the sf venue recovery fund. >> we have represented about 40 independent venues in san francisco. basically, all the venues closed on march 13th, 2020. we were the first to close and we will be the last to reopen and we've had all the of the overhead costs are rent, mortgage, payroll, utilities and

insurance with zero revenue. so many of these venues have been burning $1,000 a day just to stay closed. >> we have a huge music history here in san francisco and the part of our cultural fab lick but it's also an economic driver. we produce $7 billion annual' here in san francisco and it's formidable. >> we've been very fortunate here. we've had the department of emergency management and ems division and using part of our building since last april and aside from being proud to i can't tell you how important to have some cost recovery coming

in and income to keep the doors open. >> typically we'll have, three to 400 people working behind the teens to support the show and that is everything from the teamsters and security staff and usualers, ticket takers, the folks that do our medical and the bar tenders and the people in the kitchen preparing food for backstage and concession and the people that sell key shirts and it's a pretty staggering amount of people that are out of work as a result of this one verne you going tarkanian. it doesn't work to open at reduced capacity. when we get past june 15th, out of the into the blue print for our economy we can open it it 100% and look at the festival in full capacity in october and

we're just so grateful for the leadership of the mavor and dr. coal fax to make us the safest ♪ america and this is been hard for everybody in san francisco and the world but our leadership has kept us safe and i trust them that they will let us know when it's safe to do that. >> a lot of people know about america is military stuff, bullying stuff, corporate stuff. when people like me and my friends go to these foreign country and play music, we're giving them an american cultural experience. it's important. the same way they can bring that here. it sounds comfy buyia, you know, we're a punk band and we're nasty and we were never much for peace and love and everything but that's the fertilizer that

grows the big stuff that some day goes to bill graham's place and takes everybody's money but you have to start with us and so my hope is that allel groups and people make music and get together because without out, hanging together we'll hang separately, you know. >> other venues like this, all over the place, not just in the san francisco bay area need to exist in order for communities to thrive and i'm not just talking about the arts communities, even if you are here to see a chuckle bucket comedy show and you are still experiencing humanity and in specific ways being able to gather with people and experience something together. and especially coming out of the pandemic, the loss of that in-person human connection recovering that in good ways is going to be vital for our entire

society. >> it's a family club. most our staff has been working with us for 10 years so we feel like a family. >> what people think of when they think of bottom of the hill and i get a lot of this is first of all, the first place i met my husband or where we had our first date and i love that and we love doing weddings and i expect there to be a wedding season post 2021 of all the make up we haddings and i hope that many people do that because we have had so many rock ep role weddings. >> i told my girlfriend, make sure you stand at the front of the stage and i can give you a kiss at midnight. at this got down on one knee at the stroke of midnight.

it wasn't a public thing, i got down on one knee and said will you marry me and is he she had are you [beep] kidding me and i said no, i'm dead serious and she said yes. we were any time homicideel of the show. we just paused for new year's eve and that was where i proposed to my wife. this is more than just a professional relationship it's more than just a relationship from a love of arts, it's where my family started. we'll always have a special place in my heart. >> venues, you know, represent so much. they are cultural beckons of a city. neighbors can learn and celebrate and mourn and dance together. venues and arts and culture are characterized as second responders to crisis and they provide a mental health outlet and a community center for

people to come together at and it's the shared history of our city and these spaces is where we all come together and can celebrate. >> art often music opens up people to understanding the fellow man and i mean, taz always necessary and if anything, it's going to be even more necessary as we come out of this to reach out and connect with people. >> we can sustain with food, water and shelter is accurate and does anybody have a good time over the last year? no. >> san francisco is a great down. i've been here many years and i love it here and it's a beautiful, beautiful, place to be music and art is key to that. drama, acting, movies, everything, everything that makes life worth living and that's what we've got to mow proteasome no san francisco and that's what is important now.

[♪♪♪] >> hi everybody. i'm san francisco mayor london breed and it's great to see all of you here today and miguel even dressed up for me today. looking good. i like your hair cut. looking real, real good. first of all, let me just say, this is a long time coming. and i know many of you are apart of the fabric of what makes san francisco great and this l.b.e. program was so important to ensuring that

businesses in san francisco have an opportunity to succeed and so we were looking at reforming this program to ensure that it is available it's accessible in general and it helps not only those companies that want to get city contracts and do work in the city, but, also, we wanted to make sure that once companies are part of the fabric that you're able to grow and thrive and to continue to succeed and then to hire and then help raise the next generation of contractors in san francisco. and so the program, of course, has been complicated, it's been challenging, it's difficult to deal with and everything in between. even when i was a member of the board of supervisors, we've

been talking about reforming this system and i want to take this opportunity to really thank all of you because especially darilyn and miguel who helped to lead the efforts on getting us to this point where we were able to get legislation finished, passed, and now signed today. and i want to thank our city administrator carmen chiu. and i said, carmen, we've been talking about this for too long. we have to build some consensus. we have to raise the threshold, we have to get to a better place and she got it done. this is like a major accomplishment for our city and i want to also thank the board

of supervisors president shamman walton. he helped to provide these opportunities for all of us to be here to do to sign this legislation, so i appreciate his leadership and the other board of supervisors members who are involved in our l.b.e. program. thank you supervisor safai and supervisor melgar for being with us here today. and once i sign this legislation, i'm sending all my friends and family from the neighborhood to each and every one of you and i want you to hire them because i know as a result, your businesses are going to grow. you're going to continue to do work in the city and i know the city is not without its challenges. and i hope that you see how all of you working together, how we

are able to accomplish so much more than working apart. so much compromise has been made to get us to this point and my hope is that this is the start of what can be transformative about this program so that it doesn't depend on who's the mayor, who's the supervisor? but we have a structure now in place to allow for consistent increases in the threshold to make it easier for someone to make it into the program and succeed in the program in the first place. so i'm really excited about the future of this. [ applause ] and the last thing i'll say before i turn it over to the president of the board of supervisors shaman walton is, you know, getting an opportunity like this i know has been amazing for you for so many and what i really love about miguel is the

conversations we have and the push he has not just to make his company a success, but how he wants other companies in the program and how he has given back he's provided that opportunity and i know so many of you have done the same. and, what that makes for is really a better san francisco. i want all of you to be working in some capacity with the city and 'i also want all of you to be mentors for the next generation that wants to be apart of the city. that's what this program is about and that's how we're going to make san francisco a better place is continuing to work together and i want to thank all of you and at this time before i sign this legislation, i want to ask the president of the board of supervisors shaman walton to come up and say a few words.

>> president walton: we definitely want to say thank you so much, mayor breed and really just want to agree in terms of the fact that this has taken us awhile to get to this day. i can even remember being at this and talking about l.b.e.s and making sure they have jobs in san francisco and to really make sure that it's advantageous to be a city business that's based in san francisco. and so i'm proud of each and every one of you for working together because when we have conversations with miguel and we have conversations with darilyn and you super conversations with patrick and a whole gamut of business owners, different sectors of employment and then getting

everybody to work together was very important. in the beginning of the conversation, some of you remember, i said if you all don't work together and go in a room and have these conversations with each other, we're not going to be successful. and you all did that. and so i really want to commend you for getting together, working through the hard details and am copping to us with a unified front. i do want to thank city administrator chiu. i also want to thank the city attorney that worked closely to draft this legislation. that is important and so the last thing i'm just going to say is this is one step forward. obviously, we have continued work to do to make sure our contractors have the advantage when it's time to do business here in san francisco, but we're going to do everything we can in our roles to make sure that happens. i do want to thank and acknowledge supervisor safai, supervisor melgar for their co-sponsorship and all their

hard work with everyone on this as well. thank you so much. [ applause ] my apologies. i forgot to introduce the person who had her and her team make this happen and they worked very hard. she had to put together all of the things that you all are communicating and all the conversations over the number of years that took us to get to this point. so city administrator carmen chiu. thank you. [ applause ] >> hello. it's so exciting to be here today. i think for many of the folks who've been in the room and been in these conversations, i want to thank you all for your patience and continuing to work with us to make sure that we make sure our economic recovery is going to be a strong one and one that's led by our local businesses. i think for many of us who are here, i grew up in a small business as well. we know that when our local

businesses succeed, our community succeeds. our local businesses, they go and they shop in the local areas. they go and eat at the local restaurants. they hire from the local community and they know people here and i just want to say thank you for your continued investment in san francisco. it makes all the difference to know that you're with us and that you're going to continue to grow your businesses here. the program, the legislation that our mayor is signing today thanks to also the help of our president, shaman walton and members of the board who also co-sponsored. it will do many things. it's going to mean that we see more prompt payments for our local subcontractors who can't afford money not to get paid back or reimbursed. we're going to have pilot programs to make sure we

encourage more l.b.e. participation and as the mayor mentioned earlier, this is the program that's going to help us to make sure we incentivize mentor protoge programs and mentorships. so i want to thank folks like miguel and patrick who really invest back into our community and how important it is to do that. i do want to thank a few folks from the city side who really made it happen. of course, mayor breed, she mentioned the conversations we had from the beginning and i will tell you it was relentless. as you know, every meeting i had with the mayor was about how is this program going? are we getting to consensus? are we figuring out a way forward? so i want to thank her for continuing to push all of us to head in that direction and get to where we are today. and i want to thank jennifer brush on our team.

she was an amazing partner. i think yadira was mentioned with our city attorney. she knows so much how contracting works and helped us through all the different complexities of contracting. you know, our job is to make sure a good idea gets married with the right administration. making sure we can carry out the things that we promise we're going to do. and i want to thank, of course, all of the community members whether it's juliana choy from the economic equity and alex chiu. darilyn, miguel, patrick, all the folks who advocated and came to our office. thank you so much. with that, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce miguel gallarza to come up. above and beyond that, someone with a big heart who continues to reinvest time and again to

people to make sure we are successful as a city. thank you, miguel. [ applause ] >> thank you everyone for being here and showing the support we've had all year for the last two or three years. it makes a difference. it shows we're engaged as a community. it shows we believe in the true spirit of the government because it can make a difference for all of our lives. i really appreciate all of my partners have worked really hard from the l.b. advisory committee. from those member that is don't get the recognition. dr. ansani, of course, darilyn and all of them that have taken part in helping us draft this and make sure that we had the right message that we listen to the right community members. people that were not part of the advisory committee, the well bonders and the patrick to make sure they engage with the small community and help that

voice come out so that we can listen to them, pay attention to them, focus on their needs and make sure we created the opportunity for them to succeed. and, most of all, i remember 30 years ago when i was a wee young lad and how a civil servant came to me and says, you know, miguel, we need young entrepreneurs and young people to be engaged in the community. we have older generation that's retiring. we need young blood and that person and he told me be engaged, bepart of the community. focus in on what you can do for your community and you'll benefit greatly and rewardingly. and so i'm taking that to heart. now that i'm looking forward to passing that baton on to those young entrepreneurs that want to make a difference. you know, i was a kid from the mission district. and, yeah, i went to but you know what, at the end of the

day, we made a difference and at the end of the day, we're here because this program is meant to empower our people so that we can rise our community. so that we as african american latinos, asians can all benefit and raise your community so we can all strive to be true san franciscans and join the prosperity that this affords us and gives us the opportunity to succeed by. with that, i want to introduce somebody who was pushing me, pulling me to my left, to my right, encouraging me, inspiring me, and making sure that we had the right things to say to our legislators so that we had the right message. with that, come up here, ms. davidson. take a bow. [ applause ]

>> i'm going to be very brief. i just want to say most of all thank you to all of the supervisors, to my partners, my friends, people i've gotten to know over the years of working through this legislation for many, many years. i started on this probably about 15 years ago when it was h.r.c. and didn't get much traction then in 2015. thought we were almost there and then at the last minute, there were some changes to the legislation. so ever since then, i've been working on making sure that small businesses like mine who are in san francisco have an equitable opportunity to do business here in the city that i was this legislation is going to allow me and a whole lot of other people. a lot of other small companies continuing to work and do business here in san francisco.

so thank you all for all the help in the work. it's been -- we had many long nights. lots of conversations about whether this could happen and it actually hasn't. it's hard for me to believe that we're here because i've been on this fight for so long that actually, we actually have crossed over to having a piece of legislation that will make a difference for all of us. so thank you [ applause ] >> all right. let's get this legislation signed. come and join me, the two of you.

this is the disability and aging committee. i am the commission president martha knudsen. to facilitate teleconferencing to reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission at public meetings. ordinarily, the brown act sets strict rules for teleconferencing. the governor recently signed new amendments to the brown act for public meetings during a state of emergency provided that commissions such as ours make certain findings. to comply with this new requirement, we will amended this morning's