has been really interesting for shelly -- or actually previous to shelly, what's her -- what's her name is she is new here. before your presentation, another staff mentioned that ceqa and title review is really not equitable so i'd like to hear more about what are we going to do about that. maybe a little further explanation of what it is that the entight entitlement review is not equity strfrm i know that we're in the identification phase but i would like the hear a follow-up with that. that concludes my comments. >> thank you. commissioner johns? >> yeah. thank you very much. i also join in the other commissioners in the praise of this report and the -- it's a wonderful job that has been done.

there's obviously got to be a lot more analysis going forward and looking at how -- well, we can look back and see that there's been a development and planing in san francisco that was very, very hard on some groups and not very hard on others. and as part of the ongoing analysis, i think it would be very helpful to look at the history of what went wrong and why it went wrong. not just that it did, but why. with perhaps to the really most significant, in my opinion, initiatives in urban development.

one was the fillmore project. that produced jerry boulevard that cut the city in half and did a great deal of damage. but it is not just that it did damage, it's why did that happen? what was the -- what might have happened otherwise? was the african american community in the fillmore already on its way out because defense jobs ended at world war ii's conclusion. what did that -- could it have been managed in some other way? the other one that i think really we should look at and is almost never mentioned but i think is probably the most disasterous and had the most effect on how we view things now is the transportation

plan of 1949. that is the one, you know, if you talk -- think about the mission district, everybody now says, you know, that is a latin community. the latino community. but it wasn't for over a century. it only became a latino khunlt because the transportation plan of 49 led to the building of the broadway tunnel and the destruction of what was the latin community. they didn't have any place to go so that community moved to the mission. and that was the plan that wanted to surround san francisco with a freeway. so, it would be really interesting, i think, to help guide the plan going forward to know why things went wrong in some of these other initiatives that we have. ok.

it would really be, i think, very helpful now that we've had some experience in urban planning, to have an economic analysis of how well past housing initiatives have worked. now this is going to be brutal and embarrassing and people won't want to do it. but what has been the success from an economic point of view of rents and eviction control? that would be -- that might help guide what we do with future projects and there was just something in the paper today or yesterday or the day before about some 40,000 units of housing that are not occupied in san francisco. there are five of them on my block alone.

and the older people who live there will not rent them because they don't want to deal wtih eviction control. so that is something that maybe should be thought of, what has the history of these things been and is there something that we can learn going forward? i don't know which way it would go. but i do think that that would be good. and another thing that would require some historical analysis is the problem. how to preserve cultural communities, but accommodate changes that we know are going to happen but we don't know how yet. for a long time, i worked on and was very interested in the booker t. washington center, which is on masonic.

or when -- did i make the -- the -- you know where it is. it's right across from the muni yard. yeah, that is presidio. well that was envisioned as an african american center. but the neighborhood changed and it's now more of a korean center, i think. and so how do we make sure that the plans for housing and preservation, cultural districts also take into account that there are going to be changes that nobody really can predict. so, that is it. and a magnificent effort, everybody. thank you. >> thank you. i have a few questions -- well, not questions, but mainly comments. first as i said before, shelly, i think you've done a

great, great job. in summarizing this for us. and there is a lot to take in and a lot of, i think, further discussion. i do agree with the planning commission and with my fellow commissioners about specificitiful it is definitely needed. we do need more detail in terms of process and procedure about how these things can actually be implemented and i just fear that if we don't make some clear priorities and have some clear budget promises that we'll justs have a housing almost that is not going to really be able to tackle a lot of the social and racial equity prioritis that you have addressed. i'm hoping that there is definite funding behind what is being proposed.

and when we talk about social and racial equity, we're talking about communities and talking about, you know, community also equals a neighborhood and businesses within that neighborhood and aye like to see a more maybe inclusive approach to when we think about housing. because if we're thinking about housing, we're thinking about making it a priority to really focus in on social and racial inequity. we need to think of a hollistic approach. if that housing is far away from what they identify as their cultural and historic community, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. ♪ ♪ particularly if you're an elder and don't have the capacity to hop on a bus and go clear across town to do shopping and to buy very culturally specific groceries. i really hope that there is more of a -- an inclusive

view of what housing could be and what community could be. and glad that you pointed out policies 32, 36 and 37 and i just wanted to also kind of make the further comment on commissioner john's last point about understanding what has happened before us. i like your phrase of truth telling because truth telling hasn't really happened in -- not only in this community but in many communities when we talk about what has happened to communities of color. and they have zero access to purchasing land and i really think that if we have -- if we really want to address what happened in the past, we need to know what has happened in the past and i don't think a whole lot of us

know all of the inequities that have happened to various communities of color pt it wasn't that long ago and i don't even know if it's officially off the books about what kinds of racial covenance existed. we need to know what wrongs there were and i would love to see some kind of chronology to show and to illustrate what has happened and as commissioner johns pointed out, how those were addressed or how they were taken to another level that made even life worse for certain communities. you mentioned the western addition. it made life definitely worse for the african american and the japanese-american community when redevelopment

a-1 and a-2 ripped through this area. i really think that is important. i really paid attention also to the written comments that were submitted. san francisco voters made a good point about, you know, you're going to create new housing but make sure that you understand how that house willing affect existing communities. i think that is a really good point. just don't, you know, decide that there is an open lot and we're going to put it there without understanding what's going on there. and to get input from that particular community because i have seen how government actions without really taking into consideration the historical and social and economic discrimination that has happened there before being not considered when new housing is brought in. the san francisco land use coalition brought up good points, too. this whole thing about new social housing and i'm

definitely interested in knowing more about that. and then the prioritile geographies, you know, thinking about how to protect them and how to protect areas that are not considered priority. i think they are also important. and then we talk about -- i have a whole bunch of [inaudible] but i'll address those to you later. when we think about displacement, i really want, again, thinking about displacement of community. i don't want it to be focused on displacement of a person who is living in a particular house but i want people to think about how displacement also occurs in communities and in neighborhoods. when you decide that you're going to -- it happened a lot in the mission. you decided to tear down a building and going to put something else up. all those businesses, those legacy businesses, those businesss that have been around forever are never able to come back. they don't have the ability

to come back and say they didn't have the tlaenlt that new development wants. i really, really feel that there needs to be more of it integral and important and intentional view of when we talk about housing and housing in communities. and i think i will leave it at that. i'm not sure if the commissioners are interested in taking a break. rereading the ream of paper that i have printed out and coming back again and offering more comments and suggestions to shelly and her team during our next commission hearing or if you are ok with the comments that we've made today. and shelly, you are ok with the comments that we made today or if you feel that it's necessary to maybe further address the things that we brought up.

>> i don't see any immediate responses from the other commissioners so i think we can go ahead and close. i did want to respond to the commissioner's question about what -- how we may address ceqa regulations in the future. i think miriam, our director of community equity division is on and can speak to that as it's a larger issue we're addressing. >> good afternoon, commissioners. the question was, i understand, related to why is ceqa not centered equity. we're trying to be very, very kind of clear and focused on whether a specific task is centered on equity. and the assessment of the

environmental planning team is that the ceqa regulations and the processes that they're going through, even though in a particular case like the e.i.4 for the housing element, the entire plan is centered on equity. the environmental review is being -- is being conducted in the same way that they will do any other project. we have conducted -- were conducting at this point regulatory audit to assess how our rules, how our environmental review can most directly address racial and social equity. but in our budget equity tool, we're very drastic on house to classify projects that are centered on equity or not. if they are not primarily center on equity, they are not placed under that list. having said that, in order to implement many component of the housing element, which is

a [inaudible] center inequity, we will need an environmental review. and so there's a connection. but there is a distinction across projects. i don't know if that addresses your question. >> thank you. this is specifically what i asked for because it's so gray in the area. because it is kind of like you're saying it is not, but in a way it is ultimately inst, inevidences thatably it is. right? and especially when we have to determine what is the next act on any of those e.r.r. coming out. i would just think that a little bit more exmro nation or more clarity on why, what project, what elements will not fall into the component in the a.r.r. review process. and why other ones are and how we're going to, how the

agency will work together with us to actually bring any given project accountable and be fair to this process. if we don't haves a very clear guidelines and procedures that we can share and also and help to collaborate with everybody else, i can see how it turns into more like the president was saying is that it would just become some really thick booklet on the bookshelf. that didn't get implemented because it is not like anyone wanted to ignore it. just really not clear about how, where and how we apply for any given situations and being an architect for over 20 years in san francisco, i knew that every project is different. even though it's no longer

the same and affordable housing when i was at the arts commission helping the city to review their projects. because i just really wanted to bring it up because that is very gray. so, yeah. i think that there are -- i was reading -- i was asking these memory -- picture memory of the whole book of ceqa and there are a few things that are pretty applicable so maybe we can

further deliberate on this portion of the report. i think this is not like a -- an end -- end of the discussion. i'm really happy you guys are there to make sure that at least we are thinking about, we're proactive about it and advocating this. i really hope that we have more specific guidelines and strategies we can deliver. >> we'll be happy to bring the budget equity tool for discussion after we done the cycle. there will be a process of reflection we want to be very thoughtful to not just say our goals are equity, but we're able to enact it and that enactment of racial and social equity is not easy and we want to be very honest on when we are able to deliver that to you and when we're not. but thank you for your comments and your questions. >> thank you. we're here to support you. >> thank you. it sounds like commission president matsuda that the commission is not interested in having this come back at the next hearing on the 16th but certainly with further

reflection and maybe when it comes closer to adoption and to have another hearing to update you on its status at that point. >> i think that would be great. and, shelly, i know that you were kind enough to summarize the comments from the planning commission for our review today. i would like to see if we could summarize our comments and have it go back from the planning commission. because i think we did emphasize a few things that maybe they did not include in their comments. and i agree that we don't need to continue or have another discussion about this at the next hearing. but in future hearings, if we could have maybe a little bit more time to receive this information before the next hearing. it would be great. i would like at least, i don't know, i'm a slow reader and don'ts go back and forth.

so if we could have the material a little bit more, you know, ahead of time that would be very helpful and i'm just speaking for myself. in particular. >> i agree with that. >> thank you. >> me, too. >> commissioners, we'll do our best to send the documents as soon as possible. we are trying to struggle between incorporating as many comments and in addressing resolving of many issues as possible because, before we send you the final draft, so that's what squeezes the time. but we'll commit to two weeks and if we can send it in advance, if we can provide you more time, we'll do it. thank you so much. >> thank you. and i think it will allow for more public comment as well. thank you. ok, jonas. i think we're good with this agenda item. >> well, we are done with the agenda. this was the last item.

so we are adjourned. >> thank you, everyone. and thank you for your discussion today. >> thank you, everybody. >> good afternoon. >> thank you, everyone. >> bye-bye. >> bye.

>> the meeting of the transportation authority board. the vice chair is aaron peskin. the clerk is angela saul. madam clerk, please call the roll>> clerk: yes, chair. f one moment here. [roll call]

melgar i think is delayed and will be here shortly. we have quorum. >> thank you, madam clerk. i believe you have some announcements for us. >> clerk: yes, chair. public comment will be will be available by telephone by calling 415-655-0001. when prompted, entering access code 2 (481) 557-6225, and then

pound and pound again. once you join, you will be able to listen to the meeting a z a participant. to make public comment on an item when an item is called, dial star 3 to be added to the queue to speak. do not press star 3 again or you will be removed from the queue. when the system says your line is unmuted, the live operator will advice you that you will be allowed two minutes to speak. when your 2 minutes are up, we will move on to the next caller. calls will be taken in the order in which they are received. best practices are to speak slowly, clearly and turn down the volume of any television or radios around you. if you wish to comment during the meeting, it is best to listen via the public comment line to avoid delay on the live stream of the meeting. >> president: thank you, madam clerk. please call item 2. >> this will be a final approve on first appearance.

approve the resolution make findings to allow teleconferenced meetings under california government code section 54953-e. this is an action item. and -- >> good morning. this resolution allows public agencies to continue exclusively via teleconference during the proclaimed state of emergency. in order to do so, the agency must make certain findings including that it has considered the state of emergency and that conducting in-person meetings would present an imminent risk to attendees and public health and safety. this resolution applies to the transportation authority board, community advisory committee and the expenditure plan advisory committee for the next 30 days. >> all right. thank you, madam clerk. let's open this item to public comment.

>> there is no public comment. >> all right. public comment on item two is closed. is there a motion to approve item 2? >> ronen, so moved. >> thank you, commissioner ro ronen. is there a second? >> second. >> please call the roll on item 2. >> yes, chair. [roll call on item 2]

we have nine ayes and the item has final approval. >> thank you, madam clerk, please call item 3. >> item 3, community advisory committee report. this is an information item. >> chair larson. >> i'm back on, i think. >> quick trigger finger, sorry. good morning, commissioners. i am here as chair of the community advisory committee to report on the virtual cac meeting of january 26. with regard to your agenda today, the cac recommended adoption of item 6, fiscal year 22-23 transportation fund for clean air local expenditure criteria without discussion.

we discussed the next item t2022 state and federal legislative program. there were questions about the possibility of revising an oil extraction fee not currently included among the legislative proposals that would presumably fund transportation projects in and in response for state policy making, the staff informed the cac of the work of cta director chang at the rule making and also asked about statutory or policy development related to the loss of union jobs in old technology with the development of green jobs in emerging technologies and that green jobs

programs should have labor involvement and coordination. the cac adopted a motion in support of the legislative program after discussion. the cac approved the awarding of the planning contract in item 10 of the agenda. the cac was interested in how project management skill was possessed among the short list of consultants to insure that work orders and schedules are met and do not flip. in addition, the cac learned of the efforts taken to include dbe, lbe and sbe firms in the policeation and evaluation and as number of new together with the with the latest update to the van ness project and the

outreach campaign being developed with the boarding islands and pedestrian and driver awareness with the relocation of the bus stops. staff shared the planned use of video and social media messaging in different languages to educate the public. and the cac member suggested additional muny ambassadors and crossing guards when the line first goes into operate for additional safety awareness and staff acknowledged that was a good idea. a representative from the office of employment and work force development presented on oewd's business outreach experience along the van ness corridor. cac members were appreciate ift of the comprehensive presentation but questioned whether the $5,000 to $10,000 impact grants available to help businesses may not have been enough to make a difference and responded that there were challenges to get businesses to apply for assistance and the impact of the pandemic may have

complicated what businesses chose to do that the that is information is reported and working on data gathering and improvements as large scale projects and better market streets to move forward in the future. while the delays and long duration of the project, several cac members were excited about the prospect of the project soon to come online and acknowledged the work of the sfmta staff in getting to this point. that concludes my report. thank you very much. >> let's open this item to public comment. >> checking. there is no public comment. all right. public comment on item 3 is closed. and we will thank you for your

report and for your service as well as the other awe member. >> thank you, madam clerk. please call item 4. >> item 4 is approve the minutes of the january 25, 2022 meeting. this is an action item. >> thank you. let's open this to public comment. >> there is no public comment, mr. chair. >> public comment is closed. is there a motion to i a prove item four? >> moved by chan. thank you, commissioner chan. >> is there a second? >> second, preston. >> madam clerk, please call the roll on item four. [roll call on item four]

we have nine ayes and the item is approved. >> thank you, madam clerk. please call item 5. >> item 5, appoint one member to the community advisory committee. this is an action item. >> we are joined by mike bickford to present on this item. >> good morning. >> the transportation authority has an 11-member community

advisory committee with each member serving a two-year term. the board appoints members to fill any open seats. neither staff nor the cac miami recommendations on appointments. applicants must be san francisco residents and appear before the board at least once to describe their interest and qualifications. in the packet is the list of applicants and the enclosure has detailed information on each applicant. the vacancy is due to the expiration of district 5 stephanie liu's term, and i can take any questions, and chair mandelman, i believe there are at least two candidates who are here on the teams meeting to speak to their interest and qualifications if you are ready to hear from them. >> let's hear from the candidates.

>> i am a daily user of district five and car free and fair equity and expanding san francisco's network of slow streets, bike lanes and other bike and pedestrian infrastructure. and i am a firm believer in robust public transit and walkable treats combining needless traffic violence and increasing mobility and opportunity for all pedestrianians. i have been an active member including conducting rider outreach at organizing transit right and the last three years the board of the market street

railway to promote interest through muny heritage days and volunteer at scenic routes and a community bicycle center in district five. professionally i am a software engineer and try to use my time and skills to promote a love of public transit in san francisco. and to make information about our transit system more accessible to the public. in 2019 i co-created streetcar dot live that provides realtime information and in 2020 i created muny lots dot com to highlight 2020 service extensions and the demographics of the impacted ridership. and last spring i created a pandemic tracker. myn't oive as a member of the cta community advisory committee would be to advocate for greater investments in public transit and other sustainable travel

modes like biking and walking to support initiatives that reduce private auto independence and access mobility and aim to represent the -- >> thank you. i would be honored to serve on the cac. thank you for your time today and for considering my application. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> let's hear from the next applicant. >> hi, everyone. i am jenna and i live in no pa and grew up in san francisco and san francisco native and went to high school in d5 and spent many years in this community and very entrenched in a lot of folk who is live here. i have worked in the transportation space for four

years and i have a deep, entrenched knowledge of the general ins and outs of how traffic engineering and work throughout the city. and at the transportation level and worked with agencies like ladot, minnesota dot and small firms doing private consulting. i have a lot of knowledge around that kind of work. i currently work for a company called swiftly what is a transit technology company. we work with public transit agencies from all across the world. and the last project is working the next project is the historical analytics and up in oregon with two or three buses. and we have deep knowledge on the transportation works and to

the transit agency and i understand a lot of objectives and the goals and the hardships and operator shortages to how difficult it is to run an agency in a major city. i have been wanting to be in the transportation space since i was in high school and a deep passion. and i have a deep passion for community building from accessible walkways and bike ways and to get to point a to point b. in the most equitable and good way possible. ultimately, i want to make san francisco someplace to live comfortably and have family of all ages. >> your time is up. >> thank you so much. >> thank yous for your time and reading the application.

>> i think that is all the time we have on teams. and let's open items up to public comment. >> i am hoping that commissioner preston has that direction for us. commissioner preston. to wait patiently and thank former district 5 member stephanie liu for all of her different work during the pandemic over the several years and a strong advocate for car free and slow streets and a lot of the vision zero projects and appreciate her service.

and i believe my colleague commissioner peskin has talked about embarrassment of riches when you have so many good candidates. i want to thank and acknowledge all the strong applicants and in the materials and you can see the long list of folks. my office had the pleasure of talking with really great range of applicants to establish in the process and bring the ta staff for getting the word out about this opening. we have connected with so many amazing transit advocates in the district just through this process of posting that opening. and in particular wanted to thank ms. goris who spoke to her application and look forward to working with her in the

neighborhood. and >> kat is a resident who has been so active with transit advocacy and outlined a lot of her work and is really an integral part especially of the fight for restoring service on our muny lines as well as from market street railway work on the board. that she spoke to and created the 2022 routes and the impact of ridership. and there are wonderful candidates for this position and look forward to working with them all.

i hope that we can continue the work on decreasing fares, increasing funding for transit and preserving and expanding san francisco's network of slow streets, bike lanes and other pedestrian and bike infrastructure. and i am really thrilled to have the transit advocacy experience and a brilliant mind working on transit issues which is representing that. and with that, i would like to make a motion to i a prove kat segal to the commission. >> thank you, commissioner preston. >> is there a second? >> second, ronen. >> thank you, commissioner ronen. madam clerk, please call the roll. [roll call on item 5]

we have 11 yays. the item has passed. >> great. thank you, madam clerk. please call item 6. >> adopt fiscal year 2022-2023

transportation fund for clean air, local expenditure criteria. this is an action item. >> mr. pickford, you can back with us on this item. tell us about it. >> revenue is from a $4 surcharge with totals about $22 million a year. 60% of the funds go directly to the district for regional grant programs and 40% go to other funds and we program these through the annual call for projects and help project sponsors pursue the regional funds. for this year we expect to have about $760,000 for eligible projects and the district establishes eligibility

requirements including project types and requires county program managers to adopt local expenditure criteria every year to guide their selection of local projects which is what we are discussing today. so the district requirements include district cost effectiveness thresholds that each project must meet and to fund four to eight projects a year and fund most of the projects that meet the requirements. with the broad range and from the student i.d. card. this year we are not recommending any changes to the local expenditure bike facilities and followed by shutting services and vehicle

projects. our local criteria prioritized cost effective emissions reductions and consideration of project readiness and past delivery track record as well as demonstrated community support and being recommended in a plan and benefits to equity priority communities whether located in that community or if the project can demonstrate a benefit to disadvantaged populations. also since nonpublic entities can apply for grants for alternative fuel, vehicle, and infrastructure projects that is commensurate with the requested funds to get a good value. once the local expenditure criteria is adopted, we will release the call for projects

early march and will present our staff recommendations and with that, i can take any questions. >> a let's open public comment. >> is there a motion to approve item six? >> so moved. >> aye, chan. is there a second? >> second. [roll call on item 5]

we have 11 yays. and the item is approved. >> thank you, madam clerk. please call item 7. >> item 7, approve the 2022 state and federal legislative program. this is an action item. >> ms. crabb. >> good morning, chair and commissioners. >> excuse me? >> and mr. watts. >> yes.

so we bring this item to you every year to information the recommendations that we make every month regarding positions on bills. and surprised of broad strategies and doesn't vary much from year to year. similar to the previous item. so the priorities consistent with last year and first and foremost is seeking and securing funding. and we're also monitoring for bills that advance other city priorities with green house and to monitor legislation around electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, shared mobility and e-bikes.

and so at the federal level, we'll be focussing on the implementation of the five-year federal transportation bill that was reauthorized last year through the infrastructure and investigationment and jobs act and focused on insuring that in the annual that will be critical for the existing new programs moving forward. and then we will support funding for an additional round. at the state level, we will also be strongly focused on funding

and the main activity will be around the ongoing negotiation happening over the estimated $50 billion budget surplus and the governor's budget that was released in january proposed that $10 billion of that be active transportation and resiliency. we will be working to advance san francisco's priorities in any patrol to look for opportunities to build on last year's success which authorized local jurisdictions to reduce speed limits in certain locations. and this could include monitoring for the introduction of any efforts to authorize speed safety camera implementation at the local

level. and finally, as we had expected, senator becker who represents most of san mateo county has introduced senate bill 917 called the steamless transportation act which is a bill sponsored by seamless bay area. and it sets timelines for the region to implement the recommendations coming out of two regional efforts that concluded last year. the blue ribbon and will have more detail on the proposal next week is available with mr. watts as well. >> good morning. thank you.

>> i am curious with regard to senator becker's legislation and moving forward with a more regional approach, what are some of the concerns that we have or some of the things that we are looking at or want to be careful about? i have seem to recall there was fair integration across the region. and just curious of the areas where there may be wanting to make sure san francisco's parents don't get left behind in a more regional approach. >> transit, fair integration is one of the main issues that this bill will require mtcc to implement or to develop and implement and approve the integration plan and also require the transit operators to comply with that plan and if

they don't, transit will be ineligible from a state source. as with any plan where you are negotiating among 26 transit operators, it is really about the details such as what -- how is regional transit operator will be treated versus how local systems are treated. it is about how is fair integration funded because clearly by changing who pays for what, you are also changing potentially what different transit operators are going to see in the way of fare revenue. so i think those are all just some of the concerns or maybe not concerns but areas of interest we'll be keeping an eye on.

as negotiations continue at the local level. >> can you describe for me on a basic level what fair integration means? -- what fare integration means? >> an it is basically from developing policy where is and implementing them where from the public's perspective the fares are operating as one transit agency. so you know when you jump on one transit operator, you know what you will be paying and it dealing with transfers between transit agencies and it deals with what happens when you are transferring from a regional to a local system and those transfers. so it really is trying to get to 26 transit operators you know what you are going to be paying when you jump on one. so is the notion that the different agencies are sending each other payments to account for shared ridership? >> all the details need to be worked out.

that is part of the negotiation and it is on a really quick timeline. so i think they have until the end of -- in the legislation as it is currently written, the end of 1023 to negotiate and agree on all this. at the regional level. and then start implementing as of mid 2024. so very quick timeline. i just have to look that san francisco has subsidized transit for so long to maintain the level of where when we have made

a commitment. >> a may i jump in here? >> thank you, chair mandelman. and we were just briefed on the bill by some of the sponsors is that we have a mature and robust ridership in the core of the region as you stand out with various service levels and is a less robust ridership. one of the things we want to make sure we factor into this work is initially the goal is to have an integrated fare structure with a single, very clear price for your ride that would enstale free transfers so you didn't penalize from one system to another. and there is all kind of subsidy policy issues that are intertwined with fare policies. and as we work to make the

system more legible and seamless for rider, we want to make sure we do no harm. do no harm to the already large and majority of ridership is the mature ridership is in the urban core of pedestrian for many decades of the fare policy and generally punning policies have subsidized. and other jurisdictions may not have. that is why we have even this patch work of transit agencies in the bay area. the 20, over two dozen operators is primarily because when the federal government devolved or sort of left the locals to fund transit back in the 80s, states and localities had to figure out how much they valued it and how much they were willing to subsidize it.

we have dynamic system which has chosen to fund transit at different levels and why there is the complexity and why it has met the very obvious goal of a distant spaced fare structure that does not have a penalty to transfer between systems. >> and suggest that we bring this for you as an inspection item in the future to have a more faux presentation about it. >> i think that would be good. >> particularly depending on what happens with this conversation, but if there is a mandate and something happening with this and two the two years. >> i was going to have this come

to the board for a discussion. it's already been decided by i for one have no problem with the subsidies. and if this have the funding gap and the employers benefit from this is a legit legislative policy question. but i do think that sort of the framing of the relationship we have with the neighboring transit agencies and the planning and housing decisions. it is a really, really good thing. so i just -- we have been talking about fare integration

forever. and that there is legislation that nudges us along in another we is good thing. i would welcome chair mandelman if we have that discussion here. >> and just for clarity, the bill has been introduced so this is kind of the first attempt at language. and i know the sponsor actually spoke with us just yesterday and is also going around and getting feedback from the various transit operators and has access to provide feedback on the language. getting your input would be very timely as the bill moves forward. >> great. let's open this item to public comment. >> there is no public comment. >> all right. public comment on item 7 is closed. thank you ms. crabb and mr.

watts and director chang. madam clerk, i guess we have to take an action on it. is there a motion to approve item 7? >> motion. >> second. >> thank you, commissioner preston. is there a second? >> seconded by chan. seconded by commissioner chan. madam clerk, please call the roll on item 7. [roll call on item 7]

we have 11 ayes and the item is approved. >> thank you, madam clerk. please call item 8. >> an award contract to 10 short listed consultant teams for a three-year period with the option to extend for two one-year periods for a combined amount not to exceed $3 million for an on call transportation planning services. and authorize the executive director to negotiate contract payment terms and this is an action item. we have received one public comment for this item which is posted to the website. >> tell us about these contracts. >> good morning, chair and

commissioners. >> i believe you should be able to see my slides now. great. by way of a quick refresher, the transportation authority adopted work program is called planned fund and deliver and contains a wide variety of planning rolls as displayed on the slide from long range, regional coordination on major infrastructure investments and community advice for the board. the work is often led or centered in the planning division and the needs in the subject areas and the need for consultant support to cut across the entire work program and the various divisions of the authority. the establishment of contracts with one or more consultant team wills enable us to enlist the on

call task-ordered basis. the reason we are doing this now is the current on call planning contracts expire in may of this year and so we're seeking transportation planning teams with multi-mobile planning, conceptual design and outreach management with the emphasis and a full scope of work is included in the packet. summarizing the procurement process briefly, we issued a request for qualifications and followed that up where the pre-submittal conference and to meet and form partnerships and 85 firms registered for that conference with additional steps to encourage and advertising in several local newspapers and distributes the rfq to the presentation list and periodic

updates to certified, small, disadvantaged and local businesses and chambers and small business councils. by the due date of december 15, we received 16 statements of qualifications in response to the rfq. the selection panel is made up of transportation authority and sfmta staff evaluated the qualifications with the emphasis on program management and tech any kale capabilities as well as checking consultant references. so to advance seven qualified teams without interviews with the prior working performed by the firms and after scoring the three teams also advanced making up the 10 recommended firms

before you today. shown here on this memo are the 10 firms and given the wide range the amount and issues that arrive for specific efforts and to identify the broad and deep access to transportation planning skills. the contract to call upon and this is based on the expansion and the previous round of on-call had five teams and we are recommending 10 here. this provides us for that option for expertise and the details and the consulting are attached to this item as well. attachment 2. a quick overview and once the consultant teams are selected and with the as-needed and the

need for consultant support and the work and cost effective work to develop the project funding services and specific scope of work and subcontracting opportunities. we expect they will range between 12 to 25%. we evaluate them on response and other factors with availability, past performance, and elb participation, cost, and others. the final note is the maximum tax order under this contract is $450,000 and any scopes of work larger than this would be bid individually under a separate contract and apore back before the -- and appear back before the board. the staff recommendation is to award contracting to the 10 short listed firms and authorize the executive director to negotiate nonpayment terms. happy to answer any questions.

thank you. >> thank you. don't see any comments or questions. let's open this item to public comment. >> there is no public comment. >> all right. >> public comment on item 8 is closed. is there a motion to approve item 8? >> so moved, melgar. >> moved by melgar. >> is there a second? >> second, ronen. >> seconded by ronen. thank you, commissioners melgar and ronen. madam clerk, please call the roll. [roll call on item 8]

>> 10 ayes and the item is approved. >> president: thank you, madam clerk. please call item 9. >> introduction of new items. this is an information item. >> see if anybody has any new items. not seeing any. madam clerk, please call item 10. >> general public comment. >> all right. open to public comment on item 10. >> chair, there is no public

comment. >> public comment for item 10 is closed. madam clerk, please call the next item. >> item 11, adjournment. >> thank you. we are adjourned. >> thank you. >> thank you, commissioners.

>> the bicycle coalition was giving away 33 bicycles so i applied. i was happy to receive one of them. >> the community bike build program is the san francisco coalition's way of spreading the joy of biking and freedom of biking to residents who may not have access to affordable transportation. the city has an ordinance that we worked with them on back in 2014 that requires city agency goes to give organizations like the san francisco bicycle organization a chance to take bicycles abandoned and put them to good use or find new homes

for them. the partnerships with organizations generally with organizations that are working with low income individuals or families or people who are transportation dependent. we ask them to identify individuals who would greatly benefit from a bicycle. we make a list of people and their heights to match them to a bicycle that would suit their lifestyle and age and height. >> bicycle i received has impacted my life so greatly. it is not only a form of recreation. it is also a means of getting connected with the community through bike rides and it is also just a feeling of freedom. i really appreciate it. i am very thankful. >> we teach a class. they have to attend a one hour

class. things like how to change lanes, how to make a left turn, right turn, how to ride around cars. after that class, then we would give everyone a test chance -- chance to test ride. >> we are giving them as a way to get around the city. >> just the joy of like seeing people test drive the bicycles in the small area, there is no real word. i guess enjoyable is a word i could use. that doesn't describe the kind of warm feelings you feel in your heart giving someone that sense of freedom and maybe they haven't ridden a bike in years. these folks are older than the normal crowd of people we give bicycles away to. take my picture on my bike. that was a great experience.

there were smiles all around. the recipients, myself, supervisor, everyone was happy to be a part of this joyous occasion. at the end we normally do a group ride to see people ride off with these huge smiles on their faces is a great experience. >> if someone is interested in volunteering, we have a special section on the website sf bike.org/volunteer you can sign up for both events. we have given away 855 bicycles, 376 last year. we are growing each and every year. i hope to top that 376 this year. we frequently do events in bayview. the spaces are for people to come and work on their own bikes

or learn skills and give them access to something that they may not have had access to. >> for me this is a fun way to get outside and be active. most of the time the kids will be in the house. this is a fun way to do something. >> you get fresh air and you don't just stay in the house all day. it is a good way to exercise. >> the bicycle coalition has a bicycle program for every community in san francisco. it is connecting the young, older community. it is a wonderful outlet for the community to come together to have some good clean fun. it has opened to many doors to the young people that will usually might not have a bicycle. i have seen them and they are thankful and i am thankful for

this program. shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their

shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of san francisco. by supporting local services within our neighborhoods, we help san francisco remain unique, successful, and vibrant. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> my name is ray behr. i am the owner of chief plus. it's a destination specialty foods store, and it's also a corner grocery store, as well. we call it cheese plus because there's a lot of additions in addition to cheese here. from fresh flowers, to wine, past a, chocolate, our dining area and espresso bar. you can have a casual meeting if you want to. it's a real community gathering place. what makes little polk unique, i think, first of all, it's a great pedestrian street. there's people out and about all

day, meeting this neighbor and coming out and supporting the businesses. the businesses here are almost all exclusively independent owned small businesses. it harkens back to supporting local. polk street doesn't look like anywhere u.s.a. it has its own businesses and personality. we have clothing stores to gallerys, to personal service stores, where you can get your hsus repaired, luggage repaired. there's a music studio across the street. it's raily a diverse and unique offering on this really great street. i think san franciscans should shop local as much as they can because they can discover things that they may not be familiar with. again, the marketplace is changing, and, you know, you look at a screen, and you click a mouse, and you order something, and it shows up, but to have a tangible experience, to be able to come in to taste

things, to see things, to smell things, all those things, it's very important that you do so.

you're watching san francisco rising with chris manors. today's special guest is dr. steven zutnick. >> hello. the show is focused on restarting, rebuilding, and reimagining our city. the director of the therapy center of san francisco and he's a professor in counseling psychology at usf. he's here today to talk to us about resocializing, and

returning to the office. welcome to the show. >>. >> thanks, chris. good to be back. >> as we re-open, people are having different reactions. some are embracing the recent shifts while others are having a hard time readjusting. >> yes. i think it's an excellent question. my basic bias on this i think to give you a general overview is we ought to be following cdc suggestions and requirements, what they say, because that's where a lot of the things come. should i wear a mask. should i not wear a mask. my answer is, yes, absolutely. i think we should wear a mask. i think we should social distance. it not only makes an impact on covid, it makes an impact on other diseases as well. as you and i were chatting, the

deaths from flu usually average 30,000 a year. we've had 2,500 deaths from the flu so far this year, but at the very least, you need to be vaccinated. >> going back to the office is also an issue. there are some people are thrilled returning to work, others are nervous about it and there's a group of people who've been working onsite all along. let's start with those who are worried about returning to the office. what can be done to relieve their concerns? >> i think identifying a cohort of colleagues, fellow workers who you can just talk to and share experiences with. you know, when you look at the advantages of groups, the major one is when we sit and talk to other people, we suddenly discover, oh, this isn't just me, i'm not some strange guy here. so everybody else i'm talking to is worried about the same thing. i think that will raise

awareness among people. to say, oh, i don't know, what are we going to do? do we have fresh air in here? can we open some windows? does the boss care if i wear a mask? >> how about those who've been going to work all along. possibly the most traumatized. how would you talk to them about managing the possible stress and resentment they may have been feeling. >> the most at-risk population is the essential worker who because they are also one of the lowest paid populations, have taken the biggest hits and the most risks. they're still at high risk. so they're dealing with a lot. they're dealing with depression, anxiety, insomnia quite a bit. and you've got a lot of ptsd by

the way one last point on the health care workers. that's the tip of the iceberg. these are also the people who often have the least access to therapy. so we've got all these people out of there who've been in the trenches the entire time, never had a break, suffering a lot of trauma, and there are no services available for them. >> lastly, let's talk about management. with varying attitudes towards the lifting of restrictions, there may be some struggles in the work place. how would you advise management to ease the transition? >> management can encourage vaccination or require it. they can keep masks, physical distance, hand washing, all of these things. and hopefully management will be responsive. i think, you know, given the title that the series, this is all new. we're all just moving in to a whole new phase.

we haven't begun to see the research that's going to come out of what we've just been through. we've been through a terrible pandemic. there's been a huge toll and i don't think we've seen the tip of the iceberg on the impact. >> do you have any final thoughts to share? >> yeah. i think this pandemic has highlighted a lot of things. for me, certainly, is mental health professional and a behavioral scientist. it's clear to me, we need to educate people about science. this is not unknowable to people. the basic of science is constant questioning. when you ask a question in research, you get one answer and about five new questions. things evolve continuously. so, yeah, when the cdc first came out a year and a half ago, they said, no, we don't need

masks and then they said oh, we do and then everybody went crazy. oh, look how bad the sciencetists are. that's exactly what science does. we thought we didn't need it. then we discovered it was air born. i think we're seeing we have huge holes in the health care system and conversely, i think we're finding with the vaccination, what it means for everyone to have access to health care without worrying about how am i going to pay for it. so i think this is really forcing us to look at everything. it's been a very difficult time. it's going to continue to be a difficult time for people, but i think that's also getting us to look at some really critical issues in health care. >> well, thank you so much for coming on the show dr. zlotnick. well, thanks again. we'll be back with another

episode of san francisco rising shortly. for sfgov tv i'm chris manors. thanks for watching.

>> my background is in engineering. i am a civil engineer by training. my career has really been around government service. when the opportunity came up to serve the city of san francisco, that was just an opportunity i

really needed to explore. [♪♪♪] [♪♪♪] i think it was in junior high and really started to do well in math but i faced some really interesting challenges. many young ladies were not in math and i was the only one in some of these classes. it was tough, it was difficult to succeed when a teacher didn't have confidence in you, but i was determined and i realized that engineering really is what i was interested in. as i moved into college and took engineering, preengineering classes, once again i hit some of those same stereotypes that women are not in this field. that just challenged me more.

because i was enjoying it, i was determined to be successful. now i took that drive that i have and a couple it with public service. often we are the unsung heroes of technology in the city whether it is delivering network services internally, or for our broadband services to low income housing. >> free wi-fi for all of the residents here so that folks have access to do job searches, housing searches, or anything else that anyone else could do in our great city. >> we are putting the plant in the ground to make all of the city services available to our residents. it is difficult work, but it is also very exciting and rewarding our team is exceptional. they are very talented engineers and analysts who work to deliver the data and the services and the technology every day.

>> i love working with linda because she is fun. you can tell her anything under the sun and she will listen and give you solutions or advice. she is very generous and thoughtful and remembers all the special days that you are celebrating. >> i have seen recent employee safety and cyber security. it is always a top priority. i am always feeling proud working with her. >> what is interesting about my work and my family is my experience is not unique, but it is different. i am a single parent. so having a career that is demanding and also having a child to raise has been a challenge. i think for parents that are working and trying to balance a career that takes a lot of time, we may have some interruptions. if there is an emergency or that sort of thing then you have to

be able to still take care of your family and then also do your service to your job. that is probably my take away and a lot of lessons learned. a lot of parents have the concern of how to do the balance i like to think i did a good job for me, watching my son go through school and now enter the job market, and he is in the medical field and starting his career, he was always an intern. one of the things that we try to do here and one of my takeaways from raising him is how important internships are. and here in the department of technology, we pride ourselves on our interns. we have 20 to 25 each year. they do a terrific job contributing to our outside plant five or work or our network engineering or our finance team. this last time they took to programming our reception robot,

pepper, and they added videos to it and all of these sort of things. it was fun to see their creativity and their innovation come out. >> amazing. >> intriguing. >> the way i unwind is with my photography and taking pictures around the city. when i drive around california, i enjoy taking a lot of landscapes. the weather here changes very often, so you get a beautiful sunset or you get a big bunch of clouds. especially along the waterfront. it is spectacular. i just took some photos of big server and had a wonderful time, not only with the water photos, but also the rocks and the bushes and the landscapes. they are phenomenal. [♪♪♪] my advice to young ladies and

women who would like to move into stem fields is to really look at why you are there. if you are -- if you are a problem solver, if you like to analyse information, if you like to discover new things, if you like to come up with alternatives and invent new practice, it is such a fabulous opportunity. whether it is computer science or engineering or biology or medicine, oh, my goodness, there are so many opportunities. if you have that kind of mindset i have enjoyed working in san francisco so much because of the diversity. the diversity of the people, of this city, of the values, of the talent that is here in the city. it is stimulating and motivating and inspiring and i cannot imagine working anywhere else but in san

>> there is a lot of unique characteristics about visitation valley. it is a unique part of the city. >> we are off in a corner of the city against the san francisco county line 101 on one side. vis station valley is still one of the last blue color neighborhoods in san francisco. a lot of working class families out here. it is unusual. not a lot of apartment buildings. a lot of single family homes. >> great business corridor. so much traffic coming through here and stopping off to grab

coffee or sandwich or pick up food before going home. >> a lot of customers are from the neighborhood. they are painters or mechanics. they are like blue color workers, a lot of them. >> the community is lovely. multi-racial and hopefully we can look out for each other. >> there is a variety of businesses on the block. you think of buffalo kitchen, chinese food, pork buns, sandwich. library, bank of america with a parking lot. the market where you can grab anything. amazing food choices, nail salons. basically everything you need is here. >> a lot of these businesses up and down leland are family owned. people running them are family. when you come here and you have an uncle and nephew and go across the street and have the

guy and his dad. lisa and her daughter in the dog parlor and pam. it is very cool. >> is small businesses make the neighborhood unique. >> new businesses coming. in mission blue, gourmet chocolate manufacturing. the corridor has changed and is continuing to change. we hope to see more businesses coming in the near future. >> this is what is needed. first, stay home. unless it is absoluteliness scary. social distancing is the most important step right now to limit spread of virus. cancel all nonessential gather everythings. >> when the pandemic litly land

avenue suffered like other corridors. a few nail salons couldn't operate. they shut down. restaurants that had to adapt to more of a take out model. they haven't totally brought back indoor seating. >> it is heartbreaking to see the businesses that have closed down and shut because of the pandemic. >> when the pandemic first hit it got really slow. we had to change our hours. we never had to close, which is a blessing. thank god. we stayed open the whole time. >> we were kind of nervous and anxious to see what was going to come next hoping we will not have to close down. >> during covid we would go outside and look on both sides of the street. it looked like old western town. nobody on the street. no cars. >> it was a hard eight or nine months. when they opened up half the

people couldn't afford a haircut. >> during that time we kept saying the coffee shop was the living room of the valley. people would come to make sure they were okay. >> we checked on each other and patronized each other. i would get a cup of coffee, shirt, they would get a haircut. >> this is a generous and kind community. people would be like i am getting the toffee for the guy behind me and some days it went on and on. it was amazing to watch. we saw a perfect picture of community. we are all in this together. >> since we began to reopen one year later, we will emerge stronger. we will emerge better as a city because we are still here and we stand in solidarity with one

another. >> when we opened up august 1st. i will not say it was all good. we are still struggling due to covid. it affected a lot of people. >> we are still in the pandemic right now. things are opening up a little bit. it is great to have space to come together. i did a three painting series of visitation valley and the businesses on leland. it felt good to drop off the paintings and hung them. >> my business is picking up. the city is opening up. we have mask requirements. i check temperatures. i ask for vaccination card and/or recent test. the older folks they want to feel safe here. >> i feel like there is a sense of unity happening. >> what got us through the pandemic was our customers. their dogs needed groomed, we have to cut their nails so they

don't over grow. >> this is only going to push us forward. i sense a spirit of community and just belief in one another. >> we are trying to see if we can help all small businesses around here. there is a cannabis club lounge next to the dog parlor to bring foot traffic. my business is not going to work if the business across the street is not getting help. >> in hit us hard. i see a bright future to get the storefronts full. >> once people come here i think they really like it. >> if you are from san francisco visit visitation valley to see how this side of the city is the same but different.

>> shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses, and challenges residents to do their shopping within the 49 square miles of san francisco. by supporting local services in our neighborhood, we help san francisco remain unique, successful, and vibrant. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> i am the owner of this restaurant. we have been here in north beach over 100 years. [speaking foreign language] [♪♪♪]

[speaking foreign language] [♪♪♪] [speaking foreign language]

[speaking foreign language] [♪♪♪] [♪♪♪]

>> restaurants will be open for take out only, but nonessential stores, like bars and gyms, will close effective midnight tonight. [♪♪♪] >> my name is sharky laguana.

i am a small business owner. i own a company called vandigo van rentals. it rents vans to the music industry. i am also a member of the small business commission as appointed by mayor breed in 2019. i am a musician and have worked as a professional musician and recording artist in the 90s. [♪♪♪] >> we came up in san francisco, so i've played at most of the live venues as a performer, and, of course, i've seen hundreds of shows over the years, and i care very, very deeply about live entertainment. in fact, when i joined the commission, i said that i was going to make a particular effort to pay attention to the arts and entertainment and make sure that those small

businesses receive the level of attention that i think they deserve. >> this is a constantly and rapidly changing situation, and we are working hard to be aggressive to flatten the curve to disrupt the spread of covid-19. >> when the pandemic hit, it was crystal clear to me that this was devastating to the music industry because live venues had to completely shutdown. there was no way for them to open for even a single day or in limited capacity. that hit me emotionally as an artist and hit me professionally, as well as a small business that caters to artists, so i was very deeply concerned about what the city could do to help the entertainment committee. we knew we needed somebody to introduce some kind of legislation to get the ball rolling, and so we just started

texting supervisor haney, just harassing him, saying we need to do something, we need to do something. he said i know we need to do something, but what do we do? we eventually settled on this idea that there would be an independent venue recovery fund. >> clerk: there are 11 ayes. >> president walton: thank you. without objection, this resolution is passed unanimously. >> and we were concerned for these small mom-and-pop businesses that contribute so much to our arts community. >> we are an extremely small venue that has the capacity to do extremely small shows. most of our staff has been working for us for over ten years. there's very little turnover in

the staff, so it felt like family. sharky with the small business commission was crucial in pestering supervisor haney and others to really keep our industry top of mind. we closed down on march 13 of 2020 when we heard that there was an order to do so by the mayor, and we had to call that show in the middle of the night. they were in the middle of their sound check, and i had to call the venue and say, we need to cancel the show tonight. >> the fund is for our live music and entertainment venues, and in its first round, it will offer grants of at least $10,000 to qualifying venues. these are venues that offer a

signature amount of live entertainment programming before the pandemic and are committed to reopening and offering live entertainment spaces after the pandemic. >> it's going to, you know, just stave off the bleeding for a moment. it's the city contributing to helping make sure these venues are around, to continue to be part of the economic recovery for our city. >> when you think about the venues for events in the city, we're talking about all of them. some have been able to come back adaptively over the last year and have been able to be shape shifters in this pandemic, and that's exciting to see, but i'm really looking forward to the day when events and venues can reopen and help drive the recovery here in san francisco. >> they have done a study that says for every dollar of ticket

sales done in this city, $12 goes to neighboring businesses. from all of our vendors to the restaurants that are next to our ven sues and just so many other things that you can think of, all of which have been so negatively affected by covid. for this industry to fail is unthinkable on so many levels. it's unheard of, like, san francisco without its music scene would be a terribly dismal place. >> i don't know that this needs to be arrest -- that there needs to be art welfare for artists. we just need to live and pay for our food, and things will take care of themselves. i think that that's not the given situation. what san francisco could do that they don't seem to do very much is really do something to

support these clubs and venues that have all of these different artists performing in them. actually, i think precovid, it was, you know, don't have a warehouse party and don't do a gig. don't go outside, and don't do this. there was a lot of don't, don't, don't, and after the pandemic, they realized we're a big industry, and we bring a lot of money into this city, so they need to encourage and hope these venues. and then, you know, as far as people like me, it would be nice if you didn't only get encouraged for only singing opera or playing violin. [♪♪♪] >> entertainment is a huge part of what is going to make this city bounce back, and we're going to need to have live music coming back, and comedy, and drag shows and everything under the sun that is fun and

creative in order to get smiles back on our faces and in order to get the city moving again. [♪♪♪] >> venues serve a really vital function in society. there aren't many places where people from any walk of life, race, religion, sexuality can come together in the same room and experience joy, right? experience love, experience anything that what makes us human, community, our connective tissues between different souls. if we were to lose this, lose this situation, you're going to lose this very vital piece of society, and just coming out of the pandemic, you know, it's going to help us recover socially? well, yeah, because we need to be in the same room with a

bunch of people, and then help people across the country recover financially. >> san francisco art recovery fund, amazing. it opened yesterday on april 21. applications are open through may 5. we're encouraging everyone in the coalition to apply. there's very clear information on what's eligible, but that's basically been what our coalition has been advocating for from the beginning. you know, everyone's been supportive, and they've all been hugely integral to this program getting off the ground. you know, we found our champion with supervisor matt haney from district six who introduced this legislation and pushed this into law. mayor breed dedicated $1.5 million this fund, and then supervisor haney matched that, so there's $3 million in this fund. this is a huge moment for our coalition.

it's what we've been fighting for all along. >> one of the challenges of our business is staying on top of all the opportunities as they come back. at the office of oewd, office of economic and workforce development, if you need to speak to somebody, you can find people who can help you navigate any of the available programs and resources. >> a lot of blind optimism has kept us afloat, you know, and there's been a lot of reason for despair, but this is what keeps me in the business, and this is what keeps me fighting, you know, and continuing to advocate, is that we need this and this is part of our life's blood as much as oxygen and food is. don't lose heart. look at there for all the various grants that are available to you. some of them might be very slow to unrao, and it might seem

like too -- unroll, and it might seem like it's too late, but people are going to fight to keep their beloved venues open, and as a band, you're going to be okay. [♪♪♪] valencia has been a constantly evolving roadway. the first bike lanes were striped in 1999, and today is the major north and south bike route from the mission neighborhood extending from market to mission street. >> it is difficult to navigate lindsay on a daily basis, and more specifically, during the morning and evening commute hours. >> from 2012 to 2016, there were 260 collisions on valencia and 46 of those were between vehicles and bikes. the mayor shows great leadership

and she knew of the long history of collisions and the real necessity for safety improvements on the streets, so she actually directed m.t.a. to put a pilot of protected bike lanes from market to 15th on valencia street within four months time. [♪♪♪] >> valencia is one of the most used north south bike routes in san francisco. it has over 2100 cyclists on an average weekday. we promote bicycles for everyday transportation of the coalition. valencia is our mission -- fits our mission perfectly. our members fall 20 years ago to get the first bike lane stripes. whether you are going there for restaurants, nightlife, you know , people are commuting up and down every single day. >> i have been biking down the

valencia street corridor for about a decade. during that time, i have seen the emergence of ridesharing companies. >> we have people on bikes, we have people on bike share, scooters, we have people delivering food and we have uber taking folks to concerts at night. one of the main goals of the project was to improve the overall safety of the corridor, will also looking for opportunities to upgrade the bikeway. >> the most common collision that happens on valencia is actually due to double parking in the bike lane, specifically during, which is where a driver opens the door unexpectedly. >> we kept all the passengers -- the passenger levels out, which is the white crib that we see, we double the amount of commercial curbs that you see out here. >> most people aren't actually perking on valencia, they just need to get dropped off or pick something up. >> half of the commercial loading zones are actually after

6:00 p.m., so could be used for five-minute loading later into the evening to provide more opportunities or passenger and commercial loading. >> the five minute loading zone may help in this situation, but they are not along the corridor where we need them to be. >> one of the most unique aspects of the valencia pilot is on the block between 14th street. >> we worked with a pretty big mix of people on valencia. >> on this lot, there are a few schools. all these different groups had concerns about the safety of students crossing the protected bikeway whether they are being dropped off or picked up in the morning or afternoon. to address those concerns, we installed concrete loading islands with railings -- railings that channel -- channeled a designated crossing plane. >> we had a lot of conversations around how do you load and unload kids in the mornings and the afternoons? >> i do like the visibility of some of the design, the safety

aspects of the boarding pilot for the school. >> we have painted continental crosswalks, as well as a yield piece which indicates a cyclist to give the right-of-way so they can cross the roadway. this is probably one of the most unique features. >> during the planning phase, the m.t.a. came out with three alternatives for the long term project. one is parking protected, which we see with the pilot, they also imagined a valencia street where we have two bike lanes next to one another against one side of the street. a two-way bikeway. the third option is a center running two-way bikeway, c. would have the two bike lanes running down the center with protection on either side. >> earlier, there weren't any enter lane designs in san francisco, but i think it will be a great opportunity for san francisco to take the lead on

that do so the innovative and different, something that doesn't exist already. >> with all three concepts for valencia's long-term improvement , there's a number of trade-offs ranging from parking, or what needs to be done at the intersection for signal infrastructure. when he think about extending this pilot or this still -- this design, there's a lot of different design challenges, as well as challenges when it comes to doing outreach and making sure that you are reaching out to everyone in the community. >> the pilot is great. it is a no-brainer. it is also a teaser for us. once a pilot ends, we have thrown back into the chaos of valencia street. >> what we're trying to do is incremental improvement along the corridor door. the pilot project is one of our first major improvements. we will do an initial valuation in the spring just to get a glimpse of what is happening out here on the roadway, and to make any adjustments to the pilot as needed. this fall, we will do a more robust evaluation. by spring of 2020, we will have

recommendations about long-term improvements. >> i appreciate the pilot and how quickly it went in and was built, especially with the community workshops associated with it, i really appreciated that opportunity to give input. >> we want to see valencia become a really welcoming and comfortable neighborhood street for everyone, all ages and abilities. there's a lot of benefits to protected bike lanes on valencia , it is not just for cyclists. we will see way more people biking, more people walking, we are just going to create a really friendly neighborhood street. [♪♪♪]

>> i try to start every day not looking at my phone by doing something that is grounding. that is usually meditation. i have a gym set up in my garage, and that is usually breathing and movement and putting my mind towards something else. surfing is my absolute favorite thing to do. it is the most cleansing thing that i'm able to do. i live near the beach, so whenever i can get out, i do. unfortunately, surfing isn't a daily practice for me, but i've been able to get out weekly, and it's something that i've been incredibly grateful for. [♪♪♪] >> i started working for the

city in 2005. at the time, my kids were pretty young but i think had started school. i was offered a temporarily position as an analyst to work on some of the programs that were funded through homeland security. i ultimately spent almost five years at the health department coordinating emergency programs. it was something that i really enjoyed and turned out i was pretty good at. thinking about glass ceiling, some of that is really related to being a mother and self-supposed in some ways that i did not feel that i could allow myself to pursue responsibility; that i accepted treading water in my career when my kids were young. and as they got older, i felt more comfortable, i suppose, moving forward. in my career, i have been asked to step forward. i wish that i had earlier

stepped forward myself, and i feel really strongly, like i am 100% the right person for this job. i cannot imagine a harder time to be in this role. i'm humbled and privileged but also very confident. so here at moscone center, this is the covid command center, or the c.c.c. here is what we calledun -- call unified command. this is where we have physically been since march, and then, in july, we developed this unified structure. so it's the department of emergency management, the department of public health, and our human services hughesing partners, so primarily the department of homelessness and supportive housing and human services agency. so it's sort of a three-headed

command in which we are coordinating and operating everything related to covid response. and now, of course, in this final phase, it's mass vaccination. the first year was before the pandemic was extremely busy. the fires, obviously, that both we were able to provide mutual support but also the impact of air quality. we had, in 2018, the worst air quality ten or 11 days here in the city. i'm sure you all remember it, and then, finally, the day the sun didn't come out in san francisco, which was in october. the orange skies, it felt apocalyptic, super scary for people. you know, all of those things, people depend on government to say what's happening. are we safe? what do i do? and that's a lot of what

department of emergency management's role is. public service is truly that. it is such an incredible and effective way that we can make change for the most vulnerable. i spend a lot of my day in problem solving mode, so there's a lot of conversations with people making connections, identifying gaps in resources or whatever it might be, and trying to adjust that. the pace of the pandemic has been nonstop for 11 months. it is unrelenting, long days, more than what we're used to, most of us. honestly, i'm not sure how we're getting through it. this is beyond what any of us ever expected to experience in our lifetime. what we discover is how strong we are, and really, the depth of our resilience, and i say

that for every single city employee that has been working around the clock for the last 11 months, and i also speak about myself. every day, i have to sort of have that moment of, like, okay, i'm really tired, i'm weary, but we've got to keep going. it is, i would say, the biggest challenge that i have had personally and professionally to be the best mom that i can be but also the best public certify chant in whatever role i'm in. i just wish that i, as my younger self, could have had someone tell me you can give it and to give a little more nudge. so indirectly, people have helped me because they have seen something in me that i did not see in myself. there's clear data that women

have lost their jobs and their income because they had to take care of their safety nets. all of those things that we depend on, schools and daycare and sharing, you know, being together with other kids isn't available. i've often thought oh, if my kids were younger, i couldn't do this job, but that's unacceptable. a person that's younger than me that has three children, we want them in leadership positions, so it shouldn't be limiting. women need to assume that they're more capable than they think they are. men will go for a job whether they're qualified or not. we tend to want to be 110% qualified before we tend to step forward. i think we need to be a little more brave, a little more exploratory in stepping up for positions. the other thing is, when given an opportunity, really think twice before you put in front

of you the reasons why you should not take that leadership position. we all need to step up so that we can show the person behind us that it's doable and so that we have the power to make the changes for other women that is going to make the possibility for their paths easier than ours. other women see me in it, and i hope that they see me, and they understand, like, if i can do it, they can do it because the higher you get, the more leadership you have, and power. the more power and leadership >> shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their

business in the 49 square files of san francisco. we help san francisco remain unique, successful and right vi. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> i'm one of three owners here in san francisco and we provide mostly live music entertainment and we have food, the type of food that we have a mexican food and it's not a big menu, but we did it with love. like ribeye tacos and quesadillas and fries. for latinos, it brings families together and if we can bring that family to your business, you're gold. tonight we have russelling for e community. >> we have a ten-person limb

elimination match. we have a full-size ring with barside food and drink. we ended up getting wrestling here with puoillo del mar. we're hope og get families to join us. we've done a drag queen bingo and we're trying to be a diverse kind of club, trying different things. this is a great part of town and there's a bunch of shops, a variety of stores and ethnic restaurants. there's a popular little shop that all of the kids like to hang out at. we have a great breakfast spot call brick fast at tiffanies. some of the older businesses are refurbished and newer businesses are coming in and it's exciting. >> we even have our own brewery for fdr, ferment, drink repeat.

it's in the san francisco garden district and four beautiful murals. >> it's important to shop local because it's kind of like a circle of life, if you will. we hire local people. local people spend their money at our businesses and those local people will spend their money as well. i hope people shop locally. [ ♪♪♪ ]

sustainability mission, even though the bikes are very minimal energy use. it still matters where the energy comes from and also part

of the mission in sustainability is how we run everything, run our business. so having the lights come on with clean energy is important to us as well. we heard about cleanpowersf and learned they had commercial rates and signed up for that. it was super easy to sign up. our bookkeeper signed up online, it was like 15 minutes. nothing has changed, except now we have cleaner energy. it's an easy way to align your environmental proclivities and goals around climate change and it's so easy that it's hard to not want to do it, and it doesn't really add anything to the bill. >> good morning and welcome to the february 3rd, 2022, regular meeting of the government audit and oversight committee. i'm