points in response to your question. with regards to the training, we began the process in 2016 of rolling the body-worn cameras out to all members, so at that time, there was a -- what we call train the trainer training that was provided. actually, to step back some months ago, maybe the end of 2020, actually, the issue of body-worn camera noncompliance had been previously addressed, and in response to that, then deputy chief greg yee who was in the position that i am now, he actually worked with our training division so what this our officers come through both for their every-two-year what we call advanced officer training as well as all of our practical training, our

experiential training, we have incorporated that into them so there's at least half a dozen or more of them in that training to create that muscle memory. with regard to chief of staff rosenstein's point with regards to the plainclothes, we did adopt a field operations code order, and there is language within that order that speaks to when it is necessary for him or her to use their body-worn camera. >> commissioner yee: yeah, my question would be on these body-worn cameras, because the capturing the data, i guess some of the devices may have problems or maybe they're saying it's not functioning the way it's supposed to function? is there a way to validate that

or do you guys, say, pull random audits to make sure that these body worn. worn -- worn cameras are functioning? that's one of the scenarios that my question would be centered on. >> so your question is we have a unit, and it's staffed with upwards of a dozen professional staff members. part of their duties are to conduct audits on a random basis, and those are random, so

that there's no one officer targeted.

>> it does happen. it is technology. we do have occurrences where a body-worn camera will malfunction, and it will have problems, and the officers are instructed that if you do have an issue, that you notify through your supervisor our technology division to get a replacement camera. >> commissioner yee: thank you very much. >> sure. [indiscernible]. >> president cohen: to you

both. sergeant youngblood, please call for public comment -- >> commissioner carter oberstone: i'm sorry. i had my name in the chat. >> president cohen: okay. perhaps we can start putting up the item with the names so i can know what item we are talking about. my apologies. >> commissioner carter oberstone: no worries. i'll do that going forward. thank you. i just had one question, which is about -- also about body worn sam -- cameras. i'm just wondering if you could explain, why this is, on just a

basic level, why this is such a persistent problem, or maybe it's not as persistent as i think it is, but why body-worn cameras don't perform as consistent as we would like in the field? >> i can tell you what we at d.p.a. see. what we see is often a late activation of the body-worn camera, so it's not a complete failure to activate the body-worn camera, but it's a late activation. we get a litany of excuses, but the policy has been around long enough now, and the chief and d.p.a. are pretty much in synch when it comes to these violations, you know, and we have -- i think i've said it

before to this commission. i've said it to chief scott, and i've said it in hearings with officers where we discuss the discipline with the officers. nobody is getting reprimanded, nobody is getting disciplined for turning their camera on too much, so we encourage the officers over and over again, when in doubt, just turn it on. when officers are saying, well, i wasn't sure if this was a call for service, i showed up, and i didn't know if a crime occurred, those kind of things are mostly what we see. does that answer your question? is. >> commissioner carter oberstone: that does, so the officer said that they're just not sure whether the situation requires activation.

you talked about muscle memory during trainings, and i'm just curious if this is another source or another reason why officers say they don't deal with that, they just -- they just forgot because they're not habitually associated with that? is that something you hear? >> sometimes. >> yeah, so i do hear it. and in response to that, that's why -- and i'm just approximating right now, but i do believe it was at least a year, if not a little bit over a year, in response to what we

were hearing. this exemplifies the value of the disciplinary review board. we don't want to discipline an officer, but so as to avoid going down that road, the committee is having a discussion on a regular basis to address the trends that we're seeing. yes, the failure to turn the camera on in a timely manner, and i agree with deputy chief rosenstein, what i saw in my time as commander down in the risk management office, we

didn't have instances where i didn't turn it on compared to when i turned it on late. you're not to wait until you arrive. now, granted, some things happen -- you don't work in a vacuum. events happen, and they can unfold rather rapidly, so i think we have to take those particular circumstances into account. just to bring it back again to the muscle memory, yes, it has been expressed to us by officers both in the disciplinary arena as well as up in the training area, that they would like more training.

we're into six years now, and the vast majority of officers we have have been using them for quite sometime. we have the reasonable expectation that you know how to use the camera and when to use it, but that being said, we do want to hit the mark, and that's why we've taken the step in the training to introduce the use of the body-worn camera and when to incorporate that. >> commissioner carter oberstone: great. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> president cohen: cindy? cindy elias? i think you're in here. >> vice president elias: thank you. >> president cohen: paul, is your comment to the previous question? >> vice president elias: oh, go ahead. >> yes, i was going to say,

we're just hearing about the numbers that we're seeing internally, but it would probably be much easier to compare the two if we had some direct numbers or any information about the cases that were specifically handled by internal affairs, and that way with, you'd be able to drill down if the cases were similar in terms of what we hear in terms of our discipline at d.p.a. i don't have any estimation on what the volume is of the cases that i handle separately. i publish all of mine. maybe it would be good to look to see what the internal affairs records come up with and then drill down on a better solution or having a solution. these are absolutely case that's we don't need to be having. we have policies and rules about the body-worn cameras,

and i think if we ever moved towards a solution that addresses it adequately, we have to be able to start by evaluating the correct data, and we dont that with only half of the image and just the d.p.a. records, which are presented weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually on this subject. >> president cohen: thank you, director henderson. commissioner elias? >> vice president elias: thank you. my question was on page five, when it talks about the aggregate trends, how many cases are we talking about? >> i don't have the exact. commissioner, i can get you the numbers. i don't have the exact numbers. i don't have the aggregate numbers in front of me. as we go through the process in

preparation for each quarter, in preparation for the internal d.r.b. meeting, of which, you know, you're an advisory member, we have our own internal discussion, and we look over our records, our data, our report keeping, and certainly, if there's a high aggregate number, we're going to address that, but i can tell you just off memory, it's not a tremendous number of cases. >> vice president elias: okay. >> that being said, and if i may, i just want to provide a response to something that director henderson said with regards to information. in fact, i have something on my desk. you'll remember we worked some months ago in revising the way that the department presents its quarterly report as it relates to the cases that we

open, and as you know, and many members of the commission, because i made a couple of presentations, we are now at that point of providing -- and granted, it's always going to be open for discuss about how we might find the report, but we are in a position now where we are reporting out our findings. so, director henderson, we do go there, so if there is a sustained report, i just wanted to be clear that, you know, we made that change last year. >> you did, and i appreciate

that. i would point out, though, that the majority of the cases that you pointed out were the d.p.a. cases, so moving forward, it would be great if we had the continuation of that report so that we could see what cases were internal affairs independently and separately of what the cases are. >> vice president elias: i think you raised that, and i agreed last time when they presented, paul, on the presentation because that was the first time that they had revamped the numbers and were more -- i think what we should do is agendize this so we can have that report by commander o'sullivan and then maybe prior to you presenting to the

commission, you can consult director henderson to make sure that the questions that i had were adequately addressed as well as any other commissioner. >> president cohen: sounds good. we've got agenda items that we've got to get through, so are we done on this? commissioner hamasaki? >> commissioner hamasaki: i just had one quick question that may not have an answer. regarding the context of the body-worn cameras, do you or does anybody have an idea of how long each day the average patrol officer has theirs on? like, are they on a couple times a day? ten times a day? >> commissioner, depending on the district that the officer works on as well as the activity in any given district, those cameras may go on dozens

of times a day. >> commissioner hamasaki: dozens of times. >> there are literally -- we are in the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of body-worn camera hours of footage that -- we have a retention policy that we've been talking about quite a bit tonight, but i don't think i'm overstating the fact that i was going to work tonight in the tenderloin or the mission district -- i picked those because they're busier districts -- i probably would be turning on my body-worn camera, you know, 24, 25, 28 times, and that's kind of where i sit. now, does that mean that every time i turn my camera on, that it results in some kind of police activity that requires an incident report or something to that extent? it doesn't, but it speaks to kind of the policy to explain why it may go on so often.

miss reechb steen made the comment that nobody is getting in trouble for turning it on too much, and while we're talking about the violations, the negative, if you will, in the grand scheme of all the times, it should be clear [indiscernible] the previous two years is a great one. you never get in trouble for turning it on. >> somebody said you do get in trouble for turning it on sometimes. i said you don't get in trouble

for turning it on too much. there are exceptions to the rule where officers are required to not turn it on, but generally, our position is you're never going to be in trouble because you turn it had on too much. >> commissioner hamasaki: all right. thank you. >> president cohen: all right. thank you, commissioner hamasaki. thank you for the presentation. commissioner yee? >> commissioner yee: yeah, just real quick, chief deputy officer o'sullivan, i have a quick question. maybe you should have something that triggers it. instead of memory muscles -- i don't know if departments throughout the whole country have that, getting certain calls, boom, it automatically triggers turn it go on, so it takes away that oh, i forgot or

sometimes there's other things on the officer's mind, and then boom, you forgot to turn it on. just seeing if there's a future generation of body-worn cameras where it just comes on so we're not having all this discussion of oh, i forgot to turn on it. it just comes on automatic, and then, they can override it when it's safe, but boom, it's emergency, and it comes on. f.y.i., maybe you can research that and get back to us on that. >> i'm happy to do that. >> commissioner yee: yeah. >> vice president elias: yeah, yeah, -- >> yeah, i do believe there are jurisdictions throughout the country that do wear those types of cameras, but i'd have to investigate whether that's appropriate. >> commissioner yee: very simple. officer says freeze, hands up,

and camera comes on automatically. that's my thoughts. >> thank you. >> president cohen: all right. let's take public comment. >> clerk: at this time, the public is now welcome to make public comment regarding line item number 8. if you would like to make public comment, please press star, three now. president cohen, there is no public comment. >> president cohen: i'm sorry, you said there is no public comment? >> clerk: no, ma'am. >> president cohen: okay. let's call the next item. >> clerk: item 7, update regarding d.g.o. 5.15, enforcement of immigration laws 2021 annual report, discussion. >> good evening, president cohen, chief scott, and

director henderson. i am mark coda and with me is mark o'connor from the criminal investigations tuition. there have been two reports submitted to the commission to meet this reporting requirement. one on march 16, 2021 covering calendar year 2020, and one committed on march 2, 2022, covering calendar year 2021. this task was assigned to the investigationsburgh and investigations division based on the fact that the division routinely interacts with

federal government agencies. on background, the department general order 5.15, enforcement of immigration laws

specifically precludes our members from cooperating with or assisting i.c.e. or the border patrol in any such investigation where the express or implied purpose is the enforcement of federal immigration laws. it should also be noted that the san francisco immigration code, chapters 12-h and 12-i place several legal restrictions on sfpd when it comes to sharing information with federal authorities when it comes to the enforcement of federal immigration laws. section 12-h.2 prohibits our members from using any resources in the enforcement of federal immigration law or personal identifying information. for the calendar year 2021, there were a total of ten communications from i.c.e. requesting reports or materials

for the purpose of enforcement. two requests were made directly to the legal division via u.s. mail. these were denied via official letter to i.c.e. per general order 5.15. regardless of the erroneous report, the department was and is in compliance with general order 5.15, and no cooperation with i.c.e. or immigration enforcement took place in 2021. for the calendar year 2021, there were no communications either to or from the federal government regarding federalism grags detainers or federal notification requests as

presented in the report originally committed to the commission on february 2. an amended report is being submitted to the commission through sergeant youngblood. going forward, to ensure compliance in reporting on 5.15, we will be coordinating with all departments with regard to tracking all federal information in regards to 5.15 report. any questions? >> president cohen: yes, let's see. no names in the chat. colleagues, any questions for -- no, i see no -- people are shaking their head no. consider this a success. >> vice president elias: sorry.

was this -- i had a quick question. we received an updated report just a few minutes before the commission started. is that the one -- >> that's the one that has the ten -- it has ten in the box. >> vice president elias: why did they give it to us just before commission instead of on friday? >> well, i was on vacation last week, and so the -- my investigation into the numbers didn't commence until monday, so then, i was able to complete the report and submit it by today. >> vice president elias: okay. just in the future, we hold the department and d.p.a. to standards to make sure that we get this and the public has it. >> yeah, i understand that. i was on vacation. >> commissioner yee: i have one question. >> president cohen: okay. commissioner yee?

>> commissioner yee: yeah, just real quick questions. when you guys do police stops or what's it called? i guess -- i forgot what's it called, when you stop -- i guess, when you -- stopping drivers on the streets. what's that called? >> pretext stop? >> commissioner yee: not a pretext stop, but you're just doing a d.u.i. stop and stuff on that, do you have federal or other law enforcement joining the san francisco police department on these stops, as well? >> i believe possible on occasion traffic might do a collaboration with c.h.p., but i can tell you in regards to

5.15, we do not do any collaboration with i.c.e. or border patrol. >> commissioner yee: i understand that, but are there any other law agencies outside of san francisco police department and in conjunction with the san francisco police department? it's a yes or no >> you know, i couldn't answer that because i'm not in patrol, i'm in risk management. >> commissioner yee: okay. i'll end my question there. thank you. >> chief scott: sorry. so maybe i'll pick it up. who was your question with? >> commissioner yee: it could be, like, the federal government or the federal police or i guess the -- you know, the federal agencies, because sometimes -- >> chief scott: yes, we do investigations jointly with the f.b.i., a.t.f., our guns.

is that what you're asking about? >> commissioner yee: yeah. if there's d.u.i. stops, there's certain areas on geary boulevard -- >> chief scott: not on those types of local stops, no. >> commissioner yee: okay. thank you. >> president cohen: all right. seeing no other names in the chat, let's go to public comment. >> clerk: at this time, the public is welcome to make public comment regarding line item 9. if you would like to make public comment, press star, three now. and president cohen, there is no public comment. >> president cohen: thank you. let's call the next item. >> clerk: line item 10, update regarding central station tweet incident. central station twitter account liked a tweet regarding a

floydies-nft. while sfpd may not comment on the specific investigation as it is on going, the department will discuss the applicable policies and procedures governing the use of department social media accounts. >> president cohen: colleagues? >> chief scott: thank you, president cohen. i'm sorry. this is my presentation. so i will pick up where i last left off with the commission, i believe, two weeks ago, and that is that there are two on going investigations of this incident. one by the department of police accountability as i said i was last before the commission or when i reported on this, that when this incident surfaced, i immediately contacted director henderson regarding this, and there was a d.p.a. complaint

made by a community member, and d.p.a. has their investigation. we also have an internal affairs investigation on this, so i just wanted to preface my comments on that. there were two investigations happening. as far as the policies on how social media is used in the department, our policy is rooted in a department bulletin, and we will reissue this bulletin because it actually now expired. this bulletin started in 2016 is when it was first issued for the purpose or the management of social media accounts, and i'll read to you the relevant portions because it's very specific. the purpose of this bull ten is to outline the policy of the san francisco police department's official social media sites. the purpose of these sites is toen jabl the sfpd to post matters of public interest concerning the department's updates, new stories, and

photos.

i will say that this is a serious matter. it will be handled as a serious matter, and we will remind all of our captains and our f.o.b. of our social media policy, managing it, and making sure that the persons responsible for social media posts are in compliance with the policy just read to you so is -- to you. so i just want to tell you that

that is where we are regarding this d.p.a. complaint, and we will take this matter seriously. >> president cohen: thank you, chief. i see a question from commissioner yee. >> commissioner yee: thank you, madam president. chief scott, we live in instant news. you get on social media, you touch it, and you hit the wrong button, and i'm just wondering if we can revisit this policy, social media, and making sure

that whoever is inputting this is the only one that's inputting this. once you get it out there, if anybody can touch it in the station, i'm just wondering if one person can be controlling that. if there's too many, i like, you like, and pretty much we in

the san francisco likes it, and it's something that you own and we own, as well. just throwing that out there. >> chief scott: yes, sir, and thank you for that. there are a limited number of people that have access to the social media counts, so at the district station, there are members that manage the social media account. not everybody can get access to the social media account, and that's something that we may

have to take into account. >> commissioner yee: when it comes through, and they have no ability to like or tweet, that's protection for us.

>> president cohen: i see john hamasaki. >> commissioner hamasaki: i'm actually -- i'm good, thanks. my question was clarified. >> president cohen: director henderson, do you have a follow

up? >> i think the chief alluded to it, that the policy that we currently have is from 2016 and does not reflect the current uses and/or standards of social media policies, not reflective of best practices, which is why it was in the audience. at any time, d.p.a. remains at the ready to use any new or pending d.g.o. about redefining best practices for social media, and i think that would not just address this case but others in the future. that's all. >> president cohen: we'll take it. hamasaki, you're up. >> commissioner hamasaki: i'm actually good, president cohen, but thank you. >> president cohen: any other questions on social media? i just want to say we should be

writing d.p.a. in our d.g.o.s, just some additional oversight, which is not a bad thing. i see some heads nodding. i think the policy needs to be updated on a whole bunch of things that weren't available a few years ago. >> tag me, chief. i'm ready. >> president cohen: it sounds like we might have another award winning report coming to us. thank you. let's take public comment. >> clerk: at this time, the

public is welcome to make public comment on-line item 10. if you'd like to make public comment, press star, three now. good evening, caller. you have two minutes. >> hello. my name is susan buck land, and i'm with the core team of wealth and disparities. earlier tonight, we heard the disciplinary review findings for the third quarter 2021. this means that the first quarter 2022 will be reported six months from now. i predict you will be hearing the same things you are hearing tonight. there are no policy failures, no training failures.

perhaps it's not a problem with the culture of the officers, perhaps it's a problem with the culture of the entire san francisco police department. >> clerk: thank you. >> president cohen: thank you. >> clerk: president cohen, that is the end of public comment. >> president cohen: okay. next item, please. >> clerk: line item 11, public comment on all matters pertaining to item 13 below, closed session, including public comment on item 12, vote whether to hold item 13 in closed session. if you would like to make public comment on closed session, please press star, three now. and president cohen, there's no public comment. >> president cohen: okay. i appreciate that. please call the next item. >> clerk: line item 12, vote on whether to hold item 13 in

closed session, san francisco administrative code section 67.10 action. >> commissioner yee: i'll motion to go. >> president cohen: thank you. can i get a second? >> commissioner carter oberstone: second. >> vice president elias: okay. >> president cohen: all right. second made. can we call the roll? >> clerk: on the motion to go into closed session -- [roll call] >> clerk: you have seven yeses.

. >> president cohen:--seconded by commissioner elias. let's call the roll. >> clerk: on the motion not to disclose -- [roll call] >> clerk: you have seven yeses. >> president cohen: great. thank you. please call the next item. >> clerk: line item 13, adjournment, action item. >> president cohen: all right. ladies and gentlemen, is there a motion to adjourn? motion made by commissioner elias, seconded by commissioner yee. >> commissioner hamasaki: good luck. thank you. >> president cohen: thank you. >> commissioner hamasaki: i'm going to miss you.

>> 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.

>> the city has undertaken a pilot program to hook up private

privately -- owned hotels. >> the community members say this is helpful for them especially for the seniors and families with kids from seniors being able to connect with the family during the pandemic and too watch the news has been really helpful during this time where they are stuck inside and are not able to go outside. for families it is important to stay connected to go to school, to get connected so they can submit resumes to find jobs during the pandemic. [speaking foreign language]

>> challenges that might seem for the fiber in chinatown is pretty congested. the fiber team found ways around that. they would have to do things such as overnight work in the manholes to get across through busy intersections, and i think the last challenge is a lot of buildings we worked on were built in the early 1900s and they are not fitted with the typical infrastructure you would put in a new building. we overcame that with creative ideas, and we continue to connect more sites like this. >> high-speed internet has become a lifesaver in the modern era. i am delighted that we completed three buildings or in the process of completing two more. i want to thank our department of technology that has done this by themselves. it is not contracted out. it is done by city employees.

i am proud and i want to take a moment to celebrate what we are doing.

>> my name is holly i'm been in enterprise software training for 10 years that expired film and art and voice-over week work and all kinds of work. >> i'm jane a program director for the state of california i have the privilege of working on special technology projects for

the depth of the technology a passion for helping people and a passion for doing work that makes a difference and makes me feel good at night and i think about what i did today and helping every single person in the city as. >> a technology professional a need for more women and more women in leadership roles the diversity and the leadership pipeline is an area that needs a little bit of love. >> a lot of love. >> a whole lost love. >> i'll contribute for the change for women's equality by showing up and demonstrating that the face of success schizophrenia came come in a variety of corresponds. >> they're a lot of roadblocks for san francisco when it comes

to our proposition and finding a play for information that has how to start and grow management so we started to build the san francisco business portal not just consults or the taxpayers and voters they're actually customers we are the government serving the consumers in our neighborhood i point to at least one best that i personally touched with one way or another and makes me feel good about the projects like the business portal and in embarking on this new exciting journey of finding better and efficient ways to deliver services to san franciscans i sit through a lot of senior management meetings i'm the only woman in the room i know that

our c i o is tried to recruit for women and a male dominated environment. >> i've felt unbounded and inspired to pursue a lot of things over time i recognize to be cricked in ways i didn't anticipate you know i've followed the calling but now put me in a position to spend most of my time doing things i love this is the whole point; right? you ought to feel inspired in our work and found opportunities to have you're work put you in service for others and happy doing what you're spending so much time. >> my father was a journalist lift and my mom a teacher when we finally decided to give up

their lives because of me and now i actually get to serve the city and county of san francisco it makes me feel really, really good not this didn't happen overnight i've worked my entire life to get to this point and much more to learn and i have a lot of changes ahead. >> really think about what moves you what you're pat's about and trust that you are sufficient and enough where you are to begin and then is her that you are being tenacious about getting to the next place in the evolution but by all means start with you are and know that's enough

>> on behalf of the san francisco office and historical society, our partners and sponsors, welcome to the 2022 black history month kickoff program. i am aloe williams, president of the society's board of directors. the society was founded in 1955. in 1958, it merged with a local chapter of the association for the study of african-american life and history, which is better known as the national group which started the

celebration of what is now black history month. that is the society became the official sponsor of black history month in san francisco. from the beginning, the society has centred its black history month activities around the theme established by the group. the national 2022 black history month theme is black health and wellness. today's program and other society programs throughout the month of february will address this theme. we hope you will enjoy and be informed by today's program. as is our custom and tradition, today's program will begin with an invocation. the reverend amos brown, senior pastor of third baptist church in san francisco will provide today gigi invocation. the invocation will be followed by the singing of the negro national anthem by the soul singer. [♪♪♪]

>> it is significant that we have chosen this year as the national theme that we are focusing on the health and wellness of this african-american community. need i remind you, history calls on us. and because of that, mid atlantic slave trade, our ancestors were robbed of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. and the quality of life was compromised because of the way we were treated.

we were not even considered human. in fact,, the constitution of this nation defined us, at one point as being three fifths human. consequently, when this elected policy treated us as not being human, we got less than quality food, quality healthcare, quality mental health, and a quality environment to live in. friends, that is un-american. that is inhumane and that is the height of egocentrism and selfishness. i hope that out of our

celebrating this african-american history month, we shall collectively, in our city, work to correct the age-old historical disparities. it has experienced -- it has caused us to experience hypertension and strokes, doubled and almost tripled in some communities than that of the majority of cultures. women disproportionately dying of uterine cancer, breast cancer, and we have been challenged with the age-old's -- age old sickness of sickle-cell

anemia. in addition to that, and too many of our communities, there have been food deaths. we are not eating a healthy diet. consequently, we need to be creative and think outside of the box and make sure that we have, in our communities, stores that will sell as quality food and never as it has been document lee reported, leftovers. we don't need any more hush money thrown at us. during the days of enslavement when those who worked in the big house and finished cooking for those who enslaved us, whatever grease and cornmeal that was left, many times they had to

take the cornmeal and grease and make hushpuppies to sustain themselves. and then there were times when the dogs would be out barking and they were hungry too. some of them would throw out hushpuppies and say, hush, puppy or hush, dog. that says to us, symbolically, and in some instances actually, we should stop accepting leftovers, prongs, and that which others would not want to eat into our bodies. finally, let me say, help also is maintained by people having a sense of belonging.

a sense of belonging. psychiatrists and psychologists have documented the fact that whenever a group of people feel that they are invisible people, that they are not connected, that they are not respected and not regarded, they develop mental challenges. and you all have heard, i'm sure, about the posttraumatic stress syndrome. we have too much stress in our communities. from noise, guns, and violence. and many times that violence comes from the tone. how we talk to each other, how we treat each other. so what is the answer?

we need to work towards creating what dr. martin luther king jr. by teaching this, what was that? the establishment of a beloved community in which we first learn how to reasonably and rationally respect our self-worth. and secondly, the obligation of society to make up for times in which we were wrong and we received payback for the times that our watering holes, our community gatherings were destroyed by so-called urban renewal. it was not urban renewal -- urban renewal, but it was black removal. i will not go into detail dealing with the specificities, but in the city and county of

san francisco, we have to do more than just calm -- call on god or pray to god. we must work collectively in a responsible, realistic, righteous way to restore every historical center were african-americans were embattled. commerce, cultural celebration, and having a place to say that this is ours as sons and daughters. [♪♪♪] let us pray. [singing]

[singing] will [singing]

[singing] >> we will now have readings from the mayor of the city and county of san francisco. the honorable london breed and the president of the san francisco board of supervisors, supervisor walton. >> hi. i am mayor london breed. thank you for joining as as we kick off black history month in

san francisco. this year's theme of black health and wellness is not just a response to covid. it is celebrating the black health care workers who have provided culturally competent care for our families for generations. from the black doctors and nurses in today's hospital. to the doolittle and the healers in the field when our ancestors were in play. it is honoring the leader who fought to open clinics that served black people when hospitals would turn us away. it is recognizing the contributions of black scholars and practitioners like dr. carlton goodwin who was more than just a black physician in san francisco. he was a civil rights leader. he was a newspaper publisher. he advocated for black people and told our stories in our own voice. in celebrating black history month this year, we are renewing our commitment to ensure the next generation has equitable

access to health and wellness resources, including cancer treatment, nutrition, and preventative care to mental health, therapy, and mindfulness. as a kid in the western addition, we were lucky to have the health center that served our neighborhood with compassion and care. even today, while we are living in the era of vaccines and testing, there's still a lot of elders in our community who do not trust modern medicine, and with good reason. we have all heard the stories of how black people were used for cruel experiments under the guise of medicine. that is why it is so critical to create a holistic, inclusive, and black system that can break down the barriers for health care to everyone. programs like the abundant birth project. a project that provides guaranteed income to support black mothers during pregnancy and after giving birth. our dream keeper initiative has

committed $60 million annually for the black community of san francisco, with $14.9 million to expanding and sustaining black health and wellness programs. i'm excited for a future where everyone has equitable access to healthcare and wellness resources. thank you to al williams and the san francisco historical society for helping us host this event today. thank you for joining us to celebrate and honor the history, health, and lives of black people in this city. [♪♪♪] >> good afternoon. this is president of the san francisco board of supervisors, representing district 10. first of all, i want to start off by saying, happy black history month and wishing you many blessings this year for 2022. i also want to thank the san francisco african-american

historical and cultural society for always remembering to bring us together as a people. to celebrate the contributions of black people, not only here in san francisco, but across the country. each year we come together at city hall to kick off black history month. and as we know, every day is black history. it is very important to highlight those contributions and it is really important to kickoff black history month in that fashion, reflective of the city supporting black people. i also want to take the time to say that my fraternity brother, carter woodson started black history month, which originally started as negro history week. so that we could look at all the things that black people were doing here in the united states, contributing to society and making sure that everyone knew and understood black folks are

intelligent, black folks are human beings, and black folks are people who need to be celebrated here in this country. as we come together for another black history program, unfortunately we are not able to do this in person again this year. i want everyone to remember your history. remember that you are great. remember that you come from greatness, and remember that you are special. happy black history month, and again, i want to thank the san francisco african-american historical and cultural society for bringing us back together. [♪♪♪] >> thank you, mayor breed and supervisor walton. debate area company will now share with us their rendition of rooting for everybody black.

>> i root for everybody black. everybody black is my hometown team. everybody black dropped the hardest album of the year, easy. everybody black is in this show, so i am watching. everybody black is in this movie, so i am watching. everybody black's new book was beautiful. how you don't know about everybody black? everybody black is mad underrated. everybody black reminds me of someone i know. i love seeing everybody black to succeed. everybody black deserves the promotion more than anybody. i want everybody black to find somebody special.

[ indiscernible ] >> i met everybody black once and they are super chill and down-to-earth. i believe in everybody black. >> there's something about everybody black. [applause] [♪♪♪] >> we now have readings from the san francisco assessor reporter, joaquin torres. >> hello. i am the assessor recorder in the city and county of san francisco, wishing all of you a wonderful start to black history month. here in san francisco we are grateful for the contributions african-americans made with

building and strengthening our culture and autonomy, and for advancing our pursuit before a more equitable society. to our history making mayor, london breed, african-americans have elevated san francisco to world-renowned places. as we reflect on those contributions, let it fuel our ongoing and collective goal towards justice. as dr. king said, we are tied in a single garment of destiny. whatever offences directly affects all of us indirectly. this one,'s workers and his actions ground us in the purpose to advance black health and well-being as we work to close racial inequity and we fight for voting rights, pay equity, access to excellent healthcare and police reform, the work that

we do offers tribute to those leaders who have come before us and for those who have laid the path using the diversity of practices to move our hearts and our minds towards a more humane and just world. some of them have left us this year. sydney paktia -- desmond tutu, sidney potier. the society, who since 1955 has made sure we know where we come from and continues to lead the effort and timeline to celebrate african-americans in the bay area through one of the art -- oldest collections of art and recordings. for you, in appreciation of your work to keep these traditions of black history month alive and present and to preserve the rich history of african-american culture in san francisco, so we present to you a certificate of

honor to thank you for your service. happy black history month. >> thank you, assessor torres. it is now my honor to briefly introduce the keynote speaker. dr. jonathan butler. he is a faith leader and community activist. is a postdoctoral fellow at the university of california san francisco and holds a ph.d. degree in medical sociology and a master of divinity in religion and health. he is a social epidemiologist and minister with interest in the role of religion of childhood experiences and psychological stress on health outcomes. dr. butler is also the executive director of the san francisco african-american faith-based coalition, which seeks to address food security in san francisco and whose mission is to mobilize the city and its

resources to eliminate health disparities and inequities in the african-american community. with that, i give you the keynote speaker, dr. jonathan butler who will share his thoughts and suggestions on the subject of black health and wellness. >> my name is dr. jonathan butler. i am grateful to the san francisco african-american historical society for the invitation to speak for this year's black history month kickoff in san francisco. i served as executive director of the san francisco faith-based coalition. the coalition of 21 churches with a mission to eliminate health disparities and serve as an associate minister at the stork baptist church and a researcher in the department of family and community medicine at the university of california, san francisco. this year's black history theme is black health and wellness. when i think of black health and wellness i am reminded of the

same principle that symbolizes it is taken from the past what is good and bring it into the present in order to make a positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge. it is a word that translates to retrieve and to go back, to get, to return, to seek and to take. and to understand who we are today in terms of our black health and wellness. we must go back and learn from the history of yesteryear. that's why i am delighted to greet you from the motherland. i am currently in ghana and i have been able to experience the culture here, taste the food, but to visit the coast slave castle, which has been an overwhelming experience. just imagine that castle. up to 2,000 men and female slaves who were shackled and crammed in the castle ventilated

dungeons with nose to lie down and very little light without water or sanitation. the dungeon was littered with human waste and men were separated from the women. the captives regularly raped the health -- helpless women. it also featured these confinement sales. -- cells. small, pitch black prisoners. once they step foot in the castle, they could spend up to three months in captivity. imagine living in these dungeons. defecating on themselves, standing near corpses. under these dreadful conditions until they were shifted into the new world. and then for them to cross the atlantic, from being thrown off the ship's, to come to places

like the united states, africans were then hunted like animals, captures, sold, tortured and raped. they experienced the worst kind of physical, emotional, sake will -- psychological abuse. you can imagine how traumatizing the slavery was. emancipation was followed by 100 more years of institutionalized racism through the enactment of black coals, convict lease -- convict leasing, lynching, these violations continue. and when combined with the crimes of the past as dr. joyce states, it results in unmeasured injuries. so to understand where we have come helps to delay the

necessary foundation to ensure that everyone lives equality and sustained life for future generations to come. so first when we think about black health and wellness, we have to think now about not only what we eat, how often we exercise, how often we get the sleep that we need, but we must understand the stressors and trauma and how they are measured comprehensively. we don't only experience racism and discrimination. there is financial stress and work stress and the work-family spillover type of stress. neighborhood stress. all of those stressors combined has damaging impacts on our physical and mental health. blacks especially are additionally harmed by this racism and discrimination. this -- these stressors

proliferate over the life course and across generations and it widens the health gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged group members. to address these types of health inequities, we must focus on the structural conditions that put people at risk for these stressors. we should focus on programs and policies and all levels that address the social conditions. let's look at this stress phenomenon. this trauma little deeper. what we mean by stress is being stressed out. feeling overwhelmed. out of control, exhausted. anxious. frustrated, angry. what happens to us when we feel these types of stressors. we don't get enough sleep. we eat too much of the wrong thing. we drink excessively. we smoke, we neglect to

moderately exercise that can reduce these stressors. the succession -- this success of these stressors -- [ indiscernible ] and when the brain perceives and experiences stressors, there's certain loads the where of tear move -- of our body throughout. this is why we experience many

cases of diabetes and hypertension and obesity, but it is the racism and the discrimination that is correlated with this substandard employment housing, education, income, access to health services that is associated with risks that include occupational hazards, exposure to toxic substances and allergens in the home, and low-quality schooling and lack of availability, at easy access to illicit drugs and alcohol, violent neighborhoods, environmental exposures, to these daily stressful events of living in poverty, racism, oppression, inequality, sexism, classism calls for us to come together and advocate what it is that we desire.

we have to deal with damaged, fragmented, disrupted social relations, social networks and infrastructure of support. you have to deal with the social efficacy. we have to deal with an elevation of the structural and destructive social norms promoting violence and unhealthy behaviors. what do we need to advocate for? we need sustainable community economic development. we need restorative justice. we need healing circles. we need to reclaim and improve our public spaces that have often been stolen from us. even in places like ghana. we need to advocate for shifting community norms and enhance the social connection and networks

that we have had before. we need to rebuild intergenerational connections and relationships and organize and promote positive community activity and provide more of a voice and an element of power for community folks around shifting and changing the environment as well as our structural factors. we need to create safe public spaces through improvements in our built environment by addressing parks and housing quality and transportation. reclaim and improve our public spaces. we have experienced this community level trauma. it is not just the aggregate of the individuals in the neighborhood who have experienced trauma from

exposures to violence, but there are manifestations or symptoms of community trauma. community trauma is cumulative in synergistic impact and regular instance of interpersonal violence. historical and intergenerational violence and continual exposures to structural violence. for us to become a people who have good quality of life, for us to address this issue of creating a healthy community, we must come together. we must demand what was stolen from us. i would like to end my conversation with a statement about our faith. a connection to faith has long been recognized as having a deeply profound impact on our social and emotional well-being. and throughout history, a connection to a higher power has

been the cornerstone of resilience and empowerment that has sustained generations of individuals from the african diaspora. trauma and health disparities face historically and currently african and african americans that contribute to the enduring legacy of faith and spirituality. to this day, it remains a powerful source of hopeful light for the community. when we help -- we think of health and wellness, we think of bringing us together. [♪♪♪] >> thank you for those inspiring, informative, and thought-provoking remarks on the 2020 black history month theme, black health and wellness. you are certainly giving us a great deal on things to think about and to think on for the days and months ahead. once again, we now go to some more performances. [♪♪♪]

[singing]

[singing] [singing]

[♪♪♪] >> thank you for another great performance. we hope you have enjoyed today's program. we look forward to seeing you at our genealogy resources program. and other programs on february 19th through 26th. last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank our sponsors and everyone who support made this program and all of our programs possible. we look forward to seeing you in person or virtually at these

upcoming programs. until then, please stay safe. now, i leave you with a closing performance by the singer, rubble. [♪♪♪] [♪♪♪] [singing]

[singing] [singing]

[singing]

[singing]

[singing] dev mission's goal is aiming to train young adults,

youth so we can be a wealth and disparity in underserved communities like where we are today. my name is leo sosa. i'm the founder and executive director for devmission. we're sitting inside a computer lab where residents come and get support when they give help about how to set up an e-mail account. how to order prescriptions online. create a résumé. we are also now paying attention to provide tech support. we have collaborated with the san francisco mayor's office and the department of technology to implement a broad band network for the residents here so they can have free

internet access. we have partnered with community technology networks to provide computer classes to the seniors and the residents. so this computer lab becomes a hub for the community to learn how to use technology, but that's the parents and the adults. we have been able to identify what we call a stem date. the acronym is science technology engineering and math. kids should be exposed no matter what type of background or ethnicity or income status. that's where we actually create magic. >> something that the kids are really excited about is science and so the way that we execute that is through making slime. and as fun as it is, it's still a chemical reaction and you start to understand that with the materials that you need to make the slime. >> they love adding their little twists to everything. it's just a place for them to

experiment and that's really what we want. >> i see. >> really what the excitement behind that is that you're making something. >> logs, legos, sumo box, art, drawing, computers, mine craft, and really it's just awaking opportunity. >> keeping their attention is like one of the biggest challenges that we do have because, you know, they're kids. they always want to be doing something, be helping with something. so we just let them be themselves. we have our set of rules in place that we have that we want them to follow and live up to. and we also have our set of expectations that we want them to achieve. this is like my first year officially working with kids. and definitely i've had moments where they're not getting something. they don't really understand it and you're trying to just talk to them in a way that they can make it work teaching them in different ways how they can get the light bulb to go off and

i've seen it first-hand and it makes me so happy when it does go off because it's like, wow, i helped them understand this concept. >> i love playing games and i love having fun with my friends playing dodge ball and a lot of things that i like. it's really cool. >> they don't give you a lot of cheese to put on there, do they? you've got like a little bit left. >> we learn programming to make them work. we do computers and programming. at the bottom here, we talk to them and we press these buttons

to make it go. and this is to turn it off. and this is to make it control on its own. if you press this twice, it can do any type of tricks. like you can move it like this and it moves. it actually can go like this. >> like, wow, they're just absorbing everything. so it definitely is a wholehearted moment that i love experiencing. >> the realities right now, 5.3 latinos working in tech and about 6.7 african americans working in tech. and, of course, those tech companies are funders. so i continue to work really hard with them to close that gap and work with the san francisco unified school district so juniors and seniors come to our program, so kids

come to our stem hub and be exposed to all those things. it's a big challenge. >> we have a couple of other providers here on site, but we've all just been trying to work together and let the kids move around from each department. some kids are comfortable with their admission, but if they want to jump in with city of dreams or hunter's point, we just try to collaborate to provide the best opportunity in the community. >> devmission has provided services on westbrook. they teach you how to code. how to build their own mini robot to providing access for the youth to partnerships with adobe and sony and google and twitter. and so devmission has definitely brought access for our families to resources that our residents may or may not have been able to access in the

past. >> the san francisco house and development corporation gave us the grant to implement this program. it hasn't been easy, but we have been able to see now some of the success stories of some of those kids that have been able to take the opportunity and continue to grow within their education and eventually become a very successful citizen. >> so the computer lab, they're doing the backpacks. i don't know if you're going to be able to do the class. you still want to try? . yeah. go for it. >> we have a young man by the name of ivan mello. he came here two and a half years ago to be part of our digital arts music lab. graduating with natural, fruity loops, rhymes. all of our music lyrics are clean. he came as an intern, and now he's running the program.

that just tells you, we are only creating opportunities and there's a young man by the name of eduardo ramirez. he tells the barber, what's that flyer? and he says it's a program that teaches you computers and art. and i still remember the day he walked in there with a baseball cap, full of tattoos. nice clean hair cut. i want to learn how to use computers. graduated from the program and he wanted to work in i.t.. well, eduardo is a dreamer. right. so trying to find him a job in the tech industry was very challenging, but that didn't stop him. through the effort of the office of economic work force and the grant i reached out to a few folks i know. post mates decided to bring him

on board regardless of his legal status. he ended his internship at post mates and now is at hudacity. that is the power of what technology does for young people that want to become part of the tech industry. what we've been doing, it's very innovative. helping kids k-12, transitional age youth, families, parents, communities, understand and to be exposed to stem subjects. imagine if that mission one day can be in every affordable housing community. the opportunities that we would create and that's what i'm trying to do with this

>> everything is done in-house. i think it is done. i have always been passionate about gelato. every single slaver has its own recipe. we have our own -- we move on from there. so you have every time a unique experience because that slaver is the flavored we want to make. union street is unique because of the neighbors and the location itself. the people that live around here i love to see when the street is

full of people. it is a little bit of italy that is happening around you can walk around and enjoy shopping with gelato in your hand. this is the move we are happy to provide to the people. i always love union street because it's not like another commercial street where you have big chains. here you have the neighbors. there is a lot of stories and the neighborhoods are essential. people have -- they enjoy having their daily or weekly gelato. i love this street itself. >> we created a move of an area where we will be visiting. we want to make sure that the area has the gelato that you like. what we give back as a shop owner is creating an ambient

lifestyle. if you do it in your area and if you like it, then you can do it on the streets you like.

>> welcome to our city's newest park, the park at 5m. welcome to our city's newest hub of creativity, commerce, and community. welcome, everyone, to 5m. [applause] >> this is an exciting day that has been more than a decade in the making, but it's just the start of great things to come for the people who live, work, and spend time here at 5m. when we broke ground, we were surrounded by four acres of mostly parking lots. today, brookfield properties is proud to announce the completion of its development commitment. the first is the parks at 5m.

about the size of five basketball courts, this is the city's largest privately owned open space. it has been wonderful to see just the immediate reaction that we've had to this open space from the neighbors that have come in today. this stage directly connects to the dempster building. children from all ages will be able to play in our play area, which is right behind the camline building, and our lawn areas, as well. dog owners used to walk their dogs here in the parking lot because there were so few places to go. now, they can chase their tails in an area made just for them. this here is 415 natoma. it is a 25-story office

building designed by k.t.f. 5m opens into a courtyard of terrace spaces. to my left, right here, is the george apartment building, with 302 rental units, which is now leasing. it includes 98 middle-income units, including housing units for seniors and formerly homeless individuals. finally, the two historic buildings were also renovated: the camline building that is

earmarked for retail and nonprofit uses, and the dempster building. new tenants, programming, and residents will bring energy to the site. beginning this spring, community programming for the parks at 5m will feature a mix of events, performances, art, and food curated by brookfield properties. our long-standing community members will be on this property. off the grid will return with popular weekday lunch markets. cast will take its programming outside of the walls through that door and host a series of arts and cultural programming featuring its tenants and partners. we are incredibly proud to have worked with so many individuals and organizations to help create this transformation. this is a testament to our

sponsors and collaborators, and we are very, very happy to have completed this project without a delay through the pandemic, and it's a great testament to the tenacity of our team that we were able to do that. residents are moving into the george. we have some residents right now. the dempcenter is now home to push dance company and women's audio commission, and soon, we'll be home to restauranteurs, nonprofits, and community. i'd also like to thank ann topier, judson true, former supervisor jane kim, and laura

cressemata, and the architects for their incredible design of 415 natoma, among others. and of course, i'd like to thank our incredible team, current and past. a special thank you to mayor breed for your support of 5m, your leadership and relentless efforts to create more housing for all income levels in the city. we appreciate your efforts to help all people of ages, background, and income in the city. please welcome mayor london breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed:

hello, everyone. i am so happy to be here, to see the almost completion of this beautiful project, 5m, which has been going on, jack told me, for 14 years, and we just broke ground in 2019, and here we are, just a few years later, and look at the magic that can be created as a result of us coming together to push projects like this in san francisco. i can't even believe it. i was here for the topping off ceremony of the george. not the george in washington, d.c., the george in san francisco, and when i think about what this project means to this community, the fact that we have this open space, this building that supports artists, and artists performing here, the community, the

people, this project and what it will do for this community will be something that we can all be proud of. we've worked really hard to ensure that this project, we worked hard to make sure that we implemented neighborhood preference. now, when i was on the board of supervisors, we got neighborhood preference passed. it's been very challenging to implement because of other state and federal laws, but we got it done, and as a result of our work, 40% of the affordable units built in this project will go to people who live here first. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and before neighborhood preference, that was not happening, and the community was asked to support projects like this, and they fought for projects like this, and now, they're a part of projects like this.

and i see rudy walking through the crowd from united playas, like they're coming to do something on the stage. they put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this project, facing opposition to this community, and united playas fought to make sure this happened. and none of us could have thought that the pandemic would set us back, but the 1200 people who helped to make this project possible, their jobs continued as a result of our work, and they got this project done. just imagine if we didn't do that. just imagine the number of

people who would not have housing because we delayed it due to the pandemic. we knew that we could build housing safely, and that's exactly what we did. and now, as a result of waiting five years, this project, after breaking ground in 2019, is done. what year is this? i keep forgetting, because i don't count 2020 anymore. i stip that year, but the work that we're continuing to do and to revitalize this downtown corridor, we are trying to make this feel like a neighborhood, that there's a dog run and there's open space, and there's family that can interact with our senior.

there's so much amazing things that is happening in san francisco, and this is a testament to what happens when we work together with the private sector, with nonprofits, with the board of supervisors, with my office. anything is possible, and my commitment to eliminate bureaucracy is someone that i will continue to push for so that bureaucracies do not stop projects like this. people are counting on us to make it easier to do business in san francisco.

to cass, to united playas, and i know that rudy is going to work hard to make sure that filipino seniors are going to get in this housing. they said mayor, don't forget about us. when we get through down the street with that housing, we are going to make sure that they are up there. last but not least, before i leave, i want to take a moment to really recognize someone who has been in the news world for over 30 years. i remember watching him on ktvu

when i was a kid. today is rob ross' last day on ktvu, and we just want to let you know how much we appreciate you, your objective reporting, your commitment to san francisco, sending your kids through the public school system, your love for the city, but also, your ability to bring the news to us in a way that we would understand and sometimes be concerned, but more importantly, be excited and feeling good about san francisco, so we appreciate your reporting. we wish you a wonderful retirement. thank you so much, rob, for your work in san francisco. and with that, thank you so much all for being here, and i think i want to turn it over to -- i'll turn it back -- okay. supervisor haney? i'll introduce supervisor haney. so supervisor haney and i have been working around the clock, sometimes fighting with each

other, but more importantly, making sure when the time comes to do the important work, that we are aligned, that we work together, because we know that people are counting on us to deliver for them. so i really enjoyed working with them on this project, but a number of housing in his district. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the supervisor for district 6, matt haney. [applause] >> supervisor haney: all right. it's on. well, first of all, welcome, everyone. this is a beautiful day to open what is an incredible beautiful space, and i want to thank mayor breed and her team. she has been working so hard to

get more housing built in our city. she has a piece of legislation called cars to houses, which turns areas like what used to be a parking lot, like what we have here, into housing, and seeing this transformed into a beautiful form of housing, this is what can happen when we listen to the community. thank you, brookfield, for the way that you've gone about this. we are here in the middle of the filipino cultural district, for a long time, the home of filipinos here in our city, and to be able to sit here and say that the filipino community, united playas, were a part of this since the beginning and helped to shape it is a huge

testament to what is possible in our city. contrary to what people may say, san franciscans want more housing. they want more housing. they just want to make sure it's housing they can access. they want to make sure it's housing that includes community and open space. they want to make sure when we build housing, that we do it with them and for them, and that's what we've done in this project. this is a very happy day in our city when we're building more housing. it's an even happier day for our city when we're building more housing, and for the south of market neighborhood, you deserve to have more housing in your communities, but you deserve to have open space, you deserve to have places for young people to come and grow, and know this is a place that they can live here and thrive here for many years to come.

i don't see her here, but i want to thank my predecessor, jane kim, for her leadership. she really stormed this through the process, and i get to be here to espouse what it would mean for our future, so thank you to everyone who was a part of that, to our city departments, rudy's here, to all of the architects, the funders, to the hearst corporation, thank you. the future of this neighborhood will be bright, and this will be an important central part of what makes it so. thank you. >> thank you so much.

i'm jocelyn, community engager for brookfield properties, and i grew up just a block away from 5m. 5m was created from a decade of partnerships with the community and the city, including organizations that truly make a difference in soma, and those partnerships made this project possible. those partnerships made 5m better. they are relationships steeped in the history of this neighborhood, especially the filipino community, and because of community participate, we learned what was important to the neighborhood. it's why there's a playground right around the corner, adorned with screens inspired by filipino textile patterns. it's why we provided support for the filipino cultural heritage district. neighborhood incubators, senior housing, women's programs, and

youth in arts and cultural programs. 5ms community d.n.a. was created by groups like united playas and cass, and for those members of the open space advisory board, which was created to ensure that we rely on community input, thank you. we built a park that made sense for the neighborhood now and in the future. this is a special day. these relationships will continue to help us provide programming for the parks and ideas moving forward. thank you to our partners for your passion, commitment, and per severance, and your continued partnership. one of our great partners, cass, the community arts

stabilization trust, and you see the building right behind me, they are housed right there, each day, they make it possible for more arts and artists, creative entrepreneurs, and arts and cultural organizations to continue to inspire us here in the city and the bay area. their inspiration of arts and culture in the dempster building is critical to the development of arts in the building. so please welcome their executive director. [applause] >> i have to put on these sexy reading glasses.

thank you, jocelyn. as she said in her introduction, her very kind introduction, i'm the executive director of community arts stabilization trust, otherwise known as c.a.s.t. i want to thank the mayor, supervisor haney, brookfield properties, and the entire neighborhood for your support. c.a.s.t. is a living laboratory that creates permanent, i said permanent, affordable space for artists, creative entrepreneurs, and arts and culture organizations in one of the most expensive regions to live and work in the u.s. we use financing and structural models to make and steward space to secure opportunities for the future and the present. we believe, as i think do you, arts and culture play a role in preserving the fabric of a

neighborhood. arts and culture such as women's audio mission, w.a.m., push dance, who you just saw open the ceremonies, have a new home right behind you in the dempster building. they are pushing the boundaries of creativity and equity while also creating community cohesion. c.a.s.t. wants to make sure that artists have an opportunity to grow in the community. now you may be thinking, what additional new programs are happening, so let me give you a little preview. among the prospective developments this year are a community mural for the

building's exterior and a chance for the arts and culture neighborhood to create a new name that captures the resilience and energy of the region. we want to thank hewlett, foundation for the arts, start small, mobile coin foundation. it is this day that reinforces all of our commitment to the arts, to bolster our commitment to this area, the bay area. thank you. [applause] >> and now, another community partner that we have. i'd like to introduce rudy

corpus, jr., a long time leader for youth advocacy and has been a resident of soma, whose whole family has been here for decades. an organization that is rooted into ensuring safe places for youth and young children to shine. >> we here, y'all. first of all, i would like to say thank you to 5m, brookfield, the hearst family, london breed. you know, i'm from the city just like you from the city. i'm born and raised in this neighborhood, so when they asked us to come, we walked here. and when we're done, we going to walk back because guess what? we belong here. this is our neighborhood, this is our community.

our motto is it takes the hood to save the hood. what does that mean? that means all of us collectively, the mayor, the homeless people, the drug dealers, everyone in this community makes collectively this neighborhood happen. now, one important thing that i want to say is the mayor -- the late mayor, ed lee, who was a big -- who made a big impact in this process of happening, may he rest in peace. he was there and fought, and if there's one thing we like, you know that, london, we like to fight. one thing that i understand and i know about community building with one another, that we can only be stronger when we work together, so when you see all of us as part of coming together, these are the things

that happen. this right here was a parking lot that was dilapidated. it had rats, it had homelessness, it had nothing up in here. so for the project to be built and be full of people that you see in front of you now is a win-win situation, so i want to see this lastly. what made this project happen was the tremendous women that made this happen. this is women's month, right? march 1. like misha, like carla, like jocelyn, like jane kim. there's so many women -- like alexa, who used to work for 5m. there's so many women who helped make this happen, that you should see the strength of

the women that helped make this right here? we're here, and we're going to continue to be here. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, rudy, and thank you to all of our speakers. we're looking forward to seeing all of you on thursday, march 3, at 4:00, for our larger grand opening celebration event. i'd like to call my fellow speakers up to the stage in order for our ceremonial ribbon cutting photo. if i could have my colleague jocelyn step up to the stage, and then moi and rudy. supervisor matt haney, as soon as he's done with the photo, and then, mayor london breed, as well.

>> we are providing breakfast, lunch, and supper for the kids. >> say hi. hi. what's your favorite? the carrots. >> the pizza? >> i'm not going to eat the pizza. >> you like the pizza? >> they will eat anything. >> yeah, well, okay. >> sfusd's meal program right now is passing out five days worth of meals for monday through friday. the program came about when the shelter in place order came about for san francisco. we have a lot of students that depend on school lunches to meet their daily nutritional

requirement. we have families that can't take a hit like that because they have to make three meals instead of one meal. >> for the lunch, we have turkey sandwiches. right now, we have spaghetti and meat balls, we have chicken enchiladas, and then, we have cereals and fruits and crackers, and then we have the milk. >> we heard about the school districts, that they didn't know if they were going to be able to provide it, so we've

been successful in going to the stores and providing some things. they've been helpful, pointing out making sure everybody is wearing masks, making sure they're staying distant, and everybody is doing their jobs, so that's a great thing when you're working with many kid does. >> the feedback has been really good. everybody seems really appreciative. they do request a little bit more variety, which has been hard, trying to find different types of food, but for the most part, everyone seems appreciative. growing up, i depended on them, as well, so it reminds me of myself growing up. >> i have kids at home.

i have six kids. i'm a mother first, so i'm just so glad to be here. it's so great to be able to help them in such a way because some families have lost their job, some families don't have access to this food, and we're just really glad to be

>> if i could have your attention. thank you. the look around the room, it is wonderful to see your faces. it is really a pleasure to see wisdom, strength, bravery and leadership. all of the great attributes for the year of the tiger. [applause] >> thank you for being here. on behalf of the heritage foundation, thank you so much for coming to this afternoon's lunar celebration. i am the board chair of the foundation. the foundation's mission is to

promote awareness of the asian pacific cultural heritage and great opportunities for community collaboration. the main event is a celebration of the apa heritage month in may. you will learn more about that later this afternoon. this seven's event will not be possible without all committee members and volunteers. we also are thank full to the reception sponsor amazon. let's give them all a warm round of applause. thank you so much. [applause] now to start our program i have the great pleasure to introduce san francisco's city administrator carmen chu. i really don't have to say more than that, right?

carmen chu. how much more do i need to say? i have a list. a career in public service. mayor's office of public policy finance. elected to serve as district 4 supervisor for two terms. following which she was elected to serve as city assessor. last february carmen was appointed by may or london breed to be the san francisco city administrator overseeing 25 city agendas. please welcome carmen chu. [applause] >> good evening everybody. i am carmen chu, san francisco city administrator. as you can tell from the buzz of conversation the happy faces that we have here that we are so excited to be back in person to celebrate the lunar new year.

[applause] on behalf of the city and county, on behalf of mayor london breed, board of supervisors and elected officials and department heads today we want to wish all of you a very, very happy year of the tiger. (applause). cheers. come on. [cheers and applause.] i want to give a shout out and thank you to jj and claudine who have worked tirelessly to organize this event to make sure we start the year of the tiger off right. claudine, please come on up. yes, you. [applause] here is the certificate of honor on behalf of the san francisco city administrator's office. thank you. [applause]

>> i saw on your script it was five more minutes. co-chairs, please join me. we need to welcome former mayor. thank you for being here. let's start with celebrating lunar new year. trying to connect everybody with this celebration. this is february 7th. it is a prize if you can explain why we chose that day and what is special about this date february 7th. anyone? what? i can't hear you. it is right.

commissioner louie. in the lunar calendar, the seventh day of the new year as long as everybody's birthday. happy birthday everyone. [applause] lunar new year is about gathering of families. we have all done that. looking around the room a number of you are not asian pacific americans. today you are because we appreciate you being here to celebrate with us. in the last year or year and a half in the asian communities we have been encouraging each other to speak up, stand up because of anti-asian hate at the san francisco human rights commission. we also have talked a lot about standing together. we shouldn't stand together and support each other, connect this event today.

not only as we kickoff the whole year of cultural celebrations in the city, but we want all of you to have an opportunity to connect a number of you just told me earlier this afternoon this was the first time you were in city hall in two years. isn't that great? i want to thank you mayor for allowing us to do this. this afternoon is about celebrating families, celebrating communities by first communities coming together. we are thinking this is part of every year in may we have the celebration of asian pacific heritage month. we were thinking what is our theme this year. anti-asian hate, standing together. what we need is to continue to create opportunities for more community bonding. i think what we need is keep on

having those opportunities that we can meet each other, learn a lot more about each other and be friends. it is true. if you know somebody, we are all different. we all come from different places. we get to spend some time together. get to know each other. that can how we appreciate differences. the celebration of apa heritage month in may we are going to be talking about community bonds. that is what we are about. that is what this afternoon is about. i want to thank all of you for taking time to be here. i want be to specifically thank former mayor willie brown for being here. he hasn't missed too many

occasions in our community. [applause]. we are a small organization but very, very blessed with a large community that consists of representatives of from over 10 to 12 different ethnic groups. at the head of it we have very, very fortunate to have three co-chairs working together. thomas lee and everyone bringing a lot. [applause]. to make it all work. this is by invitation only. the reason we invited you because we appreciate you and we want to thank you. unfortunately so many have done so much we cannot introduce every one of you. we have special acknowledgments

to make. when i say your name, please stand. the president of the board of supervisors. supervisor walton for district 10. district 1 connie chan. district three peskin representing chinatown. district four gordon mar. district five preston filmore. >> haney soma. melgar. district eight mandelman representing castro. district nine ronen thenition. district 11 supervisor safai. >> thank you.

in paddition to the board of supervisors we would like to welcome the city-wide elected officials. no particular order. city attorney david chu. [indiscernable] district attorney, public defender har. board member lee and city college trustee allen wong. thank you all for joining us this afternoon. >> last but not least i would like to acknowledge the members of the heritage foundation board. different directors today. the foundation is a small nonprofit with individuals from diverse backgrounds. jj laura.

[indiscernable] steve wilson. irene riley. [indiscernable] scott adams. in the audience are members of the apa heritage celebration committee. in the interest of time we cannot introduce all of you. please note we are so very much appreciative of your participation and service on the committee. thank you so much. [applause] >> really we appreciate the support of the city's family. at this time i would like to introduce our mayor. i don't know how many of you

were at chinatown when we kicked off a week ago. lunar new year is a new beginning, reset for communities, and we are so proud of being in the city where it is one of the safest cities in the country. the mayor has taken tough measures to make sure we are safe and healthy. mayor london breed. [applause]. >> mayor breed: thank you. let me say i can't believe that we are all able to get together again like this. it is absolutely amazing. claudine, the people who work in city hall and our elected officials come to the event because we love coming to the event. not just because the food is so

amazing. i don't know if we have food this year. i remember the days on the board of supervisors. this was a good meal after a long day's work. we are here to support the apa heritage foundation for all of the work they continue to do. not just during lunar new year but year around. to really highlight the importance of the api community in san francisco. one of the things claudine mentioned that is really impactful to me is, sadly, when we started to experience a lot of the hate and the deviciveness and the attacks on the community. the heritage foundation started to build bridges with a number of cross cultural events. they have embedded the work around cross-cultural relationships in their programming year around. i want to thank claudine for

leadership and work and advocacy of bringing our communities together to understand one another, to learn about one another's culture and uplift and appreciate one another. i remember when i was in high school. we always had all kinds of assemblies about the taiwan or chinese or black community just to understand and see just our cultures on full display sparked interest and discussion and understanding. it also sparked togetherness. today we are joined by some of our asian countries. council generals. i want you all to stand when i announce the council general from korea, japan, philippines, indonesia, singapore, mongolia and vietnam.

.applause. and china. building relationships with not just the communities in san francisco but all over the world is very important to us. we are grateful for the partnership with the various council generals who continue to work with us every day. today as we unveil this new stand. it is not about a collector's item. will say to our postmaster general in almost every instance they are so beautiful and fascinating you can't help but want to collect them. we know it is about signifying a new day, new opportunity, every lunar new year is about an opportunity for us to reset and to come together and to just

really appreciate life as we know it, especially after dealing with a very challenging time during this global pandemic. we are grateful to celebrate the year of the tiger, which signifies courage and strength. i know as a tiger myself where i get it from. [laughter] but the truth is i couldn't wait until we got to the year of the tiger. i couldn't wait to this year where we could see all that it will entail, the various events, lunches, performances, gatherings, parade in person for the first time in over two years. [applause]. i want to thank each and every one of you for coming to the celebration, helping to uplift our community. all of the things you have done

that have been seen and unseen to have an impact. by just being here today it demonstrates your commitment and support for the api community in san francisco and this stamp is really another incredible thing that we are able to really show and support and as a matter of fact in honor of lunar new year, maybe we can start writing physical letters and using stamps to mail them other than just mailing bills with those stamps. with that i want to thank you all for coming and looking forward to seeing this incredible stamp. we will hear from our postmaster general before we move to the unveiling so we can get on with the festivities. thank you all so much. [applause] >> thank you, mayor breed. before we go into that i want to

acknowledge our reception sponsor amazon. i would like to invite sally to say happy new year to everyone. >> thank you. you know what they say never stand before a party when there is stamp unveiling. based on what we learn tonight. thank you for coming to my birthday celebration. it is all of our birthdays. thank you for the apa heritage foundation for including amazon and inviting us to sponsor this event. over the last two years amazon is investing in san francisco. looking around the room so many partners we have worked with and to be inspired by. thank you for that. i am told the water tiger is a symbol of courage and action. i want to let you know as amazon

continues to invest in the city we will serve the needs of the community and celebration. thank you for being here tonight. thank you for allowing amazon to be part of it. thank you. >> every year we have been unveiling stamps in san francisco since 1992. i was reminded by my good friends this is the 13th anniversary of the historic announcement of the issue of set of stamps honoring chinese and asian-american cultural heritage in december of 1992. this year's unveiling has special meaning. we hope next year that the national birthday of issue will be in san francisco. it is 30 years of history.

something we are proud of. it is a very tiny stamp. a stamp is an instrument of communication. it represents so many more people to learn about the lunar calendar, what it means, whether they agree or don't agree, what to do on a particular day. there is a lot of history on the lunar calendar. we are happy to have the second postmaster with us today. the acting postmaster of san francisco starting in postal service as letter carrier. over the years he has been operational managers and customer service. after that the postmaster of oakland. now we are happy to have you as the acting postmaster of san francisco. we are having stamp sales outside. after the event feel free to go

and if you haven't purchased your stamps, please do to so. let's welcome the acting postmaster. [applause]. good evening, everyone. thank you for the kind introduction. i am postmaster of san francisco. i am happy to be here on behalf of the post office for the year of the tiger stamp. i would like to thank our speakers, mayor breed, commissioner chang. board president walton and customers and leaders for joining us today. i want to take this opportunity to thank the national organization oca and several local organizations for continued support. in china the tradition of celebrating new year's began

thousands of years ago. the crops and livestock the villages were on the night before the new year. in some versions of the story the brave old man decided to put up red paper around the village and fireworks. frightened by the loud noise and red peeper left without eating the crops. i love this. it symbolizes the human experience and fighting spirit in protecting and caring for our families. since that time the lunar year evolved and the customs are loved throughout the world. the celebration is squarely within the cultural traditions. time to prepare for a fresh start while honoring the past. families come together for delicious food an occasion for

good luck and prosperity. this year more than 1.5 billion people around the world mark the beginning of the year of the tiger. strong, gave, confident and well liked. we could all benefit from the tiger's qualities in the year ahead. let's work together across the globe with confidence better days lie ahead. to the stamp. year of the tiger is created by chu after the director. the lunar year stamp. you will agree the result of the coloration and design that captures the beauty and strength of the tiger and fresh. the design is comtemporarily

take and. [indiscernable] lion or dragon dances performed during the new year parades. it is symbolic meanings of blue, orange and gray. the tiger's head purple to reflect the chinese zodiac. this is from the third series of new years. 1993-2004 and 2020 to present. this event is for celebrating the 30th anniversary announcement of the stamps honoring the chinese asian contribution to this country. announcement was first made at the national convention in august of 1992. former and vailing of year of the rooster in the same year.

add to your collection or mail your new year's greetings. it is our hope it brings you pros pair be, peace, -- prosperity, peace, good luck and much joy. the mayor will join me in unveiling the stamp. (applause). [ music ]

>> the hon. london breed: all right, everybody. how's everyone doing today? i'm london breed. i'm mayor of san francisco, and i'm really glad to be here today to honor an extraordinary san franciscan and an extraordinary human being, jack jaque. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: now here's the thing about jack. we know, president of the board of supervisors shamann walton has honored him. we know that people with trying

to give him accolades and awards and support, and he doesn't want to be bothered, because many of us know him in san francisco. i remember when i first met jack, when i -- look, i didn't get in that much trouble, to the point where i went to juvenile, but my brother did. i started to get involved in omega boys club because of jack, and i thought honestly, who is this white man coming to the projects just with no fear and getting major respect from everybody in the community, and knocking on the doors and

talking to everyone, the parents, the moms, and the community? and it was jack, and i thought not only is he brave, but isn't that amazing to have someone who understands the system working to deal with the challenges of the system? and think about it, at the time when he started doing this work, you know, i've got to say, a lot of, like, my grandmother and that generation, there was somewhat

of a level of fear, working with white folks. i just thought wow, this could really change lives. this is at a time when juvenile hall was packed, y.a. was packed, and it was packed mostly with our people, and even though our numbers with smaller than they've ever been, they were packed, and disproportionately, we should not have been impacted in the ways that we were. we had people like jack show up in our communities, in our

homes, in our lives, and what he has done -- i'm sure many of you have been beneficiaries of his love and kindness and support, but what he has done has really turned lives around. just imagine how many more peoples' lives would have been lost if it weren't for jack? and that's why we're here today. i know shamann and his participation in omega boys club, and uncle corey and a few

others, and i think about how critical this program was, and how critical the work was that he was doing. i never knew what his job was. i just know that if you say jack, everybody knew what you were talking about. i remember when i was at the african american art and culture complex, and we were working with these boys, and we had a number of challenges.

it's sad when we were talking about the next generation of boys getting in trouble. i used to tell them, if you're getting in trouble and you're in juvenile hall, i'm not going up there, but i did go up there. and, of course, jack was already there, and he'd established this relationship with them. the love, the kindness, the care, the support, and consistency, and yeah, the tough love of telling them about themselves is something that is just really valued in the lives of young people that you've touched, so i want to honor you here today, and i know that when we see each other, i think about what

happens, and people like jack, in the conversations, made me feel like i mattered because i couldn't believe he was, like, yeah, you can come to juvenile and talk to kids there and be a part of the solution. and i thought, wow, i'm somebody just because he gave me a chance to be a part of something.

we could talk about all the things that you continue to do to really be a consistent blessing and support because a lot of people have come and gone in this advocacy world. a lot of people have been there for five minutes, maybe five years or so, but you have been constant, and so here today, we are here to honor that commitment, even though i know it took a lot for you to accept

this, but you couldn't turn one of your kids down. you could turn the mayor down, but i know you couldn't turn one of your kids down. i know it's important that you understand how much you are loved, how much you are respected, how much you are appreciated, even though we know that's not why you do the work. you have been a blessing to so many people's lives, and i wanted you to know how much you are appreciated and respected, and now there has never been anyone like you, and we know that there never will be, and we are just grateful to just know you and be a part of your life. so today, not because it's your

birthday, but just because, just because i'm mayor, and i can do that, today, come on up, jack. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: on behalf of the city and county of san francisco, jack jaque day in our city. [cheers and applause] >> the hon. london breed: okay. and one more thing. i know you don't like to dress up, but that's okay. sometimes when you go to glide, i can tell you might have changed a shirt or two. i know, i know that, but maybe, but one day, you're going to get a shirt where you're going to be able to wear these cuff links with the city seal with my signature on them. [cheers and applause]

[indiscernible]. >> the hon. london breed: we'll see, but ladies and gentlemen, let's give jack some love. [cheers and applause] >> i'm really honored. sometimes these things are hard for people, but i'm really honored to be sitting here in this incredible building. the village is sitting here, and just to be in the company,

and i just want to thank shamann, and, of course, today, the mayor. and, you know, london is so real. i don't always agree with everything, but you are always so real. you always represent the people, the neighborhood you come from, and the emotions, the anger, the fear of the people. you really do. i see, from the youngsters at the county jail, one young man knew you, and he'd been involved in some of the programs. i was talking to him, and he was in the county for a year or two, and then, he went home.

but he would talk about you -- always talking about you and had your phone number and called you at home, so he said, and i believe that he did. and i said, you know, can you do that now? she's a supervisor, now a mayor, and he said yeah. she said call any time. and she actually gave me the number, but i never called. but i really -- i don't want to exclude shamann's love, either, but it's nice to have people running the city who come from roots of the city. you know, i'm making a political statement, but the fact is you're real, and that's what the kids want, the youngsters want. you're real, and you do it with such ease, you really do. and i know you struggle inside like everybody else, but you're

magnificent. you really are. you're magnificent, london breed. magnificent. so just a couple of minutes. i'm not one to go on and on, but i've just got to take a minute to introduce the village because you deserve to be honored, also. we all know corey. corey was kind of the original -- i don't know if he was original, original, but the whole thing about corey is he wouldn't speak, he wouldn't talk. corey, it was like he was silent, like, he was a mime or

something. it was -- he never said anything. i said corey, say something. just make sure people know you're alive. we've got other people, but he wouldn't say anything. now, we can't shut him up. now, corey, say something. it's 20 minutes into the meeting. what's going on here? we've got to go, but i love corey. corey has been a faithful -- well, you know, the deal is, corey's doing the work, and he continues to do the work. i think he just turned 50, but

now, he's doing it more than ever. he's all over the place. he got himself a car, and he even pays for the gas now. >> i think back to marcell working with corey and the community, and i wasn't sure he was going to buy into what we were doing with omega, but now,

he's been with us 35 years. 35 years, sitting right there. [indiscernible] is sitting there, as well. the first woman to have graduated from the program. [applause] >> she's in the delaware state hall of fame, sports hall of fame, and, you know, she is

really being into the community, and she's amazing. she might be on a stamp one day. she's doing so much with so many people. few other people. john henry, john henry is sitting here, and all of our experiences in juvenile hall. john henry is amazing. he's one of the best speakers, motivators. he's also starting his kind of

new career for him, voluntary work going out on the streeting, john henry. always gives a great message at juvenile hall. i -- going out on the street, john henry. always gives a great message at juvenile hall. sonny, i see you standing there, you and lauren. it seems like you're always around when somebody is being honored, and, you know, i love you and appreciate you guys. i want to make sure before i step down, anybody -- yeah, andre. so andre [indiscernible] yeah, andre is right over there. andre is amazing, because when we started going into juvenile hall, which was about 1988, we met andre in 1989.

he was in serious trouble. he was a gangbanger, and his name rang bells on the street. part of the beasley, but he was someone definitely on his way to prison. he chose somewhere early on that he'd rather go to penn state rather than the state pen, and today, the amazing thing, he has had three of his children go through the omega academic program, and two of his daughters have graduated from grambling with the help of dr. marshall, and andre's beautiful wife with him, and i said wife, you know?

and i think we ought to give it up for the wife, because nobody has a wife anymore. i'm honored, and i thank you. i don't know about the cuff links, though. i was saying, when you were -- i will wear different shirts when london's running for the united states senate, you know? and -- but i also want to say, too, before i sit down, i know

that there's -- in fact, a friend of mine is now a social worker who's working on getting napoleon home, napoleon being your brother, so that's something really important. he, sonny boy, was part of what we started with in omega. we'd have him on the phone when he was locked up, and we'd have him speak to people. a great kid who just got caught up, a great kid who just got caught up, and paul, too, paul, too, paul, too. paul, unbelievable, but one last thing. it wasn't escape. it used to be escapes from juvenile hall, i mean, really big escapes, and now, i don't

think anyone's escaped from the place they want to shutdown. but the old hall had the biggest escape, 14 people from the lockdown unit, and paul was in that unit, paul breed. and i ran upstairs, and i was in building, code blue, code red, and they all went off at the same time, and something serious happened, and i was just hoping and praying that paul, who i was working with, paul was still there, he didn't leave. when i got upstairs, 14 young men left, 14 young man ran, and when i got upstairs in unit five in the old juvenile hall, and i got there, and paul was just pacing up and down the floor, and he didn't leave. and i always tell that story

because that just shows the understanding in all the breeds, so deep. i don't know any related to london, but -- so yeah. [indiscernible] . >> i love you all. the village can be there when we leave. papa duck is the village. papa duck is -- is the village. all kind of love to papa duck. we can tell stories for the

next five hours about papa duck. eula works at the jail in san bruno, and eula helps all of us. has always been there, by our side, helping us. anybody else want to say something before i sit down? anyone else want to say something? i've got 30 seconds. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: well, clearly, jack has worked with all the breeds, but he also has worked with all of the folks in all of the communities. we've got sunnydale, potrero, the hill, and at this time, i want to ask the president of the board of supervisors come up and say a few words about

jack, shamann walton. [applause] >> president walton: first of all, i want to thank everybody, mayor breed, for coming out to honor jack. the work that jack has done over these past few decades is the best. you see him going in and out of juvenile hall, talking to them, spending time with them when most folks would turn their back on them, going into all communities in san francisco, being with the families, talking to young folks, and he did that for decades, and still continues to do that to this day. so i just want to thank the mayor for her acknowledgement, i want to thank jack, of course, for all the work that you've done for the communities, for my family

personally, and for everyone here, you are my family. you are a true meaning of what it means to are a person to the village, of the village, and as london said, it was strange to see a person not like us doing this work. and whenever he goes, people will watch out for jack. i just want you to know we love you, we appreciate you. congratulations on this honor, and we celebrate you. >> the hon. london breed: thank you. and i just want to thank supervisor ahsha safai for joining us, as well. he represents the lakeview community. and at this time, i know that so many people here want to

express their love for jack, and i wanted to give you all an opportunity to do so. we're going to start with you, uncle corey. come on up and say a few words, and if anyone else after corey wants to have the floor to show jack some love, please feel free to do so. >> thank you, mayor breed. i love saying that. london is really from the neighborhood, for real. like, for real. thank you, president walton. that's a blessing, man. people don't know how bad shamann was. i'm surprised people didn't hit him in the face with a pie. we've all been around jack our whole life. one time, jack didn't answer

the phone. shamann called him. if he didn't answer the call in the first hour, you start to wonder, where jack at? we're just so happy to have jack in our life. thank you, tyra. tyra was putting this together. when the mayor called, that was like the feds calling. i ain't never been to jail, and i don't want to go, so i answered quick. i'm blessed to work with papa duck, and everybody. it's a blessing. jack just showed a picture when

muhammad ali came up here. you don't mess with jack. when he knows he's going to get an award, he's, like, i don't want to come. we told them there would only be about three people. it's, like, church. we're going to give people two minutes, but i'm just grateful, and this is the first lady of omega. it's a blessing, the first lady of omega to go there. i want to thank my first sister, lauren. that is my jewish sister. we worked together many years. she's from new york, so she'll

cuss you out. sit your -- down. they're like we like you. sunny, thank you so much. baseball games, they go to players, so i'm just grateful. i really love you all, and little l, so we just blessed to be around -- jack, you are incredible. >> thank you, london breed, thank you, shamann, thank you to the community for showing up. jack called me at 8:30 this morning, saying, what in the hell have you all got me going

to? i said, let me explain something. about three years ago, jack was in the hospital, and we didn't know if he was going to be here or not, and no one besides maybe four people knew that he was actually in the hospital until it was the 28 day, and i said dude, i cannot continue to hold this and not let so many people know because he's a believer, he's a believer in christ. okay. he was like, you can tell them i'm in the hospital, but not tell them what hospital. so i called the sister jill. i called the sister jill, and i'm, like, dude, your brother

is tripping, right? she said, make sure that he is reminded that people want to give him his flowers while he's living because most of us don't appreciate the people that have shown us the way until we are dead, and so i just want to remind thim that we want to give you your flowers while you on top of the soil. it's absolutely required that we live in peace now. we don't want to wait to rest in peace, and i know that my spirit wouldn't rest until i make sure that you know that i love you, i honor you, i cherish you, and i always represent you, and the people that's in this space will say ditto. so you need to know that you are loved. this is not about awards, this is about london wanting to honor you a long time ago.

she said, on march 17, you come out of your house two weeks later, on march 17, and we be all right. and now, in two weeks, it'll be two years later on march 16. but jack, i just want to say that this is our way of giving you flowers. we want you to know that you are loved by a group of people that we call you family, and you call family, and we love you, and have a blessed day, everyone. >> what's up, everybody? just want to take a quick second to honor jack. thank you, london breed, shamann, tyra, the team, all the omega family that's here today to honor this great man. jack meant the world to me.

one thing about what the mayor said, consistency with jack. sometimes my own family members didn't believe in me, and after making many, many mistakes coming back, back to jail, and every time i did, he said, this time, you're going to get it right. now, it's been about 25 years since i got it right. to corey, you know, when we talk about the village and family, this was my case worker when i was locked up. there was times that i was supposed to be home that i was

out in the community, so corey, thank you so much for believing in me. i just want to say thank you, and like shamann said, we don't want to wait until you're not here to honor you. thank you, mayor, for highlighting jack as one of the hidden gems of our community, so thank you, and we salute you, king. >> you know, i'm up here not just for show. i'm busting at the seams. jack jaque is the only positive male role model that i had growing up. i'm going to let that sit in

for a moment. i'm not going to be too long, but like john henry, in and out of juvenile hall, jack never gave up on me. even to this day. didn't always make the best decisions, but he never gave up on me. that's why i go so hard like i do today. been working so hard behind the scenes. the only reason why a lot of us is doing this is because of jack, you know me? is you can tell a tree by the fruit that it bears. shamann still doing this work, corey, john henry, my brother, you feel me? i come through united playas, all of that, and i'm going to say this before i get off, man,

because i was supposed to go to the california youth authority because i had went to glenwood, community, and they knew jack so much, they allowed jack to send me to glenn wood community for boys. i got my g.e.d., my diploma, and i still went to prison after that, but he never gave up to me. jack came to see me in prison all the way out in pennsylvania. nobody else came to see me, not even my mama, and i'll never forget that. i'm going back out on the streets, following on the shoulders of all of these amazing individuals up here right now, doing the work. i love you, jack.

we love you, jack. keep doing it. [applause] >> if he's the blackjack, i'm the filipino jack. i'm going to tell you a real story. this out of power that this man has. you remember the bay area rap awards? jack got chose an an honoree for the whole award show, and i remember when jack was on the stage, a fight broke out. i'm talking about every turf was getting down. they said, when this war goes to jack, i swear to god, they said, hold on, everybody stop. every thug stopped, i swear to

god, they stopped, they gave jack the award, and after he got off the stage, they started fighting again, so i got a solution for that stuff that happens downtown so they won't break into louis vuitton or nowhere else. put jack out there. jack, we go back to potrero hill when i was a juvenile delinquent. jackman probably wrote -- he's probably been doing this a long time. he probably wrote letters for people in alcatraz, but i love you, jack. you inspired me. like many others here, you the real one. we going to give you your flowers while you're still

here. you all are meeting a legend right here. >> i literally only have two things to say. i always say if you call yourself doing work in san francisco and you don't know who jack is, you ain't doing no work. the second thing is, i've been doing this work for a long, long time, and jack called me and left me a voice mail at my office at san bruno jail, and he talked about what good work i was doing and how proud he was of the work that i was doing, and i was, like, i must be doing some real good work if jack is calling me and leaving a message. jack was one of the few people working during the pandemic. occasionally, he's calling me, leaving a message, saying he's

thinking about me. jack, you are a legend, and you are the greatest of all time, and i love you so much. >> yeah, for all of you that don't know, i work at general hospital, and i work with -- and i work -- i don't like talking through a mic, i like you guys just hearing my voice. i work with all the individuals getting injured through the city. jack is the one that told me about that job. jack has been my mentor since the 70s, and i remember on haight and ashbury, i bumped my head and got in trouble, and i had to go cook for the homeless, and jack came up there, advocating for the homeless, and he educated me.

right now, you guys, i can tell you right now, the city wraparound model is on a national level, and that's because of that man right there. i love you, jack. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: well, again, thank you to everyone for being here to celebrate jack and everything that he's meant to us for so many years. i know some people may not be comfortable with speaking publicly, so just make sure that you have that private conversation with jack, and you show him some love for everything he's done because we are very fortunate. when i think about how far we've come in this city, and, really, the challenges that our community in particular has experienced over the years, i can't help but be appreciative to people like jack for what

they've done to make a difference in people's live, and i want to make sure that jack knows how much we love and appreciate him because were it not for him, some of us wouldn't be here today. so thank you, jack, for coming. we honor you, and at this time, i want us to do a group photo on the stairs here just to commemorate this moment and to celebrate jack. and just so you know, jack, just put this in your windshield, and you'll get parking for free today. you won't get a parking ticket because it's your day, and then, if you get a parking ticket, give it to shamann. thank you all so much for coming. [♪♪♪]

>> this is one place you can always count on to give you what you had before and remind you of what your san francisco history used to be. >> we hear that all the time, people bring their kids here and their grandparents brought them here and down the line. >> even though people move away, whenever they come back to the city, they make it here. and they tell us that. >> you're going to get

something made fresh, made by hand and made with quality products and something that's very, very good. ♪♪ >> the legacy bars and restaurants was something that was begun by san francisco simply to recognize and draw attention to the establishments. it really provides for san francisco's unique character. ♪♪ >> and that morphed into a request that we work with the city to develop a legacy business registration. >> i'm michael cirocco and the owner of an area bakery. ♪♪ the bakery started in 191. my grandfather came over from italy and opened it up then. it is a small operation. it's not big.

so everything is kind of quality that way. so i see every piece and cut every piece that comes in and out of that oven. >> i'm leslie cirocco-mitchell, a fourth generation baker here with my family. ♪♪ so we get up pretty early in the morning. i usually start baking around 5:00. and then you just start doing rounds of dough. loaves. >> my mom and sister basically handle the front and then i have my nephew james helps and then my two daughters and my wife come in and we actually do the baking. after that, my mom and my sister stay and sell the product, retail it. ♪♪ you know, i don't really think about it. but then when i -- sometimes when i go places and i look and see places put up, oh this is

our 50th anniversary and everything and we've been over 100 and that is when it kind of hits me. you know, that geez, we've been here a long time. [applause] ♪♪ >> a lot of people might ask why our legacy business is important. we all have our own stories to tell about our ancestry. our lineage and i'll use one example of tommy's joint. tommy's joint is a place that my husband went to as a child and he's a fourth generation san franciscan. it's a place we can still go to today with our children or grandchildren and share the stories of what was san francisco like back in the 1950s. >> i'm the general manager at tommy's joint.

people mostly recognize tommy's joint for its murals on the outside of the building. very bright blue. you drive down and see what it is. they know the building. tommy's is a san francisco hoffa, which is a german-style presenting food. we have five different carved meats and we carve it by hand at the station. you prefer it to be carved whether you like your brisket fatty or want it lean. you want your pastrami to be very lean. you can say i want that piece of corn beef and want it cut, you know, very thick and i want it with some sauerkraut. tell the guys how you want to prepare it and they will do it right in front of you. san francisco's a place that's changing restaurants, except for tommy's joint. tommy's joint has been the same

since it opened and that is important. san francisco in general that we don't lose a grip of what san francisco's came from. tommy's is a place that you'll always recognize whenever you lock in the door. you'll see the same staff, the same bartender and have the same meal and that is great. that's important. ♪♪ >> the service that san francisco heritage offers to the legacy businesses is to help them with that application process, to make sure that they really recognize about them what it is that makes them so special here in san francisco. ♪♪ so we'll help them with that application process if, in

fact, the board of supervisors does recognize them as a legacy business, then that does entitle them to certain financial benefits from the city of san francisco. but i say really, more importantly, it really brings them public recognition that this is a business in san francisco that has history and that is unique to san francisco. >> it started in june of 1953. ♪♪ and we make everything from scratch. everything. we started a you -- we started a off with 12 flavors and mango fruits from the philippines and then started trying them one by one and the family had a whole new clientele. the business really boomed

after that. >> i think that the flavors we make reflect the diversity of san francisco. we were really surprised about the legacy project but we were thrilled to be a part of it. businesses come and go in the city. pretty tough for businesss to stay here because it is so expensive and there's so much competition. so for us who have been here all these years and still be popular and to be recognized by the city has been really a huge honor. >> we got a phone call from a woman who was 91 and she wanted to know if the mitchells still owned it and she was so happy that we were still involved, still the owners. she was our customer in 1953. and she still comes in.

but she was just making sure that we were still around and it just makes us feel, you know, very proud that we're carrying on our father's legacy. and that we mean so much to so many people. ♪♪ >> it provides a perspective. and i think if you only looked at it in the here and now, you're missing the context. for me, legacy businesses, legacy bars and restaurants are really about setting the context for how we come to be where we are today. >> i just think it's part of san francisco. people like to see familiar stuff. at least i know i do. >> in the 1950s, you could see a picture of tommy's joint and looks exactly the same. we haven't change add thing. >> i remember one lady saying, you know, i've been eating this ice cream since before i was born. and i thought, wow! we have, too.

♪♪ [♪♪♪]

>> my family's starts in mexico in a small town. my parents are from a very, very small town. so small, that my dad's brother is married to one of my mom's sisters. it's that small. a lot of folks from that town are here in the city. like most immigrant families, my parents wanted a better life for us. my dad came out here first. i think i was almost two-years-old when he sent for us. my mom and myself came out here. we moved to san francisco early on. in the mission district and moved out to daily city and bounced back to san francisco. we lived across the street from the ups building. for me, when my earliest memories were the big brown trucks driving up and down the street keeping us awake at

night. when i was seven-years-old and i'm in charge of making sure we get on the bus on time to get to school. i have to make sure that we do our homework. it's a lot of responsibility for a kid. the weekends were always for family. we used to get together and whether we used to go watch a movie at the new mission theater and then afterwards going to kentucky fried chicken. that was big for us. we get kentucky fried chicken on sunday. whoa! go crazy! so for me, home is having something where you are all together. whether it's just together for dinner or whether it's together for breakfast or sharing a special moment at the holidays. whether it's thanksgiving or christmas or birthdays. that is home. being so close to berkley and oakland and san francisco, there's a line. here you don't see a line. even though you see someone

that's different from you, they're equal. you've always seen that. a rainbow of colors, a ryan bow of personalities. when you think about it you are supposed to be protecting the kids. they have dreams. they have aspirations. they have goals. and you are take that away from them. right now, the price is a hard fight. they're determined. i mean, these kids, you have to applaud them. their heart is in the right place. there's hope. i mean, out here with the things changing everyday, you just hope the next administration makes a change that makes things right. right now there's a lot of changes on a lot of different levels. the only thing you hope for is for the future of these young kids and young folks that are getting into politics to make the right move and for the folks who can't speak. >> dy mind motion. >> even though we have a lot of fighters, there's a lot of voice less folks and their voiceless

>> good morning everyone. i am mayor london breed. i want to welcome you today to talk about the election last night and the results as well as talk about today being the first day that we have lifted some restrictions as it relates to indoor masking. last night, during the race the voters sent a clear message, a clear message as it relates to

the school board and the need to begin the process to refocus on our children and on what is most important in their lives and what is most important for the future of our schools in san francisco. i want to take this opportunity to thank the parents and the grassroots organizers who pulled this together and called attention to some of the challenges that exist with the school district. i want to thank the educators who continued to show up and to try to work with our students despite a very challenging two years. i really want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about our next steps and what we plan to do because although we may think that as a result of this election that this is

behind us, there is even more important work that needs to be done moving forward. over the past couple of weeks, i have had a number of conversations with a number of parents throughout san francisco. parents that aren't necessarily politically engaged. parents who struggled, whose kids struggled. the asian community and latino community, geographically throughout san francisco, parents who really felt that they were left out of the process when schools were struggling to reopen during this pandemic. many of them talked about a lot of the challenges that exist in their lives. that is really where our focus should have always been. kids usually vibrant and

talkative more subdued and quiet and seeing the changes in their kids and struggles they are going through. talking to parents with children with significant learning challenges, those with disabilities and other issues and seeing the rapid decline in their children as a result of what sadly had been happening not just with the school district but with the pandemic has really been tough for them. it was hard to hear the stories and hard to hear some of the challenges the parents were facing. more importantly, what was made clear to me is their feedback what they want to see in a new member or members of the school board. they want to focus on the fundamental responsibility of the school district. that is to make sure that we

educate our children. education and the system around education has to be at the for front of everything we do. when we think about the learning loss, mental health challenges, that has to be our focus. talking with a number of educators about what they were experiencing in the classroom and frustration about inconsistent information. i am concerned about all parties involved. in selecting new school board members we are asking a lot of very hard questions. what are we going to do for those kids who have learning disabilities? what are we going to do for the kids with special needs? what are we going to do for the kids who don't have parent advocates? how are we going to focus on the challenges around learning loss? how are we going to deal with

the challenges around gaps relating to equity? so many questions, so many concerns. how are we going to deal with the budget deficit for the school system? one that is increasingly growing. a new superintendent is expected to be hired. those decisions are critically important to the long term success of the school district. there are immediate things to address right now today, long-term we have seen a significant decline in enrollment in the public school system. school assignment has to be revamped in a way that again is done fairly and equitably. a number of these challenges we are looking for well-rounded school board members who are focused on the schools.

who are focused on our children and their success. who are focused on collaboration and working together. who are focused on wanting to hear from different perspectives whether they are in agreement with those perspectives or not. bridge builders. that is what we are going to look for. this is all coming from many of the parents i had an opportunity to talk to. questions that these parents provided me with and want be me to ask of the people that i am going to be interviewing and to be clear. i am going to be meeting with aa number of people to have the conversation around why they think that they would be the best person for the job. you know, i made appointments before for this city on a number

of bodies, including school board. this is probably one of the hardest decisions that i have ever had to make as it relates to appointments because of the significants of what this means and what the people of san francisco expect from the people that i will appoint. because of the future and the concerns about our kids. none of us knew we would be in the midst of a global pandemic. there wasn't a playbook for this. when we think about what happened in san francisco and what we did, our early action to save lives. we were a model for the country, and the number of people whose lives were safed and the number of people fully vaccinated and boosted and we should be proud. the stark contrast to what

happened in the school district. the frustration, uncertainty, inconsistent information, lack of clarity, bickering, politics and who suffered the most? our children. they suffered the most. they are still suffering. we have to put aside all personality conflicts and we have to focus our attention on addressing what is most important, and be that is their future. i met with a lot of parents. there are a lot of parents out there that can't be advocates for their kids. they may not know how. i can't help but think if this pandemic had happened when i was

a kid when my grandmother was raising me, a woman who never had the opportunity to come to the school if i got in trouble i had to get sent home. i think about those kids who don't have the parents who have the time because they are working two or three jobs or those parents who may feel uncomfortable with speaking out because of their immigrant status or a number of issues. those kids in abusive homes. i think about all of those kids who don't have advocates, who don't have that level of support that they need and school was in some cases their only outlet. there are going to be a number of heavy conversations in the coming weeks because the decision that i may being is

going to be important. it is going to be important because of the short term and long-term challenges the school board faces. what is next? what is next is there are votes to be counted. department of elections anticipates that they will be finished counting votes by next week. end of next week. once they certify the results they will forward that information to the board of supervisors, and the board of supervisors will meet to approve the election results, certify the results. that process is expected to take somewhere close to a month. in that time i will be interviewing candidates. there is a lot of work to continue to be done. we will do everything to work

with the school district. once a vacancy occurs that is when i will have an opportunity to appoint and my hope is that i could make a decision that sanfranciscans can be proud of d feel the school district is in good hands. it will require patience and development clearly of new found trust because of what is experienced. so we have still a process involved, still time that we need to take. time where my focus will be on reaching out meeting with folks and doing everything i can to make the best decision for the kids of our city. with that i wanted to just talk

a little bit about the mask mandate. today officially the masks are no longer required in places like restaurants, bars, offices, movie theaters, museums and indoor settings for vaccinated people. people can still wear their masks. in fact i know people will still wear their masks and there may be some businesses that still may require you to wear your mask. please don't get into arguments about whether or not you are required to wear your mask or not. it is a hard time for all of us. if a business asks you to wear a mask, wear a mask or choose another business. let's understand this is challenging. i know some of our regulations have been confusing.

one minute you are wearing a mask then you are and then you are not. we are in this together. we have a lot to be proud of. as i said, a leader in the country related to saving lives in a global pandemic we could not predict. we should be proud. this is the homestretch. numbers have declined in hospitalizations and the number of people impacted. my hope as we begin to change that and people are boosted and vaccinated. masks may not be required in some other settings like schools and hospitals and jails where they still respect required. continue to be patient with us. continue to be patient with the businesses all over the city. we will get through this. thank you.

>> can you speak to the concerns some may have around that? >> what i will speak to is there is always conversations around money and politics. at the end of the day what we see in the election results it is clear that many of these san franciscans are more concerned about our children and what has been happening with the school district and distransactions and lack of focus and what is more important than they are about our children. what is my focus is the children first and four most. whoever is selected will focus on trying to turn the school district around.

focus specifically on public school and enrollment apsome of the challenges that exist there. the point that you made is something that is news to me because the fact is there are a lot of different kinds of people involved in the push for this recall from all walks of life. to attribute to one group of people is not fair to the work that so many grassroots people who have children in the public school systems have done. >> i am not disqualifying anyone at this time. i am going to meet and talk to as many people i can that with serve the san francisco unified school district well and focus on the public schools and our children.

[indiscernable] >> i think, you know, i do not regret my decision to appoint foga to the school board. foga had a lot of skills in working with communities that are on the southeast sector of the city. many people advocated for him as a voice for them. i made that decision. he was running already. he had a lot of support and especially a lot of support from many of the communities struggling in the school district. i don't regret the decision i may being. in this particular process i will think about the same thing. thinking about those same communities in the decision i make and thinking about, you know, more in depth people who

have more in depth knowledge of, for example, what i heard from parents. they want someone who understands finance. the financials. they are concerned about the budget deficit and what that might mean for their children. having people who understand budget and who have knowledge of not just community but who have the qualifications to understand how an organization is run. hiring and budgeting and there is a lot of different components to this. those are things that are added to the conversation in addition to some of the things i look for in previous candidates. >> do you think given the results 70 something plus of the recall that san francisco and san franciscans are moving less

in the direction of having progressive ideas and more towards moderate and liberal ideas? >> i don't think so. our children suffered. it is not about politics. it is not about having progressive or moderate or liberal idea. it is about my kid used to be a kid that was social and fun and is now quiet and sad and doesn't smile. you as the parent feel like there is nothing you can do about that because of what is happening with your child's education. at the end of the day this is about what was happening. we are not saying some of the things at the school district weren't important conversations to have. i think renaming schools and looking at the history of the

names is important. the problem was the clear communication around when schools would open and how during the process of distance learning we would deal with those challenges of kindergarten not signing in and issues happening at hand. the fact those weren't put front and center and solutions weren't focused on there is what drove this decision. that is what i heard from the people i talked to. it wasn't about progressive or liberal. i think it minimizes is hard work so many people did to get this on the ballot to get it past by trying to attribute it to that. >> the chinese american community reasserting its political power.

>> sorry. >> was yesterday's recall was the chinese american community reasserting it goes political power in the city? >> these are people fighting for their children. i can't say that enough. the storyis heard over the past couple weeks would have brought you to tears. imagine if it were your child and you didn't have money to put them in private school or anything which most of the private schools were open and your kid is struggling. this came from a different place. this came from parents who were upset and frustrated and stressed out and in many cases trying to work two or three jobs to take care of their kids. single moms and grandmothers afternoon grandfathers.

this was from my perspective not about politics. >> how are you going to ensure the picks you make are independent and not be holden to you. there is concern you might have too much influence over the school board instead of the voters. >> that is unfair in terms of assessment. i feel confident my history of appointments demonstrates that i willing to work with people who have a different ideology than i do in order to make what i believe is the best decision based on input. one of my first picks worked for someone who actually ran for mayor. we ran against one another. i think that at the end of the day, i am a san franciscan.

i love the city. i will make a decision in the best interest of the entity and best interest of the city. that will involve feedback from people who really -- parents especially, teachers, educators as well -- having well rounded feedback and number to choose from that are going to be important. that is my focus. my hope is they are people who will work with me and work with the city. we want to partner with the cool district. you have come to us and we have gone to them. we want someone to work with us so we can help support our children.

>> do you have a position? are you open to changes? >> i think that it is the wrong message right now. these people worked really hard. this was a very grassroots effort. i think that people should have the ability if they have a concern with any elected leader. they should have the right to take a recall effort to the ballot. it is unfortunate. to put this on the ballot is very unfortunate. >> you are a part of children and families staying in the budget. so much per household. how will you keep housing affordable so the state comes in to fund the school board. >> changes to the am location so it is not based on individual

student enrollment. they are looking at different formulas. san francisco is an i very expensive place to live. one solution is to build more housing remove the barriers that obstruct our ability to do so and recently the housing measure to speed up housing production was rejected by the board of supervisors. we can't keep saying we want more affordable and more housing and the decisions we make are counter to that. thank you everybody.

>> there's a new holiday shopping tradition, and shop and dine in the 49 is inviting everyone to join and buy black friday. now more than ever, ever dollar that you spend locally supports small businesses and helps entrepreneurs and the community to thrive. this holiday season and year-round, make your dollar matter and buy black.

>> welcome to our city's newest park, the park at 5m. welcome to our city's newest hub of creativity, commerce, and community. welcome, everyone, to 5m. [applause] >> this is an exciting day that has been more than a decade in the making, but it's just the start of great things to come for the people who live, work, and spend time here at 5m. when we broke ground, we were surrounded by four acres of mostly parking lots. today, brookfield properties is

proud to announce the completion of its development commitment. the first is the parks at 5m. about the size of five basketball courts, this is the city's largest privately owned open space. it has been wonderful to see just the immediate reaction that we've had to this open space from the neighbors that have come in today. this stage directly connects to the dempster building. children from all ages will be able to play in our play area, which is right behind the camline building, and our lawn areas, as well. dog owners used to walk their dogs here in the parking lot because there were so few places to go. now, they can chase their tails in an area made just for them. this here is 415 natoma.

it is a 25-story office building designed by k.t.f. 5m opens into a courtyard of terrace spaces. to my left, right here, is the george apartment building, with 302 rental units, which is now leasing. it includes 98 middle-income units, including housing units for seniors and formerly homeless individuals. finally, the two historic

buildings were also renovated: the camline building that is earmarked for retail and nonprofit uses, and the dempster building. new tenants, programming, and residents will bring energy to the site. beginning this spring, community programming for the parks at 5m will feature a mix of events, performances, art, and food curated by brookfield properties. our long-standing community members will be on this property. off the grid will return with popular weekday lunch markets. cast will take its programming outside of the walls through that door and host a series of arts and cultural programming featuring its tenants and partners. we are incredibly proud to have worked with so many individuals and organizations to help

create this transformation. this is a testament to our sponsors and collaborators, and we are very, very happy to have completed this project without a delay through the pandemic, and it's a great testament to the tenacity of our team that we were able to do that. residents are moving into the george. we have some residents right now. the dempcenter is now home to push dance company and women's audio commission, and soon, we'll be home to restauranteurs, nonprofits, and community. i'd also like to thank ann

topier, judson true, former supervisor jane kim, and laura cressemata, and the architects for their incredible design of 415 natoma, among others. and of course, i'd like to thank our incredible team, current and past. a special thank you to mayor breed for your support of 5m, your leadership and relentless efforts to create more housing for all income levels in the city. we appreciate your efforts to help all people of ages, background, and income in the city. please welcome mayor london breed. [applause]

>> the hon. london breed: hello, everyone. i am so happy to be here, to see the almost completion of this beautiful project, 5m, which has been going on, jack told me, for 14 years, and we just broke ground in 2019, and here we are, just a few years later, and look at the magic that can be created as a result of us coming together to push projects like this in san francisco. i can't even believe it. i was here for the topping off ceremony of the george. not the george in washington, d.c., the george in san francisco, and when i think about what this project means to this community, the fact that we have this open space, this building that supports artists, and artists performing

here, the community, the people, this project and what it will do for this community will be something that we can all be proud of. we've worked really hard to ensure that this project, we worked hard to make sure that we implemented neighborhood preference. now, when i was on the board of supervisors, we got neighborhood preference passed. it's been very challenging to implement because of other state and federal laws, but we got it done, and as a result of our work, 40% of the affordable units built in this project will go to people who live here first. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: and before neighborhood preference, that was not happening, and the community was asked to support projects like this, and they

fought for projects like this, and now, they're a part of projects like this. and i see rudy walking through the crowd from united playas, like they're coming to do something on the stage. they put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this project, facing opposition to this community, and united playas fought to make sure this happened. and none of us could have thought that the pandemic would set us back, but the 1200 people who helped to make this project possible, their jobs continued as a result of our work, and they got this project

done. just imagine if we didn't do that. just imagine the number of people who would not have housing because we delayed it due to the pandemic. we knew that we could build housing safely, and that's exactly what we did. and now, as a result of waiting five years, this project, after breaking ground in 2019, is done. what year is this? i keep forgetting, because i don't count 2020 anymore. i stip that year, but the work that we're continuing to do and to revitalize this downtown corridor, we are trying to make this feel like a neighborhood, that there's a dog run and there's open space, and there's