exhibition space and thanks for helping san francisco stay safe. . >> clerk: in-person and remote meetings via video and teleconferencing. this meeting is being held by webex pursuant to the governor's executive order and mayoral declaration. to join the meetings, access the agenda on the s.f. fire commission website. you may also watch live on

www.sfgovtv.org. to participate by phone, dial 415-655-0001 and use access code 2498-063-8549. members of the public will have opportunities to participate in public comment. the community is asked to wait until that item is called before making public comment on that item. callers will be addressed in the order received. members can participate by pressing star, three to enter the queue. when prompted, callers will have the standard three minutes to provide comment unless the president of the commission decides to reduce the time depending on the number of

callers. please ensure you are in a quiet location, speak clearly, and turnoff any t.v.s or radios around you. we do not have anybody on our public comment line. item 1, roll call. [roll call] >> clerk: president feinstein will now read the land acknowledgement. >> president feinstein: thank you, madam secretary. the san francisco fire commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the ramaytush ohlone who are the original

inhabitants of the san francisco peninsula. as the indigenous stewards of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the ramaytush ohlone have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place as well as for all people to reside in their traditional territory. as guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. we wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and members of the ramaytush ohlone community and by acknowledging their sovereign rights as first peoples. >> clerk: item 2, resolution 2022-06, discussion and

possible action to adopt resolution making findings to allow teleconferenced meetings under california government code section 54953-e. >> president feinstein: all right. if there's any public comment? >> clerk: madam president, there's no public comment. >> president feinstein: all right. seeing no public comment, public comment is closed. is there a motion for this item? >> commissioner covington: yes, madam president. i'd like to make a motion. . >> commissioner nakajo: second. >> clerk: i'd 3, general public comment. members of the public may address the commission for up to three minutes on any matter

within the commission's jurisdiction that does not pear on the agenda. speakers shall address their remarks to the commission as a whole and not to individual commissioners or department personnel. commissioners are not to enter into debate or discussion with a speaker. the lack of a response by the commissioners or department personnel does not necessarily constitute agreement with or support of statements made during public comment. >> president feinstein: do we have anybody on the line for public comment? >> clerk: we have no public comment. >> president feinstein: okay. then public comment shall be closed. >> clerk: item 4, approval of the minutes. discussion and possible action to approve the meeting minutes from the special meeting on february 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: okay. public comment is closed.

any comments or questions on behalf of the commissioners? i'm not seeing anybody. all right. is there a motion to adopt the special meeting minutes from february 22. >> commissioner morgan: motion to adopt. >> president feinstein: thank you, commissioner morgan, and i'll go ahead and second the motion. >> clerk: all right. i'll go ahead and take a roll call vote. [roll call] >> clerk: the motion is unanimous, and approval of the minutes from the regular meeting on march 9, 2022. >> president feinstein: and do we have any public comment on that, madam secretary? >> clerk: there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: all right, then, i'm going to move

those minutes be adopted. do i have a second. >> commissioner morgan: i second that. >> clerk: thank you, commissioner morgan. i'll move that. >> clerk: roll call vote. [roll call] >> clerk: the motion passes unanimously. item 5, chief of department's report. report from chief of department, jeanine nicholson. report from chief of department, jeanine nicholson. report on current issues, activities, and events within the department since the fire commission meeting on march 9, 2022, including budget, academies, special events, communications, and outreach to other government agencies, and

the spubl. report from administration, deputy chief tom o'connor. report on the administrative divisions, fleet, and facility status and updates, finance, support services, and homeland security. >> thank you. i want to wish everyone a happy women's history month. i have attended several events since our last meeting. mayor breed's state of the city address, grand opening for station 35, women's history month city leaders photograph in the rotunda here in city hall, and i also participated in a special video with the warriors, a piece on women's empowerment. we also worked in collaboration with sfgovtv, whom we love. they are facilitating this for

us, but we worked in collaboration with them to shoot three snapshot videos showcasing three of our amazing women leaders in the department: assistant deputy chief sandy tong, and assistant deputy chief april sloane, and that's just the beginning of our relationship with sfgovtv. as you know, commissioners, we do provide a lot of services in the department and want the public to know about the fire department. i also think it's important to show women in leading positions, so i look forward to us doing more with sfgovtv in the coming months. i can see commissioner covington is smiling back there, so that's good news.

at the end, we interview some of them to participate in our 9910 program, which is basically, they get to ride along on an ambulance to get their 500 hours on an

ambulance. so i met with ten candidates last week, and i offered all ten of them an internship with the department, so it's super exciting. we have three of our city e.m.t. graduates either in an academy or -- actually four coming into an academy, actually h-2 and h-3, so the pipeline is opened, and it's starting to start.

this week was busy in terms of legislation. on monday, our assembly fill sponsored by assembly member phil ting was heard and passed through the legislation committee. this is the legislation necessary to purchase the port piece of property for our future training center. we got the votes needed to pass. it was 11-0, and that piece of legislation now moves to the appropriations committee before it moves on, so we're very excited and will keep you updated as this continues.

yesterday, the supplement passed for over $14 million. this addresses our budget overruns due to covid and stachg. and then, last week, i went on a ride along with our community paramedics's division street wellness team and saw the wonderful work that they're doing out there to get the community outreach. and last week, we pinned some paramedics who were promoted, and e.m.s. running classes

through. so that completes my report at this time, and i am happy to take questions. >> president feinstein: thank you. thank you, chief. do we have any public comment on the chief's report, madam secretary? >> clerk: there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: all right. public comment will be closed. let me turn to my fellow commissioners. let's start, commissioner morgan. any questions or comments for the chief? >> commissioner morgan: well, i definitely want to know about the warriors. was that at the game? >> it will definitely be on the big screen in a game at the end of the month. >> commissioner morgan: okay. great. >> and they also did a woman from the warrior's front

office, and they were trying to get sheila e., but i don't know if they did or not. >> oh, yeah, she's a local woman of success. you guys have got a lot in common there. >> president feinstein: excellent. >> commissioner morgan: yeah, that's all i have there. >> president feinstein: you didn't ask when they would be drafting women. >> they need some. they're 0-3 now. they need some help. >> president feinstein: thank you, commissioner morgan. let me go to commissioner covington. do you have any questions or comments? >> commissioner covington: thank you, madam president. i always have questions. >> president feinstein: okay.

go for it. >> commissioner covington: i really want to thank everyone -- oh, sorry. okay. i want to really take a moment to appreciate everyone who worked on the station 35 project. i know that it was very, very challenging, and it was wonderful to celebrate the opening of the facility, and everyone was so jubilant, like, yes, it's finally opening. we can cut the ribbon and go on with this business, and it's absolutely gorgeous. this is one of two floating stations in the entire world. the other one being in japan is just fabulous, so there's no worry about sea level rise for that particular station, so

it's a really, really good beginning, and i know it took a lot of work to get things going, and i saw the mayor and the chief of department there, as well. i also have kudos for the ten young members that are now going through the process of completing their 500 hours and being on the path of success in their lives in terms of choosing an occupation and going full bore on getting that done, and i know they're very proud of themselves and their

family members are, and kudos to them and the chief for selecting them. $14 million to cover our overages is not a a drop in the bucket. this is so different in past years where we the -- try to get the supervisors to give us what crumbs were left on the table. these are flush times, and it seems that the money was good spent, and these are all good things. shoutout to assemblyman ting because the new training facility is very badly needed, and it's going to take a while

to get it going, and those are all of my comments. >> president feinstein: thank you, madam vice president, and i'll turn now to commissioner nakajo. >> commissioner nakajo: i'll thank commissioner covington because she covered some of my

questions. i want to congratulate the 9910 program. i know the origin of that program, as well, from the grass root level. i think to offer them a mentorship program to a job is just wonderful, and i also wanted to acknowledge the $14 million, which is so important, and assembly man ting, tied into you are on futuristic hl

training facility, we were well represented, and the former chief of police, bob denmans, was also there. thank you very much, madam president. >> president feinstein: thank you, vice president nakajo. all right. i think we are ready to move onto chief o'connor.

[indiscernible]. >> clerk: sfgovtv, can you pull up his powerpoint? hello? >> there we go. all right. we'll begin with homeland security, with our assistant deputy chief, erica articeros brown. she planned the chinese new year parade.

>> the sound is on full, but we're not getting any sound. okay. [♪♪♪] >> part of our rich tradition in the san francisco fire department are our wooden ladders. although the 50-foot ladder can

be intimidating, the combination of strength and technique can get it done. we have many wooden buildings right next to each other, we have a lot of cars and trees. that being said, the 50-foot ladder is very unique. no matter position you hold in the san francisco fire department, you have to be ready to raise the 50-foot ladder. the 50-foot ladder can be a challenge because it weighs 350 pound, but when everybody did their part, it goes up easily.

if you have the strength and the will power, you can be a part of this team. [indiscernible]. >> all right. and also, part of this month, we had julie desjarlais speak to kids at [indiscernible] park. in the next slide, we can also see lieutenant hasheem anderson at john o'connor high school. you can see the firefighters reach out to local students,

trying to get them interested in a pathway to fire department. our health, safety, and wellness with acting batallion chief rebecca parsons, as well, attended some activities, we had our grant writer, shiloh, looking for needs for presentations with our members, and we had our critical incident response team class

meeting.

our investigative services bureau maintained its normal workload that covid had stopped. we had 67 members randomly tested for drug testing. we also continue to monitor our members' driver's licenses and tracking software to make sure that everyone's up to date, and primarily, lars was assisting human resources for hosting possible candidates. we had 153 new service requests for the month of february, with 98 orders completed. we had 21 service calls to

replace plumbing or minor service issue. we had a water heater replaced for item 19. we required estimates from d.p.w. for a new boiler for fire station 17, an electrical panel up-dade for station 26, a new roof for the b.o.e. headquarters, a new roof for station 26, a partial roof for station 43, replacement of dorm or several windows for fire station 19, and sealing the exterior and interior bricks of fire station 43. as discussed earlier, we had the monumental event of cutting the ribbon for fire station 35 after those delays. the rotary club donated socks to our community paramedicine program to handout to the

needy. we had a great event with the san francisco rotary club which celebrated san francisco firefighters day, and that is my report for february 2022. >> president feinstein: great. thank you. let's start again. any public comment? >> clerk: there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: all

right. so public comment is closed, and i will turn back to commissioner morgan. my apologies. on the work-related injuries, we had a -- that's on page 25. what's usually the culprit behind these injuries or do you have any ideas how we can minimize these injuries? >> well, you can see that a high number of these were back

injuries, so it could be the high number of calls or taking patients down stairs, and you can see the next is knees, and the next highest are fingers and shoulder. >> commissioner morgan: back on page 8, it says eye, and then, it gives several numbers is that still eye? >> oh, i see what you're saying. that, do not know. i'd have to look at that. that might be a typo. >> commissioner morgan: yeah, because it jumped from 2 to 27.

>> i think it's a typo. >> commissioner morgan: okay. that explains that, or maybe it just generalizes that. >> i'll double-check that and get back to you. apologies. >> commissioner morgan: on the roof and hvac unit, page 33, i'm sorry.

[indiscernible]. >> commissioner morgan: sorry. commissioner covington. how long will this project -- well, it probably already states it -- well, let me see. >> the equipment's removed and we're halfway through the project. >> good evening, commissioners, chief. the answer to the question, we're halfway through station 14. they actually took all the equipment a couple of weeks

ago. the roofers went in, did some work, provided their curbs, and all the new equipment was craned up to the roof earlier today, and i'm actually waiting for some calls from the steam fitters to hear how that went. we should probably be done with that one mid-april or so, and everything's going well there. >> commissioner morgan: that sounds like it's going well there. it's very interesting. where is station 48? >> it's in the richmond district. >> commissioner morgan: all right. that's all i've got right now. thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> president feinstein: thank you. thank you, commissioner morgan, and let's move onto commissioner covington, please, if you have questions or comments, please.

>> commissioner covington: thank you, madam president, and thank you for your report. it was very succinct, and lots of good things going on. and i enjoyed seeing the video. i've seen it earlier today, and looking at it for the second time, it was just as impactful as it was the first time around. it's very good to see that, and i also wanted to say that we have another video that you might want to tell us a little bit about commemorating women's history month. >> i don't have that cued up, but if sandy has it in her

pocket, perhaps she can. >> clerk: i e-mailed it to the -- >> i e-mailed it to the commission today so you should have it. >> commissioner covington: that's wonderful. it's wonderful to see all of the members of the department inspiring young people, and even people in their 30s and 40s to look seriously at the possibility of being of service as a firefighter or paramedic, so thank you for that. and it was also very good to see you at the -- at the commemor jags. earl gauge installation of art, and i -- i know that people

feel that firefighters are active in the community, but i don't think we realize all the work they do. do you want to tell us more about that? >> yes. sherman tillman spoke about the significance of earl gage, and

he was a firefighter for many years. it kind of struck us as somebody who should be recognized by the community, and in his final years in the b.f.a., he dedicated that street to earl gage, and i believe a lot of work was done by nigel [indiscernible], was that your brother? >> commissioner covington: yes, chief [indiscernible]. >> would you like to speak about that a little bit? >> commissioner covington: yes, for his class, he put together a medallion for the commissioners that were on the commission at that time, and we still have them. good afternoon, chief. >> good afternoon, president covington. i just want to say thank you

very much for acknowledging my brother. obviously, he has two loves in his life. first is the fire department and second is the arrested work, so first, he was commissioned to do the earl gage mural, and so he did the rough draft and then he got injured. he was humbled to be able to be a part of that. it's local folks making good in the community, and we're just honored and delighted to be here, so thank you. >> commissioner covington: thank you. all right. i think that's all i have for the moment. thank you. >> president feinstein: all right. thank you, commissioner covington. turning to our vice president? >> commissioner nakajo: thank you very much, madam president.

chief o'connor, i want to thank you so much. you used the term comprehensive report because that's very much what it was today, the usual process, but i wanted to express that myself, i appreciate the execution and the selection and the slides, the order that you presented it, and also, i pressure the photos because someone that's a commissioner who doesn't have the students, i guess we do on occasions and dates and times. the photos really bring a closeness to myself and the colleagues on the commission. i just wanted to ask one question to support services,

if chief serrano could approach. part of the persons that we're hiring, h-2 and h-3, i know that you're planning on where all of those members are housed. my question to the chief is, i know where we're at with new station 49, i call it, but i kind of wanted to get an update for the commission on the status of old station 49. >> old station 49 was vacated by the ambulance service. the b.o.e. started to

incorporate some of its strategic relief apparatus at 1450 evans. we call it evans street. community paramedicine will be dispatched and housed at old station 49, evans street. they'll be occupying the second floor offices and obviously part of the yard where the apparatus is located. at this time, we're undergoing some work, including hvac.

we're under way on that, and we should have the majority of that completed by the middle of april, and that's pretty much what we're doing at evans street at the moment. >> commissioner nakajo: chief, did i hear you say the department will remain at the old 49 station or evans street? >> that's correct. >> commissioner nakajo: is there some upgrades that are budgeted or some resources in terms of physical to get that up to the standards that you're talking about by april 15? >> i think i'll let chief

nicholson address that. >> thank you, vice president nakajo. in terms of resources for the upgrades for community paramedicine, we've been able to tap into some of the prop c money, which is all about the health and wellness of people in the city because our community paramedicine has a direct nexus to that, so we are not bearing any of this renovation cost. >> commissioner nakajo: yeah, chief, one more question. in terms of getting an update on evans street, in terms of new station 49, are we at capacity at that new facility? >> i believe we are.

go ahead. >> that is correct, commissioner. we're at capacity at station 49. we've had an infusion of staff to meet our increasing demand for medical calls in san francisco, and we are at capacity or pretty close to it. >> commissioner nakajo: okay. thank you. i don't have much because your report was comprehensive for the rest of the report, but i did want to comment on the public information officer, lieutenant baxter, on page 50. he put quite a bit of information here what his duties are, [indiscernible].

>> they give him a report back at the end of the month that give him the number of how many people that have viewed his videos that he's put up. >> commissioner nakajo: wow. 800 million nationally? >> 800 million, probably internationally. thank you very much. >> president feinstein: thank you, vice president. i had just a couple of random questions and commented here, and they're not in any particular order, which is, i guess, why they're random. if i might ask, please, how is the department doing in terms of getting its members boosted with their third vaccine? >> we're doing quite well, and

we're making sure that the remainder who haven't gotten boosted down to 250 or less, and i think it might be because they haven't reported yet. >> president feinstein: that's really good. whatever's doing that deserves a commendation. it's the second comment that i wants just to make, and it's just a comment. i have an opportunity to go and see some of these latter lifts, once at a drill and once at a vacant building, and i became really educated and

knowledgeable as to their tradition. they're hickory and alder and very much a san francisco issue to handle the issues presented in the video. i just have to say it was really a tribute to the women in the video because when i was watching it, i started to sweat, i was so nervous. they're really an impressive group of very strong and very capable women, so my hat is off to them. the last comment i would have to make has to do with station 35, and i've been fortunate.

i've been during the process that it's up and running. i'm not going to pretend that it's smooth, and i'm not going to attribute that to the fire department, but i've got to say, i have been, on different tours of that station, when it was delayed, seeing it floating there, and i went by the other day, it's a real tribute to what can get done, and i really want to commend the team. some fire departments that just struggled through so many challenges that were unforeseen -- i know that

they've gone off probably on a sailboat somewhere into retirement, but i did want to acknowledge assistant deputy chief dawn witt because she negotiated some really choppy waters, i'll just say that. everybody put in a lot of effort, but ichted to give her what you might see a little shoutout because she went from start to almost finish, and it's really something to be proud of. it's an amazing facility, and i think it's going to prove to be a real service to the city. should something catastrophic

happen, and those are my comments of the day. all right. onto the next item. >> clerk: item 6, amendments to the fire code. discussion and possible action. discussion and possible action to approve amendments to the san francisco fire code to require automatic sprinkler systems in existing high-rise residential buildings. >> president feinstein: all right. and may i ask, do we have any public comment? >> clerk: there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: all right. public comment is closed.

let's go onto the presentation. >> san francisco has approximately 400 high-rise buildings before the state of california requires sprinkler -- required sprinkler protection in high-rise buildings. these high-rises are separated into two groups, existing and new. buildings that commence construction before july 1, 1974, considered existing, and all others built after 1974 cochange are known as new high-rise building. in 1974, the citypassed the building high-rise ordinance, codified in san francisco

building code and later added to the fire code in 2010. the 1993 ordinance required complete sprinkler protect and approximately 200 existing san francisco high-rise building and tourist hotels built before the sprinkler law came into effect in 1974. unfortunately, it did not apply to pre1974 high-rise buildings, where autopsies are -- where apartments are in high-rise buildings.

the newly proposed legislation since the 1993s exceptions granted for condominiums and mixed-use occupancy buildings such as commercial on the lower floors with residential above. historic buildings are still exempted in the new legislation but may be required for the code. in the current legislation, building owners will have two years from the effective date to submit a complete set of drawings for approval in the department of building inspection. then, the next two years or four years from are the effective date, buildings are

required to have their systems connected to a water system for their sprinklers, and six years from the date, the system must be complete. not all high-rise buildings will need a complete sprinkler system. many have partial systems that were already in a multiphase retrosit plan. these partial systems may be as simple as a water line, and it exempts some of the more

redone -- redundant codes. the fire department recommends this amendment as it will keep more residents housed after a tragic fire event in their community. >> president feinstein: thank you, fire marshall. shall we start, commissioner morgan? [indiscernible]. >> president feinstein: i'm sorry, sir. i couldn't hear you, commissioner morgan. >> commissioner morgan: yeah, i

didn't have any particular questions. this sounds great to me. i don't know if you need a motion or -- >> president feinstein: well, let me give our other commissioners an opportunity if they have any other questions or comments, and then, i'll certainly take your motion. commissioner covington? >> commissioner covington: thank you, madam president. i agree with commissioner morgan, and i appreciate the fire marshal's kmengs that the impact this is going to have to pay for this to make sure that this is going to happen. i want to make sure that as

much as we can protect the public, we will have done so, and i think it's a great idea. >> president feinstein: thank you so much, commissioner covington. commissioner nakajo? >> commissioner nakajo: thank you, madam president. the bottom line for me, it's clear, it's safety for the residents because this legislation protects them. commissioners, when i first same on the commission, it was such a big learning curve. i had to raise questions about whether it's five floors or seven floors or 17 floors, i had to find out how you did

that, carrying 45 pounds of hose, so with the commercial responsibility, with that safety [indiscernible] and now that we're going into residential and sprinkling system, i could appreciate the comments that commissioner covington made, as well, but to me, it's about the protection

of the residents of the city and county. that's it for me. >> president feinstein: thank you, mr. vice president. i have one question for the fire department. is there a way to under these different steps, sort of, what has to be done? i can't say i understand the piping and the water tanks and all of that, because i don't. is there a per square foot cement as to how much this cost? if you have a big building that isn't sprinkled that's not old

or not new or somewhere in between, how do building owners or developers determine the cost? >> these building owners will have to contact contractors and find out a cost. on the average, it's $683 per sprinkler head. the cost for the fire pump and

installation, it could cost $100,000 to install a system. i will admit that there are not many that will need to put a complete system in. the piping with a wet stand pipe or a dry stand pipe in the building is kind of the backbone of the system. you don't have to have a new system, you can kind of use what you have and incorporate that into your building. >> president feinstein: and so on the chart that were sent, yeah, there were percentages that were listed for each of the addresses, and so what would be the difference that's

in a building that's 70% sprinkled and 10% sprinkled? >> well, 10% would be a wet stand pipe and we can connect, whereas a 60 or 70% may have a wet stand pipe system executed to the water supply, some of the commercial areas may be [indiscernible] so that's the difference between a 10% typically wet stand pipe, 50%

or [indiscernible] but in the common areas. >> president feinstein: and can you explain for us -- i know you can. would you kindly explain for us the safety benefit not just to the residents but for firefighters fighting a fire in, let's say a 20-story sprinkled building versus an unsprinkled building? what scenarios can you give us of the danger of the lack of sprinklers? >> well, typically, any fire, the sprinklers are spaced that they're going to activate. typical sprinkler head activates at 150°. it will cover the area where the fire is, sound the alarm,

and most tenants can actually go back in and move in that night and not displace anyone. the gateway across from the port, that building is unsprinkled high-rise. when people closed the door, the fire built up so much, the heat built up so much it blew out the windows.

by having a sprinkler system, catching the fire early, we not only save the lives of guests but the lives of the firefighters going to take care of it. >> president feinstein: well, obviously, that's really important not just for the residents but for the firefighters, and i want to commend you for the work that you and supervisor peskin have done on that. it also seems excellent and reasonably done. i know it took a lot of effort, but the effort shows. i'm sorry, yes. vice president nakajo? >> commissioner nakajo: madam president, i have one more question for the fire marshal.

now that we're moving into this legislation, i get the idea that we're moving into residential units. is there a degree of maximum of high-rise? you threw out a number, and i want to get to a number. is there any funds out there to help homeowners with resources to come into compliance? >> these are high-rises that are going to be ten floors or more, 75 feet of occupancy. there's no funding that's allocated as part of this legislation. it's phased in as a capital upgrade. it's similar to what was done

in 1993 over a seven-year period, and this one is a six-year program. to answer your question, no, i don't believe so there's any funding in place as part of this legislation. >> commissioner nakajo: okay. thank you very much. >> president feinstein: thank you. thank you, vice president nakajo. >> thank you. all right. madam secretary? >> president, is this an action item? >> president feinstein: oh, it sure is. thank you. all right. is there a motion? i think commissioner morgan was going to make a motion. >> commissioner morgan: yes, i'd like to make a motion for us to adapt this new legislation or however i should

phrase that. recommend this new legislation. i'm a proponent of it. i'd like to make that motion. >> president feinstein: all right. and is there a second? >> commissioner covington: i second. >> president feinstein: thank you, commissioner covington. >> clerk: i'll do a roll call vote. [roll call] >> clerk: the motion is unanimous. >> president feinstein: thank you, and thank you to the fire marshal for all his efforts. >> clerk: item 7, agenda for next and future fire commission meetings. discussion regarding agenda for next and future fire commission meetings. >> president feinstein: do we have any public comment, madam secretary? >> clerk: there is no public comment. >> president feinstein: all

right. public comment will be closed. let me hear from my fellow commissioners not in any particular order. is there any item that you would like addressed on our next or future meeting agenda. is that commissioner covington? >> commissioner covington: yes, it is, madam president. >> president feinstein: go ahead, please. >> commissioner covington: yes, i would like to invite the guardians of the city to come in and give us an update on their progress. >> president feinstein: all right. we'll note that. anybody else? okay. i think that does it. next item? >> clerk: item 8, adjournment.

>> commissioner covington: so moved. >> commissioner morgan: second. >> president feinstein: okay. so moved by commissioner covington and seconded by commissioner morgan. [roll call] >> president feinstein: this meeting is adjourned at 6:14.

>> he is a real leader that listens and knows how to bring people together. brought this department together like never before. i am so excited to be swearing in the next chief of the san francisco fire department, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome, jeanine nicholson. (applause). >> i grew up total tomboy, athlete. i loved a good crisis, a good challenge. i grew up across the street from the fire station. my dad used to take me there to vote. i never saw any female firefighters because there weren't any in the 1970s. i didn't know i could be a fire fighter. when i moved to san francisco in

1990, some things opened up. i saw women doing things they hadn't been doing when i was growing up. one thing was firefighting. a woman recruited me at the gay-pride parade in 1991. it was a perfect fit. i liked using my brain, body, working as a team, figuring things out, troubleshooting and coming up with different ways to solve a problem. in terms of coming in after another female chief, i don't think anybody says that about men. you are coming in after another man, chief, what is that like. i understand why it is asked. it is unusual to have a woman in this position. i think san francisco is a trailblazer in that way in terms of showing the world what can happen and what other people who

may not look like what you think the fire chief should look like how they can be successful. be asked me about being the first lbgq i have an understands because there are little queer kids that see me. i worked my way up. i came in january of 1994. i built relationships over the years, and i spent 24 years in the field, as we call it. working out of firehouses. the fire department is a family. we live together, eat together, sleep in the same dorm together, go to crazy calls together, dangerous calls and we have to look out for one another. when i was burned in a fire years ago and i felt responsible, i felt awful. i didn't want to talk to any of my civilian friends.

they couldn't understand what i was going through. the firefighters knew, they understood. they had been there. it is a different relationship. we have to rely on one another. in terms of me being the chief of the department, i am really trying to maintain an open relationship with all of our members in the field so myself and my deputy chiefs, one of the priorities i had was for each of us to go around to different fire stations to make sure we hit all within the first three or four months to start a conversation. that hasn't been there for a while. part of the reason that i am getting along well with the field now is because i was there. i worked there. people know me and because i know what we need. i know what they need to be successful. >> i have known jeanine

nicholson since we worked together at station 15. i have always held her in the highest regard. since she is the chief she has infused the department with optimism. she is easy to approach and is concerned with the firefighters and paramedics. i appreciate that she is concerned with the issues relevant to the fire department today. >> there is a retired captain who started the cancer prevention foundation 10 years ago because he had cancer and he noticed fellow firefighters were getting cancer. he started looking into it. in 2012 i was diagnosed with breast canner, and some of my fellow firefighters noticed there are a lot of women in the san francisco fire department, premenopausal in their 40s

getting breast cancer. it was a higher rate than the general population. we were working with workers comp to make it flow more easily for our members so they didn't have to worry about the paper work when they go through chemo. the turnout gear was covered with suit. it was a badge to have that all over your coat and face and helmet. the dirtier you were the harder you worked. that is a cancer causeser. it -- casser. it is not -- cancer causer. there islassic everywhere. we had to reduce our exposure. we washed our gear more often, we didn't take gear where we were eating or sleeping. we started decontaminating

ourselves at the fire scene after the fire was out. going back to the fire station and then taking a shower. i have taught, worked on the decontamination policy to be sure that gets through. it is not if or when. it is who is the next person. it is like a cancer sniper out there. who is going to get it next. one of the things i love about the fire department. it is always a team effort. you are my family. i love the city and department and i love being of service. i vow to work hard -- to work hard to carry out the vision of the san francisco fire department and to move us forward in a positive way. if i were to give a little

advice to women and queer kids, find people to support you. keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying. you never know what door is going to open next. you really don't. [cheers and

>> in november of 2016, california voters passed proposition 64. the adult use of marijuana act. san franciscans overwhelmingly approved it by nearly 75%. and the law went into effect in january of 2018. [♪♪♪] >> under california's new law, adults age 21 and over can legally possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants at home. adults in california can legally give up to 1 ounce to other adults. >> in the state of california, we passed a law that said adult consumption is legal. if you are an adult and in possession of certain amounts, you will no longer be tried. you will not be arrested or prosecuted for that. that is changing the landscape dramatically. [♪♪♪]

>> to legalization of cannabis could bring tremendous economic and social benefits to cities like san francisco. >> this industry is projected to reach $22 billion by the year 2020. and that is just a few years away. >> it can be a huge legal industry in california. i think very shortly, the actual growing of marijuana may become the biggest cash crop in the state and so you want that to be a legal tax paying cash crop, all the way down the line to a sales tax on the retail level. >> the california medical industry is a 3 billion-dollar industry last year. anticipating that multiplier as 20, 30, 50 times in the consumer marketplace once adult use is really in place, you could go ahead and apply that multiplier

to revenue. it will be huge. >> when that underground economy becomes part of the regular tax paying employment economy of the bay area, it not only has a direct impact, that money has a ripple impact through the economy as well. >> it is not just about retail. it is not just about the sensor. is about manufacturing pick a lot of innovative manufacturing is happening here in san francisco in addition to other parts of the state as well as the cultivation. we should be encouraging that. >> there is a vast array of jobs that are going to be available in the newly regulated cannabis industry. you can start at the top tier which a scientist working in testing labs. scientists working at extraction companies. and you work towards agricultural jobs. you have ones that will require less education and you look towards cannabis retail and see traditional retail jobs and you see general management jobs. those things that are similar to

working at a bar restaurant or working at a retail store. >> we are offering, essentially, high paid manufacturing jobs. typical starting wage of 18-$20 an hour, almost no barrier to entry, you do not need an education. >> that means that people who do not have college educations, working-class people, will have an opportunity to have a job at cultivating cannabis plants. there's a whole wide array of job opportunities from the seedling to the sale of the cannabis. [♪♪♪] >> last year, they said 26 million people came to san francisco. >> the tourism industry continues to be very robust here and the city and county of san francisco is about a billion-dollar industry. >> if we use a conservative cannabis user adoption rate to 15% that means 4 million tourists want that means 4 million tourists want to purchase cannabis. and we need to be ready for them.

>> in 2015, as adult use legalization efforts gained momentum in california, the supervisors created the san francisco cannabis state legalization task force. this task force offered to research and advice to the supervisors, the mayor and other city departments. >> we knew that adult use legalization was coming to the ballot and stat that would bring with it a number of decisions that the city would have to make about zoning and regulation and so forth. and i decided at that time, at a know it was a great, that rather than have a fire drill after the ballot measure passes, as suspected it would, we should plan an event. so i authored a task force to spend a year studying it and we made it a broad-based task force. >> we prepared ourselves by developing a health impact assessment and partnered that with key stakeholder discussions with washington, oregon,

colorado, to really learn lessons from their experience rolling out both adult and medicinal cannabis. >> within days of the passing of the proposition, ed lee called on agencies to act decisively. >> he issued an executive order asking the department of public health, along with planning and other city departments to think through an internal working group around what we needed to do to consider writing this law. >> we collectively, i would say that was representatives from g.s.a., as well as the mayor's office, met with a lot of departments to talk through what prop 64 and the implementation of prop 64 it meant to them. >> the mayor proposed an office of cannabis, a one-stop shop for permits allowing operators to grow and sell cannabis. >> he wanted a smart structure. he wanted a regulatory structure

that ensured that kids didn't have access and community's were safe and that consumers were safe. and he wanted to ensure, more importantly, it was a regulatory structure that encouraged diversity and inclusivity. >> this is an office that will be solely charged with a duty of wanting not only the policies that we create, implementing and enforcing them, but also executing the licenses that are needed. we're talking about 20 different licenses that will put us into compliance with what is happening on the state level. >> this is a highly, highly regulated industry now, at this point. we have anywhere from 7-10 departments that will be working with these industry participants as they go through the permitting process. that is a lot of work at a loss of coordination. we are creating a permitting process that is smart and is digital. it is much easier for the user and for community input, and is less mired in bureaucracy.

>> for the first time ever in san francisco history, standalone licenses are available for all aspects of the nonretail side of the cannabis industry. now, a cultivator can go in to the department of building inspection and to the department of health and say, with this first registered and temporary license, and then what will eventually be a permanent license, this is the project, this is what i am going to do. >> very rarely in city government do we interact with industries that are asking to be regulated. these guys want to be regulated. they want to be compliant. they want to work with the city. that is rare. >> san francisco has created a temporary licensing process so that the pre-existing operators here in san francisco can apply for a temporary state licensed. >> we have taken teams of up to

12 inspectors to inspect the facility twice a day. we have been doing that with the department of building inspection and the department of public health. and the fire department. >> it is really important for the industry to know that we are treating them like industry. like manufacturing. like coworkers pick so that is the way we are approaching this from a health and safety and a consumer protection network. this is just the way practice happens with restaurants or manufacturing facilities. >> because there are so many pieces of industry that people haven't even thought about. there are different permits for each piece. you have to set up a permitting system for growing, for manufacturing, for testing. for delivery. for retail. you have to make sure that there is an appropriate health code. certainly the regulation of alcohol in terms of restaurants and retail it's probably a model

for how this industry will be regulated as well, both on sale and consumption. >> it is completely uncharted territory. there is a blessing and a curse with that. it is exciting because we are on a new frontier, but it is very nerve-racking because there's a lot at stake. and quite frankly, being san francisco, being the state of california, people are looking to us. >> we hope that cannabis does become more of an accepted part of society in the same way that alcohol is, the same way coffee is. >> it is a very innovative fear, particularly around manufacturing. san francisco could be an epicenter. >> san francisco can be a leader here. a global leader in the cannabis movement and set a bar just to other communities and cities and states and this nation how it is done. [♪♪♪]