good morning everyone. i'm san francisco mayor london breed. and today i'm here to talk about laguna honda hospital and i'm joined by the director of department of public health dr. grant colfax as well as the director or laguna honda michael phillips and located in supervisor melgar and we also have a representative from our speaker of the house nancy pelosi's office, her director, dan bernal. we're here to talk specifically about what we know have been challenges at laguna honda hospital. for over 150 years, this facility has been a beacon of hope. it's been a place that has cared for those who could not

care for themselves and, in fact, it has survived the 1906 earth quake and during the pandemic, there were those who thought laguna honda would be similar to many of these care facilities around the country that we would see covid spread rampedly and people die in significant numbers and although we lost six people at laguna honda due to covid, we worked really hard to ensure the safety of the patients there. the people who worked there, the doctors, the nurses, the counselors, they were essential workers and they showed up to work every day to care for these patients and san francisco was a model in how these skilled nursing facilities can do it right as it relates to protecting patients especially during covid. we were very proud. and i had no doubts because i

saw this care firsthand for over ten years as my grandmother who suffered from dementia, this is where she lived. this is where the nurses made her smile. of this is where they painted her nails and did her hair and made sure even though she was in a facility where there wasn't much she could do that there was still a little bit of fun or excitement in her life. i've seen time and time again how these nurses would make arrangements to take these patients to experience things outside the facility so they can feel alive again. this work is hard work. and sometimes people get exhausted. and as a result, things may not necessarily happen according to code. what we've seen in laguna honda hospital with a notice that we received is a request to make things right. and we have been well on our way to making things right, to

improving the conditions, doing things we didn't do before. so, for example, there was some concerns about things getting into laguna honda that should not come into laguna honda and, in fact, part of the solution has been to make changes to how people enter. family members, visitors alike. and at one point when i went into laguna honda to see my grandmother, i would just sign in, put who i was going to see and room number. unfortunately, because of the challenges we're experiencing, that has all had to change. and now, dr. colfax will talk a little bit about what those changes are, but now it means significant changes to laguna honda, who goes in, who goes out. how we provide patient care, how we provide support. in order to address some of the challenges that existed before, we've made significant changes. we knew that there would be

state and federal officials at laguna honda this week to pay very close attention to everything that we were doing and making recommendations in order to ensure that we are first and foremost protecting the patients. making sure that they are safe. making sure that no harm comes to them and also supporting and uplifting the staff. laguna honda is a special place and, in fact, during the visit, what was seen were a number of things that we know can be corrected. someone who may not have taken off their gloves in a timely manner. signage in a needs to be posted to ensure that people are away of what they're walking into. some things that in comparison to a couple months ago are things that are not only minor

but can also be so we still have a long road ahead of us. there's still work to be done. but this pandemic has demonstrated not only to the city, but to the country what we are capable of doing when we focus on insuring life safety of the patients of this facility and the employees. the people who were essential workers. the people who were working to exhaustion to take care of the patients of laguna honda in some cases at the expense of their own family. we know how valuable this facility is and our plan is to do everything we can in light of recent events to ensure that it remains open.

that it remains a place of refuge for those who cannot care for themselves. that it remains in the shape that we know it needs to be to continue to do that. and here to talk more specifically about where we are, what's actually happening at laguna honda and what we plan to do to continue to ensure that this facility remains a viable facility for those who need care in this capacity is our director of the department of public health dr. grant coltax. colfax. >> good morning, and thank you mayor breed for your support of laguna hospital and the recognition of the vital role it plays for caring for san franciscans most in need. we saw covid devastate nursing homes at the beginning of the pandemic and feared that might happen at the largest skilled nursing facility in the nation.

but laguna honda rose to the occasion and served as the national leader for our covid-19 response. for over 150 years, laguna honda's been a pillar of our health care system here in san francisco. it serves as a safety net for those with complex medical and behavioral health needs who are at low or very low income. it is indeed a great pride of our city. while we are in a challenging situation now, the most important thing is that laguna honda is not going anywhere. we will continue to be an excellent place to receive excellent care. we will continue to be an excellent place to work. and we will continue to be a vital part of the city's health care system. the center for medicare and

medicaid services known as cms gave laguna honda notice on march 30th that if we did not come into full regulatory compliance by april 14th, we would face termination in the medicare, medicaid program. this is very important because the overwhelming majority of laguna honda patient care is funded through this program. despite great efforts by the laguna honda community, both staff and residents to improve safety measures related to the initial challenge of prohibited items on campus during the survey revisit this week unrelated and technical infractions were found. these infractions were primarily related to hygiene, documentation, and infection prevention and control. as a result, cms has moved to terminate laguna honda from the

medicare, medicaid program. now laguna honda is a large and complex organization. i know that given more time, the team could have shown compliance. none of the infractions found this week would have led determination had it not been for the organization running out of time to show compliance. importantly, laguna honda did not lose its license and remains a licensed skilled nursing facility. but we take these findings seriously and know that responding to them and working with our regulatory partners, laguna honda will be a stronger organization. we look forward to showing this to our regulatory partners in the near future as we begin the process of re-applying to the cms program. i want to end by acknowledging the hard work of laguna honda staff and show my gratitude to laguna honda patients and their

families for entrusting us with their care. and now it's my pleasure to introduce the laguna honda chief executive officer michael phillips. thank you. >> good morning everyone. thank you, mayor london breed and thank you dr. colfax for your leadership and commitment to laguna honda hospital. it is an honor to serve laguna honda patients and it's an honor to work alongside laguna honda staff. this is a remarkable institution with a great history and a great future. i know determination may cause anxiety, but i want you to know we will do everything it takes to make this right. i'm confident that we will meet the regulatory requirements and the high standards that we set

for ourselves. for those of you unfamiliar with the process, to where we got today and explain our plan of action. laguna honda like all skilled nursing facilities has regular inspections by the state known as surveys and it has an obligation to report unusual occurrences. this is always the goal to improve the facility and the care that we provide to our patients. laguna honda reported two nonfatal overdoses to the state. this led to an extended survey in october of 2021. during the state's first

revisit program. one staff member did not follow protocols related to prohibited substances. this meant immediately that we were not in compliance. on march 16th, the state returned for a second revisit survey. during the second revisit, we discovered that a patient was smoking in a communal bathroom and another patient who was on oxygen had a lighter in their possession. this also meant that we were not in compliance. yesterday, we were informed that we did not pass a final survey attempt due to the findings that mayor breed spoke of earlier. these were unrelated to the

issue of quad and illicit substances. and patient safety. and i want to make three things perfectly clear today. first, we take these findings very seriously and we will address them immediately. secondly, laguna honda is here to stay for our patients, we will continue to serve you and for our staff, you will continue to work at laguna honda and thirdly, laguna honda hospital continues to be a licensed facility and is meeting all requirements of licensure on a california regulations. as we work diligently to meet all requirements, laguna honda will continue to receive medicare, medicaid payments

over the next 30 days. and due to the size of our facility, we will work with cms to further extend the 30 day payment period. and most importantly, we will immediately begin the process of reapplying for participation in the cms program. in fact, staff are already preparing for the recertification process and this will take place in the very near future. we look forward to recertifying with medicare and in the meantime, we will continue demonstrating our unwaivering commitment to patient safety. the work taking place right now will ensure the longevity of laguna honda hospital and make our organization a stronger one and we will continue to serve the needs of san franciscans most in need. thank you very much. we'll try to answer any

questions. >> thank you, mr. phillips. my name is myrna melgar. i am the supervisor for district 7. i have the great honor of representing this district where laguna honda is located. district seven like many other districts in san francisco has a large aging population and laguna honda is our jewel. it serves both who are most at need, the indigent, the elderly, and it does it with great love. it has decades of love from the staff, from our city to take care of folks who need that. we are here as representatives of the commitment of the values that san francisco has of making sure that we come into compliance that these findings will be corrected and i am so grateful for the leadership of

mayor london breed and dr. colfax to address these issues immediately to make sure that the staff have the proper training and to recognize that despite being in a pandemic for the past two years, staff have stepped up to implement new protocols as mayor breed talked about and also new hydroprotocols that are now being implemented so i'm thankful for the city all coming together to support this wonderful institution to ensure that for years to come, families will not be separated and that we will continue to have a top notch facility that is compliant with medicare and with all our state regulations. thank you so much for your interest in being here and i also am grateful and will now bring up dan bernal who is here representing speaker pelosi's

office. thank you, mr. bernal. >> thank you, supervisor melgar. chief of staff in san francisco for congresswoman and speaker of the house nancy pelosi. while speaker pelosi could not be here today, she asked me to protect the health of all san franciscans for your dedication and your care for the staff and the residents of laguna honda hospital and for so eloquently leading and sharing your personal experience and your family's experience with laguna honda. it's so critical at this time. so thank you, mayor breed speaker pelosi laguna honda has long been the pillar of health. at this very moment, this indispensable institution is ensuring that hundreds of patients with complex medical and behavioral health conditions can get the care they need regardless of their

financial means. and during the pandemic, the dedicated staff of the hospital has been outstanding in controlling outbreaks and keeping its vulnerable patients safe from the virus. it is unfathomable to support life-saving programs for some of our most vulnerable san franciscos especially as we continue to be threatened by the pandemic. this is why it is both urgent and essential that city, state, and national officials work together to help address areas of concern and protect this crucial health care provider. my office is working closely with mayor breed and the biden administration to support laguna honda's devoted staff and ensure that the hospital can address its issues, come into full compliance and continue to serve our community for decades to come. thank you.

>> thank you, dan, for being here today and thank you to everyone for their support. i also want to express that we in addition to the work that we are doing directly at laguna honda, we have had significant support from our congresswoman jackie spear as well and so we appreciate her as well as our other sfral and state officials who have reached out to work with us to ensure that laguna honda is protected and safe for the people that we are here to serve and at this point, we are open to answering questions related to laguna honda. >> in funding, how long is that gap. >> we don't at this time believe there will be a gap in funding and i'll let

mr. phillip answer that because as he explained in his remarks. we still funding for the next 30 days and expect reimbursement for those patients through this program. but we're in the process of submitting an application. and we expect that with the particular concerns that have been expressed, those things are going to be fixed immediately. and so as a result, we expect that our application will be approved and we should not see any gaps in funding and is there anything you want to add, mr. phillip to that? >> i think that's correct. a process where there is an immediate 30-day extension of payment. they have also indicated, we haven't received signature assurance, but they have indicated there is a possibility for us to have a

further extension of our payment. and i think not only for laguna honda but for cms as well, there's a strong consideration for our patient population and i think they will work with us to do everything within their power to ensure that we have the funding that we need until, you know, we proceed with our recertification. >> [ indiscernible ] >> yes. and i don't want to minimize the findings that c.m.s. found over the last few weeks and last couple of days specifically. but all these things that were

found we are. >> [ indiscernible ] >> thank you for that question. as you know, laguna honda is a very large facility and with over 700 patients and so we receive a lot of visitors for those patients. we recently implemented a process whereby a visitor is screened at the entrance. we have the san francisco sheriff's department personnel

providing those screenings and visitor belongings are either visitors can take the belongings back to their vehicles or they can place them in lockers that we provide for them that are secured and cleaned between use. and it's a very orderly process. we've had it in place now for about a week. the first couple of days were, of course, you know, we had to work through some issues, but by the second day, things were just fine and i think patients and families really understand the necessity for doing this. so everyone is working with us, you know, to implement these new procedures. >> will it be for staff as well in terms of what they're allowed to come in with? >> there won't be changes for staff, we do have processes for

staff where we have to ensure, you know, covid related processes and protocols, but otherwise, this won't apply to our staff. >> all right. thank you very much. this is the third event we've done this year and the other two, the bristol and the

abigail are some of the best in the country. and at a time when people all around the country are complaining about homelessness and saying what are the solutions. we're acquiring permanent supportive housing and that's the only answer because people need housing, they need a roof over their heads and this particular project as i said earlier, tenants from the baldwin hotel will be moving here and they've been in very tiny rooms on 6th street with no private baths.' this is the first hotel ever acquired by the city that has not only all private baths, but microkitchens in every room. they have microwaves, entire kitchens set up. a giant stove for people who really want to cook right around the corner and this is what i call s.r.o.2.0. this is what we want to see as

the future. you know dpock and then cathy. cathy's late husband enrique used to team with d-pock and then they turned it over to the city for us to run. mary's done a great job here. no further adieu. we'll let you speak. [ applause ] >> well, so first of all, let me just say, i want to acknowledge many of the people who are outside and working in our various places around the tenderloin community from sciu and many of the workers who even during the pandemic still showed up to work. thank you for your service. thank you for supporting the community in this neighborhood despite the challenges of a pandemic. we were able to still push for an expansion of many new hotels and affordable housing and i know it hasn't been easy.

and so i hear your request and i am taking them very seriously and i just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the various employees of not just the garland, but many of the supportive service housing locations throughout the city because we couldn't do this work without you. we know this work is important. we know there are people who are getting back on their feet. you know, it could happen to anyone at any given time. anyone could fall unfortunately victim to challenges around behavioral health, around substance use disorder, around poverty. and the ability to do what we're doing here today is so important. and d-pock, i just want to thank you so much because i feel like we continue to do these great partnerships, but most importantly, i appreciate how much care you take into making sure these places look

good for the people that are going to be here. how you've gone out of your way in addition to another location that we've workeded together on and provided even a television in a congregate room where people can come and gather as a community and it means a lot. it's the little things that make a difference and so we appreciate you and your family and your work to help us get san francisco's most vulnerable population housed. and the thing is, we set out in 2018 or 2019 to increase the number of shelters in san francisco and what we set out a goal to do was to add 1,500 new shelters to our portfolio. the fact is we're almost there and i'm really proud and excited. it's the largest expansion of shelter in san francisco in over 20 years, but in addition to shelter, what we've learned from this pandemic is people need their own space.

people need their own bathrooms and their own food prep areas. i mean, these are things that many of us are so blessed to have in our lives. things we take for granted every single day when we walk through the doors of our home, it's what other people sadly don't have, the people who unfortunately are sleeping on the sidewalk, are sleeping in tents, are sleeping in some cases in many of our single room occupancy hotels where they have to share a bathroom and have no control over the whole cleaning situation that occurs in those locations. that's why this place is so important. 80 new units where you have your own space where you have dignity. where you don't have to share your space with people that you may not even know and people that you may not even get along with. that is so important and this is direction that we need to be headed in. now, i know we built navigation

centers and a number of other places to provide support for people living on the streets, but i want us as a city to move away from that model. to move towards those small homes, the cabins we just opened at 33 goff. i want us to move towards places like the garland and focus on places that will allow people to live in their own space and live their lives as i said with dignity. this is so important and we were able to do this because of federal support from h.u.d. because of the state support through project home key and because of the resources we provided in our budget through the city and working with randy shaw and the tenderloin housing clinic and the work that they continue to do to manage these facilities to provide the supportive services, to work with the city and what we have available to make sure that we

are not only getting people housed, but we're keeping them housed, and then we're thinking about the challenges that they might face with their mental health or their personal care or just basic hygiene. and let me tell you this quick story because many of you know that i grew up in the city and i remember there was this gentleman who i knew all my life. and he with the older guys would hang out in this location. and we all lived in plaza east. this was public housing, and, yes, people didn't go there unless they lived there, but we didn't have people sleeping on the sidewalk. everybody had a place to go. and so just imagine you fast forward and this same gentleman who i'm not going to put his business out in the street, but he's sleeping near safeway at

webster. and he was homeless we found out for five years. he lost his housing. he had challenges with his social security. he didn't know where to go or what to do because he did accept when plaza east was torn down. he accepted a section eight voucher and he just struggled from that point forward and he was homeless. fast forward, we built the willy b. apartments we used neighborhood preference and we were able to not only get him housed, but we were able to provide the services to ensure that he stays housed because it wasn't -- he had his social security, but he had trouble in terms of balancing things and making the right decisions because he used to have someone who helped him to do that and he no longer did and that's why he ended up homeless and that is the tragedy. we can't just take for granted everyone knows what to do and

how to do it especially in an expensive complex city like san francisco and that's why services are so important and that's why it's so expensive. people are wondering why you're spending so much money and we don't see changes on the streets. john will disagree with you because there's a change in his life right now and it's a blessing. it's a blessing that he is here and our goal is to try and do everything we can in this city to make sure that people like john and his friends are not ending up on the streets. we have a lot of work to do in this city, but we're also committed to doing everything we can to make sure places like the garland become the norm and

not the exception. thank you all for joining us here today as we really celebrate this milestone. so much more work to be done. as you can see with all the folks that are here today, we are committed to that work and we're not going to give up. thank you. >> i want to thank the mayor for acknowledging our workers because one of the problems we have is that this proceeded mayor breed by years is that the salary levels for the workers in these hotels have not kept up. so all our jobs in the tenderloin housing clinic and all these jobs are in-person jobs, can't work at home. we've got to get the salaries raised in the next budget to make sure we can hire people and staff the hotels. i also want to mention, i was talking to a reporter and they said, well, you know, we have so many homeless people. is 80 units going to make a difference? some people have that attitude,

but that's how you solve a problem by doing it building by building and that's what this mayor is doing and the mayor made another great decision when she named her ahead of h.s.h. and ever since shareem's team got in there she made it better. so why don't you give some talk as well. [ applause ] >> so, thank you, randy, and thanks so much for inviting us today. this is really exciting. and i want to just start by thanking mayor breed for her leadership and i think you can tell from what she just said that this is a deeply personal issue for her and that she cares very much about san franciscans being housed and the garland is exactly what she said. this is the wave of the future for us. it's really nice to be in a building where people have their own bathrooms. where people have kitchens. i got to talk to john a little bit about how exciting it is to

be moving in here from the baldwin and he got to see his room this morning which is just amazing and so i'm just very excited. i want to also just welcome you, john, to your new home. yeah. and i also want to thank del semore who is the mayor of the tenderloin. love working with del. he's also a lead are on our local homeless coordinating board and is just everywhere and he pushes us to be a better department. through his lived experience and his wisdom. i also just want to say this building which is master leased and operated by t.h.c. will have on site staff and critically on site support services for people exiting chronic homelessness. and, yes, we absolutely need to

support the work force. the lease of this building is part of the mayor's historic homeless recovery plan and a demonstration of the department of homelessness and the housing mission to make homelessness rare, brief, and one time. currently, there are 1,490 active units and an additional little over a 1,000 extra units in the city's pipeline of new supportive housing. this puts the mayor's recovery plan at 99% of the goal today, but we are on track to reach 170% of our goal by the end of the fiscal year, which is only a few months away. permanent supportive housing such as the garland provides stability and hopefully a path out of homelessness permanently. we believe strongly that housing is a solution to homelessness and this property is the newest home we can provide for the community. i'm going to now turn the event back over to randy shaw and randy will move us into q&a.

[ applause ] >> i know the mayor's schedule is tight but do you want to look a room. >> okay. [♪♪♪] ♪ homelessness in san francisco is considered the number 1 issue by most people who live here, and it doesn't just affect neighbors without a home, it affects all of us. is real way to combat that is to work together. it will take city departments and nonprofit providers and volunteers and companies and community members all coming together. [♪♪♪] >> the product homeless connect

community day of service began about 15 years ago, and we have had 73 of them. what we do is we host and expo-style event, and we were the very force organization to do this but it worked so well that 250 other cities across the globe host their own. there's over 120 service providers at the event today, and they range anywhere from hygiene kits provided by the basics, 5% -- to prescription glasses and reading glasses, hearing tests, pet sitting, showers, medical services, flu shots, dental care, groceries, so many phenomenal service providers, and what makes it so unique is we ask that they provide that service today here it is an actual, tangible service people can leave with it. >> i am with the hearing and speech center of northern california, and we provide a variety of services including audiology, counselling, outreach, education, today we actually just do screening to see if someone has hearing loss.

to follow updates when they come into the speech center and we do a full diagnostic hearing test, and we start the process of taking an impression of their year, deciding on which hearing aid will work best for them. if they have a smart phone, we make sure we get a smart phone that can connect to it, so they can stream phone calls, or use it for any other services that they need. >> san francisco has phenomenal social services to support people at risk of becoming homeless, are already experience and homelessness, but it is confusing, and there is a lot of waste. bringing everyone into the same space not only saves an average of 20 hours a week in navigating the system and waiting in line for different areas, it helps them talk, so if you need to sign up for medi-cal, what you need identification, you don't have to go to sacramento or wait in line at a d.m.v., you go across the hall to the d.m.v. to get your i.d. ♪ today we will probably see around 30 people, and averaging about 20 of this people coming to cs for follow-up service.

>> for a participant to qualify for services, all they need to do is come to the event. we have a lot of people who are at risk of homelessness but not yet experiencing it, that today's event can ensure they stay house. many people coming to the event are here to receive one specific need such as signing up for medi-cal or learning about d.m.v. services, and then of course, most of the people who are tender people experiencing homelessness today. >> i am the representative for the volunteer central. we are the group that checks and all the volunteers that comment participate each day. on a typical day of service, we have anywhere between 40500 volunteers that we, back in, they get t-shirts, nametags, maps, and all the information they need to have a successful event. our participant escorts are a core part of our group, and they are the ones who help participants flow from the different service areas and help them find the different services that they needs. >> one of the ways we work closely with the department of homelessness and supportive

housing is by working with homeless outreach teams. they come here, and these are the people that help you get into navigation centers, help you get into short-term shelter, and talk about housing-1st policies. we also work very closely with the department of public health to provide a lot of our services. >> we have all types of things that volunteers deal do on a day of service. we have folks that help give out lunches in the café, we have folks who help with the check in, getting people when they arrive, making sure that they find the services that they need to, we have folks who help in the check out process, to make sure they get their food bag, bag of groceries, together hygiene kit, and whatever they need to. volunteers, i think of them as the secret sauce that just makes the whole process works smoothly. >> participants are encouraged and welcomed to come with their pets. we do have a pet daycare, so if they want to have their pets

stay in the daycare area while they navigate the event, they are welcome to do that, will we also understand some people are more comfortable having their pets with them. they can bring them into the event as well. we also typically offer veterinary services, and it can be a real detriment to coming into an event like this. we also have a bag check. you don't have to worry about your belongings getting lost, especially when that is all that you have with you. >> we get connected with people who knew they had hearing loss, but they didn't know they could get services to help them with their hearing loss picks and we are getting connected with each other to make sure they are getting supported. >> our next event will be in march, we don't yet have a date set. we typically sap set it six weeks out. the way to volunteer is to follow our newsletter, follow us on social media, or just visit our website. we always announce it right away, and you can register very easily online. >> a lot of people see folks experience a homelessness in the city, and they don't know how they can help, and defence like this gives a whole bunch of

people a lot of good opportunities to give back and be supported. [♪♪♪]

as latinos we are unified in some ways and incredibly diverse in others and this exhibit really is an exploration of nuance in how we present those ideas. ♪♪

our debts are not for sale. >> a piece about sanctuary and how his whole family served in the army and it's a long family tradition and these people that look at us as foreigners, we have been here and we are part of america, you know, and we had to reinforce that. i have been cure rating here for about 18 year. we started with a table top, candle, flowers, and a picture and people reacted to that like it was the monna lisa. >> the most important tradition as it relates to the show is idea of making offering.

in traditional mexican alters, you see food, candy, drinks, cigarettes, the things that the person that the offerings where being made to can take with them into the next word, the next life. >> keeps us connects to the people who have passed and because family is so important to us, that community dynamic makes it stick and makes it visible and it humanizes it and makes it present again. ♪♪ >> when i first started doing it back in '71, i wanted to do something with ritual, ceremony and history and you know i talked to my partner ross about the research and we opened and it hit a cord and people loved it. >> i think the line between

engaging everyone with our culture and appropriating it. i think it goes back to asking people to bring their visions of what it means to honor the dead, and so for us it's not asking us to make mexican altars if they are not mexican, it's really to share and expand our vision of what it means to honor the dead. >> people are very respectful. i can show you this year alone of people who call tol ask is it okay if we come, we are hawaii or asian or we are this. what should we wear? what do you recommend that we do? >> they say oh, you know, we want a four day of the dead and it's all hybrid in this country. what has happened are paper

cuts, it's so hybrid. it has spread to mexico from the bay area. we have influence on a lot of people, and i'm proud of it. >> a lot of times they don't represent we represent a lot of cultures with a lot of different perspectives and beliefs. >> i can see the city changes and it's scary. >> when we first started a lot of people freaked out thinking we were a cult and things like that, but we went out of our way to also make it educational through outreach and that is why we started doing the prosession in 1979. >> as someone who grew up attending the yearly processions and who has seen them change

incrementally every year into kind of what they are now, i feel in many ways that the cat is out of the bag and there is no putting the genie back into the bottle in how the wider public accesses the day of the dead. >> i have been through three different generations of children who were brought to the procession when they were very young that are now bringing their children or grandchildren. >> in the '80s, the processions were just kind of electric. families with their homemade visuals walking down the street in san francisco. service so much more intimate and personal and so much more rooted in kind of a family practice of a very strong cultural practice. it kind of is what it is now and it has gone off in many different directions but i will always love the early days in

the '80s where it was so intimate and sofa millial. >> our goal is to rescue a part of the culture that was a part that we could invite others to join in there there by where we invite the person to come help us rescue it also. that's what makes it unique. >> you have to know how to approach this changing situation, it's exhausting and i have seen how it has affected everybody. >> what's happening in mission and the relationship with the police, well it's relevant and it's relevant that people think about it that day of the dead is not just sugar skulls and paper

flowers and candles, but it's become a nondenominational tradition that people celebrate. >> our culture is about color and family and if that is not present in your life, there is just no meaning to it you know? >> we have artists as black and brown people that are in direct danger of the direct policies of the trump administration and i think how each of the artists has responded so that call is interesting. the common i'm derek, i'm hyungry, and ready to eat. these vendors offer a variety

of the streets near you. these mobile restaurants are serving up original, creative and unusual combinations. you can grab something simple like a grilled cheese sandwich or something unique like curry. we are here in the average eight -- upper haight. you will be competing in the quick buy food challenge. an appetizer and if you are the winner you will get the title of the quick bite "chompion." i am here with matt cohen,

from off the grid. >> we assembled trucks and put them into a really unique urban settings. >> what inspired you to start off the grid? >> i was helping people lodge mobile food trucks. the work asking for what can we get -- part together? we started our first location and then from there we expanded locations. >> why do think food trucks have grown? >> i have gotten popular because the high cost of starting a brick and mortar or strong, the rise of social media, trucks can be easily located, and food trucks to offer a unique outdoor experience that is not easily replaced by any of their setting any where else in san francisco.

san francisco eaters are interested in cuisine. there adventuress. the fact they use great ingredients and make gourmet food makes unpopular. >> i have been dying to have these. >> i have had that roach coach experience. it is great they're making food they can trust. >> have you decided? >> we are in the thick of the competition? >> my game was thrown off because they pulled out of my

first appetizer choice. >> how we going to crush clear? >> it will be easy. probably everyone has tried, something bacon tell us delicious. >> -- people tell us is delicious. >> hopefully you think the same thing. >> hopefully i am going to win. we're in the financial district. there is a food truck right there. every day changes. it is easy and fun to go down. these are going to be really good. >> how are you going to dominate? >> i think he does not know what he is doing. >> i was thinking of doing [unintelligible] we are underrepresented. >> i was singing of starting an

irish pub. that was my idea. >> one our biggest is the corned beef and cabbage. we are asking people what they're thinking in getting some feedback. >> for a lot of people i am sure this combination looks very wrong. it might not sound right on paper but when you taste it to or have it in your mouth, it is a variety. this is one of the best ways in creating community. people gather around and talk about it and get to know different cultures. that brings people together and i hope more off the grid style and people can mingle and interact and remove all our differences and work on our similarities. this creates opportunity. >> the time has come and i am very hungry.

what have you got? >> i got this from on the go, a sandwich, and a caramel cupcake. i went with home cooking. what de think? >> i will have another bite. >> sounds good. >> that was fantastic. let's start with you. >> i had the fried mac and cheese, and twinkies. i wanted to get something kind of classic with a twist on it. >> it was crispy. >> i will admit.

>> want to try fried mac and cheese? >> was that the best twinkie? >> would you say you had the winning male? >> definitely. >> no. >> you are the "chompion." clair has won. you are the first "chompion." >> they know it was me because i got a free meal. and check a map on -- check them out on facebook. take a peek at the stuff we have

cut. to get our -- check out our blog. i will have >> joined by honda, chang and lopez. >> and present is deputy city attorney russy provide needed legal add sunrise near all items except number 5. >> skrak will be provided deputy attorney. joining us with the items. the legal system and the direct. we be ginned boy representatived from th