able to take advantage of these opportunities but not everyone has that. so, i wanted money to not be a barrier to success. this program was started because we wanted you all to be exposed to anything that you wanted to do, for you to know that anything in life is possible, that there are great things out there and so, i know everybody wants to be steph curry or clay thompson but guess what, there's coach ker and there's a general manager, there's a president and ceo, there's the graphic designer, there's a person who designs a t-shirt, they are the people that run chase center, not just with the basketball games but also with the various concerts and activities that take place. there's the hr department, there are so many different components that go into everything that exist just to make chase center run and any of those positions whether you

want to be the owner of a team or anything else in between, that's all possible. it's all possible if you strive -- [applause] if you strive for the very best, you put your mind to it. there's nothing you can't accomplish. do you know how many people told me that if i ran for office that i couldn't win? it felt real good to prove them wrong. [applause] so my point is, don't ever let anyone tell you what you can't do. know in your heart and in your mind what you're capable of. bring your very best to the table every single day. every single day! it's important that you are confident in the work that you do and if you don't

know something, it's okay to ask questions. i ask questions all the time. it's okay to ask questions. know that you're special. know that you belong. know that you are here for a reason. take advantage of the opportunity to not only learn about the work environment but develop new relationships, new friendships, people who are positive and people who want to do great things in life. it makes the world a difference because we're counting on you. we're counting on you because the young folks of this city and this country are going to help change things for the better for this world. [applause] we know that. you're going up with technologies and other things that didn't exist when i was growing up even though i know i look almost the same age as all of you.

[laughter] but at the end of the day, we are here to support you. we are here to uplift you. we are here to encourage you. and we want to make sure that we focus on how do you get to yes, how do you get to the right answer? how do you get to what it is that you know you're capable of? never give up on yourself. never give up on your dreams, strive for excellence because opportunities truly do make the difference in anyone becoming anything that they want to be in life and i'm so glad to see all of you here today and i hope you have a wonderful summer, i'm looking forward to running into you at a number of the various events that are going to take place throughout this city, so make sure you have a good time, keep a smile on your face, get the job done, and keep pushing, thank you. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, mayor breed. that couldn't have been said any better. let's give her another

round of applause. [cheers and applause] one of my personal heroes. thank you so much. so, we are going to introduce donna hilliard. she's a director of co-tinder lone and she's going to say a few things about opportunity for all and thank you for being a partner of ofa. they host over 200 interns each year so they have an impressive program and we're happy she's going to say some comments, thank you. [applause] >> i guess i'm load -- i'm guess i'm holding the mic. i want to say wow you're at the warrior stadium and give it up for yourself because if this isn't telling you important you are, come o. people pay thousands of dollars to sit in the seat you're in. we had the mayor come out. first of all, i can't believe i'm going after the mayor. it's such an honor and

thank you for creating this program and director davis, thank you for all the work you do and being a wonderful mentor to so many. i wanted to talk about the warriors. the warriors, do you think they became champion players overnight? no. the first time they pick up that basketball and first time they dribbled and the first experiences are important so for many of y'all, this is your first internship. your first time even thinking about a job. right. so don't take this opportunity lightly because i will tell you it is going to shape the rest of your life. now, i want to tell you a story about an employee i have. he told me i want to be a software engineer. i said great. start teaching these classes and he's sitting here and i'm not going to tell you who he is and i said we're going to teach these classes and you're going to learn how to code and i said i

need you to take on this project for me. i want you to start setting up the volunteer of this that we have with all the tech companies. so he said, that's not on my job, that's not my job duty. i said to him, dude, do you not see what i'm trying to do for you? i'm trying to help you create relationships because what i'm going to tell you today, the most important thing you're going to get this from internship is building the relationships and how important they will be. this is opportunities for you to get in front of folks with someone you won't have the opportunity. you'll get five minutes in front of someone who is busy who you wouldn't. connect with that person. build relationships because the relationships will help you get where you're trying to go. so, sometimes you'll get a task or get -- my phone is ringing, you'll get different things thrown at you. when i

first came to tinder loin, i was a volunteer and they couldn't afford to pay me but i did it because if i surrounded myself around grateful, that would open up doors for me. thank you, semor. [applause] it's important for you guys. you're get on owe you're getting in this space but take the time to know what you want to do in the future and make the connections and it's important. we teach people how to code and playing with robotic and these are wonderful career path but we're teaching you a skill, if you don't want to work for a tech company and you want to build something for your community, do it. right. because you're empowered to do those things and to me when i think about opportunities for all, that's what it is. we're exposing y'all to all the opportunities that are out there and it's now your turn to take that are and run with it. with

that, i say let's go. opportunity for all this summer and i'm excited to have you all and i'm pass the mic back. >> thank you so much, donna. [applause] >> okay. angel, i know you guys have been sitting up here for a while but you guys are finally going to be able to say your remarks. i'm going to give mayor cole the chance to introduce yourself and your amazing bios, so.... >> okay. i'm introducing lay reyes. he's studying international relationship and sociology. as ofa fellow, lay is learning the hone of strategic thinking and time management skills so please come up. [applause] >> hello. i'm really grateful to be here and talk to you about my big experience working with ofa

as an intern. i have been an intern for six months. latino task force made me -- i wouldn't be that without ofa. i have been a latino immigrant, having a place to belong is really hard -- and having all high school and find what i can be and i can have a new skill and new experience. this city and this place gave me that space. with the help of the task force and working with the education team, i (indiscernible). but we're a family who everyday come to latino task force and talk about the problems they have, all the opportunities they're having to know have and a place to learn a new skill and opportunity.

others who want to learn english and help the kids to have a better opportunity here. it made me realize the importance of education we have. and being able to say -- it made me realize how my job is important in the city and the latino task force and for all those that come everyday. we see a reason to be here. we see all the opportunities, they are amazing. this -- we see every single person who sits down in front of me and talk about their problem and i'm learning from them. i'm -- i'm learning about the impact and they're listening. this makes me feel powerful to be here and tell you that be grateful to be here. and i want

to say thank you for having this opportunity and everyone have that opportunity. i want everyone to have the opportunity to be able to understand, sorry, to understand and be able to have another time or space to grow up and have an opportunity to be able every single day to have -- thank you to all coworkers and interns and we're working together to have a place to grow up. thank you! [applause] >> thank you so much. now, i'm going to be introducing angel lee. she began as an intern and continues working with ofa today. she has served as a fellow for the cross -- and the change is sf cohort and served as a 2022 senior fellow,

supporting other college students on their leadership journey so please come up, lee. [applause] >> thank you so much for the opportunity to speak here today, so i have been with ofa for two years and through the two years i have learned so much from facilitating dialogue and planning six week -- like on human trafficking and mental health. i have been work -- it was great to partner with usf and support interns with the research and mental health and also exploring different careers and this is so fulfilling to see the growth throughout the years. and also working with such amazing people and i'm inspired to and to continue supporting teacher generations with their job and my work fuels my passion in social work where i can work towards the future where

backgrounds don't dictate your success and health and well-being is a human right and equity is not performative but truly achieved and ofa given me the opportunity to work towards that. and so for this summer, i look forward to working with everyone and continue working towards a better future together. thank you! [applause] >> thank you, angel. really appreciate you and thank you lay so much for those great words. we're going to have dr. davis come up here and she's going to introduce chief scott of the san francisco police department. so, give it up again for dr. davis. [cheers and applause] >> i'm going to be really quick. i wanted to provide thanks for the chief. as you can see, we've have the senos and the police and we have the fire and we have donna talked about tech, we have positions and work that we do with goggle and linked in and

other places. there's such a wide array of opportunities and i just want to really recognize and thank chief scott who has been with us even before ofa was a former program to really do some hard work, to have young people come in and their soul purpose is critique the police and to talk about how to improve community and police relations and so i think milwani done that in the past and we want to say it's not automatic and the chief has been receptive and open and i want to say thank you chief and allow you to say a few words. [applause] >> thank you, director davis. good morning, everybody. i'm going to start off by saying thanks to members of our team and i can't see them out there but director tiffany staten, are you there. where is tiffany?

over there. director sutton, stand up. sergeant tina toe. [applause] officer garcia. [applause] officer prima. [applause] and i see morgan tucker over there. i want morgan to stand up because morgan is an alumni of this program, so morgan stand up. [applause] >> thank you. so, i wanted to introduce you to those leaders because they're the people that makes this all happen for this. this year we have 24 interns and during my time here, we have had hundreds of young people that have worked with the police department, learned some new things but more importantly, hopefully we have helped them get the skills they need to do whatever it is they want to do in this world and in this life because i do think as the mayor said that anything is possible. i never would have thought i

would be standing on this stage in chase center as a chief of police when i was 15, 16 years old but here i am. and that's, thank you. [applause] and really that's because somebody believed in me. somebody gave me an opportunity. somebody gave me the chance to make good on what god gave me and that's what we want for you all, so again thank you and thank you to director davis for all the work that she's done with us, with the police department to make our city better and our police department better and more importantly, to give young people the opportunities they deserve to thrive. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, chief scott. really appreciate that. so, we're going to have josh friday come up here for some closing remarks. i want to say a couple of things about josh. he was

appointed by the governor, gavin newsom to serve as california chief service officers and leads california volunteers. this is appointment, california volunteers have launched the nation's first statewide climate action cohort. california's for all volunteer initiative and the california for all college course program and the californias for all youths youth jobs program. friday is a military veteran and the former mayor of his hometown, nevada. so wow, that's really cool. [applause] >> thank you, mr. friday. >> i appreciate it. oh, mayor, i love this energy. it's great to be here. you're inspired. i'm inspired. i hope everyone there in the back gets a chance to come down and take a picture so you can show your friends you got courtside chase center seats. as i was driving from

sacramento today, i had a sense of nostalgia thinking about my job that was in san francisco and it was in government and i remember feeling because nobody in my family had done anything like that, how nervous i was. i was embarrassed because i didn't know how to tie a tie correctly. i was thinking, my first day was nothing like this. i'm jealous of all. we didn't have this for us, so you guys, you guys are here to sell operate and you should be -- here to celebrate and you should be sell rated and we're here to celebrate you and san francisco and also california is celebrating. today is a special, special day. and i get to be here as chief service officer for the state of california on behalf of governor gavin newsom because newsom has a bold vision for service and civic engagement because governor newsom believes as i do and you do, that we have big

problems we cannot turn away, climate change and growing in equality, mind-boggling food insecurity and racial injustice just to name a few. he believe as i do and maybe you do too that too often we become divided and disconnected from each other and polarized and we look passed our common humanity that brings us together that's important for our democracy and society to function. we believe a big part of the answer to the big problems are you. he believes we believe that california volunteers that by creating opportunities for young people just like you to come together in your communities, to make a difference, to gain experience, to learn how to become a leader, that's how we're going to solve these big problems, that when we do that, we all win. and by

joining the opportunities for all program which is part of the californian for all youth jobs core, a statewide initiative and $185 million to create opportunities for young people just like you throughout the state. i want you to know that you also are becoming a part of an inspiring group of people statewide. that because of governor newsom's commitment to these programs not just to the california jobs core and partnership with opportunities for all but because of the state's first claimant core to put low-income communities to organize around climate change and the first college course to create debt free pathways for students who commitment to serve in their community and that includes for the first time ever our eligible dreamers. [applause] and other service programs to clean the environment, to tutor mentor and school, that all this together, you're joining a group

of the next two years of over 20,000 young people that are serving in their communities, that are coming together to solve problems and to make a difference. and this is historic. think about that. 20,000 young people like you with your passion, your spirit, your ability, that's real opportunity and that's historic. that's a historic commitment because we are a historic problem. and today is historic. today is historic because this is the first california youth jobs core event we're launching with opportunities for all. like many things, san francisco is leading the way you should be proud about that. [applause] during covid, i think we heard a lot about a great resignation and what we largely saw was a great reevaluation. a reexamination of what it means

to have a career and a life of dignity and meaning and purpose, and you heard it before from director davis, we hope that this job is, this summer is not just about a job but it's about creating meaning for you, it's about granting you the dignity that you deserve and it's about creating purpose. purpose, that you can go and make an impact in your community, purpose to wake up everyday wanting to help others and that was my experience as a military veteran and i hope it's your experience and i'm excited to see you change the word and you're going to be supported and you heard this from mayor breed and you're going to be supported through your journey. look at the cheering squad. you have people singing for you. that's amazing. take advantage of this incredible opportunity you have because san francisco is investing in you, california is investing in you, because the

truth is, we need you. i'm going to let you in on a little secret which my guess is you know already and that's if we're going to tackle our bigot -- our biggest challenge, homelessness and pandemic and we need to rely on our most reliable asset and that's california home. that's you. the answers are not going to come from nancy places like city hall -- from fancy places like city hall or sacramento. we need to be a part of the solution. we're counting on you and opportunities for all and counting on the tens of thousands of young people that you are joining by being part of the program across the state. that's how we're going to create change together. that's how we're going to create more and future london breeds we need and that's how we create a californians for all. i'm proud to be here today.

[applause] i'm so proud to be here today with mayor breed, with director davis, with our chief, with so many community leaders but most importantly, i'm proud to be here with you. those who are beginning this program, beginning your journey because you're the future of sacramento and you are the future of california. so we've been talking enough now and it's time to get to work. thank you so much. i appreciate it. [applause] >> all right. i feel like i have to copy the senos and say let's stomp those feet. a little bit of stomping and good energy and have i to do an apology because i called emani and he didn't say anything. he just graduated from high school and going to uc berkeley got a bunch of scholarships, born and raised in san francisco and has been through so much and representative of all we want to see happen with our young

people. [cheers and applause] so we have food and some, like, little bags and things for folks in there. we are just, can you again give yourselves another round of applause. [cheers and applause] i would say this is like the best group of folks we have had since we have done that. you have been attentive and focused. y'all are really trying to -- this is a job interview, you're acing it. you're killing the game right now so congratulations! thank you so much for being here with us. give yourselves another round of applause. you're going to go into the club to the chase lounge. you're going to get some food and opportunities for all bag and our opportunities for all folks that have their shirts on, some of the fellows like asena and dominic and danielle for those who have questions and want to makeshifts and changes or have some questions or concerns and then i just want to say how excited are you, i was like i'm so -- i'm on the floor.

this is the closest i'll get to the floor because i can't afford it during a game but i want to recognize and thank the chase team and warrior team and miguel and allyson, if you would come out. just amazing. they have been awesome. they opened the doors up and thank god the team won last night because they may not let us in otherwise, so let's keep that energy. make sure you bring, if there's haters in here, do not touch the floor on your way out. [laughter] this is warrior's ground, right. so we want good energy on these floors. [cheers and applause] thank you all. we'll see you in the chase lounge. [cheers and applause]

the tenderloin is home to families, immigrants, seniors, merchants, workers and the housed and unhoused who all deserve a thriving neighborhood to call home. the tenderloin initiative was launched to improve safety, reduce crime, connect people to services and increase investments in the neighborhood. as city and community-based

partners, we work daily to make these changes a reality. we invite you to the tenderloin history, inclusivity make this neighborhood special. >> we're all citizens of san francisco and we deserve food, water, shelter, all of those things that any system would. >> what i find the most fulfilling about being in the tenderloin is that it's really basically a big family here and i love working and living here. >> [speaking foreign language] >> my hopes and dreams for the tenderloin are what any other community organizer would want for their community, safe,

clean streets for everyone and good operating conditions for small businesses. >> everything in the tenderloin is very good. the food is very good. if you go to any restaurant in san francisco, you will feel like oh, wow, the food is great. the people are nice. >> it is a place where it embraces all walks of life and different cultures. so this is the soul of the tenderloin. it's really welcoming. the. >> the tenderloin is so full of color and so full of people. so with all of us being together and making it feel very safe is challenging, but we are working on it and we are getting there.♪

♪ >> my name is luis granados.♪ ♪ thank you for gathering to ♪ ♪ celebrate the grand opening ♪ ♪ of casa de lancet, 2060..♪ ♪ this project is another ♪ ♪ collective win affordable ♪ ♪ housing for the mission and ♪ ♪ san francisco.♪ ♪ to me this project is all ♪ ♪ about building community ♪ ♪ through advocacy, capacity ♪ ♪ building and partnership.♪ ♪ it is a combination of this ♪ ♪ housing development along ♪ ♪ with the park next to us ♪ ♪ that is making me a little ♪ ♪ bit nostalgic because the ♪ ♪ roots of this project are ♪

♪ longhard-fought winsfor the ♪ ♪ mission .♪ ♪ by the mission .♪ ♪ for they led the effort in ♪ ♪ creating the park and then ♪ ♪ led on the affordable ♪ ♪ housingside of things .♪ ♪ for many of us back in 1999, ♪ ♪ 2000 with the creation of ♪ ♪ the mission outside♪ ♪ displacement coalition .♪ ♪ which fought the first wave ♪ ♪ of displacement resulting ♪ ♪ from the tech boom.♪ ♪ at that time, those efforts ♪ ♪ included carlos romero, eric ♪ ♪ estrada, antonio diaz and ♪ ♪ ana maria loyola among ♪ ♪ others.♪ ♪ back then, i was a district ♪ ♪ 9 supervisor andwillie brown ♪ ♪ was mayor .♪ ♪ it has been that ♪ ♪ long-standing advocacy as in ♪ ♪ part led to the creation of ♪ ♪ this and othersimilar ♪

♪ projects in our neighborhood ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ however this project story ♪ ♪ is also very much about ♪ ♪ having the technical ♪ ♪ capacity to make thisproject ♪ ♪ and other similar projects a ♪ ♪ reality .♪ ♪ with a focus on housing ♪ ♪ latino families, providing ♪ ♪ permanent space to ♪ ♪ organizations serving latino ♪ ♪ children and youth and the ♪ ♪ art which speaks to the ♪ ♪ issues of ourcommunity ♪ ♪ created by artists in our ♪ ♪ community and from our ♪ ♪ community ♪ ♪ this project verymuch feels ♪ ♪ like it belongs in the ♪ ♪ mission .♪ ♪ it is the mission .♪ ♪ it is projects like this ♪ ♪ that showcase what a ♪ ♪ difference it makes to have ♪ ♪ the technical capacity to ♪ ♪ develop affordable housing ♪ ♪ by our organizations led by ♪ ♪ people of color for people ♪ ♪ of color.♪ ♪ let me say that again♪ ♪ organizations led by people ♪ ♪ of color focused on people ♪ ♪ of color .♪ ♪ and mehta we know despite ♪

♪ all the efforts and work ♪ ♪ this project was possible ♪ ♪ through a strong partnership♪ ♪ , in particular iwant to ♪ ♪ highlight the partnership of ♪ ♪ chinatown community ♪ ♪ development center which has ♪ ♪ been invaluable in creating ♪ ♪ this project .♪ ♪ [applause] through malcolm ♪ ♪ young specifically partnered ♪ ♪ with mehta intentionally to ♪ ♪ leverage the extensive ♪ ♪ developerexperience to help ♪ ♪ mehta grow a track record as ♪ ♪ an affordable housing ♪ ♪ developer .♪ ♪ paying it forward mehta is ♪ ♪ working to help other ♪ ♪ organizations and in the ♪ ♪ country by the way to ♪ ♪ develop their own capacity ♪ ♪ and track record as ♪ ♪ up-and-comingaffordable ♪ ♪ housing developers .♪ ♪ fast forward 20 years later, ♪ ♪ given the collective ♪ ♪ advocacy efforts building ♪ ♪ meda's technical capacity ♪

♪ and port partnerships, we ♪ ♪ now have 126 units ♪ ♪ affordable housing project ♪ ♪ with commercial space ♪ ♪ providing prominent ♪ ♪ locations to four of our ♪ ♪ long-standing many partners, ♪ ♪ sitting in front of a ♪ ♪ beautiful park.♪ ♪ [applause] this is how to ♪ ♪ build a community in the♪ ♪ mission.♪ ♪ this feels like the mission ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ so i will end my statement ♪ ♪ by sharing my gratitude to ♪ ♪ all of us who have ♪ ♪ contributed to making this ♪ ♪ project happen.♪ ♪ start with speaker pelosi, ♪ ♪ to secure a $2 million ♪ ♪ appropriation that will help ♪ ♪ out unity partners carry out ♪ ♪ their statements.♪ ♪ and there's mayor breed ♪ ♪ whose administration has ♪ ♪ been key in assuring the ♪ ♪ affordable housing in the ♪ ♪ mission insan francisco ♪ ♪ remains a top priority .♪ ♪ us that provided the ♪ ♪ financing for this project ♪ ♪ and has been a strong ♪

♪ partner at meda for over 20 ♪ ♪ years, about 12 years ago ♪ ♪ they financed possibility ♪ ♪ when noone else would do it ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ again see cdc for your ♪ ♪ partnership.♪ ♪ i still want to thank the ♪ ♪ meda board of directors ♪ ♪ that's provided guidance and ♪ ♪ support as we became ♪ ♪ affordable housing ♪ ♪ developers over the last ♪ ♪ eight years and they trusted ♪ ♪ we would know what we were ♪ ♪ doing and we were going to ♪ ♪ take care of their ♪ ♪ organization let the tail ♪ ♪ wag the dog.♪ ♪ but i also must thank our ♪ ♪ meda staff.♪ ♪ so for me, working with them ♪

♪ i've seen the remarkable ♪ ♪ abilityfor them to be ♪ ♪ audacious by adapting and ♪ ♪ fitting to meet the needs of ♪ ♪ our community at any moment ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ during covid, after covid.♪ ♪ our next speaker has worked ♪ ♪ so veryhard to make this ♪ ♪ project happen .♪ ♪ you very much caroline.♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> thank you lewis.♪ ♪ good afternoon.♪ ♪ welcome.♪ ♪ the encinitas.♪ ♪ as i look around this ♪ ♪ amazing building and i don't ♪ ♪ think i really fully ♪ ♪ conceptualized how amazing ♪ ♪ it is the way we ♪ ♪ conceptualized one word ♪ ♪ comes to mind.community.♪ ♪ the communities that brought ♪ ♪ this from a large parking ♪ ♪ lot and fought so hard to ♪ ♪ make it into affordable ♪ ♪ housing and a part.♪ ♪ our community members who ♪ ♪ nowcall the building home .♪

♪ 126 households.♪ ♪ and the community anchors♪ ♪ that now have permanent ♪ ♪ homes in the mission .♪ ♪ we welcome all of you to ♪ ♪ your new home in the heart ♪ ♪ of themission .♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> when we first♪ ♪ conceptualized this building ♪ ♪ as i housing opportunity♪ ♪ facing the park we were a ♪ ♪ neighborhood in transition .♪ ♪ our families were fighting ♪ ♪ for their roots in the ♪ ♪ mission .♪ ♪ wewanted 20/60 ♪ ♪ cannot just be the fight but ♪ ♪ be the future for our ♪ ♪ families .♪ ♪ from our 125+ homes we ♪ ♪ intentionally established 29 ♪ ♪ homes for transition age ♪ ♪ youth for the future of our ♪ ♪ community.♪ ♪ and an additional 89 for our ♪ ♪ families two and three ♪ ♪ bedroom homes so that they ♪ ♪ could have the space that ♪ ♪ they needed and deserved.♪ ♪ and if the pandemic has ♪ ♪ taught us anything that ♪

♪ space isreally important.♪ ♪ housing is health .casa ♪ ♪ adelante is the future of ♪ ♪ energy.♪ ♪ as the.♪ ♪ first fossil fuel free large ♪ ♪ all electricaffordable ♪ ♪ housing building in san ♪ ♪ francisco .♪ ♪ [applause] today is the day ♪ ♪ for celebration and ♪ ♪ gratitude.♪ ♪ we're celebrating obviously ♪ ♪ all of us are here to ♪ ♪ celebrate the trend of ♪ ♪ displacement for latinos in ♪ ♪ the mission♪ ♪ immigrants and ♪ ♪ community-based ♪ ♪ organizations can now say .♪ ♪ we're also offeringgratitude ♪ ♪ to our mayan elders, our ♪ ♪ community members .our ♪ ♪ residents.♪ ♪ elaine e, r deputy director ♪ ♪ of community real estate who ♪ ♪ was our team and partners ♪ ♪ from chinatown led the ♪ ♪ development of the building ♪ ♪ from our proposal that we ♪ ♪ put in front of mohcd to ♪

♪ what you see today.♪ ♪ larkin street youth center ♪ ♪ forproviding on-site ♪ ♪ programs , our architects ♪ ♪ and why a studio.♪ ♪ our contractor robert ♪ ♪ kobayashi and our funders ♪ ♪ we'll get to hear from in a ♪ ♪ bit.♪ ♪ i want to offer a tribute to ♪ ♪ the late artist yolanda ♪ ♪ lopez.♪ ♪ with herlegacy celebrated on ♪ ♪ the north wall of this ♪ ♪ policy i hope you guys get ♪ ♪ to turn around and see it on ♪ ♪ the other side.♪ ♪ it was designed by talented ♪ ♪ your list .♪ ♪ the four walls now the ♪ ♪ towering portrait of yolanda ♪ ♪ whose art focused on the ♪ ♪ experiences of mexican ♪ ♪ american and working-class ♪ ♪ women and she challenged ♪ ♪ ethnic stereotypes featuring ♪ ♪ the blackpanthers and ♪ ♪ slogans from our past social ♪

♪ justice movement .♪ ♪ she represented our past and ♪ ♪ future.♪ ♪ this is truly been a ♪ ♪ collective achievement and ♪ ♪ meda looks forwardto ♪ ♪ continuing to build with ♪ ♪ you.♪ ♪ you .♪ ♪ >> good afternoon everyone.♪ ♪ and you be okay?♪ ♪ good.♪ ♪ my name is also the ds and i ♪ ♪ am honored to be at this ♪ ♪ grand opening or casa ♪ ♪ adelante.♪ ♪ this day and this place is ♪ ♪ very special as luis ♪ ♪ mentioned we are here ♪ ♪ because of community ♪ ♪ organizing and community ♪ ♪ planning led by community ♪ ♪ members, artists, small ♪ ♪ businesses and ♪ ♪ community-based ♪

♪ organizations in 2000.♪ ♪ over 20 years ago to make ♪ ♪ this a reality.♪ ♪ and i'm grateful to see the ♪ ♪ seeds of the vision of the ♪ ♪ people's plan.♪ ♪ meda and any other ♪ ♪ organizations organized ♪ ♪ outside the coalition.♪ ♪ it's all electric 100 ♪ ♪ percent affordable housing ♪ ♪ building right next door to ♪ ♪ thisbeautiful park and ♪ ♪ guarded .♪ ♪ truly a community asset and ♪ ♪ a win environmental and ♪ ♪ climate justice and i also ♪ ♪ want to say that this is ♪ ♪ here because of a commitment ♪ ♪ to build a better ♪ ♪ neighborhood for the same ♪ ♪ neighbors.that community ♪ ♪ leaders such as our ♪ ♪ assembly.♪ ♪ maria out perez who are here ♪ ♪ today.and we honor their ♪ ♪ work and i invitethem to ♪

♪ come up and say a few words ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ [applause] [applause] ♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] ♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> we are very grateful ♪ ♪ about thiscommunity and it ♪ ♪ shows that yes, we can win .♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] ♪

♪ >> i've worked in the ♪ ♪ community for many years and ♪ ♪ this is one of the biggest ♪ ♪ events we've ever had.♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] ... ♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] ♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> she is a very ♪ ♪ inspirational speaker so i ♪ ♪ don't know if i can catch ♪ ♪ all that but she said this ♪

♪ isn't just going to be on we ♪ ♪ will have for this year, we ♪ ♪ willbe celebrating every ♪ ♪ year .♪ ♪ to have housing where we can ♪ ♪ live and support that we♪ ♪ continue organizing .♪ ♪ that's important for the ♪ ♪ mayor to be here not just to ♪ ♪ cut theribbon but to work ♪ ♪ with us to make things like ♪ ♪ this happen .♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] so thank ♪ ♪ you and may you continue ♪ ♪ working hand-in-hand with ♪ ♪ all the politicians and♪ ♪ everyone else .♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] ♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ [speaking spanish] maria is ♪

♪ very emotional about seeing ♪ ♪ this project come to life.♪ ♪ it's very moving and yes, we♪ ♪ can win .♪ ♪ [applause] so in closing i ♪ ♪ just want to offer an ♪ ♪ invitation to all the ♪ ♪ partners, lenders, ♪ ♪ decision-makers that are ♪ ♪ here with us today.♪ ♪ to continue tocollaborate ♪ ♪ with us .♪ ♪ and to work and invest in ♪ ♪ community rooted solutions ♪ ♪ because as the companyarose ♪ ♪ have been saying we can win ♪ ♪ .[applause] ♪ ♪ >> good afternoon.♪

♪ good afternoon.♪ ♪ thank you.♪ ♪ my name is michelle, i'm ♪ ♪ proud to introduce myself as ♪ ♪ executive director.♪ ♪ shout out to every artist in ♪ ♪ the room.♪ ♪ every arts organizer, every ♪ ♪ cultural leader.♪ ♪ shout out to you.♪ ♪ let's give itup for all the ♪ ♪ artists in this space .♪ ♪ i have all of three minutes ♪ ♪ here tothank all the people ♪ ♪ that have made this happen .♪ ♪ 25 years ago i was 19, 20 ♪ ♪ years old.♪ ♪ my first open mic wasin that ♪ ♪ green building across the ♪ ♪ street 25 years ago .♪ ♪ if it were not for the work ♪ ♪ of christie johnson, meda, ♪ ♪ the office of economic♪ ♪ workforce development, the♪ ♪ office of mayor london ♪ ♪ breathe, we would not be ♪ ♪ here so i want to pay the ♪

♪ first of all to christie .♪ ♪ yes ♪ ♪ let's celebrate, yes.♪ ♪ i also want to thank our ♪ ♪ partners .♪ ♪ there are four arts ♪ ♪ organizations, community ♪ ♪ building youth organizations ♪ ♪ that are here.♪ ♪ we are so proud and honored ♪ ♪ that meda, chinatown edc and ♪ ♪ city of san francisco is ♪ ♪ honoring youth and cultural ♪ ♪ leaders that are established ♪ ♪ in this community.♪ ♪ yes?♪ ♪ i'm not sure.♪ ♪ yes.♪ ♪ i promise i'm going to get ♪ ♪ off in 2 seconds but i must ♪ ♪ say this.♪ ♪ you speak and first ♪ ♪ exposures, the director is ♪ ♪ righthere.♪ ♪ i just wanted to say hi eric ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ you may be here together in ♪ ♪ this moment because we ♪ ♪ believe in a young person's ♪ ♪ ability to change the world ♪ ♪ throughtheir words .♪ ♪ there wonder, their♪ ♪ imagination .♪ ♪ 25 years ago youth speak was ♪ ♪ founded on the social and ♪ ♪ cultural imperative that ♪ ♪ says we must seekout the ♪

♪ voices , the texts and the ♪ ♪ narrative of solidarity and ♪ ♪ love.♪ ♪ yes?♪ ♪ especially when our stories ♪ ♪ have beenexcluded from the ♪ ♪ dominant american narrative, ♪ ♪ yes ?♪ ♪ this is a part of that ♪ ♪ larger story♪ ♪ so i'm going to stop talking ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you're welcome .♪ ♪ i am so excited to introduce ♪ ♪ the money who to me ♪ ♪ represents our vision both ♪ ♪ at sf and youth speaks.♪ ♪ miss zoe corrado.♪ ♪ zoe is a 17-year-old, can i♪ ♪ read it ?♪ ♪ 17-year-old spoken word poet ♪ ♪ and musician.♪ ♪ she is also the alamedayouth ♪ ♪ poet laureate .♪ ♪ the inaugural youth poet ♪ ♪ laureate of alameda county ♪ ♪ andserved on our youth ♪ ♪ advisory board .♪ ♪ please put your hands ♪ ♪ together in bringing up zoe ♪

♪ dorado.♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >>.♪ ♪ >> hey everyone.♪ ♪ i wrote this poem about a ♪ ♪ year ago so let's see, ♪ ♪ perpetual violence that has ♪ ♪ happened in the past few ♪ ♪ weeks i thought would be ♪ ♪ important to hear this poem ♪ ♪ and share it with you today♪ ♪ so this is called we briefed ♪ ♪ .♪ ♪ lola slips murmur out of ♪ ♪ morningbreath .♪ ♪ reuse out her skeleton and ♪ ♪ her mother's voice sits.♪ ♪ yes but also because isn't ♪ ♪ thishow you wake ?♪ ♪ you think of the body from ♪ ♪ sleep through the bodies of ♪ ♪ her hallway.♪ ♪ she asks if i do want to ♪ ♪ wake up at 7:30 and maybe ♪ ♪ since i stopped going to ♪ ♪ church years ago.♪ ♪ so now lola lisle wheaties ♪ ♪ alone at half mast as i ♪ ♪ caught myself asking her to ♪ ♪ stay home stay home because ♪

♪ streets somewhat sometimes ♪ ♪ carry brett.♪ ♪ maybe it's always been like ♪ ♪ this lying in wait because ♪ ♪ he cries 164 percent since a ♪ ♪ year ago says 283 percent ♪ ♪ since yesterday.♪ ♪ an 80-year-old asian man was♪ ♪ attacked there by a group of ♪ ♪ black and brown boys .♪ ♪ one year more than me ♪ ♪ another one year with my ♪ ♪ little sister.♪ ♪ we were 11 and 17.♪ ♪ since watched it all happen ♪ ♪ through a screen.♪ ♪ the one i hold in my hand ♪ ♪ who grew so many days until ♪ ♪ i down the dirt so i tried ♪ ♪ to dig out the dogma axes to ♪ ♪ the bone marrow of our blood ♪ ♪ is another way of saying ♪ ♪ this is another way of ♪ ♪ saying violencebetween ♪ ♪ communities of color begins♪ ♪ with this .♪ ♪ we begin with peter lang , a ♪ ♪ cop shop.♪ ♪ a 29-year-old latin american ♪ ♪ or when a filipino american ♪

♪ was walking near times ♪ ♪ square and was attacked by ♪ ♪ brandon elliott a security ♪ ♪ guard walking alongside the ♪ ♪ lobby to close the door.♪ ♪ another form of violence in ♪ ♪ which we pledge our bodies ♪ ♪ inside our own diaphragms so ♪ ♪ we can hold our shoulders ♪ ♪ in, down.♪ ♪ because we didn't breathe ♪ ♪ the same air as that sister ♪ ♪ did because we didn't carry ♪ ♪ aweapon in our mouse , ♪ ♪ typing it in strategically ♪ ♪ and then call the neighbors ♪ ♪ other.♪ ♪ call country and continent a ♪ ♪ disease.♪ ♪ creep across each other's ♪ ♪ backboneand asked how it got ♪ ♪ there.♪ ♪ america , my♪ ♪ immunocompromised country .♪ ♪ will you cross a ♪ ♪ bloodstained anatomy and ♪ ♪ look, see what we all need.♪ ♪ you evoke the soilin my ♪ ♪ lowest garland .♪ ♪ so the seeds and also under ♪

♪ that blackberries blackand ♪ ♪ brown bodies .♪ ♪ the ones that wound ♪ ♪ themselves through the break ♪ ♪ of arms and legs for what ♪ ♪ you grow and i say our ♪ ♪ histories are intertwined ♪ ♪ but i mean that we weave the♪ ♪ same air .♪ ♪ the kind that countries ♪ ♪ claiming other countries, ♪ ♪ the wide kind that white ♪ ♪ supremacy likes also, the ♪ ♪ kind that circulated a ♪ ♪ filipino american war when ♪ ♪ black american soldiers ♪ ♪ chose to fightalongside ♪ ♪ filipinos .♪ ♪ the kind of uproots ♪ ♪ colonialism who called ♪ ♪ ethnicstudies in 1965 during ♪ ♪ the deliberations right .♪ ♪ how the list isn't finished ♪ ♪ yet and wego to the streets ♪ ♪ when one of us calls .♪ ♪ how we hold ourselves gently ♪ ♪ but alsohold ourselves ♪ ♪ accountable and the same for ♪ ♪ those around us .♪ ♪ which is another way of ♪ ♪ saying this country needs to ♪ ♪ call itself out and call ♪

♪ himself in the country ♪ ♪ willing to share the same ♪ ♪ breath.♪ ♪ to read the same air.♪ ♪ placing our hands to chest ♪ ♪ and belly.♪ ♪ keep the other way.♪ ♪ to face that type of ♪ ♪ otherness instead of our ♪ ♪ name.♪ ♪ we allies the names of black ♪ ♪ and asianamerican activists, ♪ ♪ to audrey lord .♪ ♪ glenn, miriam.♪ ♪ pay homage to my teachers ♪ ♪ and bus drivers who helped ♪ ♪ and healthcare workers like ♪ ♪ my mom.♪ ♪ our singular exhale in.♪ ♪ the union of filipino and ♪ ♪ mexican immigrants passing ♪ ♪ on a singular bus ♪ ♪ celebrating, still alive.♪ ♪ filled up waking up in the ♪ ♪ morning.♪ ♪ still her body aching, our ♪

♪ bodies aching and tired.♪ ♪ what is work without ♪ ♪ movement?♪ ♪ not the willingness to ♪ ♪ attach, receive andpass on .♪ ♪ not us breathing ourselves ♪ ♪ in.♪ ♪ my instinct.♪ ♪ thank you.♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> how do i follow that?♪ ♪ that was beautiful.that ♪ ♪ was beautiful.♪ ♪ thank you.♪ ♪ thank you.♪ ♪ good afternoon everyone.♪

♪ my name is sherry and i'm ♪ ♪ one of the residents here at ♪ ♪ 2060..♪ ♪ i've been here for a little ♪ ♪ bit lessthan a year and i'm ♪ ♪ here to speak about my , ♪ ♪ there is.♪ ♪ i want to say that first and ♪ ♪ foremost i am grateful.♪ ♪ i am absolutely grateful for ♪ ♪ the experience to be able to ♪ ♪ live in a community in which ♪ ♪ i can actually grow roots♪ ♪ here not have the fear of ♪ ♪ being upgraded .♪ ♪ and so i'm grateful to all ♪ ♪ of you who've gotten ♪ ♪ together andhave made this ♪ ♪ happen .♪ ♪ [applause] so the beautiful ♪ ♪ thing about being here is ♪ ♪ what i've experienced is ♪ ♪ this is a reflection of my ♪ ♪ own culture.♪ ♪ i am biracial, filipino and ♪ ♪ black american and i have a ♪ ♪ son who is six years old and ♪

♪ he's.. so i call him my ♪ ♪ future baby.♪ ♪ truly he is a reflection of ♪ ♪ this community and i'm so ♪ ♪ grateful to be raised around♪ ♪ children who look like him .♪ ♪ and who he can actually ♪ ♪ relate to.♪ ♪ again we are here andwhere ♪ ♪ rooted and he had grow up ♪ ♪ with them and not have this ♪ ♪ fear of making friends and ♪ ♪ then leaving .♪ ♪ i'm also an entrepreneur so ♪ ♪ this building has been ♪ ♪ giving me the opportunity to ♪ ♪ continue running my own ♪ ♪ company where i've been able ♪ ♪ to own my own time and the ♪ ♪ one thing i do understand is ♪ ♪ everything starts with an ♪ ♪ idea and it starts with a ♪ ♪ unique idea and in order for ♪ ♪ you to be successful in that ♪ ♪ idea you need five things.♪ ♪ you needtime.♪ ♪ you need support . you need energy, resources and funds and you need that division so everyone can see

and follow and align themselves with what this community is. we all have a mission that's our call to duty. what do we need need to do to make this happen and it has to be instilled in values in which we can all come together and have a gut check. when you havethis type of community where you have differentcultures coming together with different economic backgrounds, there is somewhat of an explosion that happens . so everyone has to get to know one another . i have to know what works for meand i think that we are forced to understand one another in this type of capacity . i'm so grateful that i also see there's also community organizations here because i do have a creative myself i connect to the essence of who they are and i really am about

the grand experience. i do consulting anddesign work. it is really about how you want to feel when you get there . i think that's what it's about andif any of you do energy work like i do , you're going to manifest how you feel so if you want to feel safe youhave to surround yourself with people who are safe . if you want to feel like that you have security, you have to make sure that you're surrounded by people have that same type of understanding. but i think the one thing that starts every one off the starting line is the way you think and your philosophy. you have to be on that same page in order to nurture one another so i'm grateful for the organizations thatare here . i'm excited for my sons to be exposed to that type of energy. i want to get too much time what i'm grateful forthe part. it's so nice to have that as in

our front yard . that's what i call it. that's our cart. and i love that it's open to the community because my son makes friends every day. new friends every day so it's beautiful. i've also been able to support the surrounding organizations and companies. that live and run their businesses so for me it's about how i feel if i'm going to spend my resources so they make me feel like i'm a part of the family as well so i'm going to invest in their success and they add to the community here . one thing i do know is when you launcha brand is that you have to manage it and that has to be based off of what are the benefits , how do we all processed on the amicable culture of the community and i think he to this community is that we have so many different cultures coming together in which we can learn from one another and to this community and right now we're kind of a blank slate in a way so we're

waiting for that to happen and so that's kind of where i am right now is definitely the management of it. i love how clean it is and i love for them to keep this budget to be able to keep it clean like this.it's awesome, right? and as far as like safety and security i hope that's also a priority here because the community i would hate for something to happen to my neighbors . because we all kind of look out for each other and that's what's running to the businesses aroundhere is looking out for each other so would hope we would create a community of safety and security . andconvenience for everyone . so thank you again to everyone who made this possible . ijust want to let you know that the work that you put in has made a huge difference . [applause]

>> good afternoon. my name is now, young chinatown community development center. you know, i had a written speech. it was on my phone. forget it, i'm not going to bother. you can't follow zoe dorado with a written speech so i'm going to speak from myheart . this has been a heavy weekfor us so i'm grateful to be here . just yesterday we had a fire in one of our buildings. we had a stabbing. fatality in front of another and sometimes it makes you question how hard this work is. how challenging day-to-day can be. but coming to a moment like this,seeing this building, seeing the residence here , seeing the leaders here reminds

me of why we do this and why we struggle through the hard parts of this work to makethe great part-time . i want to thank course all the partners have been here today . i have made thishappen . i do of course want to get a special shout out to our team chinatown. whitney and kim back there, the way your hands. i was going to call youguys up but i forgot to read my speech . thank you so much to the hard work ofthe chinatown team . due to the partnership with meda. thank you meda for choosing us to be yourpartners, frankly and i want to make three points . i was trying to be inspirational but ican't after all these incrediblespeakers . one , i find it amazing that this building is not a hold to residents but home to a bunch of community-basedorganizations . because to me housing at the very top level is a place of stability .

it's a place to make whole. it's a place to rest and a place to find shelter away from all the hard things in the world but when we care for buildings, when we care for residents and our communities the residence can do miraculous things and get back and i think they can get back by becoming theleaders , the future leaders forcommunities like the mission . they can be the next hillary ronan, the next london breeze. that i think is going to be the gift of this building back to this community so iwanted to acknowledge that. that housing is not just housing . it's a place to grow leadership if we do it right and we need to do it right. the second point i want to make is that this relationship that we have with meda i deeply cherish. and i've come to cherish it even more in this moment where we have so much tension and he is in our communities, within our communities, withinour city

. the fact that we can sit down with the mission-based organization. do something so special to, physically build a building together means in many ways we are married to this and it means when we have issues with each other we have to talk. we have to work it out. we have to go home at night and have dinner. we have to talk, we have to work it out and i hope and i want that relationship to extend beyond this organization but also into our communities andmake this a bridge or communities like chinatown, like mission share so much in common , we are working folks, we're in a way where housing, we the places where in his really really for me incredibly gratifying that we can be part of meda's journey to become an

anchor for this community to build housing, to control its assets and fulfill this vision of my talk lead cc and i want topoint at eric because i know you share that vision and that's why i love you . don't know if you talk about it publicly but when we talk behind closed doors eric knows that's where he wants to go and he wants his city to go and i think that's exactly where we need to go . sothank you meda for letting us be a part of that . the last thing i also want to say is that chinatown cdc is. we're going to be in this buildinga little bit and continue to property management and provide resident services but i want to be clear about our intention . this is a building run by the mission and it is our intention mohcd, when you guys are ready and of course meda when you're ready our intention to make

sure this building becomes meda's so in mission-based organization can run a mission-based building and we canjust be a friend at that point . so luis the entire community, iq for letting us be a part of this. this is an inspiring moment i needed this and i'm so glad i can be here today . [applause] >> good afternoon everybody. my name is hillary ronen and i'm the lucky one that gets to be the supervisor of this district and i thought i was goingto be lucky going after malcolm . then they have to give this amazing inspiring speech. you guys havereally the anti-here . i just want to say that we've gotten so lucky. i feel madame mayor that we're

always in the mission doing these groundbreaking's and it is the best by far part of our jobs. really nothing brings us more happiness and much more joy and more of a sense of accomplishment but i have to say this building is even extra special. i don't know about all of you but when i write down all. and i see your gorgeous beautiful face staring down at me all that difficult stuff malcolm was talking about just sheds away and i remember how they had this vision for this space where they wanted part because there wasn't enough green and open space on the side of the mission and how they wanted affordable housing with community-based organizations on the ground floor. maria was there, miriam was there and antonio was there. so much of their families and it was just a dream. to now see the reality, see the

kids playing and seeing this marriage between two noxious affordable housing developers but community-based affordable housing developers . it's just like's the load and reminds us that we're going to be okay. at times are tough, they seem to be getting taller and tougher but when we got each other's backs and we work together that were going to be okay and we can makedreams a reality . congratulations . thank you forproducing this building . that makes me feelbetter every time i nearest thanks for all your inspiration . congratulations. >> good afternoon everyone. i'm withu.s. bank community development corporation . like malcolm i had written

statements i was going to share with you ridof a lot of numbers . things to do and all that but i really can't. i was inspired by your work. the 20 years that you've been fighting for this project . i'm honored to be here. i'm also here to let you know that behind the stereotypical bankers there is a lot of people who truly care about what we do. it's not about the numbers, about change. it's about changing people's lives about changing neighborhoods. about asking forwhat you want whenyour voices are not heard . but we hear you . we truly are you. i've worked with an organization with 600+ people atthis point fordedicated to making the world a better place . numbers matter . we're still dangerous,however it's the human story . it'syour stories .

it's your poem that was so touching especially during this time . whether it be local or state or international, your poem really touched a nerve and i thankyou for that . i'm going to take your stories. the end of the day we sell a story. the numbers are there but it's the story that makes the difference. thank you very much for letting usbe here . i really appreciate it. it's an amazing project. both meda, i really appreciate. [applause] >> good afternoon. i'm the executive director of the california council and i am so excited to be withyou here today . one of the distinct privileges

i have within my organization is in partnership with housing and community development leaving the affordable housing sustainablekennedys program which one of the funding streams help make this project a reality today . and our core mission and my organization is to create a lead, thriving communities and said to support that self-determined goal and when i look around today i see help and i see a community thathas come together to make an incredible project come to life so congratulations to all of you . one of the things i think is so important about the affordable housing sustainable communities program and where we are today is that intersection of affordable housing, equity goals and climate change. we all know that we need to be creating a community-based that gives people sustainability, both in terms of their daily lives but also our ability to live on this earth.

so the goal of this program is to buildtogether all these elements in a way that's holistic , that builds upon one another and gives us better community spaces for our future and that can be hard and one of the things that is important about making this come together is when you have partners that are willing towork together to think about solutions and come up with ideas and ways to make it happen . this is an exciting year for us or the affordable housing sustainable community program is in our last funding round we awarded over $800 million to aroundthe state to project like this. in the governor's budget , he proposed another $1.5 billion for projects that create show that housing is climate solutions and that by bridging these two together we can solve some of our most pressing challenges and address the needs in a way that is meaningful and sustainable. so i guess my asked to you all is as more of these applicants and programs and partnerships

for to be able to re-create what you have here and webring them here to show you how you've done it ? can we use this as a project show how you can do 100 percent electric, large projects, use san francisco in a way that meets all the needs of the community is what you've done your is game changing and it's something we can replicate acrossthe state . ireally appreciate being able to joinyou here today . thank you . >> afternoon. we're almost done. thank you very much. first let me talk briefly to some of the people. [speaking spanish] it is great

to be here. you got not one buttwo members of the administration , meaning myself and we are here to demonstrate that for the state of california, this partnership is so important. this partnership with the city of san francisco who is doing a terrific job in prioritizing affordable housing. mayor, your administration has been fast in prioritizing affordable housing.the partnership with meda, chinatown tec and the state government. it's very important. and we have in sacramento historic investments at the moment in affordable housing. for the last couple of years we've been doing is we've been entering that we at first that we choose what the state

priority is to create more affordable housing and then we harmonized those priorities across the dozens of multi family housingrental production programs that there are . and this project here exemplifies it, embodies so well those priorities. let me mention three. first deeply affordable. when i hear that the units will serve individuals and families that earn between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income that is essential. because housing for people with very low income is the housing that has been under produced most in the state of california for many years we have to ensure that housing that is deeply affordable, it costs more money but it's worth it. it's absolutely worth it.

the second priority is fair housing. to ensure that we have inclusive projects, inclusive communities of opportunity and malcolm you and i don't agree on everything but i've been learning a lot from you when we know that we have to invest more affordable housing not just in the more affluent areas in the more well resourced areas because we know a lot of affordable housing in the state of california has been created in areas of concentrated poverty but it is just as important to continue to build affordable housing in stead of government in neighborhoods and communities where you protect and retain the cultural heritage .where people in good and bad times that were living through stick around and they want to stay in this community so fair housing is

essential the third lynn explained so well. the connection between warehousing is being built and the ability to have a cleaner air. less pollution. that is a factor of where we build on the proximity to restaurants and the things that matter mostproximity . get them out of the car. walk to a job, to the school, to theplaces they need . this project is such a great example of the kinds of things the state government is prioritizing in a time where we havehistoric levels of investment . we need to maximize those resource andcontinued to create the housing . and with that let me bring to the stage the biggest champion ofaffordable housing in the city of sanfrancisco, arguably one of the biggest champions of

affordable housing in california , mayor of london breed . [applause] >> first of all thank you gustavoand let me say this . don't tell the governor this but you are my favorite person insacramento . and he's my favorite person in sacramento because he understands why a project like this is so important to the people of san francisco and ha been very supportive of the work that we do . because it doestake a village. in fact , these projects that started as a supervisor ronen mentioned we've been a number of these groundbreaking's in the mission and these projects started when i was on the board of supervisors and you were working for the supervisor of this district and this community rallied and came together with data.

also experience about what was happening specifically in the mission. i want to see change. wanted the city to invest and at that time mayor lee made a $50 million investment to begin the process of analyzing this district and looking for properties . this was a parking lot and other sites were in the places that we were able to purchase. and to work together to come up with the resources to make sure we made theinvestments . those resources involve money from the city that we couldn't do it alone and get itdone this past in bureaucratic years. we wouldn't be here right now . and the fact is we came together. we worked with thestate . we worked with the speaker of the house who was an important part of this project in particular and others in the mission . as of today, this is a 649 unit that we've been able to open in

the mission community so far. with more to calm. and i wish it was a lot faster. but here's thething and what i remember when i started on the board of supervisors as well . there was a lot of push for more housing opportunities but what i remembered in the fillmore and what happened to the community i grew up with there is all this housing was built but we weren't always able to get into the housing was built in our community . that's why this community joins me in fighting for neighborhood preference. so that we can make sure that when we tell the community we're going to build housing that there's a real opportunity for the people who actually live here to have access to these units. that was so much more important to me than anything else. a commitment tothe community and because of that we have

neighborhood preference with this project . we want to end youth homelessness and shirley adams is here and i'm so glad that we have used speaks that do extraordinary work for young people and our goal in the city is to do everything we can to end youthhomelessness so housing for transitional aged youth in this project as well this is a dream . this is what's possible when we come together. this is what's possible when we work hard to do extraordinary things. can youimagine being a kid , hanging out in this courtyard. and i don't know if kids still play hopscotch andjumping jacks and all that stuff weused to play. maybe video gamesbut they need to beoutside anyway .

but playing in this courtyard , yelling up to the window, , i'm going to go to the park . heading up the store to the park to enjoy their neighborhoods and to grow up talking about these experiences . this is the dream. it's so much more than housing. it's a community. filled with community-based organizations who been doing extraordinary work.filled with meda and ccc who believe in affordable housing for people in san francisco of all ages. this is an extraordinary project and i'm so happy to be here today and so proud to represent the city in this way. now it's time to do what we've all been waitingfor even though everybody's already moved in . covid put us in this situation so we don't want to miss out on these milestones even though we couldn't stop people from moving in needed thesehousing

units right now so here we are , ready to cut theribbon . are you ready? supervisor ronen are you ready? yes, let's do this!>> four, three, two,one . [cheering]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

>> 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. ♪♪

>> i am iris long. we are a family business that started in san francisco chinatown by my parents who started the business in the mid 1980s. today we follow the same footsteps of my parents. we source the teas by the harvest season and style of crafting and the specific variety. we specialize in premium tea. today i still visit many of the farms we work with multigenerational farms that produce premium teas with its own natural flavors. it is very much like grapes for wine. what we do is more specialized, but it is more natural.

growing up in san francisco i used to come and help my parents after school whether in middle school or high school and throughout college. i went to san francisco state university. i did stay home and i helped my parents work throughout the summers to learn what it is that makes our community so special. after graduating i worked for an investment bank in hong kong for a few years before returning when my dad said he was retiring. he passed away a few years ago. after taking over the business we made this a little more accessible for visitors as well as residents of san francisco to visit. many of our teas were traditionally labeled only in chinese for the older

generation. today of our tea drinkkers are quite young. it is easy to look on the website to view all of our products and fun to come in and look at the different varieties. they are able to explore what we source, premium teas from the providence and the delicious flavors. san francisco is a beautiful city to me as well as many of the residents and businesses here in chinatown. it is great for tourists to visit apsee how our community thrived through the years. this retail location is open daily. we have minimal hours because of our small team during covid. we do welcome visitors to come in and browse through our

products. also, visit us online. we have minimal hours. it is nice to set up viewings of these products here. >> you're watching san francisco rising with chris manors. today's special guest is mary chu. >> hi. i'm chris manors, and you're rising on san francisco rising. the show that's focused on rebuilding, reimagining, and restarting our city. our guest today is mary chu, and she's here to talk with us

about art and the san francisco art commission. well come, miss chu. >> thanks for having me. >> it's great to have you. let's talk about art in the city and how art installations are funded. >> the arts committee was funded in 1932 and support civic review, design investments and art galleries. projects we have are funded by the city's art enrichment ordinance which provides 2% of construction costs for public art. >> so art is tied to construction. there's been a great deal in the southwest of the city.

can you talk about some of the projects there? >> sure. our city has some exciting projected in the bayview-hunters point coming up. one artist created a photo collage. in the picture pavilion, one artist formed a collage of her one-year residency coming together with residents, and anchoring the new center is a landmark bronze sculpture, inspired by traditional ivory coast currency which the artists significantly enlarges to mark that it's a

predominantly african american community in bayview hunters point. >> are there any art installations around town that uses light as a medium? >> yes. the first is on van ness between o'farrell and geary. it's funded with the m.t.a.s van ness geary street project. another project is for the central subway. it is one of ten artworks commissioned for the new line. it's over 650 feet long, consists of 550 l.e.d. panels between the powell street station and the union street station. it's called lucy in the sky, and the lights are patterned

with unique sequences so that commuters can experience a unique pattern each time they pass through. >> perfect. what about the early day sculpture that was removed from the civic center? >> this is a question that cities have been grappling with nationwide. following the removal of early days in 2018, there was a toppling of statues in golden gate park as well as the removal of the christopher columbus statue. we are partnering with the parks department as well as the community to engage with the public to develop guidelines to evaluate the existing monuments and memorials in the civic arts

collection and evaluate the removal of a monument or statue but also installing new ones. >> finally, it seems like the weather might be nice this weekend. if i fancy taking a walk and seeing some outdoor art, where would you suggest i go? >> well, i would suggest the embarcadero. this work was commissioned with funds from the fire station 35. this suggests the bow of a boat and the glass panel surrounding the structure depict the history of fireboats in the bay

area. >> and where can i go from there? >> then, i would walk up to the justin herman plaza to check out the work of the art vendors. then check out the monuments like the mechanics monument. also, be sure to check out the poster series, installed in bus kiosks along market street, which features four artists each year. >> well, thank you. i appreciate you coming on the show, miss chu. thank you for your time today. >> thank you, chris. >> that's it for this episode. we'll be back with another sh.w >> my name is kathy mccall. i'm director of san francisco national cemetery here on the

presidio of san francisco. this was designated as the first national cemetery on the west coast in 1884.however its history dates back to the 1850s along with the us army presence on the presidio itself. we have 26,300 gravesites that we maintain and thereare 32,000 individuals buried in this cemetery . the veterans who are buried here span all the war period going back to what we call the indian war, spanish-american war, world war i to korea, vietnam and then as recent as operation iraqifreedom . we have 39 medal of honor recipients. more than 400 buffalo soldiers buried here who are the african-americansoldiers who served with the ninth and 10th calvary .

there's so many veterans buried here, each withtheir own unique history and contribution . one of those individuals is all equipment prior. that's not her real name, that's her stage name and she was an actor during the civil war and while she was working she was approached by sympathizers who offered her a sum of money to cost jefferson davis on stage she did this but she recorded it to a union marshall . she was fired for doing this which made her a sweetheart to the local confederates and made her a good spy for the union. she gave information to the union until late 1863 when she was found out in order to be hung by confederate general braxton bragg of the union troops the town . no longer any good she even wrote a book.

she was given the honorary rank of major president lincoln and her inscription reads union spy. >> memorial day is a day of respect and morning for our veterans who have given their all five presidential proclamation it became a national holiday to beobserved on the last monday of the month of may . originally memorial day was called decoration day during the civil war to recognize the veterans whogave their lives . memorial day and veterans day getconfused because it involves veterans .veterans day is on november 11 is a day to honor our veterans who are still alive while at the same time we pay respect to those who have passed but memorial day is a day to show our respect to what was said and honor ourveterans who have passed on . >> lieutenant john david miley

was a graduate of the united states military academy atwest point in 1887 . he was commissioned as a second lieutenant with the fifth artillery regiment with the outbreak of the spanish-american war in 1898 he was assigned an aide-de-camp to major general william shatner, khmer and commander of the expedition to cuba.he was highly trusted and when the general staff fell lieutenant miley was designed to coordinate the attack on san juan hill in his place and would ultimately be the one to give the order that led to the charge of lieutenant colonel theodore roosevelt and the roughriders . a few days later he served as one of the commissioners who negotiated the spanish surrender of santiago july 17. in 1904 miley in san francisco wasnamed in his honor.we know

that today as san francisco va medical center . >> as a young man i grew up in south san francisco right next door to the national cemetery so when i became a cub scout we used to go over there in the 50s and decorate the gravesthat were there. when i got out of the service i stepped right back into it . went out with the boy scouts and put up the flags every year and eventually ended up being a scout at golden gate cemetery for many years. one day a gentleman walked upto me with a uniform of colonel retired . he grabbed me, i wasin uniform and says i need your help . from that day on i worked with cardinal sullivan doing military funerals and formed a group called the volunteers of america who brought in other veterans to perform military service and the closing of all the bases we got military personnel to do all the funerals.

to this day i've done over 7000 funeral services and with my group we supplement the military, all branches. i'm honoring a fellow comrade was given his or her life in service to this country. and the way ilook at it , the last thing the family and friends will remember about that individual is the final service we give to them. so we have to do a perfect job. so that they go home with good memories. >> our nation flies the united states flag at half staff by presidentialproclamation as a symbol of mourning . also in va national cemetery flags are flown at half staff on the days we haveburials .

is lowered to half staff before the first burial takes place and ray is back to full staff after the last arial has been completed . on memorial day weekend we have hundreds of scouts veterans and volunteers who come out and placed individual gravesite flags on every grave throughout the cemetery transformation from when they begin to when they conclude and to have that coupled with our memorial day ceremony is very moving and suchappointment reminder of the cost of our freedom . it's a reminderto us not to take that for granted , to be truly grateful for the price is paid not only by those who given their lives but those will have served our country and still pay the price today in one way or another and it's so meaningful to be to work in the national cemetery and see the history around us and to know this is such an integral part of our nation's past and

present. >>

my name is steve adomi and i'm the director of the adult probation department. i do want to thank our partners from the department of public health with community services we've opened 300 units in the individual justice system trying to live drug and alcohol-free. so, before i begin, i actually want to thank destiny pledge and victoria west brook who -- they're my staff and one of the advantages of this project is the city spent no money remodelling this building. the ownership took on the

remodel and it's 75 units. it will be an opportunity for 75 adults to mitigate the barriers and provide real-time access for people in jail that need to get support in the community and not in custody. so i want to say thank you to destiny and victoria for all your leadership on this project. now, i have the honor of introducing our incredible mayor london breed. [ applause ] >> first of all, i'm glad to be here. i love what you're doing and i love seeing my people do well in san francisco. let me tell you, it's been a hard time for so many folks who are part of this community over

the years. in fact, there have been a lot of conversations happening around criminal justice reforms and this whole d.a. recall and it's a set back to supposedly a set back to criminal justice reform. and, what i reject as the mayor of this city is the need to choose between justice and reforms. we can have both. both exist. it exists for the moms whose children were gunned down in the street who deserve justice. it exists for the people who have been falsely accused of crimes that they did not commit. it exists for people who suffer from addiction of various things who want to turn their lives around and when they come home want to re-enter society and have the dignity of having a roof over their heads.

it exists when we make it a priority. we don't have to choose. we have to invest in it all. we have to invest in people in this city. and, part of that includes supporting folks who are re-entering society who want a second chance. i can't even list the number of people that i grew up with who paid their debt to society and some others that paid somebody else's debt to society and they would come home looking for help. and maybe their mom or their grandma was displaced from the place they grew up in. and they were rejected time and time again for employment opportunities to make a decent living to be able to have money

to pay rent. and so, what happens is -- what happens when everyone is slamming the door in your face. what happens when everyone is telling you no. what happens is when you're trying to figure out where you're going to sleep. that's why this is so important. it's important for people to have dignity. the for people to have a foundation. for people to truly get the second chance that they deserve in life and to have stable housing at the center of all that. but also what steve has created is more than just housing and abstinence based programs. who uplift 1 another and in turn, all of the folks who are part of this incredible family,

they're going to try and continue to help other people, other people who are struggling with some of the similar issues that unfortunately they've had to endure and they are living examples of when it's done right. they are living examples of when redemption happens, when second chances happen, when opportunity happens. this is more than just a building when it's being remodeled and beautiful artwork and nice paint. it's more than that. it's what we are, what we represent in san francisco. and what we have to continue to invest in. we can't keep saying that we believe in it, but not make the investments to change it. and, so that's why we're here today. and, i couldn't be more proud

because seeing people that you know who've been through challenges and seeing them here doing this great work, gaining a little weight. now, some people are like i don't want to gain weight, but trust me, this is the good kind of weight. the good kind of weight. and so i'm so proud to be here. and i'm so happy for what this is going to do for not just the folks who are part of this family, this community, but what it's going to do to turn around peoples' lives. so congratulations. i guess we're cutting the ribbon. i guess we're almost full. we're going to get full soon. but, steve, i've got to say, are i'm so happy that you are really spearheading many of these projects because i know they'll get done and they'll get done right and every single

dollar that the city provides will be invested in the people to make this kind of difference. thank you for your work. thank you for your commitment. and, let me take this opportunity to introduce the next speaker. can i do that? so i want to introduce the next speaker because you know a lot of you know where i grew up. sadly, addiction was not only common, but involvement in the criminal justice system was common and getting access to programs and opportunities was definitely not really an option and many instances. and, so when i was trying to make a decision about who would serve on the board of supervisors for district six, the reason why matt dorsey is a person that i picked had a lot to do with his compelling story

having very similar experiences to so many people i know and so many people in this community. someone who has unfortunately suffered through an addiction, has been through rehab, has been through resources to get through help. and he and i had a very in-depth conversation and i'll tell you this is really important to me because we know it's hard and we know there are people who aren't with us because of their addiction including my sister. you know, waldon house tried to help, but we need more. and we don't need people who've not experienced things in the same way that you have experienced making decisions about what should happen.

part of what i'm here to do is not only listen to what you're struggling with and provide it necessary but also making sure we have representatives, policy makers able to help me on the board of supervisors instead of against me to help me to get the resources necessary to turn things around for so many people in this city. and the person who is definitely going to be a leader in helping all of those efforts because of his own personal story is the supervisor of district six matt dorsey. [applause] >> thanks everybody. my name is matt and i'm an addict and alcoholic. [cheers and applause] it was the convergence of a public health crisis in accidental drug overdose deaths

in the last couple of years. in my own personal journey in drug addiction that moved me to ask mayor breed to consider this vacancy. it was the collective toll of being on a monthly call with the office of the chief examiner and the officials of the department of public health. and it was the heroic championship of mayor london breed in the tender loin initiative and the hard fight that was and if there was a moment that moved me to say to think in my heart. i want to be an ally on this. i believe in the promise of recovery. and i believe that the city has an essential role to fulfill that promise. and i am inspired by the stories of my brothers and sisters in recovery.

i'm inspired by the people, i go to meetings. as part of this journey, i was prepared to talk about how i was going to tell my personal story publicly. but it was interesting when i was sworn in and announced, i hadn't prepared for what i was going to talk about publicly. in a meeting of crystal meth anonymous or some of the meetings i'm apart of where they knew i'm interviewing for a job and people were supportive of me but they didn't know i was going to be on the board. i didn't know. we've been through a journey together. we've seen hell and back and to hear from them hey matt, now we've got a seat at the table. it is terrifying to have that expectation on my shoulders,

but it is an honor. it is the inspiration of my career to have this opportunity to work for my neighbors and my city on the issues that i care about. people that i love and people that i want to support. the real lesson of recovery i think is that we help each other. it is something that i know for a fact what i have learned in recovery and i've had some setbacks over the years and what i've learned again and again in recovery is when i help others, it's 100% effective in keeping me sober and if everybody can internalize that, we're here for each other. that's the work that steve adomi is doing and that's the kind of work that i'm really excited to be supporting on the board of supervisors. so, thank you everybody. thank you, matt. >> thank you, mayor, and thank

you, supervisor dorsey. >> you know, when programs like this move into neighborhoods, neighbors usually lock their doors and i got a letter from a neighbor who was concerned. i want to welcome a couple of our neighbors here today because they're no longer concerned, they're excited and happy and we welcomed them into our family. they all live on this block in this neighborhood and are part of this energy and they're making this project happen. i want to say thank you for welcomed them. >> you know, sometimes collaborations are complicated, but they're not complicated when peoples' visions, missions, and values are aligned. in march, the adult proand we didn't have any funds for it. and our next speaker made this happen and i'm so grateful to

partner with the san francisco department of public health who stepped up and made this dream a reality. so dr. colfax. [applause] >> thank you mayor breed. thank you supervisors. and thank you, steve. i really appreciate everything you do for the community. you know, i get a lot of e-mails. i always read yours because they're so informative and they're also really inspirational. they're very meaningful. so thank you. and i just want to take a moment to thank everyone in this endeavor. this is a shared collaborative effort. a wonderful example of when departments come together. we can solve things with community, with the neighborhood and most importantly with the people who we are serving and i really want to take a moment to thank the dph team that works so hard on this. dr. hillary our director of

behavioral health. dr. payting from behavioral health. and she's in the back a little bit right now but she's amazing. we are so fortunate to have dr. lisa pratt our director of jail health. that's jail health director in the country if not the world. i just want to put that out there. >> so i'm so pleased to be out here. we all know the story, right. people coming out of incarceration having complex needs, experiencing homelessness, substance use, behavioral health crisis. many experience stigma and discrimination. and, for many people and for many systems, the culmination of these challenges at first may seem insurmountable.

and we know what happens when people are not supported. the cycles of incarceration, of homelessness, of mental health crisis. we see people landing back in jail. landing back in the e.r. and back in the psychiatric emergency facilities. well, this is going to break that cycle. this is going to break that cycle meeting people where they are and supporting them on their journey to recovery. 75 people will be able to access these services offering stability of housing. we know it takes whatever it takes. every door's the right door to get people to support them with their behavioral health and other life needs. now we call this lots of bureaucracy here. our goal is for people to make

lasting changes in their lives and transition to independent living and i know this program's going to be successful and i'm so thrilling to be working collaboratively. >> hello everyone. this is really an amazing day. it is a continuation of the work that adult preservation does to help restore their lives. at adult prevation we're a small department but we lead with passion and commitment. we believe that building therapeutic pathways for people is what works. we believe that recovery works. the minna project reflects a

lot of pain and experience that people experience, but more than that, it reflects hope and promise that comes with the opportunity to transform your life. we are so grateful to the mayor's office. andrus powers, sean elburn. and you, mayor. thank you so much for this support. [applause] we are so grateful to be in partnership with dph and west side community services, positive directions equals change [cheers and applause]

we are -- that's right. we are very grateful for the support we receive from the board. supervisor safai, supervisor dorsey. supervisor stefani, and supervisor mandelman. at the adult probation department our revision is led by steve adomi. [applause] and destiny pledge, victoria westbrook, devonna smith and daniel amaringa. [applause] this is their vision and they put their heart and soul into making sure that this is a right environment for change. we are so honored and feel so much responsibility for making

sure that this works. there are endless possibilities for anyone that will come through these doors and we're really grateful for this opportunity. thank you. [applause] >> you know, a couple years ago, 2019, we kind of set out on this mission with one of my then staff joffreya morris who then went to work for supervisor safai. then we created a portfolio and we had no money at the time and we started to try to figure things out and there was about 50 of us that have been to prison. went back to school. got our liveses together and felt obligated to share our lives with others to ensure everybody had the same

opportunity we had. and one of the leading voices of our cause is going to come up and speak next. for 30 years, this guy was behind the scenes doing the work for this partner in crime, craig johnson. [cheers and applause] if you have ever spent any time with cedric, his phone does not stop ringing, you can't get him alone and he is working day and night. he manages nine programs for us. he also is dealing with the courts. dealing with clients. i've never seen anybody do so much at one moment. i want to bring up my peer, my friend, my colleague, cedric. [cheers and applause]

>> all right. [cheers and applause] >> all right. good afternoon everyone. >> good afternoon cedric. >> so once again, the community has spoken, and once again, the mayor has listened. the reason why this happened today because the name of this project is called the minna project and we were trying to figure out a name until i looked it up and found the arabic meaning of minna and it says, god will provide. [cheers and applause] so that has to be the name. so the first thing, i again, i just want to first thank mayor london breed for all her

support and for all her love. i want to thank supervisor safai also for all of his support. this is the time in san francisco right now. we all have our differences. we all see ways of how we think this should happen. but this is a time for us to come together. i'm serious. it's time for us to come together no matter what walk of life we come from. everybody is scared to talk about recovery when it comes to substance abuse, prison life and addiction. all you've got to do is look out on that street and see there's a whole lot of recovery that needs to happen and take place. we need to work with the people that live on this block. we need to take it block by block and we have to start within our own hearts. don't blame nobody else if you ain't doing nothing, but we have to start within ourselves to be able to make this work. i ain't going to hold you long

because i appreciate everybody for supporting and coming out. don't just come today. i want to see you here tomorrow the next day the next day and come out and support this situation. so, right now, thank you all for coming. i appreciate you guys. love you. and -- [cheers and applause] yeah. and i want to bring supervisor safai to the table, please. >> supervisor safai: i don't know if i want to follow him. let me just start by saying god is good ya'll. all the time. all the time. so let me say this and he hit on it and mayor breed said it right. the best elected officials, the best public servants listen because we don't have all the

answers. and a few years ago, the black community got together, the recorpse led by the black recovery community got together and said the city is not listening to us. they're not providing the services that we need. they're not giving us the opportunity to go into an abstinence-based environment. but let's at least offer that service. so they came and i had the good fortune of having jwithoffrea morris on my staff. we connect wednesday apd and they had things sitting on the shelf. i heard from public leadership and they said how did this happen so quickly. first when we did the therapeutic community over there in knob hill. i went into the mayor's office, it literally took one minute. i said it to her and she said

absolutely. we're going to do that. we're going to make that happen. and we did it. and then here we are again when she declared her state of emergency and i teased her. i called her "scrooge" because we had to work on christmas eve. and she said, "asha, do your job" and i said okay madam mayor but i'm going to ask for one thing, the minna project. and it took one more minute to convince her this was the right thing to do. so i want to thank mayor breed and andres for putting in the hours. i know you gave a big round of applause let's give it up for positive direction for change. [cheers and applause] that's right. we have to recognize when leadership is happening in the black community in this way and

it's okay to say black. it's okay. thank you everyone. let's cut the ribbon. >> so if everybody on the stairs can clear a pathway for the mayor, dr. colfax, supervisor safai. we're going to cut it here. oh, sorry. thought we were cutting it outside. sorry. >> everybody. five, four, three, two, one. [cheers and applause]

>> when i first started painting it was difficult to get my foot in the door and contractors and mostly men would have a bad attitude towards me or not want to answer my questions or not include me and after you prove yourself, which i have done, i don't face that obstacle as much anymore. ♪♪♪ my name is nita riccardi, i'm a painter for the city of san francisco and i have my own business as a painting contractor since 1994 called winning colors. my mother was kind of resistant. none of my brothers were painter. i went to college to be a chiropractor and i couldn't imagine being in an office all day. i dropped out of college to

become a painter. >> we have been friends for about 15-20 years. we both decided that maybe i could work for her and so she hired me as a painter. she was always very kind. i wasn't actually a painter when she hired me and that was pretty cool but gave me an opportunity to learn the trade with her company. i went on to different job opportunities but we stayed friends. the division that i work for with san francisco was looking for a painter and so i suggested to my supervisor maybe we can give nita a shot. >> the painting i do for the city is primarily maintenance painting and i take care of anything from pipes on the roof to maintaining the walls and beautifying the bathrooms and graffiti removal. the work i do for myself is different because i'm not actually a painter. i'm a painting contractor which

is a little different. during the construction boom in the late 80s i started doing new construction and then when i moved to san francisco, i went to san francisco state and became fascinated with the architecture and got my contractor's licence and started painting victorians and kind of gravitated towards them. my first project that i did was a 92 room here in the mission. it was the first sro. i'm proud of that and it was challenging because it was occupied and i got interior and exterior and i thought it would take about six weeks to do it and it took me a whole year. >> nita makes the city more beautiful and one of the things that makes her such a great contractor, she has a magical touch around looking at a project and bringing it to its

fullest fruition. sometimes her ideas to me might seem a little whacky. i might be like that is a little crazy. but if you just let her do her thing, she is going to do something incredible, something amazing and that will have a lot of pop in it. and she's really talented at that. >> ultimately it depends on what the customer wants. sometimes they just want to be understated or blend in and other times they let me decide and then all the doors are open and they want me to create. they hire me to do something beautiful and i do. and that's when work is really fun. i get to be creative and express what i want. paint a really happy house or something elegant or dignified. >> it's really cool to watch what she does. not only that, coming up as a woman, you know what i mean, and we're going back to the 80s with

it. where the world wasn't so liberal. it was tough, especially being lgbtq, right, she had a lot of friction amongst trades and a lot of people weren't nice to her, a lot of people didn't give her her due respect. and one of the things amazing about nita, she would never quit. >> after you prove yourself, which i have done, i don't face that obstacle as much anymore. i'd like to be a mentor to other women also. i have always wanted to do that. they may not want to go to school but there's other options. there's trades. i encourage women to apply for my company, i'd be willing to train and happy to do that. there's a shortage of other women painters. for any women who want to get into a trade or painting career, just start with an

apprenticeship or if you want to do your own business, you have to get involved and find a mentor and surround yourself with other people that are going to encourage you to move forward and inspire you and support you and you can't give up. >> we've had a lot of history, nita and i. we've been friends and we have been enemies and we've had conflicts and we always gravitate towards each other with a sense of loyalty that maybe family would have. we just care about each other. >> many of the street corners in all the districts in san francisco, there will be a painting job i have completed and it will be a beautiful paint job. it will be smooth and gold leaf and just wow. and you can't put it down. when i first started, it was hard to get employees to listen to me and go along -- but now, i have a lot of respect.

>> i don't want to be involved in the process after it happens. i want to be there at the front end to help people with something in my mind from a very early age. our community is the important way to look at things, even now. george floyd was huge. it opened up wounds and a discussion on something festering for a long time. before rodney king. you can look at all the instances where there are calls for change.

i think we are involved in change right now in this moment that is going to be long lasting. it is very challenging. i was the victim of a crime when i was in middle school. some kids at recess came around at pe class and came to the locker room and tried to steal my watch and physically assaulted me. the officer that helped afterwards went out of his way to check the time to see how i was. that is the kind of work, the kind of perspective i like to have in our sheriff's office regardless of circumstance. that influenced me a lot. some of the storefronts have changed. what is mys is that i still see some things that trigger memories. the barbershop and the shoe store is another one that i remember buying shoestrings and

getting my dad's old army boots fixed. we would see movies after the first run. my brother and i would go there. it is nice. if you keep walking down sacramento. the nice think about the city it takes you to japan town. that is where my grandparents were brought up. that is the traditional foods or movies. they were able to celebrate the culture in that community. my family also had a dry-cleaning business. very hard work. the family grew up with apartments above the business. we have a built-in work force. 19 had 1 as -- 1941 as soon as that happened the entire community was fixed. >> determined to do the job as democracy should with real

consideration for the people involved. >> the decision to take every one of japan niece american o japanese from their homes. my family went to the mountains and experienced winter and summer and springs. they tried to make their home a home. the community came together to share. they tried to infuse each home are little things. they created things. i remember my grand mother saying they were very scared. they were worried. they also felt the great sense of pride. >> japanese americans. >> my granduncle joined the

442nd. when the opportunity came when the time that was not right. they were in the campaign in italy. they were there every step of the way. >> president truman pays tribute. >> that was the most decorated unit in the history of the united states army. commitment and loyal to to the country despite that their families were in the camp at that time. they chose to come back to san francisco even after all of that. my father was a civil servant as well and served the state of california workers' compensation attorney and judge and appellate board. my parents influenced me to look at civil service s.i applied to police, and sheriff's department

at the same time. the sheriff's department grabbed me first. it was unique. it was not just me in that moment it was everyone. it wasn't me looking at the crowd. it was all of us being together. i was standing there alone. i felt everyone standing next to me. the only way to describe it. it is not about me. it is from my father. my father couldn't be there. he was sick. the first person i saw was him. i still sometimes am surprised by the fact i see my name as the sheriff. i am happy to be in the position i am in to honor their memory doing what i am doing now to help the larger comment. when i say that we want to be

especially focused on marginalized communities that have been wronged. coming from my background and my family experienced what they did. that didn't happen in a vacuum. it was a decision made by the government. nobody raised their voice. now, i think we are in a better place as country and community. when we see something wrong we have change agents step up to help the community affected. that is a important thing to continue to do. you talk about change and being a leader in change and not knowing whether you have successes or results. the fact of the matter is by choosing to push for change you have already changed things. through inspiration for others, take up the matter or whether it is through actual functional change as a result of your voice being heard. i think you have already started

on a path to change by choosing that path. in doing that in april of itself creates change. i continue in that type of service for my family. something i hope to see in my children. i have a pretty good chance with five children one will go into some sort of civil service. i hope that happens to continue that legacy. >> i am paul, sheriff of san francisco. [ music ]

>> i don't think you need to be an expert to look around and see the increasing frequency of fires throughout california. they are continuing at an ever-increasing rate every summer, and as we all know, the drought continues and huge shortages of water right now. i don't think you have to be an expert to see the impact. when people create greenhouse gases, we are doing so by different activities like burning fossil fuels and letting

off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and we also do this with food waste. when we waste solid food and leave it in the landfill, it puts methane gas into the atmosphere and that accelerates the rate at which we are warming our planet and makes all the effects of climate change worse. the good news is there are a lot of things that you can be doing, particularly composting and the added benefit is when the compost is actually applied to the soil, it has the ability to reverse climate change by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil and the t radios. and there is huge amount of science that is breaking right now around that. >> in the early 90s, san francisco hired some engineers to analyze the material san francisco was sending to

landfill. they did a waste characterization study, and that showed that most of the material san francisco was sending to landfill could be composted. it was things like food scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells and sticks and leaves from gardening. together re-ecology in san francisco started this curbside composting program and we were the first city in the country to collect food scraps separately from other trash and turn them into compost. it turns out it was one of the best things we ever did. it kept 2.5 million tons of material out of the landfill, produced a beautiful nutrient rich compost that has gone on to hundreds of farms, orchards and vineyards. so in that way you can manage your food scraps and produce far less methane. that is part of the solution. that gives people hope that we're doing something to slow down climate change. >> i have been into organic farming my whole life. when we started planting trees,

it was natural to have compost from re-ecology. compost is how i work and the soil biology or the microbes feed the plant and our job as regenerative farmers is to feed the microbes with compost and they will feed the plant. it is very much like in business where you say take care of your employees and your employees will take carolinas of your customers. the same thing. take care of the soil microbes and soil life and that will feed and take care of the plants. >> they love compost because it is a nutrient rich soil amendment. it is food for the soil. that is photosynthesis. pulling carbon from the atmosphere. pushing it back into the soil where it belongs. and the roots exude carbon into the soil. you are helping turn a farm into a carbon sink. it is an international model. delegations from 135 countries have come to study this program. and it actually helped inspire a

new law in california, senate bill 1383. which requires cities in california to reduce the amount of compostable materials they send to landfills by 75% by 2025. and san francisco helped inspire this and this is a nation-leading policy. >> because we have such an immature relationship with nature and the natural cycles and the carbon cycles, government does have to step in and protect the commons, which is soil, ocean, foryes, sir, and so forth. -- forest, and so fors. we know that our largest corporations are a significant percentage of carbon emission, and that the corporate community has significant role to play in reducing carbon emissions. unfortunately, we have no idea and no requirement that they disclose anything about the carbon footprint, the core

operation and sp360 stands for the basic notion that large corporations should be transparent about the carbon footprint. it makes all the sense in the world and very common sense but is controversial. any time you are proposing a policy that is going to make real change and that will change behavior because we know that when corporations have to disclose and be transparent and have that kind of accountability, there is going to be opposition. >> we have to provide technical assistance to comply with the state legislation sb1383 which requires them to have a food donation program. we keep the edible food local. and we are not composting it because we don't want to compost edible food. we want that food to get eaten within san francisco and feed folks in need. it is very unique in san francisco we have such a broad

and expansive education program for the city. but also that we have partners in government and nonprofit that are dedicated to this work. at san francisco unified school district, we have a sustainability office and educators throughout the science department that are building it into the curriculum. making it easy for teachers to teach about this. we work together to build a pipeline for students so that when they are really young in pre-k, they are just learning about the awe and wonder and beauty of nature and they are connecting to animals and things they would naturally find love and affinity towards. as they get older, concepts that keep them engaged like society and people and economics. >> california is experiencing many years of drought. dry periods. that is really hard on farms and is really challenging. compost helps farms get through these difficult times. how is that? compost is a natural sponge that

attracts and retains water. and so when we put compost around the roots of plants, it holds any moisture there from rainfall or irrigation. it helps farms make that corner and that helps them grow for food. you can grow 30% more food in times of drought in you farm naturally with compost. farms and cities in california are very hip now to this fact that creating compost, providing compost to farms helps communities survive and get through those dry periods. >> here is the thing. soil health, climate health, human health, one conversation. if we grow our food differently, we can capture all that excess carbon in the atmosphere and store it in unlimited quantities in the soil, that will create nutrient dense foods that will take care of most of our civilized diseases. so it's one conversation. people have to understand that

they are nature. they can't separate. we started prowling the high plains in the 1870s and by the 1930s, 60 year, we turned it into a dust bowl. that is what ignorance looks like when you don't pay attention to nature. nature bats last. so people have to wake up. wake up. compost. >> it is really easy to get frustrated because we have this belief that you have to be completely sustainable 24/7 in all aspects of your life. it is not about being perfect. it is about making a change here, a change there in your life. maybe saying, you know what? i don't have to drive to that particular place today. today i am going to take the bus or i'm going to walk. it is about having us is stainable in mind. that is -- it is about having sustainability in mind. that is how we move the dial. you don't have to be perfect all the time. >> san francisco has been and will continue to be one of the

greener cities because there are communities who care about protecting a special ecosystem and habitat. thinking about the history of the ohlone and the native and indigenous people who are stewards of this land from that history to now with the ambitious climate action plan we just passed and the goals we have, i think we have a dedicated group of people who see the importance of this place. and who put effort into building an infrastructure that actually makes it possible. >> we have a long history starting with the gold rush and the anti-war activism and that is also part of the environmental movement in the 60s and 70s. and of course, earth day in 1970 which is huge. and i feel very privileged to work for the city because we are on such a forefront of environmental issues, and we get calls from all over the world really to get information. how do cities create waste programs like they do in san francisco.

we are looking into the few which you are and we want innovation. we want solutions. >> i went through a lot of struggles in my life, and i am blessed to be part of this. i am familiar with what people are going through to relate and empathy and compassion to their struggle so they can see i came out of the struggle, it gives them hope to come up and do something positive.

♪ ♪ i am a community ambassador. we work a lot with homeless, visitors, a lot of people in the area. >> what i like doing is posting up at hotspots to let people see

visibility. they ask you questions, ask you directions, they might have a question about what services are available. checking in, you guys. >> wellness check. we walk by to see any individual, you know may be sitting on the sidewalk, we make sure they are okay, alive. you never know. somebody might walk by and they are laying there for hours. you never know if they are alive. we let them know we are in the area and we are here to promote safety, and if they have somebody that is, you know, hanging around that they don't want to call the police on, they don't have to call the police. they can call us. we can direct them to the services they might need. >> we do the three one one to keep the city neighborhoods clean. there are people dumping, waste

on the ground and needles on the ground. it is unsafe for children and adults to commute through the streets. when we see them we take a picture dispatch to 311. they give us a tracking number and they come later on to pick it up. we take pride. when we come back later in the day and we see the loose trash or debris is picked up it makes you feel good about what you are doing. >> it makes you feel did about escorting kids and having them feel safe walking to the play area and back. the stuff we do as ambassadors makes us feel proud to help keep the city clean, helping the residents. >> you can see the community ambassadors. i used to be on the streets. i didn't think i could become a

community ambassador. it was too far out there for me to grab, you know. doing this job makes me feel good. because i came from where a lot of them are, homeless and on the street, i feel like i can give them hope because i was once there. i am not afraid to tell them i used to be here. i used to be like this, you know. i have compassion for people that are on the streets like the homeless and people that are caught up with their addiction because now, i feel like i can give them hope. it reminds you every day of where i used to be and where i am at now. learned and expand it across the city.nd expand [♪♪] the tenderloin is home to families, immigrants, seniors, merchants, workers, and the

housed and unhoused who all deserve a thriving neighborhood to call home. the tenderloin emergency initiative was launched to improve safety, reduce crime, connect people to services, and increase investments in the neighborhood. >> the department of homelessness and supportive housing is responsible for providing resources to people living on the streets. we can do assessments on the streets to see what people are eligible for as far as permanent housing. we also link people with shelter that's available. it could be congregate shelter, the navigation center, the homeless outreach team links those people with those resources and the tenderloin needs that more than anywhere else in the city. >> they're staffing a variety of our street teams, our street crisis response team, our street overdose response team, and our newly launched wellness response team. we have received feedback from community members, from residents, community organizations that we need an

extra level and an extra level of impact and more impactful care to serve this community's needs and that's what the fire department and the community's paramedics are bringing today to this issue. >> the staff at san francisco community health center has really taken up the initiative of providing a community-based outreach for the neighborhood. so we're out there at this point monday through saturday letting residents know this is a service they can access really just describing the service, you know, the shower, the laundry, the food, all the different resources and referrals that can be made and really just providing the neighborhood with a face, this is something that we've seen work and something you can trust. >> together, city and community-based teams work daily to connect people to services,

welcome to the bridge to excellence scholarship awards ceremony. please, give it up. what a beautiful day we've been blessed with. it's warm. it's sunny. and we're going to give out some amazing awards to some tremendously talented and perseverance students. the bridge to excellence scholarship is awarded to seniors who are highly dedicated to their academic success. the award is giving to students so they can overcome the financial barriers that come along with attending a four-year university. and so