>> my name is sylvia and i'm the owner of the mexican bistro. we have been in business for 18

years and we first opened on garry street in san francisco, and now we are located in a beautiful historic building. and we are part of the historical building founded in 1776. at the same time as the mission delores in san francisco. (♪♪) our specialty food is food from central mexico. it's a high-end mexican food based on quality and fresh ingredients. we have an amazing chef from yucatán and we specialize on molotov, that are made with pumpkin seeds. and we're also known for handmade tortillas and we make our own fresh salsa. and we have cocktails, and we

have many in the bar. we have specialty drinks and they are very flavorrable and very authentic. some of them are spicy, some are sour, but, again, we offer high-quality ingredients on our drinks as well. (♪♪) we have been in san francisco for 27 years, and our hearts are here. we are from mexico, but after 27 years, we feel part of the community of san francisco. it is very important for us to be the change, the positive change that is happening in san francisco. the presidio in particular, they're doing great efforts to bring back san francisco, what it was. a lot of tourism and a lot of new restaurants and the new

companies. san francisco is international and has a lot of potential. (♪♪) so you want to try authentic mexican food and i invite you to come to our bistro located on 50 moroo avenue in presidio. and i'll wait here with my open arms and giving you a welcome to try my food. >> hello everyone. welcome to the bayview bistro. >> it is just time to bring the community together by deliciousness.

i am excited to be here today because nothing brings the community together like food. having amazing food options for and by the people of this community is critical to the success, the long-term success and stability of the bayview-hunters point community. >> i am nima romney. this is a mobile cafe. we do soul food with a latin twist. i wanted to open a truck to son

nor the soul food, my african heritage as well as mylas as my latindescent. >> i have been at this for 15 years. i have been cooking all my life pretty much, you know. i like cooking ribs, chicken, links. my favorite is oysters on the grill. >> i am the owner. it all started with banana pudding, the mother of them all. now what i do is take on traditional desserts and pair them with pudding so that is my ultimate goal of the business. >> our goal with the bayview bristow is to bring in businesses so they can really

use this as a launching off point to grow as a single business. we want to use this as the opportunity to support business owners of color and those who have contributed a lot to the community and are looking for opportunities to grow their business. >> these are the things that the san francisco public utilities commission is doing. they are doing it because they feel they have a responsibility to san franciscans and to people in this community. >> i had a grandmother who lived in bayview. she never moved, never wavered. it was a house of security answer entity where we went for holidays. i was a part of bayview most of my life. i can't remember not being a part of bayview. >> i have been here for several years. this space used to be unoccupied. it was used as a dump.

to repurpose it for something like this with the bistro to give an opportunity for the local vendors and food people to come out and showcase their work. that is a great way to give back to the community. >> this is a great example of a public-private community partnership. they have been supporting this including the san francisco public utilities commission and mayor's office of workforce department. >> working with the joint venture partners we got resources for the space, that the businesses were able to thrive because of all of the opportunities on the way to this community. >> bayview has changed. it is growing. a lot of things is different from when i was a kid. you have the t train. you have a lot of new business.

i am looking forward to being a business owner in my neighborhood. >> i love my city. you know, i went to city college and fourth and mission in san francisco under the chefs ria, marlene and betsy. they are proud of me. i don't want to leave them out of the journey. everyone works hard. they are very supportive and passionate about what they do, and they all have one goal in mind for the bayview to survive. >> all right. it is time to eat, people.

>> 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.

>> >> you are watching san francisco rising. a special guest today. >> i am chris and you are watching san francisco rising. focused on rebuilding and reimagining our city. our guest is the director of financial justice in the san francisco office of treasure to talk about how the city has taken a national lead in this effort and how the program is comlishing the goals.

welcome to the show. >> thanks so much for having me. >> thank you for being here. can we start by talking about the financial justice project in a broad sense. when did the initiative start and what is the intent? >> sure. it launched in 2016. since then we take a hard look at fines, fees, tickets, financial penalties hitting people with low incomes and especially people of color really hard. it is our job to assess and reform these fines and fees. >> do you have any comments for people financially stressed? >> yes. the financial justice project was started in response pop community outcry about the heavy toll of fines and fees. when people struggling face an

unexpected penalty beyond ability to pay they face a bigger punishment than originally intended. a spiral of consequences set in. a small problem grows bigger. for example the traffic ticket this is california are hundreds of dollars, most expensive in the nation. a few years back we heard tens of thousands in san francisco had driver's licenses suspended not for dangerous driving but because they couldn't afford to pay traffic tickets or miss traffic court date. if they lose the license they have a hard time keeping their job and lose it. that is confirmed by research. we make it much harder for people to pay or meet financial obligations. it is way too extreme of penalty for the crime of not being able to pay. we were also hearing about thousands of people who were getting cars towed.

they couldn't pay $500 to get them back and were losing their cars. at the time we hand people a bill when they got out of jail to pay thousands in fees we charged up to $35 per day to rent electronic ankle monitor, $1,800 upfront to pay for three years of monthly $50 probation fees. people getting out of jail can't pay these. they need to get back on their feet. we weren't collecting much on them. it wasn't clear what we were accomplishing other than a world of pain on people. we were charging mothers and grandmothers hundreds of dollars in phone call fee to accept calls from the san francisco jail. we heard from black and brown women struggling to make terrible choices do. i pay rent or accept this call from my incarcerated son. the list goes on and on.

so much of this looked like lose-lose for government and people. these penalties were high pain, hitting people hard, low gain. not bringing in much revenue. there had to be a better way. >> it is important not to punish people financially there. are issues to address. >> sure. there are three core principles that drive our work. first, we believe we should be able to hold people accountable without putting them in financial distress. second you should not pay a bigger penalty because your wallet is thinner. $300 hits doctors and daycare workers differently. they can get in a tailspin, they

lose the license. we dig them in a hole they can't get out of. these need to be proportioned to people's incomes. third. we should not balance the budget on the backs of the poorest people in the city. >> financial justice project was launched in 2016. can you talk about the accomplishments? >> sure sometimes it is to base a fine on the ability to pay. consequences proportional to the offense and the person. other times if the fee's job is to recoupe costs primarily on low-income people. we recommend elimination. other times we recommend a different accountability that does not require a money payment. here are a few examples. we have implemented many sliding scale discounts for low-income people who get towed or have parking tickets they cannot

afford. you pay a penalty according to income. people with low incomes pay less. we also became the first city in the nation to stop suspending people's licenses when they could not pay traffic tickets. we focused on ways to make it easier for people to pay through payment plans, sliding discounts and eliminating add on fees to jack up prices of tickets. this reform is the law of the land in california. it has spread to 23 other states. we also stopped handing people a bill when they get out of jail and eliminated fees charged to people in criminal justice system. they have been punished in a lot of ways. gone to jail, under supervision, the collection rate on the fees was so low we weren't bringing in much revenue. the probation fee collection rate was 9%. this reform has become law from

california and is spreading to other states. we made all calls from jail free. the more incarcerated people are in touch with families the better they do when they get out. it was penny wise and pound foolish. now phone calls are free. incarcerated people spend 80% more time in touch where families. that means they will do better when they get out. we eliminated fines for overdue library books. research shows were locking low income and people of color out of libraries. there are better ways to get people to return books, e-mail reminders or automatically renew if there is no one in line for it. this has spread to other cities that eliminated overdue library fines.

these hold people accountable but not in financial distress can work better for government. local government can spend more to collect the fees than they bring in. when you proportion the fine with income they pay more readily. this impact can go down and revenues can go up. >> i know there is an initial group that joined the project. they had a boot camp to introduce the program to large audience. is this gaining traction across the country? >> yes 10 cities were selected to launch the fines for fee justice. they adopted various reforms like we did in san francisco. as you mentioned we just hosted a boot camp in phoenix, arizona. teams of judges and mayors came from 50 cities to learn how to implement reforms like we have

in san francisco. there is a growing realization the penalties are blunt instruments with all kinds of unintended consequences. it is the job of every public servant to find a better way. governance should equalize opportunity not drive inequality. >> quite right. thank you so much. i really appreciate you coming on the show. thank you for your time today. >> thank you, chris. >> that is it for this episode. we will be back shortly. you are watching san francisco rising. thanks for watching.

>> welcome to the chase center arena. you guys feel that? [cheers and applause] >> that's that winning energy. okay. [applause] >> let's give a round of applause for the gold letter warriors for last night's performance. that was amazing! [cheers and applause] >> still confetti on the floor over here. well, welcome to the opportunities for all summer kickoff. we're so happy you're here. i'm your mc, niko romand and i'm a program manager, a partner of opportunities for all. [cheers and applause] >> thank you! and -- >> hi, i'm miracle. i'm a

graduate senior from mission high school. [cheers and applause] >> i'll be attending san jose state in the fall. [cheers and applause] >> well, we are honored to introduce somebody very special and one of my dearest mentors, i'll going to give the mic to miracle because she has a special place in her heart for this amazing individual. >> okay. davis is an executive director of the san francisco human rights commission. and serves as a commission including a tenure of the vice-chair of the commission. prior to joining hr c director davis was the executive director of collective impact overseeing more magic, magic bone and the community center. director davis is passionate about serving the community and a leader and

opportunities for all. [cheers and applause] >> let's give a warm round of applause for dr. cheryl evans davis. [cheers and applause] >> all right. we're passing this mic around. i don't know all about that. this is clean. [laughter] good morning, everyone. i want to say it is a beautiful site and give yourselves a round of applause for getting here on a monday morning for the official week of no school for those who just finished sf usc. first and foremost because i always, always forget to i want to first and foremost thank our amazing partners that serve as employers off the top which i want to recognize and they are the people that make sure that folks get their checks, even though we sometimes are a little bit behind and don't get it always

right, they take all of the fuss and complaining and make sure it happens. i want to recognize jc, japanese community are, jackie and alvin, and i don't know if ivolet is here. who likes to get paid? give them a bigger round of applause than that. this year is extremely special because we have an influx and the ability of new dollars to be able to serve more people and so i want to thank the californians for all the california volunteers, josh friday, the chief service volunteer, for the state of california for their partnership and their support, give it up for them as well. [cheers and applause] and our partners and team members from collective impact will join us shortly and i'll hear from tinder loin and they

take hundreds of teachers in the cone so give donna a round of applause and eldon rose who make it all happen and i want to thank the public defender's office, who is here, will be able to share more. [cheers and applause] as i know as i start calling names, it goes downhill and i'm going to forget someone but i want you to understand how many people it takes to make this possible and i want to talk about this is more than a summer job so in that regard, the chief of police is here, the chief of the fire department and the director of the officer of economic and workforce development, the workforce development arms, they have worked with us along with maria from the department of children youths and their families to create pipelines, morgan tucker is here, morgan started as an intern and works for the police department now. so give the police department a hand. [cheers and applause] last year, the police, i mean, the chief of the fire department launched a new program called

the city emt. those folks went through that program as interns and now she has, i think how many people, chief? five people working for the fire department that came through that program. [applause] could not have done that program without maria sue and josh, so really want you to understand this is a pipeline, this is not just a summer job. i want to in the same way recognize the commitment to build these pipelines because i would say asena who you'll hear from later graduated from law school and we were fighting over who gets to hire asena so she graduated and had a job. i say all of that to say, do not think of this, as i'm going to get paid this summer. this is really about career expiration. this is about trying to see which industry you like and where it sits and where you can go. at this point, later

you'll hear from mayor breed but this is the idea and vision of mayor breed saying i do not want to be the exception. i want to be the rule. i want folks to go to school and no no matter what they do at the end of it, they choose which path they take and that's what opportunities for all is all about, so give yourselves another round of applause for being here. [applause] much like you all, we are all having growing pains. we're trying to figure it out and how to get it right and thank you for going with us on this journey. i also just want to make sure to recognize if you'll indulge me and the opportunities for all and the human rights, if you would come out because they're doing the work. danielle, sarah williams and kathy meyer has been helping. i know britney ford is helping. you all don't want -- i know you're not all hiding behind this. come on.

[cheers and applause] i want to thank the team. don't say i didn't recognize you. is somebody taping this? i hope so. oh, zena, zena is our research and documents all of that. thanks, zena. i'm going to get out of the way now but challenge us, push us to do more and if there's something you want to experience, it's not working let us know because this is how do we make sure that everybody gets an experience not to just make money but build networks and build the connections you need to be the best you can be. thank you so much, commissioner hajabi for joining us as well. thank you. >> let's make more noise for dr. davis, please. [cheers and applause] i'm way too tall for this. stand here. but i would like to

introduce how our musical performances and the curtis family senos and after we introduce them, we're going to introduce the young defenders. there are two representatives, athena edwards and jordan clarke and they'll be giving remarks about osa and their experience so far, but just a little bit about the curtis family seno, they're an african american and tunga game from san francisco. they're made of curtis and their five children, isis, key key and phoenix, they play instruments and they can all sing very well, might i add. and they will be here to perform and so let's welcome the curtis family. [cheers and applause]

senos! >> yes. >> hey, yo. let's get energy in here. can i hear you stump your feet. let's go. i need some energy, can i we get hand claps. come on. >> let me say quickly that i was a part of a summer program under joseph aliaota and i might not look that old but that was in the summer of 1969 and i know how empowering these programs can be for us. i went on to get a ph.d., two bachelor's. [cheers and applause] and two master's degrees. i'm also an ex-police officer so i know what the power of these programs can do for you. and i just want to encourage you all and this song is about that. it's about understanding the

love that's inside of you. and at the end of the day when you don't have anyone to turn to, look in the mirror and say i love you >> that's right. >> look in the mirror and say, i believe in you. >> can i get an amen. can i get a witness. [applause] >> oh, we want to thank mayor london breed for opportunities for all. this song that we are seeing for you is called "love is where you go," which is on our upcoming album and we hope this song brings you love and encouragement to those who are getting their first job. >> we also have a graduating senior right here. [cheers and applause] ♪ [ music ] ♪ ♪

>> turn it up! ♪ where do you go when you're feeling low ♪ ♪ ♪ what do you do when you're all alone ♪ ♪ ♪ when it feels like the weight of the world is going down on your shoulders ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ and remind yourself you were created define. ♪ ♪ ♪ find your truth. ♪ ♪ ♪ believe and see the light in you ♪ ♪ ♪ and you can always speak your truth ♪ ♪ ♪ speak your truth ♪ ♪ ♪ that's where you go when

you're feeling low ♪ ♪ ♪ that's what you do when you're all alone ♪ ♪ >> clap your fingers with us. ♪ [ music ] ♪ ♪ ♪ when you shine your light on the world, you share the love that lives within you ♪ ♪ ♪ despite what you may go through, love will see you through ♪ ♪ ♪ liven up your truth ♪ ♪ ♪ believe and see the light in you ♪ ♪ ♪ so you can speak your truth ♪

♪ speak your truth ♪ ♪ ♪ where do you go when you're feeling low ♪ ♪ ♪ what do you do when you're all alone ♪ ♪ ♪ it's all about love where you go when you're feeling low ♪ ♪ ♪ what do you do when you're all alone ♪ ♪ [singing] ♪ where do you go when you're feeling low ♪ ♪

♪ love where you go when you're feeling low ♪ ♪ ♪ love is what you do when you're all alone ♪ ♪ >> thank you! [cheers and applause] >> let me hear a big stomp, let's go. [stomping feet] >> are follow us on instagram at the curtis senos, thank you. [applause] >> look for our album, it will be out on the eighth. [applause] >> thank you, mrs. curtis. let's give another round of applause for the curtis family senos.

they are simply amazing and i don't know if you guys remember but they were on america's got talent and they also have a really cool commercial for jc penny, so they're talented and they're going super far, so thank you guys for coming to this event and blessing us. [cheers and applause] >> we have two representatives from the young defenders which is a cohort with osa that has to do with the public defender's office and social justice and so, we have athena edwards and jordan clarke and so a little bit about them, i hope you guys don't mind me gassing you up a little bit but jordan clerk is a rising senior at bishop art. he's been 2020 and as active intern of the public defenders team and a public defender's

office, young defender, joe jordan has learned about criminal justice and a career in law. let's give a round after clause for jordan and athena edwards has been instrumental in ofa young defender as program and she's an alumni of the california los angeles and earned her doctorate at the university of san francisco in 2022. [cheers and applause] congratulations, girl! athena has made a change in serving the community and she currently serves as the ofa coordinator, please welcome jordan athena edwards. [cheers and applause] >> how is everyone feeling today? [cheers and applause] >> yeah! all right, all right!. hello everyone. thank you to mayor breed, director davis and ofa for having me. my name is jordan and i've honored to work

with the san francisco young defend ares for two years now and two years ago a family friend told me about the initiative here in the city led by mayor breed who i have looked up to for years called opportunities for all. all of the social movements in 2020 with thousands of people fighting for equity and justice around the country made me want to do it more. i wanted to know my own rights. an advocate for justice for others and i knew the young deferneds cohort was the perfect place to do that. i can say without a doubt my work over the past few years informed my perspective and shaped my dream and changed my life and i want to be a lawyer that fights for justice and freedom and i wouldn't have learned about this profession without the experience. thank you. [cheers and applause] i must say i have enjoyed every bit of my experience here and i'm excited to explore every new assignment. as someone who

wanted to step in the field of law, it's important i carry these skills with me as i go to college and eventually law school. the people who truly made all this possible, i cannot appreciate them enough. they're my bosses, athena and jason. they aren't just our bosses but role models for us as people and professionals. they have put in countless hours to create this program for us, but beyond that, they take time to get to know us and our families and check in on how we're doing. [cheers and applause] when we are not at work, they reach out to make sure we're doing well. they really care about us as people, that's extremely important to me because it shows how much ofa cares about each and every intern. so thank you so much to athena and jason for shaping my first work experience and thank you to my coworkers who teach me so much with positive attitudes and diverse experience and thank you to ofa for showing me what it means to be a lawyer and a

professional. everyone at ofa continues to inspire me everyday when i come to work and i'm grateful for this experience and this opportunity. thank you! [cheers and applause] >> talk about a tough act to follow after that. my name is athena and i'm honored to be here today, as you have heard, i served as an intern with the department of police accountability and then i had the amazing opportunity to serve as a fellow for the young defend, cohort and criminal cohort and criminal justice cohort and i'm excited that i have the opportunity to be here today as the fellow coordinators along with my copartner dom and i know you're out there. thank you for being a partner that a girl could ask for. when i was

asked to speak about my experience with ofa i was overwhelmed. there were so many words that came to mind. sorry if i get choked up by the way. two words that came to mind the most was life changing and impact. ofa has been a life changing opportunity for me and set a course for my career and my life. thanks to ofa i have a family away from my family. i would not be standing here today as a 2022 law school graduate and a newly member as hr c if it wasn't for ofa providing me a pathway to develop myself, my skills and pursue my dreams. and it is that impact ofa has and it's that impact that every intern, every fellow, every senior fellow, every mentor and every partner feels. i would like to tell a little story about my first days as a fellow

of a young defender's cohort when we had the opportunity to join the public defenders office this past year. so, on my first days, i got to meet the lovely mr. patrick getis who served as a mentor for the cohort and what did he do? he came to us with a coke bottle and a glass and a straw. [laughter] and he asked us this question and asked us to answer this question, how would you, without using your hands get the straw out of the coke bottle? very unusual task by a very tall man. but it wasn't about any of that. as we went through, you heard each and every intern including myself be tasked with the question of answering that and we heard each other's strategies, methods and we commented on each others, talk about a crazy time in a crazy

office. upon reflection, i gained a little perspective. i realized that the task was never about getting the straw out of the bottle. there's no right or wrong answer. it was about how we each have our own voice, our own method and our own approach. and that provided with the opportunity and a little bit of mentoring we can all succeed in pursuing our path. it was about everyone in ofa and every intern and every fellow and every senior fellow and every partner and mentor that brings something to the table and that's a unique perspective and our own set of skills and talents that you can't find anywhere else. and it is ofa, along with all of the people that provides youth like myself with a space to develop our skills and our perspective

along with our talent. as a life changing experience, that can't be bottled. thank you! [cheers and applause] >> let's give another round of applause for jordan and athena, those heartfelt words. amazing, thank you guys. [cheers and applause] miracle, go ahead. >> now, i'm going to be introducing mayor london breed. mayor london preed was born and raised in san francisco, california. her vision of the city is rooted in her experience growing up in public housing. and living in neighborhoods impacted by redevelopment and her commitment to creating opportunities for all, san francisco to live and thrive. mayor breed understands the importance of internships and career opportunities for all of san francisco youth. through mayor breed's opportunity for

all, inventioned more than five thousand paid internships helped sfa prepare for future careers. [cheers and applause] now, i would like to give the honor first of all, to mayor london breed, thank you. [cheers and applause] >> how cool is this to be here in the chase center the day after the warriors just won its game. [cheers and applause] first of all, i want to say congratulations to miracle because she's going to san jose state on a full ride. [cheers and applause] i knew this before she was born and i also knew the senos before they were all born. we see papa

c and mom a c and the talented artists and i heard over the microphone when i came in and you get better and better and better. thank you again for being here today. and asena and jordan wherever you are, man, that's the future. that's the future of our city. that's the future of our country and that's the reason why i started opportunities for all. because believe it or not, i wasn't this polished mayor that you see today. [laughter] in fact, i was a little rough around the edges especially in elementary school and junior high school. sadly, i was a little, what they would say hard headed. sometimes i wouldn't listen. a lot of times i got into fights. many times i got suspended. and you know my teachers, i would get all these good grades. i would get a's and

b's but under my behavior, i would get all u's and sometimes s's but my behavior wasn't the best. but the good news was there were a lot of people who didn't give up on me. despite how challenging my behavior was, i could have gone someplace completely different and my behavior had, i think a lot to do with you know my environment, the people i was surrounding myself with and luckily, i had a dmrand -- grandmother so when i got in trouble i got in trouble and paid the price for it but more importantly when i did good things i was rewarded and it made me feel good. the first day of band, i had to write lines and back then when you played in ben franklin middle school panned, you were somebody so i didn't want to get kicked out of band so i wrote the lines and changed my behavior real fast. finally, when i turned 14, i got one of the lucky slots

working for the mayor's youth and training program and i started working for a place called the family school. and in fact, i showed up, probably not the most appropriately dressed for my first day on the job and i answered the phone like this, hello! who are you looking for? what do you want? i mean, it was not a good look for someone getting paid to do a job. but instead of seeing me as a problem or seeing me in a way that, you know, looked at my behavior and thought there's no way this is going to work and this girl cannot work here, they took the time to work with me. they taught me how to answer the phone. they made me write out a script and it went from hello and all that other mess to hello, this is london breed, thank you for calling the family school. i still remember it to this day. i had to repeat it over and over and read it every time i answered the phone.

changed my attire, not because they told me what to wear but they took me shopping to pick out the appropriate clothes to wear for an office environment. so when an internal justice -- it turned to an intern to year-round and this is a nonprofit agency with not a lot of resources and they found a way to help pay for me to come there on the 22 fillmore everyday after school to work at that location, letting me do my homework first and making sure i learned about the funks of the location -- the functions of the location and provided assistance and still earned a decent paycheck so that i could cover the expenses of my school clothes or lunch money or all the things my grandmother couldn't afford to provide me with. it was more about money but an opportunity. it was about people who believed in me when i didn't really believe in myself. it was about opening the doors

for something that was possible and i can guarantee each and every one of you, there's to way that i would have went to college, been able to take on different job responsibilities and eventually become mayor had it not been for that first opportunity i had at age 14 working for the family school. i guarantee you that. [applause] and it is why i started opportunities for all because i never ever because there's all kinds of internships. there's families who have relationships with people and resources to help cover the expenses of their young folks, their kids being 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]