what a challenge it was. and so this cable car came to be and as a result, san francisco, i think, because of this and so many other incredible events and milestones has been known as an innovative city, a place where things created, a place where people look to for ideas and i want to thank market street railway for protecting and supporting and engaging and making sure that history is not forgotten. today we celebrate 75 years of saving the cable cars in our city. [indiscernible] who would he know in 1947 when the mayor roger lampman said we're going to change -- we're going to get rid of cable cars and bring in

other transportation options. she stood up during a time when oftentimes women were ignored and neglected. and she said, no, i'm going to pull together all my girlfriends and we're going to stop the cable car from being really vanished in our city. as a result, she fought and she won and the cable cars remain. and then in 1979, our first woman mayor, dianne feinstein, she not only raised private money because of how much it cost to create this system and to enhance it, she raised private dollars matched with federal dollars matched with city dollars and she -- it should be attributed to her as well the fact that the cable cars are still here today. why is that history important? as you heard from marisaa rodriguez, one of the things that people talk about most when they visit san francisco is

where are the cable cars? this line on this street is always packed for people waiting hours in some cases to ride the cable cars to see our beautiful hills and beautiful views and what makes san francisco one of the most iconic cities anywhere if the world. i remember during the pandemic and how we had to make some changes in our city. and changes included closing town temporarily the cable car. jeff tomlin, the director of the mta, he knows we had this conversations on a regular base. when are the cable cars coming back to ?rks we're inviting visitors back to san francisco. one of the biggest disappointments wa was when they showed up and where are the cable dismars. the cable krars open.

what that dmon descraits to so many of us is how important they are. how our transit on exprairts thank you, roger for being here from labor, how our transit operators show up every single day to give people, not just visitors, but san franciscans a wonderful iconic experience rain sore shine. and so today, we celebrate this milestone. we celebrate women, not, it's not women history month, but we are celebrating women nevertheless and the advocacy of women and what women represent and what we bring to the table in terms of our leadership and our involvement in our transportation network. even though there might be a man who runs mta, there are a lot of women that work behind the scenes to get this work done. we honor their work, but we also honor the legacy of those who came before us to make sure that

this iconic cable car remains an important part embedded in the quality of life that exists in san francisco. thank you all so much for joining us here today and with that, i would like to introduce gwyneth gornd who works hard to help create transportation opportunities that work for all san franciscans. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome gwyneth imorden. >> thank you so much. i can't tell you what a wonderful and amazing day this is. it always seems advocating for their families and community. women have always stood up in injustice and. we often think progress means

leaving things behind thattero that are old fashioned. the commissioner understood the role of cable cars and part of our future. it took another woman, dianne feinstein to make sure that the cable cars continue to thrive. i feel so fortunate to chair an agency that has such an iconic identity. we were doing work on the lines and got letters from people all over the world saying i'm coming to san francisco for the first time from australia, my lifelong dream is to ride a cable car. that's how iconic it is. when i was in my 20s, i took the cable cars every day. i would see all the locals and you have people running down to

catch it. it was such a community. people think the cable cars are only for visitors, but it's a local line. they know the regulars and try to like wait a few minutes to let them get on. i also love sometimes working here and taking the cable car home. whenever i get off add hyde and jackson, i feel look i live here. cable cars are special and iegennic. the great maya anglou worked the cable a cars. they were crucial for the cities and world. i want to thank everyone for being here today. we have to keep the cable cars thriving for now and the future.

thank you for organizing this. come on forward. [applause] these ladies -- this is what it's about. continue to empower women. >> she is a strong woman here. she's been working the cable cars for 12 years straight. [applause] thank you for that. i've been here 13? >> i've been here 20. i praise god and we love our job. thank you.

>> we thank you for your work. >> thank you so much gwyneth and i also want to let everyone know hashtag sf cable cars. take notes and hashtag. round of plaza. we also have from the chinatown community development center jane cheng as well as [indiscernible] who is commissioner of belle view. i'm happy to welcome a partner in preserving and enhancing our public transit, shirley chang. >> thank you so much. good morning, everyone. good morning, everyone. thank you so much for having me. mayor breed, chair rodriguez, gordon and clark and honored guests. thank you for ine including me,

iement executive director of the san francisco county transportation authority. thank you for including me and the agency in this wonderful event as well as pioneering women. she took on a male-dominated government and business community to save the cable car one of our most precious gems recognized around the world. no wonder "national geographic" named san francisco one of the tomorrow sedations for 2023. another list san francisco son. she mobilized other women who joined her campaign. thanks to her efforts in 1947 ballot initiative to save the cable cars won in a landslide, i think 3-1 based on what i read.

i'm powd to be part of this all-women line-up of speakers that led this activism 75 years ago. the transportation authority has been around half that long. one of our former executive directors appeared today, carmen clark. i'm honored to be one of her successors and working with my colleagues. a round of applause for our director of transportation. julie. >> as rick noted, our cable car system was highlighted as high tech back then. it replaced the horse-drawn carriage ask they're still a marvel today. they're iconic and functional. we couldn't get through our daily lives and tourism without it. weld the pleasure of the transportation authority to

sport cable cars over the years providing over $35 million to pull down the big federal dollars. the infrastructure bill passed last year, the leadership of president biden and vice president harris. we have lezzie waters here. helping us to security big dollars and we have to appreciate our speaker nancy pelosi for helping us win the state and federal grant. as a reminder, more funds are includessed in the measure l on the ballot and we must keep this going. it's before the voters in a couple of weeks. it's a pleasure and honor to help preserve our cable cars for future generations. our pride ask joy and a distinct product of women's leadership. here is to 75 more years of

cable cars in san francisco. >> and let's keep the spirit alive. let's hop on a cable car to the other end to keep the party going where my counterpart, randall scott and team. they have something for us there. thank you so much for joining us. another round of applause for our mayor. all our esteemed imes and the cable car. thank you. >> any excuse to ride a cable car, right?

[cable car rings] ♪♪

[cheers and applause] >> five, four, three, two, one -- [applause] [cheers and applause] ♪♪ >> you're watching san francisco rising with chris manners. today's special guest is katy tang. [♪♪♪] >> hi. i'm chris manners, and you're watching san francisco rising, the show that's focused on

rebuilding, reimagining, and revitalizing our city. with us today is katy tang, and she's talk to -- talking to us about assistance and services provided to local businesses. can we talk about the role of the office of small business? many small businesses are struggling to help. how can you help? >> director tang: we are here as the city's central point of information for all things small businesses, so we can help people start, stay, and grow in the city. if you want to start a small business, we can pair you up with small business advisors, who can talk you through your business plan, help you develop it, whether it's regulatory requirements, business permits, and just help you understand the journey that was up ahead.

and if you'd like to stay in san francisco and perhaps your business is facing challenges, we can also pair you with a business advisor who can assess your business needs and figure out whatside that would best help you. so for example, perhaps you need more marketing assistance or you need to be connected to a loan, a low interest loan or a grant program, if that's available. those are services we can provide to you, whether you're starting out or trying to stay in san francisco. and of course, if you want to expand and grow into a new space, we can help assist you with that and help prepare you for the journey ahead. we have a team dedicated to assist you you with all the small business needs, all the requirements needed to help you establish your small business in san francisco. >> do you have an e.s.l.

program for people who want to start small businesses? >> director tang: we have staff that can speak spanish and mandarin and cantonese, and we understand if english is not your first language, it can be difficult, so we want to be as helpful as possible. >> excellent. i know that s.f. shines was created to help with restoring and improvement. can you tell us more about that? >> yes. it's run out of a sister development and it's much needed in the small business community. if you are trying to improve your storefront, whether it's outside, perhaps you want to make some interior improvements, a lot of times, that involves a lot of cost and resources to be able to do so. for example, you may need to

hire an architect to submit drawings so you can get your work done. currently, s.f. shines is offer a pairing of business sign services. you can be paired up with an architect to get your drawings done to help you start to do the actual work. we hope that people will stay tuned, and you can find out more information on our website. that's sfgov.org/osb. >> let's talk about the shared spaces program. it's been a huge success, and outdoor dining spaces are very popular. >> the shared spaces program,

especially during the pandemic, really helped spaces survive. to have an outdoor space where people could safely gather was critical, and the office of small business has been working with these shared spaces during the pandemic. some may or may not have been up to the city's code regulations, so department of public works and other departments have been trying to figure out what violations are and help businesses come into compliance. the planning department and the city have decided that they'll give businesses until 2023 to come into compliance. also in the meantime, for businesses that want to start new shared spaces, new

parklets, that is still an on going program, a new program, so people can always submit their applications for shared spaces regardless whether they started one during the pandemic or not. >> do you anticipate there being other shared spaces programs in the future and how do small businesses go about finding out about them? >> small businesses can find out about it by visiting our website, sfgov/osb or you can call 415-554-6134, and we can connect you with the planning department and other agencies that would be connected with the shared spaces programs. >> over the pandemic, businesses have been victimized by vandals and other crimes. how can you help them?

>> the city offers a program called the vandalism relief fund, and this would allow businesses suffering from graffiti or broken windows to apply with the city through our neighborhood services division, and you could get up to 1,000 or 2,000 if you submit certain documentation, such as a photograph of the damage or a copy of the receipt or document showing the amount you paid for to correct the incident. we are so excited that the city now has a centralized permit center, where people can come and get their business done, hopefully, in the same day where there are several different agencies, ranging from department of building inspection, planning department, public health, fire

department, all here to help people, whether you're building a new business or even new construction, to be able to, again, fit all of your appointments in one day and get things done quickly. so starting in may, our office of small business has actually started working out of 49 south van ness at the permit center, and we have a team of two staff who are dedicated to helping small businesses through their permitting journey. so we do encourage people, you can come to the permit center or you can e-mail us at sfosb@sfgov.org, and you can communicate with our staff dedicated to helping you with your permitting needs. we hope that people will consider consulting with us before you even sign a lease so that we can help you on the path to success and understanding the journey of setting up a small business in san francisco.

>> well, thank you so much. i really appreciate you coming on the show, miss tang. thank you for the time you've given us today. >> director tang: thanks for having me. >> and that's it for this show. we'll be back shortly. you've been watching san francisco rising. for sfgovtv, i'm chris manners. thanks for watching. >> there is a lot of unique characteristics about visitation valley. it is a unique part of the city. >> we are off in a corner of the city against the san francisco

county line 101 on one side. vis station valley is still one of the last blue color neighborhoods in san francisco. a lot of working class families out here. it is unusual. not a lot of apartment buildings. a lot of single family homes. >> great business corridor. so much traffic coming through here and stopping off to grab coffee or sandwich or pick up food before going home. >> a lot of customers are from the neighborhood. they are painters or mechanics. they are like blue color workers, a lot of them. >> the community is lovely. multi-racial and hopefully we can look out for each other. >> there is a variety of businesses on the block. you think of buffalo kitchen, chinese food, pork buns, sandwich. library, bank of america with a

parking lot. the market where you can grab anything. amazing food choices, nail salons. basically everything you need is here. >> a lot of these businesses up and down leland are family owned. people running them are family. when you come here and you have an uncle and nephew and go across the street and have the guy and his dad. lisa and her daughter in the dog parlor and pam. it is very cool. >> is small businesses make the neighborhood unique. >> new businesses coming. in mission blue, gourmet chocolate manufacturing. the corridor has changed and is continuing to change. we hope to see more businesses coming in the near future.

>> this is what is needed. first, stay home. unless it is absoluteliness scary. social distancing is the most important step right now to limit spread of virus. cancel all nonessential gather everythings. >> when the pandemic litly land avenue suffered like other corridors. a few nail salons couldn't operate. they shut down. restaurants that had to adapt to more of a take out model. they haven't totally brought back indoor seating. >> it is heartbreaking to see the businesses that have closed down and shut because of the pandemic. >> when the pandemic first hit it got really slow. we had to change our hours. we never had to close, which is a blessing. thank god.

we stayed open the whole time. >> we were kind of nervous and anxious to see what was going to come next hoping we will not have to close down. >> during covid we would go outside and look on both sides of the street. it looked like old western town. nobody on the street. no cars. >> it was a hard eight or nine months. when they opened up half the people couldn't afford a haircut. >> during that time we kept saying the coffee shop was the living room of the valley. people would come to make sure they were okay. >> we checked on each other and patronized each other. i would get a cup of coffee, shirt, they would get a haircut. >> this is a generous and kind community. people would be like i am getting the toffee for the guy behind me and some days it went

on and on. it was amazing to watch. we saw a perfect picture of community. we are all in this together. >> since we began to reopen one year later, we will emerge stronger. we will emerge better as a city because we are still here and we stand in solidarity with one another. >> when we opened up august 1st. i will not say it was all good. we are still struggling due to covid. it affected a lot of people. >> we are still in the pandemic right now. things are opening up a little bit. it is great to have space to come together. i did a three painting series of visitation valley and the businesses on leland. it felt good to drop off the paintings and hung them. >> my business is picking up. the city is opening up.

we have mask requirements. i check temperatures. i ask for vaccination card and/or recent test. the older folks they want to feel safe here. >> i feel like there is a sense of unity happening. >> what got us through the pandemic was our customers. their dogs needed groomed, we have to cut their nails so they don't over grow. >> this is only going to push us forward. i sense a spirit of community and just belief in one another. >> we are trying to see if we can help all small businesses around here. there is a cannabis club lounge next to the dog parlor to bring foot traffic. my business is not going to work if the business across the street is not getting help. >> in hit us hard. i see a bright future to get the storefronts full. >> once people come here i think

they really like it. >> if you are from san francisco visit visitation valley to see how this side of the city is the same but different. >> to the flag flt united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god indivisible with justice and freedom for all. >> commissioner walker. >> here. >> commissioner walker is here. >> benedicto? >> present.