methods to protect you installing screens on windows and doors and using a mosquito net and politically aau planet take the time to do the things we've mentioned to eliminate standing water and make sure that mosquito are not a problem on your property remember no water no mosquito

let me let me use your microphone, president peskin. thank you. thank you so much. and first of all, thank you all so much for being here. i want to just start by expressing my appreciation to mary ellen carroll for her continued support of manager king and facilitating the various meetings that take place with the disaster council. there's a lot of work that needs to be done in san francisco to address this. many of the things that we know could happen that we may be surprised by. in addition to those things that we know are coming and having some consistent meetings with our various city service agencies, law enforcement and others who

will be responsible when and if anything happens in our city is critical to ensuring the safety of residents of our city. this this conversation and us coming together. i know has been sparked by my push to start to look at the renewing of our alarm system that used to sound . at 12:00 every tuesday, something that, you know, especially those of us who grew up in san francisco, we would hear consistently and if you heard it outside the scope of that time period, you knew that there was a problem. and the whole point, again, was to test it to ensure that the system was working the way that it should. unfortunately, with technology and with people who started to invade the system, we were put in jeopardy. our safety of our city and using this system was

put in jeopardy because we unfortunately had people who had access to the system and who could use it for the wrong reasons. cybersecurity has has been improved. we know it's important to san francisco and the ability to ensure the safety with reliable information is also equally important. we did make at one point the hard decision to scale back, to shut the system down, to avoid problems. but more importantly, this disaster council has had numerous discussions about the costs related to investing in this system, to bring it up to a place of modern technology, but more importantly to ensure that when this system is operating, we are protecting it. and we are using the appropriate cyber security to ensure that it doesn't get in the hands of the wrong people. so i know mary ellen is going to be talking a little bit about what we plan to do, what it might cost and how

we can move forward. but let me also just say san francisco is a place that, you know, it's a major city. so anything could happen, whether that is an earthquake more recently, even though it didn't directly impact us, hurricane ian, we know that there also is the threat of terrorist attacks. we know that there have been various events and other things that have occurred in san francisco, and we have developed new systems that exist that will allow for people to be made aware whether it's our ability to break into the systems, the various communications around the radio and television. but also the alerts that we have on alert that people can sign up so that they can get alerts as well as our ability to break in and get through to people's cell phone to communicate information using the fire department with, you

know, the various microphones, megaphones that they carry on their various trucks and rigs. the ability to get information out there using a lot of different modes of technology is something that currently exist in san francisco. i know that conversation happens around tsunamis and the possibility of tsunamis in san francisco. i know the conversations around the challenges that existed in treasure island with the drinking water and other things we have never since this system has been down been enabled to distribute information in to the public to protect public safety . but i will say that many of you have heard through the news that i was actually in maui during, you know, the very devastating hurricane and fire that took place. and in fact,

the winds were probably more significant than i've ever seen or experienced anywhere. and on top of that, it to have a fire to happen of that mass attitude that swept through the town of lahaina in such a significant way with no alert system, with no sound, when power was down, no internet, no technology, no ability to communicate to anyone what was going on, really renewed my commitment to look into this particular system and the need to bring this system back up to par for the people of san francisco, because, as i said, we have a number of different communication tools at our disposal. all that we are able to use to address public safety in san francisco in a way to distribute information in.

but the question is what happens when we are faced with winds that are so problematic that the power has to be cut when we are faced, faced with challenges that don't allow us to use technology in the same way to distribute information to the public. we need to make sure that we have all levels of redundant communication systems in this city to make sure that we are able to get information out to the public. so it's time for us to really look at upgrading our system. i'm upgrading the work that we need to do together to ensure public safety and also i want to take this opportunity to just mention nert the neighborhood emergency response team and a desire to try and recruit people. there are thousands of people registered for nert, but we have to make sure that they maintain

in their certification so that they are up to date on the latest of technology and information so that when our fire department, our police officers, our sheriff deputies, our disaster service workers and others are not always able to get to everyone in that. people in our various community cities all over san francisco have the training to be able to help their neighbors and to help us as a city get through this. so i think there are a lot of different layers to our need through this disaster council to start to have conversations that allow for both technology, advanced distribution of information, but also so we're going to have to go back to some basics because in the event of any situation nation, we as a city, we want to make sure that we don't continue to put off the

important infrastructure investments. we need to make for this particular system, because it is necessary for the purposes of getting our city to a place where we can ensure that we have every tool at our disposal to address any disaster and whatever may come our way. so today's meeting for the disaster council centers around our system. our system that look at the possibility of bringing this system back into operation. on what that would entail and what the cost may be be and how we should move forward. and i want to at this time turn it over to mary ellen carroll to provide the details around this. thank you all so much. thank you. mayor breed and i think every

disaster, every emergency that we experience or that we see is an opportunity for us to learn. we have in the past decade, cities across the world have increasing faced the consequence associated with our climate change. storms are more intense. temperatures are more extreme, and the impacts of wildfires are more destructive and toxic. in january and march of this year, as we all know, we experienced historic storms that flooded our streets, took down our trees, our utility pole poles and tore glass off our buildings. as wildfires across the country have resulted in poor air quality and orange sky. as we all remember from 2020. and that new york and the east coast experienced this year and even this past weekend, as we saw hillary. hurricane hilary impacts southern california as it hit the coast as a tropical

storm, the first tropical storm in our state in over 80 years. so our changing climate has signified giant impact on how we prepare for respond to and recover from emergencies as our emergency operations center is a critical component of our response, we activate during both planned and unplanned events, and our key responsibilities of the eoc. of course, are maintaining situational awareness, supporting our field operations , providing alert, warning and notification action, coordinating logistics and tracking finance sources and costs of any disaster. our so just to give an overview, we have as the mayor alluded to, san francisco has a very robust and integrated emergency alert, alert and warning system. our city has made considerable investments that i'm going to just go through pretty quickly

here in conventional platforms, technology based platforms, and then community based networks. so we have traditional and social media. so the those are our conventional platforms. the things that we use every day are television, newspapers, online resources, probably social media is the number one, and radio in san francisco. we can use kgw to broadcast out emergency information. radio is super resilient, and it is true that most of us probably have not turned on a radio in a very long time, and that's okay. but you really should have one that's battery operated in your home and that's part of what we're getting to, is being prepared for anything and really being prepared for when all of our technology is not available to us. we also have the emergency alert system, which sends warning via broadcast cable, satellite. right. and this is

the thing that you see on your tv or you hear on the radio, you know, once a month as testing that system and then we have message boards. so those are what we call variable message boards that alert public to various emergencies. you see them when you're driving on the highway. they mostly include information about roadwork and traffic, but they can and they have been used to provide emergency information as well. and then finally, we have our outdoor warning system. and so this is the one we'll talk more about today. this is the network of over 100 sirens across san francisco that can broadcast an audible alert with a corresponding message in multiple languages. these sirens were taken offline in two december 20th, 19 due to in order for us to mitigate an immediate and serious cybersecurity risk. and it remains our intention to reactivate that system. we have

other tech tech logical methods and the one that we use the most and most people are familiar with probably is alert. sf this is an alert that we send in multiple languages to the public . we've sent several today already. we have over 195,000 subscribers for text, which represents 54% of the households in san francisco. you can sign up for alerts by just texting your zip code to eight, eight, eight, seven, seven, seven, and then we also have telephone alerts, which is like a reverse 911. so those are used and can connect to over 383,000 residential and business landlines. and so that's something that we can do to call people when there is a very urgent message that needs to go out. and we did use that during covid to let people know about stay at home orders and mask mandates. and then the final one is the we alert and that's one that you don't have to sign up

for. that comes automatically. they're mostly associated with amber alerts. when your phone buzzes very loud or flash flood warnings. we had one last this past winter during the floods. so then finally, i want to talk a little bit about our conventional platforms. so these are like the non we don't need technology for the most part. but our first responders that are represented here, leadership here on disaster council, our police officers, our firefighters, our sheriff deputies, our park rangers, those all play a very important role in public alert and warning they can use their lights and sirens as well as their public address and broadcast systems with their vehicles. and that is something that we did use during january 2022, tsunami advisory. do you want to play that video just as just people can see how that works. and the nami and

advisory in effect, stay out of the water, off the beach and away from the coast. again tsunami advisory in effect, staying out of the water, away from the coast and off the beach . so that is what we did activate that during the tsunami alert. you can't see it in this video, but you'll see many surfers still out there not heeding or warning. as a surfer , i understand that it's hard to get them out. but and then finally, we have disaster service workers and those disaster service workers during covid were incredibly instrumental. we deployed hundreds of workers across the city to put up fliers and posters, hang things on doors and knock on doors, literally to get information out. so we are we are adept at to adapting to

the needs of what of what the community needs to get important information out and finally, we have our volunteers and community groups. so we have, as the mayor said, volunteer groups like nert and alert. we have an auxiliary communication service is a group of folks that do ham radio communication for service providers like the interfaith council, neighborhood empowerment network and the latino task force and megablock. these are all two organizations that really were born during covid and that continue to be very strong partners with dlm and the city in emergency preparedness. so you know, finally, i just you know, and just to say a few more things about that, we have the neighborhood community network or nen is very proactive. they work with community days and neighborhoods in order so that each neighborhood can kind of cater their plan and their

response to the needs of that community. we have a new program , the neighborhood hub and strong block, that allows for more resources in communities. and we are also have a new program, strong building, where we're piloting with alice griffith apartments that are going to be a model for us to say, how do we do it for? you know, we have so many multi unit buildings and preparing those folks also. so just in summary, we have, as you can see, a very robust emergency management program here in the city that includes diverse, overlapping ring and redundant alert and warning systems and while we are very confident that our systems are thorough and redundant, we always want to improve. and in particular, we're looking to continue our investments in language capacity and community

outreach, both things that we learned lessons very important during covid because not everyone receives the message in the right way. we want to make sure that we get the message to people in whatever way is needed so that they receive it and their safety is assured. and so we welcome the discussion that is we're about to have on these improvements. and we really wish to partner with anyone who wants to help us expand our alert and warning capacity, whether through people, through financial or systematic resources. so that's the end of my presentation and open it up to our council for discussion. mary ellen i just wanted to appreciate the thorough overview and maybe get into the discussion as to what our plans are that we discussed around the bringing up of the system, what our plans are, are we going to

repair the old are we going to do a new system? some of the things we talked about and how we can get going with the with the alarms along the beach area and what are some options, options that we should discuss so that we can begin the process of preparing and understand what's possible. yes, mayor. so we have a approximately 119 sirens throughout the city. we did lose a couple of them in the storm. so part of what we need to do now that it has been four years since the they were operating operating is we need to go in and the plan is what we're going to do is replace the technology. so they are all run on what we call. so they're not cellular but wireless. so they are not dependent on a cellular system. and each of these individual sirens has backup battery. those are the technology that needs to be absolutely has to be replaced.

it. in addition, most people have been here a long time know that depending on where you are in the city, the messaging is clearer or not clear. and we know that in some places of the city you cannot hear, you know, have better, better or worse ability to hear the message and the sirens. so part of what our our first plan is to do is definitely to focus on the coastal side, because we know that tsunami is a very like likely scenario in which we would use these. and add each one. this just to back up the system was built in 1946, just to be clear. so it's a very old system. during that time, you know, it was really a military it was like a bomb warning system that was put into place. obviously, as we've shown, we have built technology has changed. we have so many redundancies. but but getting

back to the lowest common denominator of redundancy, when all of the technology that we are dependent on is not available to us, it makes this kind of solution for alert very important. however, what we need to do is take the newer technology, especially on the sirens and the verbal messaging and ensure that each of those is facing the same way that the height of the siren is in the right place. so we anticipate we have a contract in order to start moving forward with the technology. so the procurement of the technology is not the issue and we will be moving forward. i think we expect in the next six months that this project will be well on its way . the full extent of when this will be complete is harder to predict just because we're going to have to assess each one of these and potentially make some changes in order to really make

the improvements to the technology. so it's a better system than we had when we turned it off in 2019. thank you . all right. so it sounds like we are at the point of discussion on based on on mary ellen's presentation and i know we have a number of our members of the board of supervisors and other elected leaders and department heads joining us here today. president peskin, i wanted to know if you had any comments or any remarks or questions for this discussion. oh thank you, mayor breed. and thank you for convening the disaster council. i think you're absolutely right. lahaina was a teachable moment and we are living with a very constrained capital budget. so i am pleased that there seems to be unanimity

in all quarters to find funds to get the outdoor public warning system back up and running. and i think my colleagues and i are happy to assist in any way if that requires legislative action, we're prepared to do so . thank you. that's really great to hear. president peskin, we appreciate your leadership on this. all right. are there any other comments from our elected leaders who are joining us here today? anything you want to ask or say? thank you so much for convening today. we really appreciate it. just really look forward to seeing the implementation and look forward to hopefully have some results and timeline for the siren. you know, besides the funding part, i'd love to learn more. i think for the west side particularly, i think is to also in addition to the siren, we'd love to see sort of the just learning again from the maui fire. is that we'd love to see a mapping of

evacuation route. we on the west side for us, we actually do see a tsunami evacuation routes, signage throughout the throughout west side. i just love to see a mapping of it or updated mapping of it and to see that those signage are also updated or upgraded if need be. knowing that it's been a while. so thank you. thank you. supervisor and you brought something up. i just wanted to mention when we bring these back on, i think on the west side, many people do consider them the tsunami sirens, right. but they are all over the city. it really should be. we want to make sure that folks understand that when the siren sound, they could be for any event. and part of what we're learning from maui is that the sirens were generally used for tsunami to send people away from the water. but in this

case, the fire was coming toward the ocean. and so we want to make sure that we educate the public that they, no matter where you are, that the sirens are indicating something, especially if they're not happening at 12:00 on a tuesday. and that's something that may not be could be any number of things. and so i just wanted to mention that. and to your point on the be happy to share with you the evacuation routes and we can even set up a meeting with fire and police as, as they are kind of lead on helping support evacuation. i just want to add that the supervisor brings up a good point regarding eyeing the various evacuation plans, because i do think that typically during fleet week, we take that as an opportunity to highlight the challenges that could exist in san francisco and to make the public aware of, you know, emergency preparedness. but i do think that every

neighborhood could be unique to the specific events. and we need to make sure that we are not only working with the supervisor, but we're also working with the community to make sure that they understand stand what this all means and how this could be effectively used in case of an emergency, regardless of what it is. so i do think some more outreach and work around and, you know, educate ing people about what these sirens actually represent and also the various layers of things that could happen. and what things might mean. look we know anything could happen. so i think, you know, the sirens and making sure that the voice and the clarity of being able to hear and the various languages are being used used is going to be critical to our communication system along with our our

networking systems that we have in existence. but ultimately, i think some more outreach and work that we can do to start to elevate the conversation around emergency preparedness preparedness with our various neighborhood organizations, our community groups and others could be very helpful to ensuring that, you know, not just when something happens, we're reacting to it. but you know, how are we being more proactive with community so that they are also aware of what exists? and can i ask one question? yeah obviously i'm very supportive and i'm glad that we can all agree that this is something that needs to be done. i'm just curious if going forward will be looking to work with the same contractor we've been working with a little concern on that. something is two years and then now we're looking at five years and we're over budget. so are there reasons why and will we plan to work with the same contractor going forward? well, it's a it's

a combination of so the technology we have to purchase through a vendor and the delay is not a contractor issue. it was more a funding issue on our part. so and the cost escalation is, is what it what time does to our projects. i see karla behind you nodding so we the i think the biggest challenge is it's a very unique system and we are working very closely with tt to make sure that we have the right people who will be available and be able to hit the ground running to be able to do the installation, the sort of assessment. so it's two parts. there's technology d then there's integration into our system and the integrating part is more a city resource issue that we feel pretty strongly that we're going to have a good team to do that. in fact,

bringing some people back from retired agent who really know the system and will be able to enter, interested and willing and available to help on the project. okay. so funding then can expedite the timeline. yeah. i mean, i think that the we have an existing contract, so i feel pretty confident about getting this started immediately. the issue i think the delay or just the i don't want to say delay, but the challenges in moving it as quickly as possible is going to be what we find when we do the when we do these and especially along the coast. i mean, this is just what happens. our beautiful coastal coastline is hard on equipment. and so i think that will be the issue more than anything. but we have we have the contract. we have availability on that contract and a new quote. so we're we're really ready to go on this. thank you. but mary ellen, this is a motorola product. yes. and

part of what supervisor mentioned in terms of the current contractor, are there other options that we have in our various list of contractors that are possible other than the one that we've been working with ? um i don't have the answer to that right now, but i will we'll find out. mayor that's something that we can explore, especially as we're taking a look at different technologies and what might come from the assessment, because it might not just be the technology, but other things that might need to me need to be done to repair polls and other things. yeah and i think that, you know, part of what mary ellen is, is doing is, is taking my direction to move as quickly as possible because because the goal is we want to have this system online. but at the same time, this does give us, you know, we have an opportunity to, you know, take a moment to look

at what is what has changed. we can't just neglect the fact that the technology, the advancements with artificial intelligence and everything else that's out there . we definitely need to look at what other options exist so that we are not creating a new system where that will need to be updated and improved in the next five years. yeah, i definitely don't want to come back to you in five years for that. so all right. any other questions or comments for discussion. did you. nobody okay. all right. we do have to we do have to open this item for public comment. but is there anyone here for public comment. it doesn't look like it. all right. seeing none, public comment is closed. and at this time, without any

questions, further discussion or public comment, this meeting is adjourned. thank you all so much for being here. san francisco, 911, what's the emergency? >> san francisco 911, police, fire and medical.

>> the tenderloin. suspect with a six inch knife. >> he was trying to get into his car and was hit by a car. >> san francisco 911 what's the exact location of your emergency? >> welcome to the san francisco department of emergency management. my name is shannon bond and i'm the lead instructor for our dispatch add -- academy. i want to tell you about what we do here. >> this is san francisco 911. do you need police, fire or medical? >> san francisco police, dispatcher 82, how can i help you? >> you're helping people in their -- what may be their most vulnerable moment ever in life. so be able to provide them immediate help right then and there, it's really rewarding. >> our agency is a very combined agency. we answer emergency and non-emergency calls and we also do dispatching for fire, for medical and we also do dispatching for police.

>> we staff multiple call taking positions. as well as positions for police and fire dispatch. >> we have a priority 221. >> i wanted to become a dispatcher so i could help people. i really like people. i enjoy talking to people. this is a way that i thought that i could be involved with people every day. >> as a 911 dispatcher i am the first first responder. even though i never go on seen -- scene i'm the first one answering the phone call to calm the victim down and give them instruction. the information allows us to coordinate a response. police officers, firefighters, ambulances or any other agency. it is a great feeling when everyone gets to go home safely at the end of the day knowing that you've also saved a citizen's life. >> our department operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. >> this is shift work.

that means we work nights, weekends and holidays and can involve over time and sometimes that's mandatory. >> this is a high stress career so it's important to have a good balance between work and life. >> we have resources available like wellness and peer support groups. our dispatchers of the month are recognized for their outstanding performance and unique and ever changing circumstances. >> i received an accommodation and then i received dispatcher of the month, which was really nice because i was just released from the phones. so for them to, you know, recognize me for that i appreciated it. i was surprised to even get it. at the end of the day i was just doing my job. >> a typical dispatch shift includes call taking and dispatching. it takes a large dedicated group of first responders to make this department run and in turn keep the city safe. >> when you work here you don't work alone, you work as part of a team. you may start off as initial

phone call or contact but everyone around you participating in the whole process. >> i was born and raised in san francisco so it's really rewarding to me to be able to help the community and know that i have a part in -- you know, even if it's behind the scenes kind of helping the city flow and helping people out that live here. >> the training program begins with our seven-week academy followed by on the job training. this means you're actually taking calls or dispatching responders. >> you can walk in with a high school diploma, you don't need to have a college degree. we will train you and we will teach you how to do this job. >> we just need you to come with an open mind that we can train you and make you a good dispatcher. >> if it's too dangerous to see and you think that you can get away and call us from somewhere safe. >> good. that's right. >> from the start of the academy to being released as a solo dispatcher can take nine

months to a year. >> training is a little over a year and may change in time. the training is intense. very intense. >> what's the number one thing that kills people in this country? so we're going to assume that it's a heart attack, right? don't forget that. >> as a new hire we require you to be flexible. you will be required to work all shifts that include midnights, some call graveyard, days and swings. >> you have to be willing to work at different times, work during the holidays, you have to work during the weekends, midnight, 6:00 in the morning, 3:00 in the afternoon. that's like the toughest part of this job. >> we need every person that's in here and when it comes down to it, we can come together and we make a really great team and do our best to keep the city flowing and safe.

>> this is a big job and an honorable career. we appreciate your interest in joining our team. >> we hope you decide to join us here as the first first responders to the city and county of san francisco. for more information on the job and how to apply follow the links below. [music] maintaining fire safety is everyone's responsibility. for your safety, if you see an active fire or fire safety hazzard, report it immediately. here are tips on reporting fire safety hazards in san francisco. depending you may call 911 or 311 the city 24/7 customer service center. when to call 911. call 911 when you see a fire or open flame source in public.

call 911 if you bench a person using open flame device you believe will result in injury or property damage. call 911 if you bench an open flame in public location including situations involving flammable materials like wood, paper and cardboard or liquid fuel propane or gasoline used for cooking recreation or other purposes. call 911 if you see smoke inside or outside a building. call 911 if your smoke detector sounds here hear a fire alarm. be sure to provide the location where this is happening. >> fire safety concerns that don't involve an active or immediate threat to life or property it is best to contact 311, submitting a request on sf3 lon or the sf upon 311 mobile app. reported built up of trash

blocking a sidewalk or a structure. 311 to report encampments that don't have criminal activities associated with them. contact 311 to report a fire safety hazzard, concern that does not involve an open flame. 311 to report lost or blocked exits paths out of a building. contact 3 thrown report a malfunctioning or out of service fire alarm in your building. and contact 311 to report fire safety concern or complaint that does not involve an immediate threat to life or upon prosecute. >> remember, your reporting can save lives you can report unanimously. if you need to ask a fire inspection question call the san francisco fire department 415-five 58-3300. to finds outer more about the san francisco fire department

visit our website. and learn more about the 311 customer service >> 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.

>> 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. (♪♪)

>> [music] art withelders exhibiting senior art work across the bay for 30 years as part of our traveling exhibit's program. for this exhibits we partnered with the san francisco art's commission galleries and excited show case the array of artist in historic san francisco city hall. >> [inaudible]. call me temperature is unique when we get to do we, meaning myself and the 20 other professional instructors we are

working with elders we create long-term reps i can't think of another situation academically where we learn about each other. and the art part i believe is a launching pad for the relationship building:see myself well. and if i don't try when my mom again. she may beat the hell out of mow if i don't try >> seniors, the population encounters the problem of loneliness and isolation even in a residential community there hen a loss of a spouse. leaving their original home. may be not driving anymore and so for us to be ail to bring the classes and art to those people where hay are and we work with people in all walks of life and

circumstances but want to finds the people that are isolated and you know bring the warmth there as much as art skill its personal connection. men their family can't be well for them. i can be their fell and feel it. >> i don't have nobody. people say, hi, hi. hello but i don't know who they are. but i come here like on a wednesday, thursday and friday. and i enjoy. >> we do annual surveys asking students what our program does for them. 90 plus % say they feel less alone, they feel more engaged. they feel more socially connected the things you hope for in general as we age. right? >> and see when i do this.

i am very quiet. i don't have anybody here talking to me or telling me something because i'm concentrating on had i'm doing and i'm not talking to them. >> not just one, many students were saying the program had absolutely transformational for them. in said it had saved their lives. >> i think it is person to support the program. because i think ida elder communities don't get a lot of space in disability. we want to support this program that is doing incredible work and giving disability and making this program what supports the art and health in different way

bunkham art as a way of expression. a way of like socializing and giving artists the opportunity also to make art for the first time, sometimes and we are excited that we can support this stories and honor their stories through art. we hope the people will feel inspired by the variety and the quality of the creative expressions here and that viewers come, way with a greater appreciation of the richness what elders have to share with us. [music]

>> okay. ready to get started. that what i do? here ree go. good morning, i doll the san francisco department of disability and aging service commission meeting of wednesday september 6, 2023 to order. i'm the commission president janet spears. this meeting is conducted pursuant to provision of the brown act. as noted on the agenda, members of the public may observe this teleconference meeting via sfgovtv.org and channel 78 and offer public comment by