name is alan braddell and you are watching san francisco rising with chris manor. today's special guest is sarah phillips. >> hi, i'm chris manors and you are watching san francisco rising the show about restarting rebuilding look up . right. we all kind of know what it means, right? but sometimes we like to look up a word to get the real gist. right. so i looked it up to reduce or control the size of something by removal. so we're talking about removal. and i read through the

article and there was someone who's a professor from stanford and he started to channel me, okay, this stanford professor nailed it for me. so i want to read from you for you from from this. his name is james campbell. he's a stanford professor, and he says historical memory is inevitably political. he said he went on to say the debates over monuments and memorials often serve as proxy wars for other disputes and grievances. right the debates over monuments and memorials often serve as proxy wars for other other disputes and grievances, he went on to say to me, the real danger of these kinds of exercises is not so much the historical erasure, but the self-congratulation, the self-congratulation that happens

with all of us pointing fingers. we're pointing fingers at the unenlightened ancestors and patting ourselves on the back with our own superior moral wisdom that packs a punch. and i think we all need to have the humility to absorb what this person is saying. this is not a nobody. this is a stanford professor. now, the good part of this article is coming. and it's that there's a phase that we're in now where we're going to have, a artist to, look at the future. and the article goes on. but my time is about to end. so in closing, let's keep our monuments and memorials. let's add more monuments, memorials, and then the best way to achieve equity for art in the public realm is to add art in the

public realm. thank you. thank you. any additional comments? hi. and your time will start when you begin speaking. okay, so hi commissioners. my name is charlotte wooster, san francisco native. my favorite monument is the pioneer woman and child in golden gate park. i love her. she i relate to her. i jotted down a bunch of notes here because i almost didn't expect to be here today. it's kind of news to me that this was happening, but i do want to be involved. to be sure that all san franciscans heritage is honored and not denigrated as it was during the kind of out of control hysteria back there in 2020. it was pretty. it was pretty crazy, it was violent. it was. i mean, the for photographs of those statues that we saw

earlier really indicated to me violence. and i just it was disturbing. so as alan just pointed out, i think we should add, add to monuments in the city and not pull away. compromise. that would be a compromise. it's the best solution to kind of keep our social fabric healthy and strong. you know. yeah. in 2001, in afghanistan and unesco world heritage site was destroyed, because the taliban leader felt that he didn't or he didn't, no one would be able to worship or respect those things in the future. and so just be careful with the power that you have, because it can be abused. humans are humans, and you're all human regardless of what your outward appearance might be, i'd like you to really keep that in mind

that you actually, you hold the power. i don't, and i'm white, and most of you are not. and i really would like you to be careful about how you speak about white people, because it's pretty clear to me now that it's open season. de rigueur. so just be aware that, like anybody of any skin tone or heritage, it's not okay. i learned that in the san francisco public schools. okay. so i guess my that gets me emotional. my last thing is that i looked up the definition of equity and it's justice according to natural law or. right. and we're all under natural law specifically freedom from bias or favoritism. okay. so be careful with your own bias and favoritism, and last but not least, san francisco values.

what are they? where have they been defined? is it official who declared them? when was there consensus? so before you start saying that, i want to know what they are specifically. thank yo. thank you. any additional comments? see no more requests for public comment. public comment is now closed. thank you, president collins, just to, remind commissioners to we stated this before about our process with the miami of memorials. the united states is really behind in this process. rectifying, you know, equality and equity in the public sphere. and when you look at germany, for instance, you can't. i lived in germany for two and a half years. it's against the law to put monuments and memorials to

nazi generals or soldiers or whatnot. so germany was way ahead of everybody else. so we're just united states is just trying to catch up. so i just want to tell you that's what the process is about. thank you. you're okay. thank you. this item is now closed, may i now move to agenda item number eight, which is the consent calendar. i'm asking commissioners if they have any withdrawals or recusals at this time. and, i'll read the consent calendar. thank you very much. and now we will take all of the consent calendar items. i'm calling for any commissioner discussion or comments on the consent calendar. and also for a motion, this commissioner showed i did have a question on item 17, which is the contract with the aag conservation services.

so it's, it was for as needed, fine arts services, including conservation of various large scale works, is that as a kind of retainer or is that for specific? project or earmarked for anything, i just wanted to. yes. thank you. thank you. thank you. commissioner. so, this is part of our pool of as needed contractors that we use for installation and for conservation. so we did an rfp a number of years ago, created this as needed pool, when we enter into contract for an amount that exceeds $500,000, we need to come to the commission for review and approval, we are anticipating that there is a lot of conservation work that is coming up. and so this consent

calendar item that we put on is for approval of the aag contract. beyond that 500,000. does that answer your question? it does. and that it includes installation, which is very expensive for any piece of artwork. it's i understand the number. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. are there any other commissioner questions or comments on the consent calendar? may i have a motion to approve the consent calendar as presented? so move to second commissioner musil. thank you. is there any public comment on the consent calendar? for those joining in person, please proceed to the public comment podium and fill out the public comment information card. we are currently on item eight. as a reminder, your time will start. when you begin speaking, you will see a visual timer on the podium and receive a 32nd audible warning before your time concludes, requesting comments from those who are in person. is there anyone who would like to

make a public comment on the current agenda item? i see no request for a public comment. public comment is now closed. thank you. i'm now calling agenda item number eight. new business and announcements. could we have a. oh. i'm sorry. may i have the final motion, please? all those in favor? i opposed motion carries unanimously. thank you. i'm now calling agenda item number eight, which is new business and announcements. current administrative. budgetary ledge. i think it's number. oh, sorry. item nine. yes, apologies. that's sorry. we've gone. all right. this is a number thing, right? it's where we are on the agenda. yes. it says eight on mine. so it's i mean nine. all right. number nine, which is new business and announcements, budgetary, legislative and programing, developments and announcements. are there any commissioner comments or discussions on agenda item

number nine? i would like to invite everybody out to the fillmore. this saturday we're going to be doing art walk sf. there will be over 60 artists represented, represented over 30 businesses and six musical performers in three different locations. so you are free saturday 12 to 5. it is on fillmore street between bush and washington. please join us. are there any other? i had a commissioner for carolina. if i may, for the exhibit that's opening on the 20th, is that the opening night? is that going to be a reception for it, or is that. sorry yes. the 20th at 6:00. is that from 6 to 8 remarks 630. fantastic. thank you so much, i do have an announcement, and that is that this is the time of year that we name a nominating committee. and i have asked for commissioner brunzell to chair the committee and for commissioners shelby and ferris to be the other members

of the committee. as you recall, this is the time of year that we engage in who are going to be the leaders for the following year, and we really, truly leave it with the nominating committee to engage in a diligence process. so when they call you, please know that they need your input. i've also asked for the committee to speak to staff members to ensure that we get a well-rounded view of where we're headed, and any comments that you have, any way that you would like for it to be conducted. filter them to me and i will then ensure that our our committee chair, seth brunzell, will distribute those responsibilities accordingly. but this is very important because it's really almost the only time of year that we do a self audit. all of us are subject to this. you know, whoever the leaders are, are accountable to the commission and to the public for what we d.

so be, candid and really honest and frank in your discussions with your fellow commissioners so that we can receive that feedback and the nominations will move accordingly. any other questions about that in advance? i want to thank them. i've been on that on that committee and i understand how important it is to be able to get that information in how to filter it, how to process, and then really bring it out so that we learn from it. and we're not just perfunctory, you know, moving names along because they sit in a certain place. so i have to answer that call. yes, please. you definitely have to answer that. i hope that you you can, by the way, anybody can talk to anybody on the committee. you know, the chair allocates this, but, you know, if you have something that you feel more comfortable in speaking to a particular commissioner about, it's all all good. it's all

good, any other, on agenda item number nine, new business announcements or things such as that, this is a, i'm worried i'm announcing something that you can't go to, but the san francisco symphony has three more concerts of the music from studio ghibli, which is the totoro film and the hall last night was absolutely packed, and i think you can't actually purchase a ticket in the city of san francisco, but there might be some tickets online. if you are really love those movies and you love that music, it's amazing. i would encourage you to go. it's a kind of a once in i, you know, it's not the show is not going to come around again. so anyhow, it's a really wonderful way to kick off the symphony. the only other thing i wanted to say is that this is the kickoff of all of the big performing arts season, all the performing arts seasons. the opera gala, i think, is tonight,

i think there's, you know, there's lots of things going on, so go to some performing arts. we'd love to see you as our audience members and commissioners. any anything else? nope is there any public comment, on this agenda item number nine? no. public is present. public comment is closed. well now i'm calling for agenda item number ten, not nine. and that's adjournment. thank you.

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>> item 50 is resolution calling on department of public health to provide medically necessary transition related care for transgender related people and remove restrictions. >> in 2012 gender health sf was born out of advocacy from community stakeholders and local leaders. really as response to providing quality, accessible jnder aaffirming care for the most under-served. (indiscernible) the way i see it, there is two ways of folks we serve at our program. the first wave of folks who never imagined surgery access was accessible to them. many folks who had to save money or par ticipate in underground economy to access the surgery outside the country. (indiscernible) really to make something real in terms of being able to connect with the gender identity and external (indiscernible) and so transform so many lives of many of trans folks

who never imagined it was accessible to them. now we are in the different era and time where transrights is in the social political and general (indiscernible) and now we are serving young folks to support them and making sure their gender identity is connected to who they are, so providing a space to support transfolks to live authentically and that is the goal to provide the level of care trans folks deserve. >> when it comes to access to healthcare, while we all believe in cost control and make sure we deliver healthcare in a cost effective manner, i dont think that cost is a reason or legitinate rational to exclude people from healthcare (indiscernible) colleagues i ask for your support.

>> thank you supervisor wiener. colleagues on this item can we do this without role call? same house same call, without objection the resolution is adopted. [applause] >> growing up in san francisco has been way safer than growing up other places we we have that bubble, and it's still that bubble that it's okay to be whatever you want to. you can let your free flag fry -- fly here. as an adult with autism, i'm here to challenge people's idea of what autism is. my journey is not everyone's journey because every autistic child is different, but there's

hope. my background has heavy roots in the bay area. i was born in san diego and adopted out to san francisco when i was about 17 years old. i bounced around a little bit here in high school, but i've always been here in the bay. we are an inclusive preschool, which means that we cater to emp. we don't turn anyone away. we take every child regardless of race, creed, religious or ability. the most common thing i hear in my adult life is oh, you don't seem like you have autism. you seem so normal. yeah. that's 26 years of really, really, really hard work and i think thises that i still do. i was one of the first open adoptions for an lgbt couple. they split up when i was about four. one of them is partnered, and

one of them is not, and then my biological mother, who is also a lesbian. very queer family. growing up in the 90's with a queer family was odd, i had the bubble to protect me, and here, i felt safe. i was bullied relatively infrequently. but i never really felt isolated or alone. i have known for virtually my entire life i was not suspended, but kindly asked to not ever bring it up again in first grade, my desire to have a sex change. the school that i went to really had no idea how to handle one. one of my parents is a little bit gender nonconforming, so they know what it's about, but my parents wanted my life to be safe. when i have all the

neurological issues to manage, that was just one more to add to it. i was a weird kid. i had my core group of, like, very tight, like, three friends. when we look at autism, we characterize it by, like, lack of eye contact, what i do now is when i'm looking away from the camera, it's for my own comfort. faces are confusing. it's a lack of mirror neurons in your brain working properly to allow you to experience empathy, to realize where somebody is coming from, or to realize that body language means that. at its core, autism is a social disorder, it's a neurological disorder that people are born with, and it's a big, big spectrum. it wasn't until i was a teenager that i heard autism in relation to myself, and i rejected it. i was very loud, i took up a lot of space, and it was

because mostly taking up space let everybody else know where i existed in the world. i didn't like to talk to people really, and then, when i did, i overshared. i was very difficult to be around. but the friends that i have are very close. i click with our atypical kiddos than other people do. in experience, i remember when i was five years old and not wanting people to touch me because it hurt. i remember throwing chairs because i could not regulate my own emotions, and it did not mean that i was a bad kid, it meant that i couldn't cope. i grew up in a family of behavioral psychologists, and i got development cal -- developmental psychology from all sides. i recognize that my experience is just a very small picture of that, and not everybody's in a

position to have a family that's as supportive, but there's also a community that's incredible helpful and wonderful and open and there for you in your moments of need. it was like two or three years of conversations before i was like you know what? i'm just going to do this, and i went out and got my prescription for hormones and started transitioning medically, even though i had already been living as a male. i have a two-year-old. the person who i'm now married to is my husband for about two years, and then started gaining weight and wasn't sure, so i went and talked with the doctor at my clinic, and he said well, testosterone is basically birth control, so there's no way you can be pregnant. i found out i was pregnant at 6.5 months. my whole mission is to kind of normalize adults like me. i think i've finally found my

calling in early intervention, which is here, kind of what we do. i think the access to care for parents is intentionally confusing. when i did the prospective search for autism for my own child, it was confusing. we have a place where children can be children, but it's very confusing. i always out myself as an adult with autism. i think it's helpful when you know where can your child go. how i'm choosing to help is to give children that would normally not be allowed to have children in the same respect, kids that have three times as much work to do as their peers or kids who do odd things, like, beach therapy. how do -- speech therapy.

how do you explain that to the rest of their class? i want that to be a normal experience. i was working on a certificate and kind of getting think early childhood credits before i started working here, and we did a section on transgender inclusion, inclusion, which is a big issue here in san francisco because we attract lots of queer families, and the teacher approached me and said i don't really feel comfortable or qualified to talk about this from, like, a cisgendered straight person's perspective, would you mind talking a little bit with your own experience, and i'm like absolutely. so i'm now one of the guest speakers in that particular class at city college. i love growing up here. i love what san francisco represents. the idea of leaving has never occurred to me. but it's a place that i need to fight for to bring it back to what it used to be, to allow all of those little kids that come from really unsafe environments to move somewhere

safe. what i've done with my life is work to make all of those situations better, to bring a little bit of light to all those kind of issues that we're still having, hoping to expand into a little bit more of a resource center, and this resource center would be more those new parents who have gotten that diagnosis, and we want to be this one centralized place that allows parents to breathe for a second. i would love to empower from the bottom up, from the kid level, and from the top down, from the teacher level. so many things that i would love to do that are all about changing people's minds about certain chunts, like the transgender community or the autistic community. i would like my daughter to know there's no wrong way to go through life. everybody experiences pain and grief and sadness, and that all of those things are temporary.

okay. good evening and welcome to the august 28th, 2024 meeting of the san francisco board of appeals. president jose lopez will be the presiding officer tonight, and he's joined by vice president alex lumber, commissioner rick zweig, commissioner john trevino, and commissioner j.r. epler. also present is deputy city attorney jen huber, who will provide the board with any needed legal advice at the controls is the board's legal assistant, al conway. and i'm julie rosenberg, the board's executive director. we will also be joined by representatives from the city departments that will be presenting before the board this evening. up front is tina tam, the deputy zoning administrator representing the planning department and joining us via zoom is kevin birmingham, acting chief building inspector with the department of building inspecti