>> well welcome everybody. we are crowded into the corner here. it is a lot more pleasant then it used to be, isn't it? [applause] welcome to the 9th avenue gateway of golden gate park. america's best park. in america's best park system. and the way i wanted to begin

my remarks and i'm phil against ginsberg and run your park department. mayor, i was thinking back-i'm speaking into the mic. i was speaking back to 2018 and we were in the back yard of martha and carla to inner sunset neighbors and civic champions and by the way, i will do my whole conflict of interest thing ahead of time, because i'm a neighbor so i'm really happy about this too. but we were in martha and carla's backyard and you had just become mayor and when you were supervisor you put in a few bucks for design process. thank you. you think it was my first time doing this. you put a few dollars in for design when you were supervisor, but

you came to this event in the backyard of sunset neighbor and you told well over a hundred people how important this was to you and how much you got it, and we were going to do this project. i was just sort of getting to know you as mayor and when i was thinking what kind of parks mayor is london breed going to be? it all started with this project and here is where we are today. [applause] here is where we are today. for the last six years our park system has gone through transformational change in every single neighborhood. this park has gone through transformational change. we have done gigantic projects like, our jfk initiative and india basin and some of the largest projects,

francisco reservoir, some of the largest projectss you can think of and also done neighborhood park renovations in every corner of the city, over 30 neighborhood parks and playgrounds have been renovated during your tenure. my staff prepared a list for me. there are in your tenure, 130 different park improvement projects. some big, some small. [applause] and we see it and we see it here in this neighborhood in this park. between the work and all the improvements that are amazing botanical garden, golden gate park, to incredible jfk promenade to middle lake, this park has gone through transformational change and some changes are really big and profound and some are small but very equally important.

this feels to me to be one that is maybe small, but equally important and mighty. thank you president anderson. by the way, it is also president anderson's birthday today so this might be her birthday present as well. what you find here is this is called a gateway and gateways are really important to parks, because they create and mark and celebrate the concept of place. for the inner sunset neighborhood and this community this is probably the busiest and most important entrance to the park. for this community, this change is long overdue and we thank you. before i turn it over to america's best park mayor, i want to offer a few thank you's and tell about the project. you obviously see the beautiful open plaza with enhanced lighting and granite steps and brass rails. we did this right, folks.

we didn't do it on the cheap. it is too important, we did it right. we got new signage. there is 5500 square feet of new paving. 6,000 square feet of native greenery supported by new irrigation. we relocated the muni bus shelter away from the main crossing so people can be here and congregate and feel something and feel connected to the neighborhood. it is a important project, and victory has many parents and i like to acknowledge a few in addition to our mayor. obviously our supervisor myrna melgar who has been a huge champion for parks. [applause] and safe and joyful acsess to parks. thank the inner sunset neighbors. al, you are not speaking but thank you for your leadership.

martha. susanna and but now i want to again turn it over to america's best parks mayor, london breed. [applause] >> okay phil, i'll give you that raise you always wanted. [laughter] he called me america's best parks mayor, but i grew up in this city and i remember what these parks used to look like and how i got splinters going down those slides and broken swings and all the scars i probably have on my body came from damage in our park system. [laughter] that doesn't happen anymore. well, not as much as it used to. that has a lot to do with phil ginsberg and his incredible leadership. [applause] we have a extraordinary leader, a champion who believes in parks and more

importantly, he has a amazing team of the people who work in the administrative park of rec and park, but also our gardeners, the folks who clean our parks, the park rangers, like the staff of rec and park they go above and beyond to make these spaces inviting, beautiful, clean and safe and there is no better park system in the united states of america. [applause] thank you phil. and even cats are welcome. hello kitty. you got that, hello kitty? [laughter] it is great to be in the inner sunset because i remember when martha, andrea, chris all of us did a little walk and let me start by saying, when i represent at the inner sunset this district did not ask for much.

all they wanted is a nice entry way to golden gate park, a safe intersection here and the under wiring of the utilities on the street. now, i didn't get to under wiring done, not yet, but that is myrna's job. she is going to take the helm and get it done, but what i appreciate about this community is, they have always been interested in making it better, not just for the people who live here, not just for the people who work here at ucsf and other parts of the neighborhood but those who visit here and people they meet and come to the various restaurants and businesses in the neighborhood. the folks who come to the botanical gardens and enjoy some of the best parks and open space and every decision that they made has been about

allowing this area to be a place that is safe is and inviting for everyone. it brings together our urban and gardeners and communities right in the center of our city and it brings a lot of excitement and hope. it is really great to see something go from a conversation and a conversation that involved a community process, where the people of this community help give the recommendations on the design based on their every day experiences and then the government actually listened and listened and incorporated what the community wanted into the design and then executed it and put the resources to making it a reality. this is when it all works the way it should. and it takes partnership. with rec and park, with the

mayor's office and of course with the community. so, i'm so happy to be here to know that whether you are biking, driving, rolling in your wheelchair, walking with your cane, whatever mode of transportation you choose, you'll be able to move in the system in this gateway safely and efficiently. and that's what our city has to be overall. [applause] i'm so glad to be here and see this promise made and this promise kept and how people appreciate it so much and thank you to our commissioners who are also joining us here. again, thank you to chris for putting there great benches all over the inner sunset for people to sit on. this is one of the best communities in san francisco. i know parents, you know how it is, you are not supposed to have a favorite. i'm not saying i have a

favorite, i'm just saying this is one of the best and it is always feels like home every time i come back to see all of you and to see your consistency and advocating for a better inner sunset for everyone, so thank you all so much for being here. congratulations on this wonderful project. [applause] >> thank you mayor. before i bring up our amazing supervisor , more parents to celebrate the victory, i actually want to-the mayor acknowledged our commissioners but present today is our chair and birthday girl k a t anderson, joined by [indiscernible] and sonia clark herrera. [applause] i want to acknowledge my incredible team if i can flip to the right page here. the mayor mentioned the hard working folks that get the job done

every day on this project i want to acknowledge director of capital and planning, stacey bradley. our project manager alex. our project manager capital improvement dan mower who does so much in golden gate park. and then the people who take care of it. golden gate park manager operations dave is here and his incredible team who is already caring for this beautiful space. we do these things in partnership and i want to celebrate a couple partners as well. i want to celebrate our neighbors, our wonderful neighbors at the gardens of golden gate park, sarah ryan and brendan lane, thank you very much for being here. [applause] and then public works, we do these things in partnership with our public works departmentmentf they are incredible, they are great

partners and on this one, we had our project lead nick ansell, designer [indiscernible] section manager anthony, jennifer cooper, and then our construction management team [indiscernible] and then we had team member from mta working on the traffic issue, stephanie chan. these things are not simple and why they take time and there are a lot of hands in this one. there are a new more thank yous i will shuffle through the notes to thank but i will turn it over to our supervisor and as mentioned earlier, she doesn't just love parks between supervisor melgar and our mayor, they are grabbing the reins of what san francisco could and should be with tomorrow with great wespect what it has been and what it is today and holding on to the important parts of the past. cities grow and change and

evolve and we need to think about that and two great leaders to my left think about it a lot. supervisor melgar, the mic is yours. >> thank you phil. [applause] i can have favorites. i love inner sunset. it is such a loving supportive community and i'm so proud to have worked on this along with our great american parks mayor, london breed and phil ginsberg. there are a couple things i want to expand on. it is a beautiful entrance to the park and also gateway to inner sunset. it is gateway to erving street 9th avenue corridor which is viberant and wonderful and despite the pandemic in the last 4 years, look at all the wonderful things we have achieved. mayor, hats off to you.

jfk drive, the promenade, all this transformative open space. the parklets on 9th avenue. we have been able to get through this pandemic and also come out better at it other end and that is amazing and wonderful. when life gives you lemons you make lemon aid. this is just the beginning because [indiscernible] will not let us finish here. this beautiful entrance to the park and entrance to 9th avenue and irving street corridor could be safer and we are going to work on it because it is one community and want to make sure everybody is left better and work together with rec park and mta, dpw to make sure that this community continues to thrive and adapt to the future rsh so thank you so much to the rec park commissioners for all the good work. thank you especially to andrea and martha and chris and everyone

who-susanna, i saw -all the folks who made this happen who have lobbied, advocated, worked and put all the love into the community so we can be better off today. thank you so much and we are going to keep going! alright. thank you. [applause] >> thank you supervisor melgar. i see wendy bare and ryan from the botanical garden. thank you for being here and leading our garden. [indiscernible] keeps our commission. thank you ashley. i too am a member of the inner sunset park members andrea and i want to say this neighborhood is a very joyful place and a very positive place. it is often-this is a city of

grievance and this is a neighborhood that actually gets stuff done and is very positive and it is because of the incredible leadership of the sunset park neighbors and been at it a long time. done really good stuff. the mic is yours. [applause] >> [indiscernible] you dont have to talk, you just have to stand here. thank you phil. you don't have to talk, you just have to stand here. hi, guys i will not take up much of your time. hopefully you can hear me. back in 2008, some might not have been born yet, ad hoc group of neighbors got together and merchants and began thinking about a safer more attractive entrance to one of the main

golden gate park entrance. the existing entrance has dangerous traffic conditions. i can still attest to that. as martha and i crossed the cross walk we had to hold our hand to stop a car turning right. narrow pathways, poor signage and unimpressive landscaping. we thought it could be safer and more welcoming. we called our idea, the gateway to both golden gate park and inner sunset. here is what happened next in 2008, three public meetings, a lot of community outreach, including design charrette where neighbors got to draw what they thought they wanted to see here. two public surveys, including one where neighbors on which three option they prefer. a pandemic happened. the project kind of got lost and mayor breed stepped up to carve out funding

to make it continue to go forward. we appreciate that. golden gate park is one of the world's great park and welcomes millions a year, but to us it is the park in our backyard. we walk, run, bike, skate, play, enjoy art and learn about science, dance and listen to music and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the park. we are also very lucky and grateful to walk into the park to one of san francisco's best neighborhoods, inner sunset. we shops, restaurants, tea and coffee stores, book stores and one of the last remaining magic shops. we wish all visorters local and not to take pleasure in the community and hope the new park side entrance will make it easier, but our dream is is only half way realized. all you have to do is look across the street. to realize we still got problems.

traffic problems, wiring problems, signage problems, et cetera. trash problems. with supervisor melgar's help and we have a traffic study that will be completed later this month, we can use the help and guiding us through this next phase. i want to thank inner sunset merchant association for always supporting the project including 45 businesses signing petition for it. park neighbors and neighborhood association, small but mighty. please join if you are a neighbor. and to rpd for making this happen. also shout out to public works. work for this started in 2018 and then things fell through the cracks during the pandemic and public works never let this thing die, so thank you nick and carla short and the people at public works. lastly,b i want to thank mayor

breed and phil. it is a lot of work as a civilian to figure how city hall runs and figure how to get projts done. because of the longevity of the relationships we have with london and with phil, we didn't have to resell and resell and resell this project. it was really great for us to have consistency of their leadership and i actually dont think we would be standing here now if we hadn't had it, so more power to them. thanks everybody. praerf [applause] >> alright. now comes the fun part. we'll get to cut a ribbon. if the commissioners could join and the birthday girl, i like to be--all our inner sunset park neighbors. for the birthday girl a big round of applause. [applause] there you go. and i in a manner of personal

privilege before we cut the ribbon i want to shout out mo martinez standing right there who enjoys jfk promenade every day in her chair and is my neighbor. lives two doors down from me on 18th avenue and is amazing part of this community, so thank you moe for being here. sara. , ryan. come on. sara, come join us. >> okay, everybody join in the

count. starting with 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! [cheers and applause] [♪♪♪] >> i just don't know that you can find a neighborhood in the city where you can hear music stands and take a ride on the

low rider down the street. it is an experience that you can't have anywhere else in san francisco. [♪♪♪] [♪♪♪] >> district nine is a in the southeast portion of the city. we have four neighborhoods that i represent. st. mary's park has a completely unique architecture. very distinct feel, and it is a very close to holly park which is another beautiful park in san francisco. the bernal heights district is unique in that we have the hell which has one of the best views in all of san francisco. there is a swinging hanging from a tree at the top. it is as if you are swinging over the entire city. there are two unique aspects. it is considered the fourth chinatown in san francisco.

sixty% of the residents are of chinese ancestry. the second unique, and fun aspect about this area is it is the garden district. there is a lot of urban agriculture and it was where the city grew the majority of the flowers. not only for san francisco but for the region. and of course, it is the location in mclaren park which is the city's second biggest park after golden gate. many people don't know the neighborhood in the first place if they haven't been there. we call it the best neighborhood nobody has ever heard our. every neighborhood in district nine has a very special aspect. where we are right now is the mission district. the mission district is a very special part of our city. you smell the tacos at the [speaking spanish] and they have the best latin pastries. they have these shortbread cookies with caramel in the middle.

and then you walk further down and you have sunrise café. it is a place that you come for the incredible food, but also to learn about what is happening in the neighborhood and how you can help and support your community. >> twenty-fourth street is the birthplace of the movement. we have over 620 murals. it is the largest outdoor public gallery in the country and possibly the world. >> you can find so much political engagement park next to so much incredible art. it's another reason why we think this is a cultural district that we must preserve. [♪♪♪] >> it was formed in 2014. we had been an organization that had been around for over 20 years. we worked a lot in the neighborhood around life issues. most recently, in 2012, there were issues around gentrification in the neighborhood. so the idea of forming the cultural district was to help

preserve the history and the culture that is in this neighborhood for the future of families and generations. >> in the past decade, 8,000 latino residents in the mission district have been displaced from their community. we all know that the rising cost of living in san francisco has led to many people being displaced. lower and middle income all over the city. because it there is richness in this neighborhood that i also mentioned the fact it is flat and so accessible by trip public transportation, has, has made it very popular. >> it's a struggle for us right now, you know, when you get a lot of development coming to an area, a lot of new people coming to the area with different sets of values and different culture. there is a lot of struggle between the existing community and the newness coming in. there are some things that we do to try to slow it down so it doesn't completely erase the communities.

we try to have developments that is more in tune with the community and more equitable development in the area. >> you need to meet with and gain the support and find out the needs of the neighborhoods. the people on the businesses that came before you. you need to dialogue and show respect. and then figure out how to bring in the new, without displacing the old. [♪♪♪] >> i hope we can reset a lot of the mission that we have lost in the last 20 years. so we will be bringing in a lot of folks into the neighborhoods pick when we do that, there is a demand or, you know, certain types of services that pertain more to the local community and working-class. >> back in the day, we looked at mission street, and now it does not look and feel anything like mission street. this is the last stand of the latino concentrated arts,

culture and cuisine and people. we created a cultural district to do our best to conserve that feeling. that is what makes our city so cosmopolitan and diverse and makes us the envy of the world. we have these unique neighborhoods with so much cultural presence and learnings, that we want to preserve. [♪♪♪]

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