. >> hello, my name is kristin evans. i am the owner of book smith, a bookstore on haight street. i am also a member of the merchants association. i briefly wanted to make a few comments. i believe there has been some recent attention focused on mcdonald's, which is not a member of the merchants association. our organization represents 75 dues-paying members, and we have about 120 in the era that we could represent. in the past year we have recruited 75 members to participate. one of the things that makes us unique as an organization is that, of the nine board members, five of us live in the neighborhood as well. i live on ashbury between haight and waller. we all represent businesses that are community-oriented, serving the community, and welcome visitors from around the world to the neighborhood. i think we all share a concern for enhancing the experience of visiting haight street, whether you are a president or are from far away. i would like to simply say, we have a commitment as an organization to work openly and transparently with other neighborhood associations, including t