Supervisor yee good afternoon. Welcome to the october 8th, 2019 regular meeting of the San Francisco board of supervisors. Madam clerk, will you please call the roll. Clerk thank you mr. President. [ roll call ] clerk mr. President , you have a quorum. Ladies and gentlemen, will you please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Supervisor yee so, on behalf of the board i would like to acknowledge the staff of sfgtv, tom and madias who record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online. Madam clerk, are there any communications . Clerk yes, were in receipt of two communication the dade the october 27th, 2019 from supervisors haney and walton stating they will be absent today in request to be excused from the meeting. Supervisor yee can i have a motion to excuse haney and walton from attending todays meeting . Made by supervisor safai seconds by sure mandelman. And without objection, supervisors haney and walton are excused. Colleagues, today we are approving the minutes from the september 3rd, 2000 board meeting. Are there any changes to these meeting minutes. Can i have a motion to approve the minutes by supervisor mandelman and seconded by supervisor mar. And without objection, those minutes will be approved after public comment. Madam clerk, lets go to our 2 00 p. M. Special order. Clerk first order of Business Today is to welcome the honorable mayor, london n. Breed to present a fiveminute address to the board of supervisors. Theyre being no questions submitted from the h eligible districts. Supervisor yee welcome madam mayor. Since there are no topics submitted we welcome you to share your remarks. The hon. London breed thank you. Im here to talk about Mental Health. Because i know that we are all frustrated and that we want Real Solutions and we all share a goal to help people who clearly are in crisis on our streets. This is a topic that is too big, too important to play pop ticks with and it does demand that we all Work Together. The universal desire to improve our Behavioral Health system has thursday the our department of publichealth into the public eye. There have been newspaper stories and hearings at the board of supervisors and at our Health Question questioning the departments decisions. I remind you that this is the same department of publichealth that rose to the challenge of combating the h. I. V. Aids epidemic in the 1980s and was the world leader developing new, datadriven publichealth programs that gave people hope. The department and the city came together to help San Franciscos who needed our help the most. Today, we are so very close to getting to zero, a milestone that seems unachievable decades ago. Our Mental Health cry six i want to make sure that i understand and share the frustration and with publichealth, i am committed to getting every person in crisis off the streets and into treatment. I know, that part of that will help with our legislation that supervisor mandelman led on we just had signed into law by our governor. The department of publichealth already serves over 30,000 people through our Behavioral Health system. 30,000 people. These people are on medical and uninsured and some people have healthy sf with the department of publichealth works everyday, to provide quality care for the residents we can know we can do better. Thats why i hired a district offer Mental Health reform to develop Accurate Information and analyze the data to understand what we are doing and what is working and also where we need change. And for the last several months, the doctor and the department of publichealth have been developing comprehensive plans to help the 4,000 people we have identified that are living on our streets who have serious Mental Illness and Substance Use challenges. These San Franciscos are the most visible examples of a Behavioral Health system that is failing the most in need and we can turn this around. And supervisors, i invite you all to join me. Soon, we will we will help as we responded to the h. I. V. Aids crisis decades ago. With conviction, resolve and real change. Supervisors, we need to Work Together. San franciscans deserve that and i know that we may have some policy differences and that were not going to agree on everything but we make the hard choices and Work Together for the good of all residents of the city. We can do that here in these same chambers where the cities most challenging and most important issues are debated on a regular basis. We dont need to go to the ballot. It is a waste of time because we can do what is necessary to move many of the things that we are putting forward right here in this chamber right now and i ask you supervisors to continue to work with me on accomplishing that goal so that we can make the kinds of changes that we know will have a tremendous impact on a crisis that we faced today and we can make a change for future generations to come. Thank you. Thank you, madam mayor for joining us today. This will conclude our special order. This item shall be filed. Thank you. Ok, madam clerk. Can you please call the Consent Agenda. Clerk yes, items 112 are on consent. Theyre considered to be routine if a member objected an idea may be removed and considered separately. Colleagues, anyone like to severe any items from the Consent Agenda . Seeing none, madam clerk, please call the role. Clerk on items 112. [roll call] these are passed. Lets go to our remember agenda. Please call items 13 and 14 together. Clerk we have two resolutions an easement agreement and quick claim thesment between the city and pacific gas forsment areas at the San Francisco International Airport west of bay shore property for no cost to accommodate the replacement of a natural gas pipeline and did a lease and use agreement between the City Airlines limited to conduct Flight Operations at San Francisco International Airport to expire on june 30th, 2021 with a rent of 1. 3 million. Supervisor yee colleagues, can we take these items same house same call. Without objection. These resolutions are adopted unanimously. Madam clerk, calling the next item. Clerk item 15 is a resolution to approve the amended and restated less number l14100 between the Port Commission and java house llc where the java house restaurant located at pier 40 and a half at the embarcadero and to increase the Monthly Base Rent to 4,000 including a tenant option to extend for 10 years with no change to august 31st, 2023. Supervisor yee can we take this same house same call. Its adopted unanimously. Call number 16. Clerk a resolution to retroactively approve the Sheriff Department contract to administer a home detention and electronic monitoring for three years through july 31st, 2022 with two oneyear options for renewal and a total contract amount of 3. 4 million. Supervisor yee can we take this same house same call. Its unanimously adopted. Clerk item 17, a resolution to approve inaccordance with the Internal Revenue code of 1986 the issuance of Revenue Bonds or loan by the California Municipal Finance Authority in one or more series pursuant to a plan of financing and not to exceed 65 million to refinance all or a portion of certain outstanding debt obligations, originally to finance or refinance the acquisition, construction, improvement, equipping and furnishing of facilities located at 890 hey street, 815 buena physical ta. 1564 Mission Street, 1735 Mission Street and 154 coal ridge street within the city owned and managed by health right 360. Supervisor yee can we take this item same house same call. This resolution is adopted unanimously. Clerk an ordinance to amend the planning code to designate 2031 bush street also known as the King Building number 0673 as a landmark under article 10 of the planning code and to affirm the ceqa determination and make appropriate pintings. This a amend to designate the building located at 2031 bush street as a landmark under article 10 of the planning code. The Buildings Association, the Buildings Association with the social cultural and educational enrichment of japanese americans in San Francisco from 1926 to the present quantifies it for this historic landmark status. Reading the report, specifically with regard to executive act 9006 in which japanese americans all over california were wrongly and injustly imprisoned in concentration camps is impossible not to be reminded of the many shameful aspects of american history. From the beginning a century ago, they took a radical approach to community by providing education to children of japanese, american immigrants who were not allowed to go to school in the United States. Even before construction of the building in 1926, beginning in 1911 they upheld Japanese Culture in San Francisco. Like other japanese Language Schools around the bay, this was more than just a language cool it was a Community Hub and a Gathering Place for those who lived nearby. Since 1911, it has been dedicated to enriching the lives of children, japanese immigrants and Community Members through education. Today, they operate not only as a Language School it also serves to educate the San Francisco and bay area communities will japanese traditions. It continues as mission to teach Japanese Culture broadens the global perspective of members and youth. Today, it remains a hub for japanese together to participate in cultural activities and political events and community organizing. With this strong belief, that it will continue to build on the over 100 years of legacy, im very pleased that this building will be officially recognized as a historic landmark after the passing of these amendments. Thank you. Supervisor yee colleagues, can we take this same house same call . This is passed on First Reading. Madam clerk, call number 19. Clerk an ordinance to require commercial parking lots and garages with more than 100 Parking Spaces to install electric vehicle charging equipment, and to add compliance with the new requirement as a condition of existing as well as future permits for commercial parking lots and garages and to affirm the ceqa determination. Supervisor yee can we take this item same house same call. This is passed on First Reading unanimously. Madam clerk, call items 20 and it 21 together. Item 20 say resolution to determine that the transfer of a type 21 off sale general beer, wine and Spirits Liquor license to Garfield Beach and cvs and located at 399 gare street will not serve the public convenience and requesting that the California Department of alcoholic Beverage Control deny the issuance of this license and item 21 is the resolution to determine that the premiseto premise transfer of a type21 offsale general beer, win and distil Spirits Liquor license and the issuance of a type86 to Whole Foods Market located at market at 1169 Market Street will serve the public convenience and requesting the California Department of alcoholic Beverage Control impose conditions on the issuance of this license. Supervisor yee can we take this same house same call . Without objection, these resolutions are adopted unanimously. Clerk ordinance for the planning codes to establish the south of Market Community planning Advisory Committee. By city officials and agencies on the implementation of the central soma plan, the western soma area plan, the east soma area plan and to revice the membership and duties of a Soma Community Stabilization Fund Community Advisory committee and the eastern neighborhood citizens Advisory Committee into affiraffirm the ceqa. Supervisor yee this is passed on First Reading unanimously. Clerk item 23 is a motion to appoint ali jamaliay, aaron flynn, doug bloch,ly a nina parks, jesse stout, Theresa Foglio and sarah payan for terms ending december 3rd, 2020 to the Cannabis Oversight Committee. Thank you, president yee. I create the the legislation of a Cannabis Oversight Committee to advise the board on regulations, growth of the industry and to help the board meet its goals of equity within the industry. I believe the creation of a public advisory body made up with these Key Stakeholders to oversee the office of cannabis and the implementation of laws governing commercial cannabis activities is the best way to provide transparency and accountability for this brand new growing industries. This Advisory Board will provide valuable in sight and recommendations to the board of supervisors as we implement the voter mandate the recreational cannabis. I want to thank all of the applicants who applied for their interest in serving on this committee as it is an allvolunteer committee. I was excited about how impressive the applicants were and i want to thank supervisors, ronen, walton for weighing the applications and prioritizing diversity and representation. I look forward to the final two seats being filled and ensuring we have a diverse representation of our community. Thank you, very much. Supervisor yee i want to make a comment on this. I am sure the applicants that are putting fourth today are qualified and i guess for me im a little days pointed with the make up of this committee that were putting fourth. One, i believe theres at least four of them that need waivers who live out of town. To me, this is a high number. Which was on the committee when we consider something living out of town providing a waiver, it was really the exception. Not the rule. I mean, it seems like were moving in the wrong direction. I know for the last few years, we keep on talking about making sure we have diversity and this gender diversity here, which is great. I like to see more ethnic diversity. Theres no a. P. I. On this committee. Theres noah american o no afrin this committee. We as a group, and im not blaming any individuals colleagues but certainly requests a group as a board of supervisors need to do better and moving people forward that can be actually considered making our city oversight committees and our commissions to be reflective of the city and be a little more diverse. I have nothing against the individuals here but i am just disappointed theres not a more diverse group. Can we take this same house same call . Roll call, please. [roll call] there are eight ayes and one no with president yee. Supervisor yee the motion is passed with a 81 vote. Call the next item. Clerk a motion to appoint joan miller for an indefinite term and linda asato, suzanne giraudo and lynn mertz terms ending april 29th, 2023 to the children and Families First commission. Supervisor yee madam clerk, call the roll. [roll call] clerk there are nine ayes. Supervisor yee without objection, this motion is approved unanimously. Madam clerk, lets go to item 29. Clerk item 29 was considered by the rules committee at a regular meeting on monday, october 7th, 2019 and was forwarded as a committee report. Item 29 is an ordinance to amend the administrative code to clarify that tim not inconvictions are intended to cover work that would make the unit hazardous, unhealthy or inhabit able and ind intended to last for the minimum amount of time required to complete the work to modify the standards of the rent board must consider when reviewing a request to authorization a temporary eviction for Capital Improvements to last more than three months, to establish procedures for the landlord to inform the displaced tenant of the tenants rights to reok fie the unit upon completion o compe work and to reoccupy the unit may create a rebuttal presumption that the tenancy has been terminated by the landlord rather than by the tenant. Thank you, president yee. I think this is Perfect Timing so far as we are a few minutes away from honoring two stalwart tenants advocates who have had a phenomenal impact on the lives of those in San Francisco. I want to thank the chair of the rules committee and the member of the rules committee for forwarded this legislation which seeks to clarify compliance with our lie laws that allow tenantso return to their rent controlled unit after Capital Improvement projects. In an effort to stop or otherwise thwart what advocates have begun referring to as renovictions. It does four things to curb this practice at front end. It clarifies existing law that temporary capital inconvictions are covering work that the unit isnt hazardous, unhealthy or uninhabitable and that landlords cant displace their tenants for longer than the minimum time required to do the work. Second, it would specify cry syria when authorization these visions in cases where they last more than 90 days with the impact of the displaced tenant in mind to be weighed against the necessity of the construction work. Third, it would require landlords to provide tenants with a disclosure concerning the ten apartments rightenants rin the work is complete when they issue the eviction notice. And fourth and finally, where the landlord did not timely allow the tenant to reoccupy the unit and the tenant didnt return the legislation would create a rebut the able prenuppion the land lard may not charge more than what the prior tenant would have paid had they remained in the unit. This limited form of vacancy control is in deed allowed understate law. I want to thank the Housing Rights Committee, the San Francisco tenants union, the aish law caucus, senior disability action and members of the antidisplacement coalition who have helped provide input on this legislation and would like to thank any chiefofstaff, sunny angulu i commend this legislation to you and hope we have a unanimous vote. Supervisor yee ok. So, where are we. Colleagues, can we take this same house same call. Without objection, this ordinance is passed on First Reading unanimously. [applause] i want to remind the audience we dont allow audibles. Just do that and we know that you love it. If you dont love it just go like that. Perfect. 2 30. Madam clerk, can we go to our 2 30 accommodations. Clerk yes, its time to recognize members of our community on behalf of supervisors stefani, president yee and supervisor peskin. President yee again and supervisor mandelman. Supervisor yee why dont we start with supervisor brown. Thank you, im commending Maurice Dotson in aiding the San Francisco Police Department in stopping Small Business burglaries on the west side of San Francisco. He is a driver for ecology sf and he lives in tracy, california, with his loving wife and two children that are here today. 2yearold mya and 3yearold maries. He is a graduate of san Jaoquin Delta Community College where he earned the title of m. V. P. Of the holiday Football Game in 2004. He completed his bachelor degree. He apply to be a driver with recology, describing it as a goodpaying job with good benefits. He was hired. He drives a compost collection route across the west side of San Francisco through district 4, 7 and 5 including irvine street he works the late shift mondayfriday. During his normal route, at 3 30 a. M. July 23rd, he reported a Small Business break in that assisted San Francisco Police Department in making an arrest in a string of burglaries targeting neighborhood merchants corridors across the west side. When my staff spoke with maurice, he described how he felt that it was wrong and it could be his family who lost everything from a burglar re. He called the police and within a matter of minutes, they were there at the scene of the crime. Two weeks later, he got a phone call and the Police Department arrests the perpetrators. Thank you for helping to make San Francisco safer. It helped lead to an arrest that made a difference for Small Businesses across San Francisco. San Francisco Police is still investigating connections between the many burglaries and on behalf of the inter sunset merchants and neighbors i want to express our gratitude to you for going above and beyond the call of duty. You are an m. V. P. Back in 2004 at san jaoquin holiday bowel an. Your actions are an example of how we can and should Work Together to improve Public Safety and care for the community. Thank you to your friends and family for coming today to city hall to accept this accommodation and thank you to noel and paul from recology San Francisco for helping us organize this special accommodation. Can you say a few words . Thank you, supervisor brown for acknowledging me. This is truly an honor, im proud to see this accommodations and i am inspired to see people in San Francisco looking out for each other. I see crossing guards helping children and strangers helping people to their feet. As a recology driver, impart of this community i serve and i care about the safety of our community. I believe that when you see something, you should always you just go with your instinct if its wrong, you dont want to leave something undone that can jeopardize not only a family but a community. Thank you. [applause] you have to cover the photo. [applause] supervisor yee id like to uninvite supervisor stefani to present your accommodation. Thank you, president yee. Colleagues, today in honor of italianamerican heritage month, im recognizing an incredible member of the Italian Community bratini canazaro. [applause] bratina has been instrumental in helping organization italian cultural events throughout the city and during the month of october. This weekend, i joined bratina, supervisor peskin, and the society in celebrating the festival. It honours the patron at of fishermen and those who make their living at sea. In 1935, sa sil yan fisherman families organized the Maria Del Lume Society among parishioners in north beach bringing the traditional procession and blessing of the fleet originally celebrated at port a cello. Each year, San Franciscos madonna celebration takes place over twoday period usually during the first weekend in october. Saturdays event are unique to San Franciscos festival. The day begins with a memorial mass honoring fishermen of all nations who have been lost at sea. The mass is held at fishermans and sea men Memorial Chapel and nom denominational shrine at the end of the war of by pier 45. After the service, participants board a ferry and join in the parade of fishing boats which culminates in the ceremony of sea under the Golden Gate Bridge where flowers and reefs are taught into the sea. So on sunday, the celebration continues with a high mass saint peter and paul and of course this is all district 3. Supervisor peskins district but since i am the italian on the board i honor bra teenia. A young lady is community is crowned and after mass, a procession carries a painting of the madonna from Washington Square to fishermans war of. A priest prays for the protection from harm as well as asking for abadanza in the catch. Bratina is instrumental in organizing Italian American heritage events throughout San Francisco from this weekends festival to celebrations of pillars of our Community Like the 90th birthday for bacari last year which i attended in north beach and shes also been instrumental with her work with the coalition of Italian American organizations, chow, a coalition of over 25 Italian American organizations in the bay area in San Francisco. Thank you bratina for your outreach work on behalf of the madonna society and for all that you do to preserve Italian American culture in San Francisco. I would like to thank the other members of the madonna society who have joined us here to celebrate and i want to thank you bratina, for everything. When i met you last year around italianamerican heritage day and everything weve done since then, youve been just such a constant support. A constant lover of all things italian in San Francisco and i love running into you in district 2 and all these events and thank you so much for continuing to preserve our culture and the italian and what they have brought to San Francisco so i would love to give you a few words. I know supervisor peskin too was very complimentary when i brought your name to him. He had a lot of wonderful things to say as well. Thank you. Thank you so much supervisor stefani. This is an honor to be here today and to collaborate with you and your wonderful work to establish italianamerican heritage day here in San Francisco and also more recently italian heritage month. Very honored to be a part of the italianamerican community and the rich history that we have here in San Francisco. Also, i would like to thank supervisor peskin for district 3 representing north beach and fishermans north with a strong italian history in San Francisco over the years and for the wonderful certificate of honor that we received this weekend celebrating our 84th festival in San Francisco. Thank you very much for all of your work to build our community in San Francisco. Supervisor stefani said it very well, we have a rich history here in San Francisco and love to honor our wonderful fishermen who provide so such sustenance for our port city in San Francisco and all the work of our many wonderful italianamerican organizations and leaders so thank you very much. [applause] supervisor yee ok. As supervisor peskin is moving up, i would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our former special person in this chamber, former supervisor jacob goldrich. Can you give him a hand. [applause] supervisor yee thank you for coming here. Now, id like to ask supervisor peskin, if you dont mind, to go ahead and present your accommodation. Thank you, president yee. As i referenced earlier, today we have the pleasure on my behalf to recognize someone who has worked tirelessly over the past three decades and that is sandy guards man on the occasion of her retirement from the San Francisco rent board. Later on in todays meeting on our adoption without can be referenced calender, we are going to declare today october 8th, sandy guardsman day in the city and county of San Francisco. I just wanted to say a few things. All of them set fourth in the resolution that son our calender later. First as a communitybased attorney, then as a rent board commissioner, then as an Administrative Law judge and finally as the senior Administrative Law judge, sandy demonstrated fairness, knowledge and the fidelity to the law required to safeguard chapter 37 of our administrative code that the rent stabilization ordinance, she implemented some 80 amendments to the rent ordinance including legislation that brought two to four unit buildings under the ordinance. Confirmed the cor dinnance to the cost of housing act and imposed a moratorium on the Capital Improvement petitioning process and subsequently implemented the Capital Improvement petitioning process and strengthen owner move in eviction requirements and protections and instituted by out regulations to name a few. She has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty of her colleagues know that she works tirelessly late into the evening and into the night and on behalf of the San Francisco board of supervisors, i want to say thank you and congratulations on a job extremely well done. [applause] thank you supervisor peskin and president. Supervisor yee yee. Supervisor yee i dont want to disturb you but theres other colleagues that would like to say something. Supervisor fewer. Yes, thank you president yee. I will be very brief. I wanted to congratulate sandy and her retirement. She was helpful with my staff writing relevant data and we are working with our own legislation and to she was very fair and honest with my staff as they worked through the details of the legislation and i just want to appreciate her service to the rent board and to the people of San Francisco at the retirement. All right. Now you may speak. Thank you. Its an amazing feeling to receive such an honor at the end of my career. Im truly humbled and oh, boy. This is what happens when i Start Talking about the rent board. I feel honored and lucky to have had the opportunity to serve this city for 32 years at an agency Whose Mission i believed in. And beyond that, even though i have tears, theyre tears of joy because it was truly a pleasure for me everyday going to work with my wonderful and dedicated staff and all the commissioners at the rent board. Theyre the ones who really deserve to be honored today. As you can tell, i already miss my rent board family after just a month or so of retirement. We laughed and cried together. We figured things out together and we learned so much from each other. Over the years, we developed an officewide culture of working cooperatively. In order to provide the best possible service to the tenants and landlords of San Francisco. When Customer Service was always our number one objective. And i thank you we did a pretty good job in that regard. Im so proud of the work we did. How much we were able to accomplish with a tight budget and inadequate staffing, Insufficient Office Space and a constantly changing ordinance. I doubt you could find a more ex victoria din arextraordinary exa agency. We had the steady support of the board of supervisors and for that i also thank you with all my heart. I hope you continue to recognize and support the important work of the rent board and its commission for many years to come. Thank you. [applause] supervisor yee ok. Now id like to invite supervisor mandelman to present his. Poly marshal, would you like to come up and anyone else wants to come up with poly and back her up, come on up. Maybe mitchell at least. So, i am so happy we get to honor poly marshal for her decades of service as an Affordable Housing attorney, her 35 years at the San Francisco rent board. Her decade of ak va tism as a cancer viv survivor and heroux r awesomeness. Shes a boss. You may not know that she was also my boss litellally. I had the opportunity to work with poly at goldfarb and litman. Shes an excellent lawyer with far more tolerance for reviewing loan documents than i ever had. She was an extraordinary mentor for younger lawyers at the firm. I know there are past and present lawyers, especially women lawyers who persisted as practitioners and made their on contributions and public law because they have the great good luck to work with and for polly. She worked there for 30 years serving as council to non profits and public agencies helping build thousands of units Affordable Housing across the bay area and beyond. Along the way, she wrote or co wrote a number of publications including several additions of a legal guide to california redevelopment, a real page turner and a guide of housing which came out in 2003 and i think i worked on that with you and then in 2010 after i left. Excellent a lawyer as she is, even when i was, it was clear her true passion was her service on the San Francisco rent board and her work with San Francisco tenants. In 1981 she was a Founding Member of the Affordable Housing alliance that helps educate voters and endorses and campaigns for renterfriendly candidates for flick office. In 1983, diane feinstine appointed her to the rent board and for the neck three decades, more than three decades, she put her legal acumen to use appearing before that board helping generations of San Francisco renters assert their rights and achieve just resolutions. As a result of her work, she has received awards, numerous a words including Senior Action Network and the Northern California association for nonprofit housing unhung hero award and shes been inducted into the San Francisco tenant hall of fame. Policy marshal, you are a civic treasure. In 2009, policy took up a different fight when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The experience motivated policy to do more for others struggling with the disease so when she retired from gold farb in 2014, seeking a healthier worklife balance she began working as a Breast Cancer prevention advocate focusing on the environmental causes of the Breast Cancer. She founded Breast Cancer overtime in 2014 and serves as a executive director and is the Principle Investigator on two communitybased Breast Cancer prevention study funded by the state of california Breast Cancer research program. It is my great privilege, poly, to offer you this certificate of honor from the San Francisco board of supervisors on the things you have done so far but also on account of the extraordinary work i know you will continue to do for this city and its most vulnerable residents. Now, my notes say i now offer the microphone to you to speak but i see that some of my colleagues want to also say some things. Supervisor yee supervisor ronen. Yes, look behind you at this amazmazing groupamazing group oe come to honor you. It speaks more than any words anyone can say. I just wanted to personally thank you. I want you to know that being your official representative on the board of supervisors, it touched activists, you know, are my constituents. I just wanted to say that your work is extraordinary. Youve touched every single one of our districts. I know that you did incredible work with bernal gateway, for example, im sure we all have Affordable Housing buildings in our districts that you have touched in some way and then on top of that, the south tenants whose back you have had who you have fought for. Your work for the city is absolutely extraordinary and i wish we could have, you know, at least had you for another decade on the rent board that was a real shame to lose you but man, were we luckily and i didnt know diane feinstine appointed you which says a lot. We were lucky to have you for throw and a half decades and cant thank you if you have for that work. Supervisor yee supervisor fewer. Yes, i just wanted to thank you for your decades of service to the people of San Francisco and in particular to our tenants community. Thank you for being the light shining hope and assistance to renters in San Francisco. Thank you for your decades long work of advocacy and activism which is rare nowadays actually in San Francisco and i just want to say on behalf of my neighborhood, 65 of which. Thank you to everybody who came. I have mixed feelings for being honored on the rent board because im not done. I refuse to fade into the background. I will still here and i will work to save the homes of the thousands and thousands of people protected by rent control that are the heart and soul of the city i love. I was 22yearsold in 1979 when i fought alongside and worked for proposition r. Precursor of todays rent ordinance. I was 24yearsold when i co founded the forward abl affordag alliance. I was 28 when i was appointed by mayor feinstine as a rent board commissioner. While on the board, i had and raised two children. Built a legal career and Affordable Housing development. I fought and survived diagnosis of Breast Cancer. I was and i still am 62yearsold when i was removed from the board in a petty act of revenge by someone who doesnt know me or my work and i fear doesnt understand the work of the board. Rent control in San Francisco has been my lifes work. And will continue to be. Today, i want to thank all of you who came out to support me and to remind us all of the incredibly important work that the rent board does and urge and maybe even inspire all of you, all of us, to keep doing this work with diligence and integrity. Remembering the greater purpose of the work that the rent board does. For the rent board is more than a neutral arbitrary of economic and social relationships between landlords and tenants. We do more than smooth the bumps and soothe the conflicts that emerge in the often contentious relations of people in this city who have vastly different incomes, assets, property interests and economic and political power. The rent boards is described to safeguard tenants from excessive rent increases. And at the same time, to assure landlords fair and adequate rent. In my mind, this mission should be the boards touch stone to safeguard tenants from excessive rent increases to go the extra smile to interpret the ordinance always to safeguard tenants and their homes. To rent stabilization and through eviction protections, to prevent displacement of our less economically advantaged residents while being fair to landlords to maintain adequate rents. As ive said at so many rent board meetings, we arent just tenant commissioners furthering the interest of tenants and lard lord commissions furthering the interest of the landlords and newt tral commissions trying to keep the peace, we are an institution. Rent board staff and commissioners alike, tasks with enforcing a Consumer Protection tenant protective, anti displacement ordinance for the benefit of the entire population of our city all income levels, all races and ethnicity, all ages. All san franciscans. Six mayerthe six may ma mayors. Very few shared my ideals and few were supported by me when they ran for election but all of them, apparently, understand the importance of having strong articulate experienced Community Connected ten at representatives. I won some important battles at the board and i lost more than i won but i kept on working. All of us in the tenant community kept on working. We started in 1979 with an ordinance that was six pages long, had a twoyear sunset and was only adopted by the board of supervisors to head off a strong multi facetted rent control condo conversion and Affordable Housing ballot measure called prop r. But now, 40 years since the adoption of our rent control law, the ordinance has been amended 113 times by the board of supervisors in eight times by ballot measures. Its gone from six pages to 131 pages. It has gone from a week semblance of rent control called rent stabilization to the strongest rent control and eviction protection law it can be in a state that has cost hawkins holding us back. And this is happened because we have strong organizations like the tenants union, the Housing Rights Committee and the old saint marys housing committee, saint peters housing committee, the Community Tenants association and the Golden Gateway Tenants Association and the stones town Tenants Associations and organizations too numerous to name and stayed within any kind of time limit. It has happened and its also happened because we have had electoral organizations like the Affordable Housing alliance whose elected supervisors like you who truly cared about low income residents and Affordable Housing. And had the principles and the guts to amend the rent ordinance time and again. All of you, and you, keep up the good work. I will too. [please stand by]
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