Public comment callin dial 14156550001 access code 2664 232 9116 password sfgov dial star 3 to be added to speak in the queue. In addition to inperson Public Comment, the commission will hear up to 15 minutes of remote Public Comment on each agenda item. The commission will hear remote Public Comment on each item in the order that commenters add themselves to the queue to comment on the item. Because of the 15minute time limit, it is possible that not every person in the queue will have an opportunity to provide remote Public Comment. Remote i will now call roll. [roll call] you have a quorum. Item 2. President s welcome. Well start with the land acknowledgment. Ramaytush ohlone land acknowledgement the San FranciscoFire Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramaytush Ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. The welcome to the meeting. I would like to state that we are thinking about those affected by the wildfires. The wildfires pose a threat not just to california but other parts of the country. There are historically marginalized locations and communities that suffer from these effects. We should work harder to support Climate Action plan. We have a packed agenda tonight. We will begin with a presentation on the Climate Action plan. Also hear a pair of updates from the construction and demolition programs on accomplishments from the prior year and their work ahead. Finally, well also hear on our annual report from the Management Team and have a review and vote on the reduced pesticide list. Our annual to do. Before we begin, i would like to welcome our new commissioner angela thompkins. Please introduce yourself. Thank you. I am so pleased to have joined this body and intent with all purpose to look forward to hear from the community here in San Francisco and doing the work of the commission as identified. Thank you and thank you for being welcoming tonight. We are happy to have you. At this point, are there any comments of the commissioners . Seeing none, well go to Public Comment. We will start here in the room, please lineup and come forward. Seeing none, well go to members of the public. Members of the public wishing to make comment to the item, should press star 3 to be added into the queue. Members wishing to speak, please wait until it is your turn to speak. We do have one caller in the queue. Public speaker hello, my name is here im asking about herbicide spraying done on my yard and spraying should be noticed three days before. Can you hear me . Yes. Okay. Thats about it. Just please, it is not working and only physical signs. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Seeing no additional commenters on the queue, Public Comment is closed. Thank you. Next item, please. The next item. 3. Approval of minutes of the august 29, 2023, commission on the environment special meeting. Explanatory document august 29, 2023, commission on the environment special meeting draft minutes. discussion and action do we have any questions . Seeing none, i will move for approval. A second from ms. Hunter. Lets open up to Public Comment. Are there any members present in the room to comment on this item . Seeing none, well proceed to remote Public Comment. Members of the public wishing to make comment to the item, should press star 3 to be added into the queue. Members wishing to speak, please wait until it is your turn to speak. Seeing no callers in the queue. [roll call] the item passes. Thank you. Next item, please. Next item is Public Comment. Members of the public wishing to make comment to the item, should press star 3 to be added into the queue. Members wishing to speak, please wait until it is your turn to speak. 4. General Public Comment. Members of the public may address the commission on matters that are within the commissions jurisdiction and are not on todays agenda. Seeing no Public Comment on the queue, this item is now closed. Next item. 5. Presentation of the commission on the environment Environmental Service award to commissioner emerita johanna wald. discussion this honor is mine to introduce this award. It is my pleasure to present the Environmental Service award to johanna wald. Very few people stand out like johanna and i can say this from my working experience with her in the Environmental Commission that she had a long history of knowing it all from her work with american west, and her passion is evident from earlier times. She graduated from Cornell University and Yale Law School and joined the natural defense counsel and served for more than 40 years as an attorney and land director and worked on safeguarding species and the next generation. When she retired in 2015, she did so as one of the leading experts on federal land and Natural Resources management and strong advocate for americas wildlife and wild land. When mayor brown brought her here, she worked on the environment and since no one has served longer than johanna has and for over 40 years, she helped chart a path for the complexity of the programs that have involved. At the Commission Meeting, johanna knew what to ask precisely and what to analyze and cut through the noise. We deal with a lot of Department Policy here at the department and only with johannas expertise we were able to diagnose the problem. And this super skill was her super power. We are grateful to her for that. Johanna had a high expectation of Public Servants and would hold them to the account. If you were part of the commission, you knew you had to be on your toes. Your queue was always webex and you were able to always still apply your rigor as a commissioner that we came to appreciate at our meeting. Above all else, i dont think anybody here has ever doubted how incredibly passionate you are and how you believe in the Public Interest and trying to resolve these difficult issues that we are grappling with today on Climate Change. You are a dear patriot and dear friend of mine and example to us all. Thank you and congratulations. With that, i will open it up. Maybe other commissioners want to comment as well. Kudos to you. I know commissioner has always been knowledgeable on everything related to the environment and the most passionate and committed commissioner. It is my great honor to have been able to serve with you on the commission. I will speak up. The amount of Human Capital that this commission has lost with johannas departure is just staggering. I have been on the commission for just about 25 of her time but its a depth and knowledge that johanna has when it comes to this commission. When ever something tough would come to the commission w eh all had comments but would look to what johanna said because she was always on point and almost always right. Beyond just the knowledge and the commitment to the environment, it was really heartwarming to see johannas connection and affection for the staff and that was reciprocal. Last thing i will say is that johanna and i live in the same neighborhood. We both live in coal valley, and the best part of the meeting is we got to carpool and i got a good 15 minutes at the end of every Commission Meeting to spend time with johanna and i miss that as much as anything. Im so happy to see you here today johanna and looking forward to give you this award. I wont belabor, it was a pleasure serving with you. I know a lot of people talk about your expertise, but your passion and creativity when it came to this commission, asking questions that pushed us forward rather than just asking questions, i think you demonstrated that you served this commission with grace, knowledge and expertise that honestly we will all be striving for as we continue to try to fill your shoes. With that, do we have director on the line. Maybe commissioner wald, if you would like to come up to speak. Director, you are unmuted. I just want to apologize, johanna, for not being there. Im in toronto with cities around the world. This is the first in person Group Meeting since the pandemic since then. Even then virtually i wanted to say a few words. Our ability in San Francisco to be able to participate in organizations to a carbon free city is no small part to be on this mission where you have contributed to so many important initiatives and policies and our citys environmental polls and also had an effect. You have been a mentor to many of us in the department, and it extends even past this department. They would always at the me this, johanna a told me this. Whatever you do in your future endeavor, i hope that you will stay in touch with us. Thank you for your contribution for this city and for the environment. Thank you for everything you have done for this city and for the [ applause ] thank you. Thank you all. Thanks for those wonderful words. Im really touched by what you have said and its a good thing i have my notes. First, can i have more than three minutes . Yeah. [ laughter ] its a first time i have been on this side before this body. Serving on the San FranciscoEnvironment Commission for all of these years has been an extraordinary experience for me. Im grateful to all the mayors who appointed and reappointed me from mayor brown to mayor breed. Im grateful to the commission secretary, monica fish, Anthony Valdes and kyle with whom i have worked over the years. With infinite patience, monica taught me how to have a policy Committee Meeting that was in compliance with San Franciscos complicated rules with great good humor anthony kept me on track for a couple of years, and with kyle help solve all of those myriad technological problems for the commission and the policy Committee Even before the pandemic. Im grateful to all the Commission Members with whom i have served over the years including becky evans who is here and whose seat i took. You all have made significant and unique contributions to the work of the commission and the department and it was an absolute pleasure for me to serve alongside of you. Im grateful to the executive directors who i got to work with and learn from over the years. Gerald blumenfield and betty and kyle. When the department was still relatively new and much smaller than it is now, jared put the department on the map, literally in San Francisco and way beyond with his bold ideas and unwavering determination to bring them to light. Debbie created a culture of excellence and collaboration across the department and forged strong and effective bonds across city agencies facilitating the huge number of substantive accomplishments during her tenure. And tyrone, he inherited a department in turmoil and quickly and effectively moved to raise staff morale and then succeed to get significant funds from the city for the first time ever, not once, but twice. What truly exceptional leaders these people have been and what a privilege its been for me to have a ringside seat as i watched the department grow and mature and change under their leadership. Last but by no means least, im grateful to the department. The dedicated talented, committed and very able people from my time on the commission have worked so tirelessly and so hard for me and for the city of San Francisco and their hard work dealing with issues across california and the nation and the lead of the world. The accomplishments over the years i have served on this commission is awe inspiring and the host of landmark measures like the plastic water bottles, the pharmaceuticals legislation and cnd ordinance and amendments and Climate Change to name just a few. As many of you have heard me say many times, all of us who live and work in this city are so lucky that we have everyone in the Department Working on our behalf to protect our Public Health and our environment. Its been an enormous privilege for me to serve on this commission, and i know i leave it and the department in good hands. Welcome, commissioner thompkins. Thank you all. Thank you so very much. Im really grateful. [ applause ] thank you again, commissioner wald. At this time i would like to invite people in the room to come up to speak. Good evening, commissioners, im debbie. As i thought about johanna tonight, i said whats that word im going to look for to describe her. So i looked up the definition for activist. It said a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change. Sounds pretty good. Now i looked at advocate. What about advocate . Thats a person who publicly supports or recommends a cause or policy. But those definitions of activist and advocate, they just dont do it for me. They dont say johanna, because the johanna we all know, she just wants to get shit done. Sorry, kyle. You can wipe that off the minutes. She just wants to get stuff done. When it comes to the city of San Francisco and the department of the environment, johanna wants to be both cheerleader and agitator and by idealist and fragmentist and architect and behindthescenes supporter. Johanna is one that gives honest feedback, difficult truth, missing relationships and new opportunities. As one of the four directors over the course of her tenure on the commission i can say that in addition to these attributes, johanna wald is also a friend. Someone who shares in the sorrows, the frustrations, and the joys of leadership. Honoring her today fills my heart for i know that this acknowledges what we all know to be true, that it has been a privilege to be in the presence of such deep wisdom and love. Wisdom and love in service have this city and the planet. So thank you, my dear friend. Thank you my friend and colleague for all you bring to this world and thank you commission for recognizing someone as truly exceptional as commissioner johanna wald. [ applause ] thats a truly hard act to follow. My name is becky evans before it was the commission and appointed by several departments. I know johanna before she was on the commission because we helped form the league of voters in San Francisco. You really should be giving her a cape, like a super man cape because shes that kind of extraordinary woman, resource, who cares about her city, her environment. I would like to bring her a message from ruth, who was a previous commissioner, unable to come tonight. She would like to say that she was a mentor and such a great leader for the city. I want to know what you are doing for the press. I dont know who does that but i think the environmental groups across the city and will say, unfortunately the sierra club doesnt give you the kind of support that they should, but please reach out to me because we definitely care. Thank you so much. [ applause ] thank you, commissioner evans. Anyone else . I see someone rushing up. Good evening, commissioners, peter i cant speak for the staff but certainly for me, i felt incredibly supported by having johanna on the commission. We are a program of two now, but when the whole time when johanna was on the commission, we did Work Together and im so appreciative of all of support during all of these years. Congratulations on your career and this record of having so many years on the commission. [ applause ] if there is no other comment in the room, we can move to Public Comment. Seeing no additional Public Comment in the room. Well open up to remote Public Comment. Members of the public wishing to make comment to the item, should press star 3 to be added into the queue. Members wishing to speak, please wait until it is your turn to speak. Seeing no callers in the queue, Public Comment on this item is closed. All right. At this moment, we are going to pose for a portrait with commissioner wald. Will the commissioner join me at our usual wall . 6. Review and vote on the commission on the environment Environmental Service award name. discussion and possible action we have a speaker today. It gives me honor and great pleasure to renew the Environmental Service award and every time we give this award in the future, it reminds us of this irreplaceable colleague. It will be named the johanna wald environmental award. [ applause ] that was a motion. So well need a second. It will be my greatest pleasure to second.