>> mayor breed: i am san francisco mayor london breed. welcome to the state of the city address. [applause] >> mayor breed: i am happy to have all of you here today. it is really great to be outdoors in person. the mask mandates, vaccine mandates are all gone. if you take pictures answer post. make sure you put disclaimer we removed it in san francisco so i don't get beat up by folk on the internet. thank you and welcome. i want to start by thanking all workers who helped us navigate the latest surge. nurses, police officers, paramedics, educators, all

incredible people who kept this city going. [applause] over the past two years and months, so many of them have been working over time to take care of the city. thank you, thank you, thank you. you know, sometimes the devastating impacts of the last two years of covid can be hard. this is in 1989 when freeways fell or 1906 when buildings and neighborhoods burned to the ground. they are deep. we see it in the struggles to simply get through the day. struggles with mental health. especially in kids, we see it in their eyes. empty downtown offices and for lease signs in union square. half filled hotels. we see it in those struggling

with addiction on our streets. we cannot sugar coat it. we have work to do. our recovery will not be easy. it will not be quick. it is coming. it is coming. san francisco is coming back! (applause). as we look ahead to the decisions about where to take this city, we need to listen to our residents. last month voters of the city sent a very clear message. they sept a mess -- they sent a message we must do better by our children. they sent a message while big ideas are important. those must be built on a solid foundation. they must be built on the basics like a well-run school system

that puts kids first. government that delivers on the essential services. basics like accountability and competence. during our covid response, we delivered on the basics. government, community and residents all came together to protect our collective health to save lives. we protected our hospitals, nursing homes. we quickly and efficiently popped up testing and vaccination sites. we delivered food to seniors. i want be to acknowledge jeff lawson who privately helped to deliver food to the seniors, thank you so much, jeff, for your work. [applause]. we did the basic and we did them

well. we showed we could deliver on bigger ideas. we transformed the streets to outdoor dining. we helped guaranteed income with those impacted by the pandemic. we experimented to allow people to gather outdoors. some met neighbors for the first time ever. now those covid experiments are transforming our city. we made share spaces permanent for restaurants. we have six guaranteed income programs with more to come. in golden gate park, jfk is on the way to being a permanent car-free space. [applause]. that proofs we can work hard on the basics while pushing the big

ideas. that is how we kept people healthy and safe this past two years. however, right now we are dealing with another kind of challenge. right now too many people across the city don't feel safe. asian seniors are fearful of leaving home. tenderloin families are living with random gun ideas. homeowners are fortifying garages after another break in. sweeping up broken glass and paints up graffiti on a regular basis. these are complicated problems with twisted roots reaching well below the surface level solutions. again, we have the tools to deliver both the basics and the big ideas.

first, we need law enforcement to keep people safe, to make arrests to hold people accountable and to support victims. right now police staffs is at crisis level. over 1630 police officers at 250 fewer officers fewer than three years and 540 below what we need according to independent analysis based on a growing population as you can see right here. we do not have police staffing to meet needs of major city as we welcome back workers and visitors. fixing this starts with building the police academy classes. to those who say we don't need the police. i say listen to the residents. they are speaking louder than ever. no, not for return to the past like when i was growing up.

there was a deep mistrust between the community and police. even then we needed police to protect victims of violence and help us live our lives, not undermine us in our own community. today we are in a different place. while we had more work to do, our police department has embraced reforms over the last five years. leading to fewer use of force incidents and police shootings and rapidly diversifying the department so it reflects the community it serves. [applause]. >> we have also made progress on big ideas. providing solid alternatives to policing through street crisis

response team that didn't exist two years ago. it is now out on the streets 24/7 responding to calls to help those struggling with mental illness. we have community ambassadors program consisting every tired police officers in our downtown and tourist areas. we have multi-racial community guardian teams patrolling neighborhoods. we have the private sector helping. i want to thank chris larson for the work he has done to provide a lot of support around cameras and a number of neighborhood corridors to help small businesses. thank you so much, chris, for your work in the private sector to help make our city safe. we continue to make historic investments in our dream keeper initiative and opportunities for all. these are programs that recognize the root causes of

crime. the root causes of crime are driven by poverty. decades of disinvestment, by systematic racism. these are programs that will heal our communities with housing, mental health, education. job training and economic empowerment. that is how we get back to serving the community. let's be the national model for reform, for alternatives, and for safety. we can do it all and we don't have to choose. [applause]. you know, there is a lot of noise about what is happening in our city. you see it in the headlines, in the right wing media. they love to talk about san francisco. you see it on social media. one video takes off as if it is telling the whole truth about

who we are. i know it is challenging with all of the noise to understand what is happening. it is easy to fixate on the problems. i am focused on the problems. today i want to talk about what is possible. hope. hope for a better future for our city. that is what i see right here on this water front. people all over the world. they know the story of the famous waterfront from the golden gate bridge to fisherman's wharf, embarcadero to the ferry buildings that welcomes commuters from across the bay and visitors from all over the world. under the bay bridge to the ballpark where bonds and buster posey became legends. today it stretches south to

mission bay where they play in a beautiful new home built by the manneds of the holwork force -- by the hands of the local work force. [applause]. what is happening right here as we emerge from this pandemic is a sign of hope for san francisco. now, i want to take a moment to take us back. i talk a lot about my grandmother, what she did for me, how her spirit and body what this city is capable of doing for people. today i want to talk about my grandfather, willie brown. not that willie brown. he is not the grandfather. my grandfather was a world war ii veteran. when word got out to the south that jobs were available, he with so many others moved our families west. not because they believed that

racism wouldn't follow. but because of what this city represents. a better opportunity. ny grandfather found a union job as longshoremen working alongside a generation of workers building ships and repairing machinery. they were good paying jobs that led to development of freedomnantly black working neighborhoods in bayview and filmore and lake view. the truth is this city and neighborhood where we are today always represented an opportunity for those seeking a better future. our waterfront has been a beacon to newcomers and immigrants for nearly two centuries. that is the spirit where we stand today, a place where hope grows and hard work.

look around us. today's waterfront is a beacon for jobs, housing, economic opportunity. in this area in the coming years, 7,000 homes will be built as part of three water front projects alone. here at mission rock, pier 70 and at the power station. [applause]. these will be diverse neighborhoods with new housing and all income level including 2000 affordable homes. those are coming after 6,000 homes have been built in mission bay in just the last 20 years. new neighborhoods, new parks, open spaces all along the waterfront throughout the dogpatch. new offices and storefronts. this doesn't happen in a city that is dying. it happens in a city that is growing and thriving.

as we grow we are building affordable homes for people who live right here in the southeast, thanks to the neighborhood preference policy. [applause]. we are creating jobs for the people who live next door in sunnydale and the bayview. thanks to city build and local hire. i see my girls right there. in september we announced we are doubling the size of city build, training twice as many people to get the good paying union jobs that are available. these are not just statistics. these are people. let me give you an example. right here in mission rock, thanks to women and families first initiative and partnership with the giants. thank you for being here today. we train the first all women

construction class. (applause). and provide support for child care. okay? i attended the graduation at mission rock academy and seeing those women made me so proud. hearing those stories. that is why i do this job. today we have three women here from that class. they all started in different places. anna was a nanny and caregiver. militia was doing temp work. they all wanted something more. we got all g for the city built graduate, too. anna wanted to learn how people work together to create big

things. alisha wants to make her daughter proud. twin peaks looking out wondering how to be part of that big beautiful city. all three of them are building what is behind me with good union jobs and bright futures. [applause]. someday alisha's daughter will stand here and look at these buildings and say my mom and her friends built that. we are not just building homes and offices. we are building lives that is what is happening in san francisco. [applause]. the waterfront has so many

stories. it has stories about environmental justice. the power plant, once stood a mile south from here. a gas power plant polluting the air that the residents of the southeast were breathing asthma, heart are disease. we don't the history. two generations of community activists and former leaders like the city attorney and supervisor maxwell and mayor willie brown. that is power plant that was shut down. now a new story. a whole new neighborhood is being built there with new parks, streets, homes. a stretch of water front open to the public for the first time in over 150 years. [applause].

where smoke once was all over the neighborhood, children will play. that is what is happening in san francisco. [applause]. you know, some love the chatter about businesses abandoning our city, leaving california. we have our challenges ahead. again, look around. historic investments in our city right here. just down at 16th street is the exchange. commercial office building purchased last year for over $1 billion. large companies are renewing and expanding leases in downtown and south of market. right now this month so many companies are returning to the office. because they are invested in this city. this is not a story about

commerce fleeing the city. this is a story about confidence in what lies ahead. will it be different than it was? of course. this water front today is different than it once was, too. in fact, it is better. look behind me at what is being built right here. mission rock. one of those buildings will be affordable housing. another is dedicated to life sciences. the third is a future headquarters of visa on what used to be a parking lot. that is the nature of city. [applause]. we adore and we adapt. no, san francisco today is not san francisco 100 years ago or even 50 years ago. we maintain our values and we grow stronger by learning from the past not simply repeating

it. our culture of innovation lives on the waterfront with u.c.s.f. and the world class research to help us navigate this pandemic. the reason be the first omicron case in the countries was identified in san francisco. it wasn't because we were first to get it. it is because the researchers at u.c.s.f. were the first to find it that is what is happening. tech companies making groundbreaking discoveries every day in san francisco. waterfront is a place for families. look at the san francisco bay trail, india basin. at mission rock there will soon be a playground for kids to play. [applause]. finally, the central subway will

be better connected to the waterfront and the bayview with downtown and chinatown. the beautiful new station. strengthening the connections between long divided communities. that is what i see. housing, jobs, environmental justice, technology, investments, innovation and parks and open space is what is happening in san francisco. [applause]. that is the work we need to do all over this city. right now across the state cities are wrestling with the need for more housing. they are looking for ways to block new housing in-laws. in san francisco we should be leaders in housing. we should be the city california looks to. let's be like san francisco.

two years ago i set a goal of building at least 5,000 new homes per year. 2020, 450000, 2021, we built 4600. the only housing built right now are large projects like mission rock and the pier 70. they need all houses sizes. not just south ease and soma but big neighborhoods across the entire city. to do that we have got to breakdown the obstructionism that blocks housing at every single turn. [applause]. now you know i tried. i am not giving up. i tried inside city hall. we made incremental progress. on the big ideas like my housing

charter amendment we have been blocked. we are going to the voters. change will happen to come from outside city hall. i am confident that it will. this november. because over and over i have heard from residents. they want be to cut bureaucracy and build more housing. we want future generations like alisha's daughter to live here when she is an adult. san francisco has shown that we can lead. we do it every day with work on climate change. when united states set as goal of net zero emissions by 2050. california set the goal 2045. what do we do? we set the goal 2040. we don't play that. that is how we lead. with our climate action plan, we know how to get there. that is who we are.

the climate policy isn't just about environmental programs. climate policy is also about housing policy and transportation. getting people out of their cars, creating dense walkable neighborhoods like we are believe right here -- we are building on this waterfront. that is climate action. completing bus rapid transit on van ness this month, finally. [applause]. it is going to open. as well as dozens of quick build projects to move buses faster. to create protected bike lanes across the city over the last three years. that is climate action. san francisco can also be the economic leader our state needs us to be. we have to work at it. for too long we have taken our

economic success for granted. we assumed the offices would be built. conventions would come to town and taxes with strome in. i have been talking to business leaders across the city. they love this city. they want to invest. they want to support. they want san francisco to grow and to succeed. when i put out the call to businesses about committing to bring workers back into the offices. so many answers. they are investing and they are returning. what i have heard most from business leaders just as i have heard from residents and small business owners is that we need to continue to improve the conditions on our streets. our work in the tenderloin has attracted a lot of attention. supervisor haney was talking

about the tl until we declared a state of emergency. it has fired a lot of debate. the main take away is that we cannot continue to accept things as they were. the families and the small businesses of the tenderloin deserve better. those on the streets deserve better. the people of the city deserve better. since 2018 we have added more safe shelter space in san francisco than we had at any time in the previous 20 years. two years ago we set an ambitious goal of adding 1500 new units of permanent supportive housing. not only are we going to meet that goal. we are going to exceed it by 70%. that means 2500 new units of permanent supportive housing.

that by far is the largest influx of new housing from homelessness this city has ever seen. now we must focus on doing the work to fill those homes faster we made progress to move to permanent housing with 1,000 people from the hotels not back on the streets but safely housed. to address the challenges of mental health and addiction, we are adding hundreds of treatment beds. working with community partners we will launch an overdose prevention program and the first drug sobering center in the city's history. [applause]. but it can't just be about spending the resources. we have to balance it with accountability. i am done arguing if it is okay

for people to remain on the streets when we have a place for them to go because it is not. it just isn't. to be honest, there are some folks who cannot or will not do what is safe for themselves or for others. we have to be honest about the need to deal with those struggling with mental illness. we need to make serious changes to our state law ifs. i am working with other mays across california and members of the legislature to reform mental health laws to better serve our city and entire state. this is not just happening in san francisco. finally going back to where we started today. we have to do better for families in the city. we have to give back to putting

our kids first. soon i will announce the new members of the board of education. as part of this decision which is really one of the hardest decisions i have ever had to make. i have been meeting with families to hear what they want for their children, what they need from our schools. i got to tell you. it was heart breaking to hear their stories and what they have been through. kids who once were vibrant and eager learners withdrawn. learning loss and mental illness, challenges that they are all experiencing. our public school kids getting less behind -- left behind as private schools begin to rebound. i know no single appointment to an elected body is going to fix all of that. it is going to take years of work. that is why we recently

announced our children and family recovery plan. the long-term strategy to improve access to the services we do have and expand the programs that are working to make a difference for families. it is really important that we support and protect our children because when we better serve our young people, when we invest in them, take care of them, treat all kids like they are our kids, we create a better future for all of us and for them, too. (applause). for two years, we have had to think about our lives and our city in a totally different way. getting back won't be easy. this shift won't be immediate. we are moving forward.

we lifted the indoor mask mandate. today we announced we are ending vaccine mandates for businesses. you guys all seem very enthusiasm about that. i look forward to going to a club to have a good time without my mask. [applause]. it is time. it is time to open up our eyes. it is time to open up our city. it is time to enjoy our lives after everything we have experienced to see not just the challenges we faced but the opportunities before us. to feel pride in what our city has done and can do. the first in the country to shut down. we saw one of the lowest death rates in the country and highest vaccination rates. we did that. san francisco did that.

[applause]. now it is up to each of us to harness that pride, to be motivated to make important change and decisions in city hall to take action in our communities. to tell our stories. just the other day we got an e-mail from a visitor named brittany who had a lay over at sfo and wanted to explore san francisco. her friends told her san francisco is not a safe place for you. brittany said, girl, i am going to party in san francisco. she found out that her friends were wrong. she met two of our welcome ambassadors terrence and joel. she found out what the best cable car routes were to see lombard street. she was recommended to places to eat that were great san francisco restaurants and given

directions to the golden gate bridge. they helped give her an experience that inspired her and left a lasting memory. they helped create her own story, a true story of san francisco. that is who we can be. a city that tells our own story. we are a city that reaches into our own communities to connect people to incredible opportunities. we are a city that proudly draws dreamers and seekers from everywhere. people come for love, opportunity, escape the past, build a better future. they come to make a difference in their lives and in the world. they come even briefly for a moment of magic. they come because when voting rights are under attack across the country, we deliver ballot

to every single voter that is registered. with paid postage. they come because we would never ever accept the law like don't say gay. unbelievable. in this city we not only say gay. we sing it loud and proud all year long. [applause]. they come because when abortion rights are under attack. san francisco says we not only protect women's rights but with a woman mayor, speaker, vice president we put them in charge. [applause]. so next time when someone asks what is happening in san francisco, you tell them that. you tell them that this city

will rise to meet our challenges day after day, relentless in our effort and unyielding in our values. that is who we are. we are san francisco! we are loud. we are proud. we are hopeful. we are resilient, san francisco. let's tell them that. thank you. [applause].

the tenderloin is home to families, immigrants, seniors, merchants, workers and the housed and unhoused who all deserve a thriving neighborhood to call home. the tenderloin initiative was launched to improve safety, reduce crime, connect people to services and increase investments in the neighborhood. as city and community-based partners, we work daily to make these changes a reality. we invite you to the tenderloin history, inclusivity make this neighborhood special. >> we're all citizens of san francisco and we deserve food, water, shelter, all of those things that any system would. >> what i find the most fulfilling about being in the tenderloin is that it's really basically a big family here and i love working and living here.

>> [speaking foreign language] >> my hopes and dreams for the tenderloin are what any other community organizer would want for their community, safe, clean streets for everyone and good operating conditions for small businesses. >> everything in the tenderloin is very good. the food is very good. if you go to any restaurant in san francisco, you will feel like oh, wow, the food is great. the people are nice. >> it is a place where it embraces all walks of life and different cultures. so this is the soul of the tenderloin. it's really welcoming. the. >> the tenderloin is so full of

color and so full of people. so with all of us being together and making it feel very safe is challenging, but we are working on it and we are getting there. you're watching san francisco rising with chris manors. today's special guest is jeff tumlin. >> hi, i'm chris manors and you're watching san francisco rising. the show on starting, rebuilding, and reimagining our city. our guest is jeff tumlin and he's with us to talk about our transportation recovery plan and some exciting projects across the city. mr. tumlin welcome to the show. >> thank you for having me. >> i know the pandemic was particularly challenging for the m.t.a. having to balance between keeping central transportation routes open, but

things have improved. how are we doing with our transportation recovery plan? >> so we just got good news this week. we're getting an extra $115 million from the american rescue plan and this is basically the exact amount of money we finally needed in order to close the gap between now and november of 2024 when we'll have to find some additional revenue sources in order to sustain the agency. in the meantime, i finally have the confidence to be able to rapidly hire, to restore services and to make sure muni is there for san francisco's larger economic recovery because downtown san francisco doesn't work without muni. >> quite right. i guess the other impact of the pandemic was that some projects like the valencia bike improvements had to be put on hold. are we starting to gear up on those again?

>> yes, so it's an interesting case study. of right before covid hit, we were about ready to invest in quick build bike lanes. arguably the most important bike order in san francisco. that got stopped with lockdown and then as you'll recall, during covid, we invented all kinds of other new programs like shared spaces in order to support our small businesses as well as sunday street light events for neighborhood commercial streets where streets were closed off to cars and turned over to commercial activity. those successes now that they've been made permanent actually interrupt the draft design we had put together. so we've gone back to the drawing board and we are looking forward to having some additional community conversations about other design ideas for valencia. we're committed to completing a quick build project on this calendar year. >> that's such good news.

valencia is a really great street for biking. so there are two huge and exciting projects that are about to be or have just been completed. let's talk about the bus rapid transit project on van ness avenue. how extensive have the improvements been? >> what's called the van ness transit rapid project is in fact more about complete reconstruction of the street and most importantly, the 100-year-old utilities underneath the street. so all of the water, sewer, telecommunications, gas lines under the street were basically rebuilt from market street all the way to lumbard. the part on the surface which provides dedicated bus lanes for golden gate transit and muni, that was relatively straight forward and we're so excited we're going to start revenue service for muni on april 1st. >> that's fantastic. i understand there were some

sidewalk improvements too. >> there were sidewalk improvements. we planted 374 trees. there is new storm water treatment including infiltration in the sidewalk, there's a bunch of art. there's all kinds of things. we put in new street lights for the entire corridor. >> finally, the other big news is about the central subway. can you briefly describe the project and give us an update. >> yes, so the central t-line project, another stop at union square that connects directly into powell station and a final stop in the heart of chinatown at stockton and washington. that project has also run into challenges. it's 120' under muni, under

bart, 120' down and out under chinatown in some unexpectedly challenging soils. but that project is nearly complete. it's at about 98% completion right now which means we're testing trains, we're testing the elevators and escalators and the final electronics and we're still on track to open that in october presuming all of the testing continues to go well. so fingers crossed on in a one. we're really looking forward to allowing people to have a subway ride from the heart of chinatown all the way to the convention center to the caltrans station and all the way down to bayview and visitation valley. >> it's great to see all these projects coming to completion. we're all grateful for your team's hard work and i really appreciate you coming on the show, mr. tumlin. thank you for the time you've given us today.

>> my pleasure. thanks for having me. >> and that's it for this episode. for sfgov tv i'm chris manors. thanks for watching.

>> we are right now in outer richmond in the last business area of this city. this area of merchants is in the most western part of san francisco, continue blocks down the street they're going to fall into the pacific ocean. two blocks over you're going to have golden gate park. there is japanese, chinese, hamburgers, italian, you don't have to cook. you can just walk up and down the street and you can get your

cheese. i love it. but the a very multicultural place with people from everywhere. it's just a wonderful environment. i love the richmond district. >> and my wife and i own a café we have specialty coffee drinks, your typical lattes and mochas and cappuccinos, and for lunches, sandwiches and soup and salad. made fresh to order. we have something for everybody >> my shop is in a very cool part of the city but that's one of the reasons why we provide such warm and generous treats, both physically and emotionally (♪♪) >> it's an old-fashioned general store. they have coffee. other than that what we sell is fishing equipment. go out and have a good time.

>> one of my customers that has been coming here for years has always said this is my favorite store. when i get married i'm coming in your store. and then he in his wedding outfit and she in a beautiful dress came in here in between getting married at lands end and to the reception, unbelievable. (♪♪) >> the new public health order that we're announcing will require san franciscans to remain at home with exceptions only for essential outings. >> when the pandemic first hit

we kind of saw the writing on the walls that potentially the city is going to shut all businesses down. >> it was scary because it was such an unknown of how things were going to pan out. i honestly thought that this might be the end of our business. we're just a small business and we still need daily customers. >> i think that everybody was on edge. nobody was untouched. it was very silent. >> as a business owner, you know, things don't just stop, right? you've still got your rent, and all of the overhead, it's still there. >> there's this underlying constant sense of dread and anxiety. it doesn't prevent you from going to work and doing your job, it doesn't stop you from doing your normal routine. what it does is just make you

feel extra exhausted. >> so we began to reopen one year later, and we will emerge stronger, we will emerge better as a city, because we are still here and we stand in solidarity with one another. >> this place has definitely been an anchor for us, it's home for us, and, again, we are part of this community and the community is part of us. >> one of the things that we strived for is making everyone in the community feel welcome and we have a sign that says "you're welcome." no matter who you are, no matter what your political views are, you're welcome here. and it's sort of the classic san francisco thing is that you work with folks. >> it is your duty to help everybody in san francisco.

>> this job, it's really not an i job. i wouldn't be able to do this job without other people. i make sure that all the regulatory and nonregulatory samples get to access in a timely manner. we have groundwater samples, you name it, we have to sample

it every day. i have ten technicians, very good team. we work together to attain this sampling. >> a sample is only as good as when you collect properly. if sample is not collect properly according to not the proper protocol, the sample could be biased, could be false positive or could be false negative. so all this to have good so you can manage the sample collectors, as well as the schedule, and she is pretty good, and she is very thorough. and so far, i think that she is performing a very good job. >> this job is really not an i job. i wouldn't be able to do this job without my team. you can assign them any job, they can handle it, and again, without them, i wouldn't be here. i take pride, you know, for

what i do. we are providing a very good water department. my name is roselle, and i have been working with the water department >> president moran: please call the roll. [ roll call ] vice president ajami is excused today. you have a quorum. >> clerk: this meeting is held in-person at san