Community divided as supervisors hear hundreds of public comments on Ella Hill Hutch stewardship; many urge short lease so programs continue

A sustained public‑comment period at the May 19 Board of Supervisors meeting focused on the future of the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center and a proposed short‑term lease for Booker T Washington to stabilize operations. Dozens of residents, former staff, youth, seniors, and community leaders testified.

Supporters — including employees and program alumni — described Booker T’s history of local programming and warned that delays would cost summer jobs and essential childcare. Lamonica Hopkins, BeSAFE associate director with Booker T (speaker identified during comment), said the organization’s programs serve adults and seniors in addition to youth and framed the proposed 13‑month lease as community stabilization: “This is about saving community as a whole and not splitting two Black agencies apart.” Brett Martinez, senior wellness manager at Booker T, told supervisors that a delayed lease would cost more than 60 teens their summer jobs and risk loss of childcare for vulnerable working families.

At the same time, faith leaders and some neighborhood advocates raised questions about the process and the need for greater inclusion and accountability. Reverend Amos Brown, granted privilege of the floor as a former supervisor, told the board some community leaders felt excluded from negotiations and urged the board to require Booker T’s leadership to meet the community’s recommended co‑leadership structure before vesting the lease. Other speakers asked for a co‑director or joint leadership with a Black‑led nonprofit to ensure community oversight.

Why it matters: Ella Hill Hutch is a long‑standing community hub in the Fillmore/Western Addition neighborhoods providing childcare, youth programming, and senior services. Many community members warned that when Black‑led community institutions close their doors they rarely reopen, so they urged a rapid, interim solution that preserves continuity of services.

What happens next: The board heard the public comments during general comment and later proceeded to other agenda items; at the time of the transcript there was no final vote recorded on a lease during this session. Supporters asked the board to schedule the lease promptly so programs can start on schedule.

Representative quote: “We are prepared to step in and do the work,” Kevin Brown, director of operations for Booker T, said. “This is for one year… In six months, these people get to bid for it like everyone else.”