>> good morning everybody! [applause] good morning. [applause] and welcome. [applause] there's my grandma. well come. welcome to san francisco james r herman cruz terminal at pier

27. the first stop for all most 300 thousand people who come here every year from around the world to our beautiful city. i want to tell you about another jewel of the san francisco port that just celebrated 125 years. the san francisco ferry building. [applause] in the 19th century, commuters and visitors traveled by train or ferry or both. a ferry terminal on the waterfront downtown was a practical necessity. it was the sfo of its day. grand central station. but as we so often do, san francisco built a practical space a world class beauty, with a 245 foot clock tower along arched arcade, and a interior worthy of a

renaissance cathedral. at the foot of market street, a beautiful bridge from water to land, the ferry building announced to every commuter, every traveller, this is san francisco. you have arrived. until that is, [applause] until that is, in the late 1930's when two new bridges the bay and golden gate and rise of the automobile made the ferry building seem outdated and unwanted. soon the grand interior converted to drab cuneals cubicles and in a act of urban planning catastrophes only the 1950 could respond, a double-decker slicing it from the city it served. for decades, this great landmark was isolated. nearly forgotten, a crumbling shell of its former glory. no one went there.

no one bet on its future. its time had passed, but then the freeway came down and the city created a new walkable grand embarcadero with the giants on one end and the restored ferry building at the center with patience, smart planning, investment and time. san francisco turned a discarded transit hub back into a global icon. a famous city most famous landmark as herb cane called it. today the ferry building hosts shops restaurant, artists and torests and locals and just a few month ago during apec hosted leaders from around the world. this one building at the heart of downtown says a lot about our downtown and about our city. first, beautiful places, world class desirable places are

never forgotten for long. second, our local government with the right vision and right investment and right support can spark monumental turn-arounds. third, and most important, never ever bet against san francisco. [applause] we never stay down for long. we have faced incredible challenges in the fast 5 years, two unparalleled health crisis. one in the form of covid, the other in the form of fentanyl and national reckoning on policing and sublic safety and some people inside and out of san francisco feel these challenges have overwhelmed us. i don't begrudge people frustrations. i don't dispute these have been a tough 5 years, but rather

then destroying our city, the storms revealed our strengths, our spirit and service to each other. i believe past is a precursor to our rise. this is a year of the dragon and we will soar again. [applause] we all know the story. shortly after i took office, we began to hear thisquiting reports of the new and deadly virus. soon enough, covid-19 would up end the world. san francisco declared a emergency february 2020 and then with our partners around the bay, issued the first shut-down or order in the country. my administration then marshaled department of emergency management, public health and staff throughout city government to mobilize and turn our convention center into a global command-covid command

center. we cut through the bureaucratic red tape to set up testing sites, community hubs and vaccination sites around the city. city workers fanned out to tend to our most vulnerable residents and as nursing homes across the country saw ballooning death rates, we protected our seniors at laguna honda and elsewhere. [applause] we were one of the first cities in the country to reach an 80 percent vaccination rate and as deaths climeed across the u.s. and the world, san francisco saw the lowest death rate of any large city in the country. [applause] people want to say our civic government is dysfunctional. we can't collaborate, we can't get hard things done. tell that to the thousands of san franciscans alive today because of what we did.

[applause] our city faced a storm unlike anything we have seen in a hundred years. is anybody here a hundred years old? you didn't see it either. [laughter] through hard work, collaboration, ingenuity and simple decency of people we orchestrated the most successful response in the country and as covid wane and vaccinations froze we entered the second phase of my tenure, recovery. the pandemic lead to a massive shift how our economy functions all most overnight. work from home, exposed to weakness in economies and big cities, especially tech forward san francisco, we were too dependent on fields that can work from home. our downtown had never been designed as a neighborhood with many homes and round the clock

residents. downtown was office and office was hit hard. simultaneously the pandemic constrained our efforts to house the homeless. then the murder of george floyd and ensuing national reckoning devastated police recruitment and staffing here in san francisco and around the country. even as they brought to light the systemic racism that many of us have known for far too long, the department of justice has called the police staffing shortage a national crisis. these are national challenges, exacerbated by local conditions. what did we do? we didn't throw up our hands we got to work, on public safety. we divertsed non emergency, 911 calls to free up officers while providing better overall responses for those struggling on our streets. i appointed a former hate crime prosecutor as our new district

attorney and brooke jenkins began prosecuting crime. [applause] we used bate cars and plain clothe officers to disrupt auto break ins . we coordinated every public safety agency you can name. local, state and federal. shareal miyamoto conducted deputies to conduct warrant sweeps. i appealed to governor newsom and he sent the california highway parole. delivered the u.s. attorney and drug enforcement agency to interrupt the sale and trafficking of fentanyl. [applause] and all of these efforts have paid off. we doubled the number of drug

arrests in 2023. retail theft and car breakens plummeted. the arrest was 25 points higher then the national average. our crime rate is the lowest it's been in 10 years. [applause] not including 2020 when we had to shut the city down. yes, these figures are accurate. they coincide with the arrival of the chp national guard, u.s. attorney office, da jenkins increased in prosecutions. i do recognize that some people don't feel the lower crime rate yet, and if you are someone you know is a victim of a crime, all the stats mean nothing. i understand that and i hear your concerns and that's exactly why we are not letting

up. we will roll out 400 automated license plate readers at a hundred intersections across the city this month. [applause] thanks to the voters approving proposition e on tuesday. [applause] we will be installing new public safety cameras in high crime areas, deploying drones and changing police department rules so our sworn officers are out in the field and not behind a desk. [applause] and yes, we are adding more police officers thanks to our effort san francisco is now the best paid major city in the region for starting police officers. retention is improving. officers are transferring here.

we have the most police academy applicant in more then 5 years and the next academy class will be the largest since before the pandemic with 50 cadets. [applause] with all that, we will add 200 more officers in the next year and get to full police staffing in three years. [applause] at the same time, we are not sacrificing our reform work. the san francisco police department is on track to reach the 272 department of justice reforms by april of this year. [applause] thank you to those who lead these efforts including our police chief, bill scott. [applause] of course, we can't talk about

public safety without talking about the other health crisis. this is a national tragedy, fentanyl is impacting our city both large and small, urban and rule. it is awful and heart-breaking and while i'm stepping up enforcementf oour laws because that is what our residents deserve and what pour city means, i remain absolutely committed to saving lives. our approach-- [applause] our approach is about accountability, resources and new pathways. this means arresting and prosecuting dealers, and when necessary arresting users who are a danger to themselves. it means expanding existing treatment options and creating new ones like abstinence based treatment solution.

[applause] yes, offering service is critical, but frankly we must compel some people into treatment. we will have a additional tool thanks to the voters who helped pass proposition f tuesday. [applause] and i directed the human service agency to create a action plan for prop f implementation. if we can provide cash assistance to more then 5 thousand people can screen recipients for substance use disorder and get them into treatment. [applause] and we have the services they need. including 15 free clinics across san francisco that can administer bupomor 15 day one. we are delivering the goal adding 400 new treatment beds and if governor newsom prop 1 passes we have a real opportunity to add hundreds more.

we are not waiting, we are doing the work with supervisor mandelman so when the state opens the pipeline for new beds, san francisco is ready and first in line. [applause] that brings me to homelessness, which also remains a key focus of our recovery. now, since ifen polk been mayor, we helped over 15 thousand individuals exit homelessness. we are the only county in the bay area to see unsheltered homelessness go down in the last point in time count. we did it by increasing shelter capacity by 66 percent and increasing housing for formally homeless people by over 50 percent. my office of invasion funded by bloomburg philanthropy is appointed new accountability tools to track data, outcomes and hold non profits we fund accountable. [applause]

our encampment teams are bringing people indoors and bringing down the tents, despite attempts by the court and by some advocates to obstruct or efforts with city attorney david chui we fought hard and helped more then 1500 people into shelter from encampment just over the past 6 months. [applause] the number of tents on our streets are down by 37 percent this past 6 months. at the lowest levels it has been since 2018. the other day a gentleman asked me, how can we help so many homeless people and still have thousands more? well, we know people fall into homelessness for many reasons and we have programs preventing homelessness for san franciscans every single day. but we also know we keep housing people and people do

keep coming here. the advocates and some elected officials want you to believe san francisco isn't a destination. they want you to believe people don't come here for drugs or other reasons. we all know that's not true. of those arrested for public drug use in the tenderloin and south of market over the last year, over half were not san francisco residents. half. i had enough of it and clearly the voters had enough too. we are not letting up. [applause] we are continuing to add new housing, new shelter. we are setting a new goal of a thousand people a year for homeward bound program. the program that provides unhoused people a ticket back to their home cities. [applause] and we have a new tool for those struggling with mental illness and addiction.

for decades, state laws have prevented us compelling people into treatment, even if their families are begging us to do so. the people truly suffering you see walking in and out of traffic or screaming at nothing in particular, the people who so desperately need help. i fought to change the state conservatorship laws for years and we finally succeeded. [applause] now we are implementing the changes faster then any county in the state. so far this year yee increased the number of people submitted for conservatorship by 170 percent compared to last year. that is how we make change. that is how we save lives. and of course, there is the pandemic related issues felt most acutely in san francisco. our downtown recovery. i have always believed we need to start with a question and if

not, how do we make downtown what it was, but rather, what do we want our downtown of the future to be? in 2022, 2023 we worked with trade groups, business owners, builders, neighbors and city departments to create the road map to downtown san francisco future. a comprehensive plan for a dynamic resilient downtown with resident night life and businesses. a neighborhood that keeps going around the clock, downtown 24/7. [laughter] the first year focused on stabilization, filling our empty store fronts, creating attraction and night life activity and delivering tax incentives. we recruit new businesses and continue to see new leases signed lead by ai which alone is projected to add 12 million

square feet of office space by 2030. and it won't be ai alone. this is one of the most beautiful urban environments in the world with a unrivaled pool of talent and builders and dreamers and largest collection of deployable capital in the country, but downtown cant just be about jobs, it can't just be the 9 to 5 financial district. we also need more people to live and study there. so, our new initiative, 30 by 30, 30 thousand more residents and students downtown by 2030. [applause] to do that, we first need to create more housing downtown. we already passed the few local laws to reduce fees to office conversion. our first office conversion is

happening now. 32 new homes at the warfield building that would not be happening if we hadn't stepped in, and more are coming. [applause] now, we are working on state laws to change state laws with senator scott wiener to spur production and speed up housing production downtown. that is housing, but 30 by 30 is also about bringing students down down, and a lot of them. we are working with thought leaders, business folks and educational institutions to make downtown a hub, a center of excellence. we invited the university of california and historically black call jss and universities to join us and some are coming as early as this summer! [applause] we are working with other universities and existing anchors, uc law, usf and san

francisco state university. imagine, student professors researchers and employees working from dorm room to classroom to start up from the ferry building to city hall. cross pollinating ideas, cross pollinating companies. we will lead in ai, climate tech, bio tech and things we haven't imagined yet are. housing students, invasion, that is our future. tearing out the bike lanes on market street going backwards will not move us forward and it won't magically revive downtown. [applause] but 30 thousand more people living and going to school down there will. downtown has always been the economic engine that funds the services we care about, and it is post pandemic difficulties

are the driving reason for the deficit we now face. we no laupger have the luxury to penalize. we need to incentivize. so let me make two things clear, number one, the board of supervisors and i will close this deficit and we will not weaken our public safety to do so. [applause] number two, i have a clear vision for downtown future and my administration will make it happen. [applause] our vision is a vibrant mixed use neighborhood with transit, bar s, restaurants, venues, where people live, work, study, and play. we are through the valley of covid. we endered the slings and arrows of recovery, and now we rise to our next chapter on housing.

we are changing our reputation. as a city of no to a city of yes. yes. [applause] yes to reducing fees, yes to eliminating barriers and yes to any idea that overcomes obinstruction and builds the new homes we so desperately need. there is one housing no i will commit to, any piece of anti-housing legislation that comes across my desk i will veto. [applause] every single one. we have a state mandate, so let's build our projects like the power station where we broke ground last year and treasure island just this week we relaunched a new phase of housing. let's work with our land use chair, supervisor melgar to

keep advancing pro-housing laws through the board. and let's- [applause] and let's bring 30 thousand residents and students to the downtown. if we do that, more people and more neighborhoods will be able to afford to live here. more housing means more opportunity. and san francisco will remain the city of yes for our children and their children and it's not just a vision, our work is actually delivering change. crime is at record lows. san francisco is a ai capital of the world. the birthplace of the next economic boom. the la times reports in 2022, san francisco companies raised 5 times as much funding as the companies in florida and texas combined. [applause]

that is what they do to us. our small business reforms like first year free championing by supervisor ronan are filling empty storefronts across the city. [applause] we are a national leader in early child care and education. doubling the number of kids getting care and subsidies in 2018. [applause] and paying our educators a real wage that recognizes them for the work that they do. [applause] we just hosted leaders from around the world for apec, the biggest global stage for san francisco since the signing of the united nation charter in 1945. [applause] our parks are the best in the world and we massively expanded

outdoor public areas from jfk drive to india basin coming to the southern waterfront. [applause] muni is leading the bay area transit recovery, who would have thought, willie brown? carrying more riders then all of the other regional transit operators combined. we are on pace to hit our goal of zero green house gas emission by 2040. we are launching a wnba franchise hosting [applause] hosting the nba all star game, the super ball and fifa world cup! [applause] and i envision a san francisco of walkable, safe, thriving neighborhoods with great schools that teach algebra and a strong economy.

[applause] where people get the help they need and where everyone is welcomed. i want to thank the voters for supporting this vision on tuesday. by backing these various propositions and the strong rejection of proposition b. [applause] thank you supervisors engardio and matt dorsey on algebra and police staffing and conulateulations on scott wiener, matt haeny and [indiscernible] as well as all the new comers come bravely step forward to run for county committee. [applause] and let me say something to those in the press claiming tuesday election means san

francisco is not a progressive city anymore. building homes and adding treatment beds is progressive. [applause] wanting good public education and effective police force valuing the saturday safety of seniors from chinatown to bayview, immigrant and working families in the tenderloin, is progressive. [applause] we are a progressive diverse city living together celebrating each other. lgbtq, aapi, black, latino, palestinian and jewish. [applause] that is not changed and that will not change. so, i don't know about you but i'm tired of the negativity. i'm tired of the people who talk about san francisco as if

our troubles are inevitable and our success a flukement our successes are not a fluke, and they are not fleeing. they are the products of years of hard work, collaboration, investment, creativity, perseverance. they are the output of thousands of people in government and out who believe in service, not cynicism. [applause] i want to say something to those inside san francisco and out, who traffic in negativity. to sell ads to advance right wing causes to tear others down or to simply stroke fear for their political convenience. i want to say this on behalf of the real people who you have been disparaging, on behalf of the nurses, the gardeners, janitors, counselors,

commissioners, engineers, emergency workers, teachers, the transit operators who dedicate themselves to this city. [applause] on behalf-on behalf of our firefighters, 911 dispatchers, the sheriff deputies and police officer who do life-saving work under difficult circumstances. on behalf of the small business owners thrks bartendser, the artists. on behalf of the women. on behalf- [applause] on behalf of the women here who let women everywhere know that we trust them to make their own decisions and offer them a safe haven when they do so.

[applause] on behalf of the housing advocate said who started a movement here that has taken root all over the country. [applause] on behalf of the transgender activists and their families chosen or otherwise who made san francisco and outpost of hope. [applause] on behalf of the city i called home my entire life, which i'm proud to serve every single day, i offer these words from our 26 president of the united states, teddy roosevelt. you exceez me for updateing the pronouns. [laughter] it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points

out how the strong woman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds, could have done them better, the credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena. [applause] who strives valantly. who sends herself in a worthy cause. to those outside the arena watching from the side-lines, who offer only criticism, i have a message for you. san francisco is not wearing the shackles of your negativity any longer. [applause]

i'll say it again, san francisco is not wearing the shackles of your negativity any longer! [applause] to the public servants who have been here during the city's most difficult time, doing the work all along, thank you. thank you for your service. we will continue to move our city forward to be the city of yes. no longer will we allow others to define us, because we know who we are. we are a city on the rise. we are a dragon taking flight. now, let's soar san francisco! let's soar! thank you. [applause]

>> [music] you are watching golden gate inventions with michael. this is episode exploring the excelsior. >> hi i'm michael you are watching golden gate inventions

highlighting urban out doors we are in the excelsior. pickleball. let's play pickleball! pickleball is an incredited low popular sport growing nationwide. pickleball combines tennis, bad mitton and ping pong. playod a bad mitton sized court with paddle and i plasticic ball. starting out is easy. you can pick up paddle and balls for 20 buck and it is suitable for everyone in all skill levels you see here. the gim is played by 2 or 4 players. the ball must be served diagnoty and other rules theory easy to pick up. the game ends when i player or team reaches a set score 11 or 21 point bunkham win bright 2 pickleball courts are available

across the city some are and others require booking ahead and a fee. information about the courts found at sf recpark. org if you are interested in playing. now i know why people are playing pickleball. it is so much fun you play all ages. all skill levels and pop on a court and you are red to g. a lot of fun i'm glad i did it. all right. let's go! time for a hike! there is i ton of hike nothing excelsior. 312 acres mc clarin the second largest p in san francisco. there are 7 miles of tris including the there was fer's way this spreads over foresxeft field and prosecute voids hill side views of the city. and well is a meditative quiet

place in mc clarin p you will siendz labyrinth made of rock:now we are at glen eagle golf course special try out disk golf >> now disk golf! so disk golf is like traditional golf but with noticing disks. credit as the sport's pioneer establishing the disk ballsorption and the first standardized target the disk ball hole. the game involves throwing from key areas toward i metal basket. players use different disks for long distances driver, immediateerate. mid range and precise shot, putters. players begin at the t area.

throw disks toward the basket and prosecute seed down the fare way. player with the lowest number of throws the end wins the game. disk golf at glen eagle cost 14 dollars if you pay at the clubhouse. there is an 18 hole course this is free. du see that shot? i won! am i was not very good now i have a huge respect for disk ball player its is difficult but fun. thank you for joining me in the excelsior this is goldenate adventures.

>> [music] art withelders exhibiting senior art work across the bay for 30 years as part of our traveling exhibit's program. for this exhibits we partnered with the san francisco art's commission galleries and excited show case the array of artist in historic san francisco city hall. >> [inaudible]. call me temperature is unique when we get to do we, meaning myself and the 20 other professional instructors we are

working with elders we create long-term reps i can't think of another situation academically where we learn about each other. and the art part i believe is a launching pad for the relationship building:see myself well. and if i don't try when my mom again. she may beat the hell out of mow if i don't try >> seniors, the population encounters the problem of loneliness and isolation even in a residential community there hen a loss of a spouse. leaving their original home. may be not driving anymore and so for us to be ail to bring the classes and art to those people where hay are and we work with

people in all walks of life and circumstances but want to finds the people that are isolated and you know bring the warmth there as much as art skill its personal connection. men their family can't be well for them. i can be their fell and feel it. >> i don't have nobody. people say, hi, hi. hello but i don't know who they are. but i come here like on a wednesday, thursday and friday. and i enjoy. >> we do annual surveys asking students what our program does for them. 90 plus % say they feel less alone, they feel more engaged. they feel more socially connected the things you hope for in general as we age.

right? >> and see when i do this. i am very quiet. i don't have anybody here talking to me or telling me something because i'm concentrating on had i'm doing and i'm not talking to them. >> not just one, many students were saying the program had absolutely transformational for them. in said it had saved their lives. >> i think it is person to support the program. because i think ida elder communities don't get a lot of space in disability. we want to support this program that is doing incredible work and giving disability and making this program what supports the

art and health in different way bunkham art as a way of expression. a way of like socializing and giving artists the opportunity also to make art for the first time, sometimes and we are excited that we can support this stories and honor their stories through art. we hope the people will feel inspired by the variety and the quality of the creative expressions here and that viewers come, way with a greater appreciation of the richness what elders have to share with us. [music]

shop and dine on the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services within neighborhood. we help san francisco remain unique, successful and vibrant. where will you shop and dine in the 49? san francisco owes the charm to the unique character of the

neighborhood comer hall district. each corridor has its own personality. our neighborhoods are the engine of the city. >> you are putting money and support back to the community you live in and you are helping small businesses grow. >> it is more environmentally friendly. >> shopping local is very important. i have had relationships with my local growers for 30 years. by shopping here and supporting us locally, you are also supporting the growers of the flowers, they are fresh and they have a price point that is not imported. it is really good for everybody. >> shopping locally is crucial.

without that support, small business can't survive, and if we lose small business, that diversity goes away, and, you know, it would be a shame to see that become a thing of the past. >> it is important to dine and shop locally. it allows us to maintain traditions. it makes the neighborhood. >> i think san francisco should shop local as much as they can. the retail marketplace is changes. we are trying to have people on the floor who can talk to you and help you with products you are interested in buying, and help you with exploration to try things you have never had before. >> the fish business, you think it is a piece of fish and

fisherman. there are a lot of people working in the fish business, between wholesalers and fishermen and bait and tackle. at the retail end, we about a lot of people and it is good for everybody. >> shopping and dining locally is so important to the community because it brings a tighter fabric to the community and allows the business owners to thrive in the community. we see more small businesses going away. we need to shop locally to keep the small business alive in san francisco. >> shop and dine in the 49 is a cool initiative. you can see the banners in the streets around town. it is great. anything that can showcase and legitimize small businesses is a

legitimize small businesses is a >> you are watching san francisco rising. a special guest today. >> i am chris and you are watching san francisco rising. focused on rebuilding and reimagining our city. our guest is the director of financial justice in the san francisco office of treasure to talk about how the city has taken a national lead in this effort and how the program is comlishing the goals. welcome to the show. >> thanks so much for having me. >> thank you for being here. can we start by talking about the financial justice project in a broad sense. when did the initiative start and what is the intent?

>> sure. it launched in 2016. since then we take a hard look at fines, fees, tickets, financial penalties hitting people with low incomes and especially people of color really hard. it is our job to assess and reform these fines and fees. >> do you have any comments for people financially stressed? >> yes. the financial justice project was started in response pop community outcry about the heavy toll of fines and fees. when people struggling face an unexpected penalty beyond ability to pay they face a bigger punishment than originally intended. a spiral of consequences set in. a small problem grows bigger. for example the traffic ticket this is california are hundreds

of dollars, most expensive in the nation. a few years back we heard tens of thousands in san francisco had driver's licenses suspended not for dangerous driving but because they couldn't afford to pay traffic tickets or miss traffic court date. if they lose the license they have a hard time keeping their job and lose it. that is confirmed by research. we make it much harder for people to pay or meet financial obligations. it is way too extreme of penalty for the crime of not being able to pay. we were also hearing about thousands of people who were getting cars towed. they couldn't pay $500 to get them back and were losing their cars. at the time we hand people a bill when they got out of jail to pay thousands in fees we charged up to $35 per day to rent electronic ankle monitor,

$1,800 upfront to pay for three years of monthly $50 probation fees. people getting out of jail can't pay these. they need to get back on their feet. we weren't collecting much on them. it wasn't clear what we were accomplishing other than a world of pain on people. we were charging mothers and grandmothers hundreds of dollars in phone call fee to accept calls from the san francisco jail. we heard from black and brown women struggling to make terrible choices do. i pay rent or accept this call from my incarcerated son. the list goes on and on. so much of this looked like lose-lose for government and people. these penalties were high pain, hitting people hard, low gain. not bringing in much revenue. there had to be a better way.

>> it is important not to punish people financially there. are issues to address. >> sure. there are three core principles that drive our work. first, we believe we should be able to hold people accountable without putting them in financial distress. second you should not pay a bigger penalty because your wallet is thinner. $300 hits doctors and daycare workers differently. they can get in a tailspin, they lose the license. we dig them in a hole they can't get out of. these need to be proportioned to people's incomes. third. we should not balance the budget on the backs of the poorest people in the city. >> financial justice project was

launched in 2016. can you talk about the accomplishments? >> sure sometimes it is to base a fine on the ability to pay. consequences proportional to the offense and the person. other times if the fee's job is to recoupe costs primarily on low-income people. we recommend elimination. other times we recommend a different accountability that does not require a money payment. here are a few examples. we have implemented many sliding scale discounts for low-income people who get towed or have parking tickets they cannot afford. you pay a penalty according to income. people with low incomes pay less. we also became the first city in the nation to stop suspending people's licenses when they could not pay traffic tickets. we focused on ways to make it

easier for people to pay through payment plans, sliding discounts and eliminating add on fees to jack up prices of tickets. this reform is the law of the land in california. it has spread to 23 other states. we also stopped handing people a bill when they get out of jail and eliminated fees charged to people in criminal justice system. they have been punished in a lot of ways. gone to jail, under supervision, the collection rate on the fees was so low we weren't bringing in much revenue. the probation fee collection rate was 9%. this reform has become law from california and is spreading to other states. we made all calls from jail free. the more incarcerated people are in touch with families the better they do when they get

out. it was penny wise and pound foolish. now phone calls are free. incarcerated people spend 80% more time in touch where families. that means they will do better when they get out. we eliminated fines for overdue library books. research shows were locking low income and people of color out of libraries. there are better ways to get people to return books, e-mail reminders or automatically renew if there is no one in line for it. this has spread to other cities that eliminated overdue library fines. these hold people accountable but not in financial distress can work better for government. local government can spend more to collect the fees than they bring in. when you proportion the fine with income they pay more

readily. this impact can go down and revenues can go up. >> i know there is an initial group that joined the project. they had a boot camp to introduce the program to large audience. is this gaining traction across the country? >> yes 10 cities were selected to launch the fines for fee justice. they adopted various reforms like we did in san francisco. as you mentioned we just hosted a boot camp in phoenix, arizona. teams of judges and mayors came from 50 cities to learn how to implement reforms like we have in san francisco. there is a growing realization the penalties are blunt instruments with all kinds of unintended consequences. it is the job of every public servant to find a better way.

governance should equalize opportunity not drive inequality. >> quite right. thank you so much. i really appreciate you coming on the show. thank you for your time today. >> thank you, chris. >> that is it for this episode. we will be back shortly. you are watching san francisco rising. thanks for watching.

niversary of adoption of vision zero. that is event at city hall mayor spoke and director tumlin spoke and community and elected leaders spoke and i was very pleased we marked that milestone. >> good morning everyone. let's all give a happy birtday for golden gate park! [applause] a brief love note to kick off the festivities. so, in a city like san francisco, parks are really powerful places, and they rep mind us that place is powerful. and golden gate park just might be san francisco's most important place to understand golden gate park is to understand san francisco. from the post gold rush years to the 1906 earthquake and fire, from the panama pacific international expigz and summer of love. aids epidemic and