because they are going to find you. this is a way of generating money. of course, what we were ultimately generating was hysteria. now, we are here to celebrate what we have really generated is jobs. the folks you see behind me are green collar examples. these are the folks that because of these proposals, because of these new ideas have work and have the dignity that comes with a paycheck. 118 jobs have been created in the last couple of years since we instituted some of these new proposals. recology has over 1000 folks disproportionately in the recycling business now. that is why they changed their name, so there was this notion of recovery, as opposed to the old scavenger framework.

it was all about hauling and just dumping. now, it is about hauling and diverting, and the jobs that are part of this are the jobs of the new economy, and that is what we are celebrating. 77% of our waste is being diverted, highest in the united states of america, shattering our hopes and expectations of reaching that 75% milestone and giving us so much mentum -- momentum and enthusiasm that that goal, talk about a truly 20% city, is proving this can be down, right in front of us. let me end as i began -- enthusiastically. i do not think this is a big deal. i know this is a big deal. the more i tell, not just the state, but the country, and i see folks all around the world, and they are dumbfounded by what the city has accomplished. you know how cities really operate?

what you do not want to understand is what goes on and goes down here. this is about waste water. this is the stuff that lies beneath the surface, and at the end of the day, it is the stuff that really matters because at the end of the day is the work that these guys are doing behind me in this building. jobs, the new economy, these mandates that brought people together, not divided people. no, garbage police are not out there. the business community did not disappear. quite the contrary. what we have done is raise the bar for others. we have given people the sense that this could be done. more to the point, why should you care about this outside of san francisco? you should care deeply about this because again, it is those in urban centers that are consuming the vast majority of

resources and then disposing them in your back yards in a landfill near you. unless we come up with creative ideas, we are going to be dumping all of our waste. these cities will be dumping their waist down the road from your playground, down the road from your park, so this is something that all californians, all americans should be gravitating towards and enthusiastic about. the new paradigm of being able to deal with a very tangible thing that needs to be dealt with in an urban america in a way that creates jobs, creates wealth, and promotes the ultimate frame of environmental sensibility and environmental responsibility, reducing methane gas emissions, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing the need to purchase and develop larger, more burdensome, more toxic landfills throughout the region, state,

and the country, including on those will barges you see in other cities that just do not get this. i am proud of this. i want to thank the rest of the folks at recology the good work that was done by our commission, and the partnerships that we formed. this is a true public-private partnership, and i'm thankful for all the hard working men and women at recology. thank you. [applause] >> hang you, mayor newsom, and thank you for helping us achieve our 77% landfill that version rate -- thank you, mayor newsom. we need to focus our attention on achieving 0 waste by 2020. to meet our goal, we will need the continued participation of all san franciscans in the

mandatory composting and recycling program, making sure that everything possible goes into the blue and green bins, and as little as possible goes into the black. as the mayor pointed out, we sent the smallest amount of material to landfills since we have been keeping records. less than 15% the year before. we are right on track, and if we keep up achieve 0 well in san francisco well before 2020. .9 waste in san francisco well before 2020. we already accomplished this lovely to a degree with bans on hard to recycle products like plastic bagszek]ñisr and a the. there are actions globally, but change does need to happen at the state and federal level, and that is why san francisco has been supporting extended producer

responsibility legislation in sacramento and washington. taxpayers and local governments shell out millions of dollars every year to handle problem products. it is time that we require that manufacturers take responsibilityrw for their own actions and their products. when we hold corporations responsible for making sure the products they sell get recycled properly and one public health and environmental costs are factored into that product price, manufacturers have a strong incentive to design goods that last longer, are easily recyclable, and ultimately are less toxic. we need to give a lot of credit to our partners at recology for the city's recycling success. we do not have a garbage company. we have a recycling company. so it is my distinct pleasure to introduce recology's ceo and san francisco's no. 1 ally in zero ways. mike.

[applause] -- zero ways. mike. >> thank you, and thank you, mayor newsom, for using our site for this announcement. we are pleased to be the city's partner in helping achieve the goals that the city sets forth. some of them have been rather exciting to try to accomplish, but it has been found, and we are going to ensure that this city isw6r;[ñhr the first to ace zero ways, and we are going to do it before 2020. there are a lot of exciting things going on, and we believe it is doable, and we are committed to making sure it happens. in the process, it has been pleasing for us to be able to put people to work doing a very necessary function. i want to introduce mimi chan, who came to us through the jobs now program and has been able to

get to work doing something that we did not have the money to do before the programf5b gave us te work -- the money to do the work. >> i love this company. when i first started, i was really excited because i was working for a green company. when i leave, just about work. i bring my work home. i teach my kids about recycling, composting, and when i go to another city, another state, it angers me to see people throw everything in the garbage. i tell them that they cannot do that.u we have think i'm crazy,' but when my - year-old steps in and says if you have to recycle and compost, they know that i am serious. i love my job. kvfutu3ñiññi have kids. i have kids, and it is just securing its future for my kids, my grandkids, and everybody down the line, and i thank you for

the opportunity. >>ñ%iñkó we have 3000 to 5000 s come through here every year,y home and teach their parents how to do it right. as all these families are visiting other communities, it is amazing how many other places want to achieve what we're doing here, and wegqvúr?r think we arn a position to help them accomplish that. mayor newsom: interesting anecdote. you will probably appreciate -- no, you probably will not, but i will throw it out anyway. [laughter] we've diverted about 8 million tons of waste, which is roughly twice the tonnage of the golden gate bridge. we only put about -- what? 600,000 tons into the landfill, which again, to put it in perspective -- just 200,000 tons last just in the second, so see how quickly we are moving to reach our goals?

it is an extraordinary thing. what is equally extraordinary is the need to continue to promote these programs. we still have roughly 2/3 of what is here that still goes to landfills. that can be recycled, so we still have all this low hanging fruit -- literally, fruit -- that can be easily composted that is still being put to a landfill because we are not separating all of it. we have seen a 45% increase in composting. without being punitive, without being aggressive, just educating folks. being thoughtful, encouraging people, but again, we are still within the margin of where we could be if everyone again steps up to the plate. final point -- it is the kid that you go to the public schools, and you see these little kids. j6óçw3we fund salad bars in the

schools, and you see kids with broccoli, and they may not have finished it, but at least they were not eating pizza and burritos, and then they run over and put it in a)e composting thing, and they find out that compost goes and creates something called soil, and that garrett -- they take some of that dirt that does not now valley and all those fancy wine areas that look at this as liquid gold or -- what is it? what do you guys call it? black gold. i like that. you give a little back to the schools, and the schools take that and put it in their little garden outside, and then they actually learn about 7 there are no shortcuts in life, and the important lesson is that a lot of us have forgotten. these are important life lessons. all part of the edible schoolyard initiative and the

educational component that ;>me2ci in a meaningful way, and kids, again, are leading the charge. that was my added anecdote. exactly. whatever. all right, come on back. >> thank you, everyone, for coming. we did want to thank mayor newsom for your leadership and all the great staff at san francisco department of the environment. robert daly, kevin drew, the of the facility.

mayor newsom: thank you.

sorry about the delay. there things i wish i could tell you that i was just doing, but i cannot. i do not want to get ahead of myself. there are some exciting things in a town that is doing well despite the macro economy, with treasure island, a hunters point, at the transfer terminal, the work been done and the. and port -- the work being done at the pier and pork. there are a lot of companies growing in this city. a lot will be making announcements about their growth and commitment to our city. that is the spirit that brings us together at the swearing in. that should be the spirit that focuses and unites all of us. that is about collaboration, coordination, partnership. not just the public and private partnerships. it is also the public

partnerships. it is about getting people to work and reducing anxiety and stress, creating opportunity and building the future of this city by focusing on investing in people and place. i am very grateful that you all took the time to be here. i see you wait too many commissioners to even mention them. -- i see way to mano many commissioners to even mention them along with department heads. i want to thank all of those assembled, family members in particular, for taking the time to come down. we're making a number of new appointments. we are making some reappointment. one that i cannot hesitate to or should not -- john

newland and i go way back. i somehow became the president of the commission, i still do not know how that happened. newland came in to replace a former director and took over the show down there. he was running things, dpt for some time. i got to know john. somehow, i became mayor. i thought he was a great person to get back on the mix and was very honored that john decided to take the entertainment commission post. i beat him up a lot, the entertainment commission that is. jordan was on that commission. he was wise to say i am out of here and do not need this. it was never personal with me. i said the entertainment commission can be so much more

than it is today. it needs to adjust to the changing conditions of what is going on with clubs and promoters. john was always there to say yes let's try new things and keep at this. i was very grateful for his stewardship there and his leadership that he demonstrated. that is why i am honored to have the opportunity to reappoint john. mike garcia is doing a great job on the board of appeals. it seems like you guys are on every single night, channel 15 or 28, 360 whatever. channel 326. [laughter] when appointments come up, you kind of gauge where someone stands in terms of their position in a number of phone calls that you get. it is always interesting to me the kind of calls that i get, particularly with mike.

a broad swatch of folks said that he is doing a great job and hoped would reconsider him. i do not think that many of them were planted, that he sent them my way as is sometimes the case. they came organically. it was an easy decision to make to ask if he would continue to serve. i am very grateful. jordan slain served on the entertainment commission but was not as entertaining as he hoped. he did a good job. he thought you would give someone else an opportunity. i have the opportunity to appoint his replacement. and we have the help service board appointments coming up. i thought who better to consider than dr. jordan shlain. i thought he would be ideal. i was surprised to get him on the phone because you know how difficult doctors are. when i did, he was put on the

spot. he thought it was a medical issue or emergency for me. he then said he would get back to me. he knew what it did. he wanted to make sure it matched with his time and expectations. he did his due diligence as he always does. i am grateful that you are willing to serve. your very good choice, if i do say so myself. i got a lot of calls for todd. the human rights commission is an interesting commission. i appreciate the work they do. it is very important. a lot of the work they do is to -- work that no one appreciates. i have always joked than politics you do not get credit for saves, only in baseball. the human rights commission should get credit for a lot of saves, diffusing things before they metastasize, speaking in

terms of dr. shlain and making sure they do not become bigger issues. todd comes with a lot of credentials. i think he understands the role as preventative as much or more than anything else. that is one of the reasons i got to rhesus parked there. i think she is doing a superlative job. -- that is why i got to recess barks --theresa sparks there. i think she is doing a superlative job. she may be mayor sunday. i think she will be pleased to have todd's stewardship. i do not know why anyone would want to serve on the mta, cheryl but i do not think there is a better choice than cheryl. she went through the public process. i got a little nervous.

some of my biggest critics do not think i sleep on the right side of the bed. they are ahuge supporters of hers. i did not hold that against her. she is simply qualified and capable. she deserves this position. she is going to do a great job. i am absolutely confident of that. we put you through the wringer. i must have called for three or four times. i told her to give me her answer. then i hung up on her. it was great. i appreciated her candor and honesty. it is not that i did not put all of these folks through the wringer. i wanted to make the right choice. it is one way to say that we're making the right choice. sheryl is someone that will be

around a long time. i am confident that whoever replaces me will reappoint you based upon the work you have done and the work that you continue to do. thank you for your willingness to serve. i am very enthusiastic about it. rodney is one i had slated for later nine other commissions. everyone kind of likes him. then more people like him. that is his burden in some respects. i am very pleased that rodney is sticking it out on the port. i know what he wants to do it and for good reasons. he has a lot of friends down there. but he calls balls and strikes. sometimes you get a little comfortable on some of these commissions. you get a little leverage over folks. sometimes people use it, some more subtle than others. rodney has never done that in any way that would solicit, from

my perspective, any condonation or critique. -- condemnation or critique. he operates in places down there near fisherman's wharf. he does a great job and does it with integrity. thank you for your desire and willingness to serve. these are important positions. i am about to go to the bond ratings agencieses. they are waiting for me. we will try to keep our bond rating of their as the highest in california. we are proud of that. it is a remarkable thing, trust me. i cannot promise that is the way it will be in a week or two because we have depleted some reserves. i can promise you it will be better than nine out of 10 others because of the way we have managed the city finances. people love to critique and say we should spend money we do not have, but we have done justice

to that. i say that because we are about to go out and sell about $1.8 billion bonds on the water improvement project. the figure was originally proposition a. there have been a lot of others. -- i think it was originally proposition a. there have been a lot of others. it is important to have good stewards and people better. fiduciaries -- that are good fiduciaries. amy brown is one of them. that is why i wanted to reappoint any. she has done a great job. i am very thankful. not everyone wants to be on the bond oversight committee. they want the airport and those things. these are the important commissions that do deserve more attention. you always want to find good people, a political. commissioner brown is one of them.

that is the group. i have spoken long enough. now i simply ask that you do a little speaking by repeating after me. i will ask that you all stand. raise your right hands. all you have to do is state your name when i say "i." then i will mention the position and you will mention the body or committee that you will be serving. if you change it, i will stop you. that has happened before. someone came here under false pretences and we corrected it. i could just ask that you allstate your name. "i, do solemnly swear that i

will support and defend the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california, that i bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion, and that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which i am about to enter. during such time as i know the position as a member [various boards] for the city and county of san francisco."

congratulations. [applause] that will do it. music. in joy. thank you all for taking the time. -- enjoy. thank you all for taking the time. ♪

>> that is right. exactly right. or twice a week. hi, everyone. i'm executive director of the human services agency, the agency that administers the jobs now program, which we are here to talk about today. a month from now, the lesson a month from now, if congress does not enact -- does not act, this jobs program is going to go away. it will go way across the country as well. we jumped early into this program on the heels of the federal stimulus act in february. the act allowed for 100% federal

reimbursement of wages to employers who hire individuals through this program. the idea in san francisco was threefold. first would be to get people back to work, which this program has done with a wild success. the second is to help businesses small and large to either maintain or grow during this time of economic recession, and last is to stimulate the local economy, which we have done through the wages. $55 million in wages are projected to be reimbursed through the end of september of this year, and that is money going right back into the local economy. arguably one of the biggest successes of the federal stimulus act is this program nationally. today, what we want to announce, and the mayor will take the lead on this, is a new campaign or a final push to get the federal government to act to extend this program. $2.5 million will extend ir