i'm sorry to the members of our audience who provided us with so many good questions, that we could not get into more of them. now we come to the candidates' closing statements. let me remind you that if you are not registered to vote, please do so right away and urge others to do so as well. the actual deadline is october 18, and if you have moved, you need to register again at your new address. we will do the closing statements tonight in reverse alphabetical order, which means we will be direction. remember once more, candidates, that you have one minute. >> diane wesley-smith. i filed my intent to run for supervisor of district 10 at the age of 57 on january 23, 20 -- 2009 because i could no longer continue to watch the demise of the community that i loved and that i was raised in. after receiving an extensive

education, i returned to make a difference. i am not a career politician. you will not hear me talk about endorsements because we did not seek any. why? because the only people i will be obligated to are you. anyone that has failed you, they cannot help me. they cannot help you. there are some people that are doing okay. there are some great endorsements. some candidates have secured great endorsements. but i m to grass roots. i do not have time. i only have time to serve you sat -- so that when i am eulogized, you can say that that black women work with all her might for all races and i helped unite the races. thank you. >> i am just a woman who wants to do the right thing for her community. i always have. i have been working in my

community for all my life, and i have lived my entire life in district 10. i am an elected official who serves a large constituency base, yet i want to cut that down to come back to the community i was raised in because i know i can make a difference. my issue is i'm not going to make you any promises. i'm going to bring results. i have done it on the bar board of directors in a major way. there is a budget surplus that no one else can talk about. there was a killing last year was one of our police officers -- one of our police officers killed a young man, and the reforms i put in place garnered me the endorsement of oscar grant's family. in my opinion, that was huge. that speaks volumes to what i can do in bringing people together and getting things done. in 41 days, i am looking for your vote. thank you. >> the environment has been my

passion. that is the reason why the sierra club gave me their number oneá3@r/"÷ endorsement, wide the of conservation voters gave me their endorsement, one san francisco tomorrow gave me their endorsement. i am about creating sustainable solutions for this community. i could have gone anywhere to work and do the things i have done, but i wanted to do it here because this is the district that needs it most. i wanted to seef1 rebuilt. i want to see muni run on time. i want to see outcome-based social services. i want to see us get what we deserve, what we need. i want to see an end to crime and an end to blight. this is the place where everything is going to happen, and i want to be the supervisor that makes that happen. i want to be the supervisor improves upon that agenda. that is why i'm asking for your vote. i would be a good supervisor. i believe in sustainable solutions, and i hope you will

vote for me on november 2. thank you. >> 25 years ago, i started on a path on working for public policy. i work in congress and public agencies. 15 years ago, i started working at san francisco state university in a public administrations department. i have students now working in the garage way as a result of my teaching. i started san francisco community power to close power plants and help working-class 'efamilies cover their utility bills and create jobs. i took over the potreto view, and i have been marshalling along a neighborhood newspaper of which we can all be proud. might impact is probable. it is written in utility bills people get every month. it is written in the fact that people get trained for the jobs they have for wages they were paid. it is written in the fact that the hunters point power plant has closed and the potrero plant

will close. i work with many of the people in this room and with tens of thousands of residents, and i want to continue that work, and you can have faith that if i am elected supervisor, i will be effective at -- outcomes that you want. thank you. >> when i wrote my candidate statement, i put dare to dream of -- dare to dream that you complainant, someone who could be authentic to come into this race and really represent the people with no hidden agenda, just someone there to do the work. when i declare, and i was 29 years old, finishing my master's degree in social work, and i wanted to oppose these issues on a macro level. i walked in the air happy with a kind heart. during these last nine months or so, this kind heart had to get strong because this is a difficult thing when you are trying to do something authentic, and people say, "you

are so compassionate" and i really feel that. don't you want that in your politician? don't you want something that you can believe in? do you want to know that they will do their best? i am an independent thinker, someone who is definitely a server for the people, and that is what i am saying. november 2, one vote. thank you. >> i definitely believe in the power of consensus. i think that what it will take to get all these visions and promises to actually come true is the consensus of many voices and votes on the board of supervisors. that is why i do think endorsements are important. that is why i'm proud to have the endorsement of supervisor avalos, who is in attendance tonight. i will leave his support to make sure we get things like local hiring initiatives. i will need the help of assembly member amiano to make sure we get state funding for state

programs -- school programs. i will need help from senator magee in order to make sure we get help from the state to make sure our housing projects are built properly. i have the ability to create the consensus. i have proven that not only through this campaign, but through my tenure in district 10. i want to do it as a supervisor, not on a micro level, but on a macro level for all of us, and i have the proven track record in order to do that. >> my home phone number is 341- 8040. the reason i say this is i think a lot of people in this room already have it, and it means that for the last decade or more, i have been answering that call to leave the neighborhood and the district. we need a supervisor who has the experience and skill set to make change happen and the commitment and value to do the right thing every time for the next four to eight years. it is wanting to talk about the budget and another to ask what

you will do on that in july at 1:00 in the morning when the mayor says we're going to cut the budget for health and human services, and that is how we are going to get the budget, or else we're not going home. who is going to stand up for that? let's say at 3:00 on friday morning at 3 -- there is a mental health expert at a shooting scene to make sure there is hope for the families? i will be there. ask yourself who will be there and who will not. it is about time we raise expectations from what we expect from government. love and fairness, courage and compassion, better ideas, and hard work. thanks. >> i want to first thank you guys for being here. in these tough economic times, you really want someone -- i mean, we have a lot of broken promises, and as a member of the community college board, i talked about bringing city college closer to the community, and that is why we are expanding

our city service program, by adding 200 glasses so folks can have access to of the -- to affordable, high-quality education. district 10 is at a crossroads. do we continue to be a place for working-class people in san francisco, where do we come a bedroom community, do we sought to attack our 40% unemployment rate? that is bangladesh style unemployment. do we start to attack back in a real way to create real jobs? do we even asked the question what type of jobs and what type of housing will we have in our district? those are the questions i will be asking. those are the questions i have asked. that is the kind of approach to government that i will take, that i have taken. please put your trust and faith in me. thank you. >> vote for me, and if you do not have to wait until november 2 because of early voting starts in less than two weeks. i want to thank everybody for hosting the form, especially our

time keepers. it has been like synchronized swimming. speaking directly to you is one of the best parts of this campaign to me, so thank you for being here. i believe on your choice for supervisors because i'm informed. i started learning about the issues here -- the challenging issues well before it was time to run for the campaign. i was talking to people on leland, san bruno, third street, well before it was time to collect signatures. i've invested in his community. i have a 30-year mortgage on my home, right at the crossroads of every change coming out of my issues are ever was issues, and i am independent. i have not mentioned my personal background. i am a business lawyer. i have started three businesses. i drove myself to panama and back. s risks ad do the right thing, even if it is an unpopular decision. we need that kind of informed, independent leader. please vote for me as soon as possible. >> thank you.

this is the last each year after year for tonight, and i want to thank you for sticking it out with us. thank you to the community we live in that we call home, the community i have been working in for all of my life. i was born and reared here in san francisco, and i have a background in public policy. i have been working both in washington, d.c., as well as in san francisco, and their three things need to think about me -- that is commitment to keeping district 10 residents healthy, keeping them working, and keeping them safe. those are my #13 priorities, and i would love to have your support. -- those are my number one three priorities. we need to have a consensus builder because issues come and go, but a person's values -- are they trustworthy, can you believe them, will they be there when you pick up the phone? that is what counts. land use and development is very important. yes, it is critical, but will they be there for you when your back is against the wall? will they listen?

will there be transparency? will there be open and honest dialogue even when you do not see eye to eye? i would love to serve you. >> thank you all very much, candidates. i think we all agreed this is a pretty impressive panel of candidates. [applause] district 10 will be in good hands. the president of the league of women voters san francisco. >> i just wanted to say thank you very much to all the candidates and to echo banking -- thanking all of our volunteers from the league of women voters, especially our timekeepers. [applause] and encourage all of you to join the league of women voters of san francisco. go to our website, www.sfvotes.org.

i would also like to thank our hosts here tonight at ucsf and introduce paul takayama. [applause] >> i would like to thank all the candidates for a very interesting evening tonight, and i hope a lot of yot invaluable information. this is a really great event. i would like to thank tom for running a very tight ship and getting us out of your on-time -- out of here on time. i appreciate the lead for a really great organization. for those of you interested in district 6, we are having a debate here on october 7, 6:00 here. thank you very much. [applause] >> we are just going to say good

night here. one more paragraph. on behalf of the league of women voters and our partner organizations, the potrero hill organization of businesses, the dog patch organization, the university of california san francisco, media sponsors nbc bay area -- we are proud to be here -- san francisco government television and educational access tv, and certainly, our thanks to the candidates for participating and thanks to you for being here tonight, informing yourself, being good citizens of san francisco. good night, everyone. [applause]

>> thanks, everyone, for being here. i will be introducing todd, joanne, and randolph in a moment. i want to thank everyone for convening, particularly after fleet week, where we had another successful celebration, weekend of reflection on the remarkable sacrifice, heroism, and leadership that is shown every day by men and women in uniform. it is something that i look forward to every year, not just as the mayor of the city, but someone who has grown up in the bay area. and of course, millions around

the globe are able to experience what is arguably the most fantastic demonstration of american pride. we thought it would be appropriate to piggyback this celebration with those who have returned from service, a recognition of those veterans that have done so much, provided us so much, that we need to do much more to serve ourselves. that reciprocal relationship needs to extend past at a time in uniform. one of the thing that i think we have fallen short on in this country is the filling our promise to be returning veterans. you see that manifested in the most acute ways in terms of those that come back that have suffered the consequences of

war, literally and figuratively. those that have come back with physical challenges, mental health challenges, those that just come back to the challenge of coming back to an economy that is not as strong as when they left. as well, getting a job, education, competing -- completing the narrative of their life. one of the things we are trying to do in san francisco is connect the dots. one of the most important thing we can do, particularly in a declining resource base, is make sure that we are leveraging existing resources, connecting doctor, and make sure that the program we are providing are working together, scaling their efforts, and building partnerships. we talk about public-private partnerships here, but we also

talk about public-public partnerships. something that we are celebrating today is the creation of a new portal, our 311 call center. that will be available 24 hours a day in 24 languages to help our returning veterans connect the dots. we will be working collaboratively with the va. i am always amazed when i go to the conference of mayors, how difficult it is to work with the va, the va saying how it was difficult to work with the city. i have never understood that conversation because we are so proud of them and we are not pointing a finger at them, but rather recognizing their important contribution. as well, programs like swords

for passage. the va is a big part of our veterans connect network, a big part of our outreach and celebration, in terms of engaging the veterans community and recognizing the contributions of our veterans and celebrating and supporting those contributions. really this is a partnership between the va, the city and county of san francisco, and a remarkable organization that has been getting a lot of attention. iraq veterans of america. todd is the deputy director and he will be talking about what they are doing across the country to conduct similar dots across the country.

nancy and her team have created a new portal, 311.org. if you call 311, everyone there has been trained to connect veterans to grant services, jobs services, grants representing schools, a wide variety of things to serve our veterans, but all in one place. all you need to know is three simple numbers. finally, we are also connecting to our community college. one thing we all need to think about is a lifelong learning, regardless of state of mind. a lot of our returning veterans want to complete their education. they have the opportunity to

connect with funding and community colleges the backbone of our education system. you all know that. we are very proud of the san francisco community college and we will be talking about how they are a big purchase and in this effort as well. with that spirit, i am proud to ask todd hours to come up. he will talk about their great work. i hope he tells you where this idea came from, because it came from him, his partners. how long ago did you come in here? about five months ago. they said we want to work with the city and create a model that we can export to other cities. they challenged us, and we hope that we have met their challenge. we thank you for your leadership and for the inspiration. >> i have a few notes.

contrary to popular belief, marines can read. mayor newsom, sincerely, thank you. you are someone who put your money where your mouth was. you saw the issues at hand, and within a few months, you really stepped up and led the charge. iava is the first and largest organization built for the returning veterans of iraq and afghanistan. our mission is very simple, one that mayor newsom understand, to improve the lives of iraq and afghanistan veterans and their families. when my unit return from war, i was overwhelmed. there were so many resources out there, different outlets, departments trying to do things for us, it became overwhelming. it was sort of like drinking

from a fire hose. one of the things we realized was there has to be a way that cities on a local level can provide these resources from all different agencies into a single place. that is where this idea came from. we know in the city of san francisco, returning veterans will no longer be drowning from that fire hose. through this program, veterans of all walks of life, regardless of their deployment, will be able to call in and find these resources at a touch of a button. that is what we need, sparred, innovative thinking to combat these issues that veterans are facing right now. one of the main things that iraq and of canada and veterans are dealing with when they come -- afghanistan veterans are dealing with when they come home our mental health issues, difficulties in integrating into society.

things can be overwhelming, so where do they turn to first? other local community. this initiative will make a difference. one of the innovative ways the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america have engaged this new generation of membership is understanding that technology will be the key to outreach to a lot of these folks. we have developed something called community of veterans which is sort of like a social networking site for veterans of iraq and afghanistan. within their we are able to provide tons of resources, and we are ecstatic to be able to provide this resource in there. one thing that we also do is reconnecting veterans. when we deploy, we find ourselves on these little fobs with people. that is the goal. reconnecting people once they come home. the reliance we have on the national guard and reserve can

be overwhelming. these folks are not on military bases, not in a place where they can reach out to a neighbor. now we know there is a community here in san francisco that will support the veterans when they return. i would also like to propose another initiative. when i was in afghanistan, there was a tremendous amount of hills and mountains on a daily basis. as i was walking through the city, i was sweating and this little trolley came rolling up the street. we need those in afghanistan. it may save us in the long run. going up and down those hills is pretty intense. i sincerely want to thank you on behalf of iava, other veterans' organizations, everyone else who has been involved, thank you for your leadership. it is an honor to be involved today. >> now i will ask joanne peters

of our va to come up. it is weird to repeat this, but there is so much of this va vs. city friction across the country. i cannot express my confusion more because of our own experience. i will ask her to say a few words as well. >> it is true, we have a good working relationship with the city and mayor. there are a number of initiatives we are working on. mainly, working with homeless veterans. we partner with hud, the public housing authority. we have 5000 doctors to help the homeless. we have the cover project, which is out of the san francisco jail.

we are helping them with different life skills so they can get back and be functional in society. we did the project homeless connect. we worked with the city college. we also worked with the mental health station out there. they can see the veteran's right there. it is an issue. going out to the va is a roadblock. we continue to work well with the city. lots of different areas. we appreciate your support. thank you. >> we estimate in san francisco -- again, this is an estimate -- and the reason we are building this collaborative. there are anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 living in san francisco. again, just estimates.

we are trying to work through the technological challenges to connect people in a way where we can get a better sense of that community. one of the real leaders in helping us with that is leon winston, the coo of swords to plowshares. he deals with the challenges, acute and not so acute, every day. we talk about exporting models, swords to plowshares is certainly one of them. >> thank you. it is true, the amount of city support that we get. the resources that the va brings to the table in concert with that, with community-based organizations. i became homeless in the early 1990's, came to san francisco,

and through court -- resources given to me by the city, of swords to plowshares, i was able to get back on my feet. san francisco gets a bit of a bum rap because we are a liberal city, but as far as support for veterans, there is no city that does a better job. this goes back to the feinstein administration, every mayor since then. everyone has done a wonderful job supporting the veterans. san francisco is the only city we know of in the country that pays for mental health care for veterans out of the city budget. we have been doing that for 25 years. we have housing on a treasure island that is a no cost police for veterans.