we have to rely on the place. call 311. give them your name. that goes into a data base. >> it is difficult, still, um to make the case that the disabled community isn't being represented. in some ways we are not. we have a long way to go. >> the city of san francisco is using the most innovative technology available. these devices allow people to remain out in their communities, doing things like shopping. it is great to be able to walk as a pedestrian in this city and cross streets safely.

>> two things that came out last week in particular i was very proud of, that was the comptroller's report on parks and the comptroller support on streets that showed significant improvement, not just year-to- year improvement, but the cleanliness of the streets and sidewalks. let's start with the streets. support came out just a week ago showing that the cleanliness of our sidewalks had improved by

10%, and the aggregate is the best we have seen in years. we have also shown a substantial improvement for the actual streets themselves. almost every district in san francisco, we saw improvement. we also sought improvement in an illegal dumping. i know how this issue has been, but we have a significant decline in illegal dumping. it is important to create a backdrop. remember all of the budget cuts last year and the year before that as it relates to the department of public works, there is no way to improve those and the cleanliness in our streets. we have improved that you can be creative by using resources in a different way. hats off to the team and our

partners, the labor union, folks in the front line doing the streets weeping. and pass off to our -- hats off to our guru. the park scores have also improved. we are seeing that trend now for five years. one of the big passions was parks, of course, passing those has helped substantially to move us in the right direction. there was a major reorganization last year, and they said this is going to turn back the clock. we had to make some tough decisions, but we proved again that the commission, we can move at a different direction. we saw the highest scores in five years in the quality of our

parks. 90 parks got a score of the highest number we have ever gotten. one of the things i am very proud of, a number of years ago, we had a weekly videos for some of the lower part scores, the f's, d's, or c's. we went from 66 parts that received the lowest and is now the 14 parts that are receiving failing grades. there were as much as 66 just a short time ago. real progress, to very important reports -- two very important reports. i wanted to highlight that this week. another thing that may have

gotten lost where the couple of significant announcements of the opening of lowe's. i remember the contentious debates coming into the southeast sector, they eventually took over the entitlement and took over their obligation, not just during the construction phase, but making commitments to the permanent jobs. supervisor maxwell helped the entire time. i've been there is a one-vote margin on the board of supervisors. [applause] i am very proud of it because

there are times when a big change is appropriate. i am a small-business owner, i come from the private sector, and i don't want to see them take over san francisco. what makes san francisco unique is the competency of each cultural district. we don't want the same stores on every commercial boulevard. there is a manner and there is a place for these businesses because of the economic development opportunities and because of the revenue that they generate. this is one of those locations i always believed. we were barely in the majority. we fought for the economic development team and the six members of the board deserve credit because the permanent jobs have been created not just on construction, but the permanent hiring people. i want to take my hat's off for

them doing what they said they were going to do. a lot of lives have been improved because of that. you'll see home-improvement stores and more economic activity. that will serve us for many years to come. that was something else that may have gotten lost in the enthusiasm around the election and the enthusiasm around the giants' victory. when this absolutely got lost, probably one of the most exciting economic development announcements in our city. it sounds like a statement that might be a hotbed a hyperbolic, except i don't believe it is. the small little company that was marred -- started not many years ago has 5000 employees worldwide and just made a commitment to san francisco, the likes of which a few companies

have never committed. the two million-square-foot commitment in the mission bay area, 14 acres that they have purchased. $278 million, that is a new campus they will be creating. one of the most exciting and high-tech announcements in the united states of america. we are the envy of the rest of the country when this announcement was made. it was made the day before the election and few people saw it. i hope people pause and reflect upon what this means to san francisco. basically, the vision that was established years ago, now 60 biotech companies are going to be out there. all of that work, that vision being made almost complete.

the work they are doing with the children's hospital and these remaining parcels being purchased and being brought up with this commitment. you have the proponent and the high-tech life sciences ahead -- and nanotechnology all coming together in this extraordinary innovation corridor that is a really remarkable fang. hats off to sales force and the board of directors. and all of us that will be the beneficiary of this extraordinary new campus. here we are in the worst economic recession and there are these exciting announcements as it relates to the commitment of businesses that believes in the innovative spirit and the entrepreneurial spirit of our

city. let's not forget the ingredients, the people. and also some stability in terms of the tax policy. i encouraged the next mayor as we navigate another budget shortfall that is substantially lower than it was last year, that we not make the mistake and scare off these commitments that businesses are making that will generate exponentially more revenue for the city's, and if we go out and tax our way to prosperity, i say that as a democrat that believes there is an appropriate time for new revenue, but right now, we are seeing these businesses make of it mints and make dramatic expansion commitments to our city the well paid great dividends. there are three other companies and i hope i can make the announcement in the next couple of weeks, not completely

dissimilar. a few others we hope will be making the announcement very soon. a couple of other quick things. we spend the last couple of years of having a little fun here at city hall talking about ball courts. it is a sport that really connects san francisco sprout past -- san francisco's proud past. they made contributions to sports. bocce ball and boccie courts, it is hard to use them. we will have a couple of world- class courts at the base of our city right across the street

from this building. >> 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. here we go. [applause] >> i am really proud of his public-private partnership.

how about that giant parade and celebration?

you would have -- and not have known seven hours later that there was a parade in san francisco. we have estimates on how many people. they descended upon san francisco to celebrate the spirit and pride. it was a very special moment. there are these incredible commitments to support this city throughout not just the world series, but the work that the giants do to make some advances go a better place. they care deeply about the city and their tradition. hats off to the ownership, the giants for committing to our city, and how about the city coming up and showing that reciprocity, the entire bay area

supporting the san francisco giants. i hope the 49ers are paying attention. we got the public-private partnership ready to go, and the cleanup of the shipyard almost done. we have the environment to work that was complete, we have the financial framework. all we need is a team to say that we want to say -- stay in san francisco. if the forty-niners want to do that, we would be working on building permits and not wondering if they are going to leave after they negotiate another five-year commitment. we are very close to working through some of the lease terms to commit for the giants for at least five more years if they figure out whether or not they are going to leave the city. whether or not they will stay in

our city, we think it is the best thing for the franchise and the people in the southeast sector. excited to see the giants in the world series and all of the energy. we are excited to see the scores go up. thank you for making a long-term commitment to san francisco and mission bay. it is great to see so many people out there at the bocce court. >> in the store manager, and i would like to introduce the

mayor of san francisco and the newly elected lieutenant governor of california, gavin newsom. [applause] mayor newsom: is that me? supervisor, i'm not ready for this. welcome, everybody, and thank you all very much for coming out today on this special ribbon cutting. supervisor maxwell and i were colleagues on the board of supervisors when this project was first brought up. i remember the controversy like it was yesterday. originally, as you know, this was supposed to be home depot. exactly. i knew it would be like saying the dodgers of san francisco or something.

people immediately started to align themselves up in tents, those that just could not imagine a home depot, could not imagine a big box retailer in the city and county of san francisco. i remember all the community meetings of on the hill. all over. we were all over the city having community meetings about the basic future of san francisco and what kind of city we wanted. were we a city of neighborhoods, or were we just going to find a suburbanized san francisco as our future? that was the debate, and home depot had to come to the table, spend a great deal of time with supervisor maxwell. the other supervisors wanted nothing to do with it at the time. but supervisor maxwell was open and wanted to make sure if there was ever going to be a retailer like that or a big box like

this, that there had to be some strong commitments to the community, and they needed to take shape in a private meeting. they needed to be on paper. they needed to be in writing, and we needed to make sure the attorneys were there so that all those commitments were enforceable. then, home depot, out of nowhere, decided to take off, just like sirens on that engine, and all that work, the macroeconomics of the world started to change, and they decided they had gone through the entire process, those arrows, those slings, and they went through all of that, and we had this incredible untitled project. every single thing approved. all those commitments. and the supervisor -- i remember the day after that announcement. we were on the phone talking with michael cohen, saying what

do we do? and we got this call from lowe's saying they might be interested. i remember that conversation. we said, "can you believe this?" we were pinching ourselves saying, "this is too good to be true if." there were a lot of disappointments because of the commitments that were made and the negotiated agreements, and we had gone through all the politics of this, and we finally -- the community was very supportive out here. not unanimously, but overwhelmingly supportive. we thought it was time to follow through on our commitment to the people of bayview hunters point, particularly 94124 area code. days became weeks and weeks became months, and folks in the mayor's office, my office, and supervisor maxwell's office, and lowe's said they were willing to accept all the commitments that

previous books made. we thought they would say they would commit to everything, but then we thought they would start to unravel, and they would pull back. but the reality is they said they would commit and they committed. and here we are, and they did exactly that. the local hires i think are without precedent of any big project in this city. this is real on the destruction inside and the permanent jobs that are being created. that is a pretty extraordinary thing. 211 or so jobs. 88% are just from in and around the area. it is an extraordinary story. i'm really proud of lowe's. we are not jumping up and down

four big boxes. we will be candid. we love the sales tax. this is a big deal. but we are sensitive to what big stores do. because you guys are so good that some of the little guys can be threatened by it, but this location was the right location. this boulevard needed the economic stimulus, the anchor. look at all the fresh paint across the street. it did not always look like that. you are going to see in the next few years this boulevard take shape. if lowe's continues to be the employer they have proven to date, a lot of families will benefit because of the jobs created because of this, so thank you for following through on all your promises. so far, you are one of the good ones, and we want to keep saying that for years to come. i thank supervise the maxwell

for getting in the mix and holding strong because it was not easy. i was watching those votes, and, man. [applause] all the commitments on the work force training money, the day laborer program, all those new trees we were going to get -- thank you for holding steadfast. michael cohen and all the folks in my office that helped make this possible. we are on our way out. we have had the best dam year. this is like 1998 and again or something. there's so much to be proud of or thankful for. with that, your supervisor, supervisor sophie maxwell.

[applause] >> thank you. i remember like yesterday those five to six votes, but what made a difference was the community. what made a difference was young community developers and hard hats and yellow vests lining up the walls. 60, 70 of them, and each of them speaking about the opportunities that they wanted to become working people. they wanted jobs and they wanted a leg up, and that is what this was about, so that is what i remember. i remember 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning, but it was all worth it. i can hardly find a parking place this year. i'm really excited, and this boulevard -- you are right. we are working on becoming a home improvement district with lowe's being the anchor, so i think you are going to find a lot of fascinating things happening in this area, this

district, so i want to thank the mayor and all of my colleagues. the so-called progressive -- they do not relate like economic development that much. they like programs. so aaron said that it was going to be rough, and i told him to represent the people standing here, and he did. i want to thank all the people who are going to come here and the 50% from 94124 and 93134. thank you for that. >> and thank you to look of 22, local 261, to rsr construction. thank you very much. now, we are going to hand it back to lowe's and have the

ribbon cutting. thank you. >> with all of that, we just want to thank everyone. first from the city of san francisco for welcoming us. we opened the doors, and it has been wonderful hearing all the comments from the customers about how excited they were to come into lowe's and how they look forward to come into lows. i want to thank the community and neighborhood for welcoming guests -- welcoming us. i want to thank the honorable mayor of san francisco and sophie maxwell for welcoming us. i would like to thank rhonda simmons and her wonderful and entire staff for her guidance

and support, and i would like to thank everyone for the partnership. i would like to thank derek smith for his guidance with this whole project. without your advice, i think we would be wandering through, wondering where to go. i would also like to thank my district manager for his support and guidance, but most of all, i would like to thank short construction and the storm voice and their families for the hard work and dedication and the hours away from home that they spent building this store. it was a wonderful experience to bond with our group that were from this community. [applause]

i would like to cite -- to thank malcolm x academy for allowing us to do a super heroes project at their school where we repainted and unified their school and planted for them and help them with their nutrition project, but i would like to present the thurgood marshall high school a check for $1,000. from cost to you, -- from us to you, thank you so much. [applause] we would also like to present to san francisco city coalition at $5,000 tool donation.

[applause] now, lowe's would like to have the mayor and district supervisor do our board cutting ceremony.