>> an echo. that's a nice echo. hello, my name is marvin paddock, and i would congratulate the recipients this evening. here at city hall, i was watching the world series on monday. voted right down here. now receiving this awesome

acknowledgement. i first must thank the french house association for native americans -- the friendship house for native americans. [applause] and for the laughter that you guys give me. i would like to thank the youth and their families. thank you a lot. as the youth workeres, this is the hot -- workers, this is the highest compliment to say that your a local hero -- you are a local hero. the center for youth services does matter. it is a healthy identity for urban youth.

this award makes me want to work that much harder to maintain the integrity of the program in a time of financial uncertainty. think you very much. -- thank you very much. [applause] [applause] >> all right. getting ready to wrap up. you guys haven't heard a joke in awhile, have you? any comanches out there? it's a comanche joke. this man, he had lost his sight

so he was walking around with a white cane. he came up to this committee restaurant, and it serves only comanches. comanche owned and operated. he has a seat and says, i would like some biscuits and gravy. the waiter took his order. he yells out, anybody want to hear a comanche joke? it got real quiet. the waiter comes back over and says, before you tell the joke, i want to make sure that you know we know you're blind. there are five things you need to know before you tell the jokes. the comanche says, the cook is

comanche. he has a baseball bat. second, that bouncer by the door is comanche. third, there is a six-foot five- inch, 275-pound comanche man over there with a black belt in karate. that man next to you is a professional wrestler, a comanche. the comanche on the other side of you, he's a professional weight lifter. after hearing these five

things, my friend, but you still want to tell that comanche joke? the man pauses for a second, shakes his head, no. not if i will have to explain at five times. [laughter] all right. getting ready to close this up, i want to send out a special shout out to kqed, public broadcasting. the native american health center. native american aids project. the mayor's office right here in san francisco, neighborhood

services. i would like to mention that the native american aids project, very close. the two spirits. my cousin, probably one of the first native americans to pass away with aids. from my family to you, thank you. thank you, thank you. [applause] an appropriate flag song, and a quitting song. please stand if you're able.

these songs, long before the star spangled banner. this nation's national anthem. our native people. they sang these songs. it pays homage to the first of this land. our eagle staff. these flags, the national standard. our american flags. our eagle staff fought on the same battle fields. today, they stand side by side with each other.

remember our veterans with these songs as well. [singing and chanting]

given up one more time for the singers, dancers, veterans.

leaders in our native american community as well. calling up joaquin to present the native american health center with a mayoral proclamation. >> we share a responsibility for vibrant communities, and we have an opportunity to share recognition. last year, the native american aids project honored november as native american heritage month, and we will receive the proclamation from mayor newsom. we are proud to be partners with kqed. let's thank them. thank you so much for your hard work. thank you to the native american aids project for bringing the

spirit into the room. thank you for all of our dancers, singers, but veterans, we salute you. on behalf of mayor newsom, the city and county of san francisco, we proclaim november 2010 as american indian heritage month in san vances go. -- san francisco. thank you very much. [applause] >> we are asking the four honorees to come on up. photo-op. it's not really over yet. until i say so. we give thanks this day, the opportunity to gather and honor our own today. blessings upon all those as they

travel home . >> san francisco. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. san francisco is committed to providing safe access to public services to our community. . >> right on time. i am grateful that a number of you showed up today. i thought we had just a few people being sworn in. i kid you not. i was thinking we could do this in my office. we would have only been able to

get a 10th of you in there. i am grateful that you took the time to be here. i thought this would be my last swearing in as mayor but i have two people, supervisor dufty, tomorrow that i will quietly swear in. this is the last public swearing in of my tenure as mayor. i do hear some claps on the other side. i am glad i do not hear any on this side. somebody picked up on that. -- some of you picked up on that. [laughter] i am appreciative of department heads being here. of course, our city attorney dennis herrera, who has taken the time to be here, phil ting,

bevan dufty, the ubiquitous supervisor, and so many leaders, particularly from the labor community, chief of staff, and particular, the rank and file of my favorite local, 261. [applause] truly my favorite. they are here for you, vince. i am pleased to be swearing in six individuals and i am honored that two were recently and overwhelmingly supported by the board of supervisors as a member of their other applicants were rudely rejected for purely political purposes. but i am over that. but i needed to state that

publicly. that is sometimes the way people act when they cannot make the right decisions. sometimes they make the wrong ones. in this case, they made the right ones with the two of you and supported vince courtney to the public utilities commission -- [applause] i guess i should have appointed him four years ago. little did i know. i should have mentioned him last time. that is unfair to the other commissioners. i know jason does not even have a friend here. [laughter] he does, jason elliot, department of the environment.

leona bridges. we are proud of her as well. [applause] >> how many have dealt lta sigma theta in the house? [applause] >> our collegiate expert, supervisor dufty. we talk about behavioral health and mental health, and i say that in the context of anyone who wishes to serve on the mta board. leona clearly passed the test and i am glad she did. it is pretty remarkable with all

of the warfare as it relates to public transit in our city, dealing with $220 million in state cuts over the past few years. we have been running surpluses at muni had the state not gone in and drawn down nearly a quarter billion. that became the biggest challenge in your biggest frustration in the last few years. so we are navigating through that. that has been the struggle. we are going to be on a much firmer footing in the future. leona will be a big part of the new direction, particularly with the transit effectiveness plan. we have a real information to which we can make decisions about augmentation and changes, and that is the first time in over decades. ed harrington was a big part of

that as comptroller. i really do feel more optimistic than ever about muni. that is a hard thing to say, right? but i do have faith about its future. beverly, hang on. a big round of applause. [applause] this is a big deal. the mayor gets one appointment to the ethics commission. the ethics commission is a big deal, particularly when a lot of elections are going to take place, mayor's race, all of the public financing. we had a great meeting yesterday to talk about integrity, honesty, calling strikes, even if your friends are on the other side. you have to stand up and do the right thing. beverly was ahead of me on all these things. i gave this a lot of thought and

did not make a precipitous decision in terms of this appointment. i am very grateful that beverly said yes, and i am also grateful if you would also give her a round of applause. it is her birthday. [applause] happy birthday, beverly. [applause] i have known lorna for many years. she has been around since the old days of the school district. those were challenging days. we were on not getting along. it was challenging. lorna always stood out as someone trying to bridge those gaps, try to work for all those

challenges. she has done some amazing work with an organization that only does good work, focuses on best practices, mckinsey, a great think tank. we have talked a lot about how great she would be. she has been an advocate for women's rights, advocate for girls. we thought it was appropriate to appoint her to the commission on women. thank you for your willingness to serve. [applause] finally, i see francesca, our first department of the environment. there was an opening at the department of the environment and there wasn't a young guy that has driven a lot of us crazy because he is eager, enthusiastic, engage, and he plays above his weight, figuratively, not literally. that is jason elliott, whom i am

honored to have served on the commission of the environment. he has been my policy guide. i am just going to -- at peril of being judged -- to be bragadotious. i will put up our record that we have done in the environmental commission with any others. i am really proud of the work that has been done. i have great confidence jason will continue that work well beyond my tenure. which expires soon. [applause] the swearing in. i will ask each of you, if you could, to stand up, sit down if you must, but raise your right hand, which i insist upon. i will say i -- you will state

your name, and then we will go down the road. you got it. vince, you got it? i -- do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california against all enemies foreign and domestic and i will 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 of which i am about to enter, and during such time as i hold the position as a member for the city and county of san francisco. congratulations. [applause]