historically, who do you think rules on that? the judge who you are saying cannot be fair. [laughter] ok, this is common sense. something sometimes is lost in the law, as dickens pointed out many years ago. but we are suggesting that somebody other than that judge, another judge, look at that and determine whether it is facially sufficient. because that is the standard. we are looking at issues like in florida. you get -- get $500 to a judge, that is okay, but if you give more than that, that judge cannot hear your case. if you are, let's say, the campaign manager for a judge -- because we have elections -- if anybody's interested -- let me just finish that. if you are a campaign manager, he cannot appear before that judge. the aba spent two years on a

report called justice in jeopardy, which is online, and it talks about how judges are elected in every single state. one of the document you might be interested in because i understand you have had vigorous talks about this recently is immigration. the aba just issued several months ago the most comprehensive immigration reform report in the last two decades. it contains 10,000 pro bono lawyer hours of some of the best law firms in america. part of the frustration that exists regarding immigration -- and i was just at a white house meeting monday and tuesday of this week on this issue -- it relates to the anchor -- the anger people have saying that is broken and we cannot fix it and there's nothing we can do. that is wrong. we have an ability to fix the problem. we should fix the problem. the aba rendered a report that it will continue to act as a

resource in fixing the problem. these are things they have online if you are interested. suddenly, you could visit our website feared by the way, if we do not get to your question, i will see you out back. happy to talk to you about anything you want to talk about. >> we should all remember that most of us are at least descendants of immigrants. one thing about justice in a different sense -- i have a question here that says that some constitutions -- and they mention the cuban one -- include health and literacy as basic rights. should we think of those as basic rights? you will certainly realize that at least as to help, that is one of the key problems going on in

the present debt ceiling controversy in washington. >> my favorite book just recently, and i tell you it is $9.95 on amazon, is president kennedy's book called "nation of immigrants." it was written in the early 1960's. it will take you a couple of hours to read it again. it is a fabulous book and makes you realize that nothing has changed in the last 50 years. he talks about why we are a nation of immigrants and why that has been the strength of america. so, yes, we are all a nation of immigrants. we should remember that in these debates. but florida has an interesting process, something the all states should adopt, but every 20 years, a group of 30 citizens are awarded by the

governor, the speaker of the house, the senate, supreme court, to rewrite florida's constitution, every line of it. it does not go to the legislature. all those pesky lobbyists out there do not get a chance to lobby one way or the other. goes right to the citizens of the state. took us two years to do that. we look at these issues. in florida's constitution, a quality education is now in the florida constitution. i do believe that in america, particularly, everyone is entitled to a quality education. and most certainly in this country, people should not go to bed hungry. that is just unacceptable. the way that the misery index in this country is one that is way out of the line because of the recent economic situation. i do not think that we as a

country even understand how the unemployment has affected so many families, and we have a whole new strata called the new league for, people who were driving forces yesterday and in bread lines today -- who were driving portias -- driving porsches yesterday and in redlines today. we need to make sure americans had the opportunity to have reasonable health care. not excessive. the fact is we've got to make sure that what happened in past -- and we know that. a lot of costs have spiraled out of control. we have to have a baseline. this country has promised that

in a sense of being a land of opportunity for all its people. the resources that we have in this country are such that we have to make sure that the least among us are protected. so i hope that one day we will see that happen. >> thank you very much. our thanks to steven zack, president of the american bar association. we also thank our audience is here and on radio television and the internet. tonight's program has been part of the commonwealth club's u.s. constitution in the 21st century series, underwritten by the charles guess he family, and we thank them, and we thank you. [applause]

>> i think if you're going to continue with your intellectual honesty, i hope you vote against every project from here on out that includes below market rate units. because the same legal argument you're making to argue that this development agreement is invalid is the same one you should be making to the ordinance. >> next is the senior member of

the board of supervisors, not so much in terms of age but in terms of terms of service, and a man who nominated the mayor who is about to be sworn in. sean elsbernd. >> i was born and raised in district 7, montessori school right up the block. a grade school right down the street. my mom owned a children's clothing store right down the block, and i am lived here all my life, 30 years, and i have every intention of raising my family here. went down to a small school in los angeles, claremont mckenna, and came back here for law school and graduated. went to work here in city hall immediately upon passing the bar on the first drive. and work here in city hall for a few years. then lightning struck and i was appointed as a member of the board of supervisors in august of 2004 and have been here ever since. most people would call me a

moderate. i have a knack and a love for the law. i saw a way to combine that love with service to the political process. i think having watched campaigns not as a candidate, i do not appreciate the kind of thick skin you need is a candidate. being a candidate, it is not the easiest thing in the world. i have come since then to really appreciate my opponent, in the sense that while i may disagree with them, we have policy disagreements, they are putting their foot on the line. they're stepping into the arena. this is a lot about them. being a candidate is not an easy endeavor, and you have to respect anybody who does that. >> you are all about to get an introduction to the fairly daunting numbers that the city is about to face. that the city is facing right now. the mayor, the way the process works, the mayor introduces his budget, the first part on may 1 at a the second part on june 1. then it gets handed off to the

board of supervisors. this single most important issue is the budget. whether your concern is homelessness or transportation, parks, public health, fundamentally, it all comes down to how much money we have and how we are going to spend it. and looking forward, unfortunately, it is getting worse. the amount of money for spending is far outpacing the amount of money that is coming in. and getting our hands around that and how we're going to bring that into line is the biggest challenge. >> this is real reform. this is a real proposal that every single san franciscan can be brought to support come november. it is also important note, as much as we see real reform and a tattered million dollars to $1 billion over the next 10 years, that is also real sacrifice, real dollars from our public employees. >> i am trusting myself into what i think is the biggest challenge within the budget, and that is the cost associated with

our city employee pensions and health benefits. those are the single biggest drivers to our expenses, far exceeding our revenues. we're talking literally hundreds of billions of dollars, this upcoming fiscal year approaching on pension and benefits alone, spending just shy of $1 billion. >> i was hoping not to have to stand up. i do not think there would have to second the motion that is frankly so irresponsible, the notion that cost neutral is not defined -- all due respect, i do not need a definition to tell me what cost neutral and means. money comes in, money comes out. if it is neutral, it is neutral. i do not need a definition and a chart to tell me what cost neutral list. this is not a smart program. it needs to go away. extending it any wonder, spending any more money on this would be just a waste. >> i think the district has always been home to a voice of

passionate common sense. that is how i like to phrase it. and it has been for decades. it is the voicecenter to bring to the board of supervisors. >> three ballot measures were placed on the ballot at the very last minute by four members of the board of supervisors. i think in the last 48 hours, we have seen that those ballot measures were written rather hastily. they're all kinds of unintended consequences. this charter amendment fixes that problem. frankly, it gives it a bit of a lifeline to those four supervisors and to the mayor if they ever descending like this again. -- if they ever go through this again. >> the fact that we're taxing employers on how many jobs they create scenes of the counterproductive. we want to encourage people to create jobs. i do not think asking employers to pay a tax on how many they create makes a lot of sense. i think it is my job to be as responsive to the businesses in the district as it is to be to

the constituents. i am their face of city hall. i need to be accessible, open, and responsive. and i can help clear up a lot of this red tape for them. >> if you try to use a knife, you run the cheesecake. and he knows that, because when he sells the cheesecake, it comes with a piece of fish wire. and that is what you need used at this cheesecake, because it is so soft. it is so frothy -- [laughter] it is amazing. >> we have to think of san francisco 10 to 30 years from now and we have to prepare ourselves for what the economy will be. whether or not it is biotech, which i think will be a key piece, but information technology, can we be the hub of that? we have to put in place, whether it is addressing our payroll tax, whether it is addressing it land use decisions, put in place a conducive atmosphere to

attracting those economies. we do that, and it helps with our basic budget. it helps develop new jobs. there is a lot we can do to catch that new economy. >> briefly, this is your day, to those of you who have been elected. congratulations just duty off on what president chiu said. the little but i would say is it is going to be over before you know it. i am is sitting here, and it is dawning on me that it is my last time here in an inaugural meeting. take advantage of every moment you have here. go after every goal you want to pursue. do not shy away from the challenges. keep fighting, keep working for those who sent you here. and i guarantee, it will be a rewarding experience and the city of san francisco will be better off for the work that you do. congratulations. [applause]

♪ within our population there are people who simply do not have access to the internet, who do not have the means to access information the way that others have, and i think that it's really imperative for government to make sure that we play a role in closing that technological divide. so you have to strike that balance between maintaining that character, but also welcoming in the new people who bring their own -- >> absolutely. >> so i love that. i love that mix, that balance that comes with it. it's hard to strike the right

balance, but -- >> it really is. >> but it's there. >> i was born in guatemala and came to this country as a kid. i was brought here by my parents. and essentially grew up in l.a. and then moved up to the bay area, where i went to college. i went to stanford. my background for the first few years out of school was a practicing attorney. i worked for -- in the private sector for a number of years and then i went and worked for the city as a deputy city attorney and then became general council of the school district here in san francisco, and through that became involved in politics and at some point decided to run for office. [speaking spanish] >> i think that san francisco

really represents the best that this country has to offer. it's a place that welcomes people from all over the world, from all over the country, and it's a place that not only tolerates, but actually embraces diversity, a place that is very forward thinking in terms of how it looks at issues. it always felt like home, and i felt that as a gala tino man that this -- gay la taken no man, that this is a place where i could be happy. now doing the job of a supervisor has been the most rewarding experience. it is really remarkable how amazing our neighborhoods are, how amazing its people are. i have a progressive outlook in terms of how i see things, and by progressive i mean we have to make government and make the city work for everyone, and that means that it's not just those who are doing well, it's also those who are not doing so well, those who have the least.

but it also means making sure that the city works for the middle class. >> good evening, everyone. good evening. thank you all for being here. and when we first got into office about two years ago, we started talking to the mayor's office of workforce and economic development and trying to figure out how we can help different corridors within our district have a better sense of what that neighborhood should look like, what its main concerns and priorities should be and a strategy for the community. and that means business, residents and the city working together to make whatever that vision is a reality. ultimately if there is a guidance on how i approach government, i believe in good government, i believe in transparency, i believe in accountability, i believe in

making sure that we follow best practices. i think that oftentimes transcends the left, the middle and the right. it goes beyond that. and that's why as a supervisor i focus so much on contracts and how the city spends its money, which is not traditionally a progressive issue. but i believe that we have an obligation to make every penny count. thank you. [applause] we are still going through a very tough economic time. we are still not where we need to be in terms of job creation and economic development. so government, i think, has to work with a lot of different folks, not only the business community, but also the community groups to see how we can create economic development that works for every san franciscans. >> one of the topics is --

[inaudible] >> as a member of the police commission, i learned that the most effective policing is the policing where you have the police and the community working together. so you need training for the police officer who's already there. it is important to have police officers on the street and having that police presence, but at the same time, there has to be a connection between the police and the community. so i think we're on the same page. you have to make sure that you create an atmosphere where people feel safe, and i think that to feel safe they have to feel like they're in partnership. i really believe that when you are blessed with the opportunities that this country gives you, that you have an obligation to give back. i really believe in public service.

i could be in the private sector and make a lot of money, but i believe that i have a duty to try to make things better for other people and to pay back to a country that has given me so much. >> i just want to make a public statement to acknowledge that appointments to the police commission and any commission which is a policy-making body is very important. i want to encourage about keep in front of our minds the importance of not only to elect women, but to work to get more women appointed to these bodies that help make legislative

decisions for our city and county of san francisco. >> i am from san francisco. i grew up in the local neighborhood. i did my under deprad wait work at fisk university, where i studied political science with a concentration in public administration and worked eight years largely in the public sector. then i earned a master's degree from carnegie melon in pittsburg, pennsylvania. i spent some time as assistant executive director for a non-profit. we did work if a lot of kids in the neighborhood. i have done fundraising for candidates and issues. i have experience with the federal reserve bank of san francisco. when i look around my neighborhood and see the changes that are happening, i so there is no neighborhood grocery store. i see that small businesses in particular are coming and going, and they haven't been able to really sustain themselves. from my work experience in

working for the city in the mayor's office as well as in the non-profit, i had a good sense as to what some of the challenges were. when i look in the future, i could see more challenges coming. i thought i had a set of experiences and more importantly a passion and desire to serve. >> i understand that no one wants to have their programs cut. of course not. i also want everyone here to understand that no one up here wants to cut programs because they don't care about the population being served. there are no value ains here. we are all on the same team. it is a tough situation, as we are here so that we can begin the work together. >> i am actually more forward thinking. for me it is less about being left or right, or in this town, moderate or progressive. it is really about the issues and about creating policies that will have a sustainable and lasting positive impact on the families that live here. it is very costly and difficult to do business in sfrinls, to raise your children in san

francisco, and i would like to have a voice at that table to really create policies that will minimize that san francisco is not a big business-friendly city. i think we started to go in the wrong direction. the reason why we started walking down that path largely was because of political ideology. when you deal with me, you are dealing with facts, less than politics. i really want to have a positive impact on the city overall. >> good afternoon, everyone. how are you? >> good. >> it's a nice day today. thank you for coming out to our community event. please give a round of [applause] to them. we have a lot of development going on. you see how lovely leland street looks. do you like it? >> yes. >> beautiful, isn't it? we are going to continue. we have a library that is going to be opening up in june. that's right. so i will see you all there at the library. there is a lot of activity going on. it is important we remain connected and engaged. >> would you mind if we were to

pull the seniors together and translate for me in a mini meeting? >> yes, sir. >> what we are going ready to do is we are going to have a quick little mini meeting to -- because we didn't translate my short message before. >> i just want to say i want to welcome everyone to the event. >> we have folks in visitation valley only talking with visitation valley. we have folks in bayview again only talking in a very small corridor of 3rd straight and the merchant corridor. we don't have people talking to the hill merchant association, doing patch. all these fragrmented conversations are happening, largely talking about the same thing, crime, keeping the streets clean, supporting sbaubs. that is something i made a concerted effort on the

campaign to build bridges. >> along third street, dog patch, and everyone along the cord door has the same complaint. >> i have the same complaint. >> we have the third street merchant corridor and an opportunity to revite lies what i consider to be the main artery of the business district. it is a pretty long street. there is a lot of opportunity there. let's not squander that. when we recruit businesses, we want it to be a healthy mix that reflects the cultural history of the southeast part of the city. we are all human, and how to connect with that human spirit, whether you are in public housing, own your own property, or if your asian, african-american, male or female, we are really a community. when we start to realize and move in the direction of being humans and having this human experience and connecting together, really if you will, being each other's keeper, then san francisco really begins to

continue to thrive.

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