to fix city hall and san francisco. i urge you to look at that plan. thank you all very much. [applause] >> thank you again to the league of women voters for hosting this great debate. san francisco has some of the smartest politicians in the nation and you have heard a lot of great ideas, but we need to move away from ideas that sound good to implementing ideas that work. it is time to take action and get involved at city hall. we need to build a strong community, support each other, and stay focused to make the city better. we are working to import all of you to participate today. that is why we are holding town halls all over san francisco, to try to make miscible faster and more reliable. if it does not work, sadly, neither can we. because we have reset the san

francisco, with your help, we can grow and work together to make sure our city is faster, better, smarter. i believe our city government can and should be better, but we're really looking forward to what you think, online and in person. this is a city where we have a lot of progress of talks. the most progressive thing we can do today is make government work. thank you. [applause] >> i am not a city hall and cider. i am a proven leader who has firsthand experience at job creation by supporting ideas and turning them into something of value that creates employment. i have proven experience improving public schools, but impressing innovation that supports teachers and improve student outcome. i know we need to grasp what makes it so great in san francisco is our

entrepreneurial spirit. in terms of how we serve people in the community. we need our leadership in city hall to continually strive to improve services and spend less money. and we need to embrace the entrepreneurial talent that starts here in san francisco and let those entrepreneurials know they're important to us and they will stay as we grow in scale. we need a better culture and compassion and empathy where we serve all in our community, not just those with the louded voice and most money and influence. i look forward to getting your support and i hope you join joy anna.com. thank you. >> thank you to the moderators and league of women voters. it's my privilege to be your mayor the last nine months. we have solved very important issues already. it's only through this kind of process it is only through that kind of process that we get through the very critical issues that face

us. if we're not growing jobs and growing our economy, we're going to be in deep trouble. we cannot afford to have a blip right now with so many people needing those jobs. so a simple decision that we made, that we worked hard at, an example like twitter, immediately infuses $95 million into the economy on that one decision. we have many more decisions to come that will continue growing our business is, making sure businesses stay in making sure they create jobs for our local residents. we can do that, and would be privileged to be here later in room 200 to continue the kind of decisions we have made today continued the success we have that in our city, make the city economically strong and investment-friendly. thank you. [applause] >> i want to thank the league of women voters and all of the co- host's for giving us the opportunity to speak to you

tonight. as you recall, in my opening i said that i thought this was a seminal election, the most important mayor's race we have had in 20 years. i believe that. i believe the choices we make in this connection -- this election are not about the next four or eight years but whether san francisco can be a model of what a city needs to be 50 or 75 years from now. i am hopeful that all of you will look at us through a prism. does your candidate have a vision to make sure that san francisco can be that model city, and as he or she have the track record to demonstrate they can use the power of government to get things done and to create opportunity. 14 years is your city attorney on the issues of national significance to marriage equality, choice, shutting down the power plant, making our streets safer, going after fraud, waste, and abuse, i tried to use the power of the law to make a difference in people's lives each and every day. and the leadership that san francisco has shown on local, state wide, and national issues have been accomplished through the leadership of my office,

working in conjunction with a lot of the people of here. i look for to having your support and vote on november 8. thank you very much. [applause] >> there we go. is that on? do not take away my time. no, i am thrilled. i have been a lifelong registered independent. i did not realize everybody was so independent of here. i thought you all were democrats. but now everybody is independent. welcome, gang. i want to thank the league of women voters. you know, san francisco needs serious solutions, needs a mayor who is serious, who has experience and knows that the global problems. if you know my background and you look in my record when i was on the board, you know i accomplished everything i set out to in a four-year time span. we certainly do not need more political pension ballot measures that merely kick the can is down the road, yet sticky with unfunded billions in debt.

that is what you're going to get with these two measures. we do not need a budget that is smoke and mirrors that is not balanced. this current budget is only ballots sunday paying a sales tax and on state and federal moneys that are coming in and the dollar sign240 million bond for something you have already paid for 10 times over. if you're ready for an independent working mayor that is not and venting his career to hire jobs, some and that tells it as it is, that i want to be that mayor for you in my vision and my goal is to return this city to its rightful destiny as one of the greatest cities in the world. i am ready. join me. >> thank you, sir. [applause] >> thank you. i talked about being an outcome may year. one of the things we do not talk about the forums is the job of the mayor to lead the people work for the city and county of san francisco. we have 27,000 employees. running the compliance department, i covered with

thousands of city employees. i believe in the greatness of the people republic 7 to work for the city. i think we lead our government without hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing something else, giving the people the tools to be successful, listening to them and thanking them, that we can really deliver on the big picture of a better san francisco. i have been to a lot of forums, like most of the candidates here, and you can walk in and you know a lot of people that come are already committed to a candidate. by the applause meter tonight, it is pretty clear. people at home, maybe not so much. but who is your second place vote? to is your third choice? are you voting based on ideology, personal contact, performance, other intangibles? stockton had a conversation and think about it. it will matter in an election in which nothing -- no one will win in the first round. please visit the website. thank you. [applause] >> i want to thank all of you who think it -- for thinking about who we are going to be in

the 21st century but i am proud of my record of helping to build the kind of city want to live in. of the past three years, leading the board of supervisors, i have helped to balance budget deficits with a total of $1.4 billion. we have helped to pass tough ethics legislation. we have helped to build a new water cut with the america's cup, the exploratory, and a cruise ship project. i was proud to be the first elected official at city hall that had conversations with twitter to make sure that we were keeping companies like them, zynga, and yelp here and the city. we need to work together to build a 21st century sentences go with great schools, with creative and innovative industries, with housing for all. it is hard in one minute to talk about all these ideas, but i really hope that you will check out my 21st century blueprint for san francisco at my website, and would be honored for you to consider me to be your first, second, or third choice. thank you very much. [applause] >> san francisco cannot solve

its problems by itself. we're living in a country that is spiraling out to the right in a frenzy of fear and greed. and we need to make changes to turn around towards a more humane and a loving society. san francisco has led in the past, and it can lead now. i really believe that electing a green mayor would set an incredible wave of hope over the country at a time when people are really starting to stand up and protest and occupy wall street and occupied the federal reserve and occupy all these different places. it is very exciting. hogan is blossoming. if a green occupies the mayor's office in san francisco, it would make a tremendous difference to this country. it is time for a woman. it is time for a green.

it is time for san francisco to woman up and become the city that outsiders think it already is. if my ideas excite you, please make me your number one choice. thank you. [applause] >> to the league of women voters, thank you. to our moderator is that our journalists, thank you. i have been a stalwart for job growth and job development as a member of the board of supervisors and can point to a number of the things that i did with the legislative process to produce literally thousands of jobs and put thousands of people to work in san francisco. one issue that we unfortunately do not get to talk enough about this -- as candidates for mayor at these forms are the fact that there are three women who sit before you on a lovely platform full of a lot of testosterone. there has never been a woman elected out right in san francisco. we have had 43 mayors, and our

water for mayor feinstein was appointed to the office. when we look at issues surrounding our city, we do not talk nearly enough about violent crimes against women, about breast-feeding policies, about maternity leave policies, about what it is like to go through menopause and what we need. real health care coverage for one and two -- for women. job balance, and what it is like for child care and all sorts of things we're faced with. i can attest to the fact we worse still ignored as we thought through to fight for legislation that sometimes fail. to ensure that the bid is 6% of the women in this city had their rights of health. as we move into this election, it is incumbent on all this to tavon -- pay attention to those issues. i will ask for one of your three votes. and as you to go to my website. and look at what i have to say about our wonderful city. thank you for being here tonight. [applause]

>> my great grandparents came here from hawaii in 1890. they settled in at bernal heights, and they stayed here until 1906, until the earthquake. during world war ii, they were in terms with 100,000 other japanese-americans, my parents and grandparents, they lost everything. they were there for four years. when i learned about it, i am -- i was angry. but it taught me not to be better, to get an education, and to stand up for what i believe. that is what we need in san francisco right now. we need a mayor who is going to stand up for what he or she believes, to make sure that is the people's interests to come first. a lot of people can talk about, yes, i want to change this or change that. but i set out to fix the city's fiscal crisis two years ago. it was not easy. i knew that my days would be angry at me. and it was something that needed to be done. that is why gathered signatures,

50,000, tries to fix the biggest fiscal crisis, which is now the number-one issue in this election. if you want somebody is going to stand up, somebody will make decisions for you and out for special interests are powerbrokers, please vote for jeff adache. you can go to my web site. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, those are your candidates of mayor peter thank you to all of our candidates. thank you to you. on behalf of the league of women voters and our partner organization, university of san francisco, abc 7, public radio, san francisco government tv, thank you to all of you for coming here tonight and informing herself. have a great evening. do not forget to vote. >> hi, everybody.

my name is carmen chu. why don't we get started. with a marking up with the department of small business -- we have been working with the department of small business. this project started when we heard from neighborhood merchants. unfortunately, they had access issues, visibility access issues. we have been working closely with many of our partners year today to educate about these -- many of our partners year today to educate about these issues. also in terms of board guidance. i want to thank all of you for coming. many of you may have assistance. i know many merchants could not be here. please do it share this

information with other merchants in the area. we have virginia from the office of small business. we have roger from the bar association. no carla johnson from the office of disability. -- we have carla johnson from the office of disability. i want to especially it acknowledge my colleague to help us get the resources and brought legal expertise to the table. i do not want to take too much of your time. thank you for coming. >> thank you, supervisor chu. i want to express my admiration for a supervisor chu's commitment to you.

so, from our office, what we heard, many small businesses were receiving lawsuits regarding it the ada. tonight we will hear about the legal requirements, what has been in place. any small businesses that nderst informed as far as their obligations for the ada, there are the mechanisms to provide that information to you. so, we are tasked with providing the information. there have been about 300 small businesses that have received the lawsuits. knee individuals who use this mechanism and come up -- the individual to use this mechanism.

while it is important to have ada access, but we want you to understand there are individuals out there taking a look at your vulnerability. we have a packet of information for you tonight. we have it in english and chinese. we have a quick summary of the laws. the ada, calif. building code, the civil rights, and our experts here will elaborate. we also have a list of certified caps at work in san francisco for you. carla johnson with the mayor's office of disability has created a really good it died of out to interview your experts to make sure you are getting the best quality product for you.

been next -- the money you pay for the inspection you can take as a tax deduction. any money that if you have taken can be applied as a tax deduction. this can be done on an annual basis. next, the opportunity, and a fund -- opportunity loan fund, providing for small businesses to pay for the inspection or to make improvements needed. to do it before you receive the lawsuit. and lastly, we of the bar association and their resources.

they're providing their legal service for you. this last thing i am going to share with you in terms of what we have seen in our office is that with the individuals, that does not necessarily mean an individual will follow up with a lawsuit. what we've seen in our office is the individual's will send you a letter and say there were compile -- compliance issues. where people get in trouble is they ignore the letter. we need to make sure it that your pro-active and responsive.

when a business receives a letter, they need to contact our office. the merchants of been very proactive -- have been very pro- active. the businesses that have received a letter and passed an inspection after receiving the letter have staved off a lawsuit. the cap inspection is a very good risk management tool. often it is not as durable as you may think it to be. our office is there for you as our resources. we are able to provide our services, follow-up questions in english, spanish, cantonese, and mandarin.

and then -- and then, roger, you will -- >> yes. i am an attorney in private practice. the laws in this area are strict compliance laws, and they are very specific. the federal law since 1990 indicates issues from 1998. all businesses, such as a grocery store, a dentist's office, restaurants, a doctor's office, virtually anything that a member of the public comes into the -- comes into needs to be a barrier-free.

we will go over what barriers are. every public accommodation needs to be wheelchair-accessible. there are also other other forf disability. most of the issues we are hearing about are wheelchair accessibility issues. there is a small group of private individuals who are wheelchair-down that go around the city and they look at small businesses. and i dare say anybody in small restaurants have some accessibility issues. it is another attempt at making your building wheelchair accessible.

i am not sure which of you may be merchants and which it may be landlords. the law applies to both. and that means you were 100% liable for any barriers to access and any damages that may be associated with those barriers. there are ways you can defend yourself. with your landlord or at senate -- or a tenant, this can avoid a lot of problems later on. the inspections offer a limited attempt at bringing a civil action for damages. it does not affect the ability to bring damage claims under

the symbol laws. however, most lawyers -- they will not pursue the case. so, oftentimes, it works it to stop the lawsuit before it starts if you do that inspection. they are not particularly expensive. so, it is something someone would want to do. you will get a tax credit. if you need to make changes in the structure of your premises, there are also tax credits for that. most of these cases start with a letter. a demand letter. that is usually signed not by a lawyer, but by it up plaintive. the plaintiff may not be a professional plaintiff.

that does not make any difference. the defense has been tried in court. is a civil rights statute. -- it is a civil rights statute. they can be a perfectly legitimate plaintiffs to bring a lawsuit, and there are a number of people who belong to disability organizations that actually, that is what their livelihood is, bringing these lawsuits. the gentleman over here, who was also a lawyer knows of at least one case involving two lawsuits. they started all neighborhoods. the target places like san francisco because this is an old city with old buildings, virtually none of which comply.

we only have new construction that would be billed to 1988 compliance standards, usually. whatever kind of business you have, the building part does not enforce ada compliance. you have your architect look at the ada if you are going to make a major revision anyway. is very expensive to do that. the demand letter is a requirment for the state -- is a requirement for the state laws to be brought. for civil rights cases, you are expected to know the law and be in compliance. they do not make a demand under

federal law saying they should ask you for damages. and the damages could be substantial. the damages are based on the number of barriers encountered by the person when they're going to inspect the premises. these people will come and visit your business barack, three, or four times. they will sit at the counter if you have a counter. they will sit at a table. that are well aware of what the legal requirements are of the height of the table and the length of the legs, whether the bathroom is compliance, whether there is appropriate sign it. the first barrier is access to the premises itself. adding is? . -- adding steps. having a ramp that is too steep

is an access issue. there are ways to deal with those. having a power door or something of that nature. of power door -- you have seen those with the wheelchair symbol on it. it will open the door. the person on the wheelchair does not have to try to wrestle with the door to get in. it is much more immediate access if you of something like that. that is the first barrier to someone, if they are entering a business premises. the next issue is usually in bathrooms. a lot * -- a lot of times, but is difficult to comply with

depending on the size of the establishment. to make a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, it takes a lot more space than a regular bathroom. so, it is a problem oftentimes with small businesses. especially if you have to do two of them. and it cost about $15,000 to $25,000 to build a wheelchair- accessible bathroom. for restaurants, bars, it's a truck, there is an issue on the height of the counters -- for restaurants, bars, at such wreck, there is an issue on the height of the counters. that keller would make the person wheeling up on in the chair not be able to be eye chair not be able to be eye level.