and thank you. thank you very much. please, thank you. thank you. good morning. weren't those lovely performances from our own symphony? let's give them a big hand. and [applause] 8 and to the incomparable, charlotte mirer shultz after whom this very staircase is dedicated. thank you for another wonderful celebration. and we're so grateful to you and george for your friendship and service to our city. thank you. and senator feinstein. a year ago i had honor of being sworn in by your daughter, and i am honored today that you can join us here. we all know how much you have given and still give to our

city. i will never forget our conversation last year outside the white house about what a special city san francisco is. worthy of every sacrifice. and thank you for your continued service and for your constant advice and counsel to me and all the former -- and to all the former mayor's here today. senator, we are looking forward to having you in washington looking out for us for many years to come. and [applause] into house democratic leader, nancy pelosi, thank you. [applause] thank you for all the amazing work you do for san francisco and for our country. whether it is leading the charge for health care reform or protecting funding for the treatment of hiv/aids, we are

all going to work very hard to return speaker nancy pelosi to congress this year. [applause] congress woman spear, we want to return you to the majority in washington so you can keep fighting for san francisco. thank you for being here today. [applause] i see a few other mayors have come here today. i better do all right, or i will never hear the end of the of the next conference of mayors. i am so glad my friends from los angeles, christine reed from atlanta are all here with us. we have a lot of work to do together this year for our city. thank you very much for being here. [applause] into mayor willie brown, lt. governor newsom, frank jordan,

mayor art agnos, it is such an honor to stand before you and take this oath of office today. over my 23 years of public service i have worked for everyone of you, and every major benefits from the work and efforts of the mayor's that came before, and i have learned so much from each of you, and we all benefited from your leadership and service. thank you all very much for being here. [applause] and to my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my whole family who made it down from seattle, what an incredible journey it has been. thank you for your support and guidance in being here today. [applause] and of course, anita, tonya, brianna, you are my constant

inspiration and strength. i would not be standing here without you. thank you for putting up with me, the long hours, and for tending to laugh at my jokes all these years. [laughter] [applause] junea year-ago i stood before yu and tumble league accepted the honor of serving you as interim a year. it was a historic day in so many ways, a time of transition for our city and proud day certainly for our chinese community. [inaudible] there could be no other answer and no greater honor than serving my city in this capacity. i stood before you then that as a different kind of public official. and i was someone who would never run for office, somebody who had been in the trenches of

government for many years, and before that and activists to work from the outside to change government. finding -- fighting for the rights of tenants and immigrants, working to make government more fair and accessible for everyone. i came in determined to apply what i have learned during all those years. i came in at determined to bring a new level of civility to city hall. and [applause] and despite a few rough patches, it was an election year after all, for the most part we work in an atmosphere of mutual respect and civility. we actually manage to agree on a lot and get a lot done. when we disagree, we worked through it and did not get bogged down in acrimony. i want to thank every board -- member of the board of supervisors for your hard work and dedication to the city the

past year. thank you very much. [applause] we even met once a month in your chambers to the exchange questions and answers. i knew some folks found those steps in the tip, a mutually- respective sessions a little boring, but that is ok, as long as we're getting things done, and do not mind being called boring. i came in determined to make san francisco work for the people of san francisco. of course i started with the benefit of a great team in place with me and the mayor's office across the city departments and with city conditions. let me stop for a moment to acknowledge gavin new some and

all that he did for our city that allowed me to hit the ground running and build on his accomplishments. a few comic added. -- thank you, gavin. [applause] together we set out to achieve five goals of office. police chief, put some of kids go back to work with new jobs and to local hire program, chart a stable course, to balance our budget despite steep deficits, and tackle pension reform -- one of the most boxing challenges every city in america has faced. we got them all done. [applause] today, one year later, i stand before you even more honored, even more humbled by the responsibility you have placed in me. whether you voted for me first,

second come third or not at all, i want to thank all the people of the city for giving me this historic opportunity to serve as short elected mayor. thank you. [applause] as proud as i am about what we accomplished together in this last year, i am here today to talk about the future of our city and the road map ahead. as some of you know, in the chinese calendar we are about to begin the year of the dragon. the most powerful of all the animals in the chinese zodiac. therefore, the year of the dragon is a time for confronting challenges, taking risks, and

embracing innovation. my fellow san franciscans, i can think of no better time than this year, the year of the dragon, to take on the challenges that we face together. together we will realize the amended promise and potential of our people. but let's not kid ourselves. these are challenging times. the news out of sacramento and washington every day reinforces a reality we have known for some time. local governments will continue to have to do more with less. as is so often the case in our history, from the gold rush to the great earthquake, to the deepest recession we have seen in a generation, san franciscans must once again look to each other to lift us up and forge a path forward. we will find that half vote -- path forward, because this is a place where great thinkers and

innovators from across the world have come. irish, chinese, italian, african american, latin american, gay, lesbian, trans but -- transgendered people, hippies, techineiees, you name it. together, we all build a city like no other on earth. we made san francisco the innovation capital of the world. [applause] today, more than ever, san francisco is uniquely poised to innovate on the future right now, by capitalizing on our greatest resource, our people. innovation is not just about

technology. it is about a different way of thinking and approaching our problems. it is through innovative approaches to crime fighting that san francisco remains one of the safest big cities in america. last year, violent crime was down by 6%. it remains at historic lows not seen since the 1960's. pension reform is another prime example of what i have been talking about. the key to meeting our challenges in the future. across the country, pension reform was a wedge issue. it shut down governments and divided people. here in san francisco, we once again showed that we are a city that knows how. we brought everyone to the table. be put in the long hours. we had tough negotiations and reduced the pension reform measure with business, government, and labor standing

side by side. we did it in a way that reflected all of our hard- working city employees. where else have you seen that across the country? while we are on the subject, let's take a moment to remember [unintelligible] [applause] war and was at the center of reform, as he was with so many great causes. -- warren was at the center of reform, as he was been so many great causes. we will always remember your measurable contribution. we miss you. pension reform reminded us that we can solve the problems, if we just set aside small differences and focus on but we agree on, roll up our sleeves and get it done. that is the spirit of innovation that we must embrace to meet the challenges of today and down the road. let me tell you where a little

innovation can go a long way. in your city government. in 2011 we saw the power of innovation in new technology. most importantly, the power of people united to unleash revolution around the world. today those same technologies, many of which were developed right here in the bay area, are changing how we communicate, interact, and share information with each other. weather across town or across the world. we must not be afraid of this destruction, this innovation. we must, in fact, increase it. one year ago when i took office, i did not have a twitter account. today i will tweet my first in photographic. -- info graphic.

[laughter] there, how about that? of [applause] that is a little disruption, but it shows how important i think innovation and technology are to rebuilding our government in future. i believe that some of the smartest people on the planet live right here in san francisco. they love this city, too. last friday i joined the team at code for america to bring hack culture into city government. for the first time, you will see hackatohns at city hall, where we will engage some of the world's most innovative minds. from transit to better service delivery for residents, we must innovate our way to solutions. [applause]

in doing so, we must always make sure that we innovate for everyone. whether you speak english, chinese, spanish, or all three. whether you are young, old, or have a disability, this is san francisco. true technological innovation must leave no one behind. [applause] the need to innovate and take responsibility for our own fate is nowhere more evident than in the challenges that we face with the elimination of our redevelopment agencies by the state. let's be candid. the legacy of redevelopment in other parts of the state, even our own city, is far from perfect. in recent years, we have leverage the power to build more than 11,000 units of affordable housing, create a growing

biotech hub, and a new sales force campus. we have world-class convention facilities and museums around the garden. we are on the verge of 10,000 new housing units and acres of new parts and commercial space at the renewed hunters club shipyard. for that many of you that have worked so hard on these projects over the years, and to our investors, you have my unwavering commitment that we will make good on these promises. [applause] so, on tuesday i will introduce legislation to the board of supervisors to protect these projects and the thousands of jobs they will create for our future. i know, i said it. jobs.

you are tired of hearing me talk about it. some of you in the media have made fun of me for it. i can live with that. jobs in smart economic development for our city is my top priority. they will be every day that in your mayor. because of that, unemployment is on a steady decrease, while investment and job creation are on a steady increase. unemployment in san francisco went down dramatically, from 9.9% when i stood before you last january, to 7.8% in november. ladies and gentlemen, that means 17,000 san franciscans went back to work last year.

[applause] while we can be proud of that, it is of little comfort to the single parent, recent graduate, or attorney veteran that find themselves out of work. we must do better. we will. we will do better, by continuing to attract good businesses and jobs. if we could take on the issues like pension reform, surely we could reform the tax structure to incentivize job creation, not discourage it. we must reform it. now is the time to finally get it done. small business is the backbone of our local economy and foundation of our vibrant neighborhoods. we can do more to help them. we will strengthen our office of small business and dramatically increase support for small businesses with loans and

targeted investment in our commercial corridors. at the same time that we are recruiting those high-tech companies in san francisco, we need to make sure that our young people, as well of those in the middle of their career who are out of work and looking for change, to get the skills and jobs that those companies are creating right here at home. we can do it by working with people like the thing that -- like zynga to partner for nonprofits and city college. through the diversity of our people and geographic locations on the pacific, san francisco is uniquely positioned to be the preeminent gateway for goods and visitors from latin america and beyond. growing our international trade and tourism generates jobs for

san franciscans at home and abroad. with organizations like sfmade, from bike messenger bags to ceramic tiles, a new market is being created around the world for local goods made right here in san francisco. [applause] clearly, i can go on and on about jobs. i will. jobs will remain the top priority of the administration. you should care about jobs, the economy, and innovation. if you care about muni, like i do, you should care about jobs, our community, and innovation. whether it is parks, health care, the arts, public safety, the environment, where schools,

our ability is directly connected to giving every family the ability of a paycheck and willingness to embrace innovation. through all of this, we are partnering with a new generation of community oriented business people, joining a long time neighborhood and community activists to help san francisco realize its goals. whether it is the great new economy, like ron and gail conway or mark danny cox, who is leading the 21st century movement, or neighborhood and community leaders, like rows in chinatown, mary and al harris in the mission, or dr. joe marshall in the bayview, san franciscans from across the city are working together to find new and exciting ways to address social problems. they are bringing legions of committed people to the table with them.

we all want a city where a kid from any neighborhood can grow out safely, play in his local park, and go to a good public school. we want a city where kids can go to college and get the education that they need for a job. or opening a small business in the outer sunset. at its best, san francisco is a city for everyone. we are a city for the 100%. [applause] we will only realize our true promise and potential when we serve the needs and aspirations of each and every one. i will tell you one of the ways that we can do that. we need to create a permanent source of revenue.

for funding of production and housing in san francisco. creating a space that is livable for everyone at every end of the spectrum. but just low-income housing, but working-class housing. we must never let up on our efforts to fight homelessness, move people off of the streets and into supportive housing. we must continue to embrace innovative approaches to help families and individuals find permanent homes. so, this week that will direct the mayor's office of housing to convene a broad working group of housing advocates, city officials, developers, and community leaders to develop a measure that we can place on the november ballot to create a permanent housing trust fund. san francisco must remain a place. [applause] san francisco must remain a

place where everyone of us can call home. let's roll up our sleeves. let's go to work and get it all done. [applause] i am aware that this is not just government. sometimes it is politics. some of us will be tempted to derail the process for our own political of vantage, looking to demonize one group or another. i am telling you right now, as your mayor, i have no time for that. we are all elected by our same boss. the people of san francisco. they expect us to get things done. [applause] you may not always agree with me, but every day i will make one pledge. that every decision that i make is what i think is best for the

city and all of the people of san francisco. that is my standard. san francisco is the greatest city in the world. the greatest city in the world. [applause] and because of our people, and because we are the innovation capital of the world, i have no doubt that we will confront and overcome each of our challenges. let's take up the call and make the city work for everyone. together, let us get it done. thank you very much. [applause] >> very good. [applause]

>> [unintelligible] [applause] >> you may be seated. mr. mayor, that was a marvelous message. some of the people here are here to share this moment with you and say congratulations. names have arrived on these little yellow cards. first and foremost i should acknowledge, the closest thing that we have to a president, charlotte's secretary, george schulz. [applause]

diane acknowledged, in a group of mayors, identifying the ones who are here now. but this city has a legacy of all the people who have served and continually participate. not only is gina here, but kathleen alioto is here. [applause] a true son of san francisco, kevin shelley is here. of the supervisors, john of a los -- avalos is here.

in the citywide elected officials, bill cain is here. on the state level, tom [unintelligible] [applause] the board of equalization member, betty yi. [applause] and, of course, mr. mayor, i refer to -- is that yours? [laughter] >> i believe so.

>> two children. already proposes and ready to seek headlines. emily more arrests. [applause] state comptroller, john chomp. [applause] and your own controller, ben rosenfield. [applause] school board member, rachel morton. [applause] school board member, sandra lee [applause] you referred earlier to selecting the chief. which is great, sir.