seeing your own work at the institution have gone to for many years and has an international audience is getting the word out to a much larger community. ♪ >> i tried to think about this room as the dream room, where we dream and bring some of those dreams to life. i feel very blessed that i have been able to spend the last 31 years of my life doing it my way, thinking about things better interesting to me, and then pursuing them. there are a lot of different artists that come here to work, mostly doing aerial work. kindred spirits, so to speak.

there is a circus company that i have been fortunate enough to work with the last couple of years. i use elements of dance and choreography and combine that with theater techniques. a lot of the work is content- based, has a strong narrative. the dancers have more of a theatrical feel. i think we are best known for our specific work. in the last 15 years, spending a lot of time focusing on issues that affect us and are related to the african-american experience, here in the united states. i had heard of marcus shelby and had been in join his work but never had the opportunity to meet him. we were brought together by the equal justice society

specifically for this project. we were charged with beginning work. marquez and i spent a lot of time addressing our own position on the death penalty, our experiences with people who had been incarcerated, family members, friends of friends. pulling our information. beyond that, we did our own research. to create a picture that resonated with humanity. it is the shape of a house. in this context, it is also small and acts like a cell. i thought that was an interesting play on how these people make these adjustments, half to create home. what is home for these people?

the home is their cell. people talk a lot about noise -- very noisy in prisons. that is interesting to me. looking at the communication level, the rise of frustration of being caged, wondering, where does redemption fit into the equation here? [singing] i think both of us really believe the death penalty is wrong, and is flawed for many reasons. the list is as long as my arm -- about several others.

we feel this is important for both of us, personally, to participate in the debate of this issue in a way that we can help people frame it for a conversation. >> just a few steps away from union square is a quiet corner stone of san francisco's our community to the meridian gallery has a 20-year history of supporting visual arts. experimental music concert, and also readings.

>> give us this day our daily bread at least three times a day. and lead us not into temptation to often on weekdays. [laughter] >> meridians' stands apart from the commercial galleries around union square, and it is because of their core mission, to increase social, philosophical, and spiritual change my isolated individuals and communities. >> it gives a statement, the idea that a significant art of any kind, in any discipline, creates change. >> it is philosophy that attracted david linger to mount a show at meridian. >> you want to feel like your work this summer that it can do some good. i felt like at meridian, it could do some good. we did not even talk about price until the day before the show. of course, meridian needs to support itself and support the community.

but that was not the first consideration, so that made me very happy. >> his work is printed porcelain. he transfers images onto and spoils the surface a fragile shes of clay. each one, only one-tenth of an inch thick. >> it took about two years to get it down. i would say i lose 30% of the pieces that i made. something happens to them. they cracked, the break during the process. it is very complex. they fall apart. but it is worth it to me. there are photographs i took 1 hours 99 the former soviet union. these are blown up to a gigantic images. they lose resolution. i do not mind that, because my images are about the images, but they're also about the idea, which is why there is text all over the entire surface. >> marie in moved into the mansion on powell street just five years ago. its galleries are housed in one of the very rare single family

residences around union square. for the 100th anniversary of the mansion, meridian hosted a series of special events, including a world premiere reading by lawrence ferlinghetti. >> the birth of an american corporate fascism, the next to last free states radio, the next-to-last independent newspaper raising hell, the next-to-last independent bookstore with a mind of its own, the next to last leftie looking for obama nirvana. [laughter] the first day of the wall street occupation set forth upon this continent a new revolutionary nation. [applause] >> in addition to its own

programming as -- of artist talks, meridian has been a downtown host for san francisco states well-known port trees center. recent luminaries have included david meltzer, steve dixon, and jack hirsch man. >> you can black as out of the press, blog and arrest us, tear gas, mace, and shoot us, as we know very well, you will, but this time we're not turning back. we know you are finished. desperate, near the end. hysterical in your flabbergastlyness. amen. >> after the readings, the crowd headed to a reception upstairs by wandering through the other gallery rooms in the historic home. the third floor is not usually reserved for just parties, however. it is the stage for live performances.

♪ under the guidance of musical curators, these three, meridian has maintained a strong commitment to new music, compositions that are innovative, experimental, and sometimes challenging. sound art is an artistic and event that usually receives short shrift from most galleries because san francisco is musicians have responded by showing strong support for the programming. ♪ looking into meridian's future, she says she wants to keep doing the same thing that she has been doing since 1989.

to enlighten and disturbed. >> i really believe that all the arts have a serious function and that it helps us find out who we are in a much wider sense than we were before we experienced that work of art. ♪ >> the question when i started 11 years ago when i started doing resolution work is can anything be presented on a really low resolution device where it is potentially a digital image? can anything be presented that way? or will it feel cold and

electronic? >> the imagery will change. there will be four different sets. it is a two dimensional image. it is stretched out into three dimensions. the device is part of the experience. you cannot experience the image without the device as being part of what you are seeing. whereas with the tv you end up ignoring it. i make gallery work more self and budget and public art work where i have to drop this of indulgence and think about how people will respond.

and one of the things i was interested in the work and also a little fearful of, it is not until you get to the first and second floor were the work is recognizable as an image. it is an exploration and perception is what it is. what are you seeing when you look at this image? one of the things that happens with really low resolution images like this one is you never get the details, so it is always kind of pulling you in kind of thing. you can keep watching it. i think this work is kind of experience in a more analytical way. in other words, we look at an image and there is an alice

going on. -- and there is an analysis going on. >> hello and welcome to "meet your district supervisor." we're here with supervisor elsbernd from district 7.

supervisor elsbernd was appointed to the board in august of 2004 and elected to his seat in november of that year. he is in the middle of his second term. we will get to know him and learn about the toughest issues facing the city. welcome. tell us about your background. >> i was born and raised in district 7. i went to st. cecilia's grammar school. i went to a small school in los angeles and came back here to teach law school. -- went to lost cool. i went to work here immediately after passing the bar on the first try. i worked at city hall for a few years. then lightning struck and was appointed as a member of the board of supervisors in august of 2004. i have been here ever since.

the choice to live in san francisco was made for my family about five generations ago. we have been here a very long time. i could never imagine leaving. this is home. this is where i am raising my son and hope that he raises his children. >> what motivated you to get into politics? >> i attribute a lot of it to the jesuit credo to be men and women for others. there is the idea that the best way to service through the political process. i have a love for the law. i found a way to combine that with service through the political process. i have always been intrigued by it and the opportunity to present themselves well. >> where do you place yourself on the local political spectrum? >> i do not like labels like

left or right. most people would call me in moderate. >> what did you learn campaigning for supervisor? was there anything that surprised you? >> in my first election, the personal side of the campaign -- i did not appreciate the thick skin you need as a candidate. being a candidate is not the easiest thing in the world. i have come to really appreciate my opponents. while i may disagree with them on policy, they are stepping into the arena and that says a lot about themselves. you really have to respect anybody that does that. >> what are some of the biggest issues facing san francisco now? >> the single most important issue is the budget.

whether your concern as homelessness, transportation, parks, public health -- fundamentally, it comes down to how much money we have and how we will spend it. looking forward, unfortunately it is getting worse. the amount of money we are spending is far outpacing the amount of money coming in. getting our hands around that and how we will bring that into line is the biggest challenge. >> what about the biggest issues facing your district? >> biggest issue right now and for potentially decades to come is parker said -- park merced. the owners have proposed demolishing half of the units and building 8000 new ones over the course of the next 25 to 30 years. that is a significant change for the district and the region.

it is right there on the corner of california highway one. whether or not the project moves forward and if it does, how the city and region grapple with the growth is probably the biggest challenge of the district. >> how will you balance the needs of the city against the needs of your district? >> that is the biggest challenge for any representative, whether it is a local supervisor, assemblyperson, or congressional representative. it is important that i keep in the back of my head that i sit on the city and county board of supervisors. there is a responsibility to the city as a whole. there is no easy way to balance it. you deal with those issued by issue. >> the city is faced with tough budget decisions, including where to make cuts and whether to raise taxes and fees. how will you approach the

difficult choices? >> i think the biggest challenge in the budget is the cost associated a city employee pensions and benefits. those are the single biggest driver to our expenses, far exceeding our revenues. i have a single-minded focus dealing with that. for the last few months. we have been sitting down with our various public employee unions trying to come together on a way to balance the city's needs versus respecting the rights of the employees. if we are able to come to some sort of agreement and present the voters in november with a fair proposal, that will address a lot of the smaller budget issues. we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. on pension and benefits alone,

we will be spending just shy of 1 million -- $1 billion. that was with a b. if we can get a handle on that, some of the other issues will stand down. >> do you feel like we're on the right track? >> we are on the right track. it is february. we're where we should be in february. the difficult decisions come in june and july. hopefully we will still be on the right track when we get there. >> are there any milestones established? >> a big one will be in the middle of march. we will get cost analysis from the retirement system on proposals out there. we will be gauging people's reactions to those numbers as a key market. the first couple of weeks of may will be important. that is when various proposals will be introduced in these chambers for the november ballot.

june and july is when the board will vote on what goes in front of the electorate in november. those are the key milestones. >> talk about homelessness and how you are planning to deal with that as an issue. >> the key there is funding. everything gets back to that issue. we have a number of wonderful plans in place on how to address the homeless issue. we just cannot afford to. we continue to cut funding to shelters, public health programs that help our homeless population. if we were able to do what we have in place and fund that, we would be a better position on that issue. >> are there any specific programs with respect to homelessness that you feel are moving us in the right direction? >> the watershed moment was 2002 when gavin newsom passed care not cash.

it turned things around and forced the city to think more about housing. that was a key movement in the right direction. >> let's talk about housing needs and what you think the board of supervisors should do. >> i was asked about this but a friend i grew up with who now lives in the peninsula. i was fortunate enough that i grew up in the district was able to afford in the district. the vast majority of the friends i grew up with in the neighborhood cannot stay in san francisco. we are really becoming a city that is either for the very rich or very poor. the middle class is losing out. that is the issue of one to focus the board on. addressing it is looking at projects like the park merced

project with an open mind and consider how many middle-class units it will create. there's also the transportation impact of the project. what about the dislocation of the existing tenants? we have to value these things in a different way the we have in the past. >> let's talk about transportation. let's revisit the impact of some of the housing projects on transportation. >> in my district, let's go back to the park merced project. 19th avenue is a mess. there is no easy way to get north-south on the west side. imagine putting 10,000 people right there at the corner of 19th and holloway. it will not make things easier

unless there is significant transportation improvements as part of the project. we need to do what we can on the capital side. i would also point to work we were able to accomplish last year in bringing efficiencies to the way we negotiate bus driver contracts through the passage of proposition g. the great deal of savings will result from that. those dollars will go to improve operations. >> what about parking and traffic? is it safe for pedestrians? >> i do not think there is a block in the district that i have not heard from one resident who has asked for a speed bump or stop sign. it is all in the eye of the beholder, particularly if you live there it is just not safe. that says a lot about what we need to do in terms of enforcement. we have great loss on the book. but if they're not getting in forced, -- we have great laws

on the book, but if they're not getting in forced. we need to improve that area. >> let's talk about crime. how do you think the police department is doing? how do you think the city is addressing the issue of crime? >> the way we have been handling it is a marked improvement from where we were 10 years ago. the notion of community policing is instilled within the department. talking to the merchants associations and neighborhood groups, i felt that the connections between those organizations and the police is vastly improved. that provides a sense of safety. it is almost the same as a foot patrol officer walking the beat. knowing that you can contact your captain or surgeon and they will be responsive is a critical piece of the notion of well

being and being safe. our department has done a very good job on that over the last few years. >> the governor has proposed eliminating funding for redevelopment agencies. what do you think of that plan and the value of redevelopment agencies? >> redevelopment agencies have been very successful. golden gateway, treasure island, bayview. there is no question about it. they have been very beneficial. that said, i have a tremendous amount of respect for the very difficult position governor brown finds himself in. i am not as familiar with the state budget as the local budget. i think the state budget to any casual observer is absolutely broken. it will take radical changes like what the governor is proposing. when the state government gets fixed, whether it is redevelopment or some other

local important piece, san francisco will get hurt. there is no way to fix that problem without hurting san francisco and every other city and county in the state. the state has been far outspending what it should. it will come home to roost in the next couple of years. >> was talk about the city's economic development and whether we are on the right track. if we are not, let's talk about the right steps to take. >> i think we're on the right track. the key is recognizing it. san francisco decades ago was home to the fantastic manufacturing industry and specialized service industry. we have to think of san francisco 30 years from now and try to prepare ourselves for the new economies. i do think biotech will be a key piece. information technology, can we

be the hub of that? we have to address our payroll tax, land use decisions. we have to put in place a conducive atmosphere to attracting those economies. when we do that, it helps with our basic budget. it helps develop jobs. there is a lot we can do to catch the new economy. >> is there anything the city needs to do in changing its current approach to economic development to facilitate these ideas? >> the payroll tax. we are taxing employers on how many jobs they create. that seems 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 sense. i think addressing that would be a wise move.

>> talk about sports. are you happy with the america's cup? do we need to be spending money on the 49 years? >> the america's cup will be fantastic. i was thrilled to support that. and was very involved in bringing the presidents cup. that is the top 12 u.s. golfers and top 12 international golfers coming to district 7. the giants world championship, what that did for san francisco translated into spending money. that was a good thing for our economy. in terms of the forty-niners, i am not convinced we need to spend money to keep them here. i have a strong suspicion of the supposed to deal in santa clara is a house of cards. we have a great program for them all set up with a new