[applause]. >> the right to vots

to vote for candidates or party

and it is a significant way to have our voice heard. exactly 100 years ago, women were given the vote in california. the battle for women's suffrage was not an easy one. it took more than 70 years. a woman could run for president in new york. >> organizing this conference, basically it modeled itself on a declaration of independence for women. it marked the beginning of the women's equality movement in the united states.

>> at that time, women were banned from holding property and voting in elections. >> susan b. anthony dedicated her life to reform. >> suffrage in the middle of the 19th century accomplished one goal, it was diametrically opposed to this idea. >> many feared it would be corrupted by politics. >> women in the 19th century had to convince male voters that having the vote would not change anything. that woman would still be devoted to the home, the family, that they would remain pure and innocent, that having the vote

would not corrupt them. >> support gradually grew in state and local campaigns. >> leaders like ellen clark sgt come repeatedly stopping these meetings -- , repeatedly stopping these meetings as a politically active figure. doing everything they could to ground the campaign in domesticity. >> despite their efforts, the link made it tough whenever voters were in the big city. a specialist in francisco. >> the problem with san francisco is that women's suffrage as an idea was

associated. >> susan b. anthony joined the provision party. a deadly idea in san francisco. liquor was the foundation of the economy. and >> anything that touched on the possibility of prohibition was greatly and popular. >> the first campaign was a great effort, but not a success. >> the war was not over. less than one decade later, a graphic protests brought new life to the movement. >> women's suffrage, the republican convention in oakland, this time it was the private sector response.

300 marched down the streets of the convention center. women were entitled to be here. >> joining together for another campaign. >> women opened a club in san francisco. it was called the votes for women club. if she could get the shopkeepers to have lunch, she could get them to be heard literature. the lunch room was a tremendous success. >> it was the way that people thought about women willing to fight for a successful campaign.

what happened was, the social transformation increase the boundary of what was possible, out word. >> there were parades and rallies, door to door candidacies, reaching every voter in the state. >> the eyes of the nation were on california in 1911, when we all voted. it was the sixth and largest state in the nation to approve this. one decade later, we have full voting rights in the united states. helping newly enfranchised women, a new political movement was founded. >> starting in the 1920's, it was a movement created by the

suffragettes moving forward to getting the right to vote. all of the suffragettes were interested in educating the new voters. >> non-partisan, not endorsing candidates >> -- endorsing candidates, getting the right to vote and one they have their voice heard. >> the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage is taking place throughout the state. bancroft library is having an exhibit that highlights the women's suffrage movement, chronicling what happened in california, bringing women the right to vote. >> how long does this mean going on? >> the week of the 20th.

people do not realize that women were allowed to vote as early as the 1920's. in the library collection we have a manuscript from the end of december, possibly longer. >> in commemoration of 100 years of voting in california. 100 years ago this year, we won the right to vote. around 1911, this is how it would have addressed. and here we are, dressed the same.

[chanting] >> we have the right to vote. >> whether you are marching for a cause or voting in the next election, make your voice heard. thank you for watching.

>> it is time to start our official press conference. this involves city officials and it is about the city's commitment to grain transportation. without further ado, i want to introduce the honorable mayor ed lee of san francisco. [applause] >> thank you, everybody, for being here this morning. it is a joy for me to be here with you today at yellow cab to celebrate an accomplishment that i think the city will be proud of. i have been this city administrator for quite a number of years. i really enjoyed hearing the

goals that then mayor gavin newsom had announced in so many areas. i have been very excited. in fact, when gavin was mayor, and these were the things that i really enjoyed inheriting from you. it was what warren hellman always said. even when you are doing the hardest thing possible, you have to have fun. i think it is fun when you can accomplish environmental goals for the city. there are so many generations ahead of us that we know will enjoy this. they will enjoy that cleaner air that we have promised generations to come. we are not going to be the same as many other industrialized cities, creating emission levels to the point that people get sick. we have the promise that with the strong environmental goals that we set out, that we can have fun accomplishing them. just a minute ago, i had a

chance to tell gavin, thank you for showing such great leadership. we celebrated gay marriage. i can personally thank him for that wonderful leadership that led to an historic decision by the ninth circuit yesterday. we go back to 2008, where mayor gavin newsom had led the effort with the board of supervisors to establish a difficult goal of reducing gas emissions, carbon emissions from our taxis, in 2008. at the time, the ordinance was crafted with support from the board. they set out a per vehicle reduction of about 20% of the missions. everybody said at that time, that is a strong goal, but it

might not be attainable. there are two numbers that we want to announce today. not only have we met that goal with the cooperation of so many parties that we are here to celebrate with, but we have exceeded that 20% goal. we now have a 49% per vehicle reduction. with an increase in taxicabs. [applause] that is what makes this fun. you set a goal that people say you cannot do. there were a lot of goals that people said could not be done. now, with the cooperation of taxicab companies, the taxicab commission, sfmta, with the grants that had been derived through the leadership of our department of environment,

working with our bay area quality care management district, the county transportation authority, we found that magic that we often wish we would have. that has resulted in a complete taxi fleet that is 92% alternative fuel. and that while they have grown. this is not a reduction in the fleet. i think they have actually doubled the number of taxis, but 92% of them are running on alternative fuel. that means a tremendous reduction in our carbon emissions. that 49% that has been reached per vehicle essentially translates into 35,000 metric tons annually of emissions that are no longer limited by our taxi fleet. it is equivalent to taking out

690 cars on an annual basis. while we accomplish those very nice numbers, there is an economic reality to this. they reduce our cost by $11 million annually. they have this alternative fuel vehicles. they save an inordinate amount of money. even the bricks that have to replace. when they are going of these hills, all the time, on a crown victoria, you are replacing those breaks every one or two months because of its use. with the alternative vehicle, it is about eight months. they are sitting in that respect. it is smarter, accomplishing more than a set out to do, because of the vision we had and

the collaboration that has gone on, finding incentives that our community have combined to work in collaboration not only with companies but to also credit the drivers. it had been so many years that this ordinance was passed to change the culture. now that partnership is deep, economic, and also, will lead to a generation that will appreciate what we have done. wonderful things to accomplish. i want to bank paul gillespie and what he and mayor newsom did to set this vision out for us with our board of supervisors.

we can be proud that not only did we come below those emissions, we exceeded it while the taxi fleet increased. this is what makes it fun to be mayor. once in awhile, we can have fun where we really accomplish stop where we get to the economy, all those things that we want to do. it is about collaboration. it is the right incentive. it is not government telling the taxi fleet but they have to do. it is inviting them in to give us their ideas and then incentivizing that road to success. that is what i want to celebrate today. thank you for coming in and sharing that celebration. [applause] thank you, mayor lee. this next guest is someone i

have interviewed many times on the subject when he was mayor of san francisco. he is very passionate about it. today might be another accomplishment that he may be loud report to being at. please welcome lieutenant governor gavin newsom. >> thank you. [applause] nice to be back. wonderful to see you all. thank you, mayor lee, for your stewardship of this program. president chuiu, everyone here gathered for this milestone. i had the unenviable task of going back to read some of the cliffs that were said to me after we made this announcement, and it was remarkable the condemnation we received. i am glad i never read any of that. maybe i would have been dissuaded. now we have 92% of taxicabs alternative fuel, leading the

nation, proven what can be done. there is an old adage. once a mind is stretched, it never goes back to its original form. you have to show people evidence, show people it is possible. you appreciate it more when you are no longer mayor, i appreciate -- i assure you. the distinction between states as laboratories for democracies, as well as cities for laboratories of innovation. trying to get them out in a small way and then scaling across different municipalities. that is the goal here. this is a win-win for everybody. the cab drivers themselves are beneficiaries of lower gas costs, cab companies are the beneficiaries of lower maintenance, and the citizens are the beneficiaries of dramatic reductions in recent -- greenhouse gas emissions.

i will close by thanking the person that began this. paul gillespie was printable in all of this. this initiative really goes back to 1997, when then mayor willie brown called for a big summit. just behind city hall, around the taxicab issues. i was invited, was the only one naive to show up. anyone who showed up, willie brown would anoint, without asking interest. and today, i announce supervisor newsom is chair of the task force i have formed. it was a difficult day. paul and i were among the many never part of this. paul started talking about this

green thing. i immediately jumped up, enthusiastic about it. i was the one with the ev from saturn. i thought it was the best idea i had heard. we created a new commission out of that task force that eventually went into the mta, and now at risk and is responsible for it. paul was responsible for that. he advanced this initiative and codified his passion. we have been celebrating his tenacity, resolve, constancy, and faith in this project. paul, i want to thank you for your vision and not giving up on this. i know you have taken a lot of heat from your colleagues, others who were outraged.

i want to just say, hat's off to you and the elected family of san francisco. finally, to mayor lee. my department meetings were never found. i have to acknowledge that. i would never acknowledge that as mayor. ed reed was always the first one to come around. i do not know what it is about cars, but we were kindred spirits, reducing the size, increasing the efficiency. i am glad to hear that you have found this fund. thank you, mayor, for making me feel better about my role in this respect. [applause] >> our next guest has told everyone -- he still does not

have a motor vehicle that he owns. i think that is still true, right? president of the board of supervisors, david chiu. [applause] >> good morning. so pleased to be part of an amount that will make other cities truly green with envy. i still do not own a car, i have to admit. i did bar my girlfriend's car because i had some trouble finding a cab in my neighborhood to get down here. all that being said, there are so many folks we have to thank. mayor lee and his department heads who are here, the ta, but i want to thank the people in particular. first of all, someone who is not a bureaucrat or politician, but helped move forward a vision of the city, paul gillespie.

we support you for your idea. and mr. lieutenant governor, it is great to see you back here in san francisco. thank you for working with my board colleagues and planting a goal that none of us, frankly, thought would be achieved. and i want to thank all of you from the taxicab industry. what was accomplished from this ordinance should be the model of how we promote future for rums, when we talk about the taxi world here. we had a hearing at the border supervisors about future reforms. we know there are many things we need to fix in the taxicab world. i hope it is through a model of ideas from taxicab drivers, from the industry working with city officials, to make sure that we are leading the way when it comes to taxis. thank you so much for being here.

[applause] >> our next speaker is the person everyone has been referencing, a former taxi cab driver, also the president of the taxicab commission. mr. paul gillespie. [applause] >> thank you, everyone, for being here, alleging the second- best thing we have done as the taxi commission. the first thing that we -- the first best thing that we did was hiring naomi kelly. i am glad she has a new position in san francisco. if any of you are here because we -- you are upset about what we did and you want to bend, i suggest calling willie brown. he appointed me to the taxi commission. i also want to thank mayor newsom for the work that he did. if you want to thank someone for bringing someone like myself or

naomi, you will want to thank mayor brown on that, too. people that know me know that i could go on for hours about this. i could talk about the collaboration that happened between the taxicab companies, the city, manufacturers. this would not have happened without john james, who was the liaison between the manufacturers, taxi industry. there were plenty of others who also helped. i had real help from lots of people -- we would not be here without you former mayor newsom. your persistence and passion for this issue, i deeply feel that. there is not enough i could say about when you have done over

the years. i hope this is just the first of many events we will have talked about making our fleet cleaner. we are about a third of the way there. we have a first generation, and we hope there will be another generation coming through. we hope to soon have zero commission taxis. i will just say one interesting thing about the taxi cab drivers. when we were looking for sponsors, we went to the fuel supplier for the taxicab industry. he said, you want me to contribute to this event? you have twice the number of vehicles but half the fuel. i said, exactly, thank you. this is one of the great initiatives. it has not only cut greenhouse gas emissions in half in three years, but it has put thousands of dollars into the pockets of working class people who sometimes make a struggle --

struggle to make a living. what i also want to talk about briefly is carbon dioxide. a colorless, odorless gas. two numbers i want to talk about. 19.4, 393. a gallon of gasoline weighs 6 pounds, if you lifted up. if you burn it, you can produce 19.4 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. that blew my mind. i knew about oxidation and reduction reactions from high school chemistry, but when you have that knowledge, that opens up a world of understanding. we were able to quantify greenhouse gas emissions in the taxi industry, which people were not doing. i want to thank all the people at the department of the environment, from the nrdc,