in when something like this happens and even a larger percentage of kids. we have a full-fledged effort to make people not be bystanders but to step in and this is exactly what you're doing for our youth today. from the bottom of my heart today, and on a personal note, my brother came out when he was 22 and i was the first person that he told. i cannot imagine what he went through from when he felt the need to come out and when he actually came out. i wish he had folks like you to support him the way that our youth are going to be supported. from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much. we are planning on getting this out to all of our schools. we're going to make sure it is part of all of our programming and curriculum. thank you very much for your leadership, and all of you that have courageously come out to say, they are great kids and it does get better. [applause]

>> pretty much, right now, this video is available on the website. it will be up loaded and available to the general public on youtube from now on. we keep talking about the police department, but we got help from the dispatcher. the dispatcher keeps asking me all the time, god bless you for stepping up. i wish i had a trophy to hand this guy. but i do not. you are the best. come on up. [applause] >> all i have to say is, i am new to san francisco. i actually moved from dallas just in time to watch the giants trouble them. i am so happy. i feel like i am home.

more than that, i feel like i am the luckiest guy to know that my home is being protected by these officers. it was a long time in the editing process. i am grateful to hear your stories over and over again. thank you for saving lives. [applause] >> that pretty much concludes the presentation. if anybody has any questions, anybody up here or any of the officers super dissipated in the video. then we will conclude. >> and you did not talk a lot about what you felt about it rid can you give us an idea of what you feel the impact of watching the video will have on the people who are watching it? >> i do not think there is a person in here who did not tear up a little bit watching this thing. just the heart to come out. when lee said, do you want to do

it? it was a no-brainer. i did not know it would turn out like this. i could not be prouder of all the san francisco police officers who are here for our lgbt kids or any kids. kids deserve to grow up free of all the other nonsense. this video says so. >> so do i.. >> why you think it is so long since the campaign has been around for more than one year. >> it has -- i have not been around for more than one year. this was raised to me right off the bat. it takes a while to bake a cake. that is beautiful. we did get it turned around pretty quickly. >> we have had this conversation before. but i am blown away by the fact

that when i was born in 1950 and was raised in the 1960's, it resonates with someone who said they thought they were the only day police officer. i thought i was the only gay person. there were not people i could identify with. there were characters on the streets of san francisco who dispatched people of a certain racial background. that was not someone -- i was not something i apply to. the police officer saying, the police will support you. i do not think that has happened in any other city in the united states. i am very proud to live in san francisco for that reason. thank you.

>> i just want to also knowledge that i am on the board of directors for the national center for lesbian rights. we will be bringing out and honoring five of the student plaintiff's in the case that was a cluster of suicides that happened for lgbt use in michele bachmann's congressional district. this is a fabulous time to bring this forward. we are looking forward to having them as our guest and i hope we can show them this video. and have some of the officers. >> absolutely. >> this is not a shy group. >> it would be great to have them meet all of the falls. >> one more. >> will be difficult -- >> we put it out to all of our officers in the department.

we had a number of volunteers. shawn beautifully, the officers that participated, and one of our dispatchers, they kept saying that it is how comfortable it makes you feel. every single officer, it was not difficult. they wanted to do this. that is something that truly touched my heart. all of us have been there. we have our own coming out stories and we all identify with kids. nobody wants to see a kid having to go through some of the stuff that we went through. we wanted to be there for them. i could not be prouder of this group of officers. they truly are amazing. >> we are going to end the past -- the press conference now. everybody will remain available for questions. thank you. [applause]

>> good morning. supervisor carmen chu, thank you for being here in our city administrator, namely kelly, thank you for being here. of course, our new public works director and his wonderful staff here. thank you very much there is a reason why there's three public works directors on this side. ed risk then, our new mta director, and i have the former public works directors. we're here with muhammed and with our city administrator naomi. one, to get an idea of where we're at with the rebuild of our wonderful general hospital. i need not repeat how important this institution is but to tell you that we are honoring that level of importance by being out here in full dress, because

we want to make sure that we're on time, with an budget, and this is proceeding with all of its complications as a major, important hospital-first city. i want to think the whole team that has been working together. i want to thank our dpw construction management team and the inspectors, because they're doing a great job. the reason why this is on time and we look forward to the possibility -- and i always have to say without being too overly exact on updates, but sometime this summer, perhaps towards the end of july, we are looking at the top behalf of this structure -- topping it off of this structure. that is a milestone. the largest bond capital program we have experienced. but one that was a smartly, thoroughly assessed with our capital improvement program and the city, one that i know carmen was proud of in her supportq this and the approach that we

have had in how we have approached and how we have build this thus far. and with the kind of modeling that has been experienced and with web corp. and having the design meld with the construction and construction management and getting early input from hospital management is the model that i think well, for generations to come, will be a model i think we will be proud of. because it will give us to honoring the way we use public money, these bonds. we want to make sure that they're billed to the specifications that we expect and they are done right. -- who want to make sure they are built to the specifications we expect. when we do that, companies can go on to many other projects we are involved in and help our city become that much more and successful. over 3000 jobs have been created in the life span of this project. it is important that we note

that, because job creation, again, is not only my mantra, but it is one that has been in every neighborhood asked that we really focus on as we approach all these projects. we have had a tremendous time in making sure local companies are participating in this project, and that is why ron alameda, a great project manager, has paid attention to every aspect, including local hire, training, local companies -- that is important to us as not only principles but as policies we embrace. having said that and having noted how important this is, with other public works projects that are just as important. it leads me to supporting naomi kelly's announcement she has made in the last 24 hours of

selecting not only good friend but someone that i valued in his eagerness to serve our public in the appointment of mohammad nuru. he comes in at a time when his skills have been demonstrated for this public works department, but also at a time when public works is not only implementing and managing these very important projects like general hospital, but we also have appeared 27, the cruise ship terminal that is already started -- pier 27 and the cruise ship terminal. we had the public library project. and the the last two completing a program that has been very successful for the city. we will get there with the bayview and north beach library. they will be completed because we have wonderful public works managers on top of that. we have the chinese recreation center that is about to be

completed with rec and park. we have a number of fire stations that are part of the whole public safety program, again it reflected in the 10- year capital infrastructure plan. i want to note that public works, while being one of the most important infrastructure departments, has also, over the years, had leadership that have collaborated with public utilities commission, with the port, with the airport, where it muni so that it is part of the official city family of doing things. i know that ed reiskin appreciates this collaboration, because that is how we get a lot of things done. it is not just the construction departments that we collaborate with. we are collaborating with our police department, with our human services department, with all the other agencies that need to get involved.

when we do that on the front end, we get even better results. we get timely results. that is the character of muhammed nuru himself. you know, whenever you pick up garbage with somebody for five years and you go into the gritty as part of our city, the alleyways where we have discovered graffiti and illegal dumping, when we worked along side of companies like recology and others, when we go at midnight unplugging sewer lines in the middle of the night after a huge rain, you know who you are working with. you know the character of the person you're working with. you know they do not give up. you know not only is there a work ethic there, there's a level of enthusiasm that reflects a strong value of love for neighborhood and a love for the city. that is why note -- mohammad

nuru has been selected to be our new public works director for the long haul and will help naomi and all the other departments of the city administrator's office collaborate with the rest of the city family to get things done. i am so proud of mohammed, proud of his consistent effort to reflect his love for neighborhood, that i will be out of their wine saturday from this weekend, on a march 10, to begin my resurgence in the cleanup teams of saturday mornings, and to make sure that you know that just because the mayor said in room 200, i do not sit in that room, i use that room to empower the rest of the networks. i will be out there. when it comes to carmen's district, i will not only be part of the cleanup teams, but i will spend a couple hours both saturday's opening up myself to a neighborhood involvement. and i ask neighbors to join me. i will buy them a cup of coffee.

because i am proud to be part of the clean team, using that opportunity to collaborate with more residents and find out what it is that we can do to continue a high level of service and at the attention to every district of the city. again, i want to reiterate how proud i am with public works. i know wonderful people like joe are retiring. he has figured it out. but, joe, we're going to use you, even in your retirement, because you and so many other water all people who are still part of public works have really deliver on a promise to the city that will take care of not only cleanliness and a bit of vacation but infrastructure and the collaboration needs to represent a great city, a city that knows how to get stuff done. that is all what residents and voters want. they wanted these simple times of getting kingstowne and collaborating and communicating. i know it has become much more difficult with the huge regulations.

with financing, it has become more difficult. with the loss that we're faced with and how to manage the project -- with the laws we are faced with and how to manage the project. with the laws imposed upon the port, airport, muni, and other agencies, we needed to permit that goes beyond sitting back and awaiting root for things to happen. there are actively looking for relationships with our general hospital. our general hospital has already starting to talk to me about, ok, when we're finished with this, there is another project that money to pay attention to. they're thinking ahead about the medical needs of our community. that is why it is so wonderful to be out here, because people are not just taking care of immediate emergencies. there also assessing have those emergencies can be part of a wonderful city that protects itself, that will be seismically safe, that will be working all along this time with disaster

recovery. these are all of the elements of the great city. so i want to thank everybody here was with me. again, i want to thank naomi for a wonderful decision. naomi. [applause] >> thank you, mr. mayor. in addition to all the wonderful things that you said about mohammed's leadership and the reason why i am so confident that he is the best director for dpw right now and can leave this world-class organization is his hardworking it does the plan and work ethic, to oversee all these wonderful public works projects. he is going to oversee these projects and make sure that they, on time and under budget. and one of the things he has done is embrace innovation. he has in dpw staff that he is a monitoring that looks at the performance measures to make sure to look to the performance

of these projects, and he meets weekly with his staff to make sure that, again, there on time and under budget. in addition to the discipline to these public works projects, we referred to him as mr. clean. you can probably twitter that and find mohammed nuru there. the mere mention, he is out at every neighborhood, looking to make sure garbage is picked up, griffey is removed, making sure that our neighborhood in san francisco, every single member it is beautiful. because of his enthusiasm and his work ethic, he has increased the number of volunteers of volunteering along with the dpw crews in san francisco over the weekend to make sure our neighborhoods are beautiful. you have to appreciate his enthusiasm that so many of us are working alongside with them to make sure that this city stays beautiful.

because of this, these are all the reasons and the reasons the major religions are the reasons of why i have chosen mr. nuru to be the next director of dpw. with that, i would like to introduce mohammed nuru to you. [applause] >> good morning. thank you all for coming out. thank you, mayor. thank you, naomi. ed reiskin, supervisor carmen chu, micro-deputy directors, thank you all for coming out. i am honored and humbled that i have spent to lead the department. i feel really good that we had a very good place with the city's capital planning that was led by mayor lee many years ago. we were able to schedule our projects and were able to pass a bonds. as you heard, with the hospital, we just started work on the

cruise terminal where we actually got the team to continue the demolition to bring that project to fruition. we have the new police headquarters down on third street. we have several libraries, market street. we have so many great project. i feel very fortunate to come in with this gift of being able to work with all the public works staff, with the staff from other agencies, mta, the police department, and all these city agencies. most importantly, as the new director, i cannot forget where i came from. i did come from the community, and i am a very strong community organizer, and i will continue to spend a lot of time in my community to listen to what their needs are and what kinds of results they expect from the city family. i will do my best to make sure that we deliver. i will also work with the board. i have worked very closely with

carbon -- carmen that with all the board members to make sure they know what we're hearing from the communities. as a family, with the other city agencies, we can continue to deliver world-class projects for san francisco. again, i am honored. i do not want to keep on talking, but i am very excited. i want to thank everyone for coming out today. thank you very much. [applause] >> i think that is it. now, the mantra of mr. clean, let's go to work. thank you.

>> feel like it really is a community. they are not the same thing, but it really does feel like there's that kind of a five. everybody is there to enjoy a literary reading. >> the best lit in san francisco. friendly, free, and you might

get fed. ♪ [applause] >> this san francisco ryther created the radar reading series in 2003. she was inspired when she first moved to this city in the early 1990's and discover the wild west atmosphere of open mi it's ic in the mission. >> although there were these open mics every night of the week, they were super macho. people writing poems about being jerks. beatty their chest onstage. >> she was energized by the scene and proved up with other girls who wanted their voices to be heard. touring the country and sharing

gen-x 7 as a. her mainstream reputation grew with her novel. theses san francisco public library took notice and asked her if she would begin carrying a monthly reading series based on her community. >> a lot of the raiders that i work with our like underground writers. they're just coming at publishing and at being a writer from this underground way. coming in to the library is awesome. very good for the library to show this writing community that they are welcome. at first, people were like, you want me to read at the library, really? things like that. >> as a documentary, there are interviews -- [inaudible] >> radar readings are focused on

clear culture. strayed all others might write about gay authors. gay authors might write about universal experiences. the host creates a welcoming environment for everybody. there is no cultural barrier to entry. >> the demographic of people who come will match the demographic of the reader. it is very simple. if we want more people of color, you book more people of color. you want more women, your book more women. kind of like that. it gets mixed up a little bit. in general, we kind of have a core group of people who come every month. their ages and very. we definitely have some folks who are straight. >> the loyal audience has

allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup. established authors bring in an older audience. younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. >> raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. it ranges from fiction to academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. >> and there are so many different literary circles in san francisco. i have been programming this reading series for nine years. and i still have a huge list on my computer of people i need to carry into this. >> the supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club.

a deep explorationer of a single work. after the talk, she bounces on stage to jump-start the q&a. less charlie rose and more carson daly. >> san francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. multiple reading events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big names like city arts and lectures. radar was voted the winner of these san francisco contest. after two decades of working for free, michelle is able to make radar her full-time job. >> i am a right to myself, but i feel like my work in this world is eagerly to bring writers together and to produce literary

events. if i was only doing my own work, i would not be happy. it is, like throwing a party or a dinner party. i can match that person with that person. it is really fun for me. it is nerve wracking during the actual readings. i hope everyone is good. i hope the audience likes them. i hope everybody shows up. but everything works out. at the end of the reading, everyone is happy. ♪