especially. again, i am the management of hiv testing and prevention, and you would be eliminating my position as well as those of my staff and our ability to get too specific, targeted a chevy testing in california to our youth, who are sometimes the most vulnerable. thank you. [applause] >> i am here for stonewall. it has been a big part of my life for the past year-and-a- half. it is the only low threshold place for gay men or men who have sex with men, bisexual men, can go to to access mental health, substance abuse, and a chevy-related issues. i'm happy to say you're sorry hiv negative today, and

completely drug free to date -- i am hiv - today and completely drug free. they put me in the driver's seat of my own vehicle, and they were on my team the whole way through, and they still are to this day. it is something that needs to be supported. it cannot be cut. $200,000 -- that is it the people that will be cut out of complete services. there's already 75 to 100 people on the waiting list. i cannot even refer people to the services any more because there's just no room for them. this is huge for the community. this has been a huge part of my life, and i needed to please not cut these. maybe in the next conversation we have, it will be up in the budget because these are services we need. i started using drugs on a daily basis, and now i am volunteering and putting out into the community, making it possible for other people to have the opportunity i have been given. i beg of you -- please do not

cut this. thank you. [applause] >> i was just curious, would you give us a little extra time to account for translation? >> sure. and thank you. >> [speaking spanish] >> mr. mayer, supervisors, collaborators with the mayor -- mr. mayor, supervisors, collaborators with the mayor, i would have loved to have spoken to you in english. unfortunately, i was not able to learn english, so i will talk

to you in spanish. i'd like to ask, particularly on holy week, for a miracle, and we hope this merkel will be able to help us all fix the problems that we have.

so i am speaking today in particular in support of this program. la raza has been able to help me with many of my problems, legal and social, and where would i go, basically, that they are not able to provide that service to me. i am sorry, i just had a brain blank. this problem is not only unique to me.

it is unique to other seniors, modeling will as well as other latino seniors. without their help, where would all the other seniors go? i realize that there are these problems outside of the city, and it is particular to san francisco. i am in shock of all of the issues i have heard today as well. i thank you for your attention,

and i have great pride in being able to speak in front of you. [applause] >> thank you. the last two speakers, if you could please line up. [reading names] >> i will go first. mayor lee, this is the first time i have seen you in person. i am a volunteer in the mission district. we have been passing liars to inform people about possible new legislation later in the year for improvements in the community jobs program.

participants in this community jobs program are people of color, in particular, single mothers, so we feel like there needs to be a genuine, new work training program for participants to be able to work in non-profit communities, such as in the mission district, and also in the future, given the training for service jobs. so it will definitely need funding as well as having an advisory committee to oversee this program. we feel like it has not been overseen. we think it is about time for people of color to gain the right training and a possible better future for themselves and their families. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. ok, those were actually the last

two speakers that i will call on because we are now at the time when we want to hear from our esteemed mayor, a supervisor, with their thoughts are, some reactions, some thoughts about what kind of priorities they are thinking about in terms of looking at and thinking about the budget process, and some of the steps they think would be good to take in order to make sure people feel understood and listen to. supervisor campos: thank you, everyone, for your comments. i think there was a lot that was heard today. one of the things that struck me as very powerful is this notion that we have a tale of two cities here in part of district 9, and i think it is something that will guide the

decisions that we make, and i do think that as we talk about jobs, that it is important to remember the small business community and the community- based organizations that also provide those jobs. i want to echo some of the comments around right away. as an openly gay man, i can tell you that that is a big priority for me. i want to agree with everything the supervisor wiener said about that. for the three of us on the board of supervisors who are members of the lgbt community -- supervisor wiener, supervisor olague, and myself -- i know we will be continuing the discussion as we move forward with the rest of the budget. i was touched to hear about the importance of protecting our transitional-age youth and the queer youth that have some specific needs. i think it is really important that we make that a priority,

and i know that i am certainly committed to making that happen. la raza is a very important institution and organization in this neighborhood, and i know it has been a priority for the mayor before and we will continue to focus on that. the last thing i will say is the one of the things i have been pleased to hear from the mayor is the importance of making the city a family- friendly city. for me, the fact that we have the lowest rate in terms of the number of youth and children we have living in the city -- even lower than new york city and manhattan -- tells me we need to do more to make sure we are a family-publicity, not just for a low-income families, but all families, which is why course, free muni for all youth has been a priority. but i will turn it over to supervisor wiener. [applause]

supervisor wiener: thank you, supervisor, and thank you to everyone who came out tonight. in this kind of format, sometimes, it is hard to cover all the bases. there were certainly some very important budget areas that did not come up to us, but i want to make clear to everyone that they are critical. we are all devoted to our parks system and making sure that we are supporting our parks and keeping them open and available for everyone. for those of you who have not seen the beautiful new playground in dolores park, please go over there and look at it. it is absolutely amazing. just packed with kids all the time. i mentioned our roads at the beginning. emergency preparedness, making sure we are prepared as a city with our infrastructure and housing of the the next earthquake. i know that has been a huge priority for the mayor. we have so many buildings in this city that are vulnerable, in closing -- including a lot of

rent-controlled housing and low- income housing. in the legislation we pass, we have to focus on that. those are just a few additional things. i am very happy to hear from some of the queer youth the game tonight. i live very close to lyric. i used to live on the same block. i told the executive director the other day that i wish it could be open until midnight so we had a non-alcohol-based space for youth to go to in the castro. every time i meet with cheryl lichens, i ask when she is going to bring transitional-age youth housing because i think we need it and i think our community would embrace it. i also want to talk about muni and the free muni campaign. i am very appreciative that the advocates have really raised this issue of youth access, and

i am passionate to make sure we are funding ito the level it needs to be, making sure we are putting enough money into maintenance so that everyone -- youth, elderly, everyone in between, rich and poor -- are able to use the system. i believe we should be providing free or deeply discounted muni to low-income youth. i personally do not see the rationale for extending that to upper income kids, families that can afford it, because by doing that, i am concerned that we are going to increase muni's inability to maintain its system. every penny we take out of maintenance is a penny we are not spending on making our system run, but i think we all agree that we need to increase youth access, and i know there's a lot of common ground, and i'm confident that mta and the city family will come together to make sure that all youth have

access to our public transportation system. thank you, everyone, and i will hand it over to mayor lee now. mayor lee: first of all, thank you for coming out, and if any of you felt you did not get a chance to speak tonight because of the limited time, please follow up with us. i want to hear from everyone, and i know the supervisors and department heads appreciate, even tonight, with the hour that we had, the richness of the ideas and viewpoints have been appreciated. when it comes from youth or seniors, family advocates, the different lifestyles we have here in both districts i think is deeply appreciated by everyone here, and it does not make our job any easier. it certainly complicate it, but for the right reason, and that is that there is a rich diversity out here, as we have always known, and it is represented tonight with all the testimony.

i will be open to all of the ideas that are presented tonight. as i have said at the outset, we have to do a lot of balancing, but i am here to be as sensitive as i can about all the issues that are raised. clearly, each and every one of them seemed to touch a very strong feeling about why i have been mayor, both on an interim basis and as an elected mayor of the city. it does not get easier, but i have great minds here who are joining me in this attempt to balance it. i would like to say there will be some responsibility on your side as well. balancing the budget is one thing. there will be some choices that you will have in november, and i would like you to consider your approach towards our parks. you will have the opportunity to vote on the bond with that.

you will also be giv other choices as well to help in making some decisions that will move our city forward. at the same time, let me warn you about some things people are doing that might hurt us. there will be in our neighborhoods people passing around something called sustainable water environment. read through it very carefully. some people want to say take down hetch hetchy. do not have a dam that provides us with clean water and hydroelectric power. do not be tricked into that. i want to let you know that. i have not been a politician before, but i know a threat when i see it. somebody will tell you something. please read it carefully before you sign on. in my opinion, it is not good for our city. an aide to educate as many people as possible. you are going to have those choices in november. it is early enough.

we are now having choices tonight that you have presented to us. i do feel for our youth, our families, our seniors. yes, i will do my best to approach this, but i do have to say that there has to be something fun in the city. my daughters grew up when it was only $10. the road everywhere and always reported to their mom and dad that they did not need a ride. i want our youth to feel this is their city as well and to take responsibility for everything that they do. part of it is what message we send them about their own transit system, to try to balance that off. what is the best policy for our city to register a transit system that serves everybody. we are going to wait all back -- all that as we make the final

decisions in the next few weeks or months. i will share with you that value that i do believe that our youth will inherit a better city and they should. we should create those conditions for that to happen. with all the problems that we have, if i could suggest, we still have to have a city that is fun to live in as well. we will continue trying to make it fun, whether it is entertainment, the things we want, the parks we walk, the school system's we want, while we take on the serious business of providing services at the community level, cultural competence services, services that our hospitals, with the police provide, what our fired apartment provides, or what our schools provide. we will keep an open mind about that. i invite you, if you wish, to join us in the four other district-held town hall meetings before we start making other

serious decisions, or approach nor department and the commissions we have. as i said earlier, i need your involvement, your innovation, york investment in every aspect of this, so that next year, at the same time, you feel things have been heard and responded to, and that we are human beings, just as you are, trying to balance with the best priorities are for the city, but easily keeping an open mind on everything because i think everything should be in play as we make the best decisions possible. again, most importantly, thank you for coming out investing your personal time and energy and telling us what you think is most important for the city. appreciate it. [applause] >> thank you, mayor, supervisors, and all the city department directors. again, thank you all for the volunteers, the staff, office of civic engagement and immigrant affairs, the mayor's

office of disability, and sfgovtv for helping with this town hall. as a queer immigrant who lives in district 9 but hangs out a lot in district 8 and as someone who has an organization that is definitely about involving engaging the community, again, i echo encourage you to all be involved in the process of helping our city have the best budget for everyone, and get involved with your organization's, your city departments, your supervisors' offices, and look at the next few budget town halls, the dates and times and locations in this brochure to make sure you can be part of the process and that more community conversations like this can happen with your thoughts, your ideas, and your energy and investment. thank you, everyone. have a good night. [applause]

supervisor chu: good morning. my name is carmen chu and i want to welcome you to the district 4 in district 7 town hall on the budget. i am pleased to organize this alongside with the mayor. the big purpose is to be able to hear directly from you and get your feedback about what you want to see in the budget. we have done this one year before in the same spot and had a different format, one where our department had spent all of time what they talked about and we did not hear from you, the community.

today, we want to flip that and hear from you. we're going to have very brief comments and we will introduce the department heads in the room today. then we will launch right into the neighbor's presentation. with that, why don't i introduce my co-conspirator in this budget town hall. supervisor elsbernd: welcome to beautiful district 7. we are technically in district 7, so welcome. we want to keep these introductory remarks brief because we want to hear from you. this is your opportunity, one of many. you are here today and we are here today, but from now through july, call us, e-mail us, we need to hear your input on what you want to see in this budget and don't think if you don't get it out today you will have more opportunities.

carmen and i are excited we have the mayor here today. it is a real honor to have him out here and an honor for all of you to have your opportunity to speak to the person who between now and june 1 is crafting our budget and it is going to have the largest influence on what we see it in next year's budget. with that, the mayor of san francisco, ed lee. mayor lee: thank you, supervisors, and welcome to our zoo. i would like to think tonya peterson who is here. thank you for hosting us. we are safe because the zoo director is here. it is great to be out here and we are enjoying the wonderful weather. this is the fourth of six budget town hall meetings we are holding all over the city and i

want to thank both supervisors, and carmen has been at every single one of them. she will be helping the mayor to establish and craft to make the best decisions about are very complicated city budget. but i want to say that it begins, and the budget -- i was here last year when we had a lot of input from you and that in but did make a difference. we are listening very carefully. that is the only way i feel i and the board of supervisors can run this city well, is to listen to what the people in the neighborhoods and running small businesses say, going out there and getting your input. i want to say thank you to all of the various department heads with us today because they have been spending their saturdays and weekday evenings with us as they listened very carefully. they have commissions and commissioners who are here today

giving us input, so we will have a lot of input and i hope you feel your government is listening because that is the way we ought to be making sure the budget reflects the highest priorities of our cities. we know some of those things already. we want to keep this city safe and make sure it is solvent. these are things we talked about last year. because in the last year things have improved a little bit, i want to let you know we have a ways to go to get out of this deficit, but we are making progress. last year, when i was talking about that budget, our unemployment rate was at about 9.5% to about one year ago. today, it hovers around 8%. we're trying to get it below 8%. what that means is 17,300 people found jobs in our city. that is a very good starting and

it is my strong intention to make sure more people find that it. 8% means there are 37,000 people still without jobs who are residents of san francisco. i will be working hard. jobs is my number one focus because jobs for youth, for people looking mitt careers, returning veterans, it would be really helpful if the city did everything it can to make sure there are jobs and all kinds of areas from tourism to the medical field to the technology field with which we are partnering up with in a lot of ways. in return, we get companies who are succeeding a little bit better. they joined me this past friday with their school district, with our city college and other institutions to create a target of 5000 summer jobs for our kids. all of you should make sure you talk to the kids aged 16-24 this

summer and get into the program. we are creating 5000 jobs for our city departments to have 2500 of them to private sectors like the zynga, at&t, bank of america, wells fargo, they are all making a commitment to hire and have paid internships the the summer. we're working hard with everyone to make sure the city is successful. we want to continue that. this year, we want to make sure you are involved and you know the way to find solutions is to innovate and make sure we are working in a public-private setting. i want to make sure our city as a whole is investment friendly, that we create an investor confidence in our city. when we do that, as you realize, we are not getting more state funds.

it is cutting all the time. governor brown and the state legislature cannot figure their way out to greater revenues except for tax proposals they are proposing. but in the meantime, they have been cutting a lot of programs. it all falls on the city and county, so we have to be an investment-friendly city and have a relationship with private industry to make sure we create jobs and get a better tax base. that is what i am working hard on doing and i hope you will let us know what you think is the most important thing we need to pay attention to in this budget. we will hold these budget meetings and a lot of other meetings and hearings. the board of supervisors will hold a series of meetings. you have a lot of input and we will make sure it reflects the kinds of priorities you suggest for this year. thank you very much for spending this saturday morning in this

lovely area of our town. [applause] supervisor chu: before we begin, i want to think a lot of the folks to help to make this possible. the volunteers, the mayor's office, the office of civic engagement doing translation service, the mayor's office on disability and media services and sfgtv. supervisor elsbernd: we have a number of the department heads. the ground rules are simple -- hopefully when you walked in, you sign din and the of a question, you have already filled out. we are going to alternate district for question, district 7 question. they will pull them out randomly.