worms that the artist combined -- a design forms. very modern. our visitors are really surprised that so many of the works at a very modern feel to them. >> they believe that no object needed to be considered worthless or low class. each thing, existing in its own place, was the best thing for its place. and what first seems to be idle showiness, shows the richness of today and yesterday. >> it is exciting to have a project you have worked on for so long coming in know, come to your own museum. and museum curators are among the luckiest professionals, because we get to share with tens of thousands of people the things that give us enjoy and the things that explain to our

visitors the relationship between art and society. art is not just a frivolous, you know, sidebar. it is a very important expression of culture and morals. this particular moment, the artists were interested in community. >> san francisco is the exclusive american host for the cult of beauty exhibition. the legion of honor is website has more information about the artists and tips for planning your visit. learn more at the website. thank you for watching >> 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. ♪ >> you probably think you know all about the exploratorium. but have you ever been after dark? did you know there was a monthly party called after dark?

science mixes with culture and adults mix with other adults. no kids allowed. every week there is a different theme. to tell us about the themes is melissa alexander. tell us about some of the previous themes we have had. >> we have had sex ploration, sugar, red, blue. many things. >> what is the theme tonight? >> rock, paper, scissors. we are having a tournament tonight, but we have also used as a jumping off point to explore lots of different ideas. you can find out about rock, paper, scissors as a game as a reproductive strategy. you can interact with a piece of art created by lucky dragon. you can get your hair cut from a

cool place called the public barber's salon. they use scissors only. you can find out about local geology, too. >> that sounds like fun. let's check it out. >> this is the most common rock on the surface of the earth. interesting thing is, most of this rock is covered over by the ocean. >> error congested a cool presentation on plate tectonics. tell us about what we just saw. >> we wrapped up a section of a lesson on a plate tectonics, here at the exploratory and -- exploritorium. >> are you excited to see people here having fun and learning about science? >> the people that come here are some selected to begin with,

they actually enjoy science. i teach teachers to have fun with their kids. the general public is a great audience, too. they're interested in science. >> we have a blast every time. they have different names. >> they have a bar and a cafe. everything i need. we are excited for the speaker. >> it is nice to be in the exploratorium when there are not a lot of kids around. >> before tonight, i never knew there were major league rules to rock, paper, scissors. i am getting ready to enter into a competition. sarah's here to give me some tips. what do i need to do to win it? >> this is a game of chance, to a degree. one of the best ways to bring it home is a degree of intimidation, maybe some eye contact, maybe some muscle. it is a no contact sport.

sheer i contact is a good way to maybe intimidate to see if you can set them off, see if they throw something they did not mean to. >> i am going to see what happens. >> i got kicked out in the first round. [applause] >> given up for sunni. the rock, paper, scissors champion. >> what are you going to do now? >> i have been having so much fun. i got my tattoo. before we go, i want to thank melissa alexander for having us here tonight. how did you know san francisco needed a night like tonight? >> thank you for coming. everybody loves the exploratorium. we are reluctant to push the kids out of the way in the day, so i knew we needed to create

one evening a month just for the rest of us to have a good time, the adults. >> absolutely. where can we find out what is coming up after dark? >> that is easy, exploratorium .edu/afterdark. >> thank you. thanks for watching >> there are kids and families ever were. it is really an extraordinary playground. it has got a little something for everyone.

it is aesthetically billion. it is completely accessible. you can see how excited people are for this playground. it is very special. >> on opening day in the brand- new helen diller playground at north park, children can be seen swinging, gliding, swinging, exploring, digging, hanging, jumping, and even making drumming sounds. this major renovation was possible with the generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the mercer fund in honor of san francisco bay area philanthropist helen diller. together with the clean and safe neighborhood parks fund and the city's general fund. >> 4. 3. 2. 1. [applause] >> the playground is broken into three general areas. one for the preschool set, another for older children, and

a sand area designed for kids of all ages. unlike the old playground, the new one is accessible to people with disabilities. this brand-new playground has several unique and exciting features. two slides, including one 45- foot super slide with an elevation change of nearly 30 feet. climbing ropes and walls, including one made of granite. 88 suspension bridge. recycling, traditional swing, plus a therapeutics win for children with disabilities, and even a sand garden with chines and drums. >> it is a visionary $3.5 million world class playground in the heart of san francisco. this is just really a big, community win and a celebration for us all. >> to learn more about the helen diller playground in dolores park, go to sfrecpark.org.

>> thank you. good morning, everyone. thank you very much. as many of you know, i'm a person that doesn't like a whole lot of drama.

but i do want to make sure that we take this opportunity to enjoy. this budget is one that's important to all of us, it certainly is one to me and one that reflects a lot of great work. first of all, let me thank everybody for coming this morning. certainly board president david chiu for helping me co-host this and carmen chu and her work with us already started and will help guide us, along with board president david chiu on all of the hearings that the rest of the board will have. i want to thank each and every member of the board of supervisors as well. you've been weighing in and we've been creating a different dialogue on the front end to make sure that all of our constituents know what we're doing, more transparent, and ultimately where our values are. i also want a big shout-out and

thanks to everybody in this room. there's a lot of department heads and commissions and labor representatives and representatives from our non-profits and community members as well. thank you for engaging us in this really dedicated six-month process. i want to go back to the very first neighborhood budget hearing that we held about almost six months ago. it was one where i was asked at the very beginning, what does the budget mean to you? and i wasn't the only one. there were several supervisors that were there, and we all said pretty much the same thing. it really is a reflection of our values as a city and it's one that we want to work hard at, but ultimately it is who we are and it's a combined effort here, a collaborative effort. so it still is that way, and you'll see from the highlights that we'll be announcing today, as reflected in this budget, it

still is a reflection of all of our values. so good morning, everybody. thank you for joining me here today. again, thank you for board president chiu and budget chair carmen chu and all the others that i've identified here today. i also want to say at the outset this budget reflects countless hours of work. a lot of work behind the scenes. in addition to all the neighborhood budget meetings that we had, there were numerous, numerous staff meetings. kate howard's done a wonderful job with her staff. they've met with all of the different departments -- [applause] this is her first full year budget working with us and she's done a great job and her staff has done a great job.

it isn't just putting numbers together, it's listening to each of the finance personnel from each department, it is engaging in the numerous meetings that we have with community, it's engaging with staff of the various supervisors, the non-profits. we had special meetings help, it was health and human services and housing and homeless advocates and others. she was there and her staff was there at every turn making sure that we listened and it reflected in both number-crunching and challenging what the priorities are and so forth. also want to give a shout-out to steve cava. steve, wonderful with all your work. [applause] it's not easy. you and micki callahan, it's really not easy at all to face a year when there's 27 contracts open, trying to face

everybody in the room, trying to make sure that we can make promises we can keep. having been a former employees relations director, i know that keeping promises with our labor representative is critical to building trust and to make sure that we carry out and we honor all that they do every single day in carrying out services for us. to all the department heads and your wonderful staffs, thank you. i also want to make sure i acknowledge all of our labor unions, all of our representatives. for years you've worked with us and sacrificed and bemoaned the bad budget years, but you've stepped up in every occasion. for the department heads and non-department heads who we've shared challenges with, thank you for sacrificing so many years. and now we get to, i think, a budget that has some relatively good news and a good

foundation. this year we begin the hard work of presenting the city's first two-year budget. and we began that year with a $263 million deficit for our general fund. and then the coming year, the second year of $375 million shortfall. that's what we faced at the very beginning. but because of the fiscal discipline that we put in process, a discipline that's reflected in the great work of ben rose enfield and his staff and the controller's office that keeps reminding me of the credit ratings of our city and that we must make sure that we do things in a very solid financial way, we made investments in job creation and we made commitments to reform with that guidance. now san francisco's economy is recovering and reserves are going. in fact, during the last nine months the controller has reported that our revenues were

$172 million more than projected. this is good news. this is good news, but it did not come without commitments, without sacrifice by everybody and all the groups represented in this room. i would like to again thank owe employee unions for working with us to find a common goal, saving more than $28 million in your contract negotiations with us. i'm happy to report that i'm presenting a responsible and balanced two-year budget. while we spare the city the deep cuts we've experienced over the last several years and one that i present to you in a san francisco economy that's recovering, in this budget you will see investments. investments that ensure that people who live, work and visit our city feel safe, investments that protect our social safety net that supports seniors and youth, low-income and working-class families,

investments that support our neighborhoods, our infrastructure and our commercial corridors. this budget reflects a lot of collaboration and partnership with our san francisco community. one thing we agreed on early was that in a time of state and federal cuts, protecting our social safety net is more important than ever, and in this budget i've rejected all service reductions in our health department and human service agencies. [applause] s i've included full restoration of federal cuts to programs and services that serve people with h.i.v. and aids. the loss of redevelopment has been a severe blow to our city,

especially for this first street corridor. so we will invest in economic initiatives in the heart of bayview to stabilize businesses and attract new ones. [applause] we will also continue our investment in central market and especially sixth street, where the elimination of redevelopment has left a gap in services. with our community partners and including the very spirited arts community that's been so wonderful in helping us lead that effort, we'll support businesses in that sector, attract new ones, and keep the area clean and safe. we will also invest in the youth of sfsk and in their education. i will propose releasing the $6 million in rainy day funds to support our public schools, to offset the state's deep cuts to education. [applause]

most importantly in this budget we are putting san franciscans back to work. you've heard me say on many occasions recently our unemployment rate dropped from 9.6% in early 2011 to 7.4% today, our lowest since 2008. [applause] we, as a city, along with our business partners and every neighborhood, we created 22,500 net new jobs in san francisco in just the last year. [applause] that's good. that is really good, but we need to do more. with this budget we are continuing to invest in strategies and incentivized job creation, training, and place our residents for their jobs for the 21st sent re. we are creating a climate that gives entrepreneurs and investors confidence in our city, allowing them to work with us to innovate, grow and

create jobs, whether they are in neighborhoods, small businesses or tech start-up or a thriving global headquarters. in neighborhoods, we are more than doubling grants available to small businesses, and we are including $4 million for neighborhood commercial districts through our new invest in neighborhood strategy. that includes job squad and the recapitalize the small business revolving loan fund. we are bringing staal to the neighborhoods -- city hall to the neighborhoods where it belongs, to support small businesses. my proposed budget includes $4 million in smart capital investments and $441 million in smart capital investments in our city's 10-year capital plan to improve and invest in the city's infrastructure. [applause] over the next two years we'll

invest in and improve or water system and continue investing in our waterfront. we will also continue to invest in our parks. and i've joined the members of the board of supervisors to introduce $195 million bond measure to keep our parks clean and safe. [applause] all told, over the next two years enterprise departments will spend more than -- will actually support more than 8,700 jobs in san francisco by infusing $1.3 billion into our local economy. as our economy grows and as we add jobs, we must redouble our efforts to expand housing opportunities and build more housing for people at every income level. i get it. i know there's anxiety out there, because rents are start together creep up again in

every neighborhood as our economy recovers. but the answer to scarce housing and rising rents is not to stop growing our economy or creating jobs. that's why we proposed the housing trust fund measure for this november, to create a permanent source of housing and revenue to fund the production of housing at every level of our economic spectrum. i am pleased to share with you, too, that my budget also includes a six-year police and fire hiring plan. [applause] this hiring plan for police and fire will train the next generation of san francisco public safety personnel. we are planning for anticipated retirement, reducing overtime and making sure our public safety departments are appropriately stand. mow, of course, this submission of the bubt is not the end of the process. i've looked forward to working

with the full board to ensure that our residents receive quality services while we balance the budget and continue in our economic recovery. i again want to recognize supervisor carmen chu and the board of supervisors for their steadfast leadership and commitment to building a collaborative process, backed up with our board president, david chiu. thank you steve cava, chief of staff, thank you budget office, director kate howard, and to best rosenfeld, thank you to you and your wonderful staff and i will advance, thank you harvey rose, for his work he'll be doing. this is very less dramatic presentation, i know that. but all the work that's been done in a very comprehensive way, and i want you to know that the values of the city are intact, we are moving forward, and we are investing in all of our neighbors in sra