chefs, please come out. and one of his many students. this cake is totally edible. and we made enough that it will be able to serve 500, if the mayor cuts small little pieces. [laughter] any way, happy birthday. >> thank you very much! wonderful! >> whoo, happy birthday to mayor

ed lee! we have a party in the house! thank you. and we are all going to get to have a piece. thank you. we're going to remove the cake so that it can be cut and you could each have a piece. meanwhile, we will have the finale, and we ask everybody to stand up and dance, ok? we would like to ask the elected officials, the dignitaries, commissioners, come up to the stage! we're going to ask the mayor to stay on the stage so we can watch him boogie. everyone, come on up. hi, dean, , not.

all right, party in the house! come up! ♪ [dance music plays] ♪

♪

[applause] >> great. whoo! ok, , like to ask our cultural profession folks to gather around the mayor for a group photo. please gather around, thank you. and we need to back up a little bit, thank you. all right. is the mayor a great dancer or

what? we need to get him to boogie down at his campaign. a reminder, pick up your ticket, please, as you had upstairs to the green room, at the reception, and i will see you at 7:00 p.m. weeknights on channel 5. have a great time tonight. thank you. enjoy, mental, eat. -- enjoy, mingle, eat.

>> this is the most contemporary art show in the history of the museum. let me give you some numbers. 31 artists across the 50 nations. 60 monumental works, the largest of which is behind me. this is a gift to all the people in our beloved city of san francisco. a gift to all the visitors near and far. let me give you our honorable mayor of san francisco. [applause] >> thank you for being here today. this month is a celebration of asian-american heritage. i wanted to thank our asian art museum, all of its staff, the

director. the board of directors. not just parts in san francisco, but asian-american art throughout the world. this is another example of something that i told my friends, if you see some people walking around here, they might be looking for a red lotus. i do not think they knew what i was talking about. i want to welcome this wonderful piece of art. the artist is here today to join with us. it is a reflection of what our asian art museum is contributing to the dialogue around art itself.

a year ago, we had the three heads and the 6 armi buddha that was another example of international art. this lotus suggest to you the feeling of international modern art. it is one thing the that that our asian art museum begins this month with their exhibition of -- what is the spots going on in the rest of the world? i know the asian art museum did a great job with the historic artifacts. but they wanted to be much more than that. they want to contribute to what is going on in the world today.

what are the international artists thinking about? what message are they sending to the rest of the world? what is going on in their mind across the world that would perhaps contribute to our own thoughts and values? this is an example of what i think will be an exciting contribution for years to come. what else can we expect from the rest of the world's throughout our asian counterparts in the far east? i have been happy to help cris andhristen -- help christen this effort. activities that will happen in the month of may. the street heritage festival will happen right here on the street beginning this saturday,

along with so many other activities. the rest of the asian communities in san francisco want to help signify and reflect. this is a wonderful city. part of its beauty is inheritance of being a gateway to all the different viewpoints that happened around the world. i want to thank all of our artists for helping share that with us. through their various art forms and participate through this movement of more voices, more viewpoints, more languages, more different cultures, contributing to the diverse views that we want to have in our city. that is how we established ourselves as an international gateway of the viewpoints of innovation around the world. when you see this, and i hope you come here at night because it is not just the beauty in the

daytime, its contribution to what we want to see happen in the evenings as well as for all of our residents and neighbors. this is going to liven the discussion about the contributions of art to our daily lives. thank you for being here. thank you for helping us chr isten this beautiful piece of art. it >> to route a career in public service that stretches three decades, ed lee has demonstrated his idealism and his pragmatism. he showed his confidence early, fresh out of law school.

he helped deal with san francisco at first organized rent strike to protect the rights of some of the city for almost a vulnerable residents peeping -- . -- most of vulnerable residents. he used his position for the last 20 years, effectively, winning unanimous support for a budget designed to close a $380 million deficit, negotiating pension reform that the voters approved last november, including such major employers as twitter. he is a strong education advocates and for programs that strengthen our communities and

our schools. to keep the partnership and the sf promise, which joins the city and university in the unified school district to deliver more graduates of our local high schools to san francisco state. ed lee's story is an all- american 1. like many of today's graduates, he is a first generation american 1. he became san francisco's first asian-american mayor in january 2011. [applause] he had been appointed at that time by the board of supervisors unanimously to serve out the remainder of mayor gavin newsome's term. ed lee exemplifies our

commitment to improving our shared society. he is our mayor, are kind of mayor, and he likes to say "i was a progressive before progressives were a political faction in town." i am proud to present to you, the honorable edwin m. lee. [applause] >> greetings. greetings to the members of the board of trustees, faculty and staff of san francisco state university, family and friends. good afternoon, class of 2012.

[cheering] i am certain the in a san francisco state of mind today. nearly 800 graduates from 109 countries, right here, at the university of our great city of san francisco. and thank you again for that very kind introduction. u.s. and a wonderful partner for our city, -- you have been a wonderful partner for our city, actively shaping our education policy for the 21st century new economy. you are a true capt. of change. week as leaders need to live by the values of social justice.

these reforms in higher education have impacted generations of students across the world. congratulations on your well- deserved retirement and a big welcome for dr. leslie wong, the incoming president, who will have to fill big shoes. i want to say to the alumnus today, as you go around the west of the world with your values reject -- around the rest of the world with your values as a graduate of this university, make sure people know san francisco is and always will be a sanctuary for the rest of the nation. [applause] and to your student commencement

speaker, if i may say -- [speaking foreign language] congratulations. he didn't know i could speak russian, did you? i hope to see you start a new tech company right here in the indonesian capital of the world, san francisco. -- in the innovation capital of the world, san francisco. [applause] i am thankful every single day for the opportunity to serve san francisco. is a privilege to wake up each morning and go to city hall and work for the people of this city to do everything i can to help you succeed in your lives. class of 2012, that is what today is about. succeeding and growing your lives, for yourselves, your

families, and as mayor, i will state selfishly, your city, were ever you go from here. i just turned 60 a few days ago, and i was thinking, maybe we did a few things in celebration. we blaze new trails for social justice and pushed the rest of america to embrace people rights for all people -- women, african-americans, asian- americans, latinos, gays, lesbians, people with disabilities. [cheering] we are a leader in protecting our environment, and we were the first city to adopt universal health care. [applause] and this university and this student body have been and

always will be the vanguard of excellence. when i was not much older than you, i came to the bay area to join others to make the world a better place. we locked arms and stood in the doorways of the international hotel to protest the wrongful eviction of elderly filipino and chinese immigrants who had no money and no place to go. we sued the san francisco fire department to give women and people of color an equal chance to be a firefighter for public safety. and we made a difference. today, i am proud that our state hired a woman to lead our fire department. i could never have imagined that in my lifetime the country would elect an african-american president, or that even the

people of san francisco would have collected an asian-american mayor. [applause] but we screwed a few things up along the way. the economy, the environment, social justice. we are still working at. now you are graduating, class of 2012. the challenges of the world are your challenges. so, you're next assignment, your homework for the rest of your life -- i can do that because i'm mayor -- is to run the ball a little further down the field and make this world a better place. i know some of your thinking "but, mayor, i have got to get a job. i have got to repay my student loans. i have to pay rent, paid for my mortgage. i have to care for my family."

yes, you do. we are letting you out on to the world stage in an economy where to many people are looking for jobs. it is survival of the fittest, like something of "hunger games." but my message to you is you're in san francisco, you are not on your own. it is more like "the avengers." no, i do not have any special superpowers. what i mean is that, while it may not always be evident, and he will have challenges as you leave this university and throughout your life, but always remember you are surrounded by a not so secret society of people who want to help you. they are people in business and government, law, the economy,

sports, health care, education and the arts, in every field who have achieved a measure of success and wisdom in there lives. the greatest gift they can ever give is to pass on a little bit of that wisdom and a little bit of what they have learned to you and help you achieve to an even greater degree. don't get me wrong. it is up to you and you alone to decide what you are going to do with this opportunity and not waste it. don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it is your boss, your family, or your mayor. don't lose yourself and your values. don't forget the world will change even amid the successes

you achieve. look to your communities and ask yourself -- "how can i give back?" because if there is one thing that i see in this economy that is emerging, all these great start-ups in technology and tech and biotech -- it is that success does not come from going it alone. success comes from collaboration, interaction, bringing diverse backgrounds and skills together for a common goal. go to these new companies. any of the incubators. due to mission the. they don't have offices. they have big open tables. they have white boards everywhere. the entire company knows the

value of collaboration. the idea that success comes from sharing ideas and goals, because that is how we get innovation. that is how you, class of 2012, can be the best. it is not just innovation, but an innovative approach to health care, curing diseases, cleaning our air and water, cheering social diseases and social justice. we are the gateway to the pacific rim, to asia, and to the west we have latin america and brazil. we are an international destination and b are known throughout the world.

-- and we are known throughout the world. you are part of a brand that represents new ideas, new frontiers. i will close with an apology. as someone you may not -- as some of you may know, the chinese zodiac has 2012 as the year of the dragon. the dragon is the only mythical animal in the chinese zodiac and the most powerful of all the rest. the year of the dragon is fittingly a time for risk- taking, bold decisions, and innovation. class of 2012, the world needs your risk-taking. seize this year of the dragon for yourselves, for your family, for the rest of your. your graduating at a time of immense opportunity and promise.

there is no better city on earth in which to begin your new life with a new degree in hand. we are so proud of you. always remember, we are proud of you and we are here to help you realize your potential. thank you, congratulations, class of 2012. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. i am the president of the board of directors of the golden gate

bridge highway and transportation district. it is my absolute pleasure to welcome all of you here this morning. thank you so much for coming out. as caretakers of this magnificent bridge, all of us here in the district know how treasured this landmark is and we know that each of us sees this bridge as our very own. it has its own personal meeting, its own history, and even its own emotional pull. that is why we celebrate this 75th anniversary with the theme bridging us all. since its inception, the golden gate bridge has had the power to connect us, and we happily share this bridge with the city, the bay area, state, nation, and even the world. to kick off our celebration today, it is only fitting that we are joined by so many special guests, the people, organizations, and public

agencies that have been absolutely instrumental in helping us kick off this anniversary celebration. first, i would like to welcome the wonderful organizing partners of our 75th anniversary and all those representing those partners who have joined with us here today. we begin with the golden gate bridge highway transportation district board and staff. [applause] raise your hand, board members and staff. the golden gate national parks conservancy board, board associates, and staff. where are you? [applause] the national park service. [applause] the presidio trust board and staff. [applause]