incredible part of our workforce development commission because that is exactly what our kids are looking for when they graduate and complete their city college. it is not just about a degree. it is about whether that degree leads to full employment. that is what people are looking for. this is what rodrigo stands out in my mind amongst all the people that we had a chance to take a look at. he has been involved as a pro bono structural engineer. his firm is a structural engineering firm, but he has been a part of many of our local nonprofits to have their projects successful in the past 20 years. i know rodrigo is a stronger performer. he is an advocate on behalf of students and he is committed to our city college and it will not lose its accreditation with rodrigo's help. [applause] for these reasons, i am

presenting to you, rodrigo, as a great asset to our city college, and i want to thank him for stepping up and accepting this appointment at a time when we really need reform. thank you to you, jenny, and the two kids for supporting you as well. it is most important than ever before that we do whatever it takes to get our city college back on its feet, for the sake of current and future city college students, for their families, and for all our city residents. it is a critical institution and we are preparing our residents to compete, not just to get the degrees, not just to get the job, but as a city, we need a city college that will help us compete with all the other international cities of the world, and it happens right here. so with that, i want to ask rodriguez to step forward and take the oath.

please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, rodrigo santos, do solemnly affirm that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the state of california, that i take this obligation freely, without any

mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and then i will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which i am about to enter during such time as i hold the office of a member of the city college board of trustees for the city and county of san francisco. congratulations. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, if i could present to you, rodrigo santos, the newest member of our board of trustees. [applause]

>> i am honored for this great appointment. as a new member of the board of trustees, i can tell you i will do everything in my power to ensure not only do we follow the great work of former trustee milton marks. that great legacy of public service. but at the same time, i join an institution that must be saved, an institution that must be preserved. [applause] i am absolutely committed to that goal. that goal will be shared by my fellow trustees. i will be working diligently with them to ensure we have not

only the consensus that we need to pass a difficult reforms, but more importantly, we must support the interim chancellor pamela fisher. [applause] our primary duty is to ensure that she receives the support and tools needed to implement the difficult reforms that are going to be required to preserve this incredible institution that teaches this history, as the mayor said, over 90,000 students. we're going to offer that supports. we think it is crucial as trustees to give the chancellor the support that is required,

and at the same time, we will hold her accountable. we will help her, we will challenge her, and i know she is imminently qualified to help us save this institution. i will tell you a little bit about my background. i am a naturalized u.s. citizen. i was born in ecuador. i came to the bay area, went to stanford university, and have a master's degree in structural engineering which i obtained in 1981, started my own structural engineering firm in 1988, santos and urrutia engineers. my partner is somebody that i met at stanford university. albert is a native san franciscan that attended the san

francisco community college. there is a program where if you take 28 units and you get 3.65 and above, you have a direct path to uc-berkeley for better, stanford. [laughter] i forgot this was being televised. [laughter] i met albert and we started the firm in 1988. that is 25 years ago. we employed over 25 people. quite a few of them, members of this city college. let me tell you, we hear a lot of negative things about the community college. but i must assure you, that in

terms of technical expertise and great educators, we have absolutely the best teachers in the nation. [applause] i can guarantee you we will be preserving them. i have, behind me, my wonderful family, my wife jenny, my two twins -- one of them. adriano and alexander santos. alexander graduated from ucla and is a proud member of the famous structural engineering firm of santos and urrutia. my daughter is a graduate of

boston university. she works for the san francisco international terminal marketing division. born and raised san franciscans. i want to encourage everyone out there listening that this is the best city to raise a family. regarding a few of those articles that you read about families leaving san francisco -- don't. stay in the city. this is what can happen to you if you stay. [laughter] in terms of my dedication, i think, san francisco has embraced me, has welcomed me, has allowed me to prosper, allow me to raise this incredible family. as a naturalized u.s. citizen, i

tell you i have learned a great deal about compassion, public service, and it is time for me to give something back to a community that has embraced me and opened their arms to me. [applause] and that is what i intend to do as a new trustee. you may have heard that i have an unusual work schedule. i open my office every morning at 5:20 a.m. i have an open house for anyone that want to come to my office to talk to me, hopefully, about engineering, until it o'clock a.m. i have been doing that for the last 25 years. why? because i would dedicated and committed to establishing and

creating a successful business. i will bring the same commitment to the community college. [applause] and to ensure it does not affect my private business, i will be opening the office at 4:00 a.m. [laughter] finally, i think is time for me to give something back to this wonderful community. i can guarantee you that nothing would give me more pleasure than being known not only as a structural engineer, but more importantly, as one of the trustees that was instrumental in saving city college. save city college. [applause]

>> thank you, everybody. we can stay behind to answer a few questions before we go. we have a meeting to begin right away with chancellor fisher, and we have a lot of things to talk about. >> [inaudible] fairly conservative organization, polarizing organization [inaudible] i will give you the chance to answer why you chose a polarizing individual. >> i would challenge that as being incorrect. the business background that rodrigo brings to this is a huge asset for city college. part of the challenges, if you

read closely the recommendations, is the challenges of not only fiscal but governance. having a business mind, i think, will be a welcome thing for the rest of the trustees, to have a conversation with someone with a business background. >> [inaudible] >> i do think the board of trustees will be less about politics and more about how to do good administration of the city college and make sure it is fiscally sound as well as the governance of it is sound. i think that is where the skills that will be a good match. >> [inaudible] >> my organization is extremely diverse. it is an organization interested in high density housing near transportation hubs. it is an organization that is green, an organization

interested in responsible growth. i do not know why you characterize that as polarizing. >> what have you done to protect the accreditation of the city college? >> we first need to make sure that we offer the interim chancellor all the tools she needs to be able to respond to the original eight items, now 14. we have until october 14 to make sure that we have covered those items. >> any specifics? >> i will be interacting with the interim chancellor and the mayor shortly so i want to make sure we can understand the global perspective and the responses we will be providing. i want to speak with a uniform boyce. >> given your background, how will you evaluate [inaudible] >> we will be analyzing everything. as a structural engineer, we will make sure the facilities we have, we will be analyzing them, and they need to be efficient.

do we have the possibility of consolidating some of those facilities? i am not sure. we will be making the tough decisions and a proper analysis. no money will be wasted.

>> [applause]. we have a very special guest. [inaudible] is here with us tonight. [inaudible] dancing. step dancing which we are familiar with. you may have seen this before. this will be a treat. [applause].