for years san francisco has been a shining example of how we get things done together. and not only have folks from asian-american community and from all walks of life. san francisco is truly a melting pot. we want to celebrate our lunar new year and hope for a prosperous new year. and my new role as assessor, we hope that is true. rather than dragging out this presentation. i want to bring up to speak a number of people who you all know, who you all love. and of course who have many things to share with us. san francisco is very fortunate and lucky to have with us our first asian-american, first chinese mayor, mayor ed lee. please welcome him. [applause] >> thank you, supervisor.

happy new year everybody. now i want to explain before the news media talks about it. there is an obvious explanation for why the women are sitting on one side. and the men are sitting on the other. because if you have heard councilor general gao in his speeches around the year of the serpent. you often know he has explained this is the year of mini-dragon. we will do some things, maybe not as bold as the dragon. we will continue to do smart things that represent what the serpent does, and keep all of our promises and make sure we do the right thing. those are great attributes. and he said something i am curious about, he said this is also the year of romanticism. we are supposed to be romantic. and i understand there is a

division up here. they don't any of it. [laughter] at least not among these girls. anyway, i want to welcome everyone here. to the city hall to the people palace, to enjoy our celebration of the lunar new year. i again want to acknowledge and appreciate the board of supervisors beginning with board president chiu. and all supervisors, supervisor wiener and supervisor cohen. and i want to thank our business community here. the nonprofits. the community organization center. really allow our city to be so rich in services and in cultural understanding. you know this is a very fortunate city. it's one that is built on many

struggles on many decades. and because of those struggles and because of our society's willingness to find freedom. equality. to keep the doors of opportunity open for everybody. we now find ourselves as one of the most diverse cities in the whole world. and this makes us so strong. stronger than any other city in the country and perhaps the world. because we invite unity in once place. and in san francisco our diversity has been our strength in so many ways. whether diversity of culture. diversity of entertainment. the diversity in our approach to life. in the way that we communicate with each other. and you know growing up in san francisco what makes it challenging, in order to really be a citizen of the city. you got to speak more than one

language. in fact anita and i made sure that our kids spoke at least two additional languages. because we wanted them to be citizens of the world. and they have done right, now they are happier as a result. this is a standard of life we have in our city. one that we created out of our struggles. and that's why i am happy to be here with the counsel general gao and with the counsel of philippines and vietnam. so many of the countries that are looking towards hope and light in america see san francisco as the gateway. for ideas to happen and for exchanges to happen. and for celebrations for who we are, and who we have been about. and whether music or art or cultural exchanges. we have an appreciation for the

diverse culture. this is special for our city. i want to express a deep appreciation for the asian-american foundation that is a part of this celebration today. along with those who have created their own resources to make this happen. and as carmen said the ninth year we had. we are very lucky to be in san francisco. and i will continue to say that every day i am mayor. everywhere i go and where i visit, there is always a group that has come from someplace else, and have found a home in san francisco or in america. and whether they are in the bayview or the mission. they are fascinated by our willingness to invite different cultures to blend in here.

and to make a showing that people from all over the world can find a place here to live. to find success. and to find a good economic foundation. and perhaps to find successes they couldn't find in their own countries. this is the dream that everyone has had to come to america. and it's right here in san francisco. and we are making it happen for more people. we are growing our economy now. we are creating international markets for our san francisco-made products. we are strongly encouraging our neighborhoods to be clear and accessible to different cultures. and when they are, they will make things that we have never seen before. discover things we haven't had. and then we have international forums upon which to talk about it, brag about it. communicate and to exchange. whether education or to sell products and services. this makes the world even better

and more closely tied. i am proud that we have the celebration that we celebrate lunar new year. and explain every year what the differences might mean with the different zodiac animals we celebrate. but in each and every one of those there is a lesson of life to see and visit and compare ourselves to and improve upon. and i would say that san francisco with the help of the people on the stage. as well as you in the audience, you are always helping to improve the city for the next generation. i look forward to 2013 being not only the mini-dragon, but the year that we get more things done. we celebrate and invite more people to come and live here. and we do things better that improve people's lives. congratulations. and happy new year. [applause]

>> thank you, mayor lee. and now why don't we welcome the president of the board of supervisors, an individual who needs no introduction. who has provided for leadership at the board, not for one term as the president but two terms but for three terms, david chiu. >> good evening, happy lunar new year to our cantonese speaking friends [speaking cantonese] to the mandarin speaking friends [speaking mandarin] and for our friends from vietnam [speaking vietnam] i want to thank you for the ashian capital of the united states. this is an auspicious time the beginning of the lunar new year.

for the first time our government is headed up by asian-americans. our mayor and our judicial officer, judge lee and our board of supervisors. in fact we have so many asian-americans we are often confused for each other. eric mar and i am confused of each other. and because of their moustache, norman lee and our mayor. this is an amazing week for sports. during the past week we had the asian-american basketball star, jeremy lin come to the bay area. and our giants are starting spring training. i think that is auspicious. but as our mayor said, we have had so many gains we have made. but we know we have a lot of

work to do. we just built an amazing chinatown conference and we have to be sure that we remain solvent. we are a city of immigrants. and we know that nationally we are having a debate. we need to be sure that reform happens. i know that every elected official and those who work for the city and county of san francisco, want to be sure that our asian seniors and our asian kids and families are taken care of. i want to thank all of you for coming together as a community. when you represent families or nonprofits or city government. thank you for being part of what makes san francisco so wonderful. [applause] >> thank you, david. next i would like to invite district 6 supervisor, jane kim to come to speak. she started with the board of

supervisors in 2011, and since that time she's risen to the occasion and shown great leadership on many city-wide issues. supervisor kim. [applause] >> thank you, and i want to thank supervisor mar for allowing me to cut the seniority line to speak ahead so i can make it to a community meeting on treasure island. you didn't practice as many languages as our president. i can say, may you have much luck and fortune in the new year in korean. as we celebrate our accomplishment in the asian community, as our mayor and president of the board out lined. we go back to honor our elders and our ancestors and those who came before us. as we celebrate our accomplishments in the community.

it's important to reflect on the ancestors that came before us that struggled so we can be where we are today. it's incredible to have such leadership in our city. and it's amazing to have a coalition of folks, to support asian-americans to be in these positions. and that would not be the case if not for decades of struggles, and continues. what i can say that i am most proud of here in san francisco and particular, the long history that asian-americans have had here since the gold rush. we have such strong institutions here in our communities and neighborhoods. and i am a product of one of them in chinatown. and a lot of work i have been able to do and the leadership i have developed comes from mentors that have taken me under. and that see the benefit of raising new generations of

leadership to continue their work. as we continue this work on the board and at the mayor's office. i think it's important to recognize what occurred before us, and respect and recognize that by continuing onward as we struggle on to be sure that the city benefits everyone. in terms of housing or jobs. i am proud to be a part of this city family. and last i will say, that the year of snake is also a time of reflection, and introspection and collecting one's self. think we had a lot of benefits last year, passage of bonds for the parks. and able to pass for the first time funding for affordable housing. and here in san francisco we passed a bond for city college. this is a good year to reflect on that and as we encounter the next phase here in san

francisco. which is a time of incredible growth. thank you very much to everyone that has been a part of that effort. i look forward to working with you. thank you, and happy new year. [applause] >> next i will like to bring an individual who was a professor. an individual who i believe used to be a radio host. and of course is a member of the board of supervisors grounded in family values, supervisor eric mar, district 1. >> thank you, good evening, everyone. happy year of the snake. i am eric mar from the richmond district. i always think of lunar new year and chinese new year because i think nine years ago when this celebration was started. my daughter, i could carry her on my shoulders. and i remember the lion dancers and others. and now she thinks she's a teenager. and i have to keep continuing to

encourage her to learn about our heritage and for pacific islanders and people of color throughout san francisco and our history. it's a great opportunity to share that with her and to encourage her to keep learning. and i always call my mother on chinese new year's eve, and talk to her how my papa and my grandmother and she tried to teach me and my brother about our heritage. that we carry forward our culture and heritage not just for ourselves but to our children. and i saw others asian pacific islanders on the school board. and within the school district there has been tremendous work to ensure that our curriculum is rich with the heritage for many

of us. and specifically pacific islanders as well. and that the challenge of guys to be more romantic in the year of snake. i am trying to think about that, it embarrasses the hell out of my daughter when i mention that. but that's something to think about guy s to be more romantic. and to carry that history. and i encourage you to come out to the chinese celebration on saturday. they are cramming us on one cable car. come to clement street and balboa as we celebrate the year of the snake. thank you. >> so usually every year we end up seeing sort of the same faces

we have been here at many events. and we are lucky this year to welcome a new face to the program, district 7, norman yee. >> thank you. how are you? having a good time? last year was the year of the dragon. and it was a good year. a year of growth in the city. and for our asian-american population, which actually reached 34%. it was also a year of growth for myself. as i was sworn in as a member of the board of supervisors. and for the first time in san francisco history there now an ashi asian-american mayor and five

asian-american supervisors. this is the year of the snake, and i hope that the city will be focused and disciplined in order to achieve what we as a city set out to create. in our tradition with our year of snake. i am excited in the work of my colleague in the spirit of collaboration and work with focus and discipline as called by the year of the snake. this saturday i realize there it will be a celebration. and the diversity of our city is so wonderful. that it could be enjoyed by all people. so it's a celebration of the lunar new year. yet there will be hundreds of thousands of people there from all walks of life celebrating with us. and i realize that the parade

itself is a big deal. while i was growing up. and i realized, i thought about the parade. we are going down kearney street now. but when i was a little kid, believe it or not, that parade went down grant avenue. and could you imagine that parade going down grant avenue with hundreds of thousands of people watching it? it was crazy. then i realized that the parade didn't just start when i was a little kid. but it started in 1860. that's one of the longest going parades in the united states. it's a tradition that i am glad that i am a part of. and that i can celebrate with my colleagues on the board of supervisors and also with the mayor. so once again happy new year. thank you very much. [applause] >> earlier mayor lee talked

about san francisco being an international city, and the responsibility that we all have as international citizens. we wouldn't be the city that we are, without the help of our wonderful, wonderful counsel general team if i can invite counsel general gao of china and counsel general hawk of singapore. now the mayor will be presenting a proclamation from his office. [applause]

>> good evening everyone. it's with great pleasure for me to attend for the sixth time the new year celebration in this magnificent hall. as you know just ask mayor, i am a dragon too. two me in the past year of the dragon. but also very happy to be the year of serpent. because the chinese believe serpents is younger brother of dragon. he's more energetic. more intelligent, smart. and more capable to meet challenges.

and grasp opportunities. of course in the year of serpent, everyone becomes romantic and attractive too. well, my sincere wish in the year of serpent san francisco, this great city of america, gateway to china. and the leadership of edwin lee, the first chinese american mayor ever. and the wholehearted support of supervisors, and for harmony, and new achievements in overall development. especially in his relationship with china. well, i wish everyone happy, healthy and professed year of serpent. thank you.

>> i am ethnically chinese but culturally southeast asian, let me greet you in from my region. i come from the country of the little lion, singapore. and having just come from india immediately before this posting, let me also wish you amos dei. mr. mayor, and madam supervisors, congratulations on everything that san francisco has achieved. especially the openness and diversity. so as not to keep everyone from the rest of the ceremony, and the enjoyment that awaits. let me only say that i am very, very honored to be in the

presence, not only of leaders elected and appointed. but serpent leaders. and i want to take this opportunity in the new year to wish you success in every good endeavor undertaken by the city. and abundance of all good things, overflowing to the lives of those whom you touch in your service. and prosperity from the soul and from the heart into what is tangible and material. so with that, let me thank you once again for this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, successful and prosperous new year. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much, and as we close, i want to have a special thank you to claudia

ching, of course without her tireless effort, we wouldn't be here. give her a big round of applause. and to everyone we wish you a very happy new year [speaking foreign language] please join us for refreshments.