in a seismically safe built environment. i will also say that almost a year ago we were all at a different place. an impasse had cast some doubt as to our ability to move this project forward. and at this time i would like to thank and acknowledge several individuals that have been instrumental in bringing us back to the agreement, back to the table and building the consensus we needed to get this done. three members of our board of supervisors spent an extraordinary amount of their personal time as well as their city time to get this done. board president david chiu, supervisor mark farrell, and supervisor david campos spent an extraordinary amount of hours and i personally want to thank them for doing that because i know that those early morning hour meetings that occurred, the weekend phone calls, sometimes the phone calls were from lou to get them

back to the table after some doors were slammed. and we know that because i've been through that myself. yet i would say that dedication and leadership persevered through our supervisors, and they made it happen. this could not have happened without a local businessman's participation as well, and of course i'm speaking about lou girardo. he agreed to serve as a mediator, gave a huge amount of his personal time to this effort. and while i know he didn't realize what this would take when he first volunteered after we asked him, i also know that he worked through a lot of frustration to get this agreement happen. and it wasn't just the meetings that he had between cpmc officials, sutter officials, and the board of supervisors. he took those extraordinary steps and all of us usually ask of each other. he worked with labor.

he worked with associations of nurses and others to apprise them and keep them updated about what was going on. he worked with community leaders to make sure they knew about the things they negotiated, whether it was through their supervisors, through the mayor's office or through their direct contact with cpmc and sutter, that they were also -- their needs were being honored. he worked with housing advocates in the community to make sure their needs were heard and that this additional effort wasn't going to necessarily sacrifice a lot of things they had felt were of utmost importance to them. so, i just want to make sure we give a big shout out to lou girardo as well for his efforts in bringing everybody together. last but not least, i want to give a big thanks to mike co-hill and dr. warren bronner representing cpmc and sutter for them being able to take

another look ~ when supervisors called and when we got a mediator back together. i know it's hard when you think you have an agreement and then doubts are cast and things have to be relooked at, and they had to go back to their hospital administrative officials and their board to assure them that a deal could be had. and that's not easy in these times. by the way, i want to remind everybody, during these last year and a half, two years, all of the questions around the federal affordable health care act were also trying to be understood by everyone. that takes great toll on people who are spending millions of dollars on a hospital and not knowing what the future needs might be and how affordable care act would impact that. their past models had to be challenged and reviewed so that they can take care of folks for the next 10 to 50 years.

so, i know and understand that there had to be a lot there. going back to lou, he's often said that he's just a businessman, a baker, if you will. i think lou got the right recipe on this one. [laughter] >> and i think the recipe was all the things i just said about what he had to do to get this done, and the recipe included some main ingredients from our board of supervisors to add to that. so, brown the bread. lou, i just want to let you know that not only have we appreciated your work, but we all appreciate this wonderful approach that you did. and it was unique, but it was something that was absolutely necessary to get everybody out of their positions and into an agreed upon posture. with that, i'd like to bring board president david chiu to the podium because i know he spent incredible amount of time on this.

and, again, thank you, president chiu. and thank you, mark farrell, and thank you, david campos. david chiu. (applause) >> thank you, mr. mayor. and for the record, my recollection was there was only one door slammed, and i can't remember exactly who did it. [laughter] >> this is a great day for the health of san francisco. this is a great day for the future health of our city. i'm so delighted to be here. and let me also say that it was about a year ago that a couple of us at the board, including supervisor cohen, we held a very different press conference over on the board side and i am just amazed and so grateful that we have come as far as we have gotten to where we are today. it takes a village to build two hospitals and i want to take just a brief moment to thank everyone who has been part of that village starting first and foremost with the community. the leadership behind the elected leaders here who

ensured that this is a deal that's not only good for health care, but ensures that we are meeting our local hiring needs, our housing needs, our transportation needs, our neighborhood needs around the city. and, of course, i want to thank family of labor, both from the trades as well as our health care workers and our nurses who are very instrumental in making sure we get to the right deal. shout out, of course, to the entire lee administration starting with mayor lee, but i want to just take a moment and single out ken rich who i think really has birthed the baby that is represented here. [laughter] (applause) >> of course, we have to thank cpmc. i want to single out dr. bronner and mike cohill and just say we will be meeting you guys at boudine's bakery tomorrow. [laughter] >> a.m. and p.m. two days ago we took a moment to thank a true hero in our community, and everyone knows who i'm talking about, a man

who -- whose own organization starts with the letter b, i refer to him as our batman because we put up a bat signal in the sky next time there is a need in san francisco. lou girardo. and i thank my colleagues and their support. every one of our colleagues lended perspective to help make this deal better. thank you to katie tang who are here and eric mar. of course the three a ~ amigos, david and mark. we come from slightly different places but each of us like everyone here in the room, we wanted to make sure that thai 21st century health care system is created here in the city and this balances out what we need to make san francisco great. so, with that it's my honor to introduce the second of the three amigos, supervisor mark farrell. thank you for being here. (applause) >> thank you, david.

it's really great to be here today. we are so fortunate as we come before you, signing legislation to build two brand-new hospitals here in the city of san francisco, to upgrade two other hospitals in our city, and that being the cpmc campuses at davies and supervisor wiener's district, as well as the pacific campus here in district 2 where i represent. and i do want to thank cpmc for their incredible leadership and their involvement, for sticking with it, dr. bronner and mike cohill, thank you so much. to mayor lee and his team in particular ken rich. enough cannot be said about ken's leadership and really quarterbacking this project throughout the process. and to all of the leadership, to president chiu, supervisor campos, and all the board members that helped during this process. it was truly a team effort. and i also want to take a moment to thank the members in district 2 where two of the existing cpmc hospitals are being housed right now in the

california campus and pacific campus. and across the street will be from district 2 will be the new cathedral campus. and to all the neighborhood groups in district 2 who came together to work with cpmc, to work with my office, to work with the mayor's team, to make sure that all the neighborhood needs were met, to make sure that as we build these hospitals we build them in a way that makes sense for our neighborhoods. but in particular, in a way that we can deliver that health care into the next century for san francisco and really make sure that we continue to be at the forefront of health care delivery, not only here in our city, but across the country. we're extremely lucky in the city. we are the envy of other cities and states in our country. we add two new hospitals. we're product to be here today. i want to introduce one of my colleagues that played such an integral role in the process where one of the brand-new hospitals are going to be built square in his district. he was the biggest advocate for t. he needs to be congratulated for all of his work, supervisor david campos. (applause)

>> thank you. thank you, santa ferv. thank you, mr. mayor, to you and your amazing staff, and ken rich who has done an incredible job navigating this complicated process. i don't want it repeat some of the things that have been said, but i do need to thank the people who have made this possible, beginning with the coalition that has included a very broad and diverse group of folks from the community, from labor. they have truly been the backbone of this effort. ~ supervisor farrell and they are the ones that deserve the largest credit for this history. i also want to thank cpmc and stutter. ~ sutter. it's been a difficult process. i'm very appreciative to dr. bronner, to mike cohill that you kept an open mind and that you were willing to sit at the table with the three amigos and lou girardo and the mayor's office. it was not an easy thing to do. let me say that for me this is

a very personal thing because one of the things that will happen because of this deal is that we will have a new, larger, viable world class st. luke's hospital. it's a very personal thing. i talked about how, you know, my mom was rushed to the er at st. luke's, and, so, i know that this means a lot for so many different families. i also want to thank my colleagues on the board of supervisors and i want to thank supervisor wiener, supervisor tang, supervisor wiener for being here. they put a lot of trust in us and in this process. i know that they have their own issues and their own constituents. so it meant a great deal to me that you would put that kind of trust in us so it is greatly appreciated. and now it is my honor to introduce someone who, you know, one of the most rewarding things about this experience is that i had the opportunity to get to know one of the most remarkable people that i've had

the opportunity to meet in government. there is something about bakers. my grandmother was a baker and she's one of the most amazing people that i have ever met. and lou girardo, i have yet to meet a finer individual, a finer public servant, someone who not only has the skills to mediate something like this, but who is brilliant, who has a great deal of integrity and, of above all, who has a big heart, a real hero of mine, lou girardo. (applause) >> thank you. thank you very much, david. i simply want to say that it was a privilege and an honor to have been asked and to have been able to serve in this capacity. i want to thank warren bronner and mike cohill for turning this into a transparent process and allowing all of us to be educated. they are both very good professors. i want to thank ken rich for the job he did for the mayor's office. ken kept us all alive and

moving throughout the process and was the man who was better detailed than the rest of us. the three supervisors, i've said before and i'll say again, i've read about in the newspaper. i hadn't known them very well. i've not been involved in politics much in the last few years. and came in somewhat skeptical about who they were, what they were, and what they could achieve. but i would like to say that san francisco is very fortunate to have the 11 members of the board of supervisors that we have. they are all wonderful people. and i came away knowing that they believed in common good and that they were able to drop their political narcissism if they have such a thing, they de politicized and they put their ambitions aside to make this work. and at the same time, i think that the coalition of coalitions ~ needs a big thank you because they were a great educator as well. they kept us all informed as to what their issues were. but they weren't just giving us opinion, they were giving us fact. so,s we learned a lot from them

as well. so, here's to san francisco. we're lucky we've got such a great government. we've got a wonderful mayor, a great board of supervisors and now we're going to have two wonderful hospitals to take care of everyone. so, thank you all very much for the opportunity. (applause) >> i better sign these before the political narcissism steps in . [laughter] >> lou, thank you. thank you very much.

supervisor farrell, thank you. supervisor campos, [inaudible]. [laughter] >> dr. bronner, thank you. mike cohill, thank you very much. and this is a special one for somebody who has been working pretty hard, ken rich. (applause)

... >> hello, i am with the recreation and parks department. we are featuring the romantic park location in your backyard.

this is your chance to find your heart in santa and cisco with someone special. -- san francisco with someone special. our first look out is here at buena vista park, a favorite with couples and dog walkers. both have a significant force. a refreshing retreat from urban life. the romantic past that meander up and down the park under pines and eucalyptus. hang out in this environment and you might see butterflies it, fennel, and then the lines. -- dandelions. is ada accessible.

public transit is plentiful. we have conquered the steps, we have watched the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view. this is a place to take someone special on a romantic stroll and enjoyed a beautiful look out. welcome to corona heights located in the heart of this district. it offers a view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. it is one of the best kept secrets in the city. it is hardly ever crowded. on any given day, you will run into a few locals. , bought a 37 bus to get there without any parking worries. for legged friends can run

freely. there is also a patch of grass for the small box. >> it is a great place. it is a wonderful place to have these kinds of parks. that dog owners appreciate it. >> take time to notice of the wildfires that are on the grassland and keep your head out on the lookout for hawks and other bird life. be sure to take your camera and be prepared to take a view of the city will not forget. it has a beautiful red rock formations. you could watch the sunrise over the bay. this is another one of our great lookouts. we are at mount davidson. 928 feet. this is the place for you to bring someone special. to not forget that dogs and

enjoy all of the pathways and greenery that surrounds you. it provides a peaceful oasis of open space and great hiking trails. the spectacular view offers a perfect place to watch the sunrise or sunset with someone you love. >> it is a good place to get away from the hectic life of the city. come up here and listen to nature, i get some fresh air. that view is fantastic. >> where sturdy shoes. hikers get the feeling of being in a rain forest. mount davidson is also a great place to escape the noise and the bustle of the city. take the 36 bus and it will drop you at the entrance. it is quite a hike to the top but the view is worth every

step. this is the place to bring that someone special. golden gate park's largest body of water is an enchanting place. is a popular spot for paddling around in boats, which can be rented. created in 1893, it was designed for these your boating -- for leisure boating. it is named for the wild strawberries that once flourished. there is also a waterfall, two bridges, and trails the climb to the summit, the highest point at more than four hundred feet. you can catch glimpses of the

western side of the city that make this hilltop a romantic look out. for public transit, i take the n train. the lad the ad -- lake is ada accessible. watch many ducks, swans, and siegel's. -- seagulls. it is a great place to stroll and sail away. many couples come here to take a ride around a lake, going under the bridges, passing the chinese pavilion and the waterfall. for a quiet getaway, making for a memorable and magical experience. located on 19th avenue, this

growth is the place to where you're hiking boots, bring the family and the dog because it has so much to offer you and your loved ones. it is a truly hidden gem in the city. the park is rich with eucalyptus trees. long paths allow you to meander, perfect for a dog walking in a wooded environment. >> i enjoy the history. the diversity of nature that exists in such an urban city, concrete streets, cars, we have this oasis of the natural environment. it reminds us of what the history was. >> there is a section for dogs and plenty of parking. transit is available on the 28 bus to get you very easily. the part is ada -- park is ada

accessible. it is also a natural lake. this is your chance to stroll around the lake and let the kids run free. it also has many birds to watch. it is a place to find and appreciate what you -- a wonderful breath of fresh air. come and experience in this park and enjoy the people, picnics, and sunshine. this is a lovely place to take a stroll with your loved ones. in the middle of pacific heights, on top of these hills, it offers a great square, a peaceful beauty, large trees and grass and greenery. it features tables and benches,

a playground, restaurants, and tennis courts. there are plenty of areas for football and picnics. it is very much a couple's park. there are many activities you can experience together. stroll on the pathways, bring your dog, or just picnic at one of the many tables and enjoy all that it has to offer together. many couples find this is a perfect park to throw down a blanket and soak up the sun. it is a majestic place that you can share with someone you chairs. lafayette park is also easily accessed from the 47, 49, and 90 buses. it is ada accessible. we are here at the historic

palace of fine art in the marina district. originally built for the 1950's exposition, the palace is situated on san francisco's number waterfront. it is ada accessible and is reached by the 28, 30, and 91 bus lines. set against the reflecting waters of the lagoon and eucalyptus trees, the palace is one of san francisco post most -- san francisco's most romantic spots to relax with that special someone while listening to the water and gazing at the swans. a beautiful to view from many locations along the mattoon, an ideal place to -- all -- lagoon,

an ideal place to walk with a loved one. reservations for weddings are available at sfrecpark.org. discarding contains plants referred to by william shakespeare's plays and poems. welcome to the shakespeare garden here in the famous golden gate park. located near the museum and the california academy of sciences, the garden was designed by the california spring blossom and wildfilower association. here is a truly enchanting and tranquil garden along a path behind a charming gate. this garden is the spot to woo

your date. stroll around and appreciate its unique setting. the gorgeous brick walkway and a brick wall, the stone benches, the rustic sundial. chaired the part -- share the bard's word hundred famous verses from a shakespearean plays. this is a gem to share with someone special. pack a picnic, find a bench, and enjoy the sunshine, and let the whimsical words of william shakespeare and floats you and your loved one away. this is one of the most popular wedding locations and is available for reservations. take a bus and have no parking worries. shakespeares' garden is ada accessible. located at the bottom of this

hill, it is a secret garden with an infinite in captivating appeal. carefully tucked away, it makes the top of our list for most intimate pyknic setting. avoid all taurus cars and hassles by taking a cable car. or the 30, 45, or 91 bus. the garden was designed by thomas church in 1957. grow old with me, the best is yet to be is inscribed on a sundial. it is anchored by twin white gazebos and flowers that bloom year-round. this is the place to tell someone special or the place to

declare the commitment you two share. weddings and the event reservations are available for this adorable hidden gem. we know there are many other romantic parks in san francisco. we hope you have enjoyed this torre of lookouts, picnics, and strolls that are available every day. until next time, do not forget to get out and play. for more information about reserving one of these romantic locations or any other location, call 831-5500. this number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and the county fair buildings. or for any athletic field, call 831-5510. you can write us at --