>> we have reconvened into open session, and you need to make a motion whether to disclose any or all of the discussions that were held in closed session. >> i move that would not

disclose. >> move and second. all those in favor? >> aye. >> we are now on items 6, commissioners' matters. are there any commissioners' matters? >> hearing on. at any public comment on this? public, disclosed. we are on item 27, which is new business, agenda setting. comments from the commissioners? >> none, but i don't want to lose sight of commissioner bonilla's, about moving toward a committee structure. i want to direct staff that you work with the commission on directing how that will best work. >> is there any public comment on this item? seeing none, public, disclosed. -- public comment is closed. we are on item 28, communications. is there any public comment on

this item? marilyn, are you coming? ok, sorry. it is hearing on top -- seeing none, public, disclosed. >> item 29? >> item 29, adjournment. >> so moved. >> yay!

>> welcome to "culture wire." on this episode, we visit with one of the arts commissions very special teams. >> the asia-pacific island cultural center receives help from the census but our commission. john mean today to talk about in off festival is the executive director.

welcome. i understand this is the 13th annual festival. can you tell me the name? >> the name is a celebratory name. we also celebrate what we call the asian-pacific islanders as well, in terms of culture, experience, and multidisciplinary arts. >> the festival is actually very wide-ranging. you have 16 venues, and how many different performing arts centers? >> we have over 85 artists participating, 16 venues, 21 events. there are over 15 groups that are performing. >> there recently kicked off at

the beginning of may and will continue through june 13? correct? >> that is correct. unlike in the past years, we have had to expand the festival because there has been so much activity and so many people want to be part of the celebration. we're very honored and pleased to have the festival going all the way into june. >> we're kind of coming in on one of the groups. >> francis is one of the pioneers of the asian american jazz movement and is also one of san francisco's very own. we're very honored at the cultural center that we can be part of the program. >> an addition to him, what are some of the other highlights of the festival? >> we have three gallery openings in the festival. one is called reclaim, which is a film art.

the others are receptions that are happening at four different the supervisors' offices. the other is called mining the creative source. >> think you for sharing the content with us on "culture wire." >> thank you very much. >> it is in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the strikes at uc-berkeley of the study of ethnic studies. it is a celebration of that history, as well as some of the other items. >> what led to this multidisciplinary collaboration? >> i am from san francisco, and from the 1960's on, that is the aesthetics. the poets, working with the musicians, dancers, the waitresses, the jazz club, actors, whatever.

the idea is we are all a community and we share this common story. >> did you reach out to the dancers? how did it come together? did they come to you? >> the choreographer and dancer actually was a student of mine and residency in cameron house and chinatown. i developed a friendship with her over many years, and also with the spoken word artists. i met him at a benefit at one of the benefits in chinatown. it is part of that ongoing really rich relationship building that happens in our arts community. >> i got a chance to hear a little bit of your performance, and i am a big fan of john coltrane, and you play a phenomenal sax. can you tell me a little about your musical influences. >> a particular piece about john

coltrane was he reached out to asia and his global vision. as an asian american growing up and coming up in this country seeking some recognition, that was a very meaningful, making that kind of contribution. i really owe a debt to john coltrane for recognizing my culture and uplifting it as part of the music as well. >> i know that your family history is really rich and complex in terms of illustrating how the chinese has occurred over the last two centuries. it could talk about that? >> it began in the 1870's, when my great grandfather, instead of coming with everybody else to the united states to build a railroad, he went off the coast of madagascar are. -- madagascar are. he met a woman there who is

creel, african-american, french, and chinese. they married, and they had family, and i am the product of that. growing up here in the bay area, we have some influences because it is the gateway for emigration. from many countries. you walk down the street, you are participating in that mix. in my music, i really want to express and represent that kind of topic that goes on in the streets. it is the most exciting part of being here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much.

the biggest issue in america today? segregation still exists... racism... the repression and oppression of women the educational system stem cell research homeless people cloning government health care taxation announcer: so, is there anything you're doing to help make a change? i'm not really doin' anything. ummmm [sighs] got me on that one... >> thank you for coming today. we are here to celebrate the passage of the first phase of the mayor's development stimulus

legislation, and with that, i would like to just introduce the mayor. mayor newsom: thank you all very much for being here. in particular, i thank the representatives of labor. we simply would not be here had it not been for our friends in the building construction trade off that believe in this cause, the lead in this effort and took it upon themselves not just to identify it as an issue, but to actually go out there and knock on doors at the board of supervisors, make a strong case, hold rallies, and make sure that people focus on this legislation. in particular, i want to thank for supervisor -- thank supervisor dufty for showing leadership on this legislation early on that encouraged other if supervisors to do the same period this legislation is a piece of legislation that arguably can directly impact the

development of some 2500 housing units, nine different project sites and generate some $894 million in spending, over 4800 jobs, and generate some $22 million of general fund tax revenues without increasing general taxes in this city. that is how significant is legislative pepper potentially can be. i do not want to oversell it, but i do not want to undersell the significance of this, either. without this legislation, one thing we know is that not much would change. with this legislation, with the nine products that have been identified with those thousands of units of already entitled projects, we believe that could be the impetus to defer couldfees, some 80 -- defer thse fees, some 80 percent, the front end to the back end of the project could be the interest to

move this forward and create the jobs. i want to thank mike for his leadership on this and helping organize labor. i will go on, all of you guys. you are all here. thank you for demanding some reforms. thank you for demanding that city hall focus on jobs. thank you for demanding we focus on construction-related jobs. thank you for holding our feet to the fire, and thank you for getting us to this point. michael has just done a masterful job from day one, and he has been in this for a series of other legislative initiatives, including a new proposal that would create a community facility district to finance the infrastructure- related development projects throughout the city. this is the second phase of some of our local development

stimulus legislation that we are also going to be formally introducing to the board of supervisors, and i want to thank again bevan dufty for his leadership and stewardship and support for the same. this proposal as well will create jobs and revenue for the city without the traditional burdens of going out and increasing taxes to hard-working men and women, so we think this is very positive and enlightened legislation. it is part of the narrative of some of our local stimulus legislation that we have been arguing for and fighting for, and i am hopeful that the affordable housing stimulus and the referral fee -- d. searle as he can get the same kind of reception eventually with the amendments we are making -- deferral fee can get the same kind of reception. thank you, again, michael, for your stewardship and all our friends in the construction

trades. >> thank you, mr. mayer -- mr. mayor. i would like to invite up the total sponsor of the legislation. >> people say is tough to build in this town, and i think thanks to the mayor and the construction and building trade, it is going to be a little easier and a process will be a little fairer and more transparent. what really move us at city hall is that the leadership you see behind you and the men and women at work in the building and construction trades for are hurting right now. the city has a responsibility to help people get to work, to put jobs on the table, and to help move the economy of this city forward. the package that is being signed today i think is an incredible move in that regard. i am proud to be cosponsoring the measure today at the board of supervisors that will allow us to establish and belarus and thereby there would be tax- exempt financing available.

again, another step to move it. i just want to say that being here, it is amazing, how i think we have created an whole new ability to live in the city, an amazing way to experience the vitality of downtown, and people say they cannot wait to build a second tower and they are committed to it. again, i want to thank the mayor for his leadership and the men and women of construction trades. they need our help, and i think the city is keeping faith today. thank you. >> thank you, mr. supervisor appeared with that, i would like to invite the secretary- treasurer of the san francisco building and trades. >> thank you. the clubs are in, the rain is threatening, the wind is blowing, it is chilly, and it is a beautiful day because we are a little bit closer to putting folks back to work. let me tell you what that means -- we have been suffering now

25, 35%, to 40% unemployment in the trades for more than a year. just imagine what that does to human lives, what that does to families. it has gotten to the point where i meet people i knew and dispatch as an iron worker some years ago, good hands, but they have gotten their backpacks on the streets of san francisco. that is where we are. this measure does not sure that ill, but it brings us a step closer to putting those folks back to work. any of these folks behind me -- business agents and business representatives -- can tell you similar stories. they can tell you more than i can because they see these individuals in their calls every day. they see the desperation they have arrived at. a year about the homes lost, the healthcare lost, the families breaking up. that is where we are. that is where we have been for a while now. hopefully, the economy turns around a little bit.

the housing crisis comes up just a hair. banks began to lend a little bit. with this measure in place and hopefully also the affordable housing measure in place, these projects can happen much more quickly and put us back to work. so my thanks to the mayor. my thanks to a supervisor dufty, and my thanks to the board of supervisors for helping us in this regard. >> thank you very much. i would say it would be an impossible task to get through the board of supervisors but for this board of building trades, and they have been a terrific part in our effort. with that, i would like to invite a representative from the developer of rincon tower 2, slated for this make inside right next to its outdoor power no the -- right next to this

outdoor patio. >> thank you. i am a principal at emerald fund, we are san francisco housing developers. we acted as development consultants on 1 rincon. as many of you know, the developers of this tower behind us and hopefully that on over there are working hard to try to figure out a way to get the second tower built. this legislation that mayor newsom is going to sign today will help advance that, will help bring forward the time when the second tower can start and other residential projects can start. currently, development projects do not pencil. what this means is that to get construction started, you either have a pro forma as a project margin -- this project margin needs to be sufficient so that lenders land and equity investors invest. there are three different components.

there is revenue