maxwell, president chiu, supervisor mar. shortly after i left for here i received an email from phil ryan, president of the golden gate tennis association. he to go to physical therapy for his fractured wrist so he couldn't be here. he asked ne to tell i that the -- me to tell you that the golden gate tennis association enthusiastically supports the bocce ball courts. he said the association represents the tenants of the gateway, the largest planned rent controlled facility in the city, 2 did, 1,245 units.

he said we fully support construction of bocce ball courts as a sound means to preserve and enhance recreational space in the most population intense neighborhood in the city. we're grateful to the generous gift to the filmly strapped city by union members. our support for this project was approved by the golden gate tenants association and anyone taking a contrary position does not speak for our association. so that's from golden gate tenants. i am speaking on behalf of the neighborhood network today. when i learned of this proposed project i took information to the next neighborhood network meeting and all of those present at the meeting were supportive of this project. first of all, it's supportive -- not -- it's a passive

recreational use on the embarcadero and i think everyone i know of who lives on the east side of the city wants more recreation on the embarcadero. it would have a calming effect. it's a sport where people of all ages can participate. it's not difficult to learn how to play bocce ball. you can be 4 years old or 90 years old. it would a -- have a calming effect on the area. we envision office tournaments, families playing together, neighbors playing together. visitors even playing together. currently just in herman plaza in the median strip located between the two embarcadero roadways are very busy and management has received complaints from farmers market patrons and building tenants about the noise of the skate boarders and the so-called

music. i have encountered this first hand so -- i see my time is up but i would definitely support and my neighborhood network supports the bocce ball courts. thank you. >> -- supervisor maxwell: any further public comment on this item? seeing none, then public comment is closed. planning department? would you please come forward? oh, rec and park, i'm sorry. i believe had you some comments, you were hearing some things and wanted to make some clarifying comments? >> sure. just a few quick comments. there is absolutely no plan for a fence as part of this. it's very open. the analogy i've been using is it's like one of our city basketball courts where people can come and bring their basketball and play. it's just a pickup game spot. and we do have an existing

m.o.u. between d.p.w. and boston properties to maintain justin herman plaza and this bocce ball court if accepted will continue to be maintained as it is currently. supervisor maxwell: any other colts? supervisor chiu and then supervisor mar. supervisor chiu: so the local 61 students and apprentices willing involved in constructing the field and the boston properties is the, kind of course the management of the area. is local 261 going to be involved with any of the maintenance of the courts afterwards? >> yes. supervisor mar: yes. supervisor maxwell: supervisor chiu? supervisor chiu: just closing comments. first i want to address some of the issues that were raised in

public comment. ernestine, i am very open to considering a business improvement district for the downtown area as i have a strong proponent in fisherman's whatever and other parts of the district and i have let the business community and property owners know that if that is of interest they would need -- i would need their support to move forward with that. i think it's approximately important to emphasize that this is a gift we can give back. if at some point down the road we decide as a city than it's not the best use, i am very open to having that conversation and i look forward to having the conversation with where rincon hill and others

are going to go advise is -- vis-a-vis the open space. and it is ms. crowley's birthday and i want to thank you for taking part of your day to come here and be a hart of this with it -- is. supervisor maxwell: happy birthy, yes. and i too want to thank the union folks for coming down and looking at this as something you can do. i hope you will consider maybe other projects you can be part of in our estimate i want to thank all of you involved in bringing this together. it's giving a gift. seems like it should be an easy thing but in san francisco there are a lot of people that want to be a part of that giving, that you're giving to so they all want to have a say in that. supervisor mar in supervisor mar: i did have one other question. i want to thank the donors for

creating a beautiful spot that gets people out and moving with a sport i'm not that familiar with, but i did see the youtube display of what bocce ball is and i'm looking forward to getting out there and trying it. i'm glad that this hasn't become an issue of pitting bocce ball players with children's playgrounds. i know that's an issue with some of the residents but my hope is that the businesses and others that support this will look at this as -- look at also good sites for potential playground spaces but i know that will take some time. thank you for bringing this forward. supervisor maxwell: and i have played bocce ball and it's fun. it's a good sport to play. after that, colleagues, without further -- actually, if we could adopt the amendment?

supervisor maxwell: all right. why don't we accept the amendment and the legislation as amended. so moved. madame clerk, is there any further business before -- before this committee? >> no, there are no further items. supervisor maxwell: colleagues, supervisor maxwell: colleagues, this meeting is adjourned.

♪ whatever we deny or embrace ♪ for worse or for better ♪ we belong ♪ we belong, we belong, we belong together ♪ underneath everything we are, underneath everything we do,

we are all people-- connected, interdependent, united-- and when we reach out a hand to one, we can influence the condition of all. that's what it means to live united. ♪ we belong

>> that is right. exactly right. or twice a week. hi, everyone. i'm executive director of the human services agency, the agency that administers the jobs now program, which we are here to talk about today. a month from now, the lesson a month from now, if congress does not enact -- does not act, this jobs program is going to go away. it will go way across the country as well. we jumped early into this program on the heels of the federal stimulus act in february. the act allowed for 100% federal reimbursement of wages to employers who hire individuals through this program. the idea in san francisco was threefold. first would be to get people

back to work, which this program has done with a wild success. the second is to help businesses small and large to either maintain or grow during this time of economic recession, and last is to stimulate the local economy, which we have done through the wages. $55 million in wages are projected to be reimbursed through the end of september of this year, and that is money going right back into the local economy. arguably one of the biggest successes of the federal stimulus act is this program nationally. today, what we want to announce, and the mayor will take the lead on this, is a new campaign or a final push to get the federal government to act to extend this program. $2.5 million will extend it for another year. we will keep the 3000 people who have been employed in san francisco through this program on the job. the last day of august, we had to suspend our program.

we are no longer enrolling new employees. we are no longer enrolling new employers. for us, we are at the status quo. we have a month left. we're working hard to get our folks ready for the transition. we hope to not have to do that, but we are preparing for pretty bad news. today, final push. the mayor will talk a little bit about the program as well. >> thanks, and thank you all very much for taking the time to be here. i actually just left senator feinstein, who has been a champion of this program. the reference that not to impress but to impress upon you that we need all the friends we can get all the champions we can get to extend this program. 3820 families are being served by this program. these are families, many of which -- close to, in fact, 1000 of these families were on welfare, and now pulled out of

welfare and have the dignity of a paycheck and the dignity that comes with a paycheck. when they come back home to feed their family. that is not a rhetorical line. that is not a line just to place some politics. that is quite literal. this program, arguably, is the most successful stimulus program in the united states of america, and i can back that up. this is a program that hires from the private sector does proportionally and benefits if the private sector does proportionally. this is a program that helps small businesses. for all of the rhetoric coming from washington, d.c., and sacramento and up and down the local municipal calls up and down this state and around the nation, here is a program that works. this is an interesting fact that underscores it -- congress, wisely and appropriately extended unemployment insurance. what is unemployment insurance

to a family in california? it means you receive $450 a week. not to work. you are looking for work, but you receive a $450 check a week to work. congress, wisely, extended that. a lot of republicans opposed it because they said we needed to find a way to fund it, but in principle, they understand the importance of unemployment benefits. here's a program where people in the trenches receive $447 a week to work. let me repeat that -- we can hand out $450 a week not to work, or 470 -- $447 a week to work. we can hand out $447 a week to work for those that needed the most -- people with kids -- that benefit those that need those employees the most -- small business -- to go out and create wealth and opportunity and

stimulate our economy. it does not get much better than that. it is beyond mesmerizing, and it goes to my frustration with the extraordinary lack of leadership in this country right now on this issue of jobs, the rhetoric aside, the lack of leadership that the fundamental fact has been ignored by elected officials. this should, more than anything else, drive people through the roof. you could pay people to work, or you could pay people not to work. if you pay people to work, and by the way, none of the folks you see right here want unemployment benefits. they all spoke eloquently when they were here, and that is just a small sampling of thousand- plus families represented right there are people who want to keep their jobs that do not want an unemployment check. they want to go home and feel good about themselves because they worked and have the dignity of a day where they feel

like their life is moving in the right direction, not stuck in neutral. but congress is not acting. the house has twice passed this. nancy pelosi hast was processed this. twice it has passed. the president and his staff -- and trust me when i say we have talked to all of them directly -- say they will sign this absolutely. only thing that is stopping small businesses from getting the benefit, families from getting the benefit, and individuals the benefit of the dignity of work is the citizens -- is the senators and politics in washington. you should jump up and now when you find out about a program like this that creates a direct jobs, that directly helps not just governments, but the private sector.

800 employers are part of this program in san francisco alone. 20-thousand-foot -- 20,000-plus people are about to lose their jobs in the next few weeks if we do not act. this is a big deal. look at the faces. who is represented there? 70% minority. african-american community, the latino community, and the asian community where unemployment rate is exponentially higher than the state and federal average and even our local average. again, if it is all about rhetoric and politics and positioning, then support the status quo. if you believe in jobs and the private sector and the dignity of work than you want to create real opportunity and real wealth and real economic outlook that stimulates the community, then extend this job program. i hate to be so aggressive. that said, here is a study that came out that basically said exactly what i have just said and what we have been saying.

it is from the center of budget and policy priorities. it's a walking away from a win- win-win -- it says walking away from a win-win-win. reduce the cost of government, increases economic growth, and private sector development, and creates opportunity by reducing the burden on the federal government with unemployment benefits. nothing is, to me, more obvious than this, but obvious does not always make the best case for progress in a political environment where there is elections at stake. i want to thank everyone you see behind me for their leadership. millie activating the small business community because this was a program was started that was "too good to be true." we started with a goal of 1000 people, and they said it could not be done.

we got to 1500, and they said we would never get to 2000, so we said we would get to 3000. we went to congress because we realized we had to extend this thing because it was not going to go much further. l.a. county has a huge number of people about to lose their jobs. all the other counties would have hired many times more than we did, but they never believed it. if this gets extended, we can hire. if we got this extended, we would get 10,000 people employed through this program. he says that is not possible, and he will come back and says he wants to give the statistic that only 7400 people or so have been vetted through this. all right, how about 7000? we have 40,000 people under work, and here we are in this one program we could subsidize from the private sector that once folks for the holidays to promote and market their business? here is the insidious nature --

guess when these folks have no work. when they need that work more than ever, during the holidays. happy holidays. good luck. what does this do? it puts further pressure on those that are looking for jobs because thousands of people are going to start looking for that same worked -- same work. these are families, women, minorities, and i cannot impress more how important this is. so let's get rid of me and the politics of any politician, rather, that is speaking, and let's bring up -- trend will do this in a moment -- bring up some other folks. by the way, not everyone gets paid $447 a week. i'm just saying that is the average for the transition. folks with a permit are getting paid $19.49 on average. even if you pay at that higher increment, how much more than $450 a week is that? not much, to actually have

people employed. we have put together a list. quickly, i will get to this. a list of mayors across the country. we just launched an advocacy effort. these are my friends. they all understand the importance of this, so we just put together an organization around mayors being advocates for this. that is something else we wanted to announce. third, we will hear from a business leader that has gone out of his way because of what is at stake for his business to do an online petition to get like-minded business leaders across the country to say, open a " you have got to be kidding me. you claim to be pro-small- business, and you're going to let this program expire and but everybody else on the dime of welfare rolls, which we will have to pay.

what possibly would you do that, and how could you argue for that?" i get excited about this. >> thank you, mr. mayor. a couple of points about this report -- 250,000 people nationwide hired through this money. close to half are used -- youth, in fact. we started in may. we were one of the first on board. mayor newsom would go to the u.s. conference of mayors, and he would tell the we had this great program. my office kept getting calls. we have been talking to states and localities all over the country and really, due to the mayor's leadership, this 250,000 no. i think is largely