>> good afternoon. could i have the overhead please? my husband and i run the sailing program at the golden gate yacht club. the photo that i have of is just one day on the day with our free sailing program to san francisco high school students, courtesy of the bmw oracle team. i would like to be able to share these kinds of days with other yacht club high school's sailing groups are around san francisco bay. there are over 100 high school teams competing throughout california. we are in little bit behind the times of here, but i think we are well on our way to catching up and being able to compete not only with southern california, but the east coast and the

world. california maritime academy recently sent one of their sailing teams to france representing the united states, and i think the future of sailing is with the youth, and i'm in favor of the 34th america's cup because i think it will generate the enthusiasm and infusion of funding that we need. i'm not going to use up my whole time. i'm going to go ahead and deferred to bright wind, who is also from my yacht club. >> i'm port captain of the golden gate yacht club. i cannot tell you how much this will be a boon to my club, but the important thing is it will be a grand slam for the entire bay area. the revenue-generating portion of this event does not begin at the two or three weeks of the event. two years prior to it happening,

the competing organizations come to the bay with 125 to 200 members. they are housed. they live here. they sail on the day to learn our hides, our current, and our wins. they are here generating the businesses that will benefit from this event do not come the day before. they come two years before and get down their roots so they will be here for it. after the event, for years after the event, we will get tourists internationally who have watched this event and seen the beauty of our day and the excitement of our city. we are getting free advertising internationally for years to come. the revenue generated will not be that two or three-week event. it will be for a long time.

most importantly, when the golden gate yacht club defense and retains the cup, we have four years hence that revenue again. thank you. [applause] supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker please. >> i run a program for blind sailors here in the bay area. i would just like to speak for about a minute about access to the sport for the disabled, particularly for the visually impaired and blind sailors. i would like to make a couple of comments and encourage you to have the america's cup come to san francisco for the disabled sailors. the participants in the racing itself are likely to be able bodied, very talented world- class yachtsman, but you should know that there are plenty of participants in the sport that

had disabilities and in particular, there is quite a community of visually impaired and blind sailors. maybe a dream of a blind sailor being on the america's cup team and being on the race but not a dream to see all the latest audio technologies, all the safety considerations, and everything to serve the blind sailing community to be spectators and take full advantage of the america's cup coming to the city. we are hoping that the extraordinary connection between sailing and the blind and visually disabled community becomes actually quite ordinary, and we are hoping that the 34th america's cup in san francisco can showcase some of that. thank you very much. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you very much. i'm going to call some more names. [reading names]

>> hello? is this on? ok, sorry. i'm the vice, or for the bay area association of disabled sailors, and if we could get a computer hookup, i think norm has some slides -- vice commodore. we have approximately 150 sailors of all different backgrounds. certainly tons of disabilities. we are mainly a group that just loves sailing, and we are so excited to support sanford's is the's bid to host the america's cup. i wanted to just echo or say did it to the previous speaker's, and also the speaker from treasure island sailing

organization. we think that this will do an enormous amount to bring sailing to all sorts of people in the bay area and the world when we showcase our beautiful, accessible, and inclusive bay. behind me, i have a view of the members, and i think they are going to speak. if any of you here have not sailed, come out and sale with us on sentences go day. we would love to have you. we look forward to working with you on making this happen. [applause] supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker please. those who i called up, please come on up. when i ask people to take the podium, please. >> i run the deprogram. i teach disabled and disadvantaged to sail. how can having the america's cup

here benefit the disabled and disadvantaged? besides the tangible assets and accessible list of the disabled, there is an intangible but terribly important focus on sailing from the media that will serve to educate and involve the public in sailing as a healthy, reasonable, and safe alternative activity for the disabled. sailing is the one activity where the most severely disabled can compete and function competitively on an even playing field with the able-bodied. cristina is one of those. as a young couple, my wife and i sailed from jakarta to singapore. when we arrived in singapore, we met a young man at a home for the incurably ill. he came to the u.s. and shriner's hospital to become a football coach by the name of

john nelson at pacific lutheran university in washington state. he never threw a football, never caught a football. he became a loved and loving and highly respected football coach, though he never had the physical ability to participate in the game. he became intellectually skilled at it. when i look at pictures of him on the field in his chair and realized he could never have the sensation of participation, i realized how important this america's cup can be towards advancing sailing as an activity for the disabled. little more than a month ago, we had some boats racing out on san francisco bay. they were called aussie 18's. these boats are like resources. they literally fly across the water. they require athletic skills -- [bell rings] supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please.

>> i'm going to finish and say that anything in the other members can do to assist, we are ready and willing. i feel the participation in the america's cup would be wonderful stimulus for the disabled sailing in the u.s. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: folks, come on up. >> i'm a physician in fresno. i found some of the best sailing in my life. in the club champion for two years. i would like to impress upon you and hope everything you can to bring the premier sailing racing championship of the world to san francisco. there cannot be anything like it. thank you for your support. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you, sir. next speaker please. >> the event that happened a few

months ago -- picture please. overhead display please. an hour later, the maltese falcon came. i have been racing in sailing in the bay area for over 40 years. i would like to remind you of this event. an hour later when the maltese falcon was under the bridge, the bay area was white with sales. it was thousands and thousands of boats. i'm here about the world series , and mr. chairman, i would like to ask you how many countries were involved in the world series? supervisor avalos: 1, but the players came from many countries. >> that is very true. the city spends $1 million to celebrate.

it is called the america's cup. it should be here. thank you very much. >> i'm a disabled sailor. i was one of the casualties of the dot-bomb era. my work in the software industry, which i loved, destroyed my arms and part of my neurological system. in the five years since then, the cost to maintain my care -- instead of skyrocketing, it has held level. my level of function has maintained a steady state, even as my actual physical condition has deteriorated significantly. to the best of my estimation, the savings on my care alone over the past four years exceed

$40,000. the data on the money that you do not have to spend on for and broken people who can function better and be more productive -- those are not collected. those dollars cannot be counted in any of the really amazing spreadsheets that we have seen in this presentation. but it does not mean those dollars cease to exist, and are not that unusual, even though when you look at this, you do not think and disabled. the ongoing value of having something as inspiring, as truly world-class as america's cup here and i feel really lucky having it hear over and over again -- the benefits are absolutely incalculable. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. after this field of speakers -- [reading names] i just want to tell folks we may need to have a two-minute

intermission since we lost one of our colleagues. we are at quorum, and if anyone leaves the room, we have to call an intermission. >> i'm a member of the golden gate yacht club, and i was in valencia when we won the race. i heard a great question that you ask. what happens if we lose? i would like to address that for a moment. you heard the right answer from the port director, which is revenues, jobs, and improve port. but there is something else that happens if we win -- it is not like the olympics or the world cup. if we win here, you have to have it over and over as long as you keep winning. new york held it for 132 years. i do not think that will happen, but i think we may wind up holding this for a while. i would not bet against this team. i would not bet against larry ellison or the engineers he has put together who are the best and brightest all over the world, and i certainly would not

bet against the sailing teams put together, so i really would not bet that we would not wind up having this for a number of years, each time having 1.5 billion or more jobs come to the city, but win or lose, there is another thing you need to consider -- the america's cup is the biggest sailing race in the world, but it is not the only sailing race. there are dozens of sailing races every year. if we build this venue -- it is a bit of a field of dreams moment -- if you build it, they will come to race here, and they will not come to race because it is such a natural our arena. nor because it is so beautiful, because it is in their own economic self-interest. they will come because sponsors will find them if it is held in san francisco because the media will show the races. we see that right now. we see that there -- i read an article how one of the team's --

either new zealand or russia -- have the funding for this coming race if it is in san francisco but only if it is in san francisco because they know it is here it will get publicized. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. [applause] >> i'm here as the commodore of the island gaap club -- island yacht club and mainly came to pass on our support from over there and across the sea and all that. i had notes. i threw them all out. pretty much everything has been covered. one thing that i do hope the finance committee can try to come up with is a number that is the ongoing value of back international television exposure that goes not just during the race, but far beyond.

i talk to people in europe online every day. it is amazing how many people have no idea what this place looks like other than the big orange bridge. i think the opportunity to have those kinds of visuals, have that kind of interest focused on us for that time really has a very long-term and very measurable financial value. thanks. supervisor mirkarimi: we're going to take a two-minute break. be cool. we will resume where we started. thank you for your patience.

supervisor mirkarimi: i would like to resume where we were with those people queued in the

aisle prepared to speak. after this person, i will read some more names. >> i'm a resident of district 3 and president of the marine firemen's union, headquartered in district 6. for the past few days, in meetings facilitated by the city attorney, representatives from maritime labor have discussed host city and a new agreement concerns with the mayor's office, the america's cup event authority, and bmw or go racing. we believe we have satisfactorily resolve these concerns, so on behalf of the area's seagoing labor organizations specifically, the sailors in and of the pacific, the international organization of managers, maids, and pilots, the inland boatman's unit, and the marine firemen's union, i wish to express our support for this resolution. maritime labor would also like to publicly recognize carry mcclellan for the tremendous

effort she put into addressing our concerns and for her work in developing what we believe will be a bit leading to a magnificent series of events for all of san francisco to enjoy for years to come. [applause] supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker please. >> we can only have one microphone on at a time, sir? >> about two years ago, i came over from the east bay by bart, and i walked past the craft center and the farmers' markets and the ferry building. i buy things. i get food there. i spend my money. then i walk down.

practically every weekend, i'm out there, and i'm spending my money at local cafes and restaurants along the embarcadero. i would not have done this three years ago before i started coming to san francisco to sale. i'm probably one of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who would come to san francisco to spend their money because they love sailing and want to watch the america's cup. thanks. [applause] >> mr. chair, supervisors, resident of san francisco for 25 years. supervisor elsbernd seems to have left the room, so i guess i will have to call them separately. i urge you to support and look for the full board host city agreement. i'm also here representing two organizations. the bay area sports organizing committee was established in 1987.

i will bring two points, two events that we help bid for an stage in the 1990's. 1994 men's world cup and 1999 women's world cup. these were outstanding celebrations of international sport, generated huge amounts of economic benefit and impact. they were substantially focused on the peninsula and the south bay. san francisco benefited from that. bay area sports organizing committee that will work with the america's cup organizing committee, mark buell, and dewitt's park to fulfil their obligations to you. several members of the executive committee serve on the america's cup organizing committee, including the president and ceo of captain healthcare west, the managing partner at hanson bridget law firm, and a representative of sunset development.

i mention these because it is clear that a point of concern legitimately as you go through your fiduciary due diligence is this issue of the reimbursement of the city. i urge you strongly to have confidence in the mark buell and the america's cup organizing committee and those stellar individuals that are helping him put together a plan. the bay area council will do its part with the executive committee and those members that i mentioned and those others. the bay area council is a non- profit public policy group comprised of the largest private-sector employers of the bay area of this entire region. that is it. that is a fast two minutes. i urge you to support this and move it to the full board. supervisor mirkarimi: after this next speaker -- [reading names] >> budget and finance committee, i'm walter paulson.

♪ i hope you get america's cup in this city and the budget price that you need who is reaching out to capture a moment and that i hope is wendy's because when he makes sailboats sure glide and i hope that the tide is high and you really boat flying take a ride i hope you get america's cup in this city, and that budget price that you need i know you are out to capture this moment, and i hope it is

windy and wind makes sailboats glide and i hope the tide is high and your boats sure fly and take a ride who is reaching out to capture this moment and i hope the america's cup is here and it is windy ♪ [applause] supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> executive director of the bay planning coalition in 1983. that last rendition inspired me to sing full fathom in five -- 5, but i will spare you. bay planning coalition, we represent about 175 maritime

industries, predominantly companies around the bay, six public course, several marine terminals, labor unions, and recreational boating industry dedicated to keeping the day driving for commerce, recreation, and the environment. the major aspect of our program is securing federal appropriations for keeping the bay bridge. we will about 5 million to the yard every year to a beneficial be used side, and we can help with throwing out any dredging issues that the project may have. the other half i wear today, i am a member of the cruise terminal advisory committee for the port. been on the citizens advisory committee, and a homeowner in the ne waterfront area. with these hats, i just want to encourage you and to say even more forcefully about with an unparalleled opportunity hosting this cup means for the port and its waterfront. this will literally bring the port and the waterfront out of

the -- shall i say the of this of the pre and post-loma prieta earthquake. you have seen the thousands and millions of people coming to the waterfront. we have got a lot of improvement so far. the board has over $1 million maintenance repair bill that i do not see based on my 45 years of being here, ever being really fulfilled. with this in mind, i also want to just point out, too, this is a balanced plan. the staff here and the mayor's office had done a fantastic job of thinking about the public, the public access. the port has been taking care of its tenants, so remember, the united nations, 1985, and we have another opportunity to bring san francisco to the international -- supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> in the harbor master for 25 years in east bay.

i'm here representing the california association of harbor masters and four captains. we are a 62-year-old organization mostly on the coast. we wanted to give you our support and let you know that we are here to help in any way we can by providing any stations for the visitors helping to distribute travel, providing new sites, and working with our yacht clubs and coast guard for any assistance you may need on the water. we think this is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity and hope we can make it happen here. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker please. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i'm a partner in a company that provides maritime services on san francisco bay