21? seeing not nine, we're on item 22. commissioners? any public comment? seeing none, item 22 is closed. item 23, communications. commissioners? >> none. >> any pump, -- any public comment? seeing none, item 23 is closed. we are on item 24, adjournment. >> all those in favor? >> aye.

>> cents and cisco's buses and trains serve many writers -- san francisco buses and trains serve many riders. the need to be sure they can get

off at their intended stop. the digital voice announcement system, which announces upcoming stops, can help these low vision riders know where they are, but only if set properly. >> it is a wonderful piece of technology, but in practice, it is a little bit more tricky. oftentimes, i find that the automatic announcement system is turned off or turned down so low that i'm unable to hear it, or it is turned up so high that the sound is distorted. >> most of the time, it does not ever seemed to be on. or is it is, it is a really quiet. occasionally, it is so loud that it is distorted. >> driver, may i have california st., please? >> no problem. >> whenever the announcement system does not work properly and a driver does not call out the stops, and i'm totally lost

as to where i am. the announcement system calls out the stops, but to help the customer, i caught the destination, transfer points, and requested stops. and it is the law. >> i use the p a system to make sure everyone on the bus here is my announcements. >> i have had both experiences with the loudness and the to stop for the announcements. you are never going to have it exactly balanced for every trip because your level of noise changes. the announcement system ranges from 1 to 10. 10 would be too loud, a little distorted. eight is a good number. not too loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear and understand what is going on. >> i think bus drivers might not be aware of the fact that if you let a visually impaired person off at the wrong stop, number one, they may be absolutely unfamiliar with the area they are in. >> the driver overshot the stock

that i wanted. i decided to get off and find my way back, but it was very disorienting, not exactly understanding how far i was. number 2, it might be a potentially dangerous situation if they do not know the area and are attempting to make crossings that they are unfamiliar with. >> they let me off somewhere else. i had no idea where i was. i missed the stop, and the bus was gone. then, i look around. i tried to find someone to help me, and i cannot find anybody. i would have no way of knowing where i am at. >> [inaudible] i asked why he did not stop when i asked. we did not panic. we do not know where we are. we do not know what is going on.

i get over there, and right away, i almost got killed. >> #3, it's the person in question is trying to get somewhere, it is going to make them late for whatever they are doing. >> i had to find my way to a corner and ask someone where i was going to and how to get there. i eventually made it to my appointment, which was with social security, but i was very late, and they almost did not see me. >> i was very late former doctor's appointment, and there was concern about whether or not i could be fit in. >> when i get off i stock that is unfamiliar to me, because i have no sight, i cannot just automatically orient myself off to a new environment. it takes a lot of training, a lot of work. there are a lot of skill sets involved when i am first introduced to a new area. to get off at an unfamiliar bus stop for the first time and to

do it unintentionally -- it can be a really disorienting experience. >> i think there is a sense that it is ok, that person is going to find their way, and did they do not know where they are, you are potentially putting them in a seriously dangerous situation. >> i always appreciate when the drivers are proactive in asking questions like, "where do you want to get off?" i appreciate when they help find a seat for me. i also appreciate when everything is working properly as far as the voice announcement system. they make sure that it is turned on, that it is loud enough for everyone to hear, not turned down so low that it helps no one. >> excuse me, driver, what stocks are we at? can you remind me when we get to

venice and broadway? thanks. >> what we're talking about here is full participation and inclusion. i want to be able to lead a full life. the only way that i'm able to get from place to place this by using a fully accessible public transit system like meany -- muni. >> the americans with disabilities act of 1990 is a wide-ranging federal civil- rights law that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. title two of the ada addresses access to public services, including public transportation for persons with disabilities. it requires transit operators to call out stops at transfer points, major intersections, and major destinations, and to announce particular stocks requested by customers with disabilities. stop announcements are

especially important for passengers who are blind or have low vision. these individuals cannot travel independently if they are not assured of getting off at their intended destination point. of business is called to business and roll- call. [roll-call] commissioner o'connor invited staff he would be joining us later in the meeting -- advised staff he would be joining us

later in the meeting. give we have a certificate of honor recognizing the director of the human services for the work on the jobs in the program. >> commissioners, the executive director is stopped in traffic on his way back from sacramento so it is not here to join us, but i am going to start by reading our certificate and then make a presentation to j m. on this monday the small business commission is prague to acknowledge the contributions --

is proud to acknowledge the contributions made to the community very good through his leadership, of 596 small business were able to hire out of work residence as part oath of program. this allows small businesses to create jobs despite the recession very good this has provided -- despite the recession. the commission recognized this would not have been possible without a tireless efforts by the director who to work with the state of california to expand the initial use of the stimulus funds, to aid the transition or create a diversion to program, which continues to create jobs, stimulate the economy, and provides small

business opportunities to add jobs in this challenging the economy. i would like to present this certificate of honor to james from the department of human services. on this monday, january 10, the small business commission is proud to announce the contributions he has made to the stand francisco small business community through his work. through his efforts, 596 small business those were able to hire 12,007 send francisco residents. this alone and to create jobs. the placement provided an infusion of federal stimulus

into the economy, which provided an additional stimulus county- wide. his partnership help provide invaluable assistance to the outreach efforts and to individual clients. james is committed to the community, including small business organizations james continues these efforts of the department transitions to the program the plans to add 1000 more jobs to the san francisco egon ameet. thank you very much, james. -- to the san francisco economy. thank you very much, james. [applause] i want to thank regina and her staff who saw the opportunities of this program and saw what it could mean for local businesses, and should i go to the

presentation? the commissioners -- i want the commissioners to know the krajina and her office were tireless in outreach -- at regina and her office were tireless in outreach efforts. thank you very much. >> we have said this in our certificate, but i want to thank you, because you have had that really special touch in being able to communicate a program to business people and for them to be able to get it, and that is a unique thing with the business community, and i want to thank you for that. >> thank you.

>> before we go to the next item, i want to introduce our new commissioner. welcome, and would you please tell us about yourself. >> my name is steve adam. i have been a san francisco resident for 18 years now. i started a small bay called

sterling dre and trost 13 years ago. we are the community -- sterling thank 13 years ago. we're the community a. -- bank. i am very passionate about small business issues in san francisco. small business is what drives the economy in this city, and i want to be a part of it. i love it. >> thank you and welcome. and we all look forward to working with you. you come highly recommended. >> thank you. >> we are now on item number three, approval of the minutes

drafted november 8, 2010. >> can we postpone this for a little bit later, because i was not able to get my e-mail copies? i need a little more time to review it. any objection? >> that is ok. >> let's wait on item 3 and item 4. >> item number five, general public comment. this allows members of the public to comment generally and suggest new items to be taken into consideration. >> any public? seeing none, public comment is closed. >> item 6, the outcome of the

jobs now program. we have a presentation by the manager of business services. >> it is on the desktop.

thank you, commissioners, and thank you very much for the recognition today. just to revamp, jobs now was a subsidized employment program administered by the human services agency and funded with our stimulus dollars, and through jobs now, employers were reimbursed for 100% of the wages paid to a newly hired eligible employee. we started a program in july of 2009, and unfortunately, the program ended june 30 of 2010.

we started with a triple bottom line. the first point is that the unemployed and underemployed san franciscans were able to have a job and a sense of income despite the unemployment rate in san francisco. small businesses could also afford to create and fill new jobs despite the recession, and we saw the infusion of the federal money in the form of the wages paid and would provide a stimulus to local communities to reagan we had a lot of strong partners -- to local communities. we have a lot of strong partners supporting us -- the san francisco chamber of commerce, the sentences office of small businesses, -- the san francisco office of small businesses, who

tirelessly connected businesses from the neighborhood to the program, small businesses california and a lot of neighborhood merchants associations. the benefit for san francisco small benefits and -- during the course of the program we had swelled hundred 54 small businesses applied to be part -- we had 1254 small businesses applied to the program. it is a pretty significant number based on a city this size and a number of businesses. the benefits to san francisco job seekers in -- 4207 individuals were employed under this program. our initial goal in june of 2009 was 1000, and we ended up going for false or over 4000 people got jobs.

-- we ended up going to over 4000 people in jobs. the average earnings for $19.49 and the hour, close to $20 an hour, so it was a good-paying job, and 45 of those individuals were able to retain their jobs after the stimulus ended, and a lot more businesses when we contacted them love the program, but fair company still was not out of place where they could afford to retain people without the reimbursement, but overwhelmingly, the most important businesses and were very satisfied with the program, so what is next? when the federal dollars left, and we saw the benefits of the program for job seekers and businesses, so we cobble

together a jobs and now a version to program primarily funded with local dollars. the plan was to create 1000 subsidized jobs with about 640 in local and small businesses, and right now we are offering 100% wage subsidies to cover the first $2,500 in wages paid under the program. are there any questions or comments? >> version 2, is there a deadline? >> you can go to the website and see the employer application. it looked like our original employer application. you fill it out, and it will take two or three weeks to process the application, and we encourage any and all local businesses to apply. businesses to apply. >> thank you.