for mayor of the city by five minutes -- >> a little more than five minutes! >> by five minutes by my account, this is san francisco. gene quan, the mayor of oakland, california. [applause] and the city attorney and one of my lawyers, john russo. [applause] oakland. from the board of education, emily mores. [applause] and i could go on and on with the -- mr. mayor to be of the people who are here celebrating with you on this very historic occasion. and it was all made possible by this fine collection of people to my right whom i've introduced by name and now let me ask the president of the san

francisco board of supervisors, a man who chaired the historic meeting where the vote count was done without the assistance of our folk who normally count votes which is kind of the way i prefer to have votes counted in elections. you get better results. the president of the board of supervisors, david chiu. [applause] president chiu: good afternoon. so mayor brown, i want to tell you the score of the game upstairs. two numbers. 11 to zero. [applause] this is an historic moment for san francisco. and i want to first start by thanking my colleagues at the board of supervisors. we may not -- please clap for them.

we may not always agree. but on this great man, edwin lee, we came together and thank you for that. [applause] i also want to thank the many candidates that we considered. one of the things that we are blessed here in san francisco was we had many individuals who we knew could step up to take this role. thank you for all of you who we spoke to about this. this is also an historic day for the asian-american community. for a community that has been here in san francisco for over 160 years, i am a product of that community. i know that ed and all of us who are of asian-american descent feel the legacy. and i want to thank all of you

who have been part of this historic moment to make this happen. and say that this is obviously not just about a chinese american community or an asian-american community. this is about the american dream. the idea that anyone from any background of any color from any part of the globe can come here and someday be at the very top of what our community is about. [applause] in closing, i also want to just say that this is an historic moment because we have overseen the orderly transition of leadership. what we have done at the board here at city hall is what separates a democratic society from less democratic ones.

free communities from less free ones. we have overseen a truly orderly and wonderful transition of leadership from our lieutenant governor, gavin newsom, to our now interim mayor, edwin lee. so without further adieux i will turn it back to our emcee and i just wish to say from the board of supervisors to our new mayor, ed, we look forward to doing many wonderful things together and with the entire city of san francisco. thank you all for being part of this wonderful community. [applause] >> i wish you had gone back to sacramento. because he just reminded me that i forgot eric mar. newsom had to remind me.

[applause] thank you. the board of supervisors adopted a set of rules to determine how you fill a vacancy when it occurs during the time of a sitting mayor. and those rules require that the presiding judge of the superior court in this county administer the oath of office. we are fortunate to have the presence of the presiding judge and she is katherine feinstein. where are you? would you please join us to do the duty of swearing ed lee in. mr. lee. >> if you would be kind enough to please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i edwin m. lee. >> i edwin m. lee. >> do solemnly swear --

>> do sol manyly swear -- solemnly swear -- >> that i will support and defend -- >> that i will support and defend -- >> the constitution of the united states -- >> the constitution of the united states >> and the constitution of the state of california -- >> and the constitution of the state of california >> against allen miss foreign and domestic -- against all enemies foreign and domestic -- >> against allen miss and domestic -- >> that i will bear true faith and aline of scrimmagens. >> that i will bear true faith and aline of scrimmagens >> to the constitution of the united states. >> to the constitution of the united states. >> and to the constitution of the state of california. >> to the constitution of the state of california. >> that i take this obligation freely -- >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion -- >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion -- >> and that i will well and faithfully -- >> and that i will well and

faithfully -- >> discharge the duties upon which i'm about to enter. >> discharge the duties upon which i am about to enter -- >> and during such time -- >> and during such time -- >> as i hold the office of -- >> as i hold the office of -- >> mayor for the city and county of san francisco. >> mayor for the city and county of san francisco. [applause]

>> thank you very much. board of supervisors for this fantastic opportunity. i also want to make sure i thank the mayors that i've worked for that are standing with me. mayor brown, wonderful years working with you. i learned a lot. and i want to really thank you for the tutelage you've given me, for the guidance, the leadership you've given the city, really appreciate that. to lieutenant governor gavin newsom, you're bold, your ideas have inspired me to go beyond

just the bureaucratic jobs that i've had and your lessons about not being fearful and taking risks have all been absorbed. thank you very much for your years. [applause] charlotte, you're going to be with us, aren't you? thank you very, very much for all yours years of service. and we hope that you will continue and help us out. to the board of supervisors, each and every one of you, i am ready to carry out the duties of this office and to do it in a way in which you will be proud. and to specifically supervisor david chiu and sean elsbernd who really had a lot to do with the pivotal discussions we had

about this office, thank you very much for that strong and continued encouragement. i very much appreciate that. and to our communities, to all of you who have come today to witness this, i want to thank you. because it is really for your behalf that we are doing this. and i want to say to all of you, i make that pledge that i will do my very, very best to represent all of the communities that you -- that you live in, that we cherish, that make this city a great city. and to my good friend, rose pack, thank you. we have done it. i thank you for this enormous honor and the enormous responsibility to serve as your mayor. it's a responsibility i take with great -- a great deal of

humility, enthusiasm, and determination. i must say it's been a whirlwind for me. i left town over a week ago as your city administrator, a career civil servant, looking forward to a new year of promise and challenge in the job that i love. and now just a few weeks later, i stand before you as your mayor. [applause] that's quite a journey. but in many ways, this wasn't a whirlwind. it was a journey decades in the making. i spent the past 21 years in and around these hallowed halls , beneath this glorious dome, working to make this city a better place, working for people, working for justice,

working to get things done. i believe that i stand before you today not because i was the preferred choice of one side of the aisle or the other, not because i was a safe choice, but because i was the consensus choice, the trusted choice. i believe that if you're able to build trust, if your word is your bond, then it doesn't matter if you're down the hall or 17,000 miles away. people know where you're coming from. i was personally gratified by the show of support demonstrated by the board of supervisors moments ago. as well as that shown by your predecessor board last friday. and let me take a moment to thank former supervisors sophie

maxwell, evan dufty, and michelangelo alioto-pier for your -- michaela alioto-pier for your support and trust of me. i am grateful and inspired by that show of support. but more importantly, i was inspired by what it portends. a new era of trust. a shared sense of purpose and commitment to this city that we all love. a sense of unity. i may be your interim mayor, but i intend to utilize this year and office to tackle our problems with resolve and seriousness of purpose. this is an unprecedented opportunity and perhaps it is just what san francisco needs at this time and in our moment of history. ness an opportunity to come

together -- this is an opportunity to come together, to roll up our sleeves and go to work on the significant challenges we all face. for the benefit of all san franciscans. i hope to move us past the labels that have pigeonholed us at city hall or at least to not be bound by them. because if you're a so-called moderate, then i'm a moderate. i've spent the past two decades trying to make this city work, to work for all of us. for its entire history, people have flocked to san francisco with their hopes and with their dreams. they've invested in this city, not only with their money but with their sweat and with their blood. i understand that not only do people need to flourish here, but business needs to flourish here. i understand what is at stake. what is invested here in all senses of that word.

it's our responsibility to see that this investment isn't squandered. but with all due respect to the talent of many leaders with whom i share this responsibility, i was a progressive before progressive was a political faction in this town. [applause] years ago, years ago, i fought the establishment to make this city function better, to make our communities more inclusive. i fought for justice. when i left bolt hall and joined the asian law caucus i sought to integrate the san francisco fire department. i fought to protect the rights of blacks and latinos and gays

and lesbians and other marginalized groups. i fought for tenets. i fought for senior citizens. i fought for the powerless. i was part of the city's first whistleblower program. i made sure our domestic partners and minority and women-owned business ordinances were successful. i helped establish our recycling program. now the nation's most successful. i ensured equal access to government services for all our citizens, including our immigrants. documented and undocumented. [applause] in other words, i am my own person. [applause]

decades ago, i was about as anti-establishment as one could be. today, like you, i am trying to make the establishment work for all san franciscans. and yes, i am quite aware of the significance of being san francisco's first asian-american mayor. as a chinese american, i'm well aware of my community's long and troubled and proud history in this city. the san francisco of old was directly involved in racism and neglect. the san francisco that i fought as an attorney began to change. and now today, our struggle is here and it's succeeding. [applause]

i am humbled to stand before you today on the shoulders of giants among many flagbearers on the day we moved that history forward. and i'm committed to move all san francisco, all of us, forward. and that is why i've accepted this awesome responsibility. so i hope you will join me. i intend to reach out to you, my colleagues, to my fellow citizens across all political lines and all potential barriers. there are so many talented people in this building and in this city. i know we can move san francisco forward together. and in the coming days, i will reach out to every member of the board of supervisors and meet with you personally to discuss my ideas and my agenda. and yes, president chiu, i will sit down with you, shortly, to work out the details of our question-and-answer session.

i will seek your advice and counsel as we immediately begin to confront the challenges that lay ahead. starting with tackling our budget deficit and finding a new police chief. to the members of the board, i see you as my esteemed colleagues. and i look forward to a relationship based on mutual respect and trust. to our fellow citizens, i'm not going to change. i'm going to open up that room 200 for everybody, daily, and make sure that you know what that is. i present myself to you as a mayor for everyone. a mayor for the neighborhoods, for downtown, for business, for labor, for the powerless, and the powerful. for left, right and everyone in between. for everyone. i will be a mayor who tackles

things head on and moves the bar forward. i will be your mayor. thank you very much. [applause] >> mayors invite each and every one of you to join him and his family in the south light court for some libations and some

enjoyment courtesy of mccall's. so please feel free to wander on over there with your cameras and get your photographs and do whatever you like. but thank you so much for coming.

>> 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