does not represent the truth of who is actually using these phone books. if we are serious about our environment, it's time we recognize that phone books are a twentieth century tool that does not meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century, and i look forward in the coming weeks to having a conversation with you and the public about this. i also have an in memoriam for two individuals who were slain on a tragedy -- in a tragedy on sunday on fisherman's wharf. they were tragically shot to death in a rivalry between opposing gangs. the individuals will grow 30 years old, who lived in san francisco, and our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. the rest of my items i will submit. supervisor mar: thank you. in introducing a resolution

today joining a number of organizations like the organization of chinese americans and various civil rights groups around the country condemning rush limbaugh's racially insensitive and derisive remarks mocking the chinese president and his people. on his radio talk show, rush limbaugh mocked the chinese language and culture by doing a gross misrepresentation impersonation of the chinese president during his visit to the united states. this is an effort the -- to hold accountable mr. limbaugh is supported by a number of community-based groups. the following day, after limbaugh's comments, he arrogantly stated that he did a "remarkable impersonation" and he was doing a service to the american population. it is incredibly offensive not just to chinese-americans but to

everyone who believes in language equality and multicultural diversity. a california state senator who receive hate letters because of this has issued a petition demanding an apology from mr. limbaugh as well as sponsors to pull their advertising from his radio show. also, an assembly member and many others are calling for apologies and other action. community organizations and civil rights groups also are building a movement around the country to demand an apology from mr. limbaugh. by mocking the chinese language and culture, his actions have the little chinese americans as well as chinese people throughout the world. his remarks also undermine the base of our immigrant community's efforts and struggle for language equality and multi legalism and how the cultural diversity brings strength and richness to san francisco and the whole nation. i urge support from all of my colleagues as well, and i would like to thank supervisors chu chiuchu avalos, and campos for

cosponsoring with me, and supervisor mirkarimi as well -- i would like to thank supervisors chu, chiu, avalos, and campos. supervisor campos: in introducing a resolution calling for february 6 through february 12 as financial aid awareness week. this resolution recognizes that higher education is key to a successful future in our country, and as we know, the ability of many of our youth to access higher education depends on their ability to secure financial assistance, and as the cost of college and universities continued to rise and as san francisco family's struggles through these tough economic times, having access to financial assistance becomes even more critical. i know that for all of us, we

probably would not have been able to achieve a higher education without the financial assistance. that certainly was the case with me, and i'm very grateful for the fact that at the time, there were individuals who were helpful to me in giving me information about what kind of financial assistance was available to someone like me. we have in san francisco many great organizations that are doing the same for you throughout set francisco that are helping them and their families to have a better understanding of what financial assistance is available and something as basic but as really important as understanding be free application for federal student aid, which can be very cumbersome for some families. we want to acknowledge the work by the economic commission development agency, mission graduates, which in my district

alone are helping so many new -- so many youth, making higher education a reality for them. i want to thank the co-sponsors of this resolution, and we also want to acknowledge the work being done by the san francisco unified school district, which is working with youth to educate them and their families about financial assistance that is available to them. the rest i submit. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you. colleagues, today, in introducing a supplemental appropriation ordinance that continues the ongoing saga about non-residents. for the new supervisors, i want to say welcome to the working week. we had this -- this discussion started back in 2009 when the

non-resident fee was proposed. i heard earlier that the residency that was proposed for the botanical gardens, and that year, i have worked with my colleagues on the budget committee to reject that fee. there was enormous change with people's experience at the park in general but the temple gardens in particular, so i was very proud to be part of that effort to reject that fee. again, last year, the recreation and park department working with the botanical garden society brought forward the non-resident fee, and it was giving another budget deficit were trying to close, looking at how the recreation of part of farmers have already in the previous year closed at $11 million budget deficit on top of probably a $10 million budget deficit the year before and a $5 billion budget deficit the year before that. i just felt that there had to be a deferred discussion last year, and there were also a lot of workers who came out, who

were laborers or garden is working for the recreation of our department, were in favor of the residence fee, and it took that into consideration, but it was difficult for me to want to approve it. last year, during the discussions, added an amendment to the non-resident fee legislation that said if we had one new revenue at the ballot, then we would use a portion of that revenue to eliminate the non-resident fee. at the time, i was working on -- working with community groups to collect signatures on the hotel tax, a 2% temporary increase in the hotel tax, as well as increased to the property sold for over $5 million. the hotel tax failed, but the increase exceeded, and estimates are that it will bring in $30

million in this current year and another additional not amount -- additional amount in the equivalent next fiscal year. i want to carry out my commitment that was embedded in that amendment last year and move forward with the appropriation that could eliminate the fee. how wonderful it would be to be able to eliminate a fee through the recreation and park department, through the mta, through many of our services. we have been raising fees over and over again, and that has been the way we have been contending with our deficit. we've not been looking at larger amounts of revenue. we've been looking at fees over and over, nickel-and-diming san franciscans in the process. this is one that i hope all of us can support. i was talking with rachel

gordon. she had done a survey of people who use the botanical gardens. many of them felt that they actually turn themselves away or that they decided not to for dissipate. i do believe the fee creates a chilling effect on people's enjoyment of the park, and eliminating it would ensure again that people could have no barrier to entering the park whatsoever. it has really taken probably the fee itself forced to realize how nice it is for us to not have one. in rejecting the fee back in 2009, i have been inspired by joni mitchell, in her song "big yellow taxi."

she said, "we took all the trees and put them in a tree museum and charge the people a dollar and a half just to see them." that inspired me not to approve the fee in 2009, but i have another part i want to quote -- "don't it always seemed to go that we do not know what we've got until it's gone?" supervisor mirkarimi: hard to follow that, but i have to say thank you, supervisor avalos. i know there is a few of us who have been staunchly against and continue to be against that gate fee. it was a mistake in my opinion. i quite agree with you that the consequence has been death by 1000 cuts, and it is manifested through these constant increases in fees, so i look forward to

the debate that i'm sure will be well-spirited as i'm sure others will try to defend the interests of what privatization might look like in a kinder gentler way, but as this ordinance set that discussion in motion about where the city is going in a larger direction, as it relates to reconciling our differences by constantly imposing these kind of fees, let this be the issue. i look forward to it. i want to use this opportunity to refer back on introductions to advertise that we are holding a town hall meeting in my district and doing it in rather quick fashion, so i want to use the opportunity to tell the audience in our district and the surrounding communities, like president chiu had expressed great lament about violence in his district, so we begin with the uptick in hours.

on monday, february 7, at the caribbean community center on buchanan at grove, we are bringing together the police chief, the district attorney's office, the housing authority, adult and juvenile probation, department of children's, yes, and family, the mayor's office, and a number of others. we used to have to do this. counting heavily on the book in strategy of law enforcement and services to make sure that we deal with these kind of upticks in a holistic and effective way, and now, we have to dispatch accordingly, so we expect to have a robust town hall meeting, and we encourage the community to come out. thank you. 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. supervisor avalos: a couple of things i forgot to imagine -- subliminal appropriation is

$80,000 for the last three months of the fiscal year to cover the things that we have collected over the last three months of the fiscal year. it is co-sponsored by supervisor ross mirkarimi, supervisor campos, a supervisor mar, kim,, and hopefully others will join in. the resolution that passed, there was a huge community effort involved in making sure these community efforts get past couple on the streets knocking on doors. i want to make sure we know that it was a huge community effort to make the legislation go forward. supervisor wiener: i have a question through the chair about the supplemental appropriation for $80,000, about whether it is justified web that $80,000 would come from elsewhere in the budget. i'm assuming it would go to the

botanical society for the work it needs to do. supervisor chiu: generally during roll call, it is not the delay, for us to ask questions. i can leave this discussion in committee, but do you have a quick answer to that? supervisor avalos: the subliminal procreation on the sources side is the real estate tax increase, and on the uses side, the recreation and park department. it is coming out of the general fund, going to the recreation and park department. >> mr. president, that concludes roll call for introductions. supervisor chiu: thank you. at this time, i would like to move to our 3:30 special accommodations. i believe in the only person who has won today. i would like to invite up morgan holland to the microphone.

colleagues, i would like today to recognize the important work of the american heart association in the ongoing fight against heart disease. cardiovascular disease is our nation's leading cause of death. it accounts for one out of three deaths nationwide. according to the most recent data, about 1168 san franciscans die from heart disease every year. the united states federal government has an effort of reducing coronary heart disease rates. we are about 20% above that, so we have a lot of work to do. ha has been an amazing organization to help us aggressively educating our citizens, help to train us on cpr and frankly helping us to save lives. this friday, february 4, is

national where red tape. americans nationwide will be wearing red to show their support for heart disease awareness. i'm wearing a red tide today, and i will do so again on friday, and i hope folks in the public will consider wearing red this friday out of respect and celebration for the work that h.a. is doing in memory of folks who have passed away from heart disease. >> i'm representing morgan today. thank you, supervisor. good afternoon. in here with other members of the society and as a volunteer and advocate for the american heart association, and i'm honored to accept this on your behalf. cardiovascular disease is a growing public health problem in the united states, especially among women. each year, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of approximately 460,000 women,

more than the next five causes of death combined, and yet, many women are not aware that heart disease is their greatest health threat. our collective efforts are making a difference. awareness of heart disease is growing among women, but more progress is needed. a deficit in awareness exists, and many women are still not taking the necessary steps to keep their heart healthy. february 4 is where red day, an entire cities across the nation will go read -- wear red day, and entire cities across the nation will go red, so i encourage you to support this effort. thank you. [applause]

supervisor chiu: madam clerk, why don't we go to general public comments? >> the next item on the agenda -- supervisor chiu: i did not realize campos, realize -- i did not realize, supervisor campos has accommodation. for public comment, if you would like to make -- remained standing, that is fine. supervisor campos: i would like to take this opportunity to recognize a pretty amazing organization. it is my honor to recognize the women's initiative for self- sufficiency, a nonprofit organization that is headquartered in my district, whose mission is to build the entrepreneurial capacity of lower-income women to overcome social and economic barriers and achieve self-sufficiency. i would like to ask the executive director of the women's initiative for self-

sufficiency, who is here. she is not only the executive director but someone who has been involved with the organization for many years, and i know she is here with a number of graduates of the organization's training. for those of you who may not be knowledgeable about what the women's initiative does, they have been in existence for more than 23 years. they have helped over that time more than 23,000 women to start or expand their own businesses. why these -- who are these women that they serve? 80% of the women are women of color. 53% are latino. 22 are african-american. 36% have a high-school equivalency or less. 25% of these women have actually unfortunately reported a domestic violence incident. 21% are single parents.

and by providing women the comprehensive courses and training that the initiative has provided to them, they have over the last few years, number of years helped women build stable homes, generate new jobs, and helped entire communities. i was impressed to learn during a recent visit that 70% of the women that have graduated from the women's initiative actually remain in business for five years after completing the program, which is a pretty amazing figure here in household income increases from an average of $1,800 to more than $2,900 per month. after just one year in the program. in 2009, and this is a pretty amazing an incredible figure, clients or graduates of the initiative created more than 2200 jobs here in san francisco,

which had paid an average wage of more than $16 an hour. that alone is an amazing figure that shows the kind of contribution they have made. net worth for these women has increased more than 300% after just two years in the program from close to $13,000 to $53,000, which is an amazing figure. just last week, when i did a pretty incredible visit that they put together, i have the opportunity to meet george howard, who is the owner of a hair salon that just opened up in my district. they had been in business for just a few months. i was impressed to learn that with the help of the women's initiative training program, started her own business,

created jobs for independence stylist, and just opened an amazing storefront on 22nd street, and i certainly need a haircut, so i look forward to going to do that. but georgette is just one of many examples of the success that this amazing organization has had. with that, it is my honor on behalf of the board of supervisors to recognize the work of the women's initiative, and i would like to ask nicole for a few words. >> thank you very much. do you want to come work for us? we are so honored to receive this award, and wanted to mention that we are not just working in supervisor combos -- campos'district but we're working in all of your district. i have some packets of information for those of you who are not as familiar with us, and you will see there is a listing of all the businesses in the last five years i endorse it

could. you may be surprised to see some businesses that you did not realize had come through with its initiative training. i just want to quickly recognize two of our amazing staff. sandra who has been with the organization as a business transfer 12 years and has been personally responsible for so many of the women that have come through the program, increasing their incomes and creating jobs. also, felicia is from colombia. finally, before i introduce nancy, one of our success stories, i want to really focus on job creation. i know we are all talking about jobs, how do we create jobs? not enough of us are talking about how micro enterprise, very small businesses, are really the answer to our job situation. our clients created 2244 jobs

last year, and that is an incredible number. we were hearing that nobody was able to create jobs. we do that for about $3,000 per client, so for every $1 that is invested in the initiative, $30 goes back into the community. huge economic impact. i'm going to now turn it over to nancy. thank you so much for the recognition, and i look forward to getting to know all of you new supervisors and past supervisors. and you so much. >> good afternoon. i know i've had the pleasure of meeting some of you before, but i look forward to welcoming the new board of supervisors and looking forward to working in your district as well. i'm dedicated to preserving mexican traditions through educational programs in the

community. initially, i was at 24th and mission for 10 years. recently, i got the opportunity to expand into a new location on valencia street at 22nd, so i invite you to stop by. we consist of a retail store online, but we do wholesale as well, and i think diversifying my business has really allowed me to succeed through these economic hard times. my story is a little bit unusual, so i'm not your normal, i guess, women's initiative client. i actually come from a family dedicated to small businesses. my mom is from southern mexico, very close to the guatemalan border. she is actually half chinese and half mexican, so my grandfather immigrated from southern china to southern mexico, and i grew up with a merchant family. when we emigrated to the u.s.,

my family also had family businesses, but even though i had all that preparation, opening my own business and working in a family environment, i was not prepared for the obstacle and challenges of having my own business. this is where the women's initiative program really helped me to develop actually technical training, business plans -- all of the things that i have not done because my mom had a very old school way of is this mentality, which was basically sink or swim. my company -- i have four full- time staff and two part-time in the low season, but in the high season, that can expand up to five or three part-time employees that all live and work in the mission district, so this is really, to me, about grass roots economy, rebuilding

this country, and the recession gives us an opportunity to reevaluate our relationship with community. they have been very helpful to me, and i described them as the strap that we can pull ourselves up by, the straps on our goods that we can relate will ourselves up by. even though my business is dedicated to preserving cultural traditions, i do not believe that all traditions are sick with -- sacred. i believe in transforming the cultural norms that deny women the opportunity to be their best, and even though much progress has been made in latin american communities, we still face millions of women that find themselves in a position of economic this empowerment. very important for immigrant women to be able to have economic control over our lives because that really means

economic control over our destinies. sometimes, all a girl needs is a lucky break. thank you very much. [applause] supervisor chiu: why don't we move at this time to general public comment? then the next item is the opportunity for the public to address the board for kid of the women of items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the board, including items on the adoption of the committee reference portion of the agenda and excluding items which have

been considered by the board committee. speakers using translation assistance will be allowed twice the amount of time. if a member of the public would like a document to be displayed on the overhead projector, please clearly states such and remove the document when the screen should return to live coverage of the meeting. supervisor chiu: thank you. given the number of folks i see, my suggestion is we do public, for about half an hour, and hopefully, that will get through most of the folks, and then proceed to our 4:00 special order. >> [speaking foreign language]