you may recall that this is the way that it is historically done. i think that this will be funded at all levels requested. commissioner mirkarimi: very good. discussion? public comment? >> i am the planning manager at chinatown cdc. we have been working on this project for a 15to 20 years -- 15 to 20 years and we would like to come to you to ask for support. san francisco is a transit first city. we are all working on transit inclusion and access for everyone. it has been mentioned that federal money is becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain, and that we are so close to the finishing line, after 15 years of work, from the mta, city community, and we want to

use this opportunity to lock in the infrastructure benefits for our neighborhoods. lastly, to point to some of the economic benefits and job gains -- one of the businesses that relocated, they moved two weeks ago, and they have already hired local small-business people. i just want to point that out as for the small business development. keep this project going and help us to fill this community dream. commissioner mirkarimi: any other public comment? >> i am a consultant, working with state muni san francisco. you should not pass this today. there was a lot of gobbledygook by the young lady who spoke on

the initial part, but what she said, if you listen to it, is the full funding agreement may not be available. in case any of you have not read the newspapers, you probably are not aware that the republicans in the house have a different agenda than the fta. the fta may think this project is a good one -- i doubt it, because it is not. but the republicans in the house are targeting new starts projects, good, bad, or indifferent. we do not know what is going to happen in washington. it makes no sense to commit the city to $57 million on the way to $200 million, now without that full funding agreement in your pockets.

you are being irresponsible if you do it, and you will subject yourself to a taxpayer's lawsuit. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment? >> my name is david. westin addition housing advocates. three days ago, i was in orange county, at a private party, with a bunch of orange county republicans. i happen to meet congressman ed royce. i am not much of a liar, and i admit and then i was in nancy pelosi's district. they were telling me a whole bunch of things, including talking about this project. they were very much against it

and they will do everything possible to embarrass pelosi. as far as i heard, nancy, i really like her a lot. i heard she is neutral on this project. the only reason she is for it is because local politicians are for it. i would appreciate, that whenever action is taken by this board, will not embarrass her. aside from this, i heard from the republican that they believe this is a boondoggle, and they are born to take advantage of it. that is all i will say. commissioner mirkarimi: any other public comment?

>> since the question on the impact on chinatown came up, i think i should say a few things. if i really thought this was a major benefit to chinatown, i would be for this. when i first heard about the subway, why not? it is the best place. unfortunately, the concept has been ruined. let me give you a couple of figures that come from the mta, as officially submitted to the federal government. we found out, because the fta, they have caused the early claims of the mta to be brought down closer to reality. there is 76,000 riders today that use the three bus lines that go along stockton streets. chinatown someplace station will attract 8000, an additional 10%.

that is an indication that the subway only the tracks 5 the new riders a day. washington street is not tied down. it is the southern third of chinatown. the rest of chinatown is not helped, nor are all the people to the north and west. finally, according to the newspapers, the chinatown community development center is about to get about $9 million in grants and consulting fees, as a part of this project. so it is not quite right to say that they represent all of chinatown. there are a lot of people who have been working with us to oppose the project. commissioner mirkarimi: thank you. any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is

closed. colleagues, same house, same call? so moved. next item. >> item 12. amend the prop k 5-year prioritization program for signals and signs maintenance and renovation. this is an action item. commissioner mirkarimi: any discussions? seeing none, discussion is closed. public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. same house, same call. so moved. next item. >> introduction of new items. this is an introduction item. commissioner mirkarimi: discussion? public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item. >> item 14. public comment. commissioner mirkarimi: public comment about public comment? >> commissioners, you have heard

from some very astute people here talking about the transportation system with empirical data. that makes a difference from the very general. the third street light rail, when it was first brought to our attention, was supposed to perform in a certain way. it has not. it is very slow. we have issues of safety. we can bring to your attention the best information. our local newspapers are reduced

to trash. we do not get good information. papers likthe huffington post ar publications are doing a better job. we call ourselves a liberal city. supervisors, business is not going to be as usual if you keep dumping millions of millions of dollars, as you did with hunters point, other projects that i could name, but i will not name. in the end, it is left to you all. at one time, being a politician was a respectful career. it is not because of such types of decisions. thank you. commissioner mirkarimi: thank

you. any other public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. next item. >> adjournment. commissioner mirkarimi: have a good rest of the day. meeting is adjourned.

>> san francisco's buses and trains serve many riders who are blind or how low vision. muni is their lives line to get around. simple act of courtesy can help them access muni services safely. it is not just courtesy. it is the law. >> i used to take the 21 airlock. >> lot of times, when i would be waiting at the bus stop, the door would open and the driver would announce the bus line. >> 71. >> it is easier and preferable

when a driver sees someone who is obviously visually impaired if they stop in front of me and say "this is the 71," "this is the seven." >> our buses are setup to announce the lines when we pull up. when i see a customer with a guide dog or cane, make sure i let them know what line i am. >> every time i get on the bus, i tell the driver where i need to get off, even if i think there digital voice system is going to announce that. just so they know in the event that it is not working. i would say a good amount of the time, i do get acknowledgment, actually. >> good morning. >> morning. is your announcements system working? >> i'm sorry, it is not. >> could you let me know when we get to van ness and sacramento? >> i sure will. >> i have had a number of drivers be really helpful in

terms of getting passengers to move down a few seats so i can sit in the front. >> can somebody give this lady a seat? >> the bus driver was say, "please wait a moment. i want to make sure you have a seat." and i hear him or her announced that he needs a seat for a person with a disability. >> as soon as the person gets on the bus, i ask the passengers if we can have a seat for this person. >> anybody help us? thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> sides, federal law requires that the customers give their seats to the elderly and disabled if they should need it. >> buses should stop in zones that can accommodate multiple lines will stop behind one another. i cannot see what bus is behind -- i'm not even sure if there is a bus behind. the second bus does not come up to the front.

oftentimes, it has caused me to be passed up by bosses, by trains, and again, it makes me late for appointments. it makes me late for my job. >> i'm often anxious that i'm going to miss the bus that i need, simply because i'm not fast enough to scamper down and find out which bus is lined up behind the bus that is currently in front of me. what i'm going to work and i take the van ness street buses to work, sometimes, one of them will pull up right next to the other one. not in a bus stop, but parallel to it. and i do not know it is there. i also do not feel comfortable walking out into the street. >> is that my boss over there? i think that is my boss -- bus. i'm going to miss it.

i don't know how many times i have missed buses because of this. >> i do not double park. it is not safe for our customers, and especially the visually impaired. anything could happen, and it is muni's policy not to double park. normally what i do, if i can safely go in behind, i pull in the zone, offload my customers, load the customers that are waiting for me. when the bus in front of the leaves, i will pull to the front for the customers that did not see me. >> sometimes, the bus pulls up, and there is stuff in my way because the boys -- bus has not pulled up right in front of me. i have to figure out how to get around or through. i have to navigate through all of that in order to get onto the bus. >> when i pick up a visually impaired customers, i like to pull up right in front of them,

make sure nothing is in the way so they can walk right on the coach. >> okay, take one big step forward. >> when i drop off a visually impaired customers, make sure you do not pull up at the shelter. you want to give them a straight shot so they can go to the left or the right. you want to pull in front or behind the shelter. never around any trees or pose. i usually let them know that they have about 10 feet before you. a straight shot, and wallace 10 feet away, and they can make the decision what they want to do from that point. every now and then, and visually impaired customer wants to be dropped off right at the shelter. so they can go to the left or the right from there. >> ok, you want to take one big step when you step off. the shelter is straight ahead. >> if i get on the bus and asked a bus driver to please tell me when to get off at seven

straight, the bus driver very often will tell me to just look at the sign, and i will say that i cannot see the sign because and visually impaired. sometimes, the bus driver gets it. some of the time, the bus driver does not get it at all. it is really difficult when you do not see well to understand where things are. it is one of those issues where people do not see it from the outside. so when they see me having problems stepping off of curbs or stairs or running into the side of a building or things like that, it would appear to them as though maybe i had been drinking, but the problem is that there is no contrast between a great building and a sidewalk. >> it is difficult for some drivers i think to understand that i am blind. although i may look like i'm getting along very well, and it did happen to me on several

occasions with drivers, questioning my ability to see. they would say, "well, you really are not that blind." not only is that infuriating, but it is just something that cuts to my core. >> there are times that visually impaired customers get on the bus, and they are moving so well that makes me wonder how blind they are, but that is not for me to decide. i'm just here to take them some point a to point b safely. >> i moved all the way across the country specifically to live in san francisco because i knew they had great public transportation. i had the greatest interactions with muni drivers because i was thrilled to be on a bus and be able to get some more independently. i think the drivers can really feel proud that they are making people's lives possible in a way that it is not possible in other parts even of this country. >> 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. tips for respectful communication for people with disabilities brochures are available. call sfmta accessible services at 415-701-4485 for copies.

>> the san francisco cons tri of flowers in golden gate park

is now showing a new exhibit that changes the way we see the plants around us. amy stewart's best-selling book, "wicked plants" is the inspiration behind the new exhibit that takes us to the dark side of the plant world. >> i am amy stewart. i am the arthur of "wicked plants," the weeds that killed lincoln's mother and other botanical atrocities. with the screens fly trap, that is kind of where everybody went initially, you mean like that? i kind of thought, well, all it does is eat up bugs. that is not very wicked. so what? by wicked, what i mean is that they are poisonous, dangerous, deadly or immoral or maybe illegal or offensive or awful in some way. i am in the profession of going around and interviewing botanists, horticulturalists

and plant scientists. they all seem to have some little plant tucked away in the corner of a greenhouse that maybe they weren't supposed to have. i got interested in this idea that maybe there was a dark side to plants. >> the white snake root. people who consumed milk or meat from a cow that fed on white snake root faced severe pain. milk sickness, as it was culled, resulted in vomiting, tremors, delirium and death. one of the most famous victims of milk sickness was nancy hangs lincoln. she died at the age of 34, leaving behind 9-year-old abraham lincoln. he helped build his mother's casket by carving the woodallen petition douche the wooden

petition himself. >> we transformed the gallery to and eerie victorian garden. my name is lowe hodges, and i am the director of operations and exhibitions at the conls tore of -- cons tore of flowers. we decided it needed context. so we needed a house or a building. the story behind the couple in the window, you can see his wife has just served him a glass of wine, and he is slumped over the table as the poison takes affect. a neat little factold dominion about that house is actually built out of three panels from old james bond movie. we wanted people to feel like i am not supposed to be in this room. this is the one that is

supposed to be barred off and locked up. >> the ole andersonner -- oleander. this popular shrub is popular in warm climates. it has been implicated in a surprising number of murders and accidental deaths. children are at risk because it takes only a few leaves to kill them. a southern california woman tried to collect on her husband's life insurance by putting the leaves in his food. she is now one of 15 women on california's death rowan the only one who attempted to murder with a plant. >> people who may haven't been to their cons tore or been to -- do serve tore or their botanical garden, it gives them a reason to come back. you think let's go and look at

the pretty flowers. these are pretty flowers, but they are flowers with weird and fascinating stories behind them. that is really fun and really not what people normally think of when they come to a horticultural institution. >> "wicked plants" is now showing at the san francisco conserve tore of flowers. unless next time, get out and play. >> the next time you take a muni bus or