number of them. but there are differences, and having a detailed discussion in terms of options going forward is something we need to do. i think taking additional time to go into closed session and having that discussion is something that can be useful, is respected of how you feel from a public policy -- irrespective of how you feel from a public policy perspective about public financing. i think we do need a thorough discussion with our counsel on this issue. i look forward to having that opportunity. supervisor farrell: just 2 below points to my colleagues. i will be happy to support the motion to go into closed section -- session next week. this is not public policy. this is about a supreme court decision. it is not a public policy debate about our system.

i caution my colleagues that timing is of the essence. people are thinking about the implications on elections going forward this year. i am skeptical whether this would apply to this year's mayor's race, given the way fund-raising has gone so far. let us go into closed session, but let us not delay and make this a political effort. i do not want to cost our city hundreds of thousands of dollars again. i know people are lining up in the wings to file this lawsuit. they are eager, and my a -- and in my opinion confident of their potential outcomes. i will support the motion, but with a caution that we move this expeditiously and it does not become a public policy debate. supervisor elsbernd: are you thank you very much. when you do come next week, if you can between now and then -- i understand yesterday in new york city there was a lawsuit

filed on the public financing laws, where they had a similar trigger. just yesterday, the trial court issued a ruling specifically on this point. if you could take a look at that and maybe help brief us next week? thank you. >> i would be happy to. president chiu: i will just add that from my perspective i certainly, while i absolutely disagree with the supreme court ruling, think the ruling was clear. that being said, i also would support this motion for a week for us to have a conversation with our city attorney in closed session, to understand any issues we are missing. with that, we need a roll-call vote on this motion to continue. yes? no. without objection, this will be continued for one week, with emotion that we go into closed session -- with a motion that we

go into closed session to consider this with our outside counsel. >> item 31 was considered by the land use and economic development committee at a regular meeting and was amended with the same title and referred as a committee report without recommendation. it amends the planning code and zoning map establishing the city center special sign district. supervisor farrell: this legislation establishes the city center special signed a strict -- signed district, to modify existing controls on signs at the corner of lyon and geary, the old sears roebuck store which has seen better days. target anticipates opening a site in 2013, and smaller tenants are coming in. this will bring hundreds of jobs to san francisco. i want to thank the target team,

which was put a lot of thought into reinvigorating the property, along with property developers, developing signs that will we direct people to the right parking lots. i think the team for reaching out to surrounding community groups in my district and district 1. it has unanimous support from the local neighborhood groups. i also want to thank members of our planning department, in particular sophie hayward and adam miller, who represents the building owner. this anticipates creating hundreds of jobs in the city. supervisor weiner: i want to thank the supervisor for his work on this. i think it is commonly known that target in the last year or so has had a pretty strained

relationship with the lgbt community, based on some things that happened. there has been a lot of discussion and a fair amount of out reached by a target. -- out reach by target. i think a lot of us thought the entitlement of this project would be a major fight. i anticipated -- i hope i did not say anything -- supervisor campos: he likes target. supervisor weiner: i had always assumed the conditional use would be appealed to the board. at the planning commission, there was almost no opposition from anybody, including the concerns of the lgbt community. there was a unanimous vote at the planning commission. there was no appeal to this board. the time to do so has since collapsed.

this is now an untitled project. supervisor campos and i have met with target to discuss what they can do in the community to have a positive relationship. at this point, target is happening. this is a question of whether we have them with good signs or bad signs. i think we should have them with good signs. i will be supporting us today, particularly in light of the complete deafening silence and lack of opposition to this project. supervisor campos: i want to join supervisor weiner in noting the issue that has been of great concern to the lgbt community not only in san francisco but to let the country, in terms of

some of the actions taken by target, a corporation which has benefited from the patronage of the lgbt community. this boat is not about target today. -- this vote is not about target today. it is part of a larger process. but there is a connection to target. i will be supporting this with the understanding that target will continue its work as it tries to reach out to the lgbt community. as supervisor weiner has indicated, he and i, along with former supervisor dufty, have met with target and community leaders to discuss how target can frankly make amends to the lgbt community. i hope target continues to engage in those discussions, irrespective of what is approved by this board or the planning commission. for a target like corporation to

be successful in a place like san francisco, it has to be sensitive to the values we hold dear as a city, protecting and respecting the rights of all people. we look forward to continuing to work with target in that effort. i also want to acknowledge the work of a supervisor -- of supervisor farrell, who has gone out of his way to bring people to the table. i think it is also important that we in the lgbt community become involved. at the end of the day, nothing is going to happen unless that involvement takes place. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you to supervisor farrell, and i agree with supervisors weiner and campos on the larger issues. on practical issues, this building is also on the border of district 5. for about 16 months, we have had

a number of meetings that go back to the embryonic idea of whether this would be a great location for target. for an area in my part of san francisco which is not really friendly to chain stores, i thought this was a creative debate and a sensible solution. that is the realization that when you have commercial buildings of the scale and size of this particular area, it is very unlikely a mom and pop is going to be able to come in, or somebody who is not franchise to -- is not franchised will be able to occupy that abandoned and lighted building. i appreciate the conversation amid the different districts that straddle this area of masonic and geary. i believe there is strong

support for the target, which is great. as a harbinger of things to come, i was concerned when target needed to do better outreach. when i asked about their knowledge of the geary bart program, they had no idea what i was talking about. when i talked about the traffic going into trader joe's on masonic, they had no idea what i was talking about. at trader joe's, where we have had a bicycle incidents and fatalities, this is going to be an area where there will be an increase in traffic. hopefully transit will be the way people go back and forth from this area. i think this is a step in the right direction. i just think that those coming to san francisco need to do their homework, making sure it

comports well with neighborhood needs. supervisor mar: i wanted to thank supervisor farrell for his work. i will be supportive of this zoning change. i think this proposal by target and adam miller from the property group will increase the visibility of the signs and will better about traffic flow. i know there are 6 lots that exist within the property. it is often difficult on a one- way street like o'farrell and masonic, where people pull in and do not know where to go afterward. that sign is an important one. the blade design they have shown at land use committee -- they walked me and my staff through the different proposals probably about a year ago as well.

i think they make a lot of sense. i think it is an important change that will improve the site. i also am concerned about labor conditions on the site, but that will come up later. i also am glad that our former colleague, mr. dufty, and others have held target accountable to their financing of certain campaigns. i also want to say from the target representatives that flew out to our land use committee meetings -- i think they have been very transparent. most of the residents from the richmond district, which is on the edge of the site on geary and masonic -- most people are supportive. a handful are concerned about the attack on a box scores. i hope to work with them on looking at economic impact reports on large for miller

retail sites like this. as a former sharper at sears when it was there, and toys r us when my child grow up, i see that it is a sight that can be used by a set like target. it will also help the office depot, the subway, and the smaller stores that are there. i will support this. like supervisor mercury me, my hope is to hold target accountable -- like supervisor mirkarimi, my hope is to hold toward accountable. as far as transit issues, target and their representatives have been meeting to address traffic safety issues. my appreciation to target for reaching out to parents as well. i will be supporting this legislation. president chiu: any additional discussion? can we take this item same

house, call? -- same house, same call? >> roll call for introductions. supervisor weiner: i want to briefly acknowledged that today marks the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation in the united states. it is a massive step forward for civil rights in this country. it is pretty shocking in this day and age that we would have a policy of excluding lgbt americans from serving in the armed forces. i just want to thank all of the advocates, including many of them who live in my district who have been working on this grass- roots effort for many years. i know it is not fashionable to do it these days, but i want to thank president obama and our

democratic leader in the house, nancy pelosi, for making this a reality. it is hard work. we all want things to move faster. but this congress has passed several pieces of lgbt and civil rights legislation, and the president has worked with them and signed them. it is a great day, and we should all celebrate. the rest of submit. supervisor cohen: good afternoon, colleagues. today, i am introducing two hearing requests. the first is a request for an update on the school improvement grant, also effectively known as sig grants. they have been received by the san francisco independent school district today. i look forward to hearing a robust discussion on how moneys have been spent, and future planning for how these grants will be allocated.

the second is a request to discuss school safety procedures. i want to learn about the programs that ensure the safety of students on campus, protecting them as they come to and from school. this is in the wake of another school shooting that happened in bayview, in front of an elementary school. supervisor farrell: colleagues, i just wanted to invite you and everybody else out there to the inaugural marina family festival we are having this saturday, september 24. i am proud to be supporting it. it is by the marine a community association. it should be a great day for family and kids, with great weather. i hope you will come out and join us. supervisor chu: i have one item to submit.

>> thank you. supervisor kim: i just want to congratulate st. anthony's and the tenderloin for their 60th year anniversary this week. there will be celebrating this saturday at 10:00 a.m. they have long been an institution serving our poor, our seniors, and our disabled by serving breakfast and lunch every day in our tenderloin neighborhood. the rest i submit. supervisor mirkarimi: madam clerk, i have 2 the wall in memorials -- i have two in memoriams. one activist died from a heart attack after being diagnosed

with a large aortic aneurysm last year. his last months were spent in the pursuit of his pleasures -- translating ancient greece, -- ancient greek, playing chess, or spending time with his friends. arthur was a renaissance man. going october 12, 1942, he played an important role in the nascent deliberation movement. in 1969, arthur and others founded the gay activists alliance in manhattan. in november 1970, arthur and other alliance members appeared on the dick cravaack show. there were among the first openly gay activists to be featured on television. arthur had many works with the groundbreaking of witchcraft and a counterculture.

he critiqued -- he wrote a critique of the patriarchy, which he gave me, a nine year project of philosophy which he captured. arthur is survived by his brother, joe evans of michigan, his best friend, and those of us devoted to him in the haight ashbury area, who appreciated his steadfast activism and ability to really push buttons. i am sure that arthur will be missed. the next in memoriam is one i gave attention to a couple of days after it happened. the family is not getting the attention necessary. on july 17, a 20-year-old was shot to death outside his hayes valley home. this might have been one of the stories people scanned by in the

newspaper if it was not for his family and friends. the seven tepees family organization deals with young offenders. they are stepping forward to make sure he is not forgotten and does not become another statistic on the homicide list. going june 16, 1991, he was one of the seven tepees success stories. he graduated from high school and was preparing to move to college in los angeles this month. he worked at abercrombie and fish as manager -- and fitch as manager. nothing got to him. employees remember him as a happy guy. he leaves behind his young son, three younger siblings, and his loving mother, who i have talked to since his death.

to date, san francisco police have not solved his murder. i am sure the city family will continue to do everything they can, as i have insisted before that we get answers to these tartarus questions. the rest will submit. president chiu: today i have two items. i am introducing a legislative draft and request to help us address the frustration that impact san franciscans when their cars are towed. nobody that parts in san francisco wants to be towed, but it is easy to miss the posting of a temporary or permanent towaway zone. i am requested that legislation be drafted to require the creation of a toe when notification system for san francisco, which release of allied data streams on temporary and permanent toeing restrictions. this would help people avoid getting towed by using technology.

i will be asking the mta and dpw to create a notification service which would include special events such as parades and construction zones. live data streams could also help encourage application developers to create user- friendly apps. through an opt in system, residents could sign up for alerts by e-mail or text within the boundaries of their regular parking areas. cities like boston, denver, and chicago have similar notification systems during street cleaning. in boston, events are sent the day before st. occupancy permits go into effect. the current fee for a typical towing is close to $400, with additional charges for storage, and approximately 150 to 160 cars are towed in our city every

day. my second item is an ordinance that could serve as alternates to the amendment to the health care security ordinance proposed by supervisor campos last week. before i describe the alternative, i would like to emphasize first how much i appreciate the work of supervisor campos and his office, as well as the broad coalition of workers and advocates that have brought the problem of the existing a teresa -- exissting hra accounts to our attention. i support closing the loophole in the existing legislation. i am proud of living in a city where our employers have a legal obligation to provide health care to their employees. i believe the alternative amendment i am introducing today helps accomplish the main goals of the amendment that was initially offered, without dramatically increasing cost for

businesses struggling to stay afloat during this economy. my ordinance will eliminate the "use it or lose it" nature of hra's, and take care of the supposedly january problem, where employees try to take advantage only to find it expired at the end of the year. the ordinance also strengthens notification requirements, demanding they occur on a quarterly basis. they must be properly posted. this also addresses what happens when an employer says they charge a surcharge but do not spend it on health care. the ordinance also has a provision that says that if the amendment is challenged in court and a court in joins changes, it will be referred back to his

supervisor -- back to supervisor campos's language. i want to make sure the health- care needs of our workers are taken care of, and do this during these difficult economic times. supervisor campos: thank you very much, madam clerk. i want to join supervisor mirkarimi in his in memoriam for arthur evans. arthur would be surprised to hear me say this, but i welcomed his involvement and input, even though often i was on the receiving end of his comments. i always appreciated his commitment to the city. i think public involvement is something we should welcome and be proud of. may he rest in peace. the second item that i have is -- i usually do not say anything

about this, but it is something that relates to the implementation of the health services master plan which we as a board passed last year. what this money will do is it will allow the department of public health to continue to build on its already excellent work in the creation of a very inclusive process that is ensuring the health services master plan legislation that triggered it is as inclusive and transparent process as possible. the department of public health has formed a 40-member task force that represents a wide variety of health care providers, consumers, and other stakeholders. between now and may 2012, this task force will meet at various locations throughout the city to obtain community feedback on the issue of the health needs of san

francisco and how to make sure that we have access to health care services for all san franciscans. for those of you who might be interested, the first meeting of this task force will take place this thursday, september 22, in my district, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. i think it is important for all of us in san francisco to be involved in this process. it is truly an exciting process because it is the first time we as a city are thinking in a comprehensive way about what our health care needs are, not only today, but in the near future and long term. again, i want to thank the department of public health for its work in that effort. the third item that i have is a resolution that i am introducing. there was a press conference

held today on the steps of city hall. i would like to begin by thanking my colleagues who are cosponsoring this legislation. it is a resolution that calls upon the city officials and the various agencies, local and regional, to explore the possibility of having free public transportation for all youth in san francisco. this is an issue we have been looking carefully at for some time. i especially want to thank a member of my office who has been doing tremendous work in making sure that as we push this issue forward we put forward a comprehensive strategic plan that ensures we achieve our goal without undermining the overall objective of making sure that everyone is served by public transportation. the reason we are here is that

this issue was brought to us by many members of san francisco's of first communities. we heard from many parents about the difficulty they are facing in paying for a monthly pass for muni for their children. from july 2009 to this year, the cost of a fast passed for a young person has gone up by 110%, from $10 to $21. this has happened as we are facing a tough economy. because of that economy, we know the number of children in public schools who are now living in families whose income is below the poverty line has gone up. 61% of all san francisco children in public schools qualify for free and reduced meals.