that is not where san francisco is at. i do not understand why we would spend $200,000 on this one we could install permeable pavement with a handful of workers and give them some payment right now. vice president moran: next speaker. >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is rick wong. i am from the santa clara valley water district, the project manager, representing the district on this project. i would like to give you a brief explanation why we have tried to pursue this project for ourselves. santa clara valley water district serves 1.8 million people in the county, and it relies on state water projects, and also had ceci water from your agency.

-- hetch hetchy water from your agency. half of our water supply is coming from groundwater. while we are investing heavily in conservation and recycled water, and still project a water short file in 2013 -- shortfall in 2013. -- 2030. we think the salinization could be part of future water needs. we want to work with the other agencies. as they mentioned, we started since 2003. the district has committed resources along with four other agencies who are presenting their views in front of you.

we ask you to continue to support this project, and to approve the funding necessary for yourself on this project. thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is amara florence -- florez. i am the project manager for the bay area regional desalinization project, one of the partners. we support the regional approach to solving collective water management challenges. desalinization is an alternative worth fall consideration as a means to diversify our supplies to our customers in cities like

more and dublin -- moore and dublin. we are committed to exploring the use of recycled water in our area. given our role as water research management -- resource management, we must evaluate all feasible possibilities to make well informed decisions for meeting the future needs of our community. we hope you continue to support this project. thank you. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am with bright line, and i want to join in asking that we do not fund the study. a lot of things have been said. i will add there is a good sense the plant will never get built. there is a reason they are not being built. commissioner torres talked about the need to address the

underlying reasons why this is being studied. when you look at the studies from other counties like santa cruz, there are recent examples of jurisdictions that have studied these options for addressing the need for water desalinization and ruled it out. there are so many more ways to improve efficiency to accomplish what wants to be accomplished -- permeable sidewalk, as mr. brooks mentioned, and many other ways to improve the water we do have. i just want to say that if we spend this money we are going to end up with something i think we are never going to build. i think we will find the alternatives create more jobs, more careers, rather than a short-term build a plant and walk from it. i would like to say we are not going to build thiso the extente resources and put them toward

something we are going to do in terms of water efficiency, and realize these additional benefits -- that is what i would be in favor of instead of the study. >> additional public comment? >> good afternoon, commissioners. thanks for the opportunity to address you. i work for s.p.u.r. as sustainable project director. our advisory board had a discussion of desalinization and the bay area. we invited the puc, pacific institute, and others to talk to us and help us think about what we should do, putting it desalinization in proper context. first, i am not here to support desalinization or building any specific facility. it would be too preliminary to

adjudicate that, and it is not the question at hand. we are talking about a feasibility study that can answer the remaining questions about the impact and opportunities of this water treatment. we think it is a responsible thing to do. not just that. it is good planning. we support the continued study of feasibility for desalinization at the east contra costa site. this seems like it has been a bargain, with the grant funding as well as a great deal of regional cooperation and funding put together for this project, which in and of itself is a worthy pursuit, as other countries have mentioned. with 2 million more people moving to the area by 2040, we are going to need more water supply in the future. where are we going to get them? we need to know the alternatives in order to have that discussion. even in the retail area, it is

true demand in california is going down, as it is here. we have a significant projected shortfall when we expect more people to be living in the bay area, competing for the same supply. we need to consider the options on the table for how to source of water, especially given the uncertain trajectory of climate change on water supply. this kind of evaluation was recommended in our recent study on planning for climate change adaptation. we actually recommended in the report that bay area water suppliers a value with alternative options and the band management strategies, including conservation, recycled water, and others, in order to prioritize cost, reliability, and environmental for actors. we specifically included desalinization because of its invulnerability to drought, but

we need to know the potential cost and benefit. there will be trade-offs on environmental benefits and revenues. that is true for desalinization, delta water, or diverting a river. we need to know what we are dealing with to make informed choices. continuing and completing the study is not picking a winner right now. we urge you to look at all possible water supplies as part of good planning. that is what we are here to support. thank you. vice president moran: thank you. is there any additional public comment? >> commissioners, what is your pleasure? commissioner courtney: not only did i find it compelling, but i

appreciated everybody who showed up. the conversation enlightened me on a few different issues. i am hoping we can send a strong signal. while i take mr. brooks's comments to heart, i want to apply that kind of evaluation a little bit differently. rather than balancing the value of applying to hundreds thousand dollars to a continuation -- $200,000 to a continuation of a study about which our partners are enthusiastic, balancing that with doing other things which would employ workers, which i made no secret that i represent workers -- i hope we would continue in the direction of studying the merits of the

salinization, creating opportunities for the public, the stakeholders, staff, and everybody else to give us an exhaustive report. frankly, i do not disagree with mr. brooks. once we have that data available to us, that report, those recommendations, and everybody's collaborative efforts, that will give us an opportunity -- certainly me, because i represent workers -- to evaluate whether it is beneficial to us to go ahead and build. we do like to build things, right? to go ahead and build it or find another way to engage in the conservation we know is necessary while we employ workers. it is all about jobs. i definitely wanted to thank you, mr. brooks, for talking about workers and jobs. i think we just have a slight

disagreement about when we balance those interests. i am prepared, as we sit here now, to move forward with the staff recommendation. vice president moran: is that a motion? commissioner courtney: so moved. commissioner caen: i will second. commissioner torres: i have a suggested wording change, if the commissioner would entertain that. in the fourth whereas, it talks about the puc interest in exporting gallons per day, it's a truck after the word needs, i would recommend putting in the phrase -- of its retail and wholesale customers. this is not just for the city itself. to get that on the record i think is a good idea.

vice president moran: that is an amendment. do i have a motion for the amendment? and a second? discussion on the amendment? on the amendment, all those in favor? opposed? thank you. on the motion as amended? all those in favor? ok. call the roll. vice president moran: aye. commissioner caen: aye. commissioner torres: no. commissioner courtney: aye. >> the motion passes 3-1. vice president moran: next item, please. >> the next item will be hour closed session. i will invite any public comment

on closed session items, if there is any. vice president moran: do we have public comment on closed session items? there are none. >> could you entertain a motion to deal with the items listed below? threat to public services or facilities, consultation with agency chief of security, and conference with legal counsel about property settlements in a san francisco superior court case, 436930, filed january 31, 2005. is there such a motion? vice president moran: moved and seconded. the motion carries. >> we will now go into a closed session. president vietor: the commission

took no item -- action on item 16. could we have a motion regarding whether to disclose? >> move not to disclose. president vietor: all those in favor? opposed? >> any other items before we adjourn? president vietor: seeing none, the meeting is adjourned.

>> congratulations, chief. as you may well know, we were named the top in 2005.

i thought that was wonderful. >> that is the top irish- americans in the country, not just san francisco. >> they knew they could fire chief when they saw one. we thought we would do a nice irish song for you. we will not take long, we promise. ♪ , over the hills my money-eyed irish lad come over the hills to your darling you choose the road love and i will make the balancvows and i will be your true love forever

red is the rose that beyond the garden grows there is a lily of the valley here is the water that boasts from the spring but my love is [inaudible] ♪

♪ down by killarney the moon and the stars they were shining the moon shone she was sure she would be my love forever red is the rose that beyond the garden grows there is delayed of our valley there is the water that flows

from but my love is better than any ♪ [applause] >> over in the corner, and john's father. we are so thrilled that this long overdue that we hang your picture on our wall. you have supported our 1906 survivor dinners and luncheons over the years. i do not know what i always see you at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, but you are always there for us. 1983, there was a fire at jon's grille. your guys came in. in those days, i think it was guys. they got the bar out, they got

chief bill murray's picture off the wall. but mayor christopher's picture off the wall. we have been rebuilding ever since. but we are a little short on beautiful ladies. we are happy to have you on the wall. [applause] do you have something that you would like to -- >> lee and john, thank you for inviting me here. for all of you, fire commissioners, city family. i guess when joanne came,

everyone said, first female. she has shown that she has joined the great chiefs of our city. it did not take long at all for her leadership to come out, for her personality, a french ship, but also for that wonderful leadership. our great city sometimes, a lot of people focus on who is in room 200, but there are very special moments for many periods of the city where the city is defined by its great chiefs. today we celebrate one of those already. who is this movie star? that is a great thing. i want to thank john's grill for putting up, under their 40- year tradition, someone that we believe very much in our city, who has really led a great leadership and our fire department and has been a great

leader on many fronts, helping us so much on anything -- everything from the toy drives to community participation, to everything that reflects a modern fire department and all the men and women that served the department. really give them the pride for working for the great city. chief, congratulations for making it on the wall. lee, john, to have this tradition, welcome our great chief. [applause] >> since you are the last one that has been hung on the wall previously, you two work so closely together, could you say something? >> i am no where near as good looking as joanne. kind of down the line there. joanne and i have been friends forever. i played football with city college with her brother dan who was the coach.

talk about a great person to be able to follow. she has been so supportive. i have learned so much in my short time on how to be a good chief. she is modest, gracious, everything that you would want to have. i just hope someday people will think of me the way that i think of her. [applause] we have a surprise hear from senator mark leno, who i believe has not made an endorsement yet. would you like to make an announcement? >> speaking of better looking -- >> it is my pleasure to join mr. mayer and our chief on this auspicious occasion. i think all the kind and generous words have been said. if you look on this wall, joanne, you can see the threshold to get on this wall is

rather high. with some exceptions, we have got police chiefs, fire chiefs, mayors. i have been discriminated against because i am gay, jewish, but never for being estate center. i asked, how and why going to get on the wall? -- when am i going to get on the wall? he said soon. it is my pleasure to join in with the celebration and take a moment to recognize your unique accomplishments. chief hayes-white is the only chief to have served in all 42 different stations. i think that says something for your hands-on leadership style, that you have not only earned your stripes, made your way up the ladder in the department, but also have brought to us a

motherly touch that is uncommon. congratulations to you on this wonderful distinction. i would also like to thank john and john crow for supporting this tradition, which i aspired to at some point. >> thank you. [applause] >> you will be well-hung. you are jewish? all of you who would like to, we hope that you stay and eat and sleep and -- share wonderful stories. thank you, everybody. >> thank you to lead to help

steer values -- continue to buy a the city history. certainly, to mr. john and gus constant, owners of john's grill for four years. it is an honor to be here. to have my picture up there. . a lot of water under p.m. very under the bridge. the firefighter was behing me, and taking good of us.

i feel good about it. thank you. i think the world of chief s uhr. thank you to my co-workers. is all about teamwork. thank you very much. i consider you part of my team. thank you so much. it is a wonderful surprise.

a wonderful tribute. thank you for those songs. my younger brother dan is here. my younger sister is here. and my mom, who is 86 years old. 86 is just a number. i am sorry. of all the things i've participated in, this is the most exciting moments. is part of the history, and my mom has dined here many times and has seen the pictures on the wall. thank you, mom.

thank you very much. again i appreciate this. thank you. thank you to mayor lee and to john. for anyone here who does not know me and is here for our regular lunch, i am sorry for the interruption. [laughter]