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tv   [untitled]    February 18, 2012 9:18am-9:48am PST

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wiener. >> i want to welcome you to the oldest neighborhood in san francisco. i am proud to represent it. it is about to get new road surfacing. i am very excited about that. 17th street is a major thoroughfare for cars and bikes connecting the castro close to san francisco general hospital. it is a very appropriate place to start. when we went in to the campaign , i was proud to work with a great team to pass it. there were a lot of people who said to me to go for it but it will never pass in 100 years. sometimes we failed to get it on the ballot. in 25 years, two different bonds have failed. that is not just in san
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francisco but throughout the bay area. it has been a very hard thing to do a hard sell. the people of san francisco understand that we as the country have failed in maintaining our infrastructure and investing in that. we see the consequences of that with bridges and public transportation and roads. people are beginning to understand that we have to invest in our infrastructure. our roads and sidewalks are a key part of that. i am so proud of the people of san francisco for understanding that and giving us the 2/3 that we needed. my counterparts around the bay area and elected officials from other areas of the county, their jaws dropped because they have never been able to do it. it is a great thing for san francisco. we will make significant improvement to our infrastructure. the day after the election, he should have been lounging in the
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wadi, -- in hawaii, but he called me into his office to get to work right away. it has been amazing the team effort to move this forward and get it implemented quickly. mayer, president, thank you. thank you to everyone who has made this a reality. i look forward to making our infrastructure even better. [applause] >> another big hand for scott, who worked tirelessly to make sure that this happened. [applause] the next person i am going to introduce is a member of the planning committee and is responsible for implementing and developing the 10-year capital plan, a supervisor and or president david -- and board president david chiu. >> it is great to be here. this is a wonderful celebration. i am sorry i am late. i spent this morning going
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through four different districts. i experienced many of the pot holes in those districts. this is wonderful. it has been a long road. many years of wanting to get this measure done. in 2009, mayor newsom and i proposed this out of the work of capital planning. we did not have enough support. we knew where one might region were not able to pass it during the recession in 2009. we knew we were not able to pass it in 2009 because of the recession. mayor lee and i were a bit distracted last year. i want to thank supervisor w iener for stepping up and doing the work to get the bond measure passed. it is not easy. i want to thank him for the fund-raising work he did, for being such an able spokesperson all over the city to explain why we need to do this. we all know that in addition to the bond, your elected
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officials as well as everyone who's part of the capital planning committee and city leadership, we know we need to find an ongoing source to make sure the money we get is going to be a down payment on keeping our roads paved and working over the next decades of our city. we're all committed to that. the excitement of being able to attack the 800 miles of streets, the 300 building structures, the ability to make our roads safer for our seniors, the disabled, kids, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, i could not be more pleased. i look forward to signing this of the mayor's new desk and look forward to working with you as we see improvements in every single district and neighborhood of the city. thank you very much. [applause] >> part of the program is dedicated to improvements that
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will bring benefits to the many muni riders. a key part of that is the mta. during his tenure, the bond was brought to life and successfully passed. it is my pleasure to welcome the director of the mta and former director of dpw. >> it is like the former director gathering. [laughter] having spent four years doing right of way infrastructure work in san francisco, it is not sexy, it is critically important to the economy and quality of life for those of us in san francisco. this bond will make it easier and safer for people to get around san francisco on foot by improving sidewalks,
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intersections, better striping, countdown signals it will make it easier and safer for people to get around on bicycles by improving and adding more bicycle lanes, making them safer, separating them from traffic wherever we can. it will make it easier and more efficient to get around on transit because we will be improving our traffic signal controllers so the traffic signals talk to the others so that the buses move faster. this will be helping -- happening on the smoother pavement that these dollars will bring to san francisco. it is an important investment in infrastructure. you put those things together making it easier and more attractive to walk, bike, and take transit. that is how we meet the goals set back in 1973. it is only with this kind of investment that we can become
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the transit first city we all want to be. i want to thank the leadership standing behind me, particularly a supervisor wiener, without whom the spawned would not have passed. i want to thank some people who worked hard behind-the-scenes to do the legwork, analytical work, the packaging of this. i want to acknowledge douglas legg, gloria chan, and others from dpw. we stand ready to work with dpw, stakeholders, and the public. we're ready to go to work to invest for san francisco and create jobs. thank you very much. [applause] >> power agency also works very closely with the san francisco
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-- in our agency also worked very closely with others to address pot holes and provide smooth rides for bicyclists. we depend on the bicycle coalition and its members to give us information, assessments, and conditions of the streets. i would like to introduce the executive director to say a few words. [applause] >> you know we will tell you what we think. we will keep on that. i want to thank the political leadership behind me and the amazing leadership of the family around me. we're so proud to be part of the bond passing. i bike regularly on 17th street. this is a very welcome news of the bond funds to repay the 17th street. it is a great example of how far our money can go. these planes were strike less than a year ago.
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we have seen noticeable increases in the number of people biking on the street. this has happened throughout the city. every time we have dedicated space to biking, we see increases in the number of people biking. we will see the same kind of improvements and changes in safety when our roads are paved and smooth. it could not matter more to someone on a bicycle. the numbers of people boking in san francisco -- the numbers of people biking in san francisco are skyrocketing. that is good for our environment, public health, and quality of life. it is also good for our local economy. more people biking and walking means more people visiting our commercial corridors, shopping, eating, in the local economy. that is for all the
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neighborhoods in our city. there is a great new study by -- i have to get the name right and give them credit. the political economy research institute in baltimore. the new study shows infrastructure projects around biking and pedestrian projects create more jobs than traditional road projects. on average, the projects create 11 to 14 jobs per $1 million spent. traditional road infrastructure projects create on average seven jobs per $1 million spent. we are really proud of that. we want to make sure we're pumping more money into our local economy with more jobs, more people biking, and frequenting our commercial corridors. we look forward to repaving 17th street and many more. [applause] >> one more important partner.
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we've touched on improvement for drivers, transit riders, and bicyclist. this bond will also repair sidewalks all over the city. what san francisco is premier pedestrian advocacy organization. i would like to introduce the executive director. [applause] >> walk s.f. is eager to see new investment in wider sidewalks and smarter street design throughout the city. in san francisco, even though we all walk, we still see 800 people here get hit by cars. that is too much. thanks to the mayor's pedestrian safety task force, we know that only 7% of our streets are where over half of all of the serious and fatal injuries occur. that means we know where to
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focus our resources to save lives. smart investment will pay off for everyone in the city because more walkable streets means more foot traffic. that is better for local businesses. that means safer streets for kids to walk to schools, families to walk to parks, and for everyone to enjoy lives, works, and visits san francisco. thank you. [applause] >> i will now turn it over to mayor lee. i will ask all of us to gather around as he signs the legislation at his ne
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>> today is 2/3. one there. i only have one of these pens. if i had more, everybody behind me would get one. they're valuable things. otherwise, the tallest person. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you very much. >> let's get to work.
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captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- supervisor avalos: good morning. welcome to the transportation plans and authority -- transportation authority plans and program committee. please call item no. 1, roll call. >> item #one. [calls roll] we have a quorum. supervisor avalos: thank you. please call item no. 2. >> approving the minutes of the january 10 meeting. this is an action item.
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supervisor avalos: any public comment on item number two? seeing no one, we will -- we will close public comment. the motion to approve, we will take that without objection. >> item #3, citizens of advisory committee report. this is an information item. supervisor avalos: good morning. is there a member of the supervisor -- of the advisory committee? oh. >> good morning. excuse me. good morning, commissioners. my name is joseph flanagan. i am the vice chair of the
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citizens advisory committee. i will be providing the cac chair's report today, since the chair was unable to attend this meeting. and item number six of your agenda was considered by the cac in its january 25, 2012 meeting. the cac passed this item and discuss this item regarding the due process of the community outreach and focus on two themes.
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one, the traffic planning program, and two, what will happen -- traffic planning program and what will happen to the park -- projects in the pipeline. two, from the current length of 36 months to 48 months, potentially to 24 months, how does the sf mta plan to maintain accurate community process? in the next item, number eight on your agenda, as considered by the cac, we pass this item unanimously. this item is focused on the evaluation of the performance process for the funds before and
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after a vacation of the project, with the flexibility of the tfta funds for possible use in new projects. that concludes my report. i would be happy to answer questions. supervisor avalos: thank you, vice chair planning and. just a question on your statement on item number six. you talked about going forward on traffic calming, the question over projects in the pipeline, did you get a response? did you have a remaining question?
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it is one that we can ask, as it is presented today. with no other questions from the committee, we can go on to public comment. any member of the public that would like to comment on item number three? thank you. madam clerk, item no. 4. >> item #4. recommend appointment of one member to the citizens advisory committee. this is an action item. >> [inaudible] with authority. by way of background, the authority has 11 member committee. each member serves a two year term. the authority board appoints the members. neither the staff nor the citizens advisory committee
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makes recommendations on appointments. you can see a list of folks on the advisory committee. to qualify for appointment to the citizens advisory committee, you must be a san francisco resident and you must speak to this committee about your interest in qualifications. we currently have one vacancy that is the result of the term expiration of mr. peter cannon. he is interested in being reappointed and he is here today. with that, i can take questions. >> thank you very much. please come forward. -- supervisor avalos: thank you very much. please come forward. >> my name is peter cannon. i have served on the citizens advisory committee for the last
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four years. i have served with the asset mta, traveling by bicycle and muni every day. i feel that with my experience, i can continue to be an effective member of the committee. i would be happy to answer any questions you might have. supervisor avalos: colleagues, comments or questions? ok, thank you for your service and commitment to transit. we will take the matter up. thank you. we can open this item up for public comment. if anyone in the public would like to comment, please come forward. >> good morning, directors. i am with the san francisco
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bicycle coalition. in a couple of were the heartfelt support. i cannot think of anyone who is more qualified to be on this body. on behalf of the bicycle collision, i hope you will return him to this seat. thank you. >> commissioners, my name is francisco dicostra. the cac who plays a very important role. i see candidates coming year, and you are approving them arbitrarily, even though you get comments from entities who are just working with the san francisco county transportation authority to push their agenda.
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the coalition is like a political action committee. they take monies from their membership and push an agenda. it is their prerogative. you, board of supervisors, who sit as a commission, must pay attention to what is really happening in our city. whether it is the $700 million that was spent on the light rail, the future of the central subway, but is really happening with high-speed rail. so, in view of such types of projects that need a different type of experience, i have
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suggested and others have suggested that we need a better caliber of candidates. we have some, like candidates to have represented the same sector forever. we need infusion of new blood to make progress. thank you very much. supervisor avalos: thank you. if there are no other members of the public to comment, we will close public comment. we actually have another candidate who is here. my apologies. introduce yourself, please. >> hello, mr. chairman and members of the community. i am a strong supporter of public transit. muni is my primary way around the city.
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this coming thursday, i will be attending the next central subway community advisory group meeting. for over one year i have been coordinating with the market street railway preservation partners. as many of you know, being a docent in the downtown area has given me insight into what i believe is the cause, but also for partial solutions, saving muni millions of dollars each year. for example, tourists have the areas where approximately 1 dozen mines pass through. so that buses do not have to wait behind left turning cars. as a software engineer by trade,
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i am used to making complex decisions in compromises based on data. i think it would make me an excellent candidate member of the citizens advisory committee. thank you for the opportunity to serve the city and county of san francisco. supervisor avalos: thank you very much. is this your first time applying? >> yes, it is. supervisor avalos: i am sorry, i did not catch your name again. >> paul lukas. supervisor avalos: colleagues, we have before us several members who are interested in the citizens advisory committee. i know that i received an e-mail from supervisor wiener about supporting canon's reappointment to the commission in the
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district that the supervisor service in. is that correct? so, more or less? yes. so, colleagues, we have this item before us. any motions? commissioner calling? >> i would also like to put a motion on the floor -- supervisor cohen: i would like to put the motion on the floor to support greg doxes for this position. supervisor avalos: is there a second on the motion? supervisor olague: second. supervisor avalos: any other motion? >> can i question something -- this is district 8c? >> there are tests -- technically not district seat,
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but diversity is one of the criteria that we look at through geographic equity. there is one member from each district, with the exception of district 8, at this time. supervisor avalos: thank you. supervisor farrell: i would say that, given that, i will put the motion forward for this seat. let me say that it is because of the district 8 connection. i am new to this policy, but it makes sense in that think it is something that we should support. supervisor avalos: thank you. supervisor olague: i think that
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some of the things i am concerned about is the lack of diversity on this committee. i think that a lot of the issue that we here at this level, which concern transportation, has a heavy impact on communities, particularly communities of color. to that end, i am in support of commissioner cohen's motion. i think that we really need to think about having a more representative body to represent the city. i think that the impacts are pretty significant. i just wanted to put that out there. supervisor avalos: colleagues, let's go ahead and do a wrote -- roll-call vote on the motion. can we do that? director