>> will reopen monday, 5:00 a.m. >> thank you chief. yes. >> question -- i've heard there's going to be an early closure of the golden gate bridge on may 1. [laughter] >> thank you, ken. >> i want to start off by thanking you for your kudos. monday tuesday of this week -- boma is an excellent partner and has also helped us get the word out to your members on what to expect. you've clearly done a lot of groundwork on how to respond, to make sure that the activities are facilitated and not problematic. so i thank you for that. we have been meeting with the golden gate bridge authority and c.h.p. regarding the potential first amendment

activity that may occur on the golden gate bridge on tuesday. c.h.p. is the lead law enforcement agency for that. the golden gate bridge authority is all over it as well, national parks, and we have a component of it as well. so there's several working plans in place to facilitate that, as with all first-amendment actions. making plans for how to facilitate and plan for things that might go awry. it is an event that has a beginning, middle and end, intended to draw attention during the morning commute hours. so i would be mindful of it but know that there's already plans in place. and the labor council has been engaged in the conversation regarding what the plans are. so thank you. >> thank you, deputy chief. other announcements or questions 1234 any public

comment 1234 seeing none, i think this meeting is adjourned. thank you very much for coming. [meeting adjourned] . . . .

>> i want to thank everyone for coming. i am the general manager of the recreation department. it is a pleasure to serve as the emcee today and i want to recognize our commission president. joining us all with our other dignitaries. there are a lot of special people gathered around. for those of you who do not know, a little bit of background about this beautiful garden before i turn it over to our mayor. the garden is the oldest japanese american garden in the united states. it is a historical japanese- style garden, originally billed as a village for the 1894 midwinter international

exposition. after the exposition, a japanese-american partner along with john mclaren converted the exhibition into a permanent park. he over saw the building as the teagarden and was the official caretaker from -- until 1925. he requested the people of japan 1000 flooring cherry trees to be imported and other plants and birds and goldfish. his family lived in the garden until 1942. when under executive order 906, he was forced to relocate to an internment camp with thousands of other japanese american families. this barden was renamed the oriental tea garden and it fell

into a state of disrepair. in the 1950's, we had moved forward and the rec and park renamed it the japanese tea garden. the first concessionaire was jack -- who many here had the incredible opportunity to honor. and we're very incredibly pleased to be planning -- planting a cherry tree from the consul general. the cherry blossom tree planting has become a tradition that allows us to reflect on the legacy of exchanges and importance of relations between the united states and japan. this is where families, a century old pract oice of

picnicking underneath a tree. we hope many families for more generations will have the opportunity here in this beautiful garden. my great pleasure to turner with a microphone to our 43rd mayor of san francisco, celebrating diversity and cultural harmony and he has been focused on the economic revitalization of our community. jobs, jobs, jobs. this mayor does not brag about it but he is about parks, parks, parks. it gives me great pleasure to introduce mayor ed lee. [applause] >> thank you. if i may think you and your leadership and the commission. this is a very special place. history but it is cultural and one of the most beautiful places you can ever be proud to visit and also be the honor of.

i am proud at our rec and park staff and the public-prey relationships because that is the only way to keep these beautiful institutions going. we have to have that imagination to get people involved to fund and support it. you have some of the most beautiful things you can see and touch and feel. i am happy to be here and i also want to celebrate because this is a moment, the first time we have been together here as well. at the garden. -- t garden -- tea garden. i want to welcome you here as well. and congratulate all of us for working so closely together and certainly our relationships are valuable.

this is one of those reasons why not too many other consular general offices -- it is country to country and people to people. the council general and staff has offered yet another the supporting symbol of the relationship, the planting of cherry blossom trees throughout our city. we had awe have been celebratine cherry blossom festival. they are very peaceful, a relationship that we keep in mind always and we have done so for over 100 years. since the cherry blossoms are arrived as a gift to washington d.c.

while we have gone for many years of that relationship, it is a requirement to know the san francisco enjoys 55 years of that relationship, many members of the district-city community here today to enjoy that. a member of the chamber of commerce is here to enjoy that as well. we have this relationship with you because we know san francisco's international status does not stop simply at having the offices here. we are out there working on everything from cultural exchanges, student exchanges, constant communication. more and more, examining opportunities to keep livelihood. both of our countries the more

trade and communication to face the challenges that are facing us. it is my great pleasure to be here with you, counsel general, in the very beautiful garden we have here. also to know that it is in good hands with rec and park. at the same time, continue to bless it with our proclamation, our celebration of the u.s.- japan centennial on this wonderful occasion. if i may, i present to you, counsel general, are proclamation at the u.s.-japan cherry blossom centennial here in san francisco. [applause] >> thank you, mr. mayor.

we have a few more introductions to mate. our counsel general has had an experienced international career. i believe bangkok and london and seoul. no doubt san francisco is your favorite assignment. [laughter] it is not often the departments get to work so closely with the council general's office. they have done a great job planning this event with you and your staff. they have had a lot of fun doing it. there is a great report between our offices and our staff. it has been delightful. >> thank you. i did not know that you were such a good mp. i am pleased to be here. at the tea garden.

i want to thank mayor lee. as always, for your support. also, creating a park. we are here for the planting. cherry trees are near and dear to the hearts of japanese people. japanese people curate cherry blossoms each year. there are festivals to stick

together with family and friends. i am sure most of you have enjoyed the cherry blossom -- the cherry blossom festival the past weekends. we are planting one treat today here and two more. these trees symbolize, are part avail long legacy. also obama these trees -- also, these trees, since 1912, we have donated them. planting these trees all over the united states.

thank you again for coming. i hope this tree, the cherry tree, will further blossom in the years to come. 6 trees we have planted in the square. and nine trees in golden gate park. still more in san francisco. more than 150 years of history of cultural exchange. this is really a great place. i cannot think of a more fitting location to plant a tree. thank you for coming and i hope you will enjoy it. [applause]

>> one other short, special ceremony that i want to acknowledge. we're joined by our fire chief. we are joined by our director of public works. we are joined by our director of the department of the environment. human rights commissioners -- we are joined by the state department. i do nothing we have ever met. we do -- i do not think we have ever met. our human rights commissioner is here. and our school board is here. john from our city administrator's office. also, john from the park's

alliance, who has been a great story of this site. -- steward of this site. we have a number of staff. the chief gardners of this area have played a significant role. and the supervisor is here. why don't you come up here and make a brief presentation? >> i do not want to take any more time, but in recognition of this dedication and your work, we will keep this mutual garden. i would like to present this commendation to the three of you. this is written in japanese.

the council general's office extends its deepest respect for your achievements and contributing to mutual understanding. >> thank you. >> that is not what it says here. [laughter] >> thank you very much. [applause] this is for you. thank you. [applause] >> if you are with me, i wanted to ask for the golden gate park crew is very tight. we have gardners assigned to the concourse area.

in the last couple of months, we lost one of our beloved gardner's who loved this place, incredibly special. i would ask that we take a brief moment of silence for carter. thank you. ok. let's plant the tree, shall we? i will do the heavy lifting. [laughter] >> turnaround and face up. i am sorry. >> good advice. >> 1, 2, 3. mr. mayor, mr. coughlin general, if you could -- mr. counsel general, if you could --

>> yay! [applause] >> i wanted to make sure that we recognize carol. thank you for your incredible stewardship of the gift shop and teahouse. thank you all for joining us. i encourage you to patrons are beautiful gift shop why you are here. otherwise, enjoy our incredible part. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, everybody.

tape 55 >> welcome, this is carl. >> great to meet you. >> great to me you, and i want to thank you for your interest and this is the city's animal shelter. and come in and a lot of people come here to adopt a animal or if they have lost their animal or looking for other animals. and we deal with other animals like birds and rabbits and you name it. this is more to see in this facility and more to see in the community. and i suggest you go with an animal control person and see what they co, whether rescuing animals in distress or hit by a car or dealing with aggressive

animals or wildlife or a variety of things. you can only get that flavor with them and doing it first hand. >> i have been with animal control for about six years, i spent a year in the kennel and then the office came up and i started doing it and it really fit. it's really the job for me. and animals i have to handle and i know what i am doing, i rarely get scared. [whistle]. we do a lot of investigations and most are not as bad as people report but everyone once in a while they are. and i had one and people had moved out and the dog was in the inside and it makes me teary and when the dog is in the

backyard, and i can pull an animal out of a horrible environment and feel good. >> where does this animal go after this? >> they go for the shots and then the kennel. >> and if they just found this, and once we enter everything in the computer and they can track to find out if the dog went back home. we hold them for five days. >> this is a stray dog and it came in today and we immobilize it and then put it in a room with food and water. >> and then evaluate for medical behavior and see if anyone is interested in

adopting then. >> we want to be sure that their behavior is good for the average adopter and not aggression problem, toward people or animals. >> and if they growl and don't bite the hand, she passes that. and good girl, in case she has something in her mouth, we get it out. and one more test, called the startle test and it startled hear but she came to me. and passed the handling test. >> for the mental exam i feel for lumps and bumps. and the ears and see if they are infected and look at the eyes and be sure they are clear

and don't have cataracts and look at their teeth and heart. this is the first job that i feel i make a dvrngs. -- difference. and we may do 40 to 80 animals a day for treatments. and do blood work and skin scrapings and cultures to diagnose different diseases. and x-rays, i can take an animal that would be euthanized at a different shelter and fix it and get it ready for a home. >> we have a partnership and we let a professional groomer run a private business from our facility and in turn grooms our shelter animals. what is the big deal of that? when someone comes to adopt an

animal, if it looks good, chances are it will be adopted more. >> and we groom and clean the ears and the works. >> typically a shelter wouldn't have grooming? >> not at all. and these dogs are treated with the utmot -- utmost care that others can't provide. this is a shampoo to bring out the luster. and i feel satisfied in helping the shelter pets be adopted and to be a part of such a wonderful staff, from the top all the way down. if she passes our evaluation, she will stay until she's adopted. if you are interested in adoption and don't want to put them to sleep, that means at a last resort, we will give you a

call before putting to sleep. you are not bound to the dog, and we would give you a call, and it's an actual adoption and cost $107 and it will be your dog. >> the volunteers to meet are the unsung heroes in this field that take the animals to hope and nurse them to get strong enough to come down and rehome. without volunteers, i would have to be honest to say this wouldn't be much more than a pound. we thank god that we have the number of committed people coming down and helping us out, it makes all the difference in the world. >> when you want to come in and volunteer, you go through a

general orientation, about two hours. there is a lot of flexibility. and the various programs available, are baseline dog walking. you can work with the cats. you can work with tony's kitty rescue, with the small animals and guinea pigs and birds and chickens. >> you always have an appreciative audience. >> do you feel that what you have learned here helped you with your own dogs? >> the training they don't have? yes. and it's things that you learn, we usually outlive our dogs and every time you get a new one, you have skills to teach them. >> one of the programs is training program and it's staffed by a member of the community and one of the

programs she has is dog socialization. >> we started this program for canine socialization. and all the dogs available for adoption get to play for two hours. and it's a time for them to get incredible exercise and play with other dogs and we have remedial socialization. and it's incredible the dogs and they get exercise and run and tumble and when most adopters come to look in the afternoon, they are quiet and settled. >> and i want come and someone sees a dog and loves it, it's quick. and after three weekends, i saw him and he connected and i connected and came back.

>> what is your experience of working with the animals? >> unbelievable. from the guy that is came to the house and everyone here, they are friendly and knowledge believe and -- knowledgeable and they care about the animals. >> and it's a great place to visit and look at the animals and maybe fall in love and take one home. and look at our grooming program and volunteer program and many say, hey, this supervisor campos: