restoring them back to a place where they can be active members of society. i heard from people today on the youth commission and another individual that spoke about the importance of having a humane setting to integrate back into society. these guys are an example of what can be done, and we have heard about how critical it is to have this type of programming there. i think this is the beginning of the conversation, we have to look at accountability and continue to engage whether it is sfusd or other entities here today. i want to thank the youth commission for all of their hard work and i am glad that you are leading this discussion and we

hope that you continue to be part of it as we move forward. thank you. supervisor avalos: i would also like to thank the use commission for your work on this issue. we had a hearing yesterday with the u.s. commission and i talked about how i had never seen the youth commission so active before, hoechst not just certain individuals, but a large group, almost a majority of the youth commission has been active on a number of issues. i think it is really exceptional what we have had in the past. this has accomplished a lot. we think about the people that don't have the independence, and the voices are often not heard.

they actually can have a way of having some say so about how the facility is run and how they are able to have active recreation. that is based on your experience, some members of the commission have been detained there, and i have had good experiences there, too. it is really important. you're using that experience to look at how we can make improvements. i really appreciate that giving back. i also want to say thank you to the chief that has -- and the staff that has -- this issue has been raised about adjustments moving forward, and have been quantifying the use of recreation at the site.

it was based on feedback, and i think that is the start of a feedback mechanism to continue to make sure that young people can have the same cell about how ygc operates, and how they can have a better rehabilitative experience. i want to say thank-you to the chief for helping implement that. it was something that i think was important, moving forward in the right direction. for a number of recommendations that the use commission has shared, to go over it really briefly, one that we talked about was making sure we are moving forward on a sense of what the capital plan is going to look like. i think it will be good to get reported back to us on a later date.

and how we are continuing with quantifying and assessing of recreation activities at the center. there is also a discussion about the juvenile this -- just as commissioned and probation commission. as well as with the youth commission, it can be greater communication and dialogue that can help make sure that we are all on the same page about how to make it a better experience. and also to showcase the world there are working in. take a look at this, real quick. i think the main issues that were presented, who i do want to thank the chief for your work, you could have of last few

comments to close out. >> thank you, chair avalos. i want to underscore our absolute appreciation to members of the youth commission that participated in this campaign. i want to assure everybody here that we -- not only today at the meeting i attended. there are two occasions we have met and i have agreed to meet quarterly with the youth commission. i have also introduced before the juvenile justice commission and that a member of this youth commission be a participant in the upcoming inspection that the juvenile justice commission is required to do with the juvenile justice center coming the next couple of months. i want to underscore the fact that not only have we heard, we

have listened to these comments. we are committed to taking the steps now. you want to know when? it is already started. it started in april when we required there to be a more conscientious effort to get the kids -- the area that we are best suited right now and most secure, we are not going to ignore our commitment to pursue the improvements into a large area. we have great ideas for that large area up until such time we can assure the public's and the kids' safety while we are out there, we will have to make do with the the areas that we have. and we are committed to making sure that our staff is under the obligation to have a report on my desk. they are very conscientious about making sure that it is presented. i will have that in every

subsequent meeting we have with the use commissioned. we are committed to getting the figures that were expected here today, it wasn't until about 11:00 that we got the first estimates from our friends that can put at least a place holder in the budget. the bottom line is, with all the other departments, we need to prioritize those. we can insure greater attention be paid to the opportunities for the use of outdoor activity. increasing not only the time, but what they can do while they are out there. and we are very supportive of the notion that this be a continuing dialogue. we are hoping that can be achieved through our regular

meetings that we have with the members of the youth commission. thank you for shining a bright light on this topic. supervisor olague: some of the requests that i thought was a good one, at some point, they thought it would be great to conduct this, maybe there are other bodies that can volunteer or something. they have a survey taken of the folks that are there. >> that would be a great activity, i am interested in talking with the use commissioned to do that. they want to create a greater presence of an identification with the kids for when they get out. as these young people move on, they will need someone to take

their place. supervisor olague: survey the youth to find out what they are interested in participating in the outdoor areas. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you, chief, members of the public, commissions. we will continue this item to the call of the chair and we'll get a report back at a later date as well. we can take that without objection. this is the one item for the special of our public safety committee. with that, we are adjourned.

it >> to route a career in public service that stretches three decades, ed lee has demonstrated his idealism and his pragmatism. he showed his confidence early, fresh out of law school. he helped deal with san francisco at first organized rent strike to protect the rights of some of the city for almost a vulnerable residents peeping -- . -- most of vulnerable residents. he used his position for the last 20 years, effectively,

winning unanimous support for a budget designed to close a $380 million deficit, negotiating pension reform that the voters approved last november, including such major employers as twitter. he is a strong education advocates and for programs that strengthen our communities and our schools. to keep the partnership and the sf promise, which joins the city and university in the unified school district to deliver more graduates of our local high schools to san francisco state. ed lee's story is an all- american 1. like many of today's graduates, he is a first generation american 1. he became san francisco's first

asian-american mayor in january 2011. [applause] he had been appointed at that time by the board of supervisors unanimously to serve out the remainder of mayor gavin newsome's term. ed lee exemplifies our commitment to improving our shared society. he is our mayor, are kind of mayor, and he likes to say "i was a progressive before progressives were a political faction in town." i am proud to present to you, the honorable edwin m. lee. [applause]

>> greetings. greetings to the members of the board of trustees, faculty and staff of san francisco state university, family and friends. good afternoon, class of 2012. [cheering] i am certain the in a san francisco state of mind today. nearly 800 graduates from 109 countries, right here, at the university of our great city of san francisco. and thank you again for that very kind introduction.

u.s. and a wonderful partner for our city, -- you have been a wonderful partner for our city, actively shaping our education policy for the 21st century new economy. you are a true capt. of change. week as leaders need to live by the values of social justice. these reforms in higher education have impacted generations of students across the world. congratulations on your well- deserved retirement and a big welcome for dr. leslie wong, the incoming president, who will have to fill big shoes. i want to say to the alumnus today, as you go around the west of the world with your values

reject -- around the rest of the world with your values as a graduate of this university, make sure people know san francisco is and always will be a sanctuary for the rest of the nation. [applause] and to your student commencement speaker, if i may say -- [speaking foreign language] congratulations. he didn't know i could speak russian, did you? i hope to see you start a new tech company right here in the indonesian capital of the world, san francisco. -- in the innovation capital of the world, san francisco. [applause]

i am thankful every single day for the opportunity to serve san francisco. is a privilege to wake up each morning and go to city hall and work for the people of this city to do everything i can to help you succeed in your lives. class of 2012, that is what today is about. succeeding and growing your lives, for yourselves, your families, and as mayor, i will state selfishly, your city, were ever you go from here. i just turned 60 a few days ago, and i was thinking, maybe we did a few things in celebration. we blaze new trails for social justice and pushed the rest of america to embrace people rights for all people -- women,

african-americans, asian- americans, latinos, gays, lesbians, people with disabilities. [cheering] we are a leader in protecting our environment, and we were the first city to adopt universal health care. [applause] and this university and this student body have been and always will be the vanguard of excellence. when i was not much older than you, i came to the bay area to join others to make the world a better place. we locked arms and stood in the doorways of the international hotel to protest the wrongful eviction of elderly filipino and chinese immigrants who had no money and no place to go.

we sued the san francisco fire department to give women and people of color an equal chance to be a firefighter for public safety. and we made a difference. today, i am proud that our state hired a woman to lead our fire department. i could never have imagined that in my lifetime the country would elect an african-american president, or that even the people of san francisco would have collected an asian-american mayor. [applause] but we screwed a few things up along the way. the economy, the environment, social justice. we are still working at. now you are graduating, class of 2012. the challenges of the world are your challenges. so, you're next assignment, your homework for the rest of your

life -- i can do that because i'm mayor -- is to run the ball a little further down the field and make this world a better place. i know some of your thinking "but, mayor, i have got to get a job. i have got to repay my student loans. i have to pay rent, paid for my mortgage. i have to care for my family." yes, you do. we are letting you out on to the world stage in an economy where to many people are looking for jobs. it is survival of the fittest, like something of "hunger games." but my message to you is you're in san francisco, you are not on your own. it is more like "the avengers."

no, i do not have any special superpowers. what i mean is that, while it may not always be evident, and he will have challenges as you leave this university and throughout your life, but always remember you are surrounded by a not so secret society of people who want to help you. they are people in business and government, law, the economy, sports, health care, education and the arts, in every field who have achieved a measure of success and wisdom in there lives. the greatest gift they can ever give is to pass on a little bit of that wisdom and a little bit of what they have learned to you and help you achieve to an even greater degree. don't get me wrong. it is up to you and you alone to decide what you are going to do with this opportunity and not

waste it. don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it is your boss, your family, or your mayor. don't lose yourself and your values. don't forget the world will change even amid the successes you achieve. look to your communities and ask yourself -- "how can i give back?" because if there is one thing that i see in this economy that is emerging, all these great start-ups in technology and tech and biotech -- it is that success does not come from going it alone. success comes from collaboration, interaction,

bringing diverse backgrounds and skills together for a common goal. go to these new companies. any of the incubators. due to mission the. they don't have offices. they have big open tables. they have white boards everywhere. the entire company knows the value of collaboration. the idea that success comes from sharing ideas and goals, because that is how we get innovation. that is how you, class of 2012, can be the best. it is not just innovation, but an innovative approach to health care, curing diseases, cleaning

our air and water, cheering social diseases and social justice. we are the gateway to the pacific rim, to asia, and to the west we have latin america and brazil. we are an international destination and b are known throughout the world. -- and we are known throughout the world. you are part of a brand that represents new ideas, new frontiers. i will close with an apology. as someone you may not -- as some of you may know, the chinese zodiac has 2012 as the year of the dragon. the dragon is the only mythical animal in the chinese zodiac and the most powerful of all the

rest. the year of the dragon is fittingly a time for risk- taking, bold decisions, and innovation. class of 2012, the world needs your risk-taking. seize this year of the dragon for yourselves, for your family, for the rest of your. your graduating at a time of immense opportunity and promise. there is no better city on earth in which to begin your new life with a new degree in hand. we are so proud of you. always remember, we are proud of you and we are here to help you realize your potential. thank you, congratulations, class of 2012. [applause]

>> a lot a ton with the community and we say to ourselves, there is this one and this one. we all compartmentalize them, we have our own agenda. our agenda is to create great work. if you are interested in that, you are part of our community. >> hello and welcome to brava theater. >> we are trying to figure out a way to make a space where theater and presentation of live

work is something that you think of the same way that you think of going to the movies. of course, it has been complex in terms of economics, as it is for everyone now. artistically, we have done over 35 projects in four seasons, from producing dance, theater, presenting music, having a full- scale education program, and having more than 50,000 visitors in the building almost every year. a lot of our emerging artists to generate their first projects here, which is great. then we continue to try to support figuring out where those works can go. we have been blessed to have that work produced in new york, going on to the edinburgh festival, the warsaw theater festival. to me, those are great things when you can watch artists who think there is nowhere else that might be interested in you

being a woman of color and telling your story and then getting excited about it. that is our biggest accomplishment. having artists have become better artists. what is. sheri coming back to brava, here you have this establish, amazing writer who has won a clue -- slew of awards. now she gets to director and work. even though she is this amazing, established writer, the truth is, she is being nurtured as a director and is being given some space to direct. >> the play is described as ceremony and -- where ceremony and theater me. in the indigenous tradition, when you turn 52, it is like the completion of an important era. the importance of the ceremony is to say, you are 52. whenever you have been caring

for the first 52 years, it is time to let it go. really, here, they have given me carte blanche to do this. i think it is nice for me, in the sense of coming back 25 years later and seeing personally my own evolution as an artist and thinker. the whole effort to put the chicano or indigenous woman's experience on center stage is, in itself, for euro-american theaters, a radical position. because of the state of theater, it is a hard roll to hold up in institution. it is a hard road. i am looking at where we are 25 years later in the bay area, looking at how hard it is for us to strive to keep our theater is going, etc. i like to think that i'm not

struggling quite as hard, personally, but what i mean by that, the intention, the commitment. particularly, to produce works that would not be produced in other places, and also to really nurture women of color artists. i think that is something that has not shifted for me in those 25 years, and it is good to see that brava remains committed to that kind of work. ♪ >> when people talk about the reflection of the community, we can only go from what we have on our staff. we have a south asian managing director, south african artistic director, latino community out rich person. aside from the staff, the other people, artists that