serious function and that it helps us find out who we are in a much wider sense than we were before we experienced that work of art. ♪ >> secretary, please call the roll. >> this is the recreation and parks committee meeting july 19, 2012. we ask that you turn up electronic devices that may sound doctor in these proceedings. we would please ask that you take any secondary conversations outside in order for the meeting to proceed as efficiently as

possible. if you want to speak at any item today, please complete a blue card. unless otherwise noted by the president, each person will have three minutes for public comment on each item. please address your comments to the item being heard. if you would like to speak under general public comment, those items are 4 and 8 on the agenda. by the commission nor staff will respond to questions during public comment. we are on item number two, president's report. >> thank you. i will be brief. first and foremost, i want to congratulate the staff on the success of the beach challis program going through the border supervisors with a 10-1 vote. it has been a long and

considered process. the department that over backward to try to accommodate everybody's concerns, so it was that much more satisfying to see the board of supervisors support that by a 10-1 vote. this last month was celebrate parks in chinatown month, recreation centers. we had the resurfacing of the courts in chinatown. we had a really delightful opening of a recreation center. congratulations to staff and everyone involved. that was a wonderful event. i would be remiss if i did not remind everybody, and now that it is officially on the ballot, we have a $195 million bond issue coming up in november. i want to encourage everyone in the room to volunteer, support, spread the word. it is truly the bond issue, from

2008, which is helping to improve the parts in these challenging times. it is the revenue from those sources that allow us to continue to be the best recreation and parks department in the country. they probably said system, but we will take department. finally, this morning, while i was exercisinthis exercising, ar of the public told me how excellent the summer camps for their kids work. this mother had two kids in those programs. it is those unsolicited comment that are the most important in regards to the success of the parks. with that, that concludes my report. >> is there any public comment on this item?

>> good morning, commissioners. it was so nice to hear you talk about the playground. i was there looking at the new courts and new background. even extended all the way to the volleyball courts area. that was something that i talked with with some of the advocates, people in the chinatown tennis club. thank you very much. >> is there any other public comment? being none, public comment is closed. item three. general manager's report. >> thank you, commissioners. i will also be brief. if you upcoming events i want to know.

this summer marks the return of the summer olympics, and what better way to root for your favorite athletes and outside in the sun with thousands of your closest friends, like we did for world cup soccer. we will be hosted two free labonge viewing parties at the civic center where you can feel the energy of a live crowd as we route on our favorite countries. you can enjoy gourmet food options, you activities, and gains being directed on jumbo screens. you can join us on line for more information. if you are looking for even more excitement, the weekend of august 10 and 12th, join us for the outside plans festival in golden gate park, featuring some top music and - including metallica, neil young, std wonder, norman jones, and the foo fighters. i also want to know, our after- school enrichment program registration is under way. the program features convenient

and affordable programs for kids, including hallmark activities, sports, crafts, and cooking. log on to sfparkrec.org for more information. we have an extraordinarily robust scholarship program for those needing scholarship assistance. as commissioner buell noted, we had about 1000 people joined us for the reopening event at the chinatown dissenter. -- rec center. we cut the ribbon on the rec center. for the residents of chinatown, the opening was especially significant, considering the population and amount of open space in the area. i want to thank my planning director and project manager and everyone who had a hand in making that opening such a big

success. some good recognition. next friday, july 27, san francisco beautiful hosts its annual event in which they recognize individuals and programs and activities that have contributed to the beautification of san francisco. happy to report that our department is receiving 3 awards at the event. the new is for the -- the first one is for the new helen diller playground which opened up this spring. and then we are honoring george wong, who has made sure that our parks are beautiful. the third thing which we are a part of it is the ocean beach planning process. we participated with spur and

the national parks service, puc, and numerous other stakeholders and community organizations, to create a long-term vision and plan for ocean beach. helen miller played run was also featured in this month's issue of "sunset magazine." some additional good news. the murphy windmill in golden gate park will receive the 2012 preservation design award from the california preservation foundation this october. last month, i was on hand at the yacht club to receive an award for the windmill from the heritage club would also recognizes historical sites and the organization's instrumental in their preservation. before i show the video of the month, i want to conclude with a little bit of employee recognition.

our city hall fellow. for the past year, the recreation and parks department has been truly fortunate to have nico in our midst. his future is bright. we participate enthusiastically in something called the city hall fellows program, a national program that places young people interested in public service in local government. it is an extraordinarily competitive program for the number of spots available. we were very fortunate and blessed, not just that nico was offered a fellowship, but that he ended up with us. he was one of 10 individuals in the city completely immersed in city departments, not just to see how they operate, but see how they can make effective change. this past year, he worked on a variety of projects including reviewing, analyzing the consequences of hazardous

materials and determining the risk for the department, improving our internet organization, creating 33 new functioning pages all related to health and safety, and helping to manage the disaster management program. i had the pleasure of attending the city hall fellow graduation last week. nico's crown is rather extraordinary. he is getting his master's in public administration and planning from usc, where he has been given a deane scholarship and a city management fellowship. he is a graduate of the uc davis system and has been a planner -- where did you work in planting -- planning? west sacramento. he also worked with the united farm workers. his resume is probably longer than i have time.

he is truly an extraordinary guy. i wanted to recognize him and thank him for his time in the department and wish him incredibly well. i have no doubt that he will become a city manager, probably sooner than he expects. so congratulations, nico. [applause] >> i would just like to say thank you to all of you, especially to my co-workers at mclaren. coming to san francisco, i was not expecting to be working for the department of recreation and parks. i am from los angeles and a lot of the parks there, especially in the neighborhoods where i grew up, left a lot to the imagination. coming here and working in this fellowship, being a part of this program, getting to work with all of these people here, was

rather like changing, very motivational, inspirational to see so many individual centered around a certain cause. all dedicated to the core values of the city and public service. thank you very much. i appreciate it. [applause] >> ok. and now, ken, why don't you come up and introduce our quarterly employee recognition winner. >> thank you, good morning. i am the human resources director for the recreation and parks department. with me today is the recipient of our employee recognition

award. in 2003, he started with the recreation and parks department as a lifeguard. since that time, he has moved up the ranks from a seasonable -- seasonal pool manager now to the coordinator for the recreation watersports in 2010. rex has taken on additional assignments of coordinating our outdoor programming, some of the new and innovative programs that he has created include kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling, and various new camps, including the aquamarine neptunes. rex has worked with the san francisco yacht club to create scholarships for sailing lessons. this fall he will start his classes at lake merced. in the outdoor area, he has created mixed martial arts classes, including new year and

adults muay thai an extreme, athletics. with the assistance of tim roth, he has also coordinated the indoor rock climbing, mountain biking, and even ventures. he has taken on outdoor recreation to the kids by having a mobile recreation where his crew sets up the rock climbing walls, state parks, perhaps, in various neighborhoods where kids would never have the opportunity to try these activities. everyone who knows rex knows that he is an active employee who encourages his co-workers. we are honored to have such a dedicated employee. >> our new recreation model has been one of the bright spots for

this department and we have been able to expand significantly the types of program we are offering. not just asking people to come to us, but we have gone to the neighborhoods. rex is such a key part of that. the energy and creativity you bring, you know, my own children have had the pleasure of being in your surfing classes, my kids came home with a script knee or two -- scraped knee or two, but is all good. thanks to your talents, we are starting to deliver the program the kids want. happy that your peers are recognizing you today.

>> i just want to thank the commissioners and phil ginsburg. it was not for the four side of my leisure services manager and the rest of my team, i would not have been able to do this. thank you. >> one last announcement that may have gotten lost in the shuffle. as you know, our 2012-13 budget was approved. the board of supervisors approved it on first reading yesterday. for the first time in several

years, the board actually added back over $400,000 to our budget, which we will use for additional part patrol officers and additional gardening staff. i really want to thank katie petrucione, our entire budget team, and the board of supervisors for understanding the important role that we play in maintaining the quality of life in our communities and helping to keep our parks clean, safe, and fun. we have had some tough budget years and i do not think we're out of the woods by any means, but this year was as smooth as we have had in a while. so thank you, commissioners. jamie, this month in parks?

♪ >> we are here celebrating kids and sports, not just basketball, but in particular, tennis. i am a terrible tennis player. we really want to thank all of you for your generosity, making sure that we have a place for the next generation of our leaders to play. we look forward to playing more on these parks.

♪ >> we are at crocker amazon park, which had been renovated beautifully. our kids are here every saturday. about 300 kids from local public schools. we see our kids here all the time. we are going to need more fields like this. it is really what makes the weekend special for our kids.

>> the family that will be here will know the reason why we named this important institution in our community after someone who sacrificed her life and was a hero for all of us. so with that, if i may present to the family, on behalf of the whole city, the board, police department, community organization, i would like to proclaim today, in recognition of this event, the chinese red center day in san francisco. by the way, a low budget and on time? are you kidding?

>> that concludes the general manager's report. >> thank you very much. >> is there any public comment on this item? >> good morning, commissioners. i am the president of humanitarian mission. 13 years ago, our organization created in golden gate park a garden of humanitarian. this was created in honor of humanitarian heroes. people who risk their lives to save the lives of other people who are persecuted by terrorists, religious fanatics,

or totalitarian regimes. every month, our volunteers are working in this garden, cleaning, planting trees and flowers. we bought benches and tables for this place. we explained what it means, humanitarian principles. it is very important for education. what is happening in recent times, the administration of the golden gate park takes away the benches and tables from this place. they stopped guarding and maintenance of this place. it is a very bad situation.

the next time, i think the many hundreds and hundreds of visitors will be in san francisco. i hope there will be in another place to create the same garden of humanitarian. i asked for their help to save our garden in our beautiful city. we never asked for a budget for the garden because they paid for everything. administration in golden gate park killed this garden. thank you. >> is there any other public comment? >> good afternoon, commissioners. sitting before you listening and

handing out these awards and commendations, what strikes me is the people that work for recreation and parks department are extremely deceived. i heard a gentleman stand up and say he was from los angeles. he talked about san francisco's core values and the recreation and parks department. well, unless you are a complete idiot, there are no core values for this city or recreation and parks department. its core values were resolution 633-01 which basically said that our culture and what we embody to the most valuable was equestrian activities, and you have taken that, scrunched it in a mall, and rooted in the trash. we are hijacking the city and we

will do what we want to do. unfortunately, you can fool some of the people some of the time, most of the people most of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. recreation and parks department does not stand for anything and has no core values. what it does is it kicks out its historical community in the year of 2001 right around the time when the worst tragedy in our nation, our pearl harbor, and we say we will reopen it in the quickest and most efficient manner possible. and then they sit on their rear ends and then open up a chinese rec center in chinatown. and they say, wow, betty ann ong, you give up your life. the people who had horses in the city and thought they were

living in a city that stood for something and had some values, those were the people that really sacrificed. they had faith that they were living in a city that had a government that would not stab them in the back a first chance it got, but that is what happened when you and your city up to a feminist government. nancy pelosi wants to put her name -- nancy pelosi drive, right? the lesson we have learned is when you and your politics to the women comment it go down the drain -- , it goes down the drain. >> if you want to comment on rec and park policy that is fine, but driving on about this is not worth its while. >> it may not be worthwhile to you, but people who live in this city and used to go to the park and visit people --

>> for the record, certainly, congresswoman pelosi was not the driving force behind naming the drive. was the people of san francisco. thank you very much. >> a more appropriate name would be ripoff drive. >> i hope i can get through this. i want to make a few more comments about the chinese recreation center. i was able to shake hands with her brother, harry, in person, and he was very pleased of everything that happened, considering there would be a tragic loss of life within his own family. myself, speaking before this commission, i would remark that it was not quite where my

comrades were. i was more interested in the heroes, the navy commandos, the navy seal team, and myself, being a former navy medic, that kind of camaraderie. i just wanted to clarify in all of your minds that i would look at that, in the camaraderie >> i hope i can get through this. i want to make a few more comments about the chinese recreation center. i was able to shake hands with her brother, harry, in person, and he was very pleasedsince, c. i wanted to bring in the camaraderie. i have all that in my mind and i get a chance to speak with terry in person. harry seems pretty happy about what is happening. i see him at the consulate. he is working hard to develop some of the funding for the community people there, along with my comrades were his sister and br- law. i will be seeing them again

later this month. harry seemed to have been -- well, how can you say it? there was a loss of life. i just wanted to thank all of you for listening to me this morning and may be clarifying a few of the points. it is good that people do get together and honor fellow americans. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> is there any other public comment? being none, public comment is closed. item four. general public comment. at this time, members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission and that do not appear on the agenda.