please. >> [inaudible] you mentioned sustainability. do you define italy as a green country and what do those efforts mean for san francisco. >> yes, definitely. i see that. i am happy while being in san francisco there is such an amazing attention to the environment. people are very environment conscious and i see community aggregations also to have renewable energy. it makes me very happy because in italy we have been following this path for a very long time. for example in the first six months of this year we installed photovoltaic panels larger than the united states all put together. it shows you the extent of the revolution happening. i am sure italian companies will be happy to work

with the local institutions that have started to generate projects that will somehow go in that direction, and also we want to have parties and communication activities to show the people in the street that it is important to have sustainable behaviors and not to leave a carbon footprint behind us. >> [inaudible] >> yeah, if i understand correctly because -- you said about the innovation -- if we? >> [inaudible] >> yeah, okay. well, we're going to have in the museum of

computer science in mountain view an exhibition show casing what italians have done to create silicon valley. i mentioned one person but there are many other examples. along with that we will have a big conference with italian innovators and venture capitalists and along with large hi tech companies of silicon valley and come together and focus on specific projects how to work together for technological innovation. it will be focused on silicon valley but also the cultural institute in san francisco we have surprises for you that we're preparing. any other questions? >> [inaudible] >> yeah.

>> [inaudible] the problem of the public -- i would like for you to answer it -- [inaudible] >> i try not to be technical, but i hope i would be pervasive just telling you the debt crisis is basically a crisis connected to the governments of the euro system that has hit some countries for some reasons. somewhat we were hit because of the sins of our past. we have been having -- we have had a relatively a sizable but stable debt for a long time, but the point is it's very manageable. we are reducing it pretty fast, very fast indeed, and also to reassure the investors if you put together the net household

wealth of italians as compared to the debt of the government and the companies the ratio is three to one, so it's a matter of redistribution somehow. italians thanks to god are a wealtdy people and the matter is how we can put things into order in our household but definitely italy is a major stable solid economy, and once -- already there are signs of strong improvement. once this crisis is over we will definitely flex the muscles. please. >> [inaudible] are you planning show case any important architects and designers in this year of italian culture? >> definitely. i mean in san

francisco there's a wonderful san francisco design week, so we will have an italian design week too. we are planning on an exhibition of cultural institute with major brands of interior design. there's also very nice thing that we're working on. a famous architect has designed the california academy of sciences, the wonderful building in golden gate park. he has also designed similar museum in italy in my city and the museum is almost finished there, and our ambition is to have him come over and celebrate at the academy, and also talk to young architects about the most sustainable ways to build this

century. other questions? if there is no other question i thank you so much. thank our distinguished guest for being here with us and i hope to have a good time with you guys at the italian cultural institute. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. this is our disaster council meeting of october 26. thank you all for coming. welcome to our emergency operations center. as you know we generally meet at city hall but today is a very special day that you will learn about as we unfold our agenda

and thank you again for coming. i'm going to turn the table over to mayor lee who is going to give some opening remarks. >> thank you. good afternoon everyone and welcome to our turk street emergency operations center. first of all i want to thank everybody. anybody wearing orange gets a special treat in my eyes today. anyway we're still celebrating and i never knew that wearing orange and the giants and sports will be so closely connected to what we do in emergency management but it is and it is for good reason because our city's success is really dependent upon inviting thousands more people here to enjoy our resources here in the city, to tax us a little bit on it, but this is what we do as a great international city. all of you have a very distinct role in all of this and it's my pleasure to begin

telling you how proud i am and the months of september and particularly october have all been full of great events, and numerous events, and sometimes on schedules that while we had mentally took note they would be on the similar weekends, we were of course needing to really communicate with each other, and make sure we did all the things in the background that no one ever sees and talks to each other to make sure things happen smoothly, and i want to give big kudos to ed risin and all the others in transportation and advising people to take public transportation and emphasize that in all of our major international and worldwide and world seize of events that happened in the city. >> >> whether it's america's cup or fleet week or some incredible music on the bluegrass side of the city as well as just

neighborhood events that we continue to invite we shined very well because we did do the right emphasis and we encouraged all of the public safety departments to work well ahead of this, and i want to thank them for constantly keeping me and many of you on the sf alert program and texting us and making sure we were assured that the critical departments were working together just in case and it's always about just in case. right herald? the red cross knows this more than anyone and it's about being prepared and again i want to give great kudos to all the public safety divisions of the city from the police and fire to the paramedics working behind the scenes and people out on the streets from dwp and to building inspection and you have to inspect some of the structures

that go up whether it's putting on a bmx bike or skate board and allowing a hill of dirt to become controversy in front of city hall. i didn't know that. to our public works area that make sure that we are doing everything right on the streets and accounting for both pedestrian and the various traffic modes that we have. it's all being under the bright umbrella of dm and that's why we are here to today to make sure people continue this as the world series hasn't ended yet but let's say we are doing other plans as well that will complement what i hope is the wonderful conclusion of these games and speaking of that i know the world series will be talked about in more detail and it's in front of us. we have a

viewing opportunity at civic center for potentially i think this sunday and hopefully people who want to and would like to share in the enthusiasm of our team will come down to civic center and basicked around in orange as the twilight occurs and the viewing of the game happens. otherwise i think everyone going to be at their favorite watering holes and dinner places when this all happens. obviously the police are working very hard as well and not only focused on the series but they have to be focused on certain parts of our communities that oftentimes flare up and i commend them and the district that was part of the shootings and

curtail that pattern and follow up with the agencies and the community base agencies and the youth and violence prevention agencies that deanna is heading up in our office and paul and the others working hard at doing this, but again we ask for everybody's help. if you really are concerned or see anything that we need to get done please let us know possible public and private side. i also want to complement our private sector. i was there at the building operations, owners, manager's association just yesterday and when we called out for san francisco orange pride week gosh we got a lot of volunteers and that enthese yusm has helped and even larry baer said "i can't believe the number of buildings and the opera hall and the ferry building and the private buildings and coit tower and

voluntarily celebrated with us, so that is incredible unity in the city. moving to another topic because we will cover these later i wanted to make sure i mentioned that within these last few months through the cooperation of our city administrator naomi kelly we have appointed a manager of the caps program, and of course that is the community action plan for seismic safety. it is a plan we wanted to make sure that was lead by someone who can immediately get on the ground and figure out all of the things that we need to do to make sure the soft story buildings which are the most important focus that we have to have for the next seismic event and starts with that planning with all of us, so i wanted to make sure to introduce and congratulate patrick otiline who has come

aboard to take care of this incredible responsibility. patrick, thank you very much for being here today. [applause] i will note that currently the caps program is lodged under city mmptdor's office and a conversation i had when i was city administrator and we wanted to put it at a place, but it is there for now, but with patrick's help we will make sure that program flourishes at the right place and with all the different resources that we have to have along with my commitment we will have appropriate legislation in due time when we are ready when placed out before the voters what we require but we will do that in collaboration and not talking out because it is expensive and we know lives are at stake and we have to do it the right way and have a program that will work for everybody. now, i also want to say to you that there

has been a person certainly in my own career as a public servant that has been impactful. i met rear admiral john banoff in 89 after the earthquake. he was still with the navy. helped us tremendously with a aircraft carrier and the work in recovery, and in 1992 mayor jordan sought to seek his leadership and have him head up what is today our dem but at that time it was the office of emergency services so for five years i got to work with admiral bit off and lead the effort at oes but at the time that we really required

some strong leadership because it was shortly after the 101 california shootings that we realized very clearly different agencies within the city had to speak more deliberately with each other, had to have systems and communications and culture built around much more collaboration, particularly with communication. well, that spawned this particular building, and its housing of not only the emergency management, but its physical location of our 911 emergency dispatch system which is right upstairs, and that was started on and under the leadership of admiral bit dlf off. it was concluded very well. he then went on to what i say was parallel to me because i thought i was having the best job of my life of purchaser and we all got a different call and he went to the school district and we had fun with the most

difficult assignments we could get, and if you ever work with the school district, and i know the school district is here it's a hard job, but it's one that he focused on with respect to their assets, their property, their role in emergency management and has faithfully well represented them for all these years and i think it was later, earlier last year you sought that big "r" admiral to retire and i know you're here with your wife maureen. thank you very much for being here. i would lieg to commend the admiral for all your years, for the critical years and being a friend to us because you have always been very approachable. for those that work in civic life for years appreciate the people that have

a complete open door, don't wall themselves off because of their expertise and know that we all need to be educateed in the different roles and you have been doing that and you have been a friend to me when i was learning to expand our roles and whether it was dpw or the human rights commission you have been a great friend to the city, so with they would like you to come forward and receive due recognition with a special proclamation and as you come forward and due to his wonderful history here not only will we present this proclamation in our appreciation but we would like to announce in concert with our dm staff and crew and all of you here we are dedicating the

naming of this operation's center to be rear admiral john bitoff the emergency operations center for the city and county of san francisco. [applause] . >> well, thank you very much very much mayor. it's a pleasure working with you. you're a consummate servant and it's a great pleasure working with the great people that manage this city and i thought it would be worth while if i

could just take a couple of minutes, and i have the mayor's permission to make a couple of remarks and to tell you that i first set foot on this spot the day after the 1989 lo preaida earth yaik. mayor jordan -- mayor agnose called me and said "i need help". i said "i will do whatever i can". he said "can you meet with me and i have a laundry list of things" and absolutely where do you want to meet? i am at the command center on turk street. i asked what the cross streets are. you know the bridge is down. can i land my helicopter there?

yeah and lee got the police to clear the park. >> >> i came in here. the mayor was waiting for me and he took me down in the basement of the fire department communication's center to what was the fire department was the bedroom for the firefighters in the 911 -- in their 911 -- in their portion of the 911. i couldn't believe it. they moved beds aside, and they had butcher paper on the wall and i will never forget this. there was a consiewl general talking long distance on one of the out going lines and nobody could get him off the phone. people were coming in off the streets. it was terrible. i could not believe that a great city like this did not have a proper command

center. as i walked a way with the mayor i said something that i later regretted. someone asked me "what did you think?" and i said "i felt like i just came out of a mississippi sheriff's office". it was grim, grim. and there is a lesson in that. issue careful what you wish for and be careful what criticize and who you criticize because you maybe wearing it. i responded to the mayor's request. we eventually had marine corps personnel and conducting recovery and rescue and we rescued all kinds of

people from the collapsed freeway and we brought an aircraft carrier in here and took the heat off of the city and took 500 homeless people on the aircraft carrier for a week. it was a wonderful exercise in taking care of the more fragile among us. anyway fast forward three and a half years newly elected mayor he asks me to be the director of emergency services and i really didn't want to do it because of what i have seen and he went to my house and my wife wanted to. >> >> live in san francisco so my goose was cooked. i took over the job and i planned to return to the east coast. there was one staff member, no vehicles, no money, no nothing, and

through the good efforts of a director of public works at the time they built seismically configured foundations and they brought in double wides and built the interim emergency command center which is the community building over there and that was where we were. no furniture, no telephones, no nothing. i came the first day and ask where is the command center? it's in construction. it's that area in the park and you have one employee. she's not really yours. she was the mayor's pir, public relations person, and she's been -- apparently that was siberia for seem for people from the mayor's office so anyway -- i mean you have to

tell it like said mr. mayor. when you take a job like this you get all kinds of advice from people. i wish i got more help than i got advice and one of the pieces of advice said got said "you want to get rid of her immediately. she's a pain in the stern sheets. she's rude. and she uses bad words" , so i met her and i immediately liked her, and i immediately admired her. i have enough experience and i don't give a dam about the packaging. i want to know what is inside. this woman was so smart. she helped me so much to navigate the board of supervisors. you have to realize now coming out of the navy and into san francisco

politics is like coming out of a convent. you know it is. it was not easy, and so -- that woman helped me. she knew the clerk of the board. she knew the president of the board. she knew everyone. she knew how to write the memos and we became fast friends and that's when -- in fact she just wanted to get enough time to retire and get health benefits and i liked her so much i had a party for her in my home. anne kronberg was there and head of the mayor's office on criminal justice, and her name was eileen maloney. she was terrific. assistant police chief by the name of frank reid tried to dissuade me from taking the job. "don't take it and two weeks later if

something happens they will blame you" but i like to take on jobs. well, he kind of felt sorry for me, and i had no vehicles, nothing, no employees. the door bell rang and there is a police officer outside and the chief sent these keys. you have a unmarked police car until you get a vehicle. well, i paid them back. three weeks later i was driving down venice and left on to broadway and the radio went on and strong arm robbery in pacific heights and woman assaulted and bag stolen and identified the car and two individuals and proceeding north on lawenna. gee, i am going in that direction. i have a naval aif eightor's eye and

incredible eye sight and wouldn't you know it there is the vehicle coming straight towards me and the traffic was slow and could reach out and touch and i made a u turn and i got on the roo. the director of radio services had a call sign at the time and close to the police chiefs. i got on and called in and there was a pregnant pause. and they said "who are you sir?" and i said "i'm the director of emergency services" a "are you a police officer?" "no, i'm not" and do you have a gun? no, i don't. "you should be careful and don't approach that car" and "need

help and he's making a left" and by the time we got to geary black and whites were all over the place and apprehended the person and i got a call from alex faigen who was the later the police chief. he was a friend of mine. he said "well, admiral do we have to give you credit for an assisted arrest" and i said "you bet your life too and i also want a sf tv star" and anyway those small things happen. i paid the police department and the city back. we put this together with a group of volunteerses, the original command center. the wonderful volunteers that exist in san francisco. not people advising you but people coming here doing stuff and they represented the great cross section of