online, or controllers online? >> controller online. anywhere. >> let me offer a smidgen of context on that. i know we're out of time. the more data, the more we're unlayering the onion. five years ago, the bottom half of the city was red. red, like 60-70% red. and 85% and above is considered under this model to be a well-maintained park. and we have now -- we're getting there. we still have work to do. and you tie that with the equity metrics, where we're able to monitor the level of investment we're making in the underserved has neighborhoods, whether it's bay view, ex-sellsier, and the other neighborhoods that have scored lower. we're going to continue to reap that. your points are extremely well taken, but i think you're

actually starting to see the fruit of that strategy long before there was this data. >> president buell: commissioner harrison. >> commissioner harrison: ornamental beds, was it the absence or they were not kept well? >> a park is never punished for a feature that the park doesn't contain. it's only what is at the park that is not maintained. >> you talk about ornamental bed, what is that? >> it's a piece of landscape that has planting. it's not necessarily a box, but it could be. if you look in a different neighborhood playground, center beds might be considered around port smith for example, the beds that align sort of the kearney and stockton around the

perimeter of that park. we have a mix of landscapes. we have lawn, we have -- >> so the ornamental bed. >> lawn is different, but where we're actually planting plants and arranging beds, we consider those ornamental beds. >> using port smith as example, that is a problem. that area. considering that, and then getting to the equity like the commissioner mentioned, i notice in the previous report you had trained -- are they new gardeners or current staffs trained? >> they were trained bay friendly practices, which is heightened level of ecology and sustainable ecology. am i saying that correct? >> were they current staffing? >> yes. >> it's just part of the ongoing training and workforce

development. there is a standard called bay friendly practices which focuses on sustainable planting pallets and how to use our existing soil conditions, our existing water challenges, to maximize the ecology of what we plant and take care of. >> excellent. also, in that, what are the staffing levels like compared to the north side of san francisco and the equity zones? are the staffing levels equal to that? >> commissioner, thank you for the question. the staff is pretty equitably districted. there was -- distributed. there was several issues pointed to. so many of the lower scoring parks are a result of deferred maintenance that has not been accomplished.

that drags down the scores. but to your question, our complexes are pretty much equally staffed. what we have done and phil mentioned it before, is that reorganizing the work down in the bay view, mclaren, crocker, that's where we created the additional complex. and we looked at our supervisory structure and moved two high performing supervisors, reassigned them down there to further motivate and organize the staff. and so -- and all of those decisions were based from last year's report. that drove this. >> i would ask one more staffing change, which is relevant to you, commissioner, we have created a southern complex of apprentices. we're locating apprentices at crocker and in golden gate park

and moving them around, but we do use our apprentice workforce in the parks that are lower scoring in an effort to bolster staffing as well. >> you did mention by reducing the number of areas an individual might have to take care is also an improvement and i congratulate you on all of this, but i'd like to see, i think, it would be important to have more staffing, gardening around and i would hope those with these apprentices would be promoted to full gardener at some point. >> thank you. >> i have one quick question. i found just as one example, the graffiti distribution map to be interesting and wondered do you share the information and try to correlate it with other departments that have tangential issues around the things you're discovering here? >> there is actually a graffiti task force that is city-wide and

we definitely participated in it all the time. we have a lot of conversation between the painter shop and sfpd in context of the graffiti task force, so we try to get more information and get together. >> i guess where i was headed and this is not the time or place to go deep in this, but there has got to be good information here that can be correlated to income distribution and employment levels and all these things and then you look at the issues we're facing, because it seems while it might not be our charge to stop graffiti, it might be interesting to learn about the incentives to create it. with that, i don't see any other commission comments, maybe public comment? >> clerk: any public comment on this item?

being none, that is closed. item 12, general public comment. at this time, members of the public who are not able to address the commission on item 4 may address the commission on items that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the rec and park commission and that do not appear on the agenda. >> welcome city and everybody watching me on tv access, because i created this channel. the history will be told. i'm here to tell and ask this com commission because of the recent article in "examiner" and i'm going to get on the editor of the examiner tt, because it's fake news, opportunity news. it was some kind of conspiracy, because how in the hell -- i hope that's not a bad word, i done said it -- how is the hell the "examiner" supposed to be

established paper here in the city is going to let an article get out like that right after the headlining of the legend of ed lee. it was perfectly placed so people reading about ed lee, they turn the next page, oh, renaming it after justin herman to ed lee. not as long as i'm alive it won't be. and whoever did that is not about the community, it's about a conspiracy. i wouldn't be surprised if silly willy did it. silly willy is just a name i use in my book. see, i'm a writer, therefore i can use character names. i won't use the real name, but you know who i'm talking about, because that's going come out in the series called places, places all part of my cases. over 20 years people say, he ain't even seen a picture i took. if i took another picture, i got

enough to fill this whole wall of things going down. you know what is going down? the black population is going down in this town. by the city, by the bay. hey, i'm saying this because i'm happy, but i should be cussing the hell out the city and the community what they've been doing, but they'd have city hall sheriffs coming out. sometimes i rhyme, it come out naturally, because my name is a-c-e, i have authority in the community, i'm the go-to person for the black news, i'm coming back to city hall, you all, back by popular demand, not because i'm black, but back by popular demand. conversations about racism and all that. before the late ed lee, they were getting ready to line that up, when ed lee got into office in 2011, i got a picture. i had the black media. everybody came but the sun

reporter, i wonder why. when i come out here, i'm talking about black, white, all the main pressures in sight. i have to name names and i put a spin on it and name them the name i think. so let's go back, you read the article. i'm telling you that you all need to tell whoever joined me to tell the examiner tt i need a full page add to rebuttal that. they didn't say anything about black community. second of all, they didn't have no right -- along with the conspiracy. >> president buell: thank you. >> you're welcome. >> clerk: anybody else who would like to make general comment? seeing none, this item is closed. commissioners, item 13, commissioner matters. as a reminder this is to allow commissioners to raise issues that belief the commission should address at future meetings, but there will be no

discussion at this time. >> president buell: i see none. >> clerk: any public comment? public comment is closed. item 14. new business ascend setting. >> president buell: i see none. >> clerk: public comment. >> i would like this sit down with mr. ginz berg to talk about the minnie park in fillmore. i read you donated $300,000 to revitalize, but you don't have to answer, we'll a talk offscreen. i want to know, i want a full report on every park. what is going on, dollar signs. need that by the end of year so i can do the report. my name is ace, i'm on the case. i got a report on all the department heads. she got the same name, because she knows me.

and when she was a little girl, she came here, raised in the project. i was born and raised in the projects. so ace is saying, my family we outside the projects. my mother came here from the south. worked in the shipyards. we had to struggle from the fillmore. i couldn't find a dam job. i'm a contractor. back in 1986. all the agents had all the jobs, contractors. they can't speak english, so i had to go down to the hutch and they started the redevelopment. i got no -- don't stop me. >> president buell: well, you're wandering off the -- >> this is public comment, if i want to say, you're not supposed to stop me. i'm going to leave anyway, because i'm getting upset. i want a reprise from your director on what is going on in every park and i want the mini park i want to know where that

money is going to. supposed to be going toward -- i don't know what -- building up to tear it down, you and i both know that's going to be housing in the future. you know it. it's going to be housing in the cultural center. my name is ace, dammit, you ain't heard so much until i head back to city hall. i ain't going to be here forever. no one can replace ace on the case. see as community, a, s service, and i hooked up with the prize. this is going to be something from my family once i'm gone. from my great granddaughters they might want to pick it up. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: communications?

public comment? seeing none this item is closed. >> we didn't have the opportunity to hear, as we have fort last few years, our elf. >> what is going on? >> last month. >> elf came last month. >> i was not here? i missed her. >> you sing for us. ♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪ ♪ let your hearts be light ♪ from now on our troubles will be out of sight ♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪ ♪ make the yuletide gay ♪ from now on our troubles will be miles away ♪

♪ here we are as in olden days ♪ happy golden days of your ♪ faithful friends who are dear to us ♪ ♪ gather near to us once more ♪ through the years we all will be together ♪ ♪ if the fate allows ♪ hang a shining star on upon the highest bough ♪ ♪ so have yourself a merry little christmas now ♪

[applause] >> clerk: with that, item 16, adjournment. >> i'd like to move for adjournment and thank you commissioner mcdonnell for the beautiful song. merry christmas, everybody. >> in memory of the nicest guy i know, ed lee. >> second? all those in favor. thank you, all, and happy holidays. [ ♪ ]

i'm nicole and lindsey, i like the fresh air. when we sign up, it's always so gratifying. we want to be here. so i'm very excite ied to be here today. >> your volunteerism is appreciated most definitely. >> last year we were able to do 6,000 hours volunteering. without that we can't survive.

volunteering is really important because we can't do this. it's important to understand and a concept of learning how to take care of this park. we have almost a 160 acres in the district 10 area. >> it's fun to come out here. >> we have a park. it's better to take some of the stuff off the fences so people can look at the park. >> the street, every time, our friends. >> i think everybody should give back. we are very fortunate. we are successful with the company and it's time to give back. it's a great

place for us. the weather is nice. no rain. beautiful san francisco. >> it's a great way to be able to have fun and give back and walk away with a great feeling. for more opportunities we have volunteering every single day of the week. get in touch with the parks and recreation center so comit.

>> shop & dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges resident to do their shop & dine in the 49 within the 49 square miles of san francisco by supporting local services in the neighborhood we help san francisco remain unique successful and vibrant so we're will you shop & dine in the 49 chinatown has to be one the best unique shopping areas in san francisco that is color fulfill and safe each vegetation and seafood and find everything in chinatown the walk shop in chinatown welcome to jason dessert i'm the fifth generation of candy in san francisco still that serves 2000

district in the chinatown in the past it was the tradition and my family was the royal chef in the pot pals that's why we learned this stuff and moved from here to have dragon candy i want people to know that is art we will explain a walk and they can't walk in and out it is different techniques from stir frying to smoking to steaming and they do show of. >> beer a royalty for the age berry up to now not people know that especially the toughest they think this is - i really appreciate they love this art. >> from the cantonese to the hypomania and we have hot pots we have all of the cuisines of

china in our chinatown you don't have to go far. >> small business is important to our neighborhood because if we really make a lot of people lives better more people get a job here not just a big firm. >> you don't have to go anywhere else we have pocketed of great neighborhoods haul have all have their own uniqueness. >> san francisco has to all

>> good morning, everybody. thank you all for being here on this mournful day. as i'm sure you all know, our may mayor, mayor edwin m. lee passed awau early this morning at zuckerberg san francisco general. he was 65 years old. i want to thank dr. susan orlick who is here with us today and the dedicated professional who is cared for the mayor last night. our thoughts and prayers are with mayor lee's wife anita and his daughters tanya and brianna

at this time. when he passed, mayor lee was surrounded by his family, by his friends, and the colleagues who loved him. ed lee lived a life of service cut far too short, but short far too soon. like me, ed grew up in public housing. the son of working class immigrant immigrants, he developed early on a profound sense of community. a commitment to helping others. his father was a veterans, and his mother a seamstress. they instilled in him a humility and self-lest work ethic that he maintained throughout his entire life. the mayor's father passed while he was just a teenager, but heart break could not derail him. ed earned a scholarship from boden college a prestigious liberal arts college in maine,

and after graduating, he relocated to the bay area where, like so many of us, he fell in love with the city that he would call home for the rest of his life. he attended balt law school at the university of california-berkley and joined the asian law caucus. ed lee fought against discrimination, working on the front lines to keep tenants from being evicted. he was, from the dawn of his career, an advocate for the powerless and the voice for the overlooked. as a director of the human rights commission and the director of the department of public works and our city administrator and as mayor, we

tend to forget, but when mayor lee was apointed in 2011. he face d tremendous challenges in this city. he believed everyone should have an opportunity to have a good job with a good wage. and in san francisco and he believed everyone should have a secure place to call home which is why one of his first campaigns was for the housing trust fund that has invested millions of dollars in rehabilitate i rehabilitating affordable and

efforts to rehabilitate and rebuild over 7,000. he always said he didn't want folks like him and me to be known as public housing resident, but to be known as san san francisco residents. and those suffering from mental health and substance abuse. and he explored every option and embraced any idea that could help move people off the streets into safe, stable situations. where they could be on the right path to health and recovery. mayor lee believed in the power of opportunity. a rebuilt home, a reborn community, could inspire individuals to reach for their dreams just like he had. he believed in the city where a poor kid from public housing could become mayor.

ed was not a politician. he did not always deliver the best sound bite or carry the room with unspoken charisma. flash never mattered to him. disagreements never deterred him. he was humble and determined no matter the job he held, he was fair and collaborative no matter the heat of the moment. what mattered most to him always was helping his fellow sanfranciscans and occasionally delivering the almost perfectly timed corny joke. mayor lee endured many tough political battles, but they never -- they never dimmed his spirit. opponents may have disagreed with him on policy, but everyone agrees that our mayor was a good man with a good heart. he believed above all else in

building bridges and solving problems. everyone who had the pleasure of working with mayor lee will miss him tremendously. from the members of the board of supervisors who are here with me today to the community advocates who worked alongside him, and the san francisco residents for whom he served with all his might. the flags in our city will fly half mast for the next 30 days. our first chinese american mayor, a man who has left an immeasurable legacy for the city and county of san francisco. and i now must assume the responsibility, and i ask for your patience and i ask for your support. and i ask for your prayers. our city's values have never been more important, and in the months ahead, let's carry on in

mayor lee's honor. he has earned our affection because he was one of the sweetest men any of us have ever known. and he will be truly missed. thank you, all, for being here. and we will have dr. erlick talk about what happened at the hospital. [please stand by] and we attempted life-saving

measures for several hour. he died at 1:11 on the morning of tuesday, december 12, this morning. we expect the medical examiner to determine the cause of death and his family has asked that we share no further medical can information at this time because of state and federal privacy laws. we need to respect their wishes. thank you very much. >> thank you, doctor. and i want to thank all of the department heads, all the city staff, all the commissioners and elected officials, our lieutenant governor and former ma -- mayor, gavin newsome is here, thank you all for being here to bring the city together at this trying time. i'd like to ask our city attorney to talk specifically about what comes next. as you all know, i am currently the acting mayor and will assume that responsibility and our city attorney can provide

further details as to what will happen in the months to come. >> thank you, ma dad mayor. i would first like to echo the sentiments and the condolences of mayor breed and dr. ehrluches and the entire community about the profound sense of loss that all of us feel on the passing of mayor lee and i'd like to offer my condolences spufically to his wife and family and just to let them all know that i hope -- i know that the entire city family will be there for them as they go through this difficult time. you heard dr. ehrlich talk about mayor lee passing at 1:11 this morning. under charter section 13.101.5b, at that time board president london breed assumed

the duties of acting mayor. she has all the powers and responsibilities that come with the office. and she will have all of those duties until such time as the board of supervisors votes on a successor, should they choose to do so. although they are not required to do so. in any event, there will be an election june 5, 2018 where the next mayor will be chosen to fulfill the unexpired term of mayor lee and that term will end on january 8. 2020. that is a very broad overview of where we are now. mayor breed has all the powers and responsibilities and duties of acting mayor. by virtue of her position as board president. and what occurs over the course of the next several months will

be derped by what actions, if any, the board of supervisors chooses to take. with that, i'd be happy to take any questions that anybody has about the process. >> reporter: [inaudible] will the board of supervisors voting on this matter today? >> no, they will not be. >> reporter: what was the question? >> will the board of supervisors be voting on this matter today and the answer is no. >> reporter: is there a timeframe for the board to vote on an interim mayor? >> the board does not have to talk any action and there is not a timeline. and for that entire period of time, should they choose not to take any action, mayor breed will be both the acting mayor and the president of the board of supervisors. she has her position as acting mayor by virtue of her position as president of the board. >> reporter: so, just to clarify, there will be no

additional [inaudible] appointed? >> there will not be. mayor breed has both positions. she still continues to have her board of supervisors position and president of the board and she is the acting mayor. >> yes. i have a question. in june of 2018, when does the new candidate have to have their filings for the election? >> yes. that -- that is something that obviously has not been top on our list. but that is something that we're examining, filing deadlines. we've been focusing on making sure that we had a smooth transition to ensure that there was a continuity in city government. >> reporter: so there's nothing in the charter that indicates that at all? >> i've given my answer. >> any other questions for

mayor breed? >> reporter: as acting mayor, do you have any plans for the [inaudible]. >> [inaudible]. >> our city attorney has already made that clear for now. i am currently still the supervisor of district five as well as the acting mayor until at such time the board decides if they would like to make a decision to select someone to fill the term until the next election. >> one more question. >> reporter: can you talk about personally what he meant to you. anything you can learn from him?

the biggest legacy for the city will be? >> i worked with and have known mayor ed lee for over 20 years and what i appreciate about the mayor is his commitment to public housing mostly because when i became a member of the board of supervisors, i made it clear that was -- he asked my top three priorities and i said public housing, public housing, public housing. as someone who grew up here and spent most my life there, mayor lee, very similar situation, we bonded over that. and looking at robert pitts and looking at it going from this place that was completely falling apart to just painted walls and new fixtures and how beautiful it looks and the fact that he really was stead do you on helping to make this happen

is really what i will always remember about him. his commitment to tune out the noise and focus on trying to get the job done and i really will always appreciate him for taking my praourty seriously and helping to get that work done. he was a dedicated and committed public servant and i will never forgot him for that. thank you, tara. >> thank you, everybody. that concludes the press conference.

>> i have 2 job titles. i'm manager of the tour program as well as i am the historyian of city hall. this building is multifaceted to say the very least it's a municipal building that operates the city and county of san francisco. this building was a dream that became a reality of a man by the name of james junior elected mayor of san francisco in 1912. he didn't have a city hall because it was destroyed in the earth wake of 1906. construction began in april of 1913. in december 1915, the building

was complete. it opened it's doors in january 1916. >> it's a wonderful experience to come to a building built like this. the building is built as a palace. not for a king or queen. it's built for all people. this building is beautiful art. those are architecture at the time when city hall was built, san francisco had an enormous french population. therefore building a palace in the art tradition is not unusual. >> jimmie was an incredible individual he knew that san francisco had to regain it's place in the world. he decided to have the tallest

dome built in the united states. it's now stands 307 feet 6 inches from the ground 40 feet taller than the united states capital. >> you could spend days going around the building and finding something new. the embellishment, the carvings, it represents commerce, navigation, all of the things that san francisco is famous for. >> the wood you see in the board of supervisor's chambers is oak and all hand carved on site. interesting thing about the oak is there isn't anymore in the entire world.

the floors in china was cleard and never replanted. if you look up at the seceiling you would believe that's hand kof carved out of wood and it is a cast plaster sealing and the only spanish design in an arts building. there are no records about how many people worked on this building. the workman who worked on this building did not all speak the same language. and what happened was the person working next to the other person respected a skill a skill that was so wonderful that we have this masterpiece to show the world today.