so thank you again. we're so happy to be here today. i can't wait to keep touring the buildings and i look forward to our next project. thank you again. [applause] >> it's hard to convey the complexity, and the difficulty and the number of problems involved in undertaking a project this vast. and in these kinds of projects, one person is at the center of all of it and that is the project manager. i hope that people will give a warm welcome to emily van loom. [applause] >> thank you all for being here to celebrate the rededication of rosa parks. i've had the pleasure of seeing this building through construction from 2016 to today. you know that there's a long

list of folks who contributed to the success of this project and we couldn't have done it without you. there's a couple of organizations that i'd like to call out for their invaluable efforts here. the mayor's office of housing and community development, as well as the san francisco housing authority. hud as well as bachtio bank of . and our partners at bethel a and e. our contractor kay hill. los angeles as our architect, leevy design partners and the residents here at rosa parks. these folks were here every step of the way and they were great teammates. i also can't pass up the opportunity to thank my colleagues at tndz, past and present, for their hard work here. thanks for your support. your advice. and for trusting me to get this job done. i'd like to focus on a couple of the big successes that we've experienced here at rosa parks. all of which you should check

out today. first is the webster street people's garden which was added to the plans during construction and paid for out of savings. it produces 100-pounds of food every two weeks and it is home to the only greenhouse which provides plant starts to all of our nine gardens and farms. [applause] yeah. rosa parks also has a fitness center that was upgraded during construction with help from residents and we chose fitness equipment that works for seniors here, including a treadmill that operates at lower speeds and the seated arm cycle that is perfect for folks in wheelchairs. and there were also a few traces of rosa park's past that were softened during construction. we have redesigned the entry lobby and reception desk, removing floor to ceiling security glass and creating a warmer space to welcome our

residents home. and as don mentioned, an occupied rehab can be really be difficult on residents. we have an active construction site here for 24 months with 50 units under construction at any given time. this was a really big project. and there's a certain amount of noise, dust and stress that can't be avoided during a project like this. but despite this, the team here at rosa parks worked really hard to minimize the impacts on our tenants. my favorite example of this was when kay hill installed doorbells at each end of the long hallway under construction so that our residents could signal when they needed to pass through to get to and from their homes. it was creative and it kept everyone safe. and it also provided some laughs when residents ding dong ditched our contractors from time to time. [laughter] it was it was a

great pleasure to work with the residents here at rosa parks. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, emily. i want to take the opportunity to share just a few closing remarks. and i want to start by asking all of those who live here at rosa parks, the tenants here's, please raise your hands if you live at rosa parks. would you raise your hands. yeah. [applause] so we entered your homes. and i want to thank you for being so gracious and so helpful and for suffering the way that people suffer when you're undergoing a renovation. you are truly our partners and we could not have done this without you. i wanted to do another raise of hands as well. if you participated in the

development in any way, if you touched rosa parks between 2016 and now, will you raise your hand for people. can i ask all of the people who worked on the project to raise your hands? right on. so thank you. [applause] so it's just really important for me to recognize explicitly that it plays a role and we are only one of many. these developments do not happen but for an entire community of people who are working together to achieve a vision. and in many ways these events that we do to celebrate are events of gratitude. so i want to thank you all who worked on bringing this to fruition for your efforts. and then i guess that i want to also reflect that dndz in many ways we're not only guests here in your homes but we are guests

here in the western edition in rosa parks all together. and i'm just so grateful for the way not only that bethel and the entire community here has welcomed tndz to be a part of bringing our competencies and our resources in order to make something good happen. and for me that is what i see as part of the role. we are a part of a much larger important ecology to make the city and county of san francisco better for the people who live here and i'm just so grateful for the opportunity to play that role. finally, i want to invite you not to miss the opportunity that there are units open on the second floor and the 10th floor. and you can see the -- not only the garden but the urban farm outside. and enjoy the food afterwards. thank you for coming. [applause]

(♪) (♪) >> 3, 2, 1, yay! [applause] (♪) (♪) (♪) (♪) >> i have been living in san francisco since 1957. i live in this area for 42

years. my name is shirley jackson, and i am a retirement teacher for san francisco unified school district, and i work with early childhood education and after school programs. i have light upstairs and down stairs. it's been remodelled and i like it. some of my floors upstairs was there from the time i built the place, so they were very horrible and dark. but we've got lighting. the room seems lighter. they painted the place, they cemented my back yard, so i won't be worried about landscaping too much. we have central heating, and i like the new countertops they put in. up to date -- oh, and we have venetian blinds. we never had venetian blinds before, and it's just cozy for

me. it meant a lot to me because i didn't drive, and i wanted to be in the area where i can do my shopping, go to work, take the kids to school. i like the way they introduced the move-in. i went to quite a bit of the meetings. they showed us blueprints of the materials that they were going to use in here, and they gave us the opportunity to choose where we would like to stay while they was renovating. it means a lot. it's just that i've been here so long. most people that enjoyed their life would love to always retain that life and keep that lifestyle, so it was a peaceful neighborhood. the park was always peaceful,

and -- i don't know. i just loved it. i wanted to be here, and i stayed. >> thank you very much for coming. i'm going to let some people filter in here while i talk. my name is joanne i'm a reporter and anchor at abc 7news. i'll going to be your emcee today for this unveiling of this beautiful refurbished court and i know a little later on we'll have fun on it. so i just want to start off here we are at one-time sports. if you haven't been here, this is a newly baseball court where the first time we've laid eyes on it, step on it. it's a great feeling. we want to thank the warriors community foundation for doing this and being here and making this all happen. [applause]

also, for pepsi as well. [applause] and also creative sports concepts. thank you, very much. [applause] so just to learn a little bit about what we're on, what all is here today, the renovation work included a resurfacing of the entire court. also the new booths and the back boards as well. and redesigned banner. we also have if you see this right here which i know the mayor is excited about. these solar powered lights that are going to be working here, which is really great for a really energy-efficient city so this is a step in the right direction. also here, the sport define features of course some key elements representing the warriors here. we have this hometown spirit in san francisco. this renovation project was made possible by pepsi and creative sports concept and it's positively impacting the community and we're going to see it play out for us today.

and recognizing mike taylor, you can raise their hand please. with creative sports, thank you, mike. to let you know that mike is the director of global operations and his amazing team and we want to thank them for this beautiful court and all the improvements you see here today. i also would like to acknowledge here, mike kits, your senior vice president partners. raise your hand, please. thank you, mike. [applause] and also yoyo chan. warriors vice president of public affairs. first up on our speakers' list, please give a warm welcome to mayor london breed. >> hello, everyone. you know, i'm really excited to be here today. earlier today, we were at rosa parks. many of you know rosa parks and the pink pallet down the street on connects and westbound ser and we celebrated the

rehabilitation of over 200 units there just like we celebrated the units that were rehabilitated here at west side court last year in february. when we talked about rad and rehabilitation because of the many public housing units in san francisco were being neglected and they were in need of refurbishing. no one wanted to do hardly anything and when i became supervisor, we were able to make this happen and but over 3600 public housing units throughout san francisco has been refurbished. it's not good enough.

this court, work had not been completely up to par. the nets were not up. the back board did not look like this. and we had so many kids who wanted to play on this court and we had kids who wanted to play when it got dark early. and so, at that time, we made a commitment to do something about it and today, we're fulfilling that commitment faster than what i would have thought possible and clearly, you know, with the city and the challenge and trying to get things done in timely manner, the warriors foundation, the community foundation stepped in and said we would do it. they've done more than a dozen court refurbishing through out san francisco because they know it's important to have these fun, recreational spaces that are the places that create tomorrow's steph currie steph cl

the other nba players we love. we want to make sure west side court has the community resources they deserve. this rehab has been absolutely incredible and i'm so glad to see so many of the residents out here today. we also know that there are a lot of young people here who want to play and they're also a lot of our elders who want to play as well. this space will do just that in bringing the community together. so i'm looking forward to the first tip-off. i see everyone has their jerseys on and the basketballs are all over the place. we are hoping that today is just the beginning of an opportunity for so many people to use this space to just develop their memories, have fun, enjoy one another, make that community connection and then who knows, maybe one of these kids might end up playing for the golden state warriors, you never know. [applause] >> thank you all so much for being here today and let's play. [applause]

>> thank you so much mayor breed. the wind everyone, who knew. so next up we have here on our speaker listed dr. james mccrae from west side courts housing partnerships llp and he will say a few words for us. [applause] >> you got it, mayor. my brothers and sisters. i want to thank the city and county of san francisco, the san francisco housing authority, related and all of the many others who have opened this possibility up not only for participating as a owner and developer but also from all of the communities to experience the joy of having attention paid

to you. the joy of having attention paid to you. we have a simple theme in tabernacle, it's seek the welfare of the city for in its welfare you will find your welfare. it is this theme that is driven us over these now nearly 22 years to be involved in seeking the welfare of other communities cities and county of san francisco from its top to its bottom. this moment is just the further indication that if we join together in seeking one another's welfare, great things can happen and joy can be experienced. we can come together and feel

good about what we have done and said rather than feel disappointment and shame. thank you, everyone for being out this afternoon. for being a part of this opportunity to say we all matter because we're all going to pay attention to one another. thank you. [applause] >> next up i want to bring supervisor dean preston to the front. from district 5 here. speak a little bit more about the impacts of this court. >> thank you so much. i'm going to move over here so i'm not looking right into the sun. it's really an honor to be here on this beautiful day with all of you and to celebrate this new court here in this community. also, it's an honor to be here with the mayor with our former supervisor vallie brown. we have two prior supervisors

and the current so three in total here today, which i think signifies the importance of this investment in the community. as we all know too well, in district and an area of the city that has suffered from really decades of dis investment led by the assault at the national level on our community's particularly the african american communities in san francisco and beyond and it is hardening when we see some of that being reversed through investments like the comments investments in the community and refurbishment of housing here and the refurbishment of this court which is so important as a place for recreation, athletics and as a community space to

really build community that is absolutely essential particularly at this time so i'm looking forward to the tip off and to getting to know and i know some of you are looking forward to get to know those of you who i haven't met before, i just took office a month ago and it's just thrilling to be here as part of our celebration so thank you both to the mayor and our former supervisor and the warriors and to accept se pepsid aquafina. >> pepsi values its partnership with the warriors and the community foundation which is why i would now like to bring up sean king, vice president general manager west division from pepsi co. thank you, everybody. i think i'm going to try to move over a little bit myself to get away from the sun. first let me say, i am just

absolutely incredibly honored and proud to be here today with the warriors, the local community, and of course most importantly the children that are going to be able to be playing on these brand new courts. pepsi is proud to be a partner of the golden state warriors and it is incredibly humbling to be partnered with such a great organization that allows us to do events like this and have such a deep impact on the community. this is the fourth refurbishment we partnered in with the warriors and it's part of a larger beautification effort across the bay area led by our brands life water and aquafina. pepsi has deep roots in california. we have been in this state for over 84 years and have hundreds of employees that work within the bay. this is our community. we work, we live, and we are

proud to represent the bay. projects like this mean so incredibly much to our teams and our people and to this community. which again, it's something that all of us are a much bigger part of and wore so honored and excited to be here with this group. i also think it's important to recognize the importance of affordable housing. west side courts offer san francisco residents a chance to improve their quality of life with affordable accommodations and we are honored to help boost their community ties with this new basketball court. so again, o mayor breed, the community, the warriors, thank you for this incredible partnership and i'm very much looking forward to tip off. thank you. >> thank you, we are almost there to our exciting tip off. but first, i want to bring up brandon schneider, warrior chief revenue officer to say a few words for us. >> thank you, very much. it is a very exciting day to be

here at west side courts. staring into the sun. as you can tell, we plan today specifically around the trade dead lines. i'm sure everybody saw the moves bob myers and team made today. the good news is they spared me, i didn't get traded. maybe that was just so i could spend the time here at today's events and maybe in the future, we will make sure to plan this after the trade deadline. thank you to the city of san francisco and all the residents of west side courts for letting us spend the afternoon with you. and a huge thank you to pepsi for your suppose sort and making this court possible for the community. i also like to specifically thank san francisco mayor london breed, who we obviously just heard from and her team for their on going community impact efforts. this court is another example of her leadership in guidance to include all san francisco residents access to community resources. i would also like to thank and acknowledge supervisor preston for his advocacy and representation of our city and district 5 residents. we look forward to partnering

with you. so our goal with the warriors is to compete for championships every year. if joe was here he may not agree with me and the last five years, may tell a different story. we're probably not going to win the championship every year. this year may be an example of that. we'll be back next year. i like that. but joe's wife, nicole, was a big part of launching the warriors community foundation in 2012 and that's to ensure we can be championships in the community every year. our community foundation granted over $12 million since 2012 to ensure educational equity in both san francisco and alameda counties and one of the other things we're focus on is doing court refurbishments threw out the bay area. today is a huge milestone for us. as it's actually our 85th court refurbishment we've done here in the bay area.

they tell me it's 380,000 square feet of playing surface we've done. i wanted to recognize again, let's have another round of applause for mike and his team from creative sports for awful their incredible work on the court tonight. [applause] so playing sports provides such an amazing opportunity for youth and community members to create positive change in their community and to build self-confidence. this court will be an incredible center piece for the west side courts residential community and we hope that it instills confidence to those that use and and for you kids here today, we hope you will really take advantage of these new courts. you can truly be anything you want to be. who knows, maybe one of you will be the mayor of san francisco one day. [laughter] >> you stole my line. my other line was maybe one of you will follow in the footsteps of the next speaker who did play in the nba. so you guys may have noticed

this tall guy standing over here, i don't know if this podium is going to work for him. the eighth over all pick in the 1997 nba draft golden state warriors drafted him. he played for us for 11 years, 1997 to 2007. he actually graduated in 1999 from colgate university magna kum lad a means he is smart with a history degree. he is founded an organization called democracy matters to help deepen democracy and train youth how to run effective grassroots movements. his accomplished career includes his induction to the world sports humanitarian hall of fame first commitment to the community. it's my honor to welcome to the stage -- >> this is so awesome. are you guys ready to hoop over there! that doesn't sound con for instancing! >> are you ready to hoop! >> that's much better.

i was dropped b drafted by the n 1997 and i'm still a part of this organization is their undying commitment to our community. as an organization and athletes, we believe that we have a morale imperative to help make our community better. and i think that from the organization from the top to bottom, all of our players embodies that philosophy. for me it's a bit more personal. i think that sports is one of those things that give you amazing opportunities to do whatever you want to do. for me, it's been about being the first person in my family to go to college. i got an athletic scholarship coming from an island of 500 people. what you guys have is a unique opportunity to learn some of the values that sports presents. commitment, being

self-motivated, really the desire to compete at the highest level and still be great teammates. those values are life values. but the thing that i want to leave you guys with before we play some basketball is a few things. one, you don't always have to be an athlete. you can be an incredible student. so the time you just need the opportunity to get into the dough. when i came from the island being the first person in my family to go to college, i played basketball very hard but i also understood that i have an opportunity to become exceptional with my mind as well as my physical body. you guys have that as well. the other thing is, along the way, there would be a lot of people who tell you you can't do things because of where you come from. don't ever believe them. there's everything you have within you guys to be incredible, to be great, to be

exceptional. just continue to believe that truth. this court is an opportunity for us to pull our community together but more than that, it's to mirror values that i believe have been the corner stone of my life. a commitment t to a higher purpe than ourselves. so today, let's get some hoops going! let's play! i thank everybody for coming. you guys are truly incredible and i thank this community for allowing us to be part of it. thank you guys so very much. [applause] >> thank you so much! i want to say on behalf of the warriors community foundation, a big thank you to pepsi and also aquafina, san francisco the community and everything here as well as the bay area. also thank you to the warriors community and foundation and creative sports concepts for

refurbishing this beautiful court that we are all on right now and most importantly thank you all for being here today! so kids, are you ready to play baseballbasketball! come on inside! i'm going to ask the adults to make your way to the sidelines. we can get these athletes out here! >> when he throws it up jump up and hands on -- >> 3, 2, 1! [♪]

>> i just wanted to say a few words. one is to the parents and to all of the kids. thank you for supporting this program and for trusting us to create a soccer program in the bayview. >> soccer is the world's game, and everybody plays, but in the united states, this is a sport that struggles with access for certain communities. >> i coached basketball in a coached football for years, it is the same thing. it is about motivating kids and keeping them together, and giving them new opportunities. >> when the kids came out, they had no idea really what the game was. only one or two of them had played soccer before. we gave the kids very simple lessons every day and made sure that they had fun while they were doing it, and you really could see them evolve into a team over the course of the season. >> i think this is a great opportunity to be part of the community and be part of programs like this. >> i get to run around with my other teammates and pass the

ball. >> this is new to me. i've always played basketball or football. i am adjusting to be a soccer mom. >> the bayview is like my favorite team. even though we lose it is still fine. >> right on. >> i have lots of favorite memories, but i think one of them is just watching the kids enjoy themselves. >> my favorite memory was just having fun and playing. >> bayview united will be in soccer camp all summer long. they are going to be at civic centre for two different weeklong sessions with america scores, then they will will have their own soccer camp later in the summer right here, and then they will be back on the pitch next fall. >> now we know a little bit more about soccer, we are learning more, and the kids are really enjoying the program. >> we want to be united in the bayview. that is why this was appropriate >> this guy is the limit. the kids are already athletic,

you know, they just need to learn the game. we have some potential college-bound kids, definitely. >> today was the last practice of the season, and the sweetest moment was coming out here while , you know, we were setting up the barbecue and folding their uniforms, and looking out onto the field, and seven or eight of the kids were playing. >> this year we have first and second grade. we are going to expand to third, forth, and fifth grade next year bring them out and if you have middle school kids, we are starting a team for middle school. >> you know why? >> why? because we are? >> bayview united. >> that's right. is -- >> our united states constitution requires every ten years that america counts every human being in the united states, which is incredibly important for many reasons. it's important for preliminary representation because if -- political representation

because if we under count california, we get less representatives in congress. it's important for san francisco because if we don't have all of the people in our city, if we don't have all of the folks in california, california and san francisco stand to lose billions of dollars in funding. >> it's really important to the city of san francisco that the federal government gets the count right, so we've created count sf to motivate all -- sf count to motivate all citizens to participate in the census.

>> for the immigrant community, a lot of people aren't sure whether they should take part, whether this is something for u.s. citizens or whether it's something for anybody who's in the yunited states, and it is something for everybody. census counts the entire population. >> we've given out $2 million to over 30 community-based organizations to help people do the census in the communities where they live and work. we've also partnered with the public libraries here in the city and also the public schools to make sure there are informational materials to make sure the folks do the census at those sites, as well, and we've initiated a campaign to motivate the citizens and make sure they participate in census 2020. because of the language issues

that many chinese community and families experience, there is a lot of mistrust in the federal government and whether their private information will be kept private and confidential. >> so it's really important that communities like bayview-hunters point participate because in the past, they've been under counted, so what that means is that funding that should have gone to these communities, it wasn't enough. >> we're going to help educate people in the tenderloin, the multicultural residents of the tenderloin. you know, any one of our given blocks, there's 35 different languages spoken, so we are the original u.n. of san francisco. so it's -- our job is to educate people and be able to

familiarize themselves on doing this census. >> you go on-line and do the census. it's available in 13 languages, and you don't need anything. it's based on household. you put in your address and answer nine simple questions. how many people are in your household, do you rent, and your information. your name, your age, your race, your gender. >> everybody is $2,000 in funding for our child care, housing, food stamps, and medical care. >> all of the residents in the city and county of san francisco need to be counted in census 2020. if you're not counted, then your community is underrepresented and will be underserved.

>> good morning, everyone, to opening day of san francisco better market street. it is my great honor to introduce the mayor of san francisco, ms. london breed. mayor breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: well, well, well. this has been really a long time coming. there are so many people that made this possible.

you know, we are really excited about what today means, and i know this will prove very challenging for a lot of people in the city, but our city is changing. when we think about the past and when market street was actually built over 150 years ago, the folks who had the vision for what market street could be stood right here at this very area and pointed west towards twin peaks with a vision to make market street possible to extend to the hills of san francisco in twin peaks, and look at where we are today. in that time, they made it 120 feet wide, which was large back then, just knowing that market street would be a significant street and a significant street for san francisco and its future. and at that time, of course, over 150 years ago, the population was over -- a little

bit over 50,000 people. and today, we have more than 800,000 people in san francisco. our city, at a time when i was growing up, you didn't see a lot of bicycles. you didn't see a lot of folks who were walking along market street other than mostly the downtown area at 5th and market. and now when you look at how much san francisco has grown, when you look at how many more buses, you see how many more cars and scooters and different modes of transportation and people getting around, we know that there has to be something that changes in order to ensure not only the ability for people to get around more efficiently but to ensure safety. and, you know, sadly, we've had more than our fair share of collisions that have occurred along market street, and we know that there is a need to do something different, and we've

already moved in that direction. the red bus lanes have been helpful, but it's not enough. we want to be able to get people to where they need to go in an efficient way, but this also is a way to support and protect our environment by increasing the ability to make muni more reliable, more people will use it, making trips 25 -- making trips 25% faster will change how people look at muni. and let's be clear. i know we have a lot to do to get to a better place with our public transportation system. it's not just more buses and trains, it's not just more drivers, it's changes to our infrastructure. and that's why this is so important, and that's why so many people advocated for a car-free market street because

they knew that as the population increases, as the number increases with the number of job opportunities, we need to ensure that we have a reliable transportation system that get people around, and we make changes that may make people uncomfortable to the infrastructure to get people to rely on our system. that's why we do what we do. i want to thank someone who is no longer on the board of supervisors but was really an advocate and pusher for this project, and that is our current assembly member, david chiu. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: i remember when i first became a member of the board of supervisors, and i'll tell you, david chiu was president of the board. he came to talk to me about closing market street, and i want lik want -- and i was like, are you crazy? and it's so funny.

just looking back over the years and the changes and what we need to do for the city, i basically agreed that this is something we needed to do. and i'm really proud to be here as mayor, and i want to thank david chiu for his advocacy. i also want to thank scott wiener for his advocacy for public transportation systems. i want to thank a number of people who have been at the forefront of closing market street to public vehicles. thank you to walk sf. thank you to the san francisco bicycle coalition, and thank you to market street railway, who actually has a great museum just right down there. [applause]

>> the hon. london breed: and it does take people who are not only a part of the community to help make this happen, it takes a city village. and i want to thank the san francisco m.t.a. for their leadership and their guidance and the work that they're doing. really excited about jeff tomlin and the work that he's going to do to continue to lead this great organization. thank you to the p.u.c. department, the planning department, public works, the county transportation authority, and the office of economic and workforce development. so many great folks who really are going to be at the forefront of helping to make this possible, and i'd also like to give a shoutout to the san francisco police department because the work that they are going to do around enforcement to ensure that as we make limits on vehicles on market street that we have enforcement so that we can make sure that we're communicating and making people aware, but we also know that having a tool to enforce

what we know needs to be a car-free market street is going to take some work, and the police department is going to be an important part of that work. [applause] >> so today, as we extend over two miles of car-free market street, i'm looking forward to seeing the results of what this does for san francisco. we talk about a goal of vision zero, and we've been talking about it for so many years, yet what's been happening with the number of fatalities on our streets, it just looks like we're never going to get there. and i think this is a step towards getting there, and helping us to realize those goals of keeping people safe and ensuring that no one, because they're traveling and trying to get around the city to and from work, is at risk,

and this is just really an incredible step forward. this is so significant, so great. that's why we're here, and i just want to thank everyone for their support and their advocacy and their patience as we move through this process because you know if you do anything with the city, it does take patience. but we are here, and today, we celebrate, we ensure, and we look forward to really transforming san francisco and making market street one of the safest corridors in our city. th thank you all so much. [applause] >> good morning again. my name is jeffrey tomlin. i am the head of the san francisco municipal transportation agency, and i am pleased to be here this morning. may i have another round of applause, both for our mayor and her stalwart support, but

also, gabe todd, bell ringer of the san francisco municipal transportation division. [applause] >> so as the mayor said, this has been a long time coming. we've been talking about this for over 60 years. our success would not be possible without our advocates who worked on this project and our board of supervisors who saw our vision zero goals, who saw a market street that was not just moving cars, but moving goals. may i please introduce supervisor matt haney.

>> supervisor haney: it's been one month, and he's already got market street done. give a hand to jeff. no, i'm excited for what's going to come next with your leadership of m.t.a. i want to thank mayor breed and her championing this project. first of all, this is an exciting day. finally, we are putting people first on our most important thoroughfare here in san francisco. there are over 500,000 people that walk on market street every day. there are over 6,000 people that ride their bikes on market street every day, and there are thousands and thousands of people that ride muni. and finally, we are going to be designing this street for them. [applause] >> supervisor haney: we are going to celebrate the culmination of decades of planning to make market street a street for the people of san

francisco. today marks the beginning of a historic transformation of the main corridor of our city into a safe place to walk, bike, and transit. market street is not only one of our city's most important corridors, it is one of the most dangerous. the only way we will achieve vision zero is by urgently bringing radical street safety improvements and being unapologetic to our commit to street safety. a car free market street will also pave the way for future car-free spaces across our city. i'm hopeful that we'll be looking at other places in district 6, including in the tenderloin, where we have dangerous and sometimes deadly collisions for school children, seniors, and others. the complete transformation of

market street will redefine or downtown. it will bring new activation to a street that has long been overlooked. i'm excited to see what this will bring to the businesses and residents of district 6 not just for what it brings around here, but you will see a dynamic, revitalized area. again, i want to thank mayor breed, the bicycle coalition, and walk sf, and i want to thank the countless people who worked for years, the citizens advisory committee, who made this possible. thank you so much for being here. this is only the beginning. [applause] >> government agencies throughout california face difficult budget challenges,

including structural budget deficits that are built into the system here. making projects like this happen would not be possible without an sfmta board of directors ready to make the really tough choices about how we allocate our budget, to what degree to we raise revenue or reduce revenue in order to achieve our service goals. i am honored to serve on a board that is practical and holds my agency accountable, and i'm pleased to introduce the head of that board, malcolm heinicke. >> well, thank you, and congratulations on this day. i want to thank mayor's newsom and lee for their leadership and the roles that i have now.

i want to thank the leadership, and ed reiskin who came before them. i want to thank board members brinkman and eaken, who came before me. this is a magnificent market street. this is going to be -- yeah, let's cheer that adjective. it's a good one. it's going to be magnificent for transit, for pedestrian, for cyclists, for equity, for the environment, for visitors, for businesses, for everything that makes san francisco so special. it will not be long before broadway is referred to as the market street of manhattan. for transit, our buses and trains will move 15 to 25% faster on this corridor. bus riders will enjoy the same

right-of-way preference that i enjoy on my subway ride in the morning. this will be the above-ground subway. for pedestrians and cyclists, we will address one of the most dangerous corridors in our city and not only solve the safety issues but make this a destination for walking and cycling. this is, indeed, an exciting time. now i do want to clarify one important policy thing, and i don't want to be the dusty baker who hands the ball to russ ortiz, so i'll keep this in vague terms. but this ban on cars on market streets will not aplply to parades. for example, a parade on behalf of a sports team who happens to be super -- super, and we're going to stop there. she has slapped me down before, but i think that was the first time in front of a bunch of

cameras. any way, back to the topic at hand. this is a glorious day, and a magnificent project. it is sort of the culmination of my career as an sfmta board member. let's not wait another decade or 13 years to do this again. yesterday, i called on our staff to look at a project like this for valencia street. you heard -- [applause] >> you heard supervisor haney who's been such a leader on this issue doing some work like this in his district. folks, this is going to be magnificent. let's not wait. let's do it again. onward. [applause] >> doing this work has required deep engagement with the community, and some of you may not realize that some of the greatest concentration of families living with children

in san francisco live adjacent to market street and the tenderloin and south of market, in the civic center area. this street of market street is also home to five of the top ten highest injury intersections in all of san francisco. we could not have done this project without the support of a broad array of community organizers who helped us along the way, and among those, i would like to introduce jodi maderos of walk san francisco. >> i am jodi maderos, director of walk san francisco. i walk this street every day, and for years, we have known that it's one of the most dangerous for people, and today is very exciting because that is about to change.

i'm here to say thank you to the partners and particularly, the city's leaders that we have seen and heard today and all of the city departments and agencies who have made this vision of a car-free market street come true. thank you for adding san francisco to the list of leading cities around the world with car-free spaces. thank you for showing that san francisco is willing to take bold action for our city's future and for the planet. mo in 2019, oslo, norway, zero people were hit and killed in traffic crashes, zero. a huge reason for that is that they have taken bold strides to putting car-free spaces and reducing traffic in our downtown corridor, and that is

exactly what market street is about to do. we invite our city's leaders to take more action, bold strides. valencia street, j.f.k., embarcadero. let's think bold where we can put more car-free spaces in our city, all the way to vision zero. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you, jodi. as san francisco grows, our streets are not getting any wider, and the challenge becomes how to ensure our streets better move more people. i believe this morning from my own informal counts that market street has moved more people this morning than it has on any normal weekday since the middle of the 20th century. i'll need to verify that, but those were my counts this morning.

morning importantly, as i was riding my bike up market street this morning, something struck me that was utterly extraordinary. not only was the ride more pleasant, but i struck up five conversations on the street, in the street, on my bike, with people i wouldn't have otherwise been able to interact with because i would have been afraid of being pushed out of the way by an uber driver. the changes to market street in san francisco i think will not only allow us to move more people but change the stability of san francisco. and this work also would not have been possible without another one of our key organizations, the san francisco bike coalition. >> thank you so much, director tomlin. it is a beautiful day to ride a bike in san francisco today. i want to extend a sincere

thank you to mayor london breed. this decision is going to help save lives in our city. thank you. and thank you to supervisor matt haney for supporting the district where you live and i live, as well, and the many safety improvements in your district. director tomlin and the staff at the m.t.a., i know you are working hard to pull this off, the rally, and finally, i want to thank all members of the san francisco -- our members of the san francisco bicycle coalition who have been fighting for decades to see this day come to pass, yes. [applause] >> today marks a new era for san francisco as we celebrate san francisco's largest car-free space on market street. and by creating that right here on this thoroughfare, san francisco is sending a message

that by improving travel for people bicycling and walking is at the heart of achieving vision zero as well as our climate goals, and from today forward, it will be at the heart of our city. now cities across the country and perhaps around the world will be looking to san francisco to see what's possible, and we will lead the way with the further physical transformation of market street, which we expect to break ground sometime this year. this leadership doesn't have to stop at market street, as you've heard. from the embarcadero to j.f.k. and golden gate park and streets around the tenderloin, we in the city can continue to make bold action when it comes to encouraging more people to walk and ride a bicycle. so i look forward to the day when every neighborhood in our

beautiful city enjoys safe, accessible and liveable streets. for now, however, i'm excited to get on my bike and ride, and i invite you all to come pedal with me. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, brian. as i was out this morning, talking with our bus operators and traffic control officers, they were all excited to see this change, a change that will make it easier for all san franciscans to get around. it will also make it easier for our glorious street cars not only to achieve better mobility but for people from all over the world to see the mobility. i owe a debt of gratitude to

the head of market street mobility, mr. rick lasher. [applause] >> madam mayor, director tomlin, supervisor haney, director mcguire, who had a lot to do with this, and all of the officials, thank you very much for your leadership and your persistence. as the mayor says, it takes patience in san francisco, but we're being rewarded today. more than 150 years ago, rail transit came to san francisco in the form of a steam train, and then it was a horse car and then cable cars, and then since 1906, electric street cars. i was born after 1906, but not by a whole lot, and i grew up on market street in my families delicatessen on market and grant. i can tell you in six decades and more of experience on

market, this is going to be the best market street of my lifetime, and thank you all for making it happen. we are very proud to help keep the past present for the future of market street through our nonprofit, which is muni's nonprofit preservation partner. starting today, the street cars and buses will get riders to their destinations faster. they'll make it safer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and scooter users, too. we're proud to have been long time advocates for a better market street, and we congratulate everybody. thank you. [applause] >> please join me in one final round of applause for the staff people who made this work possible. most particularly, the director of sustainable streets, tom mcguire, who was interim director and was actually responsible for making much of this work happen, along with director of transit, julie

kirschbaum, and all of the folks in the traffic sign and paint shop, and p.u.c., and the police department, all of whom came together incredibly rapidly to make this happen. thanks them. they're the ones who made this work. and meanwhile, i want to thank all of you for joining us to celebrate a truly better market street, and now, i get to cut a ribbon. i'm so excited about this. thank you. >> the hon. london breed: all right. here we go. five, four, three, two, one! [cheers and applause]

>> all right. hello, everyone. my name is phil ginsburg, and i'm the director of your san francisco park and recreation department. in just 68 days, golden gate park will celebrate its 150th birthday. on april 4, 1870, the california state legislature passed a law creating the framework for this amazing park and san francisco's own park system.

for 150 years, san francisco's parks have highlighted the importance of place in san francisco, and golden gate park might just be san francisco's most important place. since the gold rush, it's borne witness to our remarkable history. from the post gold rush years to the 1906 earthquake and fire, from the international exposition to the summer of love, from the aids epidemic to the explosion of technology, business, and jobs, golden gate park has served as the city's pastoral oasis through its joy, sadness, and majestic restoration. stories wi stories aboutratio race, relig

and equity, stories about nature and suffering, stories about art, music, food. stories about large gatherings and solitary strolls. stories about communities, neighborhoods, families, stories about each and every one of us. amidst this park's awe inspiring trails, meadows, lakes and groves, its ball fields and playgrounds, its museums and institutions, its amazing activities, both large and small, and amidst a few hundred of the 25 million people who visit this treasure every year and make it part of their lives, we're here today to officially kick off the 150th anniversary of golden gate park. [applause] >> over the course of this year, we'll be joined by 150 park partners. we'll undertake park projects both big and small, and on

april 4, we'll host 150 activities, including free admission to our cultural specialties and gardens. today, we begin with one of those 150 projects. we'll be planting 150 trees in this beloved park. today, we're joined by our mayor, london breed, our district one supervisor, sandy fewer, or paur park commission tod todd anderson, and we're also joined by our partner, drew becker from the san francisco parks alliance, and i saw liz farrell, president of the sex alliance board.

we're proud to stand with our volunteers in our organizations. it's our volunteers that make our parks beautiful year-round, and today, they will leave a legacy for the next generation by planting 150 trees that will thrive in golden gate park. i want to thank our mayor for asking parks alliance to lead golden gate's 150th anniversary celebration, for remembering what's right and important and for honoring our team of volunteers who ensure that golden gate park continues to thrive for the next 150 years. i'm very proud to give you our mayor, london breed. [applause] >> the hon. london breed: well, first of all, phil said we're

celebrating 150 years of golden gate park, and we have a laundry list of things we should be things about doing to highlight this significant milestone. and let me tell you, of course, what could i say but let's do it. let's do it because phil cares about making sure our parks are thriving in san francisco all over the various neighborhoods, issues around equity that he talked about include making sure that we are investing in communities throughout san francisco. and as we are celebrating such an incredible milestone in golden gate park, we are reminded that so many different people use this park for so many different things. and i'm so glad that miles is here today from the church of eight wheels because he actually uses regular roller skates. i don't know if any of you have experience with regular roller skates where there's two wheels

in the front and two wheels in the back. so some of my fondest memories of golden gate park is when my aunt, who was attending high school, would bring me to golden gate park because that's where she and her friends would roller skate. really, there were hardly any bikes. there was mostly people roller skating.

>> the hon. london breed: so i'm so glad i wasn't alive 150 years ago because i wouldn't be here today to celebrate, but i'm glad that i'm here with so many people to mark this incredible milestone. it is significant. this park has seen so many changes in our city, and as phil talked about, just our history, and how significant that is. and so that is a time we take a moment to reflect and pause to remember how far we've come, and to use this as an opportunity to celebrate, to celebrate with, yes, a large ferris wheel, with -- like it or not, i'm excited about it. yes, to celebrate with free activities on april 4 to allow people from all over san francisco to come and enjoy the

park. but really, i'm excited about the shuttles that will bring people from the various communities from the bayview and hunters point neighborhood who will friday families here throughout the year. i want to thank the 150 organizations who joined this effort. i want to thank all the folks that are planting 150 trees here at golden gate park. but you have to stop at 150. there's opportunities to plant other trees at other locations in san francisco. i want to thank everyone, especially nancy bechtel who's going to be chairing the committee, the parks alliance, and everybody who's concerned about maintaining these parks, including the golden gate parks, so in 150 years, there's another group of people

celebrating 300 years of this incredible milestone. thank you so much for being here today. [applause] >> so we couldn't be luckier to have the supervisor representing golden gate park. she is a fourth generation san franciscan. golden gate park is woven into her own childhood memories. she's an advocate for kids, and knows how important parks are for kids to remain healthy. and 70% of the park is within her district, and we have walked trails together and the smallest of spaces to learn how to make this park more accessible for people from all

communities. it's my pleasure to welcome supervisor sandy fewer fuia. >> supervisor fewer: i'm thrilled that we are going to be kicking off the 150th anniversary of san francisco's golden gate park. i am supervisor of district 1, and as phil said, 70% of the park is in my jurisdiction. we know how important golden gate park is to all san francisco residents and to our city. we are looking forward to the year-long celebration to highlight the beauty of the park and also as its legacy as a san francisco institution that demonstrates not only our commitment to open space, nature, and our natural environment, but also has this park has remained a free and accessible asset to all who wish to enjoy it. it is true that i have lived out here for over 60 years, and

this park is where i grew up. this is where i learned to ride a bicycle. this is where my children were raised, in this park, going to the academy of sciences. and i, like london breed remember field trips out here, family gatherings out here, indeed, many more memories that are soon to be added to our collection of memories as we embark on all these festivities. i'd like to thank the staff for rec and park for all its hard work and all of our organizations and volunteers to help make the park the wonderful place it is for everyone. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, supervisor. so this celebration wouldn't be possible without the organizations that are joining together to make this a reality. we're so thankful to kaiser

permanente, and target, and the more than 150 organizations that are so important to this cause. thank you very much. [applause] >> i want to also recognize -- i see ike kwan here from the academy of sciences, and scott mason, making the academy free here on april 4. thank you very much. [applause] >> and a word about another planet, about last year's outside concert, they worked with paul simon to make a donation to the friends of the urban forest and san francisco parks department. and because of that donation, part of that is funding the 150 trees that we're planting today, so thank you very much to gregg and allen and other planters. [applause] >> of course, none of this happens without amazing civic

leadership, and leading this is some of the most amazing cochairs who have some of the most undying love for san francisco, and are committed to making it a better place to live, work, and play. please welcome to the lectern nanny bechtel and robert fung. >> we're just negotiating who's going to go first. any ways, it is amazing that we're celebrating 150 years of golden gate park. when the mayor talked about roller skating in the park, i roller skates here as a kid, too. i don't know if anybody remembers this, but it used to have a lot of horses, and this is where you would go to ride horses. anyhow, golden gate park had a rather auspicious start, when

they invited olmstead who designed central park. well, he took a look at this terrible place, and he said, it's not going to happen, so that was not going to be the end of the park because the city leaders wanted to have a park here, so they turned to john maclaren who had a friend, john mueller, and he designed this absolutely beautiful park -- oh, here comes the rain. >> liquid fog. >> oh, it's just liquid fog. we as san franciscans know it's liquid fog. i have an umbrella here if anybody needs one -- everybody needs one. so when maclaren saw the park or this land, he thought this would be an absolutely great place to have a park, but he felt very strongly that it would never be a great park if

there was ever a sign saying keep off the grass. so i think you all know there has never been and will never be a sign that says keep off the grass. so any way, it's an honor to be involved with the celebration, the 150-year celebration of golden gate park. and i want to thank our sponsors, our volunteers, the tree planters, everyone who's involved with our park because it is a city treasure. thank you. [applause] >> i'll be very quick here because the rain's starting to come down, but -- but like many people here have grownup in this park, skinned my knee on that hill bike riding, skinned my other knee over here, skate boarding. like many of us, i love this park. i think phil ginsburg has done an amazing job of transforming

and growing this park, and i think he's going to do great things, so i just want to say thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you for supporting our mayor coming out and supporting us. i see ben davis who's made contributions to this park, as well. i want to say go golden gate park, go san francisco 49ers. [applause] >> thank you, nancy, and rodney, representing your other cochairs, charlotte schultz, mayor willie brown, and park and rec president mark buell who couldn't be here today. nancy, you should know that horseback riding exists. and on april 4, we will have free pony rides. next, i want to introduce another person who understands that parks are a power for social good. he and his organization have become such incredible partners and enable us to, you know, really, really, really enable

us to do great things. he's the chair of the parks alliance, and our partner in transforming all of our city parks and infusing our parks in every neighborhood with love and attention and resources that they need. i want to thank him for -- and the organization for their creativity and for always encouraging community. please welcome drew becker. >> thank you, phil. thanks, phil. [applause] >> i always like being introduced by phil. it's better than being introduced by my mother. it's awesome. thank you, mayor breed and everyone who have been involved in making this year-long celebration a reality. here's to more than 150 partners and community groups who have come together to honor this amazing park we call golden gate park. today, our city has a narrative that is not as positive as it could be.

today, we start changing that. i believe the 150th celebration for this iconic piece of land that we call golden gate park is just the piece we need. we need this 150-year celebration of what we do right. golden gate park is san francisco, and we need a model of this in every single neighborhood. [applause] >> i love all of our partners, and we look forward to working with you all year to making this a very special event. we look forward to working with the men and women of the san francisco park department, and thanks, and may the parks be with you. >> board member laverde-levine: [applaus [applause] >> all right. what makes golden gate park so special is it holds the love

and spark of our city. there is truly something for everyone here, from the individuals and families who explore every day, to the many cultural and exploration groups. we've got soccer, and boat enthusiasts, and yes, roller skaters. somebody who embodies this, yes, indeed is david miles, better known as the god father of skate, and an important part of our park and history. roll on up here, david. [applause] >> what about this weather. you love it, right? you love it because you're in the most fantastic place that you could possibly be. i have been skating in this park for over 40 years. this is my granddaughter here. i'm trying to get her to carry it on the next 150 years in golden gate park. [applause]

>> but what i want to say, when you come to san francisco, when you get involved in san francisco, there's a special energy about it that i think that i've tapped into it, and each and every sunday, right down the street here, i met my wife, rose roll, roller skatin years ago. and to this day, we still come out, we still have a fantastic time. the energy is just as strong now as it has always been. so when we do that celebration in april, oh, yes, we will have a skaters showcase in april. you will see skaters showing off their best talents, just an honor of being here, and honor of being in the best place, in san francisco. [applause] >> actually, you look right across the street there. this is one of two outdoor roller skating areas in the country, but of course, we lead the way, san francisco. you can come here and skate

each and every day, but we come out here on sundays from about noon to 6:00, and on saturdays, as well. and if you want to go inside, we lead by example. church of eight wheels, everybody. [applause] >> all right. so you want to join me back up here? before we kick off this amazing celebration with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon of vines you can find here in this park, we want to thank everybody in making this year-long celebration a reality. i'm going to miss people, but i see stephanie linder from the san francisco botanical garden. i see steven, i see john cunningham from the aids group, michael lambert from the library who's going to be having an exhibit at the

library, and i think our summer reading program involves parks. we're going to have exhibits from the airport, tom campbell deyoung. we're going to have over 150 of them, and our support and leadership have been support so we can come together for golden gate park, and show how much we love it and how much we can invest in it for the next 150 years. our next thanks is for staff. you're the heart of golden gate park. if it weren't for you -- [applause] >> if it weren't for our working men and women who have cared for it for 150 years -- think about that. and for the sweat and tears our volunteers have put into this for 150 years, it wouldn't be the park that it is, so let's cut our garland.

thank you all. [cheers and applause]