. >> welcome. i'm penny colter, chief of protocol for the city and county of san francisco. >> it is an honor to share in the celebration of this memorable day of your beloved country. i'm wearing a john mama pashmina today that was acquired on a very special family trip that we took to your great country a few years ago. >> i wear it to honor the art of your country and with fine memories of an incredible trip. on that trip we were fortunate to experience new year's eve at

the airport in jodhpur, don in varanasi. of course the taj mahal. we walked the kamasutra temple with yes and my then 16 year old son. >> quite interesting and perhaps the most exotic sensory overload in experience of all. >> a traffic jam in delhi. >> i came to appreciate that the fabric and beauty of this pashmina and its handwork is far exceeded by the fabric, richness and beauty of the people of india the country's greatest treasure. >> there are many connections between our great city and your great country. san francisco is a leader in technology and you provide technology leaders google, microsoft, ibm, adobe all blessed with leaders born in india. >> you are the most populous

country in the world and among the fastest growing population in the bay area. >> from 2010 to 2020 the population of residents of indian descent grew in san francisco by 144%. we are so pleased to have the people of india increasingly woven into the fabric of san francisco. it is now my great honor to introduce a man who understands the vitality of the indian culture and its importance to the fabric of san francisco. >> a man dedicated to weaving an exciting new chapter for san francisco. >> please welcome daniel l. >> thank you all very much. it's really an honor to have you all in our offices today and in the people's office. so thank you all for being here today to celebrate india's republic day. it is a day that marks the

momentous occasion in 1950 when india's constitu mission came into effect laying the foundation for a strong and vibrant democracy. i want to begin by extending my deepest thanks to counsel general reddy and the entire consulate team for your partnership in strengthening the bonds between our two nations. your leadership has played a vital role in nurturing this special relationship. as we just raised the flag today we are celebrating india's remarks bbl history and progress as a nation. i speak for all san franciscans when i say we are incredibly proud to be home to a thriving indian community. your contributions across technology, business culture and countless other fields have changed and shaped our future in profound ways. i'm especially proud of our sister city relationship with bangalore, a city that has become one of the world's leading tech hubs for 17 years.

san francisco and bangalore have worked side by side in innovation, education and business. i would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to jim herlihy who is not here. i know of the chair of our san francisco bangalore sister city committee and mat of murder of misa misra. good to see you again. for their exemplary leadership in advancing this partnership. but our relationship goes beyond business. the cultural exchange exchange between our two nations in the arts and theater have played an essential and unique role in san francisco's cultural identity. so today as we honor india's republic day, i am excited for the continued growth of our partnership with india and bangalore. and i look forward to many more years of friendship and collaboration. and i was just saying to the consul general that i have not been to india for 25 years but i went to udaipur job four and

jaipur and i had the most wonderful experience and it was such a beautiful. those three cities were just gorgeous and i look forward to going back to visit our sister city. so with that is my honor to present this proclamation declaring january 26th as indian-american friendship and heritage day in san francisco. >> i'll come out front. now as of now the states have horrible mayor daniel luria, chief of protocol penny colter distinguished guests. i must say good morning. so it is a great honor for me to be here today to celebrate the india republic day i will

mention. so we celebrate to mark the entry into force of our constitution on 26th january 1950. in fact it was celebrated yesterday. but i thank you for organizing this flag raising ceremony at the city hall which is a which is known for its natural beauty but also we think it is a temple of democracy and also the diversity in san francisco. and i think this is a recognition of the contribution of the indian diaspora present not only in san francisco but also in the larger bay area. so now i think of the indian diaspora over 14,000 strong. so mostly they are known to be very hardworking entrepreneurship and also innovative. so their contribution to this socio economic fabric of the bay area and also the cultural diversity is very well appreciated by all the leadership here.

and also this is a day also to celebrate the strong and enduring partnership between india and the us in general and also india and san francisco in particular because we see like we are seeing the growth in the relationship the last few years . in fact yesterday the secretary of state marco rubio while congratulating india on his republic day stated that the u.s. and india partnership will be the defining partnership of the 21st century. and just this morning prime minister modi spoke with president trump. so they also like agreed to further deepen the partnership in all areas of relationship especially trade, technology, investment, defense and energy. so i think there is a significant opportunity for promoting this partnership. you see the san francisco and the bay area as you rightly mentioned as the tech capital of the us. and all the indian delegations who are visiting us i think as san francisco become much further destination.

just last year alone we have hosted two chief ministers from the states of telangana and tamil nadu who are equal to the governors. so they led a very high level business allegations and also the industries minister from the state of karnataka in which bengaluru is there. we have this extensive partnership even these and very skilled bengaluru team here partnership. they also interact with the industry minister and agreed to further deepen this partnership. and also we had a minister visit from the state of the pradesh. so now we we are having a larger delegation coming from us to india. and what is happening in fact the indian diaspora is a living bridge between india and the us. and also like large number of indian tourists are visiting us. last year according to the us travel and tourism office. i think 2.1 million indian tourists visit us which is a 50% growth over the 2019 pre-pandemic level.

i think even understand that we estimate that 400,000 indians must have endured san francisco . so even though indian students are also coming in large numbers to study in the us in california alone we have over 28,000 students and we have large number of students in the university of san francisco according to the city and also the state university in san francisco. so we see large opportunities and we hope that the the planned visit of the governor to some to india this year will also strengthen the the partnership between california and india because california is an important trading partner of india. we have close to 12 billion of bilateral trade in merchandise goods. and also i think indian companies also invested a lot in the bay area. so according to the world trade center, los angeles in california we have to 22 indian owned establishments creating law and order and employment and also paying wages of $1.44 billion every year. and in san francisco bay area alone we have 7000 employment creation and around 160 companies indian owned companies. but we have a large number of

indian-americans who are entrepreneurs. they are creating hundreds to thousands of jobs in the bay area. so also the indian diaspora is contributing a lot. and we hope that alone madam agenda is due in return for the back that the quite the india is starting to go back india is growing a lot. so a lot of opportunities i think governor newsom when he was mayor he visited bengaluru i think even after 2013 edward at that time he visited india but i request you also i invite you to visit india. he will be happy to facilitate your visit to india especially to strengthen this successful partnership between san francisco bengaluru. thank you very much. thank you for hosting this event. >> thank you for s.f. gov tv

san francisco govovovovovovovovv >> [music] >> this project is certainly the most significant of my career so far. the majority of my practice is portrait based. but thes is the first time i've represented someone so iconic.

>> building a monument to maya angela discovering the civic art collection. former san francisco mayor and u.s. senator diane feinstein and nursing florence nightinggale. >> this begun in 2017 and ordinance in 2018 that called for increased representation of women and public spaces. >> in october 2018, the board of supervisors approved the ordinance drafted by supervisor mark farrell and introduced by supervisor catherine stefani. >> item 26 is ordinance to direct the arts commission to erect work of art depicting maya angelou of depiction of women on city property and create a women public art funds. >> angelou attended washington high school and [indiscernible]

at 16 years old the city first black female street car conductor. the san francisco arts commission began a nation wide search to find the right artist to capture the essence of the icon. >> the process for choosing public artists is very simple. it is a transparent open process where you have panels that are determined which artist moves forward and panels of experts that know public art and understand it and know what to look for and how to judge quality. after that, their recommendations are taken to the visual arts committee and then approved and it goes forward to the full commission. >> this is the sample of the [indiscernible] >> from over 130 submissions, one artist, berkeley based artist [indiscernible] was chosen. >> the process began with research. reimursing in dr. angelou's work, her

books, her poems, here performances, her interviews and then i looked at her art collection. maya angelou was a champion of black artist and she had worked by elizabeth catlet. especially portrayals of black women. i was also inspired by [indiscernible] maya's life, which was commissioned by opera windfry. i looked at photographs of dr. angelou, i looked at public murals of dr. angelou and i looked how she was represented in sculptures and knew i didn't want to use a image of her already in the public consciousness. i was really drawn to her 1973 interview with bill moyers, so i used an image from that interview as the basis for the portrait.

working in bronze was a completely different experience. design for the monument is based on a drawing. transformed into a 32 dimensional object which was then used to make 3d print, which were there cast in the bronze, which were then welded together like a puzzle. it was actually the first time that the boundary created a portrait that is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. it was a innovative process which is fitting because maya angelou was a trail-blazer and innovator. >> called for the monument to be placed at the main library however there was discussion left for the art est to select sites they thought were

the most appropriate sites for the arkwork. >> i chose the site instinctively. it was really organic the way i made the decision. i walked back and forth in front of the library and since we read from left to right, i decided to situate the monument to the left of the opening. also, the portrait has eyes that follow you, and so i wanted her eyes to follow you as you approach the library steps, all the way until you enter the library. >> i can't think of a better place for this monument then here at our flag ship main library in the tenderloin neighborhood where maya angelou really gave so much of her time and energy trying to improve quality of life for the residents here. she was a long time member of the glide

memorial church. she was part of the congregation. [singing] >> it is my pleasure to well come you to this monumental community celebration and unveiling of dr. maya angelou monument, portrait of phenomenal woman. [cheers] >> let this serve as reminder of the importance of books and the acquisition of knowledge. my dear [indiscernible] has been in my life. always in my life. guiding and directing me towards my greatest expressions. as a woman, as a artist, as a teacher and a mother.

>> from the sketches to final touches, the process has been a labor of love. each stage of the monument creation has been infused with the spirit of dr. angelou powerful words and and unwavering commitment to justice and equality. >> i feel we center have the spirit of dr. maya angelou because they are both very committed to equality, women rights and to insuring that all voices are heard and people have the opportunity to articulate and express themselves in all their many forms. >> portrait of phenomenal woman the maya angelou monument. she is the first all woman of color that is being honored in that way with a monument. it is important moment for that and we are really excited. and we want to continue this. >> that ideal dr. angelou based

her life on are as much as part of the monument as bronze and stone. she's eternally optimistic and hopeful and i think that that is a message that we can all benefit from. i think that the monument will serve as an example for other cities to erect monuments to extraordinary women, because currently the majority of monuments in this country celebrate conquest, war and white men and that really needs to change. >> i rise from a past rooted in pain. i rise, a black ocean leaping and wide, welling and swelling i bear in the tide. leaving behind nights of tear and fear, i rise into a day break this

wondrously clear. i rise bringing the gift my ancestors gave. i am the dream and the hope of the slave. i rise, i rise, i rise. >> my name is alan schumer. i am a fourth generation san franciscan. in december, this building will be 103 years of age. it is an incredibly rich, rich history. [♪♪♪]

>> my core responsibility as city hall historian is to keep the history of this building alive. i am also the tour program manager, and i chair the city advisory commission. i have two ways of looking at my life. i want it to be -- i wanted to be a fashion designer for the movies, and the other one, a political figure because i had some force from family members, so it was a constant battle between both. i ended up, for many years, doing the fashion, not for the

movies, but for for san franciscan his and then in turn, big changes, and now i am here. the work that i do at city hall makes my life a broader, a richer, more fulfilling than if i was doing something in the garment industry. i had the opportunity to develop relationships with my docents. it is almost like an extended family. i have formed incredible relationships with them, and also some of the people that come to take a tour. she was a dressmaker of the first order. i would go visit her, and it was a special treat. i was a tiny little girl. i would go with my wool coat on

and my special little dress because at that period in time, girls did not wear pants. the garment industry had the -- at the time that i was in it and i was a retailer, as well as the designer, was not particularly favourable to women. you will see the predominant designers, owners of huge complexes are huge stores were all male. women were sort of relegated to a lesser position, so that, you reached a point where it was a difficult to survive and survive financially. there was a woman by the name of diana. she was editor of the bazaar, and evoke, and went on and she was a miraculous individual, but she had something that was a

very unique. she classified it as a third i. will lewis brown junior, who was mayor of san francisco, and was the champion of reopening this building on january 5th of 1999. i believe he has not a third eye , but some kind of antenna attached to his head because he had the ability to go through this building almost on a daily basis during the restoration and corrects everything so that it would appear as it was when it opened in december of 1915. >> the board of supervisors approved that, i signed it into law. jeffrey heller, the city and county of san francisco oh, and and your band of architects a great thing, just a great thing.

>> to impart to the history of this building is remarkable. to see a person who comes in with a gloomy look on their face , and all of a sudden you start talking about this building, the gloomy look disappears and a smile registers across their face. with children, and i do mainly all of the children's tours, that is a totally different feeling because you are imparting knowledge that they have no idea where it came from, how it was developed, and you can start talking about how things were before we had computer screens, cell phones, lake in 1915, the mayor of san francisco used to answer the telephone and he would say, good morning, this is the mayor.

>> at times, my clothes make me feel powerful. powerful in a different sense. i am not the biggest person in the world, so therefore, i have to have something that would draw your eye to me. usually i do that through color, or just the simplicity of the look, or sometimes the complication of the look. i have had people say, do those shoes really match that outfit? retirement to me is a very strange words. i don't really ever want to retire because i would like to be able to impart the knowledge that i have, the knowledge that

i have learned and the ongoing honor of working in the people's palace. you want a long-term career, and you truly want to give something to do whatever you do, so long as you know that you are giving to someone or something you're then yourself. follow your passion and learn how to enrich the feelings along the way.

news. >> good afternoon everyone. i now call the january 21st 2025 regular meeting of your municipal transportation agency board of directors and parking authority commission to order secretary silva please call the roll on the roll director chen presents chen presenting actor hemminger hemminger president director henderson henderson president director kinsey present kinzie president director tarlov carlo president vice chair kena prent