we need vince courtney on the puc. i do not a with the discussion of the date is, but i cannot stress how much we need him. he was one of the first labor leaders to support what is now mandatory local hiring, along with members of the rules committee, as fate would have it, and we need him because starting in five or six weeks, all the mandatory language that the board has passed and is now a city law has to get into all these city contracts, the puc first and foremost. we need this to be the champion. we work with him, he works with us. he has experience working with environmental organizations. he was a member of the sunshine or dance task force, which a lot of people do not know. he stands for community labor partnership. if we can get him on tomorrow -- as soon as possible. i really cannot stress that enough. the community needs him. he is going to be a champion. we need him as soon as possible. did i say we need him on the puc, like, now? supervisor campos: i think you said now, but human yesterday. [laughter] nex

vince courtney, as mentioned earlier, would be a great addition to the puc. henry kamm, herb cohn, relocation. leona bridges, resonate and the call that we have got and show that she is a truly exceptional candidate. leslie katz for the port. these are great appointments and i find it difficult to sit and claimed that the mayor is not properly doing his job by letting us vote for interim mayor -- i understand that point. bear in mind, of the four of us, i am the only one who will not be able to participate in the interim mayor vote if it takes place in the new board. i will also be the only one nonparticipating in this particular committee. the decision that are made here. so there is a bit of hypocrisy with the argument big as we could then place that argument back on ourselves and the rules committee not doing the job presented before them. of course, also, we did schedule a hearing. [applause] i think it is something that probably should be said. obviously, i will not be in support of not moving forward. i would like us to move forward because the nominati

motion rejecting the mayor's appointment of vince courtney to the public utilities commission, seat no. 5, for the unexpired portion of a four-year term ending august 1, 2012. supervisor campos: mr. courtney, welcome to the rules committee. >> thank you very much. thank-you to the members of local 261 for being here as well as our friends and supporters. i know that this is not an ideal circumstance, but it certainly is an exciting time and i am hopeful that you will give me a moment to tell you a bit about myself. born and raised in san francisco i have worked for the fillmore for the last six years. i have worked for the most aggressive trade union in town. i think that one of the reasons we are in this situation today is that we have a lot of members are in the public sector and private sector directly impacted by the public utilities commission. i have been at those locations many times over the course of the past six years. one of the things that excites me and makes me enthusiastic about this opportunity to serve is the opportunity to work with the community. local hiring, commun

in this case, they made the right ones with the two of you and supported vince courtney to the public utilities commission -- [applause] i guess i should have appointed him four years ago. little did i know. i should have mentioned him last time. that is unfair to the other commissioners. i know jason does not even have a friend here. [laughter] he does, jason elliot, department of the environment. leona bridges. we are proud of her as well. [applause] >> how many have dealt lta sigma theta in the house? [applause] >> our collegiate expert, supervisor dufty. we talk about behavioral health and mental health, and i say that in the context of anyone who wishes to serve on the mta board. leona clearly passed the test and i am glad she did. it is pretty remarkable with all of the warfare as it relates to public transit in our city, dealing with $220 million in state cuts over the past few years. we have been running surpluses at muni had the state not gone in and drawn down nearly a quarter billion. that became the biggest challenge in your biggest frustration in the last few years. so we