nicole rivera. she called me and said she may year by -- she may be here by the time was that the program. ok, well, we will go on to our renowned senator, who also had a significant contribution. i appreciate what they have done in terms of making sure that money that we pay taxes comes back to san francisco in some form or fashion. we have jim here to represent dianne feinstein. [applause] >> thanks. mayor, nice to see you. doris, always a pleasure to be with you. thank you so much. this is a longstanding relationship. the mayor said 35 years for him. more than 50 for the senator. we are grateful that her family is here to celebrate this. i was talking with sister lillian before we got started, and talking about the old hospital. the first mercy housing project that was done here a long time ago. diane was then the -- the senator then was there to pick the lottery. this time, you did not have to do a lottery. this time, you had a great partnership with the south of market health center. really an

would you please come up, nicole rivera? [applause] >> thank you, charles. i know it is hot, so i'm going to make this break. the leader would have loved to be here. she is currently traveling, but she did send a letter greeting she asked for me to read to all of you today. "dear friends, congratulations on the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new west park plaza, which includes the new south of market hulbert -- the new west block plaza, which includes the new south of market health center. i had the pleasure of touring this beautiful new facility and meeting so many of you. san francisco is fortunate to have a new state-of-the-art medical facility that is fully equipped to respond to the increasing an urgent health care needs of the south of market neighborhood. together, we will witness a significant increase in the success of managing ellis, maintaining health, and improving the quality of life for the south of market seniors, children, and family spirit it was fitting that the first anniversary of the passage in congress of the affordable care ac

i would like to hand over the podium to nicole rivera, who put this together. she will introduce the panelists and go over some logistics. i want to point out quickly that we are being recorded by san francisco government tv. the camera in front is only aimed at the podium. it is not taking shots of the audience, only the podium for people who want to ask questions. so do not worry, you are not on tv if you do not want to be. >> thank you for your patience. i am a representative with leader pelosi, and i'm thrilled to have you today to learn more of our best practices for accessing credit. it is a priority for our office. we are very well aware of how small businesses are running up against the wall right now in terms of trying to get the credit and loans they are looking for, so i will try hard to bring the brightest minds in this room so you can effectively fix their range and learn more about what you can do better to fix your business plan and what it is they are looking for. first of all, i will introduce everyone. mark quinn is the san francisco district