we call the richmond district the new chinatown in the 1980's at that time.being around the tremendous unique neighborhood, and discovering san francisco in the 1980's as i grew up, but i also have been very active as a community organizer. i worked in chinatown, and some first jobs also at the mental health center in the richmond area multi services in the 1980's, and i was also a staff are at the chinatown youth center -- i was also a staffer. a lot of my work has been supporting community empowerment, especially in an immigrant and people of color communities. most recently, i have been teaching at san francisco state. i ran the immigrant rights coalition in the city in the 1990's for several years. i'm also an immigration attorney, and a lot of my passion is supporting in power met for immigrant communities in the city as well. >> why did you choose to live in san francisco? supervisor mar: a lot of people bring this up, but is one of the most exciting, culturally diverse places in the world. learning about new cultures and people from different parts of

we call the richmond district the new chinatown in the 1980's at that time.ust being around the tremendous unique neighborhood, and discovering san francisco in the 1980's as i grew up, but i also have been very active as a community organizer. i worked in chinatown, and some first jobs also at the mental health center in the richmond area multi services in the 1980's, and i was also a staff are at the chinatown youth center -- i was also a staffer. a lot of my work has been supporting community empowerment, especially in an immigrant and people of color communities. most recy,

the celebration for the chinese new year kicks off tomorrow but there is a decline in chinatown. >> 2 it% of asian americans now live in the suburbs up from 54%. the fastest racial movement in the u.s. is now more hikely than any other mi merit groups to live in the suburbs. >> that means a decline in traditional urban neighborhoods. >> david lee grew up in san francisco's china town but moved to the city's richmond district, a so call satellite district. the chinese community in china town is heavily senior and elderly. and this is a dramatic change from the china town that i grew up in which was largely families. >> san francisco's china town has become a tourist attraction with some housing left for seniors and immigrants. you can walk through d.c.'s china town without seeing people of chinese descent. >> here, you have the chinese restaurants but no chinese per say. >> new york's chinatown is home to the largest chinatown in the people who matter where they move to, they always come back here. >> while fewer asian americans live in chinatown, the population shift means that more a

not just for the new chinatown, as it was called in the 1980's, but for russian-speaking immigrants, people from the caribbean. there are so many different mixtures of people, and i guess my district, like many other neighborhoods in the city, is kind of what draws me to it. and just the political life of people very passionate about their own communities and their life, but also interacting with others from around the world. it has been wonderful. i also am really a supporter of the arts, especially community arts, and just learning about other people's experience from artistic needs. we are lucky to have golden gate park. the museum and the academy of sciences and so many other institutions. but also, a lot of community arts centers. there is all these community arts space is that i just love, and it makes our neighborhoods a much more colorful and livable as well. >> what motivated your interest in politics? >> i guess i have always been passionate about civil rights and equality for everyone, and i have a 10-year-old daughter, so having a girl has made me much more sensitive to g

s chinatown without seeing people of chinese descent. >> here you have the chinese restaurant and businesses, you don't see the chinese population, per say. >> reporter: new york's chinatown is no longer home to the city's large population of chinese people. the neighborhood's councilwoman said that chinatown remains an important cultural center. >> the cultural, the history, the roots are here. people, no matter where they move to, they always manage to come back here. >> reporter: while fewer asian americans living in chinatown, the population shift means more will celebrate the year of the dragon than ever before. shawn yancy, fox 5 news. >> the chinese new year's celebration kicks off sunday afternoon and the parade starts at 2. >> and that is an average day. i don't know what i would talk about. >> and that is a day. you may be able to get this and they held it bay a little bit, the remnants of high pressure keeping them off to the west and they will be riding in town and doesn't the capitol look terrific? and i am not sure about the glow, but i like it and there is some cloud cover and moisture in the air contributing to that. to the weather maps, i

new moon. san francisco's chinatown will hold its new year's festival and parade february 11. >>> all right, youee right there, eye on the storm. it's raining throughout the bay area, but it's about to get a little worse. meteorologist lawrence carnahan joins us now. >> happy chinese new year! perfect for the year of the dragon! we're starting to see things getting going, showers on and off for the better part of the day. the storm will likely intensify into the next few hours. the main core of the system just sitting off the coastline. looks like we've got plenty more rain to come. in fact, it will be heavy at times overnight tonight. we'll see winds whipping up around the bay area, especially near the coastline. looking at high-def doppler radar, rain over the santa cruz mountains, getting uplift, creating showers right now. mostly scattered showers, nothing heavy just yet. livermore looking at a couple of rain drops in oakland, richard monde area. along the peninsula, another band of moisture moving onshore toward pacifica. most of that is just light. heavier amounts of rain, though, beginnin

in new york chinatown is no longer home to the city's largest chinese population.ere say it remains an important cultural center. >> big influx of immigrants settling in the suburbs all over the bay area, good schools, education a big factor for immigrants of all communities. >> cheaper than living downtown, sure. >>> no rain in sight, right? >> not really. another week and another seven days without rain. we could use a break after the rain but we are going to need more and more sierra snow. right now the models go out to 16 days have a few blips for next week but outside of the seven day cycle. good morning. coming up on 5:51. you saw the clouds, they are mid and upper level, not as many low clouds as we had yesterday. they are doing the same thing, keeping temperatures mile, 51 san francisco and oakland, cool spot, 41 napa, everybody else mid to upper 40s monterey bay and inland low to mid 40s. i think we'll see more sunshine and warmer temperatures today we'll still have high clouds won't be as thick as they were yesterday. we don't have to get rid of those low

new year a two-week celebration filled with lots of food and festivities. >> reporter: 20 million people visit these busy streets every year. but chinatown is especially crowded during chinese new year. this acrobatic lion dance group is made up of alumni from a local chinese school. members are putting years of training to preserve is traditional art form. >> translator: we dance in front of shops to wish them good business. we also hope the lion dance will bring a good year to the audience. >> reporter: these lions are considered messengers of god. they ward off the bad and bring good fortune. the owners of restaurants and shops here hang little envelopes filled with money at their entrances. when a lion comes to grab it, that's a sign good business is in store. and it's a sign the more than 600 shops and restaurants here have been hoping to see. last year's march 11th disaster hurt business. >> translator: many shops closed down here in chinatown. even stores on the main streets were gone. but business finally started to pick up around october. restaurants offer special new year's meals. chefs add their own touches to fish and bok cho

but yokohama chinatown is especially crowded during chinese new year. this acrobatic lion dance group is made up of alumni from a local chinese school. members have put in years of training to preserve this traditional art form. >> translator: we dance in front of shops to wish them good business. we also hope the lion dance will bring a good year to the audience. >> reporter: these lions are considered messengers of god. they ward off the bad and bring good fortune. the owners of restaurants and shops here hang little envelopes filled with money at their entrances. when a lion comes to grab it, that's a sign good business is in store. and it's a sign the more than 600 shops and restaurants here have been hoping to see. last year's march 11th disaster hurt business. >> translator: many shops closed down here in chinatown. even stores on the main streets were gone. but business finally started to pick up around october. >> reporter: restaurants offer special new year's meals. chefs add their own touches to fish and bok choy, chicken and lobster, or speci

. >>> to end the show, let's celebrate a little bit of the year of the dragon with chinese new year in chinatownancisco. gobusters.net got this video of the celebration. ♪ ♪ @@

it is another step on the ladder of things we need to make the chinatown station move forward. it is good news that that is moving. finally, you may have seen the press release on it. we have initiated, or will be initiating, a route of the 30 and 45 buses to the west side of union square, starting on january 21. for the time being, we are not changing the eight. but the 35 will loop around the west side. that will be in place for about four years to facilitate construction of the central subway. the central subway does have a new website that was launched on december 21, so i encourage you to check that out at www .centralsubwaysf.com. it is user-friendly, with a lot of product information. we hope that will continue to improve communication with the public, with regard to arguably our largest and most significant capital project. a few other points on service improvement. i may have mentioned this briefly before, but i am happy to announce we have finalized the plans for expansion of the 14l to daly city bart. it was a pretty big gap to have a major station and transit line so close to conne

. >>> to end the show, let's celebrate a little bit of the year of the dragon with chinese new year in chinatownfrancisco. gobusters.net got this video of the celebration. ♪ ♪ today my journey continues across the golden state, where everyone has been unbelievably nice. mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance.

new york's times squares. >> but if captains wed ampeds owner ted leone -- wizards owner ted leonsis gets his way, it could. reporter: as you know, chinatown has become a vibrant entertainment district, but now new plans are pitting residents against the verizon center and ted leonsis' plans and his staff said they want to light up seventh street like you've i never seen before. see that banner? they want to replace it -- you've never seen before. before. see that banner? they want to replace it with a large digital sign. >> it will look like new york with all the billboards. >> it will probably fit in well. >> i don't see how it could hurt. reporter: that's what tourists and locals who dine here say about the new jumbotron, but some folks in chinatown who live and work here don't think it's such a bright idea. >> this is a bad deal for the community. reporter: martin ditto is trying to put lights out on verizon's plan. >> adding additional signage and billboards to make it more like times square is not what they bought into. >> we're looking for three signs. it's not going to be times scamp. reporter: the executive vice president that own

the population shift that is introducing lunar new year to more parts of the bay area and changing the way we think about thattown. >> -- about chinatown the new oscar app, we have a link at abc7news.com under see it on tv.3q for new guests, i trust the recipe i know by heart: a great catch and sauce made with french's dijon with chardonnay. then i warm things up with the story of how we met. the real story of how we met. and that's how new friends are made. those spots are actually leftover food and detergent residue that can redeposit on your dishware during the rinse cycle. gross. jet-dry rinse agent helps wash them away so the only thing left behind is the shine. jet-dry rinses away residues for a sparkling shine. and these are the ones you'll love on a school night. pillsbury ham and cheese crescents. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy dinner. pillsbury ham and cheese crescents. school night ideas made easy. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy. >>> highs across th

which will be tunnelled under stockton and fourth street from the downtown cal trans station to chinatown. new at 11:00, apple announcing new tools for textbook makers trying to help them put more ipads in the schools, but the question is can technology replace textbooks. scott mcgrew joins us now live from the newsroom. >> technology was going to replace textbooks. thomas edison. he said the film projector would replace textbooks. apple is just the latest to try to replace the paper book in schools announcing this in new york city this morning, partnering with four major textbook makers which account for 90% of texts in schools. these are texts that apple will have ready that kids are using now, algebra i. apple will convert from paper to digital and the company will give processors new tools to put their lectures online. here's a great physics lecture apple showed off. >> i'm going to close my eyes. i don't want to see it. and i'm going to count down from 3 to 0. three, two, one, zero. [ applause ] >> could we have shown it to you any other way? professors will have access to class notes and

the last few weekends they've been marching through downtown, fires that disrupted the lunar new year in chinatown. they're portraying it as the police are harassing them. >> we're short on time and i apologize for that. there are recall petitions on the streets in oakland that i know you're not focused on that and i understand that. what message do you have for folks who may be approached and asked to sign one of these petitions? >> i really haven't spent much time. i should mention i had a really busy year. we're trying to reform our police department. i'm trying to adjust the budget once again. i'm trying to still fight to maintain as much redevelopment as we can. i don't get much sleep. so what i've been saying to people is that recalls are supposed to be used when an official is corrupt or totally dereli derelict. i don't think that's the case. people may disagree with me. unfortunately it takes 10% to get the signatures on the street -- >> what's your message to make sure that doesn't happen? >> well, either the labor council, democrats, chinese community -- >> what's your message? what woul

we're getting linked up with new stations for people going to union square or chinatown, no.- south. ll of our new homes and additional residents that will move into the city, over 10,500 new homes are being built in the southern part of the city. that is going to be our new area of living. we have cleared it out. we have done it right. we have used redevelopment tools to make sure our future has adequate capacity. the central subway is vital for our future. it will be transporting 73,000 passengers a day to add to our over 700,000 transit riders in the city. that is our future. i am glad to share it with you. i know you are talking about and focusing on the future of all of the counties. the san francisco transportation authority and the mayor do support of the work you are doing. i want to praise you for coming here and sharing your ideas. the best ideas are about to come. one of the most serious things we can do is that we have got to move our cities forward. we have got to move our neighborhoods forward. we have to contribute to moving our state forward. we cannot sit back and wat

new year. we're here at the gate and chinatown.re here to signal that our lunar year, the year of the dragon, will be enjoyed by everybody without exception, and that everyone should feel safe. but also that, you know, there is education. if there is anything that they are teaching us, it is to prevent ourselves from being victims. so that there is less problems for everybody and that we recognize that the greatest hassle is for us to be victims of circumstances that we could actually prevent. so, watching out for each other, working with our officers, knowing that there is a great captain at our local police station that has command of everybody here that is competent, can speak different languages, that can get to any signal that there is something that is wrong is going on. and then, most importantly, that we do celebrate this wonderful occasion in the most positive way with everybody. we want people to come into our city and come to chinatown. come into all the chinatowns in san francisco, including this great one here, and cel

jackie bensen live in chinatown with new developments tonight. jackie? >> reporter: news4 learned there is some reason to believe that this may not have been a random attack. d.c. police detectives have conducted additional interviews with the woman who told police that a man got in her car and later sexually assaulted her 5th at gunpoint while her 15-month-old son was in the backseat. sources tell news4 the victim said it happened 7:30 p.m. on thursday minutes after leaving a child custody meeting downtown. sources say she told detectives the man said things he indicated he was familiar with her child custody agreement. the victim said that the man forced her to drive to a location she did not recognize and fled on foot. joe yan newhouse says news of the crime has caused concern in the neighborhood. >> i think residents are concerned but we are also aware that the police are investigating this and i think they are reacting cautiously. we'll wait to see what happens. >> iter the police report indicates that the woman was driving a car with ohio plates. a

new moon. people in oakland's chinatown started the celebration yesterday. it is the year of the dragon. according to the chinese zodiac calendar, a reason to be optimistic. why not? san francisco's china town will hold the new years festival and parade, on february 11. >>> we've got a happy ending to tell you about. it happened in washington, after a pregnant woman got stuck in an elevator. >> yes, they are two expecting parents driving through the snow and ice trying to make it to st. joseph hospital. but on the way to the delivery room, they make it to the hospital, and nurses had trouble with the elevator and they decided to use a different one, they got the father out in time but the mother got stuck. >> what is up with that? >> we got on the other elevator and went to the 14th floor and expecting to see them shortly and the doors didn't open. and they didn't open for about two hours. >> wow. baby blake was born in the elevator. 20 minutes later. so now he earned the nickname otis, the name you see in the elevator, the name of the elevator they were stuck in. >> i can't believe the d

every chinese new year, all the departments all get together, and we all work very hard in making sure that the chinatown area is clean, free from graffiti. that the merchants are allocated -- educated about our ordinances. this year, we're going to do something special and a little bit different. we have been working with the merchants association, the chinese chamber of commerce and many associations here to come up with a great idea to make walking much easier but also to make buying merchandise and enjoying chinatown much easier. hopefully also allowing the bus to run smoothly while these activities are going on. without further delay, i would like to introduce our mayor, who is no stranger to chinatown and who is really spearheading this idea. thank you. [applause] mayor lee: let's see if everybody can occupy the parking space. exactly what we want to do is make sure people use the sidewalks as much as possible. first of all, how the new year, everyone. i know that as we celebrate the traditional new year, as soon as i finish with one new year, i get ready for the next year, because chinese new year

there is the lunar new year and the dates of chinatown. i believe in is a 12:30 korea anybody from the commission would be welcomed. i believe the year of the dragon, the most powerful figure in the chinese zodiac, so it is going to be a good new year. it would be good if we could impose upon the dragon something on saturday afternoon when we take on the new orleans saints. [laughter] the plans are up-to-date. we are working closely with the sheriff's department, the 49ers' security, and there is some on security we have outside the stadium, inside the stadium, pre-game and post-game plans. we went over those plans this morning with the 49 years. we think it is a good plan, and hopefully everyone will go out there and have a time and have a victory and watch what we have next week. that concludes my report. captain goldberg is here to give a presentation about the commission with regard to an overview of the budget. president mazzucco: just before we move onto captain goldberg, with the social media, obviously it is a new generation, and t

new year. we're here at the gate and chinatown.re here to signal that our we are here to signal that our lunar year, the year of the

chinatown. it's not the new year's celebration and festival. that's happening later this month. s regular chinatown business. >>> a cruise ship, part of it remains under water. officials expect the death toll will rise. the ship hit a sand bar sending water pouring through a 160-foot gash in the hull. it began to sink fast, forcing the chaotic evacuation of the ship's 4,200 passengers. some reached land by life boats or helicopters. others had to swim to shore. >>> surveillance video captured a gunman hijacking a car stopped at a highway toll booth. the gunmen forced the man, woman and child out of the car. another woman jumped from the car, holding a small child. police rushed in firing tear gas at the car jacker and did eventually take him into custody. >>> in new york, watch this, a teenager had to be plucked from the east river. he wasç sailing an inflatable raft down the river when it punctured and collapsed, sending him into the icy waters. firefighters dove in and hoisted him up to safety with their helicopter. that teenager was treated for hypothermia. it's been very col