president buell: thank you. let me ask the audience not to applaud or indicate your sentiments on either side. we're going to try to get through to dave's meeting as fast as we can. >> i would like to address a similar issue, but i am on the other side of it. i am in favor of the project. the aforementioned meeting, the advisory board, there wasn't a very good type of pilot project. they had wanted to have cost the economy. i understand that golfers and fissures want to be supportive -- [unintelligible] considering that there is also the complication of the zoo that is using ground water that should not be used, it is contaminated as well as synthetic fertilizer and other things that accumulate over the years. they might try to have another water tank underground on the left side. it would come from the west end of the park. i thought if you are not going to come recycle water to the zoo, you would have to bring in tap water. i will be going to the other tuesday meeting. thank you. president buell: thank you. >>

and commissioner buell. congratulations. commissioner buell: i will make this very brief. this is one year that completes the first year of my service and my service as president. i can honestly say that it has been a real pleasure. it has been an education. there have been times when it has had its stressful moments, but by and large, it has really been a very rewarding experience. i will tell you why i find it so rewarding -- because i found that everybody in san francisco has an opinion about their parks. they care about their parks. they care about the condition of the parks, and they freely express those feelings, and i think that is very healthy. sometimes we have not always agreed on things, but i think we all share a love of the parks, and i consider it a privilege and an honor to serve this commission. i thank my fellow commissioners. it has been a pleasure working with you. i want to commend the general manager, the secretary of the commission, and the staff. it has been a real pleasure to get to know the staff, and i can assure people in the public that they wer

president buell: that's fine. that's ok. i'm asking generally. it sounds consistent with what i have heard from the neighbors. from a timing standpoint, how much latitude do we have to approve or wait on this matter? >> is essential that the project moves forward. there is time that is needed to implement what we are talking about today. it has to be fully designed and implemented. the parking lot goes offline in about six weeks. president buell: do we have the rep has of the -- representative of the exploratorium? any vehicles that come from your side, do you employ any transportation systems to bring large groups to and from? >> jennifer is our facilities operations person. the field trip program is administered or you have to make a reservation. they call, a reserve a space, and of those charter buses or school buses are scheduled. the demand is managed that way. president buell: do they work for you? >> both. sorry, i misunderstood you. there are the yellow buses owned by the school districts, and many districts now charter them. we don't own

president buell: commissioner lee? commissioner lee: i would like to propose an amendment, a friendly amendment to this resolution. what we are voting on is not the -- we are not voting on evicting hanc. what we are voting on is a concept for the use of the space. what i would like to amend is for the resolution to read that hanc's be included in the concept design so that we can work out some kind of perhaps mutually agreeable concept for the use of the space. and what i would propose is that hanc be part of the process for reconditioning the use of the site, and that this does not mean it -- what we are voting on is how we as a community want to use the site. we are not voting on evicting hanc. president buell: if we go forward with this proposal, the staff is going to be in a position to send a notice of the termination of lease. there are different positions about how long that is. the city attorney has weighed in that it is a 45-day notice. i have something here that recommends that. they may not say that is legal

president buell: thank you. >> good afternoon. my name and sean. i have lived in the area for 24 years. i live 100 yards from the recycling center. i am here to speak against the proposed change. i would like to address one of the negative comments that was made earlier about homeless people being attracted to the recycling center. that whole issue was actually created by a previous mayor of san francisco, who ordered a police sweep of downtown san francisco in the late 1990's. he took a homeless problem that was downtown and moved it into the park and into the neighborhoods. i think the positives of the recycling center far outweigh any negatives. the recycling center was one of the recycling -- first recycling centers of the world. it started a movement that has gone around the world. it has become a resource. i have brought my children there. they have learned to recycle. >> thank you for this opportunity to speak. my name is dennis. there is a really big, serious misunderstanding in this room. it is among all the people involved in this problem

president buell: opposed? commissioner lrr id oppodrf. -- commissionlee is opposed. >> we are on item number 13. public comment. president buell: we're going to have some public comment. >> to so i don't have to keep repeating myself, if he could direct staff that future agenda items include discussion of the status of the environmental review in every action that comes before you, and if there is documentation, whether it is eir < whenever the documentation, that is included in your packet and properly before you as the decision makers on discretionary actions within ceqa. that would be quite helpful. president buell: we would expect nothing less than the staff informing us of any ceqa or environmental implications on in the decision. there is a great dispute by everybody about what projects require it what type of ceqa review. it is not the intent of the commission to ask the staff to address that on every particular issue, but only those that are applicable from the staff's if you point to have ceqa review,

president buell: thank you. mr.sburg, you have your hand up, did you have something you wanted to say? >> i wanted to give a couple comments and then i had a suggestion. >> a couple things, i loved the fact that we have people in the city who are riding bikes. believe it or not, i ride a bike quite a bit, just not in the city. i ride -- i do a lot of bike trips in other countries, and i have to say a lot of those folks come to our city and they are great bike riders because they live in cities around the world where there are so many bikers. so i'd love to see these tourists drive their cars as well as they ride their bikes. i think that's the biggest issue is have tourists drive cars. but the point is, this bike operator, my concern is not with the bike operator. my concern is with the drivers who are downtown and the bus drivers and the safety for those who are renting these bicycles. that's my concern that comes out of this. and i would suspect that's the concern of the union square merchants because that's not s

president buell: opposed? hearing none, it's unanimous. thank you. >> we are now on item number 12, which is recreation and park department budget. president buell: i've had a couple of commissioners request a brief recess, which will allow them to pay much closer attention to the budget. we'll take a little resess. >> i'm here this evening with the first of three presentations on the budget. before staff submits our

president buell: thank you. >> any public comment on this item? >> i am with several organizations, but i have been listening here and i see this menu. it looks like disneyland to me. are we turning our part in disneyland? -- park into disneyland? parks should not be revenue generators. it is for people to enjoy. i wish you would consider that. thank you. >> is there any other public comment on this item? public comment is closed. president buell: commissioners? it has been moved and seconded. all in favor? it's unanimous. thank you. >> we are on item number eight. >> i will do my best not to cough into the microphone and i will try to be brief. since may of 2010 approved the implementation plan for the community operation fund, to facilitate in to manage the distribution of the applications for the pilot round of the community opportunity fund, when they make recommendations of project awards for the community opportunity fund. as far as outreach strategy is concerned, our goal was to go as broadly and deeply i

president buell: all those in favor? it is unanimous. >> we are now on item 10, excelsior west sunset, margaret hayward's initiative to lead community organizations' revoke will permit. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am the director of development for the recreation and parks department. i am here to present the recconnect leases. this initiative provides free dynamic recreational programs in the city's highest need neighborhoods. do this public nonprofit partnership between the department of children, youth, and families, the recreation and park department, and community organizations, this project in gauges 7000 children and youth in events and activities of each year. recconnect provides educational programs since 2006 to a joint mou to our department and the cbo. programs are open to the public and targeted to specific neighborhoods. we assess neighborhoods each year. programs directly address that needs assessment. given the budget crisis, by working together synergistic, our department can make the most of lim

commissioner buell: let me make a couple of comments. we initiated this year the committee structure to try to improve the opportunity for the public to weigh in on matters before the commission and give the commission and staff time to respond and be more responsive to the concerns that are raised during the committee. so i am pleased with the way that capital and operations committee have gone forward so far. it is my hope that staff will be making presentations on items, and when that is concluded, to have the committee chairs simply weigh in on what the committee did or did not do, --do we have public, then? is that the procedure? ok. with that, let me make two other observations. as many of you read, the golden gate national recreation area has released some draft rules regarding lease rules for dogs. it seems to me it it will be to no surprise that there will be lots of testimony and people weighing in on that, but i am going to guess that the results will impact the city parks. if they restrict areas that are now being used, that

president buell: thank you. let's hear public comment. then we will weigh in. >> i will call several names off. if you are in the overflow room, please come up. [reading names] please come forward. >> good afternoon. my name is marilyn. i hope the press notices that the department was given 45 chances to -- 45 minutes to give their presentation, yet the public is being given one minute each. i was at a public meeting was held on very short notice because, as usual, most of this was prepared in secret two days ago. 90 people were present. jane, could you stand up, please? jane chaired this meeting. this meeting adopted a resolution unanimously, which said that we here assembled call upon the recreation and park commission to allow hanc to continue to operate. >> next speaker, richard. there is another one. ok. michelle? dennis, kelvin. >> commissioners, my name is dennis. i am a native san franciscan. if the recycling center is closed, before you establish a location in the same zone, you are out of compliance with state law. since the rpd

reading names] president buell: i see quite a stack of those cards. we will continue with one minute. if you would give thought about how we would like to proceed, the chair would appreciate it. thank you. >> thank you. my name is kristin. i walk around stow lake. i did not realize the lease -- what ever. the main thing, though, they say the outside is going to be kept original. a to sayboathouse. -- it is a boathouse. where is the boat hoist? it is gone. it should have been kept as a boathouse. there are six tables. we sit out there anyway. i feel boathouse needs a boat hoist. >> i will read more names. [reading names] >> commissioners, i am really amazed at what i am witnessing here tonight. it seems to me like there is an unlevel playing field here. as i mentioned, i think you are playing with the fabric of san francisco by stacking things so that it is not fair to the people. why should we have a democracy so we come up and talk to you, you are ready make the decision, the deal has already been done, and you just rubber-stamp it? i think it is a c

president buell: thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> my name is denise. i want to ask you to please reconsider the proposal that is going to, you know, harm hanc. i want to support the recycling center and the native plant nursery. listening to the arguments, i want to add a suggestion. if the concern is that the homeless are attracted and the park workers are in danger, why don't we ask hanc to accept the recyclables only from people with a driver's license or some idea that shows they are not homeless? right? also, i think the audience really needs to hear from you that, yes, you are aware of the sunshine ordinance. thank you. >> the sun shine ordinance. >> my name is sue. i am in instructor of history at the city college of san francisco. i was here to speak recently. i have been recruited to the hanc cause. in this morning's paper, commissioner buell, you said we are talking about change. there will always be? -- be people who like it. change just is. it is the way of the universe. you guys are smack up against that right now. however, it is how a cha

president buell: thank you. >> i don't believe there has been any compromise. the only reason they cannot pursue the ankle parking on baker street is because it did not fit and it did not measure it. once they found out it didn't fit, i don't consider that a compromise. if you vote not to approve the triangular parking lot, i don't understand why. the residence unanimously came to you here and are asking you not to approve it. they are the ones that live there. it seems like it is the government against the residents now. i don't know why you would enter the residence. it will turn out to be 18 spots. he will ask about the -- you will ask him about the ada. i have been sued under the ada. i am sure you will not take my opinion for it, but i think every parking spot requires its own successful lot that will take up spaces. i don't understand why you want to enter the residence for 18 spots. you have to build a retaining wall. it seems like an awful waste of time and money to anger some many residents. -- anger so many residents. >> here are the signatures for 90

[applause] >> mark buell is here today wearing two hats. one is the president of the committee organizing the america's cup, and the other as the president of the recreation and park commission. he is fond of saying that this america's cup will only be successful in all three legs of the three-legged stool are working together -- the city family, the organizing committee, and the event itself. we are blessed to have such a terrific champion for the america's cup leading the organizing committee. [applause] commissioner buell: and you very much. we have the easy job. our committee is going to raise about $30 million in the next three years to host the event, and we are committed to helping the event of 40 raise another $270 million to put on the regatta's that lead up to and the hosting of the america's cup. i want to thank the lieutenant governor. he asked me to do this about six months ago. how can you turn down an opportunity to try to create an event in the greatest stadium god could create for the america's cup? i have already had a pri

president buell: the board of supervisors. i guess i would simply say that after nine months, we see what it looks like as a report. if there's a problem, we need to deal with the board and the venn dors, but it seems like they'll be interested as well. >> can i chime in for a second? >> please do. >> i was going to say given all the lingering questions, whether this is something -- this is exactly why we set up a committee structure to handle all these issues and operations. perhaps operations can revisit this and iron out all this out before it gets to us. commissioner levitan: the reason we pushed this over to the full commission is because we don't know what the full impact will be of having bikes if union square. i don't think there's anything else they can do. i think it would behoove all of us to let it go and see what happens. maybe it's great, maybe it's not. >> very tentative about it. that's why we ask that it be brought to the full commission. >> it had to do really with the union square issue, and from my standpoi

commissioner buell: thank you. >> we do have a public comment. >> good afternoon. i could not help but feel lots of enthusiasm when i was listening to all the things that the partnership's director was talking about. i thought it was just wonderful that they have all these things available for kids. we should have all these recreation and parks activities for our young people and set parcelling and piecing out all these activities that we have more responsibility on matters of security that come up. i was looking at are the people under the different ymca organization is going to be fingerprinted? in san francisco county, volunteers have to be fingerprinted. that is a process that they have. whether not have prior military and their fingerprints are on file and fbi. the security issue on one part where you have to have security on those in charge of our kids and community, that we do not have no off the wall of the action that happens with the other person would have been a known felon. that is putting it lightly.

mark buell, and others who really have been demonstrating significant due diligence, which for holiday spirit reasons alone should earn us the right to secure the cup, but i think by us being able to illustrate very concretely why san francisco is the best place in this nation and abroad to host the cup, that is the deal before us. it is a great deal for san francisco as long as we are not shouldering the kind of excess of responsibility that we were quite concerned about before. great questions were being asked by a number of our colleagues here to keep the negotiations on track, and they really helped contribute, i think, to the intellectual arsenal for us to make sure -- this is really unprecedented for something of this nature and size to come before san francisco. the city attorney's office has also been working around the clock in order to really be as agile as possible to doing something that no other city in the country or abroad has had to do, and that is negotiate in a transparent environment such as ours. italy and spain do not have to go through this. leaders of their gover

i urge you strongly to have confidence in the mark buell and the america's cup organizing committee and those stellar individuals that are helping him put together a plan. the bay area council will do its part with the executive committee and those members that i mentioned and those others. the bay area council is a non- profit public policy group comprised of the largest private-sector employers of the bay area of this entire region. that is it. that is a fast two minutes. i urge you to support this and move it to the full board. supervisor mirkarimi: after this next speaker -- [reading names] >> budget and finance committee, i'm walter paulson. ♪ i hope you get america's cup in this city and the budget price that you need who is reaching out to capture a moment and that i hope is wendy's because when he makes sailboats sure glide and i hope that the tide is high and you really boat flying take a ride i hope you get america's cup in this city, and that budget price that you need i know you are out to capture this moment, and i hope it is windy and wind makes sailboats glide and i hope

secretary george shultz, who was so enthusiastic and supportive, and to our real leaders, with mark buelle helm of the advisory committee. thank you. thank you to tom perkins. thank you to all of you for your hard work. to the business community that lined up strong support regionally and locally, and across the state. former mayor willie brown, who was my first phone call in encouraging the support for this race. he will take all the credit when he arrives. to the great leadership, and to my office, to my chief of staff, steve, who gave up a good portion of his christmas break. he is up your summer. steve, thank you.

secretary george shultz, who was so enthusiastic and supportive, and to our real leaders, with mark buelle helm of the advisory committee. thank you. thank you to tom perkins. thank you to all of you for your hard work. to the business community that lined up strong support regionally and locally, and across the state. former mayor willie brown, who was my first phone call in encouraging the support for this race. he will take all the credit when he arrives. to the great leadership, and to my office, to my chief of staff, steve, who gave up a good portion of his christmas break. he is up your summer. steve, thank you. to the project manager -- [applause] [applause] they love you. she is going to be on the cover of "sailing illustrated" or something soon. and to jen from my economic develop office. thank you for your great leadership. [applause] most importantly, and sincerely, to larry ellison. a lot was said and a lot was written. a lot of words were exchanged. not necessarily a negative, but positive back and forth in a very public way. san francisco is a unique place. we're very transp

if you have questions on my particular presentation -- have faded have mark -- happy to have mark buell come up. supervisor campos: 94 the presentation and for the great work that has gone into this project. my questions have to do not with whether or not we should post america's cup -- i think that the board at least a supermajority of the board has made it clear that we are interested in doing that. and as someone who voted for that resolution, i remain interested in making sure that happens. it is just a question of whether or not we have a deal that makes sense with the city and county of san francisco. with that, i want to ask if i may get a little more clarity as to why we need to act by december 31, 2010. my sense of this deal, if you will, as someone who is supportive of making this happen, is that the deal has progressively improved

we wanted to -- i know commissioner buell had talked about going to the site to do an inspection himself. we want to get feedback from union square merchants association, and we just wanted to get a little more data, so that is why we are here today. >> thank you. commissioner lee: i walked by the area almost weekly, and i was wondering, with regard to the subway construction, the central subway construction is likely going to start. what impact does this have on the operation of the union square bicycle? you've got it running 7 days a week 9:00 to 5:00. how are you going to coordinate with the massive construction site like you're going to have in there? >> i think there is two components to my answer. the first being within the park. the central subway project, as it affects the park is going to be primarily affecting -- was at the corner of geary and stockton. this is on the opposite side of the part, quite removed from that area, and it is a part of the park that will not be affected by the construction. the second aspect is how would -- obviously there is the central subway project,

bag what now has dictated that shit one minute at buell was what do you see then me why is that stomach what is and the bum. because a lot of allies and well first of all i don't think the islamic world is in on that i think frankly i think frankly you are you are articulating your own opinions which you are absolutely entitled to do but they don't necessarily become a generalization that everybody can follow if you say that you. can reject the prophet muhammad or reject the law that's your right to do that but don't try to impose your particular view of that on more than a million people who know most of you you would probably vehemently disagree in most cases. crosstalk is coming your way in about twelve or thirteen minutes time now the minute world of microbiology just got a whole lot bigger thanks to the work of russian scientists they have developed a system which uses a powerful microscope to give them crystal clear views of the tiniest bacteria allowing a scientists anywhere in the world to take a look that was tom barton discovered this microbe machine still faces some big hurdl

great, now i would like to introduce the chairman of the america's cup organizing committee, mark buell. >> thank you, supervisors. i have the honor of chairing the america's cup -- the san francisco america's cup organizing committee. it is a 501 (c)3, and is made up of a litany of distinguished san franciscans, californians, and people around the country, all very enthusiastic about helping to host this event here. i have -- i can tell you that both governor brown -- governor- elect brown and governor schwarzenegger, both of our united states senators, the speaker of the house, and a host of others, the mayor of los angeles, all are on the committee. george shultz and his wife charlotte. but we also have a very good working committee, which includes some prominent san franciscans. tom perkins, renown sailor. we have walter and alan newman on that committee. icahn also include ellen on the association of disabled sailors. we have the rear commodore of the st. francis yacht club. this committee has been meeting for about two months. i see this entire proposal as a three-legged stool. th