i want to thank mayor edwin lee and his entire staff.bers of the board of supervisors, the apa official elected families. this is the first year with ask for a personal contribution to our celebration. i want to thank both of you. last, but not least, the celebration every year has included a lot of community efforts to spread the word that the month of may is apa heritage month, to put on the kind of public relations effort need to in the city and county of san francisco. we will have a reception in the green room afterwards. no contribution is too small, but i would like to take this opportunity to invite our major sponsors up here as we do have an appreciation gift for you. to start our work, i would like to invite are presenting sponsor. this is the first year we have up presenting sponsor. we would like to invite president david t [applause] >> just very briefly, on behalf of target, just very privileged to be part of this. it is a new day and it's an exciting day. nevefo

we have a special treat today because mayor edwin lee will be handing out the awards. we also have supervisor mirkarimi and kim who will be helping to hand out the awards and flowers to the warriors. now i would like everyone to stand up and line up over here. as i call your name, please come on up. [applause] first, we have carlos hernandez, 16. he is a positive influence to those in his community who looked up to him and follow his steps towards success and greatness. [applause] if we could keep it to just a few photos, that would be great. next, we have -- a film maker of a media crew where she treats me that spreads awareness about important issues and encourages you to make change. she created a film around the oscar grant story and documented youth reaction to the case. [applause] sh andcheyyenne carson is improg conditions of youth who have parents and custody. [applause] denise castro, 17, is a college- bound ambassador at marshall elementary school where she helps students with their homework and students with after-school activities. she is an inspiring membe

edwin lee. -- god, we come to you in prayer.s he renews his commitment to serve as our mayor, we ask you renewal his zeal for public service. grant him good health. give him the gift of patients, care for all people, but above all, the gift of wisdom here that surround his occupation with men and women dedicated to public service. fill him with your love so that he is not afraid. for as the scripture says, but perfect love cast out of fear. finally, we pray for ourselves as citizens of the city we love it. drive from us and our elected officials all cynicism and slavish ideology. in your mercy grant us just and honest, rep. all men. -- and honest government. -- amen. >> please welcome the color guard in the san francisco girls chorus. -- and the san francisco girls chorus. where are they? [laughter] [laughter] [applause] >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and into the republic, for which it stands, one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. ♪ [chorus singing] [chorus singi

today, mayor edwin lee will talk about launching the investing in iran initiative. joining him is supervisor malia cohen, robert ramirez from the portola neighborhood steering committee, and many department heads, including jennifer from the office of economic and workforce development, ed harrington from the san francisco public utilities commission, regina from the small business office, bevon from sf hope, and revitalizing our commercial corridors has been near and dear to mayor lee's heart since his days as director of dpw and as city administrator and down as mayor. whether it did the dpw community corridor program, ambassador program, or the challenge grant, the mayor is always asking us how can we strategically deploy our resources to revitalize these aboard commercial corridors in areas that need it the most? with that, i would like to introduce mayor edwin lee. [applause] >> thank you, city administrator. good morning. welcome to the portola neighborhood. that is the pronunciation that i learned many years ago when we were picking up garbage in these little

i would like to present a dragon to my elder brother, edwin lee, the mayor. i am a younger dragon.lee: thank you very much. thank you. >> thank you, mayor. thank you, counsel general. the board of supervisors reflects the increasing dominance of asian americans in government and politics. the sleeping dragon has awoken with four asian-american members of the board of supervisors, and the first asian american to serve as its president. please welcome president chiu, carmen chu, supervisor kim, and eric mar. president chiu: i wish you could see yourselves as we see you. we are chinese, japanese, and caribbean. we are south easton, southeast asian, and filipino. i want to thank the leaders in our community who are here with us tonight, leaders of our benevolent associations, our business associations, and our commissioners. we cannot do what we do in city hall without all of you. we know we have come a long way. it was not long ago that chinese americans were excluded under our city laws. when japanese americans were interned. when filipino tenants were evicted from the international

may i also ask you to welcome the honorable mayor edwin lee. [applause] >> well, welcome.o city hall, everyone. it is my pleasure to welcome all of you here to the seventh annual philippine-american celebration heritage month. counsel general, thank you. mayer brown, thank you very much. i know you are out there somewhere. board president, thank you for being here as well. i am is so happy, because we have a lot of things to celebrate. and i want to first and foremost thank one of the people that i have had a chance to work with, and i think she is a proud member of the filipino-american community here in san francisco, and that has been my chief adviser on families, children, education, and of course she is the president of our school board. hydra mendoza, thank you. thank you for being here. [applause] you know, as we celebrate filipino history month, we recognize the filipino history that is inextricably a part of our city's history. and during the historic struggle that we kept seniors -- remember those years where we stood on an alliance to protect our senior residenc

without any further ado, the mayor of san for cisco, -- san francisco, edwin lee. >> i had a chance toiew this as well. the one that touches me is, i am a san francisco police officer. i am there for you and i will help you. it will get better. those are the ones that stand out. masterfully placed in this video by some of those who just started appreciating and led by the chief and commander, having the officers really unveil their own personal stories. it is, for me, a moment of being proud of our department and everybody in it. it is hard for people to come out and say where they have been. but this police department, with this video, how it is put together, is now joining a worldwide campaign. a campaign that we have been forced to acknowledge. it has to be done because of the numbers of stories that we have heard across the country. in cities like ours. bullying, harassment, discrimination have caused young teenagers to consider the worst of life at their age. that isolation and loneliness that accompanies that, the have not been heard by adults and people and had not seen partners

[applause] >> we also have a certificate from mayor edwin lee, the member of the board of supervisors -- >> good thing we have a new office building. >> also from nancy pelosi, and from our speaker pro tem. >> thank you very much. >> could we have the organization please stand so we can recognize all of the members who are here today? please stand. please stand. [applause] i just had a couple of other recognitions. we're joined by the small business commission. thank you for joining us. >> next we have the committee advocate of the year award. an amazing woman, who formed sage, and years ago i was able to sit in on her classes. are you familiar with those? she is unbelievable. she would show up in a pink suit and talk to men who were basically arrested for soliciting women for sex and she would talk about as tv's -- std's and why this is wrong and then she transformed a talked- about why she was a particular prostitute. she would actually point at man and say you picked me up five years ago, remember? i was floored by this. the other thing she did, she said, how many of you have kids.