combination of both both and the visa itself of course is so so so mostly continues to be a very expensive city for us the most the most expensive so i don't think you did it all but one still look no i don't think it's going to recommence it's number three according to ratings by a number three it used to be number one and it was that was for tourists way to london to london to go kill yeah yes well the funny thing is that the russians primate when we first heard that the mosque was the most expensive city wasn't oh that's that's a great achievement you were the first in the space and with. the brits the bill is the most expensive cities hundred. is there well actually it's said that this three year visa is very good i mean he said something like enough is enough but i saw one of the. so your point of view do you think we can we can expect a visa free regime with the states in our lifetime because because i think i feel that that we are moving to these a free will show good zone we can respond to say with i think another gunshot crime not sorry and social inclusion is we're closer here because

i think in a broad sense, people will agree with that expression, it is an expensive city to do business in, from the permitting process through the red tape to open up a shop. just a point of clarification. i would not speak for the commission or presume to speak for the commission on a philosophical argument. so director, these are both action items, yes? >> correct. president o'brien: do we have an option to -- i just feel that not having the opportunity to get the controller's report on the impact of supervisor farrell's proposal over and above supervisor mirkarimi's, do we have the time to be able to hear -- to hear the -- his analysis? are we in the process of doing a study on supervisor farrell's proposal? >> thank you, commissioner, yes, mr. egan is doing a study right now that will be available in a number of weeks. it is a little bit of a time step process at this point. president o'brien: would there be a serious impact on the world if we were to wait and give that the time to come back and -- and deliberate on this at that time when we have a more full picture of everything a

who the funny thing is that the russians pronate when we first heard that moscow was the most expensive city wasn't oh that's that's a great achievement we were the first in space and we'll expect with the first the booze the expensive things hundred. is there a well actually ted said that that this three year visa is very good itself i mean n.p.t. said something like enough is enough but i so want to know your point of view do you think we can we can expect a visa free regime with the states in our lifetime because because i think i think feel that that that we are moving to visa free will shogun zone. can we so to say with this i think another one shot around not sorry i'm so sure in evolution is we're closer but you're here because you know if we can solve the problem with europeans and i've been it will be a pave the way for a visit for elian where the united states might get some time or in the long run one why are you so pursue misting because because of the tradition in our relations because of the present state of relations. oh well you know i don't know we have to wait for the outco

this is where we get ideas even from city employees that tell me what we can do to save on workers' comp, expenses we should not be spending. some areas need to shrink in terms of the work force. we're contemplating those as well. we're still keeping our promise of having a core amount of services that the city needs to have and capital funding. there are departments -- no one is being left alone this year, including public safety. in the past, there were public safety agencies that were hands off. maybe they gave what they thought was contributory in terms of salaries. a lot of us did even more. we actually got decreases. as of july 1, i am making $10,000 less than what i am making today. my salary will be $10,000 less. we are contributing to the pension system as of july 1. sacrifices are being made throughout the work force. people know that i have worked alongside with. i truly appreciate these efforts. i am working closely with them on the biggest challenges. >> will it be fewer officers on the street with less money -- or less money? >> i think it will be less money. we want to have an appro

it is very expensive to repair the underwater structures. i say that as a city administrator involved in reviewing the capital plans. we have not fixed because it is too expensive. we have had to rely on private investment, smart investment, to make some of these piers turnaround. the cruise ship terminal is one of the big focuses. we're looking at building a new cruise ship terminal and having it available for the america's cup, the center of it, and being able to use it for generations thereafter. everything we're putting in the long wharf -- and along the worth will last beyond the america's cup events. we're trying to do its smartly. whether it is transportation, infrastructure investments, we're making sure the structures are there for the benefit of san francisco. we will have it there in between the events as they occur. we are even doing street improvements with the america's cup moneys. those investments will obviously help with transporting people around when there is no event as all. >> it could be a good deal for the city long term and not just the d

the reason why we choose college it career already is because san francisco is an expensive city. you cannot live in this city on a high-school diploma. you can barely survive as a city college student to get an associate's degree in the city. somehow, in some way, what we are asking you to do is not simple, but it is important. we are asking you to set aside and to find the funds to make to promises that you said to the students and thousands of other students. we want you to be college ready. but if you fail, you cannot make those courses up. if they get too 12th grade in four years, good for them. that does not set up students for success. that does not set of parents for success when they do not have someone at their school site or the district office to talk to one concerns that we know exist because we have a system that has not addressed all of the structure or racist issues -- we have a system right now we are trying to reform. we are pushing you to make that reform possible. "we are here to ask you to do is to find $600,000 for summer school, to find 400,000 additional do

overdue, it is a long time to wait based on the cost of living increase and san francisco is an expensive city to live in, i would want everyone to be able to live in the city and live comfortably, so if we have all that information, we can vote for the meter increase, the flag drop, everything, then i would support moving it and being prepared to vote to support everything on that day. >> director brigman? >> i'll second the motion to continue item 11. >> i fully support an increase for the drivers, you know, this last-minute notice of, talk about a flag drop, that's really kind of -- that really threw everything off kilter now. my concern is, i know there's a real immediate out there for the drivers. i know there are things that logistically have to get done. so i guess the question i pose is, if you look at just the portion that we want to pass, you know, can we show our commitment by passing that now and having that done with? >> i think that was from a staff perspective, that's what we were proposing today to recommend the meter increase, recognizing the fact that we have to come back wit

you know that san francisco is among and really is the most expensive city in the entire country for cost of living with the exception of the borough of manhattan in new york. drivers kids have gone up. there was a $12.50 gate increase a few years back. gas has gone up 153%. it was $1.69 in january 2003 when we got the meter increase. last week, it was $4.28. even drivers who are driving hybrids now are paying substantially more for gas than driving the conventional gas guzzlers back in 2003. in addition to that, you put credit card fees on the backs of drivers. drivers need this increase. do not hold it hostage to these other issues of service over which drivers have absolutely no control. [applause] the single best thing that you can do for service is to see to it that drivers have a decent income, decent working conditions, and job benefits, and you will have a cadre of experienced professional drivers who will serve the city well. [reading names] >> i just want to clarify that the public comment is for items 11 and 12. >> i'm with yellow cab. a representative on the taxi driver c

of both the growth and the visa itself of course is this is the must do continues to be a very expensive city for us the most the most expensive so i do think it is one hundred one yes no i don't think it's liberal perhaps it's number three according to ratings by a number three it used to be number one in the list of what you have your target is somebody to london that's not going to kill kill you know someone who the funny thing is that the russian primate when we first heard that moscow is the most expensive it wasn't oh that's that's a great achievement if we were the first in space and we expect with the first the bill is the most expensive things hundred. is there a well actually they had said that that this three year visa is very good itself i mean n.p.t. said something like enough is enough but i saw what i know you are. do you think we can we can expect to have these free regime with the states in our lifetime because because i think i think feel that that we are moving to these are free will show good zone. can we expect to see with us i think that a multinational not social inclus

urge you to provide opportunities for disadvantaged young people, who are in one of the most expensive cities in the world and take on that responsibility to provide services and support services that provide for them. if you -- thank you for your time. president chiu: next speaker. >> thank you, board. my name is alexander cotton. i present the league of young voters, also known as the league of pissed off voters. i'm here so that the league can lend our voice to advocates at booker t. and other youth advocates throughout the city to support the project in its 5-unit form. 5,700 youth in san francisco are at ric -- risk of homelessness every year. these are folks who are leaving the public education system or cycling out of the foster care system. i wanted to set their struggle tonight into the larger context of the state, california, the state in which public education is under attack and cuts are threatening to eviscerate certain services in our and i in other cities around the state. tonight the supervisors have an opportunity to win a small battle in that larger struggle. the neighbors i

again, we are in an expensive city. however, what we can do at the board is in sure that we promote and provide for both affordable and middle-class housing in the city. i think it is so important that we maintain our diversity in san francisco and who we are as a people and we really stay true to those values. the large part, insuring something that we want to focus on and i want to focus on, making sure that there are housing opportunities for our first responders to be here in san francisco and living here, police officers, firefighters, sheriffs, teachers -- people that provide such essential services for our community, to make sure they have opportunities in san francisco to buy homes, set up groups as a family and really be integrated into our neighborhoods. to me, that is what we should be doing and, again, something we should be doing. >> let's talk again about transportation in your district. is there adequate service? let's talk about parking and traffic. tell us a little bit about district 2. >> district 2 de

it is through those jobs you can afford to have the daily necessities to live in this very expensive city. i got the message about affordable housing. i got the message because of all the foreclosures, but because there are so many people crunched up in such small units that we have got to pay attention to affordable housing here. there is no easy answer to this. it begins by letting you know what values you are affecting in me and the staff here today. it is not an easy decision that we're going to make, but we go into it with our ears open, and you are affecting the decision making right as we are speaking tonight. so how do we do it? we do it by listening carefully, we do it by bringing in the comments and concerns and values you have had today, bringing it into our decision making. i will commit to you that we will be working very closely with our supervisors. certainly, carmen chu because she is the budget director, and very certainly because supervisor avalos is out here with a neighborhood he feels is very important. he has a very strong voice as well. i will say that the process w

we are looking at the city's expenses next year, and they are much greater than the income we have. by law, we have to balance the budget. [speaking spanish] 30 years ago, city government was responsible for the majority of services that we are now receiving. 30 years ago, nonprofits started serving with the goal of having -- instead of reducing costs, provide services to the community. so we have city working in partnership with nonprofit agencies to provide the services you are all provided -- child care, public housing, legal services, support for the elderly, things like that. [speaking spanish] some of the things that are at stake right now is the proposed cuts are to homeless shelter closures. i am speaking in terms of the specific numbers we will be able to pass out later. also, proposed cuts to legal services to elders. there are proposed cuts from 20% to 100% for some after-school programs that do health promotion and also homework help. there are proposed cuts of 15% to women who suffer domestic violence. the list goes on and on. next slide please. all right, so -- [speakin

that is another expense to the city that is not in the equation. supervisor chu: thank you. >> good afternoon, board. i am the owner of one valley catering, and we have a the billion by the bay on treasure island. i have been catering there for about 10 years and have had offices there for the last three. we participate in the tihdi jobs brookridge program. we have had 60 island residents is through this program since we have implemented it, and we just provide jobs for real people who live on the island, and we think it is a very successful program, and we encourage you to support it because we only see it growing as the economic project grows. we're just urging you for your support. thank you. >> good afternoon. walden house has worked in partnership with the treasure island homeless development initiative for the past nine years, providing a list of services to women and children. services we provide include vocational and educational opportunities, assistance, housing and family reunification. due in part to the privilege of our location, we ha

. >>> in san jose, parking at city-owned garages is likely to get more expensive. e city council is set to vote june 14 on a restructuring of parking rates. the rate increase would be between 25 and 33%. but the plan could give many downtown visitors a break extending free parking with validations beyond two hours on nights and weekends. >>> many of the world's five billion cell phone users have become just a bit more aware of the radiation that they are receiving after a recent report. on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains there are ways to reduce that risk. julie. >> reporter: whether or not there is proof that cell phone radiation can cause cancer, lawmakers and consumer groups alike are launching new efforts to make sure you know how to use yours as safely as possible. >>> reporter: it's a -- >> it's a combination of the phone they're on, the network you're on and how you're using the phone. >> reporter: renee sharpe of the environmental working group says that's why they have compiled this database listing the cell phones with the most and least radiation.

the cost of fixing this was just too expensive the city of pacifica say that if not been officially notifiedt the owner could abandoned the property and a scheduling a meeting next month to talk about what to do next. maureen kelly, kron 4 news. >> in the south bay, they are rshowing the heaviest rainfall to the santa cruz mountains is not reined this time of year since 2001. it has not rained--and the past three years this time of year in this area. you can see the heavy raindrops and highway 17. the c h p is warning to watch your speed. >>pam: i cannot remember this rainfall amount! and jacqueline one was last time we have this month for the month of june? >>jacqueline: 1952. that is from a all of the record totals agreed in broke today. take a look! through oakland, over 1 in.. three- quarters of an inch in hayward. san francisco, and another of these areas were rainfall records. and deep into the south bay. san jose's over one-half of an inch that was a record and also through palo alto. redwood city. as we go towards tomorrow there was a slight chance that we could see some light green

there are times when you think they're making a lot of money, but there are shareholders and expenses in the city. companies have a choice. time and time again, i am reminded that companies have a choice. they do not have to be in san francisco. many of them are not wanting to be in san francisco. it is their work force that is telling them they should be in san francisco. they may lose that intelligent work force if they leave. it is not economically sound for them to be here. we have higher taxes. we have other disincentives. i am trying to work on those to make sure we're even. the discussion around. tax exemption is kind of punishing people for having large employee groups. why are we doing that as opposed to having a tax base that could generate the same amount of revenue without being so punishing against the numbers of employees you have? we're trying to grow jobs. there are things these companies are talking to us about that we have not had a good dialogue around for many years. i would not accept the premise it is corporate welfare or give away as much as reigniting the things we always

oslo is europe's most expensive city but the gdp per capita income is 58,000 bucks. shall we move?t to norway in the middle of the winter and let's see, excuse me, if you're still saying norway. here's my 60 seconds on the best place in the world to live. the best place in the world to live is very simple. it's wherever i'm living at the moment, because frankly there's no place like home for liveability, for culture, for history. when i lived in the united states, that clearly was the best place in the world to live. to enjoy the warm hospitality of the american people, the food and indeed the large giant sizes of portions. the best place in the world now is clearly the united kingdom of great britain, the royal wedding, the monarchy, the theaters. yes, it might be a little bit expensive for you with your wishy washy dollar, but now the best place in the world is right here, home, sweet home. of course, if next year i should happen to move to australia or singapore, well, you know where i'm going with that. the best place in the world will be down under because wherever i am, that

len ramirez in san jose, thank >>> parking at city-owned garages in san jose is liningly going to get more expensivethe city council is set to vote on june 14 on restructuring parking rates. the rate increase would be between 25 and 33% and eliminate some free garage spaces but the plan would give many downtown visitors a break by extending free parking with validation beyond two hours and on nights and weekends. >>> caltrain riders won't have to deal with massive service cuts. the rail line's board approved a $104 million budget yesterday. it least out station cuts and closures that had been proposed. caltrain plugged a $30 million budget gap with a 25-cent fare hike and a $1 parking rate increase. the rate increases take effect next month. >>> all right. now to the economy. the latest snapshot of the labor market came as a big disappointment. the economy added just 54000 jobs in may the lowest number in eight months while the unemployment rate rose to 9.1%. economists hope the slowdown is due to temporary factors such as higher gas prices that force employers to cut costs. in general, the economy

expenses alone. and the other costs of doing business for the city are increasing at the same time. the mayor, under the city charter, is required to balance that gap by june 1 and submit a proposed balanced budget to the board of supervisors, who will then take up the budget and make adjustments to the mayor of's proposal -- the mayor's proposal, said that is the task before us over the next couple of weeks. one of the things i hear from folks often is that san francisco has a $6.5 billion budget. why is a $305 million deficit such a problem? the main reason for that is that there are different categories within the city budget. the biggest division in the city budget is the distinction between what is in the general fund and what is outside the general fund. the general fund is the part of the city budget that comes from our tax dollars, property taxes, sales taxes, business taxes, and it pays for a lot of services we need to provide that do not generate their own revenue. it pays for the services of a lot of the department's sitting here. -- a lot of the

city has conducted on the city -- the 10 years of reports that our city has conducted on the city's i.t. expenses. mayor willie brown said that it was important invest in centralization. this is a conclusion we have come to over the past 10 years. unfortunately, in san francisco, unlike other organizations comparable to the city and county of san francisco or you have the two-thirds of your resources in i.t. -- where you have two-thirds of your resources in i.t., and the rest of your resources disperse in specialized departments, we've done exactly the opposite in san francisco. the vast majority of our resources are decentralized among different departments, and that has led to, i think, the frustrating situations with i.t. in san francisco, as well as the frustrations many of us have had with the department of technology. i do think that continuing to start i.t. in the way -- continuing to starve i.t. any way that we have been doing is not the way to proceed. i would suggest we not move forward with the final amounts. i think if we want the department to finish the e-mail consolidation project,