is francis here? s, well, you can help me thank them. >> we want to say a special thanks to the shaft -- chef. francis was going to make this presentation, but it is on behalf of the chef, the owner and executive chef and also peter wong. here we are. come on, everybody. they did a great job. >> the chef will be the incoming chair person of the chef association. it will be with us every year catering and contributing to our community. we want to express our appreciation, and thank you so much. [applause] >> we are all about good food and pictures, of course. we would love for you to say a few words. >> good evening. it is such an honor for us to be here tonight. in the partner of the asian chef association , and in the founder of -- i am the founder of chefs without borders. for us to be year to stand in front of you, it is an honor to be here to be part out the asian pacific americans five years in a row, and we are honored to do everything to serve the food, and we try the best we can, so tonight, i

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> welcome to "culture wire." today we are visiting southern exposure in san francisco alison prepares to launch a fantastic new project called beautiful possibilities. we will send them on a two-year adventure crisscrossing the united states to investigate american history and contemporary culture. it is using a traveling road show as inspiration. she will sit down and talk with residents in search of stories and experiences that reveals exactly what makes us americans. >> beautiful possibility is a traveling research project that i will take on a five-month journey across the united states and lower canada. i document this tore on a map that i painted for the project and also from previous projects called the road map to lost america. on the map i have taken all of the contemporary borders off the map and replaced them with native territories, and then overlaid it with contemporary highways. i have scheduled venue stops at differ

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> welcome to "culture wire." i'm your host meg. for years, free jazz concerts have been providing entertainment in downtown san francisco. people pay local musicians to perform for lunchtime crowds. the goal is not just entertainth. people in plazas are trying to create neighborhoods. what began as a forum for performers who were paid by passing the hat has become a program that provides wide exposure and more than 500 paid gigs annually for local musicians. from july through september, people in plazas produces almost 300 free performances in the lunchtime hour. the mission of people in plazas generates social congregation. and by having these events, we encourage people to make these plazas everybody's neighborhood. >> recently, the san francisco arts commission was awarded a $ 250,000 grant for the national endowment for the arts. to establish an arts district in the central market corridor between fifth and 10th street. throug

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> 911: fire/rescue, may i help you? >> caller: we have a fire at 1000 howard. >> 911: is everyone out of the building? >> caller: ahhhh, as many people as... >> caller: ...the raymond hotel's on fire and there's about 20 people evacuated. >> police: shots fired! >> police dispatch: okay, code 33 adam 11 david, shots fired at geary and leavenworth. >> 911: fire department, may i help you? >> caller: ...i hear the ambulance, but i wanted to make sure they're coming here. >> engine 8: command, engine 8, go ahead. >>> fires...medical...and police emergencies require that we get there in a hurry. lives and property are at risk! a quick response requires your help. every second counts. hello, i'm san francisco fire chief joanne hayes-white. the following video will show you how to safely move over for red lights and sirens and help us get there. in today's fast-paced world, we are all in a]< hurry. while driving, many of us are prone t

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> welcome to culturewater. in 2001, the san francisco arts commission and tampa does go public library established an arts master plan for the city soon to be renovated branch library. almost 10 years later, the san francisco arts commission has integrated a collection of vibrant new artworks by bay area artists into five new libraries, and there is more on the way. here is a closer look at some of the projects. >> the branch library improvement program is a bond funded program undertaken by the san francisco public library to upgrade each of the branch libraries throughout the neighborhoods. one of the great benefits of this opportunity is that each of these branches has a unique artwork that has been created specifically for that branch, based on input from people who live near that branch, in the surrounding neighborhood. >> trur- minded. there was a lot of community support for the project. i try to make it about the true hill

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> as the city of san francisco has grown, there are a number of cultural organizations that have grown with it. the san francisco symphony, the ballet, and ensure we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the san francisco museum of modern art's. one of the things many of our viewers may not understand about museums is the way they grow and evolve is really about a broad. his patient and support from many individuals who give their collections -- and broad support from many individuals who give their collections to the museum. this year it will be celebrating and abolishing those individuals through exhibition -- and acknowledging those individuals throughout asia. joining me is janet bishop, the curator. i understand you have been with the museum quite a number of years. you remember its original home on van ness. now you are part of that transition to the center, the civic center, and of course your museum has been really the a

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. >> in this fabulously beautiful persidio national park and near golden gate and running like a scar is this ugly highway. that was built in 1936 at the same time as the bridge and at that time the presidio was an army and they didn't want civilians on their turf. and the road was built high. >> we need access and you have a 70 year-old facility that's inadequate for today's transportation needs. and in addition to that, you have the problem that it wasn't for site extenders. >> the rating for the high viaduct is a higher rating than that collapsed. and it was sapped quite a while before used and it was rusty before installed. >> a state highway through a federal national park connecting an independently managed bridge to city streets. this is a prescription for complication. >> it became clear unless there was one catalyst organization that took it on as a challenge, it wouldn't happen and we did that and for people to advocate. and the

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. there is really, only one boy... one girl... one tree... one forest... one deep, dancing ocean... one mountain calling... one handful of sand through our fingers... one endless sky overhead... and one simple way to care for it all. please visit earthshare.org and learn how the world's leading environmental groups are working together under one name. earth share. one environment... . >> san francisco. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. san francisco is committed to providing safe access to public services to our community. . >> get this ceremony under way. we have a great day here for the momentous occasion for the sentences " and a bridge retrofit. in the public information officer for san francisco opened a bridge with caltrans. \ we're going to hear from a few key folks to talk about the history, what is actually happening today, and media that are interested, hopefully you have signed

as monte francis reports, thousands here are worried about what's happened in their homeland. >> reporter: there are an estimated 28,000 pakistani americans who live here in the bay area, many of them have family members in pakistan dealing firsthand with this crisis. after surveying the flood damage in pakistan, and witnessing the devastation up close, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said he has never seen anything like it. >> i'm asking the world community to speed up their assistance to pakistani people. >> reporter: on top of the 1500 deaths and the estimated 20 million people who have become homeless since the floods began two weeks ago, now there are concerns about the spread of diseases from unclean drinking water such as kol rachlt the president of the pakistan association of san francisco told us he has friends and family members in pakistan who lost their homes. they have no roof, no water, they cannot recognize where their house was standing. >> reporter: in milpitas a group of young muslims gathered to pray and raise money for flood relief. several local mosques including o

here. >> francis, thank you very much for being part of "culture wire" and thank you for being one of the great artists of san francisco. >> thank you so much. . >> san francisco. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. . >> san francisco is a sanctuary city. san francisco is committed to providing safe access to public services to our community. . >> get this ceremony under way. we have a great day here for the momentous occasion for the sentences " and a bridge retrofit. in the public information officer for san francisco opened a bridge with caltrans. \ we're going to hear from a few key folks to talk about the history, what is actually happening today, and media that are interested, hopefully you have signed up on the waiver sheet and the signing sheet to take a boat tour that will get you a little closer to the work happening today. this morning, about 6:00, we started lifting a 1200-ton, 165- foot tall section that is the first part of our signatures than for the world's largest self-anchored suspension bridge. you can sit right here behind me. it is already vertical. it is being un

here. monte francis, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> san francisco police are looking for a 14-year-old girl who may have run off with a man she met on the internet. tiffany alvarez may be with a man in his 30s she met on myspace a few months ago. 5'10", 180 pounds, green eyes and brown hair, last seen wearing gray velvet pajamas and a black purse. her parents fear the two may be headed for houston, texas. >>> students who skip school in richmond may be facing a new law aimed at cracking down on truancy. they will be kicked and taken to a community center for truancy and the child may not leave until a parent or guardian picks them up and then also be required to go to a court hearing. officials are hoping this new law will help the students and the community. we have more on the story. >> reporter: dianne, tuesday, school starts and so will the truancy program will be enforced when they see kids who are off school grounds during school hours. >> reporter: kids in class getting in trouble are exactly what the school board wants to stop. the truancy prevention program aims to keep kids i

i hope that poor people can continue to make their way here in the city of st. francis. i'm not sure that that will be in the cards. i will see more of a paris and vienna type of situation. hopefully, this is the resolve and determination and the communities of color and low income community is to keep struggling in the making projects like this that don't really have them forced -- first and foremost. i will be casting a dissenting vote. >> thank you, mr. president. i don't want to be labor the point. i think many points have been made. >> i made it clear what my preference was as a supporter of this proposition f. i think that what we have to follow is a different analysis and this is one that hasted to first with the environmental issues that came before us and the adequacy of the -- i have yet to see a perfect project and i have yet to see a project that ad addresses all of the issues that need to be addressed, especially a project of this complexity or magnitude. let me say that i am very appreciative for all the people that have worked on this issue whether it is t

officer young is here listed in critical but stable condition. monty francis bay area news. >>> in other news the governor declared a state of emergency in yuba county because of a fire that burned nearly 1,000 acres. no structures have burned. the fire was reported around 4:00 yesterday afternoon and burning in the tahoe national forest. that is north of grass valley. >>> when we come back, never been seen before. we've got new pictures of the "titanic." and laura behnke takes you out to the ballpark. >> it was feeling down right fall like today and pretty cool. now we are looking at a live shot of san jose 59 degrees and winds six miles an hour. whatave in ssreinto have in sreo for the rest of your weekend when we come back. droiiiid. what this droid does will change how you do web connections. this creates a mobile 3g hotspot, powerful enough to fuel multiple devices at will. putting you at the center of your own world wide web. introducing the new droid x. the next generation of does. >>> good evening, folks. well, if you are thinking about summer wait unt

. >> reporter: the ball is scheduled to take place here on october 22nd and 23rd. monty francis, bay area news. >>> a man who is riding in the san jose bike pty last night is in the hospital tonight after being hit about a car. right where this month's bike party was being held. the monthly ride often draws hundreds of riders. many of the bikers were stopped at a red light when that witness claims several others rode past them into traffic, and that's when the accident happened. police are still investigating that claim. the cli hstas a major head injury. >>> police officers from across the state gathered in the bay area today for a canine competition. south san francisco police department hosted the event with more than 40 police dogs and their handlers. next year that number may be significantly down. vallejo recently cut all but one of its canine units. in san diego, 12 units were eliminated. >> every one. that's why the nonprofit is important to different agencies to establish themselves as a nonprofit association so they can do more community interactions so they can keep t

thousands of pakistani-americans who live right here in the bay area, are worried about what's happening in their homeland. nbc bay area's monty francis is in san francisco with the story for us. monty? >> reporter: diane, it's estimated, there are 28,000 pakistani-americans who live here in the bay area. many of them have family in pakistan, who are dealing with this crisis firsthand. >> reporter: after surveying the flood damage in pakistan and witnessing the devastation up close, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon says he's never seen anything like it. >> to owe the world economy to speed up their assistance to pakistani people. >> reporter: on top of the 1,500 deaths in the estimates 20 million people who've become homeless since the floods began two weeks ago, now there are concerns of the spread of diseases from unclean drinking water such as chlora. he has friends and family members in pakistan who've lost their homes. >> they have no roof. they have no water. they could not even recognize where their house was standing. >> reporter: in milpitas a group of young muslims gathtoerpd pray and raise money for flood relief. mohammed

here in the city. live in san francisco, monty francis, nbc bay area news. >>> supporters of normer b.a.r.t. officer johannes mehserle are expected to hold a rally tomorrow in dublin. this was the scene last month as tensions escalated at a similar rally in walnut creek. emotions were high as supporters of oscar grant showed up last night for a counterprotest. mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter when he shot and kit grant on a b.a.r.t. platform on new year's day. the rally is set to start at noon at dublin city hall. and supporters of oscar grant gathered today as a day of community service. the mural is made out of ribbon said to represent prayers for oscar grant and his family. it didn't matter if the participants lived in oakland, it's all about making oakland better for everyone. >> it's an opportunity for the community to come together, and a healing space. we're also trying to connect the dots as far as now that you've participated in this project, where are you going to go back out in the community and do. >>> in southern california, center barbara boxer joined a gro

francis is in richmond with the latest. >> reporter: there are an estimated 20,000 pakistani-americans who live here in the bay area. many of them have family in pakistan who are dealing firsthand with this crisis. after surveying the damage today, the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said he has never seen anything like the flood disaster in pakistan. he's asking the international community to help with relief efforts. the reported death toll stand at 1,500 but the number that's staggering is the number of people displaced by the floods which began more than two weeks ago. pakistan's prime minister said 20 million people have been left homeless and there are now concerns about the spread of diseases such as cholera. we just spoke to the president of the pakistan association of san francisco who told us he has friends and family in pakistan who have lost their homes. >> their area, which is a nine miles from my house area and that is a small village. and that whole village has been cleaned out by the flood. they have no roof. they have no walls. they cannot even recognize where their house was standing. >> reporte

francis drake hotel. i'd like to introduce you to our chief executive officer, mike tabati. [applause] >> thank you, john. welcome, everybody, it's great to be here today. the mayor is apparently on his way. will make a grand entrance in just a moment. i want to thank everybody for coming. as many of you know, kempton has a very long history as a leader and a pioneer in the hospitality industry for our earth care program and practices. really started back years ago when bill kempton in his first hotel here in san francisco nearly 30 years ago. and since that time over the last 30 years, we've been able to add a lot of hotels to our system. we now have 10 hotels here in san francisco. actually one in coopertino. 54 fine dining restaurants. during that time, since our first hotel, we've been amassing high-impact, non-intrusive, eco-friendly operational business practices, to reduce energy and waste consumption in our hotels, and we do things that include trying to find the smartest and best price to use that have the least impact on the environment. we've been a very big supporter of the trust republic land and the nature conservancy as well. and w

monty francis is in south san francisco where the statewide annual canine competition wrapped up. >> the valejo police department released all but one canine unit. officers here today say cutting canine units is a big mistake. the second annual canine trial competition ended at south san francisco high school this afternoon. the competition hosted by the south san francisco police department brought together 40 canine units from all over the state. canines and their handlers competed in search, obedience, agility and protection work. organizers said it was a chance to see the value of the work done by these dogs and their handlers. police dogs are highly effective in tense situations and proven time and again that canines save lives. >> every canine unit is dealing with budget cuts. that is why it is important for the agency to establish themselves as nonprofit so they can keep the training going. some agencies are going to lose some dogs. >> reporter: one week ago a police dog named thor was injured by a burglary suspect. the dog survived and the suspect was shot to death by police. thor took a bullet meant for his human companion. no cuts were made to that

she male to san francis b na journal says sh frustrate bid her ccess to the proper>>ryone on board the pl to high speed here in calat debate sa wheresome urg the hig rail put on break. >> ask allterested steak ho to dial down the . eally time th comeether and this out.porter: ring erbalexchanged recently ceo of bl abdomen anderry who r rest depar of 7 ities locate theect. have unicize and instructt is not. electedficials in thety areexercisingr to be active in plans >>reents memkovrp corp bill are high speed between san and the tends of t wou he sayssome citymuch attention to majority oyr. ard fro loudcal individualo don't o have a train c through nsula evengh the traincomesough peat's the waygsheney bought ththey wou rather sd. >>reporter majority voters in count approv there. alllo. says ld it but it any delay eral elsewhere. visiet is heed railould in chin >>t to is bring labor market makes economssible otherwie. the chines have veryvery careful ats. theyn able to look what hand inn. president sanfrancisco boaisor lived offi and tol if are thinking to the higheed rose cha they forget that.peed rail ane i

here's a start-up who wants to help. >> reporter: when we caught up with john francis, he was at his coffee shop reading the paper whichludes a headline about google facing an age discrimination lawsuit with the economy still slow, imagine mag yoe says his prospectses have gotten slimmer. >> it's still somewhat stagnant. >> reporter: in youth-obsessed silicon valley it's tougher to get a job if you're a little seasoned. >> i've been with various job search groups and they have certainly hinted about dyeing my hair, my mustache hair so i look younger. >> reporter: another strategy might be to go on the web, where our experience counts offers counseling and advice and networking tips for those who might be a bit intimidated by the youth movement. they say they can help recycle your career. >> there are times in your life, you have to look in the mirror, this is who i've been. what do i have to be to extend my career and continue being productive? >> reporter: studies have shown while younger workers are typically preferred, older workers can be more valuable to have around the office. >> you need the juices and energy of