senator mark leno who couldn't join us today as been quoted as saying, quote, there's been no evidence to suggest long prison sentences deter or limit people from abusing drugs. in fact, time behind bars and felony records often have horrible, unintended consequences for people trying to overcome addiction because they are unlikely to receive drug treatment in prison and have few job prospects and educational opportunities when they leave. this legislation will help implement public safety realignment and protect our communities by reserving prison and jail space for more serious offenders. commenting on the fact 13 other states have moved in this direction, senator leno has said, quote, in fact, the experience of these other states when treating drug possession as a health issue has resulted in better public safety outcomes which can result in safer communities. george, why don't we start with you. you've dedicated post of your adult life to fighting crime and trying to make communities safer as the elected district attorney of san francisco, you've committed yourself to that, and yet

(applause). >> i'd like to thank senator mark leno, he was always one of our supporters from the start. i also saw a couple guests that have come in since we did the introductions. judge julie tang who is also a former member of our board of trustees and i also wanted to acknowledge dave lee, he's sitting up herement dave was our volunteer, he did interviews and resume's and he's been a member of our chinatown north beach advisory committee to the san francisco community college district, it's 40 years from the start. this celebration really is for all of us. i hope you'll understand when i say there is in way that we would be able to thank all of the people over the years who have really supported us. i wanted to thank our designers and structural engineers so this building won't fall down. >> thanks to chinatown north beach advisory committee, the friends of education opportunity of chinatown, we shall not be moved coalition, the asian coalition, the chinese christian union, the community partners, voters of san francisco and california, the students, the faculty, the hilton, financi

the panel began, you shared with me that your organization has previously supported a measure that mark leno brought forward to lower the punishment for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to a misdemeanor to an infraction. in this case your organization is essentially opposed to it. what do you say to mr. adelman and mr. gascon? >> i think one of the things i want to point out is that in terms of the changes currently taking place in california's criminal justice system is that we have embarked on a very, very large experiment and that's called realignment. prison population in california is going to approach by -- or sometime next year the federal mandate of 130,000. we've already released some 50,000 individuals to serve their time locally, and these offenses that we were talking about here are currently in the list of offenses that were to be served in county jails now. and if the notion here is to provide services and treatment to these individuals from a practical point of view, and i lean heavily on my experience as a misdemeanor prosecutor for all those years when we did po

[applause] >> tal, let me follow up and just say opponents of mark leno's measure would say it's not the amount of drug that somebody is in possession of, the fact that they're using drugs indicates they've got to find a way to supply themselves with ongoing, you know, sources of drugs or by taking the drugs, they're going to place themselves in a state that makes them more likely to commit crime. is this a valid argument? >> well, i think there are -- i think not everybody who uses drug is a drug addict. and there's a segment of the population that recreationally uses narcotics and don't necessarily need treatment and they certainly don't need a felony conviction. that having been said, if you are an addict, it doesn't make any sense to turn you into a felon addict. we just heard that person before very eloquently talk about spending most of his life incarcerated. and he's made it. but the fact of the matter is, encumbrance of a felony conviction is so debilitating. countless of times you run into people who can't get housing, can't get education, can't get jobs, it's a trap. if we

[applause] >> before i invite the final speaker i just wanted to make sure i acknowledge senator mark leno for being here today. thank you very much. big champion for transportation in our state. steve mecher and thank you for being here. ongoing support. got the sf giants hat, yes. mike cureo and thanks for being here and the construction trades and we have been working with you to get the folks trained over the years. it's a wonderful time, and the chairman -- and the chairman of our san francisco metropolitan transportation agency who has been a long time champion of public transit, a regular muni rider, someone who loves the city and has been at the forefront of not only a great transportation but has his head in our city and programs and wonderful services. please come on up. chairman tom nolan. [applause] >> leader pelosi asked me what is of going to say after reverend frong. i didn't have a chant rate for that. this is a great day for san francisco. this is a labor of love. we know the economic and transit values of this. as an agency we are committed and not only committed to bring

---por su parte, el senador mark leno anuncio que pedir una audiencia legislativa para analizar la seguridadras de gasolina en california y su impacto en el precio del combustible. blanca ---miles y miles de autos podrian estar circulando por las autopistas del pais con una parte que es falsa. cesar ---pero lo mas preocupante, es que dicha parte es clave para protegerlos en caso de un accidente... ---cristina londono de noticiero telemundo nacional nos amplia en el siguiente reportaje... take pkg 0:01 0:07 0:27 0:48 1:09 take pkg socorro acevedo dice que ella sale tranquila en su auto con sus dos bebes porque investigo antes de comprarlo... sot socorro acevedo 12:41 "segun el dealer el record esta limpio no ha tenido ningun choque" sin embargo el administrador de la agencia nacional de seguridad en las carreteras advirtio hoy que un cuarto de millon de conductores del pais, entre ellos los que no saben si sus autos han sufrido accidentes, podrian estar en riesgo. sot from vod na 42w david strickland/administrador nhtsa "consumers may be at risk if they purchased their replacement airbag with

and we need to continue to support our great state senator mark leno in its never-ending quest for a call at that locality. [applause] but we have to also keep in mind that this industry needs to be more and more organized in order to have the political organization as one supervisor, or two supervisors, there is only so much you can do. please come and get more organized. my colleagues, david and my colleagues need to hear from you. build an alliance with the business community. one of the biggest champions is that california chamber of commerce. we know it is good for business. and please, organized with the neighborhood bars. there are so many great neighborhood bars in this city that could add that neighborhood element to political organizing. and when you are a district supervisor, it is one thing to have nightclub owners come to you. it is another thing to have neighborhood business owners like bar owners coming to you. we need to organize as a bar owner and that will move us in a positive direction. i am optimistic about the future of night life in this city. i think we have t

. >> welcome, everyone, to the 2012 justice summit, i'm mark leno and so wish key be with you today but i'm attending to my legislative duties in sacramento. council, i thank you for your interest in criminal justice and all your energies and efforts on its behalf. we know this is an issue that is of great importance to the state of california and to the nation. of course we have the opportunity to yet again lead the way here in california. we're offering a bill this year, s.b.-1506 which would redefine the crime of simple possession of a drug from felony to misdemeanor. there are 13 other states, and the federal government which already do this and in the 13 other states, we have the data that shows that we get better results, better outcomes, meaning safer communities, and surprisingly the states include not only the large eastern states of pennsylvania and new york, but also states like mississippi, south carolina, west virginia, wyoming, iowa, all of which use this mid deem charge rather than felony. and what we find in these 13 other states is that there are higher rates of drug tr

state senator mark leno is relieved a revised flammability standard is finally in the works. says he's also relieved. >> if my customers are concerned, i'm concerned. >> reporter: the revision to california's flammability standard is expected by next summer. it would increase fire safety without the chemical flame retardants. in the meantime, the old standard still applies, which means most couches in california will continue to come with chemically treated foam and a warning. >> here's something you might not have known. drinking tea comes with healthy benefits but that's only if you drink it pure. a study in the heart journal says adding extras like milk or sugar in your tea can make the benefits literally evaporate. when combining the antioxidants in the tea with the protein in the milk, it neutralizes anything good. we broke the news to the owner of a tea shop in the bay area. she says he's not surprised. >> we've been knowing this for a long time already, not to put sugar and milk into your tea. >> next the water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. it can ev

. >> on the heals of senator boxer calling for an investigation there is mark leno calling for the same here and hearings will be held next month. >> there is president down playing here is what the president told diane sawyer. >> what happened? >> governor romney had a good night. i had a bad night. >> how wad sfwhad. >> well, not the first time i've had a bad night but i think that what is important is that fundamentals haven't changed. >> maybe this is because i played a lot of sports as a kid ask still do. and if you have bad game you just move on. >> and a controversy is already broken out tonight over the vice president yil debate. the web site daily caller is questioning whether the moderator is biased because she invited president obama to her wedding in 1991 when he was a harvard law student. the debate commission says there is no problem with her moderating the debate. and there is followed by wheel the fortune, and 10:00 a special presentation of what would you do followed by abc 7 news at 11:00. >> there is state department officials defended level of security at u.s. consul