new library woula pavilion in the unified and expanded parking lot creating and welcoming a new civic presence in the community. that concludes my comments. >> of like to ask the director of the department of public works to speak about this. >> members of the board, i am here to speak specifically on item 52, the ordinance in the order of vacation for the small portion of mason st. running from columbus. the purpose of the vacation was to enable the realization of the master plan for the library and a playground. specifically, it would enable the construction of the library, a portion of which extends on to the public right of way for recreational space use and the connection between the library at the recreational facility, ultimately allowing this master plan to move forward. as part of the process of vacating history, there were a number of the terminations that the engineers need to make to ensure that it is consistent with state l local law. among the issues that we looked at, the need for the street, the main issue of which is traffic. we relied on numerous studies done over th

new library woula pavilion in the unified and expanded parking lot creating and welcoming a new civic presence in the community. that concludes my comments. >> of like to ask the director of the department of public works to speak about this.

when he saw the -- in the corner of the trial, and the new library, this is a totally new library. all the way back to the corner of the existing playground, you can see into this site. you can see the ball field. we came in with an addition to the building that was to the east on the playground slide. when you see the preferred alternative, there are three tennis courts. in my plan, and you can have three also. it compromises left-field, so i would leave this alone and only give you a key courts. the additions to its and of little space where the alternative production -- where the alternative has a sloped surface. we have a fleet accessible link. suddenly, the ship turned. people who wanted it or not there. people who wanted the open space left as a trial or not there. that does not mean the idea is dead. this does not consider the reason that we have been doing this in the first place. they put our comments in but the responses are weak. patients studied these open triangle schemes in an eir that makes sense. >> i hope that everyone realizes this is the first public meeting. in

the majority of a library users at each opportunity have voiced their support of the new library in a renovated playground -- and a renovated playground. the current library does not meet global -- legal 88 -- ada guidelines, and i think that should guide our decisions. when kids leave the library, they can leave the playground, cross a not particularly scenic blog of mason st., and get to what the previous speaker calls open space but what i call an unsightly parking lot. if you look past the stacks of paper which have been heaped in front of us and keep our eyes on the prize, what we will see is that 50 years from now, and the kids who now use the library and play in that park will be sitting on benches in a dream corridor where mason street used to be. they will be watching their own kids or grandkids play on a renovated, expanded playground, as was intended. 50 years from now, our unique, state of the art north beach library building will be coming before the historic preservation commission to receive its well-deserved landmark status. thank you. >> president shoot -- chiu and su

civic space, a gathering place for the residents of north beach, including open space and a brand new library. this is an example of the city working effectively with all of the important checks and balances for the good of the community. the north beach library is the last of 24 branches to be renovated to the improvement program. with the expanded playground -- this would be wonderful aspect for the community. thank you for your consideration. >> unless there are any questions for the city staff, we should proceed to hear from the former owners of this site. we would ask you to please step up and you will have 10 minutes to make a presentation. >> good afternoon, supervisors and people watching at home. i am the rightful owner and in spite of what you have just heard, the project is an example of the worst of san francisco, the worst excesses of government and the power of eminent domain. i don't think any of you were there when we went back to the history of what took place. we spend 10 years with a plan for a small residential project. there were countless public hearings and hoops to jum

we will be opening the visitation valley library on july 30 and the new or take a library in august, and the golden gate valley in september. that will mean that we will have just about all 24 neighborhood libraries completed, and we will be beginning construction of the bay view library next month, and the north beach will be moving forward. the eir was recently accepted an completed, so thank you for your support. the library proposed budget is placed at about $86.8 million, and that includes the payment of our debt service. it also includes a healthy $9.1 million for our books and materials budget. it does maintain our current service level in terms of branch hours, and we continue to do strong out -- to our schools and students -- strong outreach to our schools and students. we have about 140 computers available to the public. this last year, that represented about 500,000 library hours of use by patrons. we are expanding access to our laptop lending program. we have about 50 libraries that currently have the laptop lending program in operation, and we expect to expand that to an

as each new library opens, we have the laptop lending program. workforce development is also really important. our lab is open for folks either i need a transition, learning how to apply for new jobs through resume writing workshops, etc., and that has become very important during this tough economic times. we continue to focus on our technology infrastructure, expanding our band with capacity and our wireline network. that is also important in terms of equity for our diverse community. our virtual presence through the website, more focused on online learning and replacing computers is also part of our emphasis, so you will see an increase in our i.t. budget for the -- for that. i do want to take a moment to talk about the five-year outlook, and a lot of it is contingent on continuing to have healthy revenue on our property tax base line and the general fund contribution as part of the library's preservation fund. we have been managing our fund balance to make sure that we complete our branch library improvement program, so there is two project t

destructive master plan appear in if the well-designed alternative was adopted, to have a new small car and a renewed library sooner, for less community disruption and considerably less cost. we persevere and not to win, but rather, not to lose open space, and glorious trees, and opportunity for a new small part, a famous softball playground, news of our icons, and confidence in our elected officials. who doe>> this is the third pare seen us lose. the third part has less open space than any other district in the city as far as i know. when i was the organizer, we have an open space funds committed for the proposition at the time. and the city delayed buying it until it went up and out it is a condo. there is a place dedicated on top of the broadway tunnel. that we supported. and one day, the supervisors saw it is said that it could be housing. housing could be built anywhere. this was a really important civic space, dislike triangle park. we lost that, too. i was down to a meeting where some people were saying that it should be condos. we cannot afford to lose this. it is an important part of the streetscape

to replace an outdated and inaccessible structure with a beautiful, usable, and accessible new library to create much needed open space, any community would embraces project. -- would embrace the project. in all due respect, a group has stymied the project. we have seen the broad support this has in the community. we have seen the p. unanimous support from the board, the planning commission, but, and for some, opposition has continued. i respect the opposition, but at some time, you come to the end of the road. we are at the end of the road, and it is time to move forward. i was disappointed to see that this was attempted to be landmarked at the national level. this does not hamper our ability to move forward today, and it should not. this building is not working preserving of the risk of this amazing project, and i think the arguments we of heard around preservation do not advance the ball for historic preservation that we all support, protect and the best of our city's history, so i am supporting this motion and do so privately and hope you will as well, colleagues. >> the motion, ag

and i hope that the board will support this project and get us closer to a new library. thank you. >> i am mark, a north beach parent and property owner. the last time i came here, i was disappointed that this continued to this day, because when this conversation started, my daughter was in preschool, and now she is a junior at lowell high school. at a certain time, this is just kind of done. maybe you don't shake hands, but this is just done. let's get this project going. >> if there are members of the public who wish to speak on this item, please line up. >> good afternoon, fellow supervisors. i thought of writing a letter on friday. i am the presence of russian hill neighbors. i was thinking of writing a letter on saturday, on behalf of the organization, but at least nine letters have been written in support of moving forward with the library, and we have a board of 27. and the land-use attorney architect, people in the know. i am an artist, and a jewelry designer, but i hear this from the heart. i was going to bring in my tap shoes and all kinds of games, things that

of joe dimaggio playground and the over 1000 north beach residents who support the plan for the new library week, the board of supervisors ruled unanimously to approve of this project. with the funding secure, we have to move forward on the playground innovation. i asked to approve this resolution, to extend this for the renovation of the playground. on a different matter, from the parents and children who use the playground, i would like to thank the general manager for finding a way to reopen the clubhouse. this is very appreciated during the summer holiday. >> this includes general public comment. we are on the consent calendar and one person would like to speak. this is just an inquiry, perhaps. i wanted to know if it was possible to get a copy of the lease for the playground, for the children's nursery school. is this something -- >> did you look into the general public information? >> this is in the consent calendar for today. >> is there someone else would like to make public comment on the consent calendar? public, disclosed. commissioners? >> i entertain a motion. >> all of those i

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 and its history. they were something that natives used for making houses. the construction of the pond is based on abalone house construction. at the bottom of the form, it is woven into a rope which transforms into a manufactured rope. that is a reference to the cordish company, a big industry at the waterfront that went along with the shipbuilding industry. other examples of art work in libraries that you might be int

there is a new library coming in. there is a new green way that the folks have done. they have used six blocks of land that the water department has, and they turned it into garden and played places for the children, and that is really exciting. and then, there is the planning going on. executive park is changing. people are busy looking at all the possibilities that happen in our district. i can see this being a hustling, bustling, wonderful place where there are people of every hue and color, and they are working together. san francisco is not only to reverse in word, but truly diverse in people and economy. >> because it is such a large and diverse area, we could only scratch the surface in our half hour profile of district 10. as we have learned, the area's residents and leaders hold a variety of opinions on how the district should move forward, but there is consensus that as the environmental issues can be addressed, the employment opportunities for the residents increase, and the development manage so that the displacement of the current residents is minimized.

we have two playgrounds currently in the process of being remodeled in addition to a brand-new library that is opening up. we are very excited about what this means for the many kids and families who use the library, go to the parks and plate, and who really just utilize those public services. there are many exciting changes, and we are happy to see them open up. >> what is the playground remodel? what does that look like? supervisor chu: we have playgrounds that were built so many years ago that had our senate in the wood, if you can imagine that. some of the swing sets were breaking apart. we have stand still, some people would find broken glass and other things in the sand, so with the remodel, we are seeing completely new equipment being placed on the playgrounds. the new rubberized services, which gets away at the broken glass and other things people might find in the sand. there are so many kids in the district that i think everyone will benefit and see the changes as a positive. >> are there any other issues that concern you that we have not discussed? for a specific interest yo

service to make sure that the facilities are open when we literally cut the ribbon for some of these new libraries. but again, we are working with the analyst's office to make sure that some of the ones that have been vacant for a while, that we quickly fill them to make sure there is no adverse effect on public service. supervisor kim: is there a particular type of position where you have had trouble filling [inaudible] has this impacted service to neighborhoods? >> the has been minimal level of staffing at some of our neighborhood branches, and we are at that stage right now. it is just a slow process. with all due respect, it does take time. but by virtue of the fact that we are closing libraries in the region, we had the opportunity to hire folks from outside and recruit librarians. those are the ones that are really sometimes challenging to fill, but we are making some progress. supervisor kim: i was curious because one of the great things about the public in richmond fun we passed in 2004 was that we were able to fund libraries in our schools. because we have not been funding libraries for s

the new york public library turned 100 years old this week. so did anyone who still goes to the new york public library. [ laughter ] it's ironic. i love the library. i love the library. this is interesting. a new book about president grover cleveland reveals that he may have fathered a son out of wedlock. wow. [ audience ohs ] i never knew that about grover cleveland. but although, in fairness, i never knew anything about grover cleveland. [ laughter ] hey, it's rumored that microsoft is going to unveil windows 8 next week. yeah. and as soon you buy it, that little paper clip pops up and goes, "it looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet. [ laughter ] try it again? [ applause ] okay. this is hilarious." they take a webcam picture of your face going, "huh?" >> steve: "what?" >> jimmy: yeah. >> steve: "reboot?" >> jimmy: i can't -- [ laughter ] "all right. crashing in four, three, two -- later." check this out. larry king is releasing a memoir next week about his career in television. it's actually the first time larry's been published sin

commission fund the project would benefit the people of san francisco in that it would provide a new north beach library commensurate with other libraries. increased open space, providing a high quality integrated cultural space, made his uncontrolled consistent across the entirety of the project area under the jurisdiction of the recreation and parks department and would be consistent with a general plan and policy planning to go. for these reasons, we urge your support of the proposed rezoning. president chiu: at this time, why don't we proceed to the eir? we will first hear from the appellant, we will hear public comment from anyone opposed to any of the hearing items or believe that it should be rejected, and to hear from planning followed by public comment of any supporters. at this time, hot and ask for representatives of the appellant? >> good afternoon. i have been a resident of the city and county of san francisco for 42 years. i have several questions regarding this plan, this revision from several different angles. why hasn't the public been informed of the costs of various changes of this pl

the open space element defines libraries as non-recreational facilities. i hope you will remember that when new vote on this matter. the discussion is also totally wrong and inadequate when it talks about general plan consistency. it is also wrong when it talks about mandatory land use. these things must be corrected. i hope you send it back for revision. the triangle was purchased specifically to be a part of the open space. and incorporating a library building on the that side is unlawful and it is wrong. i hope that you will send it back for revision so that can provide a full and fair assessment of the actions. ipresident chiu: next speaker. gosh i would like to state that i have been a resident of this county for many years. you spend several million dollars of invading the swimming pool. most people cannot swim in it because the high chlorine, your kids -- younger kids pee in the pool. if you're going to revamp the library, don't follwo the -- follow the mayor's plan for the main library because it will turn into a homeless kitchen. 25% of the books in the main library, will the also take

new roads, a library, a school, ferry terminal, open space for recreational facilities. it's a $1.5 billion project. it's already approved by the san francisco planning commission. some environmental groups including the golden gate audubon society and sierra club/ lookingtyÑrthe is vulnerability to tsunamis and earthquakes. the appeal will happen at 5:00. the one thing you cannot argue now, the gorgeous views from treasure island. the skyline, the bay bridge. the golden gate here. you can see it all. >> no kidding. it is beautiful there. understand both sides of the issue. >>> get ready to pay an extra dollar to ride a cable car. it will cost $6 to hop on board. muni is raising fast pass by $2. adult pass, $72. fare evaders face a fine of $100. the increase is part of the two-year plan to balance the budget. let's check the forecast and hope to get away from the showers following us around. >> i know. we can't get a break, it seems like. we are getting a bit of a break. today looks fantastic. if you want to make outdoor plans, you are going to get a chance to this week

start read things from -- in the all sorts of corners basically saying this is going to create a new library that anyone can go into. and i'm sitting back there saying, you know google's six years old, right? google at that point was around for less time than brad pitt and jennifer aniston had been married, and look how well that turned out. so i said why is a university, like the university of michigan or harvard or stanford university asking a 6-year-old company to be the custodian of this immense amount of wealth and knowledge? this isn't end well, is basically what i thought. it might start beautifully, but this was obviously a controversial proposal when it came to copyright. the publishers and authors whose work was being scanned in raised lawsuits, and the lawsuits were settle inside a way that made it very clear several years down the line that google never really intended to make a library, it end intended to make a bookstore. and i love bookstores. there's nothing wrong with a bookstore, but i'm not too pleased with a bookstore that tries to pretend it's a library. from about 2004

signing up for a random event at the new york public library, all night long. he night, checking everything out. >> reporter: cameron russell is talking about the new york public library's find the future event. he's 1 of 500 players spending the night at the historic building. competing in a kind of digital scavenger hunt. >> there are 100 extremely powerful objects here in the library tonight. and your job is to find them. >> reporter: the event is the first of its kind for the library. >> we have no idea. i mean, honestly no idea, if it will work. >> reporter: players are searching for artifacts throughout the library. artifacts like this letter opener that once belonged to charles dickens. its handle is actually a cat's paw. using their smartphones, they'll unlock clues by scanning the object's qr code, a special bar code that reveals more information about the artifact. clues about beethoven's manuscript is meant to inspire players to write their own stories. >> the more you unlock the more information you get. our ability to unlock will give us some things

commercial space, 100,000 squar feet of office space, new roads, library and school. a ferry terminal. the $1.5 billion project would turn this island into an urban village. they narrowly approved the environmental impact. the board will consider an appeal put together by a pon t opponents. they did not consider the projects impact on the bay bridge and the added congestion it would bring. the vulnerability of flooding from a tsunami or earthquake and the housing market on the island. the board will hear the appeal tonight at city hall at a 5:00 meeting. even if the appeal is denied and it moves forward, it's not going to be transformed overnight. it calls for a 20 year redevelopment plan. >> wow, we'll be old. not you, my dear. >> reporter: speak for yourself. >> your time is up. no, just kidding. it's 5:09 now. they have a difficult decision in half-moon bay. they will cut city staffing in half. they would lose 19 employees by outsourcing the police and recreation services. the move is expected to save $500,000. >>> all right. let's see if it's a good day for recrea

government says there's no radiation threat from a fire burning dangerously close to new mexico's los alamos library. frames are just 50 feet from the ground. watchdog groups fear up to 30,000 barrels of waste will explode. they say the fire would have to jump over canyons to reach key buildings. the blaze has forced the evacuation of the entire city of los alamos. that's a population of 11,000. >>> well, yesterday at this time, of course, we're talking ode -- we're tracking moderate to heavy rain. right now the rain is south but we still have clouds in place. that will be the seem across at least a good portion of the forecast area later on -- later on. right now, the main rain shower activity is heading out to the sierra. but we're gonna hold onto the clouds. as far as the records, i can't remember a june like this. the record yesterday, .81. the old record was .22 set back in 1952. this is making june 2011 the second wettest june is on record. the record, the all-time record is 2.57. a lot of numbers show to show you but a very impressive storm that moved into the region. you can see some of the

microsoft unveiled a library of new video game titles for the holiday season, access to google's youtube through the xbox network, as well as other live tv programs. microsoft also adds a search function to its video game console, using voice recognition technology. dennis durkin is the chief operating and financial officer at microsoft's interactive entertainment, the division responsible for xbox. >> you know today how difficult it is to find content inside your digital television ecosystem, and now we've solved that problem for consumers today. so whatever show you want to watch, whatever movie you'd like to see, whatever game, whatever piece of content you're going to want to find, we're going to make that super easy for a family. >> tom: lance ulanoff is the editor-in-chief of pcmag.com. he joins us tonight from san francisco. a couple of tech giants with two different announcements. let's begin with apple's new initiative. what does the icoud from apple which is a service mean for apple's traditional focus which has been on hard ware, iphones, i pads and what not? >> right, well it