there are also the costs about diminished attendance, not people coming in, san franciscans and on san franciscans like to enjoy what we have. we are not shari -- sharing the way that we really could. that is my big concern. one of my determinations about why i approved the fee last year was the workers. there was a lot of workers whose jobs were tied to the feet and i did not want to come here this year and say that we did not eliminate the fee. i want to help to be told so we don't have to come back to have these fees are really diminish the enjoyment of the parks. >> let me respond to a couple of points. i look forward to the conversations that we can have define sustainable operations. we would like to staff every club house. i want to hundred more gardner's in our parks. i want more patrol officers. >> and we can provide the kind of funding in 2009. we should have done this last year but we did not have the ability. >> i live relatively close to the garden and i go there from time to time, sometimes with my kids and sometimes myself. i also observed anecdotallynope. -- i have obse

i am a proud san franciscan -- transplant, but a proud san franciscan, and i think san francisco values are our greatest export. i think the america's cup is a great opportunity to highlight both of those things -- how to make this a great event for all of the attendees, but also a great event for all the people who live near the waterfront and for san franciscans. we do not want to overload our streets with traffic. we want to keep this a livable city as we do this huge event and make -- bring mass numbers of people through. the other is to be an example, and a lot of people have talked about this. every event wants to be the greatest ever. i want this event to be the greatest ever feared with any other city is doing a large sporting event, i wanted to go to san francisco's people plan and say this is where we start. hopefully, we will not be the eggs of live forever. hopefully, this will continue to advance, but we should have that reputation, considering what we all espouse. i think we have a great opportunity to do it here, and i think we are off to a great start in that. the other

have jobs -- ensures 40,000 san franciscans have jobs. we have an opportunity to get paid not just for this year and future projects, four years in the future. i know many people who have been advocating that program. and thanks to many of you have worked closely with me to close one of the state's biggest tax loopholes, proposition 13. none of the people in this office are shocked, but i am shocked at how few people realized that every single building gets subsidized by proposition 13, regardless of how big or small they are. unfortunately, we have had to pay the price. we have seen a huge shift from who pays property taxes. 30 years ago, over 60% of property taxes were paid by commercial retailers. today, it is 43%. so the thing that we passed to protect home owners is now subsidizing somebody else. we felt that a fact. that meant higher fees at the university of california, state university, university college. it has meant fewer classroom -- larger classroom sizes for people k-12. it has also meant that we have cut our social contract

we are focused on hiring san franciscans. supervisor cohen: why don't we -- fred? >> just on the local hire issue, we supported as well. we had 26% last year local hire, which represented $8.1 million in earnings. we have a web-based program that allows us to hold contractors and developers accountable for our goals, which are at 50%. this year, we are looking at developing a policy, even though we're already at better than 20% that has been adopted. >> and mayor lee will be the last -- >> [unintelligible] supervisor cohen: excuse me. just a minute. i am giving everyone else and opportunity. just a minute. >> [unintelligible] you did not answer anybody else. i am asking you. supervisor cohen: mr. mayor, can you please articulate your position? >> my position should be clear. local hire is the law of sentences go. it became so last month. i of make -- i have made sure that every department is compliant. we have a number of programs. we're working with all the unions to make sure they are in compliance and we have the contractors. there should be no reason and no exc

a lot of san franciscans accidentally give bedbugs. have you ever turn your head and think that you see something? people with bedbugs to that all the time. that is why i say that they are not paying residents living with tenants and the to be evicted. it is not just a physical thing that needs to be removed. it is mental, too. a lot of people are losing their self-esteem. i have a friend who is emotionally uncontrollable. i had another friend who went to his girlfriend's house to have dinner. the next day, they found out that he had bedbugs and they lost the love of his life. that is why we need to look at the psychological effects so that people can read in their santee and manage their mental health. we need to track the lifestyle of people with bedbugs. i know that we care. one last thing, we have these stickers. i know that if i go out with these stickers, i might scare a kid, and i do not want this representation. [applause] ? supervisor kim: thank you. . >> the building at 589 post street is infected with bedbugs. controversiall

san franciscans would continue to access the botanical garden for free. for free. we would only charge non-san francisco residents. $5 for seniors, $2 for children between 5 and 11. the board asked that we adopt a family rate. san franciscans continue to have free admission. again, it gives us no pleasure to charge anyone for anything. when the twist comes down to keep in the rec center open for the families in the tenderloin or charging visitors from lafayette for africa to visit the museums attraction, the decision is clear. almost all comparable botanical gardens charge admissions. for residents and non-residence. including the botanical garden in denver. brooklyn, new york. new york city, new york. santa barbara. pasadena. even berkeley charges admission fees. the most comparable garden in san francisco is probably the los angeles county arboretum. municipally owned with similar nonprofit partners, they charge residents and non-residents to enter. the botanical garden in seattle, known as the university of washington botanical garden, is not a municipal facility

our coalition is san franciscan. this is ethnically diverse, this is workers, this is business, and this is community. we live here, we are the residents. we have been paying 5% three years ago, 5% in two years ago. if we don't come to you and encourage you to make difficult decisions to generate revenue, when it comes time to negotiate another 2% or 3%, we are negotiating that right now, then we will make every opportunity to generate revenue. we have an excellent relationship with the general manager and with the business community and we will have an excellent relationship with you. thank you. >> thank you, next speaker. >> i may 5 generation resident of san francisco. two of my children used to go there every day for preschool. this is a special place. as a kid walking through, this is part of golden gate park. you should pay to see something like that you are forced to find revenue generating things. thank you. >> thank you. >> good afternoon, i support supervisor avalos and eliminating the fee. mr. ginsberg has

i learned that san franciscans during campaign read everything they are sent in the mail.hey love to meet the candidates and engage in conversations with them. i learned how important it is to build bridges between different communities, particularly communities of diversity that we have. i was incredibly honored to have been elected in november of 2008. >> where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? >> i consider myself someone who shares the progressive values that many sentences can hold dear. we have been a beacon to the rest of the world region that many sentences skins hold dear. we have been a beacon to the rest of the world for those. >> you are president of the board. describe the role of the opposition and the responsibilities that come with being the president of the board of supervisors. >> as president, i preside over the weekly meetings we have tuesday at 2:00 here in the chamber. i also determine which legislations will go to various committees that we have. as a district supervisor, i sit on a number of legislative committees. >> what are some of

this is to generate income for san franciscans and for those who work in san francisco and this is to help increase the city's operating revenue because the majority of my family, relatives and friends rely on high-speed internet access in

we are all san franciscans. people have come from other areas underserved to talk about the rec centers and all of these other issues you have found a way to fund this institution and without making it a private and discriminatory institution. we hope that you will look at what has transpired. if they can use this to bailout the situation, perhaps other things can be utilized. this is discriminating against san franciscans. if you work and you did at of work at 4:00 or 5:00 and you come down to the arboretum, you cannot get in. the fine print is that we close an hour before closing time. i've spent some time, we have been publicizing this issue. if you can look at those faces and see how people get to the gate and they cannot get in, both -- this is affecting working people getting off and have been the place to play. >> thank you. >> i am coming to the conclusion that the lack of money is the root of all people. this has been going on for two years now. i think we have discovered a source of money. we have neve

this is to generate income for san franciscans and for those who work in san francisco and this is to help increase the city's operating revenue because the majority of my family, relatives and friends rely on high-speed internet access in order to work at home in san francisco. their children also rely on high-speed internet disos do homework in san francisco. the group opposed to give san francisco high-speed internet access do now represent our voices. they do not represent san francisco. san francisco wants better and more choices on high-speed internet access. vote yes for at&t to invest in san francisco and vote yes to improve the quality of our lives, and by the way, ugly san francisco is not caused by the cabinet, it's caused by social problems. we need to address the social problems. president chiu: next speaker. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen, my name is susan finnegan. i live in parkerside -- parkside and i suspect i'm representative of a lot of people in san francisco. i'm a single parent, renter, single income, and even with a good job, i still live paycheck to pay