get to that sharp park shore sharp park sharp park sharp park how we love you how we love you mightear-old sharp park and the folks up north will see you restored when they get to that sharp park shore. that is what the budget money is for fix it up just like a frog and snake in the grass it is about time you fixed it up at last do not bring us down no no no no no no i tell you once more before he is the floor do not make us bring it down and fix it up at last help all of the snakes and frogs in the grass do not bring us down known known known known no no what happened to the sharp park i used to know why not give it some money give it some dope do not bring us down no no no no no i tell you once more ♪ [applause] supervisor avalos: thank you very much. next speaker. >> i certainly enjoyed that. my name is chris porter. i am the president of the pacific a chamber of commerce. we are here today to speak to keeping sharp park open. as all cities are experiencing a downturn in money's, -- monies, sharp park is an economic cornerstone of our output to the citizens of nearby communities.

i am in favor of the of a los sharp park legislation. -- avalos sharp park legislation. we have the opportunity to protect the beautiful, natural wetlands that come with this rare, back barrier lagoon. part of a very elite group of lagoons. there are less than 10% of them existing in california. supervisor avalos: we are going to pause. we have lost a quorum. you are going to get to keep speaking. >> no problem. supervisor avalos: sorry. >> it is ok. supervisor avalos: what is that? how are you going to get it, when he is not here? you do not have the letter yet, right, gail? >> start over. i will start over. supervisor avalos: the chair will let you start over. i apologize. part of my gamesmanship required by responding to nature. >> not a problem. shall i start over? supervisor avalos: we will restart the clock. i apologize. >> that afternoon, supervisors. i have a pacifica lived in -- i have lived in pacifica since 1977. i am in favor of the legislature. i want to thank you for your plan. today we have the opportunity to restore and protect the beautiful, natural wetl

sharp park is the second most important landmark in pacifica next to the pacific ocean. it is unaffordable, beautiful place to play golf. you do not have to travel an hour. we have harding park, lincoln park. this is the only course that is affordable to a lot of golfers. it is a treasure. we implore you to keep it. thank you. supervisor avalos: next speaker. more cards. >> think you for giving me the opportunity to address your special meeting. i am a pacifica resident and a sequoia a member, a sequoia audubon member. i am also a volunteer with the clover program. let's not forget the overall reasons to safeguard the policy of protecting endangered plants and animals. assuming long-term management for biodiversity those in sooner, the sooner we can give it needed petition. i urge you to let them manage and maintain sharp park as a natural area for all citizens. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you, next speaker, please. >> my name is still in smith. kinesics generation san franciscan -- my name is still in smith region dyland-- my name is dillon smith. i am a sixth ge

i am urging all the today to vote yes to restore sharp park. partner in with the national park service's means the legislation has excellent planning and it will appeal to a greater audience compared to that of a golf course. in addition, voting yes on this legislation means you are choosing to protect to endangered species. as we know, this golf course is dependent on government subsidies. the majority of bay area golfers have already cast their vote on this issue by continuously choosing to spend their money to play golf elsewhere. it is time to step out of the golf course comfort zone and recognize it has been financially and environmentally unsustainable. it's time to change the system rather than try to keep alive with temporary technological fixes. restoring sharp park means creating a more self sustaining recreational space that allows for san francisco dollars to be applied to more pressing issues. this is why it is imperative you vote yes to restore sharp park today. thank you. >> good afternoon. i am a resident of san francisco and i a

we first received sharp park in 1917. we have been managing the property as one of our many municipal parks. we have been making capital improvements as needed. we have been fulfilling our obligations to work with the surrounding land owners as well as the regulatory authorities. one thing i want to highlight is the amount of work that has gone into analyzing and understanding the costs associated with sharp park as well as our regulatory requirements. starting in 2007, there was a court -- report donated to the department. that led to the discussion at the board of supervisors that resulted in the creation of the task force and another report that cost about $85,000. during this time, we continued to work on the restoration alternatives. that has cost more than $400,000. we are preparing for that in vern majority necessary to move forward with that plan. -- we are preparing for the environmental review necessary to move forward with that plan. in 2009, a supervisor introduced an ordinance requesting we develop three alter

because the gulf market is declining and they are ankara petition with each other, both sharp park at lincoln park are underutilized at each of them sell only about 40% of their available rounds every year. sharp park loses hundreds of thousands of dollars every year and is by far the worst performing assets and a rare major reason why the gulf problem is insolvent nearly a decade after it was renovated. i am a student at san francisco state. myself and my academic peers collected over 500 signatures in support of making a national park out of sharp park. this is not counting the thousands of petitions signed and sent in online. thank you. >> and good afternoon. i am a san francisco resident and i am in support of this but deflation. i would like to bring it to the committee's attention a report issued by the san francisco planning and urban research association that makes several recommendations supporting building a national park. "the next 23 years, the city should proceed as quickly as possible to restore and protect frog and snake population. over the next three to 10 years, you

please close sharp park so that the national parks service can restore it to national wetlands. thank you. supervisor avalos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am a former city employee, retired from the parks department. retired as the golf course maintenance supervisor. without a prepared statement, i would hope that i could shed some light on the situation. what i do not think has been brought to the front enough, and i was glad to hear a bit of it today, the fact that the recreation park department has been operating there department, plus the golf course maintenance operations, pesticide-free, for over 10 years, since 1997. they were using non-synthetic fertilizers, link -- bringing in new technology and micro- organisms. this is the technique. these cultural practices are what we shall be striving for. playing in conjunction with these endangered species. this is where we should all be striving to get. 7 billion people in the world. 4.5 million in the bay area. about 4000 in san francisco rubbing elbows with these species. we need to learn

sharp park is such a course and worth preserving. san francisco is an important golf destination for the usda and all golfers. national championships visit this area once every five years. the economic impact of that is obvious. in fact, in 2012, two national championships will be coming to this, including the u.s. open and the girls championship. the san francisco area can be proud of that contribution to the game. golf is good for the city and county of san francisco. the usga strongly urges that you sustained sharp park as a source of affordable golf in the area. thank you very much. i was given two letters by other associations. one of our fellows had to leave. he represented the northern california golf association, and he would like to leave these two letters with you. >> supervisor, my name is -- i am a lifetime city resident and they called carrying public golfer. i reside in district 7, but i view myself as a resident of the city. i have been playing at the spark for almost 50 years, and this is a precious municipal treasure

this is about sharp park and not golf in general. sharp park is highly problematic. we have golfers whose support the restoration of of the part because it is advantageous to close it for golf. pacifica residents will get resident rates. the affordable access to golf will increase. funds will be reverted to parks, including golf courses. there would be more usage at san francisco golf courses. it makes sense to close it for golf. the funds could go to other golf courses. thank you. supervisor avalos: next speaker, please. >> i am is a bow wave -- isabel wade. thank you for sponsoring this legislation. despite the efforts of the media to trivialize the discussion, there are three important opportunities with the proposed restoration of sharp park. the first is that we have an opportunity to expand a national park. that is significant. it does not happen every day. this property has two and dangerous species. we need to do the right thing. we have an opportunity to rebalance recreation. a 2004 study indicated the number one recreation need was for hiking trails. golf w

investment, and permit the production have questioned the sustainability of the current actions at sharp park. this will inform the best decisions of land use in san francisco as related to sharp part. -- sharp park. it allows policy makers to review a partnership to compare against other options. as the city continues future land use at sharp park, it is imperative that we know what we are investing in for both the short term and the long term. it is also imperative that we have options to review, including a popular and potentially problem-solving option of a real purpose sharp park in partnership with the national parks service. this remedy is the flaw in the decisionmaking process for land use at the park for ensuring that the board has the complete picture to review the option. note the option, not the mandate, to pursue a partnership with the national park service. the ordinance ensures that before we commit to a long-term plan to invest hundreds of thousands or tens of millions of dollars into we know what options exist to best address the concerns of the residents, such as recreation

this is what sharp park will be managed under with this ordinance. you will effectively be kicking people out of sharp part. it also says sharp park should be managed in accordance with the organic act. that act has been used for years by the people pushing this ordinance to justify kicking people with dogs out. it is interpreted to mean no recreation. people have talked a lot about enhancing access to sharp park if they get rid of the golf course. that is not what will happen. it will be restricted access. this is about protecting lots of different kinds of recreation. look around at the types of people who have been in support of golf and in opposition of this ordinance. you have seen all sorts of ethnic groups, all ages. look at the other side. it is not a particularly diverse group. do not move this ordinance forward. it sounds like there are other things going on, and it may be good to find out what is going on in january, and then we can perhaps revisit it. preserve this at sharp park. supervisor avalos: thank you. next speaker, please. >> hello

going to end golfing, it offers us an opportunity to create a long-term agreement with the city for sharp park. it also determines it is not just going to be a single option that says we are going to close the park. there are a number of options that this ordinance does provide. whether it is partial closing of the park or no closing whatsoever. this ordinance allows san francisco to continue having conversations with potential partners other than the gtnra other than san francisco county. it makes sure we can compare options side-by-side, including the partnership option. the amendment is based on public input from the san francisco public research association. it proposes that any agreement between the city of san francisco and the national parks service is subject to review and approval throughout all -- for applicable public processes, including a review by the board of supervisors. it is now a collaborative and more deliberate process than the one i embarked on a few months back. the national parks service has indicated their interest in working towards a new public park. in order for the

this legislation does not hand over sharp park to the national park service. essentially what it does is allows the rec and park department to offer to the national park service the opportunity to go into negotiations to create a joint agreement between the rec and park department and the national park service. the land would be under the ownership of the city and county of san francisco. it is part of that discussion at -- part of that discussion would be an alternative, which would be the potential closure of the golf course and the reprogramming for other uses. >> when you say one alternative, should we take from that the implicit argument that there is an alternative, some scenario where they would take the land and keep the golf course open? supervisor avalos: offering from the city is multifaceted in terms of what different outcomes that could come out of it. one outcome that this ordinance would provide for would be the offering of joint management agreement that would not include golf, but does not preclude the other possibility as well. the national p

we are operating sharp park under a joint management agreement with the national parks service. it is possible to have a disagreement or dispute with the national parks service on one area and be ok with another. the national parks service is a huge organization. it manages parts even outside of the boundaries of alaska and elsewhere. it is a huge department within our federal government. lots of things you can agree and disagree with. going into negotiations, if they ever happened, about how dolls will be allowed access on the sharp park land, if we ever get to that. there are lost to ways that we can go into decision making with the national parks service. we should not preclude what we have with the national parks service against all others. president chiu: supervisor campos. supervisor campos: it has been a very good discussion. one thing that i would say is that i do believe the fact that we disagree with the ggnra with respect to one item does not mean we cannot do business with them on a different item. i want to make it clear that by supporting this measure that we are i

but sharp park loses money every year and it's seen better days, frankly.rogs and snakes or birdies? the future likely won't be settled even in this latest round. the loser will likely find another course to keep up the fight. at sharp park, mike sugerman, cbs 5. >>> a bit of california lighting up the u.s. capital tonight. >> yup. this year the capital christmas tree is from california speaker of the house john boehner did the honors with the help of a 7- year-old cub scout also from the golden state. the sierra white fir will remain lit until january 1. >>> well, forced out of her home after 41 years. >> the door opens an there's three sheriffs... >> how a cancer patient's lawyer says the bank stole her home right out from under her. >>> questions about mitt romney's record. allegations that he tried to hide computer files from his time as massachusetts governor at taxpayer expense. >>> his mom says the punishment doesn't fit the crime. why this 9-year-old was suspended for calling his teacher cute. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,, >>> our top story here at 6:30, y

[applause] next speaker, please. >> i am here to support this legislation with sharp park. as a goal for myself, i feel that the restoration of the park would be the best thing to do. we are pumping water out to see every day -- sea every day. it goes against the endangered species act. i think turning it into a national park would be the best way. it would open it up to use to anybody regardless of personal interest or economic class. it would be saving millions of dollars as taxpayers. we would be saving a lot of water that we used to irrigate the place. thank you for taking the time to hear what i have to say. thank you. >> thank you. >> i am from san bruno. focusing the discussion only on golf is a mistake. the berm with beach activities and running are equally imperiled by the ordinance. this is a land use discussion about sharp park is open for health and well-being or is a new frog inclosure the confines people to narrow trails. modern recreation is a dishonest code for people out. supervisor avalos, you got it right when he said to take it back. the national park se

. >>> today the mayor of san francisco will likely veto a measure on who will run sharp park. the board of supervisors wants to explore transferring management to the national park service. but mayor ed lee is against that saying it would spell the end of an 18-hole golf course. environmentalists want to return the course to its natural state to protect two species. the red legged frog and a garter snake. >>> christmas lights are going green. hoesolar power saving money for decorations. >>> post offices are packed. how to make sure your package makes it on time. at progressive, you can bundle your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com. christmas gifts to mail ---u better get started. today is the busiest mailing day f the year for the >>> if you still have christmas gifts to mail i know how you feel but get started. today is the busiest mailing day of the year for the u.s. postal service. it will handle 801 million pieces of mail. the post offices in southern california even opened its doors yes

. >> sharp park, back from the brink. the mayor takes action on legislation that could have closed it. >> and another cool night. frost in the forecast. i will tell you which place also be the coldest. >> special delivery. free, christmas trees. straight from oregon. who is getting them and what made this possible. . >>> new at ten a lot of low income families will get a six foot surprise at the holiday give away. we are live in emoryville with the act of generosity that will benefit hundreds. >> reporter: many of the big box stores get their trees from the same oregon grower. the largest in the nation. and when that farm has leftovers, they get creative. it's a flat bed truck from corvallis but it may as well be santa as tonight 99 noble firs, six to seven feet tall arrive at the salvation army in san francisco fresh from a ice the storage locker. >> pushing down like this. >> reporter: they will find homes tomorrow. this will get a food box with a holiday dinner and have a surprise, a tree, for many a luxury. >> 23 you

. >> sharp park, back from the brink. the mayor takes action on legislation that could have closed it. >> and another cool night. frost in the forecast. i will tell you which place also be the coldest. >> special this holiday season give your family the gift they can all share... ... verizon 4g lte smartphones ! like the droid charge. and the stratosphere. don't miss the best deals at the right price. on the network they deserve. get the powerful droid charge by samsung or get the samsung stratosphere for $99.99. and for a limited time get twice the data for the same low price. verizon. these deals make me loco ! . >>> new at ten a lot of low income families will get a six foot surprise at the holiday give away. we are live in emoryville with the act of generosity that will benefit hundreds. >> reporter: many of the big box stores get their trees from the same oregon grower. the largest in the nation. and when that farm has leftovers, they get creative. it's a flat bed truck from corvallis but it may as well be santa as t

. >>> supervisors are considering a proposal to turn over the sharp park golf course to the national ervice. san francisco owns the 417 -- 417-parcel of land. they say it protects the red legged frog. a federal judge last week requested their request to limit golf operations. opponents say they can protect the environment while still maintaining the interest of golfers. if the committee approves the plan, it will go before the board tomorrow. >>> ahead -- a theme park based on harry potter movies and books could be coming to california. state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm. >>> the dow was

one area that we have a great challenge is at sharp park which is in pacifica. the golf course happens to be the habitat for the california red legged frog as well as the san francisco order snake. these are two creatures that we don't know how well they were so but over the next many years. -- they will survive over the next many years. i believe that the city has been looking at options and the rec and parts department has done some due diligence on how to protect these species. they have not ruled out looking at the potential closure of the park. i have not been one who has been very shy about what my opinion is about what should happen. i think it should be close to protect the species. i am just one person. there are other people who have different points of view. i think that we should offer a range of possibilities on how we could program the space of shark park whether it is golfing, partial golfing, may be a nine hole course, or maybe no golfing whatsoever. that a full range is something that's the intent is behind this legislation. that is what we will

sharp park endangered species issue, and the promise of a lawsuit over the l.a. soccer field if no compromise is achieved. two actions brought by the board of supervisors in reaction to his poor management decisions. one that attempted to change the commission, and another that had a ballot measure. a decision by the sunshine or dance task force that found he was guilty of willful failure and official misconduct for withholding public records and referral of this case to the ethics commission. the weakening of the public to the unwanted commercialization of our parks that has resulted in new protest groups forming like take back our parks, keep the arboretum 3, and a new group at dolores park. -- keep the arboretum free. this list is not exhausted, but it portrays a pattern of the public reaction to his offensive management style and bad judgment. the general manager refuses to listen to people. we feel like his philosophy is my way or the highway. please address these deficiencies during his evaluation and instruct him that improvement is needed. we deserve bett

afternoon san francisco supervisors narrowly approved an ordnance that could lead to the closure of the sharp parkf course. it would turn management of the land over to the national park service. but it has said it is not interesting in running a golf course. san francisco mayor ed lee indicated today he may veto this legislation. >>> a wood burning ban will be in effect again tomorrow for the winter season's fifth spare the air day. bay area quality officials issued the alert when pollution levels can achieve healthy standards. bill martin is live now in the weather sister where he's tracking the changes. >> that means if you don't have any other heat other than wood burning you can burn it but if you've got other heat you cannot burn wood. so it's a spare the air night. it's going to be cold tonight. overnight lows take a look outside. what we have right now are the daytime hikes for today. we warmed up pretty nicely today. 60 in oakland, but as you go through time, you look at the current conditions in napa. we have 47 degrees and a bit of a westerly wind. you can see the westerly wind, that's

san francisco supervisors are set to vote today on closing the sharp park golf course in pacifica. supervisor committee okayed the plan yesterday. the proposal would have the golden gate national recreation area take over management of sharp park, but conservationists want it closed because it's home to a snake and frog, two species federally protected. >>> it is 5:36. let's check traffic with elizabeth. >> what's going on on the roads? we are just getting word of a new accident in oakland. a car hit the guardrail westbound 580 right before lakeshore. watch out for that. we're checking to see if there are lanes blocked now. we know chp is on the way to the scene. here's a live look at the nimitz past the coliseum. still some roadwork in lanes between 980 and fruitvale. caltrans has their warning signs up. they are doing some paving work across that stretch the so various lanes blocked for another 20 minutes or so. westbound 580 out of the altamont pass our first bit of brake lights so far not too bad. this is the way to beat the rush if you want to head out now through livermore mo

. >> the san francisco supervisors could decide today to close sharp park golf course in pacifica ande national park service take over that land. the city of san francisco owns the golf course which opened back in 1932. a federal judge rejected a call to limit activities because of the threatened frog species and an endangered snake. a trial on protecting those species goes to court next summer. >>> in almeda county, a push to fine people up to $1,000 for not recycling has several cities up in arms. the county wants to make recycling mandatory by 2013. that move could divert 700,000 tons of recyclables from the landfill. and cities like hayward and pleasanton are concerned about the additional cost to the cities, businesses and rate payers. >>> tap water along the peninsula, it may turn a little milky today. the san francisco public utility commission wants its park routine maintenance, with an increase in pressure, causing the milky water and officials say the change is only aesthetic and safe to drink. they expect it to return to normal the first week of january. >>> you can add a c

. >>> and san francisco supervisors will also vote on closing sharp park golf course in pacifica. a committee okayed the plan to have the golden gate national recreation area take over management. environmentalists say the park is in dangering federally protected garter snakes and red legged frogs. >>> the san jose city council will discuss today whether to put a pension reform measure on the ballot for next june. the council decided against declaring a fiscal emergency due to better projections of the deficit but mayor reed is pushing for a pension reform ballot measure. retirement benefits could top $420 million by 2015, one-third of the city's general fund. >>> just in time for the holidays, the california labor commissioner will be donating confiscated clothing to those in need. the clothes were taken from state enforcement raids on illegal garment shops. included in the giveaway are sweaters, coats, pajamas and dresses. >>> according to a new traffic report, the morning commute for san franciscans is getting slower. over the past two years, the average speed for the city's str

located in san mateo county that is within the golden gate national park area legislative boundary sharp park and making environmental and other findings. supervisor avalos: think

city lawmakers are looking at a proposal to shut down sharp park golf course. ty supervisor john avalos wans to turn management of the land over to the national park service. the supervisor says the park has cost the city $1.2 million am shortfalls over the past two years. it's listed as a home for two threatened species. california garter snake and the california red-legged frog. >>> this looks like a scene out of a hollywood movie. trust us, a lot of twisted steal. not two, not three. how about 14 luxury cars in what they'll call a pricey pirs.oove too furious to slow down? f >>> welcome back. the time is now 9:26. 33 in san jose and 25 in santa rosa tonight, all of which will tie or break temperature records. we'll go over those in the morning. back to you, jon and laura. >> look at that. bundle up. >> getting chilly out there. one ferrari to crash or a dozen or so? >> most expensive pile-up in history. 14 luxury cars worth millions of dollars all smashed into each other in southwestern japan over the weekend. >> that's going to leave a mark. >> not a fender

supervisor could decide to shut down the sharp park course. ty supervisor wants to turn the land over to the national park service. supervisors say the park is pretty expensive. the park is also listed as a home for two threatened species, the california garter snake and the california red-legged frog. >> still ahead, they've been christmas ornaments and shepherds before. crazy he crazy holiday traditions and why they're forced to do it every year. ol >>> welcome back. the time now is 11:26. we have frost on the windshield in san jose earlier this morning. expect another round of frost and fog as we wake up wednesday morning with bitter, bitter cold. 20s in santa rosa, napa. very close to that freezing mark in places like san rafael. >>> this next story i'm going to have to hear it from you but i saw that picture. >> not good. >>> a woman out in minnesota doesn't stop at decking the halls. she actually decks the entire family. >> i look really stupid. >> oh, my goodness. every year sue johnson has her husband, children, this year even the pet a

. >>> san francisco city supervisors are scheduled to consider a proposal to turn over the sharp park golf course to the federal government. environmental groups suggest closing the pacifica course scene converting it into a national course. they say it will save taxpayers money and protect the red light frogs and the endangered san francisco guarder snake. opponents say they can protect the environment while still maintaining the interest of low income golfers who rely on that public course. >>> 4:49. a legendary recording artist has a new honor this morning. the attribute to neil diamond and other a-list stars in washington, d.c.. >>> tiger woods did something over the weekend he hasn't done in two years. >>> welcome back to the ktvu channel 2 morning news. hundreds of people there waiting in line in kansas yesterday morning. they were waiting to get tickets to see president obama speak tomorrow. president obama will speak at the same high school where president roosevelt delivered his new nationalism speech in 1920. that's when he called for all americans to get quote a fair chance