the barrier is sufficient to stake a claim under the ada. there is also a sufficient claim under the california disabled persons act and enough to claim monetary damages, a minimum of $1,000 per occasion. yours -- to our ternate -- you are entitled to the attorneys' fees. you are either recovering that a underad -- under ada or state law. they coexist or overlap. this next law is one that many are familiar with. it is the driving force in terms of damages and access -- in excess cases, the california unruhe civil rights act. it is a very broad application. all persons are entitled to full and equal accommodations in all instances of any kind whatsoever. that is taken from this -- the text of the statute. also the disabled persons act, a change to say, a violation of the ada services -- serves as a violation of this act. minimum damages of $4,000 per occasion. both the unruhe civil rights act and the ada provide that you recover civil or federal damages. if you can establish or damages that are more than $1,000 or more than $4,000 each time, y

when the ada was adopted. many have an interest at -- an entrance that opens onto the street and they have a step that makes it extremely difficult for wheelchair to enter. the tenant has to make a permanent change to the building. under the legislation, a landlord might choose to take that task on themselves to exert some control over the solution. fixing a problem like a step can be complicated. the building may have historic significance, so the building permit would have to be reviewed by the planning department and there could be some limitations about the changes you have made to the upside. or the solution to the step might mean you have to do some work on the sidewalk in the public right-of-way and request a minor sidewalk encouragement. in some cases, the solution to that step might have an impact on the building structure. the foundation or the flore frame. -- floor frame. you might have to juggle the requirements of three different said the agencies, building inspection, planning, and public works. i

they should also be following the party's in the ada -- the priorities in the ada. your task report should also be giving you some constructive solutions. they should be tailoring it to your very specific circumstances. [inaudible] also, you want to make sure that your task inspector has a relationship with an attorney. it could be beneficial to have that legal expertise readily at hand. the task inspector may have learned some useful information. it is also helpful if your task inspector knows the contractor because the contractor can provide you with a construction bid for what is going to take. so i want to leave you with some closing thoughts. one of them, as mentioned at the beginning -- be proactive. do not wait for the letter. get the inspection now. the second is keep really good records. [inaudible] they had actually been doing work over the years. they have been removing barriers. but because they were not keeping good files documenting the reasons why they widened a door or replace the hardware or remodel the bathroom, tracking exactly how much money they

the ada, calif. building code, the civil rights, and our experts here will elaborate. we also have a list of certified caps at work in san francisco for you. carla johnson with the mayor's office of disability has created a really good it died of out to interview your experts to make sure you are getting the best quality product for you. been next -- the money you pay for the inspection you can take as a tax deduction. any money that if you have taken can be applied as a tax deduction. this can be done on an annual basis. next, the opportunity, and a fund -- opportunity loan fund, providing for small businesses to pay for the inspection or to make improvements needed. to do it before you receive the lawsuit. and lastly, we of the bar association and their resources. they're providing their legal service for you. this last thing i am going to share with you in terms of what we have seen in our office is that with the individuals, that does not necessarily mean an individual will follow up with a lawsuit. what we've seen in our office is the individual's will send you a

and some had to be replaced to meet current interpretations of the ada ask changes can the mary ann with disabilities act standards much what can you tell us about this ramp, nick. >> like pat said its one of the old style ramps. would not meet current standards. it has this little guide strip, if somebody has a cane, they can feel there is a change in level chicago and other changes occurring which is the purpose of that. >> its important in san francisco where we have steeply slopped streets. if the streets slope steetly you may not notice it. that's why we have the warning tracts. we also do it in color. we have a color change. >> low vision. >> this sidewalk has to have a different shade. >> part of the ada requirements contrasting color for the -- >> exactly. on some of the newer ramps you see the truncated zones. >> they are the big yellow flat. >> exactly. >> a bright yellow panel that attaches itself that could either be adhesive placed on existing ramps. the rest of the ramp is compliant or when new ramps are being constructed its incorporated into the actual sidewalk core. the

the lines. -- dandelions. is ada accessible. public transit is plentiful. we have conquered the steps, we have watched the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view. this is a place to take someone special on a romantic stroll and enjoyed a beautiful look out. welcome to corona heights located in the heart of this district. it offers a view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. it is one of the best kept secrets in the city. it is hardly ever crowded. on any given day, you will run into a few locals. , bought a 37 bus to get there without any parking worries. for legged friends can run freely. there is also a patch of grass for the small box. >> it is a great place. it is a wonderful place to have these kinds of parks. that dog owners appreciate it. >> take time to notice of the wildfires that are on the grassland and keep your head out on the lookout for hawks and other bird life. be sure to take your camera and be prepared to take a view of the city will not forget. it has a beautiful red rock formations. you could watch the sunrise o

one is they have connected the ada accessible route to the no. 10 bus on washington street. this is problematic. they require the side entrances be connected to public transit. it is not a wheelchair accessible on washington street. buses cannot let people off on the sidewalk. there are no sidewalk ramps. the person would have to wheel into the street to get to the entrance. we brought this up with mary, and she basically said what went on in the park was her business. what is outside in t is not. i am disabled. there is no point of having accessible teachers inside if people cannot get to the park. the no. 1 bus would have been a great alternative. it runs all the time. they have got bulldozers. they could make it more compliant. they could have two joint together. they were told they were not to change the size, the shape, anything about these in order for it to comply with a categorical exemption. these things are being changed. the summit is being cut into and taken away, which is not reversible act, in order to put in a much larger maintenance facility, and i believe it

also, training in]aa october, to classes regarding the ada update. neer. >> how manyw3 employees will be taking the disability accreditation classes? >> we are trying to train all of them. it is about $1,000 to take the exam. >> do we have an idea of getting more people trained for that? we only have one now. >> we have one that took the exam -- two that took the exam. ñrwe're waiting for the results. i believe one of them should be in soon. q requirementuzq? state law requires that we have a certain number of that are certified by a certain date. b í&ñ>> i do not have the exact date, but previously, we mentioned the time frame, how many we need to get. that is why we try to get more training for the exam. ñrright now, we are meeting the requirement. >> i seem to remember that they take in in 2013. a significant number. i do not remember what that maybe the city attorney caní zfl us next time what it is. >> john malamut, vÑbsince this m is not on the agenda, maybe as part of the next item on future agendas, we could talk about adding this. >>ki newly

the confusion we found in the group between accessibility standards for title 24 and the ada, i don't think the entry level restaurants understand that as well. >> the city through the small business commission, i believe, has a group of various agencies as well as private interest groups working to develop guidelines for how to facilitate restaurant necessary san francisco. restaurant remodeling and rebuilding. i presume you are part of that group? >> yes. >> they have come up with draft guidelines which includes 3 parts. i have copies. these are just the drafts which are a road map for how to get through the san francisco process in restaurant development. things you should know while you are starting that. 10 tips in getting started. i have a hand out which reflects some of the issues that are being addressed by this special group. this hand out reflects the building departments involvement to a large extent. not a lot of the other agency issues but on the first page i talk about all the different agencies involved. i think kevin had mentioned planning and changes of use and so on.

we have a lot of problems with the way the ada is implemented and the way the unruh act allows stacking damages. we can multiplied per visit. the only thing we can do as a city is to invest in the -- outreach. regina is the only person in charge of outreach and she has an office that has four people including herself. two people who are responsible for the counseling of small businesses when they receive these lawsuits. that is not enough and clearly, that means the city is not taking this seriously. they're setting rigid up for failure. she always -- the have not been successful in any of their attempts. regina has demonstrated this by mentioning in february they had 3000 letters mailed out and how many responses? 3. if you add that up, that is a pointer 1% success rate. we're not getting anywhere on that. -- a 0.01 success rate. we're not getting anywhere on that. and we have four people who decided to take upon the 8.5% loan program. i am willing to be part of that, someone can come to me and i will give the funds. that is nothing -- it does not do anything. if you put a fund at 20%,

the part is ada -- park is ada accessible. it is also a natural lake. this is your chance to stroll around the lake and let the kids run free. it also has many birds to watch. it is a place to find and appreciate what you -- a wonderful breath of fresh air. come and experience in this park and enjoy the people, picnics, and sunshine. this is a lovely place to take a stroll with your loved ones. in the middle of pacific heights, on top of these hills, it offers a great square, a peaceful beauty, large trees and grass and greenery. it features tables and benches, a playground, restaurants, and tennis courts. there are plenty of areas for football and picnics. it is very much a couple's park. there are many activities you can experience together. stroll on the pathways, bring your dog, or just picnic at one of the many tables and enjoy all that it has to offer together. many couples find this is a perfect park to throw down a blanket and soak up the sun. it is a majestic place that you can share with someone you chairs. lafayette park is also easily accesse

the u.s. ada has built up a very, very strong case against him. that includes 10 of his former teammates -- 10 -- who say that they will take the stand and testify that they saw him using forbidden substances. i think he has just decided he cannot win the legal battle and would rather put it into the court of public opinion. he thinks he has a better chance to portray this as a kind of witch hunt against him. >> the agency strip him of all his titles. can they do that? >> well, monica, that is a very good question because this has never happened before. basically, what has to happen now is that the international cyclist's union has to come out and say that he is expunge from the history books, if you will -- they are taking a wait-and- see attitude. they have said they will not do anything until they hear the official justification for this. if they do strip him of the titles, it is creating a big problem because who do you give the titles to? most of the top cyclists from the era were found guilty of doping in some form, it is hard to see them han

the ada was teh first law protecting people with disabilities on the entire planet. the guided states was leading the way. now on the convention of the rights of people with disabilities, there are over 100 countries that have ratified the treaty. our leadership on disabilities is waning and we need to make sure it passes the senate, and until that is done about it needs to remain a central part of the democratic platform. it is an honor to be with you all today and to share some of these thoughts. one thing that is just so important to stress is these are only some of the issues. disability affects everyone, whether you are in a red state or a blue state, a man or woman, republican or democrat, it does not matter. when you look at transportation, it is so important. housing, so important. community living, so important. the list goes on and on, and disability issues are american issues. as you address a broad segment of issues, i hope that disability will be included as a lens. >> thank you, mark, and i wanted sensitive to our time. have noticed that it is about a l

construction of retaining walls over 4 feet and the new path for ada. in her brief, she brings up a variety of issues that she feels are grounds for an validation of this permit. we feel the majority of her issues are not related to the validity of the permit and i will leave the discussion related to the historic process and the dbi process to representatives from the planning department and building inspection. on behalf of recreation and parks department, i would like to take a couple of points. the first being as project manager, i take full responsibility for the fact that we started work without a building permit in hand. this was and administrative oversight do to a lack of communication between the project team. i do want to note the record shows that we did apply for a permit six months prior to start of construction. the plan check process had been completed, and the permit had been paid for in march. several months before the start of the project. there was a miscommunication between the contractor and the design team over who went down and pi