There islassic everywhere. We had to reduce our exposure. We washed our gear more often, we didnt take gear where we were eating or sleeping. We started decontaminating ourselves at the fire scene after the fire was out. Going back to the fire station and then taking a shower. I have taught, worked on the decontamination policy to be sure that gets through. It is not if or when. It is who is the next person. It is like a cancer sniper out there. Who is going to get it next. One of the things i love about the Fire Department. It is always a team effort. You are my family. I love the city and department and i love being of service. I vow to work hard to work hard to carry out the vision of the San FranciscoFire Department and to move us forward in a positive way. If i were to give a little advice to women and queer kids, find people to support you. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying. You never know what door is going to open next. You really dont. [cheers and now it is time to introduce our two emcees, our two little elves, sam and jess. Where are you . Hi, everyone. Dont you all look great. We are so excited to be here. We are so excited. It is my very first Tree Lighting ever. We are from the north pole official Tree Lighting committee my name is pippin i have been working for santa for 313 years. And today, this is blues very first christmas Tree Lighting. It is anybody else first christmas Tree Lighting . Oh, my gosh. Your first one, too. This will be so exciting. Are you ready . [cheers and applause] before we start anything, we have to do our if you want to do stretches with us, you can go ahead and stand up and follow along. We have to do our stretches to prepare for the christmas Tree Lighting. You can go ahead and stand up or adjust to it while you are sitting down. Whatever works for you. Here we go. Snowflake. Stir the cocoa. Stir the cocoa. Stir the cocoa. Candy canes. Toboggan. Finally, sugarplum fairy. Christmas. That was good. We are all warmed up. You guys were great. I feel ready. Do you feel ready . Wonderful. Before we begin tonight, a big thank you to the civic centre c. B. D. Off the grid and the Parks DepartmentParks Department for planning tonight s event. [cheering] and to our artistic director and his amazing lineup of performers [cheering] and a big special thank you to the Christmas Fair. The Christmas Fair runs every weekend now until december 22nd at the palace. Enter the winding lanes of victorian london and immerse yourself in the world of music calls, theatres, pubs, dance parties and charming shops overflowing with holiday treasures. Discover holiday revelry for the imagination of Charles Dickens and the saucy world of the victorian stage. It is a fantastic journey back in time celebrating the most magical time of the year. Christmas oh, boy. Im so excited. Are you . Yes. All right. Wow. It is really pretty here. It is. It sure is. Where are we . We are in beautiful San Francisco. It might not be as snowy and white as the north pole, but it seems like people around here get into the holiday spirit. In fact, hit it. [ ] [singing] [singing] [singing] you look great. [ ] wawa. Wow. [ ] oh, boy. [singing] [singing] [singing] thank you. Wow. Thank you so much. How do you say we get this Party Started . I think we should. It is time to introduce our very first performer tonight. Get ready. The tap dancing Christmas Tree will show us some moves. Over the past 29 years, the tap dancing Christmas Trees have performed in americas holiday parade, the nile parade, the napa valley parade, the Hollywood Christmas parade, and will be returning once again to the palm springs festival of lights parade. Their fifth appearance in may sees parade in new york in 2016 featured them with the muppets. Wow. Welcome them to the stage, the Christmas Tree tappers. [cheers and applause] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Merry Christmas [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] i beg you, open your eyes. [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [cheers and applause] wow. Wasnt that phenomenal . Lets give it another round of applause for the Christmas Tree tappers. They can really dance. Before we keep going tonight, we would like to give a big special thank you to tonights sponsor. Redwood credit. They have a beautiful new branch a few blocks away from here. And we have a number of redwood folks here tonight, as well as the banks mascot. Thank you for sponsoring tonight s festivities, especially santas maker village and our next acts are the poet athletes of america scores. These students usually come to civic centre in their soccer jerseys to play in their weekly soccer game, but not today. Today they are wearing their finest holiday sweaters. They made them themselves. Our young poets come from americas scores program. The Civic Centre Plaza is there homefield. They usually play for gold, but tonight is all about poetry and spreading christmas joy. Please welcome america scores [cheers and applause] my name is elin and i am from reading elementary. My name is hannah and im also a fourthgrader. My name is jordan and i am in the fifth grade. We are poets from reading elementary. [cheers and applause] we wrote personification poems. It is a type of figurative language. It is when writers turn non human beings into life forms. With these poems, we become emotion. Two emotion say or do if they were human . Let us show you. I am guilts. I wonder if people will ever forgive themselves. I hear your regrets and your doubts. I see you hiding your tears behind a fake smile. I am sorrow. I wonder if i can be cured like the flu. I hear your tears dripping on the floor as loud as ocean waves crashing onto the shore. I see you trying to i hang on to your heart. I am empathy. I wonder what would happen if i did not exist. I hear with whispers but feel them for myself so you dont have to. I am guilts. I keep you up at night. I pretend to be fine but i am not. I feel your embarrassment coursing down your veins. I touch your sorrow across your heart. I worry if i will be forgotten. I cry for you. I am sorrow. I feel your misery every second. I touch the broken heart in your body and it feels like a cracked phone bone. I worried you will abandon me just like grief. I cry because you might replace me. I am empathy. I see your cries as powerful as the ocean. I feel like i will absorb it. I hear laughs seeping into the air and you breathe me in. I want tears but smiles as well. I am guilts. I fester in your body, spreading slowly and control your being. I will not stop you from feeling me. I try to tried to stay but i cant. I am sorrow. I know you dont like me, but try to understand me. I say you should focus on sadness as much as happiness. I dream i am loved by you. I try to make myself part of your life. I am empathy. I care even when you dont. I feel your pain through the toughest times. My hands trembled when you are disappointed and my heart bursts when you are excited. My eyes widen and people grow when you feel love. I hope you remember me, but secretly i want you to let me go so you are free. I understand that you dont like me, but i will always be with you. I am sorrow and i want you to know that you need me to feel alive. I touch your sorrow and try to transform it into happiness. I cry every time you lie. I am empathy. I understand how you feel and i know how you feel and hope you depend on me for everything. We are love and we live inside each other and each of you. Emotions make you feel deeply and we make your hearts fuller. Happy holidays. We wish you to embrace this. Love, the season, and spread us all around. Thank you. [cheers and applause] [indiscernible] [indiscernible] [singing] [indiscernible] the twin going twinkling lights on the tree type of lights. They filled our streets. Once we get hit, let the fiesta begins. Food and family, culture, everybody wins. [speaking spanish] those are the lyrics to the city jingle. Can you hear it . Can you hear our song . It sounds like babies laughing and joining along. [indiscernible] bay bridge to golden gate. Everyone saying our song. Can you hear us . Like the sound of cars honking. From one block to the next, we sing with everyone from everywhere. [indiscernible] whether you wear an apron, a brown hat or a hardhat. Come on and sing with us. The city jingle will have you jingling and mingling. Can you hear it . It is pretty catchy. [indiscernible] the city jingle makes you move. Can you hear it . You can. Singalong. This city jingle can never go wrong. [cheers and applause] lets give another big round of applause. They play soccer and write poems how cool is that . All right. They are hosting an event this friday. All are welcome. For more info or to rsvp, go to their website. And now we are pleased to introduce six fabulous performers from move school. The theatre education program. They perform a medley of timeless holiday classics by classics by ervin burling. I love that one. Now playing through december 22nd at the gateway theatre. Welcome to the stage. [cheers and applause] [ ] [singing] [singing] [singing] [singing] [singing] [singing] [singing] [ ] [singing] [singing] [singing] [cheers and applause] lets give another big round of applause for moon school. [cheers and applause]. Werent they wonderful . They were so wonderful. I love all of those songs. Our next act has appeared on national and international television. They have toured internationally to england, argentina, and mexico. Ages seven, 10, 11, and 13. Here they are. The most musically talented siblings, stars aligned [indiscernible] [ ] [ ] [cheers and applause] [ ] [ ] [cheers and applause] [ ] [ ] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] all right, it is a very, very special time of night. Are we ready . I think we are ready. Oh, boy. Time to light the Christmas Tree . Are you ready to light the Christmas Tree . [cheering]. We have to get some special guests up here tonight. Are special guests include phil ginsberg, general manager of the San Francisco recreation and Parks Department, Naomi Campbell and walking torres. And our San Francisco mayor, london breed. [cheers and applause] [ ] [indiscernible] all right, everyone. It is time for a christmas countdown. Here we go. Loud and proud. We have to get our special christmas Tree Lighting plunger. It is my first time. I forgot about the plunger. Thank you so much. Dont drop it, dont drop it. There we go. For you, miss mayor. [cheers and applause]. All right. Lets get a countdown started from five,. Here we go. Do you want to come up and help . We need some people to help the mayor. Come on up. Oh, boy. We are all here. We are ready. You have to help me now. Are you ready . Are we starting from 10 . Weve got it. Lets do it. Countdown from 10. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. [cheers and applause] [ ] thank you so much for all your help. Thank you for so much for all your help, everyone. Hi, how are you . Mary christmas to you good morning, everyone. Hello. I am the site manager here as the new childs development center. [cheers and applause] it gives me so much pleasure to say welcome and thank you for being here today. For braving the rain and making it here anyway. Without further do, i would like to introduce the master of ceremony, she does not need any more introduction. Lets put our hands together and welcome the mayor of the city and county of San Francisco, mayor london breed. [cheers and applause] thank you. I am really, really excited to be here. Last year i was able to attend the grand opening of Natalie Graham commons and it was absolutely amazing. Some of you know the history of Natalie Grubb and the work that she did to help create the Tax Credit Program that allows for opportunity to invest in Affordable Housing like this one that we are standing in and her family was here. It was a great occasion. 120 families of low income are living in this property as we speak. And today, when we open this preschool, they will be prioritized for the slots in this location, which is absolutely exactly what we should be doing in San Francisco how incredible is that . [applause] so im joined here by number of great people and i like to see the young people already playing this place isnt opening until next week, but they decided they wanted to try the place out. That is why they are here today. This new transbay Child Development center is a welcome addition to this Community Thanks to the citys childcare Facility Fund and also, a special thank you to mimi and peter. Mimi here is speak a little bit later. We are so grateful for that Publicprivate Partnership that allows for an opportunity to create Amazing Spaces like this for our children to grow and to thrive. This is the third Child Development center operated by the south of market childcare. So we are appreciative of the work they are doing in this community to provide these opportunities. Highquality childcare, educational services, and free support for families in the south of market neighborhood and throughout San Francisco where we know we have so many children and families. I am really excited about the features. You all look at the beautiful colors, the tiny tables with the chairs that none of us fit in, the bathrooms, the play areas, a place that not only is very beautiful, but promotes creativity and has an incredible learning environment. On world childrens day last month, i, along with president of the board of supervisors announced that we in San Francisco are launching the child and youth friendly city initiative. We are pledging to be a child friendly city and we want to make sure that young people have a safe and healthy environment to grow and to thrive. It is time we start taking care of young people in all parts of San Francisco. It starts with Early Childhood education. Ingrid is here who is the director of the Early Childhood education for the city and county of San Francisco. Thank you for joining us. Earlier this week, under the leadership of president yee, we created a new Stipend Program called carers to. 0 to support two support the early educators because we know one of the Biggest Challenges we have is recruiting and retaining preschool teachers. I experienced this firsthand when we opened a brandnew childcare facility in west point it was promised to that community and they have such a hard time recruiting preschool teachers. We can do better. We need to do better to support the educators who are educating our children. That is why i am really excited about that program as well. [applause] but we are going to go even further. And next year we will hold a child and youth summit in San Francisco to really bring together people and experts and others to begin to have a conversation about how we do a better job as a city with taking care of not just our children, but everybodys children. Other kids who may not have those parents or grandparents or Community Members who are looking out for their best interest. We have to do a better job in investing in kids that often times are neglected and forgotten and not getting the resources that they need and deserve to grow and thrive. This is personal for me as someone who grew up raised by my grandmother in Public Housing and have seen the devastating impacts of neglect. So many of the people that i grew up with and it up, unfortunately in very different situations and i should be the norm and not the exception and so we have to commit to now, today to do a better job for our kids and it starts with our summit and the number of investments that we are making to start to support our young people early in their lives. So with that, i want to thank each and every one of you for being here. Thank you to nadine who you will hear from in a minute. The ring the Mayors Office of housing and Community Development in the office of early care and education. Mercy housing and the architects for this project, santos priest got who was instrumental in this project. It is absolutely beautiful and we are grateful. Thank you for to the contractor. Thank you to make me haas who is joining us here today who is the president of the mimi and p. But peter hoss fund. It does take a village. This village came together to make something magical happened and i am so looking forward to doing more projects like this to change what is normal in San Francisco. Having access to affordable child care for all families. Whether you are low or middle income to create to make sure kids have the kind of environments while they grow and thrive. This is just the beginning and i am excited to partner with the next speaker. President with the board of supervisors, norman he, who is ready really like the childcare king. Let me tell you. This man, when we came onto the board of supervisors together a