Street and park trees provide tremendous benefits to cities.

San Franciscans know we live in the most beautiful city in the world, a jewel on the edge of the Golden Gate.

Livable neighborhoods with a vibrant street life will stimulate our economic life as well.

As Mayor, I will lead city government, businesses, and community groups to support innovative projects that will make San Francisco streets and public places vibrant and healthy.

Involvement in the arts engages kids in their community, improves self-esteem, reclaims at-risk youth, and builds the creative skills that are required of a 21st century workforce.

As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public art that is daring and, when appropriate, daringly traditional.

We recognize that the arts are an essential part of San Francisco's cultural vitality.

There's something called CEQA in California - NEPA at the federal level. There's indigenous lands and autonomies relating to governance on those lands. There are all kinds of obstructions as it relates to just getting zoning approval and getting building permits.

San Francisco has long been a leader in the arts, nurturing generations of painters, sculptors, poets, novelists, playwrights, film-makers, and performing artists and innovators of every kind.

As Mayor of San Francisco, I will work hard to ensure that, in the event of natural or man-made disasters, San Franciscans are prepared and our City is protected.

Take responsibility. Step up and step in. Because at the end of the day, folks, we are our behaviors.

If Wikileaks didn't resolve that question for folks - at the end of the day, there are no secrets. We're living in a glass neighborhood, in a fishbowl, and technology, white hat hackers, the folks that are doing the right thing with hacking.

I have differences of opinion within my own family, an Irish Catholic family. So, I do respect those that disagree.

The people that are serving you gas, the people that are in your restaurants serving you, the firefighters, and police officers are members of the gay and lesbian community. They're members of our broader community.

You only get one chance in this thing called life. I know that is a bit maudlin and obscure, but it's a fact, and you can make a profound difference in people's lives without having a title in front of your name.

San Francisco lags behind other communities in providing a vital, vibrant and ecologically sustainable urban canopy, as well as open space in the city.

If you're not open, you're not transparent, you're still holding on to vaults of information, you're not going to build that trust.

There's a secret sauce in California, and I hope people pay attention to it.

The value of an arts education is widely accepted, especially in California.

Accessing capital to start a business can be a daunting process, especially for entrepreneurs who start out with a great idea, but have no real familiarity with the business world.

I don't know many better training grounds than being mayor of San Francisco - those were pretty intense years in terms of reporting and scrutiny.

There was a lot of hype about social media in President Obama's first campaign. It was important, but it wasn't as important as I think people let on.

The 21st Century has begun as an era of uncertainty, with a heightened focus on security and public safety.

Cultural tourism surveys consistently rate San Francisco's art industry as a core reason for visiting.