Separate inherently is not equal. There's a reason why $45 million was spent against marriage equality. It's because people understand the word does have meaning. And equality comes when we accept the same notions and the same institutions for everyone, regardless of race and gender and regardless of sex orientation.
Do what you think is right, because one damn thing is an absolute, certainly: We come and go. Politicians are a dime a dozen.
It's nature-nurture, right? I've been nurtured by Californians.
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 tech genie is out of the bottle; you can't put it back in.
At the end of the day, there's not a day that goes by without a mass shooting.
We do not have the right to discriminate against people.
City government can and must help San Franciscans prepare for emergencies in order to avoid tragedy where possible and minimize loss of life and property when emergencies occur.
We recognize that the arts are an essential part of San Francisco's cultural vitality.
Do I support a driver's license for everybody? The answer is yes.
I have differences of opinion within my own family, an Irish Catholic family. So, I do respect those that disagree.
The whole idea that the Constitution of the United States would be used to advance a political agenda is absurd.
Street and park trees provide tremendous benefits to cities.
Separate is not equal. Civil unions are civil unions. Marriage is marriage. They're different institutions.
A mistake that a lot of us have made, related to those who advocate for gun safety legislation, is that we try to process it through our legislative bodies, and that's where the NRA's strength lies.
Government doesn't have to come up with new killer features on its own. It has to step aside and let others come up with them.
I'm much more optimistic about this next generation because this is the first global generation.
My mother - it's not one of those waxing-poetic kind of things - she literally worked two or three jobs most of her life. So I personally experienced that, even though I had these great friends and associations who had unlimited amounts of money. That juxtaposition was an interesting one.
Cultural tourism surveys consistently rate San Francisco's art industry as a core reason for visiting.
An arts education helps build academic skills and increase academic performance, while also providing alternative opportunities to reward the skills of children who learn differently.
I did not love reading, spelling, math and science. I struggled. I was a terrible speller.
San Franciscans know we live in the most beautiful city in the world, a jewel on the edge of the Golden Gate.
You've got to change incentives for good behavior as opposed to just disincentivizing bad behavior.
Society becomes how we behave.
Guys like me don't necessarily progress very far, which is fine.
California is a bellwether state. California was the first state in the United States to overturn the laws against interracial marriage. It took 19 years for the rest of the country to come around to that point of view.
I made bad decisions. That being said - the question is, does the public care about that?
San Francisco lags behind other communities in providing a vital, vibrant and ecologically sustainable urban canopy, as well as open space in the city.
I've never been a fan of pretense or procrastination. After all, our state is defined by its independent, outspoken spirit.
I have a very successful father-in-law and family with very different political views.
Livable neighborhoods with a vibrant street life will stimulate our economic life as well.
As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.
Government can do best by simply getting out of the way.
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.
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.
Like any small business owner, I experienced the pressures of building a company from the ground up - developing a business plan, balancing the books, meeting payroll and building a customer base.
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.
No-Drama Obama? Yeah, that's not me.
There's a secret sauce in California, and I hope people pay attention to it.
As mayor of San Francisco, I will provide the vision and work hard to make San Francisco a beautiful, well-planned city with excellent housing and transportation options.
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.
You don't have to be something to do something.
People don't have to agree with me. They can say, 'My gosh, I can't believe I'm listening to this guy. I can't disagree with him more.' But at least they know that I'm going to fight for things that I believe in. And I don't need to be in formal office to do that.
During the 1990s, San Francisco lived through one of the most intense economic booms of its history.
Good people can disagree.
Even if Donald Trump's successful, it's the beginning of the end if this rhetoric persists in the Republican Party.
I will negotiate with my worst enemy.
It was difficult to realize, 'I'm lieutenant governor.' And Brown appropriately reminded me of that.
People always thought I'd never get elected outside San Francisco; I was always more worried that I'd never get elected again inside San Francisco.
