Archived Headlines (2002)

Archived Headlines (2002)

These are some recent headlines from the RESCUE MUNI home page. Follow the links for good info.

November 2002 TRANSFER
12/11/02: Our November newsletter is now available (pdf). Covered this time: Transbay Terminal, Caltrain Extension, City CarShare, volunteer opportunities, and more!

Dec. 2002 Runoff Results
12/11/02: The following Rescue Muni endorsed candidate was elected in District 4. Congratulations!

Fiona Ma (District 4)

Congratulations also to Bevan Dufty in District 8.

Alternate Fuels: Supervisors Require Them, Over Our Opposition
11/25/02: We submitted this letter to the SF County Transportation Authority Board (Board of Supervisors) opposing a proposed resolution on alternative-fueled buses. If you agree with us that the board should NOT pass a resolution barring Muni from buying any more diesel buses before Muni's even done with its study on alternatives,come to the hearing today at 10 am at City Hall, room 263.

Update 11/26/02: We lost this round, but we haven't quit pushing for RELIABLE service rather than politically motivated CNG buses. Thanks to Supervisor Newsom for the NO vote!

Update 12/4/02: Matt Smith of the SF Weekly has a good column on the subject. Note the PG&E connection (for you conspiracy fans).

Nov. 2002 Election Results
11/5/02: The following Rescue Muni endorsed candidates were elected. Congratulations!

Board of Supervisors:

	Gavin Newsom (District 2)
	Sophie Maxwell (District 10)

California Assembly:

Mark Leno (District 13)

State Propositions:
NO on Proposition 51 - Defeated overwhelmingly

Thanks also to endorsed candidates Roger Gordon and Tom Radulovich for a great campaign, and congratulations to all the winners!

November 2002 General Meeting 11/18/02
11/13/02: Come to our General Membership Meeting on Monday, November 18, at 6 pm. We will hear from Maria Ayerdi of the San Francisco Mayor's Office about the plans for the Caltrain Downtown Extension and New Transbay Terminal, which Rescue Muni favors. We will also vote on potential Runoff Endorsements for the December election (Supervisorial districts 4 and 8).

Important! The meeting will be at a NEW LOCATION, this time only: CITY HALL, room 421. Take Muni lines 5, 19, 21, 47, or 49, or Muni Metro/BART to Civic Center. City Hall also has ample bike racks outside.

Rescue Muni Endorsements
11/2/02: Rescue Muni endorses the following candidates:

Board of Supervisors:
(No endorsement was made in District 4.)

	Gavin Newsom (District 2)
	Roger Gordon (District 6)
	Tom Radulovich (District 8)
	Sophie Maxwell (District 10)

California Assembly:

Mark Leno (District 13)

State Propositions:
NO on Proposition 51

Don't forget to VOTE November 5!

Transportation for a Livable City (TLC) Party
11/2/02: Rescue Muni members are invited to celebrate the launch of the city's newest transportation and land use campaign, Transportation for a Livable City (TLC), at a free party at the Backflip Bar & Restaurant Thursday Nov. 7. Rescue Muni's Steering Committee recently voted to participate in TLC's actvities (though not necessarily to endorse all TLC policy recommendations); a Rescue Muni representative will sit on TLC's board.

The party celebrates the release of TLC's landmark publication, The Path to a Livable City, a beautiful 48-page vision of improved transportation choices, streets reclaimed as vibrant open space, and more livable neighborhoods with more housing and less traffic. President of the Board of Supervisors Tom Ammiano will welcome TLC to the city's landscape, and TLC Executive Director Dave Snyder will share TLC's vision.

Date: Thursday, November 7, 2002
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Location: Backflip Bar & Restaurant, 601 Eddy St. at Larkin St.

The party is free! Program begins at 7:00. Light refreshments and no host bar provided. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. Bring a friend!

Valet bicycle parking provided. Muni routes #19 and #31. Or walk six blocks from Market St. up Larkin Street.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Heather Thomson.

Car-Free Day Photos
9/26/02: San Francisco's first Car-Free Day was on Friday, September 27. The Bicycle Coalition has photos, and also photos of the Car-Free Party held with our co-sponsorship the Friday before. Thanks to all who attended!

Muni Riders, Employees: It's Better
9/19/02: Muni announced the results of its annual survey and found that more riders (57%, up from 48% in 2001) find service to be good or excellent, and more employees (89%) were satisfied with their jobs. This was consistent with our annual survey results. Read about it in the Chronicle and Examiner.

Rescue Muni Endorses Four Candidates For Supervisor
9/10/02: Rescue Muni held a well-attended Candidates' Forum last night (9/9) and announced the endorsement of the following four candidates:

Gavin Newsom (District 2 incumbent - endorsed early)
Roger Gordon (District 6)
Tom Radulovich (District 8)
Sophie Maxwell (District 10)

No endorsement was made in District 4. Thank you to all who attended - particularly all candidates!

Car-Free Party 9/20/02
9/13/02: Rescue Muni members (and others!) are invited to the first annual Car-Free Party, on Friday, September 20, from 6:30-10:30 pm, at 26 Mix (3024 Mission at 26th St) in San Francisco. Great music, drink specials, snacks, raffle prizes,and great people! Celebrate San Francisco's firstCar-Free Day, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, and San Francisco's transit-first policy.

Directions: Take BART to 24th St or Muni's 14-Mission or 48-24 St lines, or ride your bike. (Car parking NOT included.)

General Meeting and Candidates' Forum 9/9/02
8/12/02: We are planning to hold our annualBoard of Supervisors Candidates' Forum for districts 4, 6, 8, and 10 on Monday 9/9/02. The forum will be at SPUR (312 Sutter, 5th floor) at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served!

Note that the members endorsed Supervisor Gavin Newsom for District 2 at the General Meeting on 7/24/02. In addition, the Steering Committee voted in August to recommend endorsement of Sophie Maxwell for District 10; this will be subject to member ratification at the forum.

Schedule:
6:20 Joel Ventresca (4)
6:30 Michael Sweet (6)
6:40* Sophie Maxwell (DISTRICT 10 incumbent; recommended for endorsement by
Steering Committee - may need to cancel)
6:50 Tom Radulovich (8)
7:00 Eileen Hansen (8)
7:10 Barry Hermanson (4)
7:20* Chris Daly (incumbent-6 - invited)
7:30 Roger Gordon (6)
7:40 Andrew Lee (4)
7:50 Gavin Newsom (already endorsed- District 2)
8:00 Fiona Ma (4)
8:10 Ed Jew (4)
8:20 Ron Dudum (4)
8:30 Bevan Dufty (8)

Questions for Candidates (to be discussed today) are also available.

July 2002 TRANSFER
7/24/02: Our latest newsletter is now available (pdf), with full report of Muni Riders' Survey results and why Muni should NOT adopt Compressed Natural Gas buses. Print out and read!

General Meeting 7/24/02
7/13/02: The next General Meeting will be on Wednesday, July 24, 2002, at 6 p.m. Our guest will be Muni Director Michael Burns- come prepared with your detailed questions about Muni operations and service planning! We will also vote on a Steering Committee resolution to make an early endorsement of Gavin Newsom (District 2) for Supervisor.

The meeting will be at SPUR (312 Sutter), 5th floor. Refreshments will be served.

2002 Muni Riders' Survey Results
5/29/02: The results are in and Muni service is better this year, with 14% of riders delayed (grade "B"). Delays have been cut in half since 1998. Read the press release or the fact sheet (please excuse the bad html), or check out the slides (PowerPoint). Full report is in the July newsletter.

General Membership Meeting Tue. 5/28
5/28/02: Our General Membership Meeting is on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. at SPUR (312 Sutter). The agendawill include Duncan Watry of Muni Capital Planning, discussing Muni's "X-Plan" and Rescue Muni's resolution on Geary Rail ; and the 2002 Muni Riders' Survey results.

March 2002 TRANSFER
3/1/02: Our latest newsletter is now available, with articles on the Muni budget, our "Phase 0" service expansion ideas, Proposition 42, volunteer opportunities, and more. Print out and enjoy! (pdf) Sorry, this TRANSFER won't save you from a fare evasion ticket.

2002 Muni Riders' Survey
3/1/02: The 2002 Muni Riders' Survey is over. Please submit your data as soon as possible!

Use our Submission Form for data you collected by riding buses and streetcars. We are now accepting data up to April 6 (we added a grace period).

If you watched vehicles go by a fixed point, please download our Observation Form (Excel), print it out, and follow the instructions. Send the completed form to [email protected] . If you don't have Excel, you can print out and mail in the pdf form.

To volunteer or ask questions about the survey, send email to [email protected]. We will need volunteers to distribute survey results in the last week of May. Thanks!

Why? Rescue Muni volunteers have measured Muni's performance for four straight years, beginning in 1997and continuing through 2001( 18.7% of riders delayed) - let's keep this tradition of objective assessment going.

RM Endorsed:
Mark Leno for Assembly; NO on 42
At our General Membership Meetingon 1/29, the members voted to endorse Mark Leno for Assembly District 13 andNo on Proposition 42.

3/6/02: Leno won; Proposition 42 passed overwhelmingly.

There was no endorsement in District 12 - Leland Yee came in first, followed closely by Dan Kelly, but neither candidate got the 2/3 vote required for endorsement.

3/1/02: In this month's TRANSFER, there weretwo articles on Proposition 42, pro and con. You can read them here if you don't have your newsletter yet. Also, the Surface Transportation Policy Project, an organization that favors expanded public transit nationwide has a skeptical comment on Prop 42 (not formally pro or con).

In addition, we voted to ratify the resolution recommending three phases of transit expansion passed by the Steering Committee in November.

THANK YOU to all candidates and members who attended!

2002 Muni Riders' Survey

3/1/02: The 2002 Muni Riders' Survey is on now. So we need YOUR help! Rescue Muni volunteers have measured Muni's performance for four straight years, beginning in 1997and continuing through 2001(18.7% of riders delayed) - let's keep this tradition of objective assessment going.

To participate, download and print out the survey form (pdf), print it out, and record how long you waited for each transit vehicle you ride in March. This is EASY to do and is the BEST way to contribute to Rescue Muni's effort. You can mail your form in, or submit it at our web site (online form coming shortly).

If you would prefer to observe vehicles from a fixed point (e.g. at an intersection of several lines), please download our Observation Form (Excel), print it out, and follow the instructions. If you don't have Excel, you can print out and mail in the pdf form.

3/10/02: The submission form is now online. Submit your data here when you have finished each form! You can also email your Excel forms to [email protected].

To volunteer, send email to [email protected]. Those of you who volunteered at the General Meeting will be contacted shortly about volunteer opportunities. Thanks!

1/14/02: The Steering Committee voted to run the Muni Riders' Survey in March 2002, IF we have sufficient volunteers. So we need YOUR help! Rescue Muni volunteers have measured Muni's performance for four straight years, beginning in 1997and continuing through 2001- let's keep this tradition of objective assessment going.

To volunteer, send email to [email protected]. Those of you who volunteered at the General Meeting will be contacted shortly about volunteer opportunities.

Muni's Stakeholders Report and Service Expansion Plan
2/18/02: Muni held its annualStakeholders Report, in which Muni introduced its Service Expansion Plan, on Thursday, February 21, at 4 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors' Chamber at City Hall, with various dignitaries including Director Michael Burns, Mayor Brown, and Caltrans director Jeff Morales.Info is on SPUR's web site (they are a sponsor). Several ideas in Rescue Muni's service expansion plan (resolution and article ) were represented in Muni's draft. To get a copy, contact Darton Ito at Muni.

General Membership Meeting
and Assembly Primary Candidates' Forum,
1/29/02, 6 p.m.
Come to our General Membership Meeting at 6 pm Tuesday 1/29 at SPUR and hear what's up with Rescue Muni, including a call for volunteers for the Muni Riders' Survey, and vote for your favorite candidates for Assembly! Rescue Muni's board has voted to recommend endorsement of two candidates in boldbelow. Confirmed candidates are:

Assembly District 12: Leland Yee, Dan Kelly
Assembly District 13: Mark Leno, Harry Britt

The Steering Committee also voted to recommend a No on Prop. 42 (transportation funding initiative that favors highways) endorsement. Members will be asked to ratify or reject this position as well.

RM's Official Policy on Service Expansion
1/8/02: Rescue Muni's Steering Committee unanimously passed a resolution recommending three phases of transit expansion in November. We also have a detailed article summarizing our position. See also the Service Expansion Committee draft maps in the Service Expansion Committee archive.