Rescue Muni

Nobody likes to pay extra for parking, but Rescue Muni applauds the SFMTA for taking the hard steps to expand meter coverage to commercial areas around San Francisco to help cover the increasing cost of running Muni, and taking comments at Friday’s administrative hearing. San Francisco voters have repeatedly approved the Transit-First policy that clearly makes mass transit and alternatives to cars the top priority for the SFMTA – and in difficult economic times like this, expanded meters (and expanded meter hours) are a very good way to raise revenue to prevent service cuts, and also to promote higher turnover in commercial corridors. SF Streetsblog also has coverage.

If you agree that expanded parking meters are a better solution than service cuts (understanding that Muni also needs to get its fiscal house in order, hence the Fix Muni Now amendment on the streets now), contact the SFMTA Board and tell them you support this plan!

Lost in all the election coverage last night was the 46%-54% defeat of Proposition C, a charter amendment splitting appointments to the Film Commission; six members would be appointed by the mayor and five by the Board of Supervisors. Currently all members are appointed by the mayor.

Proposition C had barely any opposition; the only argument filed against it was a screed by Republican Central Committee member and perennial ballot-argument-writer Terence Faulkner. Even the mayor’s staunchest allies on the board supported the measure.  And yet this nearly-unopposed proposition went down to defeat by eight points last night.

The message couldn’t be clearer: San Franciscans aren’t interested in expanding the powers of the Board of Supervisors over city boards and commissions.  While such measures have sometimes succeeded in he past, if a split-appointment measure, for a commission hardly anyone pays attention to, can’t win, it’s clear the public is no longer in mood for this sort of thing.

Recently, several supervisors proposed a charter amendment which not only splits appointments to the SFMTA Board, but expands the supervisors’ power over Muni in whole slew of ways beyond the split board.  It should be obvious from last night’s election results that, if such a measure is placed on the November ballot, it’s dead on arrival with the electorate.  Voters who won’t let the supes appoint a minority of commissioners on the barely-noticed Film Commission aren’t about to give them a whole Christmas tree of new powers over a high-profile agency with which San Franciscans interact almost every day.  A doomed campaign to pass such an amendment would serve only as a prolonged distraction from the pursuit of real, viable solutions.

It’s time for the supervisors to read carefully the results from last night and shelve the Campos/Chiu/Avalos amendment.  Voters already rejected—by a 29-point margin—one effort in 2005 to split SFMTA Board appointments 4-3 between the mayor and supervisors respectively; the idea that they’ll approve a grossly overreaching, wide-ranging takeover of the agency by the supervisors is fantasy. Whatever the SFMTA’s problems, increased control by the Board of Supervisors is not among the solutions, and even if it were, the public clearly isn’t buying.

It’s time for supervisors and transit activists alike to stop this pointless tinkering with how the SFMTA Board is appointed and divert their time and energy to constructive solutions which put SFMTA on a sound financial footing to preserve and make reliable existing Muni service, and to grow the system into the one envisioned by the Transit Effectiveness Project.

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It shouldn’t be a surprise to long-time observers of the agency, but today’s audit of the SFMTA by the Budget Analyst of the Board of Supervisors highlights some of the most inefficient work rules raising Muni’s costs. Specifics include strict limits on the use of part-time employees, daily instead of weekly overtime, and financial incentives to call in sick or otherwise take time off, causing the SFMTA to have an extremely high rate of unscheduled absences (15%). And, though it does not take a position on the Fix Muni Now amendment, the report highlights the Prop A wage floor that makes it impossible for the agency to bargain wages for work rule reforms.

SF Streetsblog has a detailed analysis, as does the SF Weekly. You can read the full report on Streetsblog, and the SFMTA’s response on its website.

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We would like to thank everyone who was able to come out to our general membership meeting last Tuesday. We had a packed room with both our membership and TWU members coming out to listen and ask questions.

Irwin Lum and Rafael Cabrera of the TWU sat with Alexander Volberding from Eslbernd’s office and Jillian Gillette from SPUR to discuss issues and ideas about Eslbernd’s proposed amendment to the city charter. Rescue Muni chair Andrew Sullivan moderated.

There were many questions asked and each party was allowed time to let their side answer.  One of the main topics of the night was Prop A (2007), which we supported at the time. The TWU felt that the voters had already spoken when they passed the salary floor formula allowing Muni workers to automatically get paid the floor of wages based on the top two paying transit agencies in the nation, and that most drivers never saw the performance bonuses outlined in the proposition. Alex and Jillian stated that there was no way that the wage schedule put forth in Prop A would be sustainable, and that the performance bonuses and MOU should be negotiated to give riders a better value.

We also discussed not-outs, lack of equipment versus lack of drivers, concerns over if the TEP actually helps or hurts the system, Muni overtime hours and how many drivers earn over $100k versus the number of managers who do, and other sources of tax revenue.

If you couldn’t make the meeting, you can still help improve Muni! If you haven’t signed Elsbernd’s petition, signature gatherers are out on the street. You can find out where to sign over at FixMuniNow.com.

Update: SPUR has more on this in today’s Examiner.

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You’d think expanded transit would be good for your neighborhood. Not Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who yesterday moved to block a study of extending the popular historic streetcar to Fort Mason, a project that would provide much needed transit options to Marina residents and visitors alike.

This project, which Rescue Muni supports, would extend the streetcar through the Fort Mason tunnel and provide rail service to the Marina and the western half of Fisherman’s Wharf. It would also make possible a future extension of historic streetcar service to the Marina Green and possibly the Presidio, as recommended by our Service Expansion committee nine years ago.

If you disagree with Supervisor Alioto-Pier’s claim that this project is “a monster without a head” and would like to see it funded, and particularly if you live in District 2 (Marina and Pacific Heights), please write to her office!

Update: Market Street Railway has a detailed comment.

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