City and County of San Francisco Tuesday, September 04, 2012
please read the roll. director lee? >> present. >> director nolan.
>> director ramos is anticipated. Director rub ke? >> present.
>> directors, just so you know, director bridges is not
going to be with us. Announcement of prohibition of sound producing devices during the meeting. Anyone with one going off May be asked to leave the meeting.
No. 4, approval of the minutes. >> motion to approve. >> is there a second? >> second. >> a member of public has indicated they are interested in addressing the matter. >> no one? >> yes.
>> directors in favor say aye? >> aye.
>> item 5, communications, director, please be advise
there had will be no closed session today.
>> also, members of board of
directors and ladies and gentlemen, a body mechanic died
while at work in the upper yard.
he was -- 73 years old and an employee for 33 years and he was recognized by his
colleagues and friends a tireless worker and took great pride in keeping our fleet both clean and reliable.
He was a proud member of local
1414 and known to all as outgoing man of cheerfulness
and mentoring staff. With that we'll adjourn today's meeting in his memory. Any other communications?
>> no, Mr. Chairman, no other communications. Item 6, introduction of new or unfinished business by board members.
>> I did want to something up.
I read an article in the examiner this morning that
talked bay dui checkpoint that the sfed pd did this weekend and I know our police department has received awards
from the state for their dui
efforts and I thought this one
was fascinating, 8 of cars, and
13 additional infractions so that brings, by my math to 25% of the vehicles that they
stopped had something going on, something wrong. And so I just wanted to call attention to that, because it really does highlight how important it is for us to support them in those efforts and what a good job they are
doing and I believe they have another one coming up in north beach.
>> where exactly is that, cheryl? >> north beach, Chairman, nolan, be careful. [Laughter] >> that is all, thank you. >> other members of board, new or unfinished business? Seeing none.
>> item 7, directors' report.
>> good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
Members of board and members of public and staff, I have a
number of things to cover today, but happy as always to
start for the first meeting of the month by recognizing some of the folks who are doing the
good work of the mta, and I
want to start with some members. This is a team recognition,
team of folks who crossed a few
different divisions within the
agency at on accessible services and communication and
so I would like to ask the
following to step forward.
Matt west, our accessibility
coordinator, kate torran or
paratransit coordinator and lou
feliciano our transit communication margin. I'm not sure I is a lulu, but we have three of the four here
and what we're recognizing this
group for is the professor of muni series of videos that I'm
sure you have all watched
numerous times.
These were requested by the mac, multimodal accessibility committee, but they have adopted to the broader scope of
the mta with the rest of us. There were four different videos that they made.
They were written and cast by matt, [Tpa
-eufpbld/] Edited filmed and edited by kate and
there were a number of other mta employees that participated and these were put out in
advance of the July 1st to make sure there was good information
or to compliment the
information that was going out there. And I think we're going to play
a little bit, just a highlight for anyone who was sorry enough
to have missed this.
[Music] [Music]
[Applause] >> good.
>> an now come travel with us
as we visit that bastion of brain activity, the
world-famous muni labs. Hello there, professor muni at muni labs where the future of
transit is being made everyday. Let's look at muni's new all door boarding policy. >> we're going into the rear
of the bus, hello, hang on, sorry.
Hello, no, not there either. Yes.
This is judie.
what are you doing judy? What
are you doing judy? What are
you doing judy?
Oh, no it's jerry. Jerry rides muni, too, but boarding never goes fast when
he is around.
[Music] [Music]
[Applause]
I want to stress my resemblance
to anyone here, including
namesakes of board members are completely inadvertent. I'm sure commissioner jerry is a fine [Tr-pts/] Rider.
I want to note that we had a
very modest budget for this endeavor.
The budget was zero.
And it was delivered within budge. So not a penny of mta funds went to this. It was really just the initiative and the love and the
time of the four people
standing up here and lulu has
now joined us and I will note
also one of our cac members is
here also had a camo that you May have seen in at least one
of the videos.
This was picked up, these
videos by numerous media outlets.
My notes say it was a viral
sensation, and it was all because the initiative of these four on their own time to put something together that was
both fun and informative and
helpful. So with that, congratulations. >> thank you.
[Applause]
>> if any of you would care to say a few words?
>> on behalf of our creative team, oscar award-winning team,
I want to thank the board and directors for giving us the
opportunity, as well as annette
williams who trusted our
instincts in pushing this. i have to say that the team
worked offhours after an
outreach meeting and just threw these ideas together, having coffee and I think the best
ideas come out of these coffee breaks. Thank you. >> I just want to say thank you very much. I think it's safe to say that
none of us receiving this award
today are expecting a call from
the academy of motion pictures
arts and sciences come oscar time. [Laughter] I have to say working in the marketing
department is a job I love
dearly and I'm fortunate that
my job allows me to work across
the numerous divisions and it's dedicated and gifted people like matt west, kate, torran and lulu that I work were on a
number of occasions that really makes me feel proud to be part of this project and to realize that we do have within our halls some of the best and brightest people in this city. Thank you. >> on behalf of the of the board of directors and people
of san francisco, thank you for this creative contribution for making this system work so well.
[Applause]
>> thank you.
>> next we have a couple of individuals from the transit
division, some people refer to as muni.
and I would like is to ask Mr.
John haley to come forward.
Along with olivero valley and
Mr. Valley has been with us for more than 33 years, 28 of which
have been in the cable car division.
Working for 23 years as an
accomplished grip man and if
anyone has ridden on cable cars
can attest to the fact that
doing that for 23 minutes is probably difficult enough for
most human beings and so doing it for 23 years is certainly impressive.
Just an outstanding record with muni and the mta, excellent
safety record and no avoidable
accidents in last 15 years. Past five years he has been
working at pal and market turn
table as an ambassador assisting patrons, as well as his fellow crewmembers.
Probably one of the most visible ambassadorial positions we have in mta. He is a great role-model for
his colleagues in terms of [O-ufrplgts/] Attendance also
in the years and his customer service skills are known to be exceptional. He told me he specialty many, many years on the california
line and known as mr.
california.
Which I think speaks a lot
about his customer service skills. No complaints, only accolades
from the public for his great
years of service at cable car.
also, we have sun go, who is an electrical transit mechanic who currently works out the green
division, which is most of our light rail fleet runs.
He is the running repair and defects guy. So when there is
a problem on a vehicle out
there, and those that haven't gone through the overhaul program have those problems he is one of the first guys out there to get the train back in service or to get it safely is offline, so the service can continue.
He is one of the first to
volunteer, to take on any challenge.
That we or our equipment throws
at him. extremely dependable, reliable,
and a self-starter, which are qualities that we certainly need given the age of our fleet
and the complexity of our system. Excellent workmanship, produces high-quality repairs such that once he is done touching the
vehicle, it's going to stay in service thereafter, which is what we need. I want to thank both of you for
your great service and serving
as role-models for mta and muni. >> Mr. California, as anybody
who rides the cable cars regularly, despite the terrific
video you just saw, I think it's hard.
Cable car folks take a back
seat to no one when it comes to
entertainment. So having a distinguished record.
sonny have tools will travel, regularly see him on the
platform out in various places and he has one of the most
challenging jobs in the system
to respond and get one crack, one bite the apple.
Try to make a repair, keep a vehicle in service or move it,
so we can get the service going.
He is masterful at that. Both of them terrific attitudes and I will also say that they
are two of the heroes and
people responsible for what you
will hear from ed in a few minutes about the successful
service we ran a couple of
weekends ago around america's
cup, including reintroducing a new historical line.
I want to acknowledge tony gonzalez, the division chair. He is over there because he
does need to be re-elected and his superintendent. So this is enough said. You are on oliver.
we have been working on the speech.
>> we have been working on a 30-minute -- well, it's going to be be less than that. Thank you so much for the distinction. It's a big honor for me to accept it and let me tell you the cable car has been my passion and my family. I love the whole operation and
everybody that is part of it.
And thank you so much for the recognition. I really appreciate. It thank you.
[Applause]
>> thank you, thank you.
>> thank you and thank you everybody. >> on behalf of the board and
the entire agency, thank you so much for your outstanding service.
[Applause] >> so just while we're on the
subject of cable cars and the entertainment that our operators of the cable car bring I want to remind you
again this thursday is the 49th annual cable car bell ringing competition.
It will be at union square at noon. We'll have our professional
ringers, as well as celebrity competition.
the proceeds of which will go
to charity, and once again, comedian debby durst is the
emcee and we'll be honoring the
winner by placing their photograph into vehicles and by
getting them in front of the media and getting them some recognition for the great work that they do everyday. It's a great event. It's a good muni tradition, a
great thing for our 100th anniversary here and look forward to seeing all of you
there at noon at union square
on thursday. A few
miscellaneous items. In early April and I think we May have talked about this
briefly the sfmta in conjunction with improve sf, an initiative of the mayor's
office hold a competition to ask san franciscans to come up
with a new logo for the mta, reflecting mobility for the 21st century. we had artists who submitted
proposals and went through an online voting process and then
a jury of peer process that ended up selecting paul miller
as the winner and he is a graphic artist from method design.
It was a four-color design of
parallel lines that symbolize
many of the interconnected multimodal paths of travel. That was the thinking behind the design.
We have since -- he has been very generouswith his time and
again this is something again that cost nothing to muni or for the mta which had we done
this on our own would have cost probably quite a bit of money.
the consultants who do this kind of work can charge well
for it, but he is not only entered the contest for free,
but since worked with us to
refine it and we are now ready to soft-launch the new logo. We're just going to phase it in, because we don't want to incur any expense.
we're not going to throw out
old letterhead or old signage.
But we are ready to start
bringing this that once again for
zero cost initiative, to help
us communicate better with the public.
next something john haley made reference to. The activities of the america's cup a few weeks ago and it was a time that we did a defendant run of many of the initiatives of people plan, many of the elements of people plan that were really developed for the big events next year.
But we were able to test out a
trial of the eline which ran to fisherman's wharf.
We had the limits buses, the 40, the 43, the 47.
We had a short run of the 22.
We had 25pcos is deployed. We had pretty significant
coordination with bart and golden gate transit, presidio
shuttle, the ferris and other
regional transit provers, other
city agencies, police, fire, dpw, the coast guard, really as
the development of the plan was
the execution on this trial
week was really a great
collaboration among the city
family and the broader regional family, including federal
government agencies.
We had valet bike parking, a
lot of different transportation elements coming together to test out for the america's cup.
I would say by and large, the service went very well.
there were a lot of people and
a lot of traffic down towards the marina green, but very little in the way of complaints
or concerns. We did a debrief
the day after the last event
where we identified a number of
small issues, things that we can improve upon and adjust for the next time, but by and
large, I think a very successful effort. A lost work by a lot of people in the agency and outside of the agency to make that happen and to try to make the experience for people coming to see the cup, as well as everyone else
who is going to be in the city when it was happening, as good
as possible. So we will
continue to improve upon that the next event of the america's
cup world series is from
October 2 through October 7th, which coincides with fleet week.
It's going to be an extremely busy weekend, but we're well-served by what we learned
from the trial. So happy to report on that. And director heinicke will be
happy to hear the next report. Something he raised at the last meeting and many prior, including prior to my time here and this has to do with the
speed of the trains in the twin
peaks [Tk-upbl/]. Tunnel. And you will recall that a
while back, I don't know how long ago back, sometime a year
or two ago, because of the condition of the rail in the tunnel for safety purposes, we lowered the speed of the trains
to 15 miles per hour, so anybody coming in from forest
hill or out from castro,
noticed that the nice quick clip in the tunnel slowed to what seemed to be a crawl as
you approached or departed from
castro station. So we spent
the time using our own rail
crews to replace 5,000' of real
between castro and forest hills. we completed that work this summer. And it was done without any interruption of service.
We did it all in the overnight
hours. So it took a while. But it was done without interruption and for a pretty modest cost.
We subsequently had a licensed surveyor evaluate to the
insurer that the new rail installed was in conformance with the design. We had our safety folks out there and a number of other
folks evaluating and it looks
like the work was done well and we have since starting on that
same weekend of the america's cup, started raising the speed
limit in the tunnel. So we're now -- the trains are now 25
miles per hour as they go through the curve.
We will continue to evaluate.
We'll be taking readings on the
rail, evaluating the movement on the vehicles for the next four to six weeks and then
evaluate if we can raise it eastern further. A pretty
significant step to improve the safety and reliability of the
system, as well as just the
perception of those of us that ride through that tunnel.
And we did again without service disruption or capital outlay. So hats off to Mr. Haly and his team. A great effort andcopt have come fast enough for many of us, but the trains are now moving at a
faster speed, which I'm sure folks have noticed.
Along the lines of rail
improvements, we do have our
next church line shutdown
scheduled for March 13-17th.
It should be one of the last of
the shuts down that will more or less substantially complete
the work around church and
debost, as folks have gone
through the church and debost area will note that a large
part of that work is done.
Many of the rider amenities,
such as the better boarding areas on both sides of the sunset tunnel are in place and
being, I would say, fairly well-received. So we're pleased with that.
And something that we're
piggy-backing on, the church and debost improvements is introducing a pilot that came
out of the transit effectiveness project, which as
you know is focused on making muni service more reliable and efficient.
And what we are pursuing at the
moment is a piloting of the transit-only lane on church
street from 16th to the portal
at debost. So we would take the rail right-of-way which is currently open to mixed traffic, and make it transit-om, both for the j and for the 22.
We will be not only testing the transit-only concept in terms
of the travel time, but also testing some different timeframes, testing colorization of the
right-of-way to help delineate it. Also, help to delineate the many different modes that operate in that area.
it's very heavily used by bike and pedestrians. So we are working with the community. That was a big part of
developing the overall church and debost project into what it became. We'll continue to work with
them and we'll be soliciting feedback and performancing
evaluation as it goes along.
It's perhaps one of our first
pilots of the tep, a good --
kind of a good segway from the church and pebost rail project
which was also about rail reliability primarily to further improve service through that area. So pleased to see that moving forward. And that concludes my report.
>> thank you, director reiskin.
members of board, comments?
>> I had the pleasure of
attending community meetings for the tep pilot project and I just wanted to say that the staff did a really good job presenting the pilot program to the community that was there and substance keptly I just heard a lot of really great
things from people who use that
corridor, transit riders, bikes, pedestrians. I think people are really looking for the record to seeing how this works and this is really an example of the fact that we're moving forward with our mission statement, which is great transportation for a great city and I think this is going to be a really interesting project. We have so many transit lanes that need that kind of passive enforcement. So many times the drivers honestly have no idea they are in a transit lane. So I think this is going to be a really
good first and since malcolm
didn't chime in, I rode in the opportunity and my husband
watching the speedometer sure enough 25 miles per hour. >> my understanding is that
the rail replacement is done
and figure the highest speed we
can go in the eureka curve and
if, not a when, if we ever
raise the speed of rail work in the tunnel.
For now, the current plan is to keep the tunnel speed at 30
miles and not go back to the pre-accident speed of 50 miles, is that correct? >> thank you. Members of public?
>> yes, Mr. Chairman.
[Reading speakers' names]
>> one concern I have is about fleet week.
Two years ago I had to wait so long from the muni green to get home and frankly, I would have
hitched a ride with the blue angels, if I had a chance. It would have been a lot faster. This has to be taken into account.
You will have a lot of people
waiting for couchs and they are going to be jammed and it took an hour to get the bus out of there.
If you can enlist the blue angels, that is great. >> thank you, next speaker. >> peter witt, the last person who turned in a speaker card
for this section of the agenda. >> okay.
Good afternoon, Mr. Witt.
>> good afternoon, mr.
president.
>> is this about the item that Mr. Reiskin discussed? >> two thing has there have
concerned me about the report,
and one is special recognition award.
now I'm not up here for a special recognition award. I'm here for the greater good of san francisco, as well as
california and the bay area. And what I'm concerned mainly
about we have a creative concepts or concerns --
creative something or other --
and then at a zero cost. Well,
my friends, this is a little creative -- what is it
called? If you could correct
me?
concerns? Thousand customers surveyed every year for the last 15 years. This is what it looks like. This is the first -- I did
500 the first year in 1998. Creative concerns.
Whatever you want to call it. Creativity. These are free. I submit them.
you can put and heinicke knows all about that. The report you cannot find online anymore.
it's deleted but Mr. Heinicke said in '07 he was willing to pay extra for services in the
sunset, where he lives.
He knew that dispatch issue couldn't be addressed then in '07.
It hadn't been addressed since
'07, since 1998. >> thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> that is the last person who submitted a card for this section of your agenda. >> then no. 8.
>> item 8, citizen its' advisory council report and I
do not see Mr. Murphy here. No. 9, public comment.
>> members of the board,
probably most people here this afternoon for the taxi item and I was wondering if we could move to that and come back to the public comment afterwards. >> agreed.
>> all right. So que with call that.
>> moving to item 11, authorizing the director to
issue 150 to 200 tetchry full-time medallions for a
limited period of time to be
leased to certain color
[Skhrao-epl/]S based sleeps based on objective criteria.
>> I think the issue is somewhat straightforward.
We quite a while again it seems
engaged a consultant to undertake best practices study in a public convenience and necessity study to in part answer of question of what is the right amount of taxi cabs
in san francisco? That process has been ongoing.
It looks at this point like we're probably December/january timeframe by the time we get those results.
But in the meantime, the demands on the taxi industry
have been strong, if not increasing.
The kind of other factors at
play, such as some of the many non-taxi means of
transportation that have been proliferating, that have kind
of come into the picture since
we started this process and
given the special events and demand that seems pretty clear that we're unable to meet with
the current level of taxi
service. What we bring this
proposal forward, it had been
my desire for the last year to
not do something in advance of the public convenience and necessity study and I thought and still feel that the data will serve us best in helping
to inform a decision that will ultimately make -- however i think it's pretty clear and I did speak to the consultant who
is doing that discussedy.
I think it's pretty clear that
the shortage of supply that
people perceive will be validated in that study. The magnitude of that, I think, is an open question and I look forward to seeing the study.
but I felt given these kind of external factors, that it was
important to not wait another four or five months, but to
bring something forward now.
So what we are proposing for your consideration is the
issuance of up to 200 permits. These could be temporary permits.
they would be direct leased,
two color schemes to the taxi companies.
One of the reasons to do that
is that would be revocable if the demand profile changes or some other factors change or
depending on what kinds out in the public needs and necessity study we can make adjustments in the future.
In order for these to be kind of viable economically, that they would need to be three-year permits, but at the
end of those three years, we
would be able to not renew them or do something different at
that point in time.
We are proposing to make them
available to the color schemes,
based on dispatch performance.
Basically looking at the ratio of service calls, radio calls that they take as opposed to
just street hails as being a measure of how effectively they
are meeting that radio service demand, when people pick up the
phone and call or go through an
app, to hail a taxi, which is one of the biggest challenges that we have outside of the airport and the downtown.
It's very difficult for people to get them.
we want these permits to incentivize those companies affiliating with dispatch services that service that lesser met need the best. So
we would be proposing to allocate on that basis with
some kind of adjustment for
some normalization for size of the variation of sizes of the taxi companies that we have.
so that is the proposal that is
before you.
We did post this about a month
ago, the transportation code requires that we post notice of any consideration of something like this with 30 days in
advance, which we did.
I imagine there will be quite a bit of public comment, but that is the basis proposal for your consideration.
>> thank you, Mr. Reiskin. Members of the board?
Anything else before we do that? Okay.
>> brent johnson.
followed by tim santos and john
biterros. >> is Mr. Johnson here?
>> brett johnson. Here he comes. >> good afternoon, Mr. Johnson. >> good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
My name is brett johnson and I have been a taxi driver in san francisco for 17 years. I have been working full-time in that capacity. I am concerned about the medallion situation right now. I have been on the list for 16 years.
It took a year of driving
before the old timers talked me into going down and [Phr-ufrpg/]Ing down my money and putting my name on the list and it's what I have had to look forward to and my years of driver is one day getting a medallion and changing my lifestyle a little bit.
Not greatly, but being able to adjust myself to my now
11-year-old son, my wife and
the highlight that we like to become accustomed to is greater. There is no room for advancement in cab driving other than the opportunity to
one day get a medallion. I'm here today because at the last meeting which I was not able to attend, the pre-k medallions are now going to be
sold as part of the pilot program being made official and all the medallions being held
by the city are going to be
sold, which in effect is
pulling the carpet from under me and my fellow drivers who have been working as cab
drivers for 17 years plus.
I am wondering about these medallions that now will go to the companies. I personally have been working at luxor cab and have no problems with luxor cab and think it's the best company to work for as a leased driver like myself. They have done me right. And I am happy to see them have an opportunity to get some of these medallions as well. But I'm here today to talk
about the driver. in some of the minutes that were read just now, it sounds like the companis and the dispatch systems are being talked about as if they are the ones picking the people up and they are not. The dispatch service doesn't
pick up people. The cab driver picks up people.
Last week I picked up a psychotic patient from the
hospital who freaked out when I wouldn't let her smoke in the taxi.
I'm lucky I worked as a psych
tech in a houston hospital and I have dealt with that. >> thank you >> is that my time? >> yes, it is. >> I just wanted you to see a real cab driver and I represent hundreds of others.
thank you so much.
Tim santos. John bisteros. >> good afternoon, Mr. Is on thas.
>> hi, thank you for having me
my name is tim santos with the
company taxi magic. We are the no. 1 electronic hailing system for taxis in the united states.
We work with about 100 plus
fleets in about 100 plus cities
in the country. Working with hundreds of thousands of drivers and millions of consumers all over the country, in san francisco,
we work with luxor cab since 2008.
For more than four years, our
year over year ride brother and
growth and this is about data
continues to double, but each year our demand has vastly exceeded our supply and what we
have realized is that here in san francisco, technology like
ours can't solve all of the
problems.
Accordingly san francisco has
the highest no-show and cancellations. San francisco is widely known as the most difficult city to get a taxi.
As demand for taxis in san francisco has exceeded supply,
you are seeing new, unregulated tanki transportation and tech companies enter the market, who
are preying opinion the well-known fact it's impossible
to get a taxi in san francisco. These taxi replacement companis have introduced hundreds of new
vehicles into the city, with very little regulation, while the taxi companis have waited patiently. it's time for san francisco to
help the taxi fleets, like
luxor, meet the demand with
more cabs on the road as san francisco as a taxi-friendy city. So please add more cabs
to san francisco.
>> last year over 3.65 million
visitors came to san francisco and they contributed $525 million to the budget. Over a third of those visitors
came here to attend meetings in our hotels, business meetings in our hotels or conventions. One of the biggest complaints we received time and time again from meeting planners and convention planners and these are the folks that bring the people to san francisco and
make those decisions are that there is not enough taxi service in the city. In fact, I have received a recent letter
from one of our biggest convention planners asking what
is the city doing about this?
By adding 150 to 200 new medallions, you will be taking a great step forward in trying
to meet the demand of this
traveling segment that brings so much to the economic vitality of the city. So with
that, san francisco travel association encourages your support of the matter before you now. >> thank you.
>> next speaker.
>> barry toronto, jim gillespie, phillip ward. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon Chairman Nolan.
I am disappointed you are only giving us two minutes considering this proposal hasn't been properly vetted by the taxi industry.
I don't know when this appeared
in a town hall meeting to give you a proper recommendation on
this. Also the issue as you
in effect will become the
medallion holder you are basically making cab drivers employees of anings that is regulating the industry as well. There is somewhat of a conflict of interest there. As some of you are lawyers and have legal background should be
concerned about that.
If you get sued, due to improper workers' compensation, who is providing the workers' compensation?
It should be the medallion holder, which is you. You are the medallion holder, not the company. You are leasing it to somebody
else to run the medallion. Also, in the $3 million, $4 million you will get per year, there is nothing included about how many employees you will add to monitor the program. You have to make sure you have a couple of employees to mount
vernon monitor the program.
Also you need to alert the public about how many
medallions are going where. It's not very well explained in
and I think at the end of the
3-year period these drivers could lose their jobs.
Who is going to play for the unemployment insurance? The concern is that it would be
better to actually put out 40
to 50 new medallions. You know there is an ebb and flow in the business. Thank you. >> thank you. Next speaker?
>> jim gill [Kwr-eups/]Ie, gillespie. Phillipward. >> jim gillespie with yellow cab.
I'm here to support the staff report and for about reason. There is a large unmet demand
as all of you know for taxi cabs.
Even though yellow cab, luxor cab and desoto cab service 90%
of all the calls that come in
for taxi service, we also pick
up 95% of the paratransit. There is another 30% of calls
that come in that are never answered. And people finally hang up,
because they can't get through. And it all gets back to this
shortage of taxis and this demand. The gas and gate model we
support for several reasons.
Obviously we have better control. So in turn provide better service and it will provide more jobs. we have to -- for every cab put on the streets, you have
got to put at least four drivers into service to service that cab. So it's going to be a good opportunity for more people to work.
While at the same time, providing this good service to the city. So again, we're very supportive of this.
It's been a long time coming. a lot of studies that we know being done.
There was a study that we
recently put together and
actually been put together by a former city attorney phil ward, who I think is going to address you next and tell you about the study that we provided each of you a copy. Thank you.
>> thank you, Mr. Gillespie.
next speaker, please. Phil ward, john loewsar, kevin carroll. >> good afternoon, Mr. Ward.
>> good afternoon, my name is
philip ward.
I'm an attorney for yellow cab and luxor cab and have been
involved as an attorney and advisory since 1989.
in the report that supports this particular item, staff reached the conclusion based on
various data that there was a significant unmet demand for taxi cab services in san francisco that cannot be met by
the current size of the fleet. With my letter of August the
31st to the board and the
director of transportation, we submitted additional data, current data from yellow cab
and from luxor cab that independently updates supplements and coner firms the
conclusions reached by staff in
the report that supports this item.
if anything, there is a huge
unmet underestimated the size
of the demand and if anything, the current data through June
of this year demonstrates that that demand is literally huge
and there are more taxi cabs
needed in san francisco than even staff has identified in its report. Our data shows that telephone orders are not being met. They can't be processed.
They are lost.
Our data shows that the hails on the streets aren't meeting
my better result.
One could reasonably estimate
that 500 cabs would not be enough additional cabs to meet the demand that exists right now. In fact, the conclusions that we reached and the graphics supporting our letter supports the conclusion of an additional 700 cabs would not
be enough to meet that current
demand. Under proposition a, transportation code section 1
11 5 and the city's first policy this board is mandated
by law to meet the convenience and necessity process in san francisco. It's about time that you do it now and we appreciate your attention to the matter.
>> could I ask Mr. Ward one question? >>. >> Mr. Ward, could you just
address very briefly the concern about workers' compensation? >> can't hear you.
>> the question is about workers' compensation. All set? >> very good. >> the question -- one the comments raised earlier was about workers' compensation and I assume it's the case that
under this program the color scheme would provide the workers' compensation's coverage for the cab. Could you address that if would you like to?
>> directors, I will confirm. As is mandated under the transportation code, as well as
it has been for many, many years, yellow cab, luxor cab
and the other full service
color schemes are mandated to and do provide workers'
compensation for all gate and gas drivers. And under the proposed plan by
staff, these will be gate and gas operated medallions. Under a lease. >> very good. >> thank you.
>> next speaker. >> good afternoon.
Here I come again, this has
been since 2007s we have been
screaming for taxi cabs at my company and full service companies. We have not basis point able to address our demand for over five years now, if not longer. We are maximum capacity with our system.
We're putting up to 82 people a
day in our taxi cabs and far exceeds the national average.
Creating the ability to provide
the staff -- the metrics that
provide the staff with the paratransit, provides a reliable cab service chart.
If you had item 7 on your chart
that was sent to you, would
tell you the districts by break
buon of inadequate cab service. Have you gotten a chance to look at that? We forwarded it to you.
You can see the numbers are pretty crazy and these
passengers that are calling two and three cab companies at one
time are in competition with the smartphone apps or charging people credit card guarantees
for pick up and it's causing extensive no-go that we call
going there and nobody is there.
Our response time is 11 minutes, 48 seconds at normal time, but peak time hours it can really fall apart for us. Our city shouldn't be treated this way. Our residents of san francisco shouldn't be treated this way anymore. When we're maxed out and we have been this way for five
years, how can you not think about giving you more cabs to
put on the street? It's a slam-dunk. I appreciate all of your abilitis to create this thing and the most important
thing, this creates jobs for people. So thank you for your time. >> thank you, sir.
>> kevin carroll; martin kosinskski. >> good afternoon, I am the executive director of the hotel council of san francisco.
I also serve on the hotel transportation plan community advisory committee and I also am a resident of district 7 in san francisco.
The hotel council is a non-profit member organization
that represents over 70 hotels and 25,000 hotel rooms in san francisco. We have the pleasure of welcoming millions of visitors to our city every year. We strongly recommend the adoption of the resolution before you to expand the number
of taxis up to 200 full-time taxis.
The issue of lack of taxis is
one of the biggest concerns of hotel industry and work we have done with our members. We have worked closely with the mta and applaud your efforts to do more research to find out the true number of taxis that are needed. We have worked with
your researcher and with the taxi companies to get this answer. When a major convention or an event is in town, it becomes even worse. We do have situations where
there might be 40 or 50 people
waiting for a taxi cab at one time and for hotels outside of
the downtown corridor can get worse. Hotel guests spend money and
time out of the hotels and
across san francisco.
for every $300 spent in the hotel, $700 is spent outside in
the city with taxi cabs, restaurants, attractions and tours. Something like this that could help get more of our visitors out to be able to spend more
time and money outside of the
areas into more parts of our city will benefit us all.
we ask your hope to help our visitors, our taxi companies, businesses large and small and our residents of san francisco
by approving this resolution to add more taxi medallions.
Thank you for your time. >> martin cosinskski.
>> good afternoon, I'm a taxi driver driving for green cab. Usually I drive in the mornings. It's amazing. It seems to me that they are working in different cities for whatever reason, because when I
wock, work, I get up at 3:30
and pick up my cab by 4:30 and sometime issues wait for two
hours for the first ride and
every permit is going to make
me and people like me and other
drivers make less money.
And it's really hard to support
the family on the income of
full-time taxi drivers, around
$35,000, $40,000 a year.
I do support the peak-time
permits, which you tried in single operating permit. I think you should issue more of those.
they will be on the roads when needed.
You know, just a general comment seems like you took
20-30 million dollars out of
the industry and you haven't
invested in that industry even $1.
not in working transitions for
the driver and haven't approved any kind of service. I was part
of the group in '95, which we supported the sharing of the
dispatch data, which was greatly improved the cabs. you haven't picked that issue up and overall I'm extremely disappointed with your work.
>> thank you next speaker.
>> amy lawrence, followed by
keith rasckin. >> good afternoon;
>> ladies and gentlemen of the audience and commissioners, good afternoon.
i am shocked at the speed of which you destroying the income
of the average driver in san
francisco.
Given medallions away nonstop, only to find out the story of the income of the san francisco taxi driver -- what does he actually make?
Do you have any idea? Put it out more medallions is
fine, but san francisco has a logistics problem, and it's that gridlock and peak time that it takes place.
Why don't you stand around union square at 2:00 A.M. And watch hundreds of taxis centraling the city looking for income when there is no one around.
You are going to add 200 cabs to that? Between 2 and 6 there is no business at all. the cab firms know that, but they just collect fees. They talk a lot about service
and shortages, but what you really have is income, bribes and kickbacks. Most of the big firms in town I have worked for.
You can't get a taxi until you
pay $5 to $10 on top of regular fees. You don't talk about that, do you? You don't talk about the driver
that can't pay his bills
because for a given day he didn't make gate and gas. You talk about service. You talk about everything connected to the taxi industry. You hear attorneys coming up and telling you you are short 500 cabs.
that is all nonsense. You have a peak time problem that you can't control with your buses and you can't
control them with the limousines, but you are going
to control them with taxi cabs
thank you for your time. >> next speaker, please. >> keith rasckin.
[Applause]
[Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon.
>> good afternoon, my name is keith rasckin. So great transportation for a great city. Thank you.
I can believe in that.
my platte metaphor for the cab industry, more men, get them in there shoveling water out.
This thing is sinking quickly.
You will put 200 medallions on
and have drivers that are new, training them, along with the regular drivers that go through
and have to cover the attrition of the system. You will put 200 drivers into the system that don't know the system. Meanwhile you are taking drivers on the k list and
screwing them by telling them that drivers invested 20 years of their lives, good drivers
and telling them we will not give you a medallion. This thing is completely backwards and makes no sense. If you look it from the top-down business point of view, you are taking a drivering force and shoving them into the ground.
and the whole idea about
dispatch, now I'm a dispatcher. I have been dispatching for
years and I know the business.
I can sit in dispatch and the drivers don't take orders.
Why don't they take orders? They don't understand the system. Maybe they don't understand the language.
maybe they are working 20 hours
a day if you are not looking at the drivers you are wasting
your time with the 200 medallions.
you have to look at ut $11.5 million that. Is what we're
talking about here. $11.5 million.
>> thank you, sir.
Next speaker. >> mark gruberg. [Speaker
[Reading speakers' names].
>> good afternoon, mark gruberg with uni[Kwrao-euts/]Ed taxi workers. This is completely premature. You have commissed a study, you are spending our money on a
study and you are jumping the
gun by pre-supposing something that none of us have seen and the director has alluded to that study. If it's a public study, we deserve to see it brand new go ahead and do anything based on that study.
Now we have reference to a
private study that is being done, which none of us have seen. And I'm sure it's a self-serving document on the part of these cab companies and
we deserve to see that as well.
You can't go ahead with this on that basis. Secondly, at the last meeting,
members of this board said that
they wanted to take up the question of drivers on the list
and sounded like there was some
sympathy for doing something
like this.
This would be a preemptive
strike.
So for that reason as well, all
of this needs to be discussed
as a piece, at a single pc & n hearing and I will give you a couple of practical reasons. It says in the report there are
big events coming up in early
October. You are never going to get these cabs on the streets for those events. Absolutely impossible.
Take my word for it.
secondly, it happens to provide in the transportation code that
you can only hold one of these hearings in a 12-month period.
If you hold this hearing today,
you are precluded from holding another such hearing for 12 months and then take the report
and probably throw it away,
because it will be antiquated by that time and forget about the people on the list, because they won't have their say in it and all that will happen is the corporate welfare is that the medallions represent. Thank you. >> thank you. Next speaker, please.
[Applause] . >> ica pardinas. >> good afternoon.
>> good afternoon.
Honest to God, I cannot believe what is happening here.
I mean, this is beyond ludicrous.
All of the people on the medallion list are near 50 and older including myself. We have been waiting and waiting and waiting. The bottom line, not one single medallion should be given to
anyone, but the people who have earned these medallions. What are you thinking? You are just going to take that from me? I am looking at you.
I am looking at you, you, you, you, you and you. Really?
You are going to do that to me
and all of these other drivers have been slaving out here? I am not rich. I don't have a san francisco condo. I'm not getting over. there are hours at least four
hours out of a 12-hour shift, there is nothing.
We're just driving around in circles, ask somebody who knows
what is going on in the streets. Not the paperwork. Ask me.
Ask the driver what is going on.
think about had you go home tonight. Any metalion issued should go directly to the people waiting
for it, who have been working for, who have been slaving for it. Thank you.
[Applause] >> next speaker
[Reading speakers' names].
>> good afternoon, Mr. Kim.
>> President Of desoto cab. Good afternoon, directors.
first I want to say that I
support this legislation. I think very strongly that many
of the ills of taxi industry have been self-inflicted.
I believe that the rise of these alternative services, people who should not be picking up the public, street
land because we do not have enough taxi cabs servicing the city.
I think every metric shows this.
Secondly, I think we have done
a terrible job of how these medallions are actually being operated. Most of these medallions, yes, they are run by companies, but many of them
are leased out to third partied, brokers, individuals that are unaccountable in terms
of how they are operating the medallion. My concern is when you issue these medallions that are directly leased to companies, what objective criteria are you going to use?
Are you actually going to use real data? Or self-reported data? Are you going to make sure these medallions are run properly with the right insurances? And if they are not, are you going to take them back?
My concern is as you lease the
medallions don't exacerbate the current problems that the industry is facing. One thing that we can do is make sure
that the medallions that you issue go to companies that are really providing the services.
I am in an unusual situation with desotoa, because I have
more orders for my fleet that I
know what to do with. So
wearing my desoto hat I applaud you for rewarding companies like mine that have done these services, but I don't know if
you give them to me or yellow
or luxor or some other company
that are just brokering out the medallions to individuals? So
I ask you to look objectively at the criteria that use to
lease out the medallions. I hope as we go forward that
the majority of the medallions continue to be issued and sold to working individual drivers.
>> thank you, Mr. Kim. >> terra housman. [Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon. >> hello.
Last week when you pulled the rug from out from under the
drivers on the waiting list,
there were voices of concern among the board members that we
have to do something for those drivers soon. I suggest doing this before you
do something for those drivers soon is premature.
But I suspect you are going to
be passing this anyway. So I
would like to suggest that in
the resolution, that you change some wording.
The fifth paragraph down, which
is the second "resolved." May I suggest that you either strike
the "shall be operated with a
hybrids electric compressed
natural gas, et cetera." two possibilities.
Either strike that, because the
goal was to get 20% reduction
in the carbon footprint of the
taxi fleet.
You exceeded that tremendously.
You see that 49% reduction in the fleet by insisting over the
past few years that all cabs
-- all new cabs be hybrids.
But this has produced unseen consequences.
It's very, very difficult now for a family with three
children or people with a lot of luggage to get a cab with
enough capacity for them.
i drive a 6-passenger van, and desoto has more of them in fleet than others, but still I'm running myself ragged trying to keep up with those calls. Because we need cabs with higher capacity. And the higher capacity vans,
I'm sorry, are not hybrids. So
please either add in "and
large-capacity vehicles," or please strike, "everything shall be operate widhybrid, et cetera." from that resolution.
>> thank you.
>> dede workman, peter witt, carl russeau. >> good afternoon.
>> I'm dede workman the director of public policy for
the san francisco chamber of commerce.
I have a letter for each us, stating the clam bers' strong
support in the increase of tami medallions. The unmet demand for cabs in san francisco is well-documented and well-demonstrated. This need is only going to grow
as the citis a population grows
as our business continues it rebound and tourism increases. As anyone who visits or lives or works in san francisco will
tell you there are not enough cabs on the street and with all due respect to the drivers because I believe what they are saying about their own reality, it's true in their cases, but as a consumer, and someone who
lives here, as I do in district 9, and works in the city.
I will tell you treasvirtually impossible for me to get a cab
most of the time. So in representing the chamber, we
want to convey to you the
chambers' strong support and urge you to increase the number of medallions. >> thank you.
Next speaker. >> peter witt. >> good afternoon, Mr. Witt.
>> with all due respect to the chamber of commerce, mostly impossible. What does that mean?
We do have a dispatch mandate.
I would like to know whatever happened to it?
you have. It by the way, bought, sold, hook, line and sinker without data. You have no data. This is a biased report by staff.
Here is a report by staff --
of that? Peak times. Peak times it goes and goes.
where is the data on that? Really, creative contributions,
that is the word I was looking for.
I have been giving you creative
contributions in the form of 1,000 customer every year for the last 15 and that also includes visitors. This current data that you are
doing doesn't include visitors.
not one visitor. The hotels as far as you are concerned cab-sharing might be
an answer at peak times.
When every wants any one thing at the same time, guess what? It's hard to get.
In new york, when it rains in rush hour, there is a thing called the "change of shift." they call it something else too, but I forget the term right now. A change of shift. What are you going to do about
that? By the way, what is this
temporary full-time medallion?
What is a temporary full-time medallion? I never heard of anything in my whole life. It's absurd. It's biased. It's staff-related and an in-house report. That is with a we had last time.
excuse me. So we had last time. When malcolm was in '07, remember?
Your first and only pc & n hearing.
>> thank you, next speaker. >> carleau. >> thank you.
I have been a leased driver in
this town since 1995. My question to mta, are you trying to kill off the leased
driver?
Are you trying to starve us out
of existence? There is not
enough time to study what you released and now you are talking about 200 around the clock cabs possibly. It doesn't make any sense.
At the same time you are doing
this, you are allowing sleazy,
shady fake cab companies to
proliferate on the streets
while as my colleagues have
said are driving for hours. I just don't see how we can
continue like this and I'm speaking for myself, but it
seems to me the mta is pushing the drivers to strike. You are pushing us to strike. Thank you. >> thank you, sir. next speaker, please.
Lynn van winkle. David silverglide, carl mcmuredo. >> I'm here on behalf of the
of the golden gate restaurant association and over 100-member
locations within the bay area. We strongly support the proposal to increase the number of taxi cabs in san francisco.
The difficulty in finding taxis directly impacts the ability
for residents and travelers to patronize our member restaurants. Hospitality is our no. 1 industry in san francisco. Part of being hospitality is helping people get to where they need to do when they need to get there. Additional taxi cabs would certainly help in that regard. Thank you. >> thank you.
Next speaker, please. >> david -- he is not here for that. He is here for another item.
[Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon.
>> thank you, Mr. Nolan. Directors, I sent an email yesterday, maybe you got it.
I suggested that you might want
to defer your decision for one meeting until September 18th,
to consider make something amendments.
In the vernacular, the term [Tkpho-lg/], I am confused.
I this these are quasimedallion categories rather than medallions. So that is one amendment you could clean up the language.
Also, I think you should stipulate that there will be a maximum percentage of such permits as compared to the
number of medallions, like 10%. I mean, notwithstanding slippery slope and conflict of interest concerns, I do think
it makes sense to have some
flexibility built in and to
stabilize the companies with company-operatored medallions,
even though as the permit
holder -- and the other thing,
the people on this medallion waiting list, the language in
the regulation you passed last time, the legislation said that you May issue rather than you
will issue or shall issue medallions to the waiting list.
i think you need to to come back at the next meeting and be definitive as to what your plan is. I don't think it's difficult [Skp-ept/] For the difficulty in making the decision itself.
I do think if you are going to
issue something like 150
permits of this nature, you
should also issue 50 as a measure of good faith to the people on the waiting list and define what the plan s. I will say quickly there is a
recession of sorts, the
sidewalks do roll up at certain
hours on week needs and on the euberissue to explain will your plan is. [Applause] >>
[Reading speakers' names] Dave haly, former medallion holder.
I keep thinking that I will
write my novell, but I come
here and you give me better
stuff than I can think of myself. You could give these to people
on the west and I'm sure john
lozar could give them to individual drivers.
basically most of what you are
listening to is fiction of one kind or another. It's actually very slow right now and by time these
medallions will be in winter
and at which case there will be
far too many cabs on the streets. there is no reason you should
be pushing this forward without talking to Mr. Hara.
I talked to him and indicated he might be putting cabs on the
street, but able to do it in a scientific manner rather than
the old method of back-door politics. You have really given yourselves a really bad reputation over the last couple
of months as an organization that pays no attention whatsoever to the drivers and
puts on these events as a farce.
I suggest that you hold an
actual meeting where this can be discussed and wait for Mr. Hara to tell you whether or not
you should have cabs on the streets. Thank you very much.
>> thank you, sir next speaker. >> benjamin dallas.
[Reading speakers' names] >> good afternoon.
>> good afternoon, board of
directors, my name is benjamin, national veterans cab.
I am here to speak against this resolution.
I would like to respond to Mr. Lozar's [Kph-efpt/]. He noted his average response
time is 11 minutes, 48 seconds.
You call for a cab and the cab
shows up in 11 minutes and 48 seconds. That is our average response time. That seems reasonable to me. That is a reasonable amount of
time to wait for a cab.
And that is with this so-called drastic shortage of peak-time cabs which yes, friday and saturday nights we could use
some more cabs. Monday, tuesday, wednesday, I'm driving those nights and it's not the case. Another thing I wanted to talk
about, I wanted to frame this
in an ethical term.
Last meeting, Miss Brinkman
felt the $5-$10 tip out. Well, essentially what the mta is
doing with this proposal by handing the medallions directly
to the cab companies instead of the working drivers you are taking thousands of dollars a month from these drivers into your own pockets, into the mta's pockets.
you guys are the bad guys.
You guys are the ones taking thousands of dollars for
yourself, not $5-10. So I want you to think about that. We have got a for-profit company here is that is making
regulations that they can summarily profit from.
it reminds me of the downfall
of communist russia. It's ludicrous the bureaucracy here.
I would also like to in closing say give these medallions to the guys on the list. C'mon? Put them out there.
And if they buy them or sell them, that is the right thing to do.
>> thank you, sir.
>> charlesrathbone. >> why with euberfound their beginnings in san francisco and not boston or new york? Part of the reason is the shortage of cabs in our city. We have a large unmet demand for cab service. So we're asking you to address that
issue today by issuing more cabs. In the meantime, we have not just been sitting here like
deer in the head lavins, lamps. You have the data, including current data.
We do not need to wait for net another study.
Directors, we earnestly want to service our customers, all of them, and in order to do that, we need the cabs. please give us the cabs that we need to do that. Please vote yes on item 11 today. Thank you. >> thank you, sir.
>> next speaker. >>
[Reading speakers' names >> good afternoon,
>> good afternoon,] I have no
idea what I'm going to say here, but this conversation
goes through my head week to
week for 27 years now. I'm clear there is nothing that
i can see here in a manner that
will have any effect on your
decision here. Could I have a time-out?
>> please. Miss Boomer gentlemen, go right ahead, sir.
Why don't you start again? >> I'm sorry. >> okay.
i know that I am not invited to the meetings at which these decisions are made. There are probably several of you on the board, who are in
the invited to the meetings in
which these decisions are made.
I would like to think that you
are each human beings, and that
you have some awareness of the
absolute pain that your decisions and the people that made those decisions before
this came under the purview of the mta.
I hope that you take some personal -- you don't leave here and don't think about us people.
I have my medallion and I'm very lucky.
The pain you have caused, I
would like any of you who would care to come ride in my taxi
and come sit in the front seat
any day and see what it's like
out there.
I have waybills going back
decades, probably, and in
2011 I was empty 66% of the
time I had my taxi. So 34% of
time I was occupied.
To hear this scheme requiring another 100-200 medallions, it
can't be supported by data.
It can only be a political
decision and I know Mr. Heinicke has pushed for this direction for a long, long time
and I'm sorry that all of you are being pressured into making what is a horrible, horrible choice [Applause] .
>> thank you. Next speaker. [Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon, sir.
>> good afternoon, sir.
I'm a cab driver and drive for national veteran cab and this
is my first time being here in the meeting.
I have been driving since 1985
on and off.
And I have been an outstanding driver. I was once awarded one of the
best cab the newspaper.
i'm on the list and I have been
following what is going on with the industry the past five years. I don't like it. The industry needs changes. We need more cabs. That is true.
When I studied in 1985, I thought there was going to be a day like this to come. That is why I didn't put my name in the first place. So
when I saw some of my
co-workers that we started to together and put their names and got their medallions. Now it comes to the time that I
am on the list and can't get a
medallion. I have been working
here since 1985 and I was told
I am one of the members.
On the website it says you have already been a member already and told me that I can't get the medallion anymore.
So I wanted to know, if your 200 medallions that you put up, it's better to give it to the people on the list. The people that are driving and
who are going to be driving and
making a living.
Since 1985, I should be
collecting my pension by now.
I cannot afford at my age to pay $250,000 for a medallion. Thank you. >> thank you, sir. [Applause]
>> peter jacobs. >> Mr. Jacobs. >> hi. Good afternoon.
I am in support of this proposition.
I think we do need more cabs in the city. It's a well-known fact, i think. However,, I am concerned about how the medallions will be distributed,
to which companies and by which processes that it's excited? I know Mr. Reiskin, you said it's going to be based on the volume
of calls and level of
responsiveness. However, in my conversation, it was indicated
it would be on a variety of other factors, including
minimum pick up violations and these types of other things.
There has to be a lot of transparency with regard to
that, because there is so much influence, that I think it's the germ feeling at least,
there is a lot of influence by
the larger companies and make sure these are distributed
evenly and fairly. So in closing, essentially what I'm trying to say that this should
be delayed for the time beijing.
being, first of all to get
more information and the terms
by which they will be
distributed. [Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon, directors, yesterday morning I started my shift and got a call from a house and three minutes I was
there and nobody was there. I got a second call in a
section that was empty and got
there in 2-3 minutes and nobody was there.
I shut off my computer.
Yellow gives me the calls,
which I got three calls in thee three hours. These people are lying to you.
The city empty.
On union street fare we go seven, eight, ten times in one
single day.
On america's cup, between 24-26.
I took only one fare in six days.
I asked and they said no,
nobody got it.
It's not football, or baseball.
America's cup had zero per
share people interested. It's all a lie.
The recession is already on our heads.
The income has gone down from
$200 to barely $100.
please do not support this politically-motivated -- please stop it.
There is not a zero need for anymore cabs. Thank you. [Applause]
>> next speaker, please.
[Reading speakers' names]. >> hi, how are you? Excuse me for my language, because my english is second language.
I'm a taxi driver in san francisco. And everyday we get something
new.
one day uber and we lost a lot
of business. Busy times, friday
and saturday nights. I got at least 10 no-goes. Most of people calling for
cabs, charged two or three companies. Uber charges in advance and guaranteed that the people wait for them.
Nobody waits for us.
I'm on the list for medallions. So if you put extra cabs for
the people on the list, make it
limited and controlled for the
uber.
The guy is talking [Pwho-elt/]S
hotels is saying there is not enough cabs. What about waiting in front of hotels for
two hours and get nothing?
Limousines take the whole fare, so we waste time. It's not about short cabs of it's about the system, the system and how they manage their business.
thank you very much. If you go to a restaurant you
wait an hour for a table. So
you don't mind waiting 10-15
minutes for a cab friday night. Thank you very much.
>> thank you, sir.
>> david hathaway, brian
rosen, last speaker barry corngold. >> good afternoon, Mr. Hathaway. >> good afternoon.
i have been driving a cab for20
years and been on the list for 16 years and currently no. 17 on the medallion waiting list.
I kind of look at this along
with the medallion proposal thing, giving the medallions
directly to the companies.
and I feel like it's a time
when we're under tremendous
financial pressure from non-san
francisco-regular regulated
services.
That is a huge financial
windfall for naught and cab companies. Drivers are kind of the life blood of this.
We're the ones pumping the
money and picking up the people
through the cab companies and I
feel, I don't know, I feel like I am kind of left in the dark
here as to what is going on as far as this.
I just asked you to tread lightly on the drivers. And have consideration for those who have been driving in the city for a long time.
I mean, I feel like I have earned a medallion driving a cab here. Thank you. >> thank you. [Applause]
>> brian rosen. Barry goldgold.
>> hi, brian rosen. I have been driving 20 years.
I don't know how much more can be said.
People have been talking about the list. last meeting you gave us some
indication that you were going to let us know, maybe what was happening with the list.
You know? I am 34 on the list. I think the frustration here is that people want to know what
is going on. So we can either plan our lives accordingly. I think we deserve that. I think we deserve that.
You know, to know what is going on. Because it's very frustrating.
We have watched our names move up, our numbers move up, but
yet, there is no indication that the earned medallions -- I spoke to somebody who got their malion off the list and earned medallion today. They are driving and is lifts
that they want.
You know? And I just feel that we should give -- you should
give us some indication.
You guys have great poker faces. [Laughter]
>> it's great. We should -- sorry -- just
give us some indication of what I think we deserve that. thank you. >> thank you, sir.
[Applause] Barry corngold.
>> good afternoon, Mr. Corngold.
>> hi, I'm barry corngold with
the san francisco cab association.
i have a lot of problems with this proposal one of which is the statistics it's using is
from 2000 when it says customers have a 40% chance of getting a cab in sf.
That was 12 years ago. We now have 50% more cabs and
the same problem. So just throwing cabs at it obviously doesn't solve the problem. There are a lot of other reasons that people don't get a
cab 12 years ago.
I think it May be hard for
people to get a cab on friday
and saturday night, of people that are generally complaining that they can't get a cab. That is when they go out. They are not out there monday
evening when it's not that busy. giving the medallions to the company and leasing them, the mta collecting the money isn't
going to provide any better
service or more cabs out than
giving medal medallions on the list. The average cab driver makes
$30,000 a year and they wait
years on the list and follow
the rules and maybe make less than the median income of san francisco, which is less than
the lowest paid mta employee
gets. Yet, sames director heinicke
from looking at the emails, is insisting that the mta take the money from the drivers and use it for themselves to try to fill this huge hole they have
dug for themselves. And I think it's pretty heartless and I think you need to consider the cab drivers who
are on the list, that you are just ignoring. You are making the rules and just printing money. So you are just putting the cabs out
and printing money.
How about getting it to drivers on the list?
While they are waiting to get their regular medallion at
least they have a medallion and
can be out there part of the time, filling the need. >> [Applause] .
>> thank you, [Reading speakers' names]. >> good afternoon, Mr. Lee. >> good afternoon, Mr. Nolan and members of the board.
We do have a lot of drivers not qualified to buy their medallions.
They can't afford to make a long-term lease.
they live on gate and gas.
But I do like to pay attention to your policy.
When you make a good policy it's good, but your policy
bends like a rubberband.
I know you are not a rubber stamp, but your policy is like a rubber bond and you can extend it like this. You can make it square. You can make a triangle.
You have to pay attention to this.
this medallion is quite good,
but adding more and more hours to become full-time. When you originally passed it was a single operator and the
driver must provide their own
car and own full-time driver. Finally it's becoming a pension type of medallion.
That is what I worry b. When i
look at the news or newspaper,
you are spending $6 million in
order to install your 357
buses, install your cameras. I don't blame you that you always say you are broke and have a deficit all of the time, because you are paying too much overprice for everything.
i worry about your subway, $940 million that will be given to you very soon this. Is very
good, because it's how we get
money. But I worry -- please
lower the gate for the driver,
because of the extra cost of running the taxi is too much.
They have to have $80 a shift.
[Applause] >> thank you. The public hearing part will be closed at this point. Members of board, I have a couple of things. If I could begin with someone
raised the issue here, I think
it was Mr. Grewberg that the possibilities of getting this many new cabs by all of these
October events is unlikely.
Can you respond to that?
>> I think it's correct that
these cabs won't be able to hit the streets overnight. There is time in issuing the permit.
there is time in qualifying additional drivers. So there is no question there will be a
transition in terms of the moment you act, if you choose
to do so, to the time that there are additional taxi cabs on the streets. I think there is a lot of data
to support that there is a
problem today. So the fact
that the sooner this board were to absent, the sooner the cabs will be on the streets. That fact, I think is not
refutable, but there is a ramp
up, and the big peaks of demand
for next summer and next year's america's cup are very real. >> well, it makes it a little -- when we talked about needing them all for this October, for fleet week and all of these things.
It's a little more candid, I
think to talk about them for next year's events rather than these things to be done very, very quickly.
>> I apologize if the staff
report promised that they could be done as suggested that they
could be out by October.
That oct weekend is a good
exemplar where the taxi is shown as extreme inadequate to meet that need. >> the second pint, Miss
Housman made the comment about
large vehicles, was it no. A5, the fifth [Wra
-rs/]. Whereas.
>> I believe the technology for larger vehicles is
improving everyday.
I don't think fact is this is consistent with city and mta
policy and I wouldn't recommend
kind of compromising on that at this point. We can look into issues with regard to larger vehicles versus these, but I think that
the promise of a greener fleet
is, in fact, part of the basis for our environmental clearance
for this, and I think helps
make a much stronger case that
while we're putting more vehicles on the street, we're putting out vehicles that are cleaner than basically the
vehicles that they would be replacing, private, limousine or otherwise. >> two other items. Are you telling us that there are some
vehicles that would meet these criteria, that are now
available or would be available shortly? >> that I don't know. >> okay.
Then another thing, the thing that bothered me, too, and I forget who mentioned it, but the statistics used to justify
some of this are from 2000.
That is an awful long time ago
for the studies and I know we're doing our study coming up
in January, is that right?
So that to me was of concern that we're basing this at least
on some things that are pretty dated, that part of it.
i am convince there had is a
need, but basing it on something from 2000, I would be
much more comfortable after the study in January. >> as would I. It's been my preference all along to make sure we had good, current data. What we
presented to you is what we had.
i think it's notable for the
first time in my, however long it's been, 13 months in this job.
This is the first time that we heard a taxi item that we had
comment from other than the
taxi industry. So I think just
think it's relevant to hear the
empirical data [Tpr-eplt/]
From those affected. Wftv well, I guess the question
on that is to get more up-to-date data, that would be
sometime in the new year, right? >> yes, probably January. >> so then if we began the
whole process of getting the new cabs and following that into the new year, as opposed
to months from now, is that
right? If we did this today, if we approved this today, then the effort can go out to get the new vehicles, right? >> that is correct.
It would be four months ahead, likely when that data is available. >> the biggest issue for me that I have heard here and I'm not sure how we can deal with it, but I think it's a pretty
compelling case about the list.
And especially the two gentlemen, one 17 and the other is 36 on the list.
I wish we could figure out a
way to somehow tie it to this.
but something very soon that recognized what the waiting that they have done, the service that they have provided to the city. >> yes. So based on your direction at the last meeting and think what is a very legitimate issue that is
sitting out there, unresolved, and has relation to the matters
of last time and this time.
i was preparing to bring to your recommendation, if it's not going to go through a
public process, then it can come on September 18th,
possibly.
But I was planning to bring a recommendation to make a policy statement from the board. >> about the list?
>> about the list? >> okay.
>> those are the concerns that I have, directors? Director brinkman?
>> I would like to talk about
the second resolve, hybrid electric compressed natural gas, et cetera. I understand what we're trying
to get to with our fleet is the emissions control. It's not just fuel-efficiency, correct? >> that is correct.
>> and I do know that even if it May seem that the technology
is not there for the larger
vehicles, at this moment, that the auto industry is moving so quickly on technology and on fuel-efficiency and every time that the bar is raised, they
meet it and they beat it. So I
am confident on that one. I hear Miss Housman's concern
on that, but I'm confident that
question address the higher-capacity vehicles with the low emissions that we're
striving for to have a truly green fleet. We have to remember unlike a private vehicle, these vehicles are in operation 23 hours a day, so it really adds a huge impact on our city. The big thing that I hear is the hailing technology.
I think that is probably, aside there figuring out what we'll do with the list, that is the
biggest thing we can do to help
the taxi driverss is to figure
out how we're going to connect them with the passengers, not just passengers that we have right now. Because I think there is a huge -- not just unmet demand for
passengers, but a lot of people not taking taxi because they
don't feel they can reliably get a taxi out in the neighborhoods. So the point that one driver made, these people are taking
taxis on friday and saturday
night, because sure, it's hard to get one, because serve trying to get one. If you increase people's confidence level when they use whatever technology or whatever
system we're going to come up, that they will be able to get a
taxi out in the neighborhoods.
i could see people switching to taxis for more trips that they are currently using private automobiles. Young people in our city are not buying private automobiles
like they used to. So there is
a huge glut of passengers, but
right now unfortunately they
are using uber and the pink moustache cars and feel confidence around the technology that they are
hailing. So I think, if we can
figure out how we want to standardize the hailing of taxis or standardize the
calling of taxis, we can very easily claw back those passengers and get those
passengers out the pink
moustache and uber cars and back into our taxis and probably the most important
thing we need to do to help our taxi drivers. I think again, I think there are tons of people who would
take a lot more taxi trips if
it felt more reliable and felt more standardized, not just in the hailing, but paying as well.
I think that is why people like
uber, it's that cashless
transaction, that ability to
take transportation on credit cards. i think that is all for now that I have. >> thank you, director
brinkman. Directors?
Are you okay? >> I just wondered, one speaker mentioned this, but
could you elaborate in terms of
the distribution of these
medallions or permits? >> yes.
And we will make this public. I agree with one of the
[Spo-erbg/]S, this speakers,
this needs to be entirely transparent.
We want it based on objective
standards. So the idea is to
look at the dispatch data, and look at each company's performance in terms of
responding to radio dispatch
calls, as a percentage of the
service that they provide. And providing proportionately
more the ability to at least proportionately more of these permits based on that
performance. So the higher percentage of radio calls make
up the service that you
deliver, the higher proportion
relative to your size of these
permits that we have available.
And we would -- we will
establish and publish exactly
what those criteria are.
How basically the algorithm is working to determine whatever number you authorize, if you
choose to authorize these, how we would allocate them. >> and will there be a mechanism by which the staff with monitor the performance as
it continues on, so if there is not performance standards being met, they can be revoked or something? >> absolutely. The requirements that you all
put in place with regard to data-collection and requirements for electronic data provision and collection will give us something that we haven't had in the past, which
is uniform means of determining
so we'll have a better ability
to do that in the future than we have today.
that is part of the benefit of issuing these permits in this
way, to the extent that it's
not being met by an individual permit or individual company, we can take them back. >> I just have one last question. >> sure.
>> I think an email
correspondence and in public comment, can you comment on that? >> yeah, I think my
understanding is that in terms
of how it's defined in the transportation code, these are rightly characterized as medallions. A medallion is
essentially a permit that can
take different forms.
I think I consider them to be interchangeably in this regard, but in terms of definition within the transportation code,
I believe what we are presenting here, recommending here today is consistent with
that definition of a "medallion." >> thank you, director heinicke?
>> thank you, on this issue of
the list, I agree with the comments, suggested that we should move to address that issue at the very least the people on the list deserve certainty, so they know whether they should take advantage of purchasing a medallion or wait
for a free one or discount one or financial-assisted one or whatever we're going to do. As I said before, certainty is the very least that is deserved here and I'm glad to hear there are plans to move with that in
a meeting or two.
Following up on director rubke's question, as you
develop the plans to determine who get these medallions, assuming this proposal is accepted here today, would
there be some process for
encouraging that the cab companis have the sort of taxi
applications, the hailing -- electronic hailing applications
that we have talked about? I assume that answered radio
calls through a taxi magic or
similar app would be counted in the success rate for the company. If we're pushing the industry in' way to get to a more certain place in taxi hail, I wonder if there is an opportunity to make sure that the companies that have taken the steps to put that in place with their fleets have been rewarded with the medalones and those who haven't are not.
>> we were not planning to use
that whether you are affiliated
with or making your data
available, your dispatch data available via an app.
I agree however with the vice-chair brinkman and many speakers that the dispatch side
of this is extremely important it's not just about the number
of cabs on the street, but the extent how they can be accessed
by your average person. So I have directed our technology
folks to work with the taxi folks as expeditiously as
possible to solve that problem as quickly as we can. >> through this proposal,
we're not binding you as staff
how you set the standard.
I am certainly in no position to insist on it, but I would urge you to at least think about whether this is a requirement we should put on the companies? It's clear that
this is next step in making taxi service for reelaborate or
a next step in making taxi service more reliable and I think those companies that have
gone through the efforts to
sort of implement these apps should be rewarded.
The cab driver who is new to us here, but whose comments were very much appreciated talking
about the no-goes that he encountered.
I would suggest that. Have some sort of system
whereby in exchange for them
putting money down unbeing
punished if they no-go, they
are more likely to know they are being picked up. I would hope we would work with our taxi companies to enable them to do that, if they choose
to do so. On the pricing of these, you
have a sort of suggested rate of $1900 per month.
we're not actually locking that in here, is the price to be determined or this proposal
locked it in at $1900 per month?
>> I would have to look at the language in the resolution. We were setting that as a baseline, based on what we currently -- to be consistent
with our current charges. >> okay.
and I know we went with a set
fee for the individual sales
for reasons of protection of
the buyer, for reasons of certainty and frankly for reasons of financing is what the credit union was going to finance. Was there any consideration given to whether it would make
more sense giving these to corporations, sophisticated
eptities to use an auction system as a fixed price? >> that is not something that we considered. We thought was simplest and more straightforward was using our current fee structure to price these permits. That is again, something we
could look at. >> okay. and you have spoken to the data that you have that suggests there is more -- there is a
need to do -- there is an
unmet need for cabs. I won't say "consensus", but a majority of data points and opinions that at least in the
peak time s there is unmet needs.
Have we had communication from the consultant? Do we have any advance
suggestions from him about the unmet needs or are we really in the dark as far as what his conclusions will be? >> largely in the dark at this time.
he has not issued any preliminary report or preliminary findings, so there is no draft report that hasn't been shared. I have not seen anything.
I did call him, when I was first contemplating this, just
to in part let him know, but also to kind of get -- see if
i could get any sense of where he was. And since he hadn't finished his work, he wasn't really
willing to commit anything specifically.
Though I interpreted that he was
finding -- he was affirming
what many speakers spoke to as
there being a deficiency in the number of the tachi cabs. He wasn't committing to or talking about any numbers, but I got confidence from that conversation that that will be a finding.
>> sure. And as I have said, since I have been struggling with these issues, the single biggest
complaint and really in many ways the only complaint we ever
get about our taxi system, bewy as directors and me in my position, you can't get a cab when you need one. I think that is focused on peak times, but I think there is definitely a sense in the public there is an unmet demand throughout the time.
I want to thank the folks from the business communities who have come to speak to that today.
We appreciate them taking their time.
Chairman Nolan, let me ask one other question. It's 150 to 200. I take it as you work through the issues you will figure out
the precise number, which May
depend on the allocation to companies and what numbers work. What is the thought process to determine between
150 and 200? >> that was a range we were suggesting.
It's possible based on how we
choose to allocate them, that
not all companis will be interested. There are timing issues and
this gives us a little flexibility in terms of how
these roll out, to stop it at
150 or go to 200. So it was really meant to give some
nexibility for flexibility for
things that we don't know at this time. >> it will come as no surprise
that I support this proposal.
that suggested to me it was a
longer time commit and would be
harder to trench. So to me
this is a shorter term, temporary test. I'm not convinced this is the solution.
I think the solution May rely in the form of peak-time
permitting or combination of full-time madions and peak-time permitting.
I think this proposal is short enough on a temporal scope to turn back if it's not the right path and continue with it if it's the right panel.
I think it gives us the opportunity to reward good dispatch services and good color schemes.
it will promote the gas and
gate arrangement, which we know is generally more beneficial to
the driver and avoids the whole
abuses that were seen in the brokering of medallions.
I think it will address in part, I realize there is enforcement needed, but it will
address in part of the issue of
why these others and in some instances unlicensed and illegal systems are work. There is a demand out there and
it's not being met. So again,
I think this is sort of wise in a small-scale way to see if
this is the appropriate way to address the need that is out there and see if we need to revisit it during the program or at least within the three
years after the leases are up.
>> directors? Director ramos? Director lee?
>> I think for me this has been probably one of the most complicated areas of policy
that we have to work in, especially for me. i think that the parking stuff as it has always been tough to deal with and this is even starting to bleed into parking now with the problem that we're
having with some of the uber cabs and town cars parking in places that we have residents
who want to park their cars. However, to me, one thing is
clear, when the market sees a niche, it starts to take advantage of it and that is why
I think we're seeing the
proliferation of the town cars and pink moustaches. I saw one this weekend and
thought if there is not a need there, then why are they here?
So I second the comments made by director brinkman and director heinicke and appreciate all the hard work
that has gone into this so far.
I do recognize this is not a permanent solution.
I realize a lot of tweaking has to happen between now and putting this to bed, if we'll ever be able to do that, but I do believe we have an obligation to provide a service
to the people that we're -- people that live, work and visit here.
When I make a phone call to
take a cab and told it's 45
minutes to get one, I can
pretty much work anywhere in 45 minutes in this city.
The other thing that I do want to really second director
heinicke's comments with respect to uber cab's success
or uber's success is this idea of putting up a fee upfront to
make sure there is no-no-go,
because I know for folks that don't have a hand in how this industry works out, what people
will often do is call three cab companies and take the first one that picks up. That is a sad reality when
people need to get someplace quickly, 45 minutes unfortunately is not acceptable. So looking forward
to moving this policy along and
adjusting it as goes along and thank everyone for their comments. Director lee?
>> anything that I have to say really repeats what the other
directors have said, but my concern becomes we took a look at market share and how much market share the taxi industry
is losing from the outside vendors coming in.
My job requires that I travel a
lot and I'm mandated to take taxis from washington to portland to boston, the cab service is pretty good.
I have tried to take cabs here. It's really difficult, but when
we say there is not enough
business. What is making uber
flourish so well? There has
got to be a niche that we're not taking advantage of that we
have to do and regain that
market share. So part of that is not only looking at the needs of your drivers, but looking at the needs of the customers out there who said,
hey, look, if I can't get a cab, I'll go the next best route and that is what they are doing now. He think we need to take this test and run with it. >> thank you. Is there a motion on the item? >> I will move to approve. >> is there a second? I will second. Before we vote, I would like to say a couple of things.
I will support this, but two
things that are important to me. One, if this study comes back in January or in February,
whenever it comes back and is radically different in its conclusion about the need than what we're basing this on,
we're dealing with an awful lot
of anecdotal data here. Washington, D.C., it's a very different kind of city and why people are there and the taxi thing, I think is very different there than it is here. That is one thing. The second thing is that it's extremely important to me, the case has been made very, very well here about the list.
And I think to my mind and I can't tell you exactly what this means specifically, but it's got to pass some level of test of fairness for the drivers. And especially for the drivers who are been on this issue for many, many years. On your assurance this is
coming back to us sometime fairly soon and also, we haven't talked about the drivers' fund yet either. That is another major area of which this body could be helpful in some fashion to the drivers.
And I want to see both of these things, as thoughtfully and
quickly as we can, allowing for enough time for town high
school meets and the like. All in favor? >> aye.
>> nays in the the r the ayes have it.
we'll take a 10-minute break. >> ready?
>> yes. >> ladies and gentlemen, we'll return to the agenda. The consent calendar now, aren't we?
>> we're on public comment. >> okay.
We have members of public who
wish to speaker? >> directors,
[Reading speakers' names] >> Mr. Rathman. >> good afternoon again, directors.
i wanted to let you know that
over the weekend, luxor cab received a complaint about dangerous driving. The caller identified the
offending cab as luxor no. 5 02. In recent months we have had a
number of complaints about no.
502, however, there is no luxor 502.
at least not a legal licensed luxor cab.
We believe that no. 502 is one of a number of fake luxor cabs that are out there.
We have seen some of them. We're extremely concerned about this.
It goes well beyond just
stealing our business or affecting our band image. What
is going to happen when one of these things runs over people
or something and the witnesss
are all standing there saying
yep, it was a luxor cab and it
May have well been no. 502. So
we urge you onto greater
efforts to crackdown on the
pure outragous bandit cabs that masquerade as licensed cabs. Thank you.
>> thank you.
Next speaker.
>> barry toronto.
>> good afternoon, Chairman Nolan.
You want to tell me to do what? You have already done that to me.
It's too late. I didn't like it.
Anyway, somebody else did that, at the republican national convention.
I did it to show a point.
It represent twos things.
one, the lack of including us
in the public process.
The chair is empty because you
do things no matter what we say
and how much input we give to
you, although Chairman Nolan
did show some sensitivity today.
the other one is -- anyway, the thing is that I am very disturbed how you include us.
You have seen reports and correspondence today that we don't have access to. Apparently I was told it was in the file at the office. If you get them on the day of the meeting we don't have %back always have access to it.
We ask you to bring those documents to share with us.
if you want, I will keep
roberta boom irtied up at sunshine task force meetings for years unless you include us in the process more. I'm going to be sun shining all of the documents. I want to see emails from all
of you from now on, because I'm
tired of only seeing miss
brinkman, tom nolan and Mr.
Heinicke as the om ones participating in what creates taxi issues.
I have seen nothing yet from what you guys have done or participated in.
You need to come to town hall
meets and need more input and honest debate and honest
discourse what is going on. In closing, an email from tom nolan, many of the tax recommendaces were incorporated into the staff recommendations
over the past few years. Few years the taxes only existed two years. Less than two years.
I know that some May feel that
the work was I ignored.
Please know that the board and staff appreciated and benefited by the work.
Thank you, Mr. Paul ryan.
Thank you. >> next speaker.
[Reading speakers' names]. >> Mr. Lawrence.
>> ladies and gentlemen of audience and commissioners, thank you for letting me speak once again. Very briefly, I would like to
bring up an issue that I think one of the -- I'm not sure
which one of you brought it up.
But anyway, the issue of sharing a cab, like in washington, D.C..
I picked up a man from washington, D.C. Last week and
he said since January they recognized the gridlock problem
and instituted one extra dollar
per passenger and one extra
dollar per bag.
Washington, D.C. Has recognized
the problem with taking one cab per passenger, because that is
what they do at ffo.
There is a shortage of cabs at peak time, because every one
person getting in one cab. They share cabs. You have three passengers plus
the main guy is $4, on top of
the gate which is $3.50 and five bags, $5 more in the trunk that. Should be instituted in
san francisco as well.
It will solve a big problem with peak-time cabs.
I recall the 500 cabs put on
the streets in 1999, during the
so-called dot com bubble.
My income dropped 65% and never came back. During 2003, during the recession, it dropped again and never came back. Ed for for the city to compensate for the income of taxi drivers you have to raise the meter five times and every time a cab company sits in the background and says we want to raise the gates too. You have to raise the meter and
no taxi cab driver in this city has any benefits whatsoever with that raise of the gate.
and I think looking at that in a long-term position would help the problem with gridlock, the
shortage of cabs, by making it almost mandatory, two people going to the same destination
should share a cab. It's also cheaper for them. Thank you for your time.
>> thank you, sir.
>> hanso kim. Eric williams. >> good afternoon directors. I want to talk about a few different topics in public comment.
The first I want to reinforce something I mentioned in the past. One of our problems that we have with service we're not maximizing the efficiency of the existing number of medallions now in service.
Only half of the 1500 or so medallions right now are actually doing all the dispatch orders. So right now half of the medallions right now in
service are at companies just doing flags and airports. And so if we create a standard to make sure that these medallions have to be going to companies that have certain dispatch standards, you will create a situation when the drivers come up to you say and
say we don't have orders. Guess what? I have plenty of orders for my drivers at companies.
So I say to those drivers at
these companies, if you are a
good, safe driver, come over to
desoto cab, I will have [Phrao-epbts/] Of work for you. Second, I want to talk a little bit about the taxi advisory council. I feel that you have an opportunity and I know your priorities are about the public
first, but the taxi industry can really be giving you some
great advice if we had a really functioning taxi advisory council to really listen to. Quite frankly, the industry feels that the taxi advisory
council is something of a distraction, go play in your sandbox and we'll do what we
want. A good example of that, there was a unanimous vote that had a new medallion holder buying a medallion for $250,000
should not pay a 20% fee, that was appropriate for someone who got a medallion under prop k and guess what happened? The
plan that you put out here said
we're going to charge a 30% fee. Yes, you lowered it down to
30%, but I want to tell you that the tami council voted unanimously it was not appropriate for someone buying a medallion for several thousands of dollars. Lastly, i
want to talk about the serious issue of these other on-demand
services that are now proliferating in the city. We must do something about it. There is going to be crimes and there is going to be assaults when we don't know who is picking up the public. Thank you. >> thank you. Next speaker.
>> peter witt.
>> ed haley. Mark gruburg.
>> I'm sorry, Mr. Healy is here. >> I'm beginning to sound like peter witt.
I started out as a -- i
started out as an inter center person, negotiating in the
original pilot plan.
I'm a very moderate and practical individual and the city did a great thing a couple of years ago when it didn't do that pilot plan.
all of the members of community
came together, regardless of their political leanings and made a plan that benefited everybody.
And you people have basically taken that plan and thrown it
in the trash.
We had -- you mentioned transparency. There used to be tranceparency
a couple of years ago there was
transparency and now you are having meetings without any involvement of the cab drivers.
You are judging by reading Mr. -- or director's heinicke mail.
You had the plan you put into effect two weeks ago.
You had it without ever discussing it with the person you put it together behind closed doors and I believe in
violation of the sunshine ordinance. I believe that you violated your own rules. You violated the rules of the city and you violated the rules of state of california in order do what? You don't even know what you are doing.
You are so full of sanctimonious language, like what is that? The public good? that you are not even paying attention to the details of what you are doing. Details of
what you are doing is basically putting a couple hundred people
into poverty, if they don't get those medallions. They are too old to do anything else. That is the one concrete you are doing and it's the public.
The public. The public good. that is fine with me.
I would like to see you return
to actual transparency.
In the meantime, it looks like ned ford has never left.
Thank you very much. Next speaker.
[Reading speakers' names].
>> mark gruberg, thank you again.
To follow-up on ed's remarks,
blinded by self-interest, I
think you just focused like a
laser beam on your own
financial self-interest as an agency.
And you are just not getting the picture.
I sent you a letter last week,
about the driver fund.
You know, a lot is said here in public comment and maybe you missed some of it. I hope you weren't missing what
I was saying at the last meeting that what you did was
it absolutely gut the drivers' fund, take virtually every
penny out of the drivers' fund
for the next possibly 20 or 30
years and appropriate that
money for yourself, because
instead of 15% and 5%, it's 20%
to the agency.
And you know, I can't imagine
more -- you know, kind of a
heartless thing to do to bolster your bottom line by
this additional amount at the
expense of the only, only, only, only thing in the medallion sales program that
was going to help the driver, who won't have a medallion, will never have a medallion in his life. Or maybe will spend 20 years in the industry before ever
getting a medallion. So
please, please, please, please revisit this. I don't know what else to say
about that.
On these alternate car
services, they are providing taxi service.
But stp if something happens
in that cab and is lift going to solve their problem? No, who do they turn to? Where do they go?
These are unregulated vehicles. Have to do something about this. Put them off the street.
[Reading speakers' names].
>> I second everything that
mark gruberg just said, by as far as large-capacity vehicles going the only hybrid six-passenger van commonly
available is the toyota sienna, which is prohibitive getting new. One thing has been the situation of the traffic at 3rd and market.
It impacts all the way up 3rd
street, and all the way -- I'm talking about inbound
market and then northbound 3rd.
can I get the screen?
I'm sorry that my ipad has
very, very small picture.
info services, can you get >> yes.
>> don't lock the box or have traffic control people there. Thank you.
>> thank you. Next speaker, please. [Reading speakers' names]. >> thank you for letting me speak again.
I just wanted to clarify, some people misunderstood my
comments about the waiting list. That I do believe in the waiting list. and I think medallions should go to the waiting list. Some of you May agree, some of you May not. But I wanted to make sure that
that is clearly understood.
And that is how I feel. So I just wanted to say that. The other thing that I wanted to say about uber and I
appreciated all of our comments about uber cab.
the one thing that uber is
doing is picking up people off the streets.
As far as their other business,
that is another discuss.
I have called eric five times a night, seeing people lean into
the window of a town car cab, how much? Making a deal and probably getting charged more than I would charge them. And getting in the cab. And that is illegal.
And I wish you guys could hire more people to do what eric does.
I think he works with somebody else.
But that really -- that is a
big thing and the illegal cars. I called them the other day
with a guy who isn't a cab, but
has one painted like a cab.
The last item that I want to
say that I ride orders. In other words, it will be far
away from where I am and I will
go for it, you know? And sometimes, there are times that they give me the phone number and I will actually be able to talk to the passenger that I'm picking up. It's and very, very helpful. It would be great if there was a
law that we could have the phone number. Because if I speak to somebody
and say hi, I'm brian. I'm cab 998 and I'm going to come and get you. Just wanted to let you know, please don't take another cab. I'm on my way. They will wait. So if that could be implemented, it would be really good. >> thank you.
>> tom lee. Barry corngold.
>> followed by peter witt. >> okay.
good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members.
San francisco is a very, very
busy city and we're living in expensive san francisco. People are paying high money to sit in a cab. They should get a cab as
quickly as possible.
the best service to the public
is that cabbie should right
away -- but we have 1500
legal taxis. Another 1500 illegal taxis, but
they are choosing the busy time to come out.
It's not everyday at any time.
This is the real effect. So
add 200 cabs more is providing
another 600 jobs for the gate and gas drivers. It's a very good thing.
I would like to see the drives get shifts and support their
family and pay their bills.
But the actual cost of rung the
business in the taxi is $50 a
day only $50 by the car for insurance.
It's $50 a day and now you are
going to charge $1900 a month.
So you should make your taxi
policy as parallel to the cab
company and driver, because you
should give half of the medallion leased to the cab
driver, who would like to lease. Especially maybe two or three drivers coming to our
office and pay the money to mta. You should give your medallion,
half of them should go to the cab driver nortto support the
driver and not overchexing to
the overwhelming to the cab company. We have a lot of drivers would
are very upset because they pay $150 a shift, overcharging to
get a guest to drive the cab.
i hope you consider leasing tot to the cab drivers as well.
[Reading speakers' names]. >> Mr. Corngold. >> hi. I'm barry corngold.
I want to comment on how appalled I was and surprised at
the lack of discussion before
last meeting's vote on the
medallion reform plan.
In particular, vice-chair brinkman said that this has
been looked at and underway for
a long time.
That you have -- that you have enough informing have looked at it enough and in the next following sentence you proceeded to show that you don't understand the concept of
the waiting list or the issue with it. Such as the people waiting 15, 20 years and
sluging it out the of this time at very low-income and having to work hard shift where's there is nobody there.
They finally are ready to get their medallion and it's not going to be worth it for them to buy it. You are telling them that okay, at least you have the
opportunity to buy it if you are on the list. It makes no sense.
Everybody on the list gets a
medallion -- I mean the medallions don't get sold to anybody who is not on the list
and the people at the top of
the list, it's not worth it for them to buy it most of the time because they are too old. They
are been doing this for 20, 30 years already. So you need to to explore this a little further.
And then as I said before, barry toronto shared some of the emails with me, that he obtained through the public records act.
and I was appalled at the disrespect given to the cab drivers and all the meetings
that we have been going to
through the years. It did consider the needs of
public and the agency, it gave $10 million a year to the agency. And what is wrong with appeasing -- you are talking
as if we are the enemy. What
is wrong with listening tot cab drivers, who have been addressing these concerns? >> thank you. >> peter witt.
Last speaker.
>> okay.
>> thank you for waiting. If your camera could get me center, I would like to see that.
This is the data that has been collected over the years and i submitted to the taxi commission and taut for the last four years.
I believe Mr. Reiskin you are involved in the last survey
here this. Is this year's
survey I gave you last month.
mid-last month, 2012 survey, 1,000 customers.
Pretty much it was all anecdotal testimony and, in
fact it was all anecdotal testimony.
You know, I would prefer to work analytically and I prefer
government to work analytically, rather then
through warm and fuzzy
feelings, Mr. Reiskin. I have your requirements for your job, which is supposed to
be to is collect data, relevant data and store it and then it
would be ideal if you actually administered it or you know, spread it around and let the
people look at. It because you know, he believe your it people haven't looked at it yet.
I got an email the 15th by
carol from the quarry galinas
people who are doing your current study and I was asked a few questions, but I find it a
little bit odd, because I was
also told I would be a paid consultant. Unfortunately, I missed my day and said it would end the end of August. So they had done their little focus group and I
missed out on it.
It's unfortunate, but I'm not
an avid email reader. Thank you.
>> anyone else wishing to address public comment? Seeing none, next item.
>> moving on to item 10 -- these are consent calendars matters to be considered
routine unless a member of
public asked an item be
considered separately. There
is a question for l, m and n to
be considered separately and
10.2l by a member of public? >> removing those, is there a
motion to approve the cardinal. Consent calendar? >> aye.
>> david silverglide.
>> item l is in regards to
changing the signage between sampson and montgomery,
reichert now it's a urban oasis, very nice trees and thousands of people that eat lunch, that walk and enjoy the sunshine, which is a rarity in
the financial district. Unfortunately the dpw made a mistake and issue arid food truck permit on commercial
street in the middle of this pedestrian zone.
And the applicant didn't inform
dpw it was a pedestrian zone and parking was illegal. So for months the truck parked illegally, right in the middle of pedestrian zone in the middle of thousands of people
enjoying the little bit of green space in the middle of the financial district. So to rectify the situation, the dpw
has asked that we just change the parking regulations and allow trucks that have dpw permits to park in the middle of pedestrian zones. I own a business that is on this pedestrian zone and we
fought very hard to have this pedestrian zone and create this place.
We serve thousands of restaurant customers with outdoor tables and chairs and permits for those and we have people who enjoy coming there. Now we have a truck in the mill
of it, which is bad for a lot of reasons and should be there.
It's bad for the pedestrians. We have generator noise from
the truck in the middle of a pedestrian zone and engine
noise in the middle of a pedestrian zone. It's dangerous. There is no enforcement when the truck comes and goes and the truck can move feel freely if they come later or early.
We all know what happened to the santa monica's farmers
market, where we had a truck/vehicle move into a pedestrian zone and cause a bad
accident. It's not good to mix cars and pedestrian zones. There is no parking enforcement because mta vehicles cannot get
in there to check. The meter is almost never fed during this period of time. So we would
really like to make sure we keep this a pedestrian zone.
we don't need themate cleaning up dpw's mistakes. They should not have issued a permit where there is a
pedestrian zone. You should not be cleaning up their mess incorrectly. Do not let this get changed.
>> you are speaking to l?
>> yes. >> and matthew wexler is the
next member of public and he is the last member of the public
who submited a speaker card. >> good afternoon.
>> my name is matthew wexler, I'm the owner of the food truck that has the permit from the
department of water to park on commercial street.
We went through all the proper
steps that we were required of
us by the department of public
works to get our permit. It's opened up a couple of months now. I'm an existing parts of the neighborhood. We had a restaurant in that same building for a little over three years now.
And we have been nothing, but, i think, a great part of the neighborhood and in addition, to the neighborhood.
And our food truck has been a
welcomed extension of our restaurant by customers that we
have had and new customers as well. We don't run our engine during
the middle of service.
We're parked with the car off and we are providing something
that is adding to what the city
looks for in the alley ways
which is providing foodservice
and creating that kind of leisurely atmosphere that in
downtown san francisco.
We follow all safety precautions. We certainly don't take -- we never put anyone in a situation
where they would be in danger
of the trucks not moving.
It's parked and all it's doing is serving food during the time that we're there. We're regulated when we can serve food in the street. Just like anyone else is. And we have a regulated perform by the department of water for when we can be there and when we can't about there and when we can operate and when we can't operate and we followed
all of those rules since we first opened. >> thank you, sir. >> can I ask you a clarifying question? >> sure. >> I'm just looking at commercial street on google map. The area where your truck is
parked, is it in this sort of
-- I guess it's a loading zone area?
Where the sidewalk kind of
curves in. >> correct, 565 commercial is where we're permitted by the department of water to park, which is the address.
>> you are in 5900 block? 500 block?
>> correct almost at the corner of commercial and
monorail. Montgomery. >> it's narrow, but the
roadway widens at a certain point? >> yes.
>> thank you for that
clarification. Director lee?
>> yes, l, m and n. >> you don't have a concern about commercial street? >> no. Hold on one sec.
>> it's k, isn't it?
Ortega is l and m? >> commercial is l on my sheet. >> I have commercial as k. >> I do, too.
>> I do, too. No wonder we're confused. >> well, let's stick with commercial street and I have no issues with commercial street. My question is that both of these folks are well-spoken members of the business community.
Who I suspect are trying to do
the right thing by their customers. What is the
feedback of the neighborhood? does the neighborhood want it? Does the office building love
it or hate it? If this was one of our neighborhood issues we would know what the people on
this block think, so why don't we find out. >> good afternoon, sustainability streets division. I think the matter has been explained by both parties in
that this is a street closed to vehicular traffic between the
hours f 11:00 A.M. To 2:00 P.M.I have a photo of the food truck, if you want too see it. When the street was originally
closed it was where the permit was granted for the food
truck to be in the street that
is closed to traffic. We discussed it with the
department of water originally
this area was signed for no
periods just to ensure no leftover vehicles when treasclosed to ped straps. So our officers started to site the truck for being there, even
though it had a city permit.
So it created a conflict. We aloud the truck to be there
and coming now before you to
make sure that this activity is allowed by the city for the truck to be here. We feel that the truck can be made in a safe
manner of we did have a public hearing.
The main objections have been from nearby restaurants who don't like the food truck, but
otherwise, we're not aware of any specific concerns other
than the fact that the food truck is not thought to be consistent with the closure of the street.
It is kind of an activation of that commercial street. It allows people to have something to go to.
If you go there, you will see people gathering food from the food truck, which is consistent
with a lot of other uses for a street of this type.
>> as I read it, this would be a full block change in the restriction. So the reason why
I asked the question, right? I mean, conceivably dpw could
license more than just Mr. Wexler's truck and I guess my concern comes in, we have to balance the needs here.
And thank you for the update.
And I can understand why a restaurant that came to and
participated in an effort to have a pedestrian right-of-way near its business would not
want a food truck parked directly in front of it.
I understand in man's concern he doesn't want it on this block, but it's about a balance. So if the only
concern is from the restauranteurs and, but my
concern is if we do this and
maybe this is an issue for dpw
to balance, but it would sure seem unfair that if there were food trucks in front of the
restaurants themselves. Also as I support director brinkman
will channel, this is a pedestrian right-of-way and then overnight it's all food truck it's not really a pedestrian right-of-way. It's a food court. So it seems to me that the one truck and if this is the one permit and it's not in front of this man's restaurant, you know, that seems like a fair balance, but
I want to have some limiting
principle here, because if we tell them it's one truck and lo and behold there is a food
truck in front of this man's restaurant in a couple of weeks he would be upset and have good running back to be. >> I think what we have here
is the overlay of two different regulatory systems.
>> do you know anything about dpw? >> I do.
>> and we actually have
someone from dpw here, but note there is regulatory permitting process that the food trucks go through. So this truck presumably went through that initial public process and has an opportunity for a public hearing. It has certain notice requirements.
It alsos have requirements in the regulations that dpw adopted that they consider the
impact on the immediate businesses. There is some provision to restrict the issuance of a permit if it's in direct feet workers' compensation the
business. So if you have a mexican restaurant, you copyright have a taco truck
right outside. So there are those conditions that dpw takes into each permit and evaluates
each on its own. >> this is issue.
If we open this up on the
entire block, have we then said pedestrians concerns aren't
really that big a concern, if dpw business concerns turns it into a food court.
That is my concern as mta director standpoint. >> I understand.
The dpw process is not a business-only process. They go through a full public process as did then we subsequently went through a
public hearing process before bringing this proposal forward.
So there are two steps of public process.
I don't think anybody would suggest that by approval of this, it would be a statement
of the mta board that pedestrian issues aren't of concern.
i think our folks would look at
this from safety and sustainable streets perspective
and find it's not of concern. >> well,, okay, because it's one truck. I think the point of all of this and I'm happy to support the staff proposal in the end,
but the point is assurance to our restaurant owner and his neighbors and friends and colleagues that at least one director here does not want to see this turned into a food
court at the expense of pedestrian right-of-way without
a lost of -- a lot of further discussion.
>> I echo that concern. I trust Mr. Lee's opinion that
one food truck is not going to
degrade the pedestrian. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon, commissioners.
john, department of public works. This situation, the mobile food facilities program that the department is currently running is approximately a year and a half since it was voted on by
the board of supervisors. We're continually learning as
given it's a new program and
we're typickually continually refining.
Currently the legislation
itself is being reevaluated to clarify and change certain
aspects to provide more clarity
to the code. Given that my assumption currently is that it would ask
for the same type of closure
from 11:00 to 2:00 to operate
in the same proximate location.
It is highly unlikely that the
department would recommend an approval for these types of additional food trucks because again, we're starting to run
into areas of what we believe
to be some saturation, that the intent of the legislation was
to, according to the board of supervisors was place these
food trucks into so-called food deserts where there is little foodservices in the area.
And based upon that logic, we're really looking at what is appropriate and what is not specifically. >> and so this food truck, since the gentleman runs a
restaurant on that street
already, it's slightly a different situation?
>> in this case -- >> there are four restaurants
on the street, but the food
truck operator is one of those restaurants, correct? >> yes.
>> that is correct >> three restaurants have outdoor seating.
>> thank you.
In that situation I'm happy to support staff's proposal on this one.
>> I think we have a little technical problem. At least two of us already voted for this. Director lee
and I had this as k; right? >> yes.
>> and we only removed l, m and n.
>> when did become such a stickler?
>> I'm a lawyer. >> you can vote on it again.
That would be fine. It's just doubly endorsed. >> I will move to approve this.
>> you are approving l, the commercial street? >> l. >> is there a second for that motion? >> second. >> any furndiscussion? All those in favor, say aye? >> aye.
>> opposed? The ayes have it. L, m and n.
Jerry, director lee?
>> that was the ortega street
from 24th to 25th or 27th,
where we're going put in speed
bumps and pedestrian islands and then do strict parking. I'm familiar with that area
because I grew up, around the sunset reservoir and into ortega [Pw -ubgts/] Don't we
run into the same problem with quintaro, reducing the speeds?
>> are you asking about certain streets that are similar?
>> they are identical. Our drafting group is here and I'm going ask him to speak to
the issue of other adjacent streets that might be of
consider to take a look at. >> okay.
>> good afternoon, mike with
the livable sections of mta.
We responded to this particular request on ortega because an application was submitted and
we haven't looked at quintaro,
because we haven't received an
application. Our traffic-calming resolves
from input from residents.
Quintaro is more steep that ortega but because there were
no specific requests for quintaro, we haven't looked tat.
>> you are talking about speed
bumps and pedestrian islands?
>> speed humps are meant to control the speeding on the street and pedestrian islands
are meant to improve crossing
of the ortega to lead to the sunset reservoir. >> okay. What about the
rationale of the restricted parking. >> the restricted parking is
at the corners, to improve the
sight lines of motorists and
pedestrians I should add these
elements were developed in conjunction with neighbors along that street. >> thank you. >> with that, director lee?
>> I move to approve that.
>> l, m and n? >> yes. >> their list, not ours. [Laughter]
>> I will second.
>> we will have a tiny little break here. Okay.
Can we hang on to that and come back to this one? >> okay.
>> on advoice of my
co-counsel. So let's go to 12. >> all right, so it's my understanding that the board is
not taking action at this point on the ortega street items? >> that is right.
>> moving on to item 12, hold
on, let me get down there.
I hope daze it's really 12,
authorizing the directors to
executive a contract new flier
industries, et cetera.
Directors no members of public have signed up. >> any questions on this one?
>> I would like to clarify -- and this actually came up.
It's a question I should have
asked when state of good repair grant for l15 million. This is this grant what is
buying these buses or is that a
separate purchase?
>> hi, good afternoon, monique webster.
The state of good repair grant
we received was towards the purchase of replacement vehicles. We would like to expand the number of [Sthra-ebgz/] We're
going to be able to purchase, but at this point we don't know how many additional vehicles that will be.
>> okay. So I think the last time we talked about new
vehicles and I asked Mr. Haly,
we would be receiving our first
batch of new vehicles in spring?
>> Mr. Haly and his staff with U.S. City attorney's office and finance folks has done a
trespass job to accelerate this to the greatest extent possible
negotiating very hard with new flyer to [Tkhr-efr/] And I believe under this purchase, which I would say that we're very excited about, we would have the first ones coming in in the spring. And we have been able to get
from them a very aggressive schedule and following right behind, which I think kind of
relates to the question of the
other grant funds is what we're
also beginning to process on some of the electric trolley buses as well. So they will be following behind this purchase.
But it's a much shorter turnaround time than we would
normally have in part because
you authorized us to enter into the purchasing consortium and in part because we emphasized to the contractor that we would like the most aggressive schedule possible for delivery. >> and these will be replacing some of our buses that we have
been remined in the past we have the oldest fleet around and it's only through the
amazing work of our mechanics
that they are out there still
running. So this will replace our worst?
>> between in and the electric trolley procurement that we hope to bring to you soon, we'll be replace [Sph-fgt/] Oldest in our fleet and our biggest headaches.
You will see in the next item, where we're requesting authorization to rehab in
additionally some of our older
vehicles in this combination of purchase and overhaul and in addition this is what have you approved in the five-year cip. That in addition to what have
you done in operating budget in
terms of getting -- investing
in the maintenance, these two planks toweled significantly improve the reliability of the fleet overall. >> and I'm sorry, one more question. To go back to the federal grant, again this is something that I meant to ask at the time, but never did.
When we got the $15 million
state of good repair grant was that something we anticipated
and baked into our budget numbers for those buses?
>> yes. When we developed the two-year and five-year cip and the two-year capital budget, we
anticipate to the best of our
abilities the federal grant program and state to the extent its relevant.
The various funding sources and
build our plan around that. So we did anticipate those funds
and I think we actually anticipated more than we received with that $15 million, so we're certainly very grateful for the $15 million. It wasn't a surprise. It was the exact amount we were
unsure of. So that was baked into our assumptions, but because we got less, we have to
figure out how to close gaps and adjust accordingly. These funds and the procurement was in the capital budget. >> g I just wanted to highlight that, because I know
when I did a tour of one of the divisions, the age of the buses
and the fact that you want your
buses -- I understand, to be staggered at different types of year, so they don't start
breaking down all at once. So
buying 45 new vehicles is a great start. So I'm happy to go ahead and move this. >> is there a second? >> yes.
>> further discussion? [Phra-ufrp/]? >> aye.
>> nays in the ayes have it. No. 13.
>> 13 authorizing the director
executive contract no. Cpt 6
31, rehantation of neo plan buss with complete coach works
in an amount not to exceed
$19,105,885.60 and for a term
not to exceed six years.
No public has signed up. >> motion? >> motion. >> second? >> any further discussion? All those in favor, say aye? >> aye. >> opposed? The ayes have it.
Going back to Miss Freehlander with the ortega street item.
>> directors, just to confirm and clarify for you and the public, the items on the consent calendar are the same
on both versions of the agenda.
there is only a typo in lettering. So once you act on the commercial street item, you
will have acted on the entire consent calendar.
>> on the ortega street item? >> the ortega street item. [Laughter] >> correct.
>> so is there a motion on the
l, m and n? >> on the ortega street item. >> motion. >> second. >> any further discussion?
All those in favor, say aye? >> aye. >> is that it? >> Mr. Chairman, that concludes the business before you today. There is no closed session.
