November 2006 - Transpo - list.sfgreens.org

call-in # for Wednesday TV show: 621-4472, 7 to 8 p.m., Channel 29
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 29 Nov '06

29 Nov '06

Hello Everyone, If your interested in participating in a live call-in election recap on Wednesday, November 29, from 7 to 8 p.m., watch my show on Channel 29 and call: (415) 621-4472 My guests will be Erika McDonald, Krissy Keefer, Natasha Marsh of the League of Young Voters, and Nicole Derse of the SFPO. I may have one other guest. Sue ____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. http://new.mail.yahoo.com

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Re: [Transpo] Transpo Meeting: I'll Attend and Open Up the Office
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 29 Nov '06

29 Nov '06

I forgot about this meeting and am only just checking my email now at 7:45 p.m. Sue -- Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)netscape.net> wrote: Hi John-Marc and all. I'll be there tonight and open up. Cheers, Eric jmc(a)sfgreens.org wrote: >Hi, > I can't make the Transpo WG meeting tonight as I'm still >getting over a bad cold. Is anybody else with an office key planning >to attend tonight (7-9)? The agenda is to plan our next steps for the >new year, particularly regarding MUNI. We should also find out what >the TJC is planning next year. > >JMC > > _______________________________________________ Transpo mailing list Transpo(a)sfgreens.org https://list.sfgreens.org/mailman/listinfo/transpo

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Transpo WG meeting tonight
by John-Marc Chandonia 28 Nov '06

28 Nov '06

Hi, I can't make the Transpo WG meeting tonight as I'm still getting over a bad cold. Is anybody else with an office key planning to attend tonight (7-9)? The agenda is to plan our next steps for the new year, particularly regarding MUNI. We should also find out what the TJC is planning next year. JMC -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) http://sfgreens.org/

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Re: [Transpo] Muni Abuses
by Eric Brooks 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

Let's be clear here. I showed the driver a valid pass, and he then demanded that I reboard the bus anyway. This is a ridiculous reason to shut down a bus line. The driver wasn't handling a problem, he was -creating- one. By the way all, on the side of the drivers, I have been told by some of them that they get into trouble if they don't enforce Muni's punitive rules. So what is happening here is that the elites who run the system are pitting the workers against the people, creating unnecessary tension and conflict. They are forcing drivers to be enforcers and teaching them that riders are dead beats, to divide us against eachother and purposely perpetuate a lousy system that everyone hates, so that most continue driving, thereby filling the pockets of the fossil fuel, auto, tire, and road construction corporations. Recent slanted studies performed by Muni, ostensibly showing that large amounts of money were being lost through fare evasion, were completely debunked before the Board of Supervisors, and Board President Peskin went boldly out of his way to openly deride Muni for their bullshit... (The conclusion was that at absolute most, 15% of fares were being evaded, and probably less. Muni was claiming around 70% at one point, and local newspapers ridiculously printed this as fact.) It is time to act. The planet is burning and universal mass transit would cut CO2 increases by a huge amount. Third time's a charm sounds good to me. Let's do it. Eric Brooks lucretiam2000(a)yahoo.com wrote: >Dear Eric, > > > Rita does not drive a car and has no drivers >license. She rides muni everyday and 5 days a week, >Bart to Oakland for work. She is a strong advocate >for public transportation and knows the muni system >inside and out. Don't make assumptions about people >you do not know. It is probably the same assumptions >you make about the muni driver who was trying to do >his or her job the best way he or she could. > > I have been on the N Judah many times and seen >drivers trying to handle huge crowds of people all >trying to jam on limited cars. That is not easy and >if you felt slighted by this particlular driver, write >a letter to muni with your complaints. I am amazed at >how cool under pressure these drivers can be given >some of the lines and over-crowededness that happens >especially on the weekends. >Nancy > >--- Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)netscape.net> wrote: > > > >>With all due respect. >> >>Do you actually ride the buses very often? >> >>I doubt that you do. >> >>It has been pretty much standard practice for most >>drivers to let people >>board on the back of the bus when there are long >>lines because it >>-massively- speeds up the running of the system. >>Also, many riders are extremely poor and cannot >>afford to pay to ride >>the bus. They routinely get on the back to avoid >>having to pay; and to >>avoid the deep indignity of having to beg the driver >>for a ride. >> >>The only time this situation changes is when Muni >>directors decide that >>they have to crack down on those who avoid fares, >>and declare that >>everyone has to board in front, to force as many to >>pay as possible, >>whether they can afford it or not. This puts an >>incredible slow down on >>the system as everyone is forced to slowly file into >>the front of buses, >>no matter how crowded. This leads to the inevitable >>huge service delays >>that are always a problem, especially under such >>punitive conditions. >>People get frustrated with such cattle car >>conditions, and stop riding. >>It also amounts to an extremely regressive tax on >>those who can least >>afford it. There are even drivers during these crack >>downs who force all >>riders to -leave- by the front of the bus at the >>-busiest stops- in >>order to keep people from getting on in the back and >>this -doubly- slows >>down an entire bus line each time it happens. >>Furthermore, poor riders >>caught boarding the back or without transfers have >>actually been fined >>and even assaulted by staff and police during the >>most recent fare crack >>downs. And all of this, especially with slower runs >>transporting fewer >>people, can actually -reduce- revenues. >> >>Muni should be funded by fuel and parking taxes >>which encourage people >>to abandon cars and trucks for -much- more >>environmental transit, not by >>poor riders who are already having enough trouble >>just making ends meet >>in this insane war economy in which federal and >>state governments are >>chopping the hell out of city supports, including >>transit supports. >> >>I purposely refused to go along with the driver's >>absurd request to make >>it extremely irritating to both the driver and Muni >>to implement such >>draconian policies which will inevitably hit the >>poor right in the gut. >> >>The harder all of us make it for them implement this >>'zero tolerance' >>policy the more likely they will be to give up on it >>quickly and search >>for -legitimate- funding sources which tax >>automobiles in order to get >>people to favor transit. >> >>Finally, we have this little list called the 'Ten >>Key Values'... I was >>upholding at least three or four of them with my >>protest action. >> >>*Many* more of us need to do the same, so we can get >>Muni off the backs >>of the poor, and after the tail of polluting auto >>drivers, where they >>belong... >> >>Eric Brooks >> >>ritagoldberger(a)yahoo.com wrote: >> >> >> >>>Hi Eric, >>> >>>I guess I don't see what your problem is. If you >>>don't want the fares to go up, then you should >>>be in favor of making sure that all people who >>>do ride pay. If the revenue from fare >>>collections went up, then maybe the fares >>>would not. >>> >>>Muni has a rule, except on the Metro lines, that >>>people need to get on at the front door to pay >>>their fare or show their pass or transfer. I do >>>not see why this is so bad. The driver can't make >>>an exception for you and not others. I do not >>>see why you think he was unreasonable. Is he >>>going to let you get on the back door because >>> >>> >>you're >> >> >>>white and showed him a transfer? If he lets you >>>get on the back door, then he has to let everyone >>>on. And I have seen crowds get on all at once at >>>some bus stops. The driver can't catch everyone >>>and get them to show him their transfer or pay >>>their fares. >>> >>>People complain about how nasty the bus riders >>>are, but is seems to me that they showed great >>>restraint in waiting patiently with you on that bus >>> >>> >>>for 10 minutes while you held them all up by >>>refusing to do what they all had done. >>> >>>And ultimately, you did have to get on the front >>> >>> >>door >> >> >>>of the next bus, anyway. >>> >>>Rita Goldberger >>> >>> >>> >>>--- Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)netscape.net> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>>Apparently the new Muni director has issued a >>>> >>>> >>crack >> >> >>>>down order on fare >>>>collections. >>>> >>>>I boarded a Muni 49 bus at Van Ness and Market >>>>tonight by the back door >>>>(with current pass in hand) because the front line >>>>was really long. >>>>The driver immediately started laying on a >>>>patriarchal authority figure >>>>routine, so I decided to go up and show him my >>>> >>>> >>pass. >> >> >>>>Even when I showed him the pass he demanded that I >>>>leave the bus and >>>>reboard in the front announcing "Nope. New policy. >>>>'Zero Tolerance' for >>>>people boarding in the back!" >>>>To which I replied that I had zero tolerance for >>>>Muni's idiotic rules, >>>>and I refused to reboard, instead going to the >>>> >>>> >>back >> >> >>>>of the bus and >>>>sitting down to talk to my mother on the phone. >>>>The driver then shut the bus down, holding both it >>>>and the 49 behind it >>>>(held at the other light) paralyzed for at least >>>> >>>> >>10 >> >> >>>>minutes; afterwhich >>>>I saw another bus that would get me to where I >>>>needed to go, left his >>>>bus and boarded the new one. >>>> >>>>Guys. We -must- organize a transit riders' union >>>>immediately to put a >>>>stop to this nonsense before it gets totally out >>>> >>>> >>of >> >> >>>>control -and- the >>>>fare goes up to $2 or even more. >>>> >>>>peace >>>> >>>>Eric >>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>San Francisco Green Party Active Members List >>>>To unsubscribe or edit your options, go here: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/active >> >> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>> >>> >>San Francisco Green Party Active Members List >>To unsubscribe or edit your options, go here: >> >> >> >https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/active > > > > > > >____________________________________________________________________________________ >Sponsored Link > >Degrees online in as fast as 1 Yr >MBA, Bachelor's, Master's, Assoc >http://yahoo.degrees.info > >

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Re: [Transpo] [SFGP-A] We Must Act -Now- On Muni Abuses
by John-Marc Chandonia 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

The standard conservative talking point is that all MUNI's problems are due to fare evaders, and therefore the solution is to hire more fare inspectors. The union and management are united against the riders in this regard, as it's a great distraction from the real problems with both groups. They have backed this assertion up using flawed studies (such as one done by the Examiner a couple years ago)--an invariable feature of these "studies" is that they count all people getting on the back door as fare evaders, without checking to see how many had actually paid. In reality, a large percentage of MUNI riders (about half?) have fast passes. An unbiased survey would probably show that fare evasion is relatively insignificant and mostly limited to youth who would pay a reduced fare other people who wouldn't take MUNI if they had to pay. The people who have fast passes or transfers are doing all MUNI riders a favor by speeding up boarding. For exactly this reason, the SFGP's transportation platform encourages the expansion of "proof of payment" to all MUNI lines. In this case, fare inspectors (or police, if they ever rode MUNI) could ask people boarding through the back to show their pass or transfer. The drivers shouldn't be involved in fare inspection; their job is hard enough as it is. The TWG meets the 4th Tuesday of the month from 7-9 pm. Our next meeting is on Nov 28th. By the way, as another Atlantan expat, I completely agree with what Kathy had to say about Ford. JMC -- John-Marc Chandonia (jmc(a)sfgreens.org) http://sfgreens.org/

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We Must Act -Now- On Muni Abuses
by Eric Brooks 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

Apparently the new Muni director has issued a crack down order on fare collections. I boarded a Muni 49 bus at Van Ness and Market tonight by the back door (with current pass in hand) because the front line was really long. The driver immediately started laying on a patriarchal authority figure routine, so I decided to go up and show him my pass. Even when I showed him the pass he demanded that I leave the bus and reboard in the front announcing "Nope. New policy. 'Zero Tolerance' for people boarding in the back!" To which I replied that I had zero tolerance for Muni's idiotic rules, and I refused to reboard, instead going to the back of the bus and sitting down to talk to my mother on the phone. The driver then shut the bus down, holding both it and the 49 behind it (held at the other light) paralyzed for at least 10 minutes; afterwhich I saw another bus that would get me to where I needed to go, left his bus and boarded the new one. Guys. We -must- organize a transit riders' union immediately to put a stop to this nonsense before it gets totally out of control -and- the fare goes up to $2 or even more. When is the next Transportation WG meeting? peace Eric

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Celebrate Krissy's fabulous campaign!!!!
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 07 Nov '06

07 Nov '06

Celebrate Krissy Keefer's Awesome Campaign!!! Come to Cafe La Boheme at 3318 24th Street at 8 p.m. on November 7, 2006 and break rum cake with Krissy and sip champagne ... Whatever the outcome of Krissy Keefer's candidacy for the 8th congressional district -- whether she gets seven, 14, 25, or 65 percent of the vote -- Keefer, the colorful and energetic Green Party candidate for the 8th congressional district, plans to get down with her friends and supporters on Tuesday night -- and inaugurate the next phase of her campaign. What??? Did you all expect the troops to be home by Tuesday night, global warming to be stopped, and George W. Bush and company to be impeached by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on November 7? No???? Then come and join Krissy Keefer and friends at Cafe La Boheme at 3318 24th Street at Mission at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7 as she plots her next move. Oh, and by the way, she will also be celebrating her awesome campaign. She and her campaign walked hundreds of precincts, fliered at countless transit stops, distributed close to 150,000 pieces of literature, and annoyed the heck out of the San Francisco Chronicle for its biased coverage of Nancy Pelosi (the most well-known of Keefer's opponents in her race for Congress). They organized teams of people to put signs together on sticks, and then go around town and post those signs in commercial areas. They coordinated lit drops with other campaigns. And they rode a San Francisco Trolley through the streets of the 8th congressional district two times. On October 31, Taiko drummers aboard the trolley pounded to the rhythm of "Impeach Bush ... for Halloween." Keefer and her campaign also got on to television by staging events such as a "Silent Vigil" outside a fundraiser that Nancy Pelosi co-hosted with Bill Clinton and through the efforts of public access television producers. They got her name into the print and Internet media. "I'm voting for Krissy thanks to Youtube," has become a common remark on the streets of San Francisco these days ... They also organized spectacular cultural happenings with poet laureate Jack Hirschman; performance artist Guillermo Gomez Pena; Wilmington, Delaware Green Party congressional candidate Michael Berg; musical groups Grupo Raiz, Jou Jou, and Illary; dancers Ramon Ramos Alayo, Jose Navarrete, Ellen Bepp, Anne Bluethenthal, Amara Tabor-Smith, Sue Li-Jew, Debby Kajiyama, Kimberly Valmore and others; Taiko drummers Bruce Ghent, Jimi Nakagawa, Kallan Nishimoto, Dakini Daiko, Debbie Lammam and Lena Gatchalian; former Green Party congressional candidate and playwright/performer Terry Baum with Scrumbly Koldewyn; Hip Hop artist Allan "Big Poppa" Frias; singers Ronnie Gilbert (of the Weavers), Austin Willacy, and Melanie DuMore; District Five Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi; housing rights activist Christina Olague; founding members of the California Green Party Barbara Blong and Betty Traynor; and so many more ... Please join Krissy as she celebrates her spirited campaign and thanks her energetic volunteers ... and plans her next move to get the troops out of Iraq, stop global warming, and impeach George W. Bush. Rum cake and champagne for energy to provided ...

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Pelosi puff pieces in the SF Comical -- please write letters to the ed itor
by susan_e_vaughan＠juno.com 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

Hello Everyone, On the eve of the election, the SF Chronicle has seen fit to run three puff pieces about Nancy Pelosi and SF values one day after the other. They are failing to run letters to the editor that reveal the truth about Pelosi's voting record in Congress. It would be great if as many of you as possible could crank out letters and send them to the SF Chron. The email is letters(a)sfchronicle.com In your letter you could point out the following items: 1) Nancy Pelosi orchestrated the precedent-setting privatization of the Presidio National Park; 2) Nancy Pelosi voted FOR the USA Patriot Act in 2001 -- and then the SF Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance forbidding city employees from cooperating with the execution of that act; 3) Nancy Pelosi has defied the will of the San Francisco voters when the passed Proposition N in 2004, which called for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. She has voted for every penny of war money that George W. Bush has demanded -- unlike Barbara Lee, Pete Stark, Lynn Woolsey, and others. And she voted AGAINST the May 2005 Woolsey Amendment, calling for the creation of a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Furthermore, when John Murtha of Pennsylvania proposed the withdrawal of troops from Iraq in late 2005, she responded, "Representative Murtha speaks for himself." 4) Two weeks ago she appeared on Sixty Minutes and told the nation, "Impeachment is off the table." And yet there is an impeachment measure on our ballot now that is very likely to pass in San Francisco. Is she prepared to defy the will her constituents yet again? 5) She has opponents in her race for reelection and the Green Party candidate, Krissy Keefer, arguably best represents the values of SF in that she is calling for the immediate withdrawal of US troops, wants to make a huge legislative issue out of global warming, and is calling the impeachment of Bush and others. Keep your letter to 200 words or less -- it's possible. I've done it many times. Sue

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Fwd: Rebuttal to Endorsement of John Rizzo
by Katherine Roberts 04 Nov '06

04 Nov '06

------- Forwarded Message From: Jym Dyer <jym(a)econet.org> Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 09:32:44 -0800 (PST) Subject: Rebuttal to Endorsement of John Rizzo =v= The _Bay_Guardian_ chose not to print this letter. <_Jym_> Dear Editor, Campaigning for College Board, John Rizzo promises fiscal integrity and better public transit. This sounds good, and you gave him your endorsement, but look at his track record: he made the very same promises when campaigning for 1998's Prop J, which authorized an underground parking garage in Golden Gate Park. Garage proponents calling themselves "San Franciscans for Better Parks" hired the public relations firm Solem & Associates, which boasts among its clients Bechtel, Chevron, PG&E, and Lucasfilm. This is the group that funded Rizzo's pro-J ballot argument. A textbook example of an astroturf group, its messages were tailored to address, or rather flimflam, the concerns of the grassroots opposition to the garage. They did this by cobbling together garage supporters who called themselves environmental activists, with Rizzo as their spokesperson. With a budget of half a million dollars, the campaign was a success: voters narrowly approved the garage and the formation of the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority, to which Rizzo was appointed by then-Mayor Willie Brown. The Authority immediately got down to the business of breaking Prop J's many promises to the public. Rizzo settled into the role of "loyal opposition," at times the lone dissenting vote. This was an exercise in futility -- a futility that he himself put into place -- and the only thing that benefited from the exercise was his image. Considering how thoroughly the public was being defrauded, and that every promise he'd signed his name to was being broken, he should have done more than that. Others did do more than that. Lawsuits were filed, including one by Katherine Roberts of Trees Not Cars, who argued that Prop J was being violated. A judge agreed on one point, so the garage-builders responded with an outrageous scheme to widen a park road. This riled up public opposition, as it was surely intended to. At this point, Rizzo stirred from his naysaying repose to spring into action. His efforts centered on last year's Prop G, which had two parts, the first serving as a Trojan horse for the second: 1) weak wording about not widening the park road, and 2) strong wording to render the Trees Not Cars lawsuit moot. Rizzo campaigned tirelessly for this thing, taking it to a number of groups to win their endorsements. He focused on part 1 and avoided talking about part 2, apart from implying that Roberts was in league with the GOP. The poor judgement and lack of integrity he's shown in the public sphere disqualifies him for public office. I'm not voting for Rizzo for College Board in November. Sincerely, Jym Dyer Trees Not Cars San Francisco ________________________________________________________________ Notes ~~~~~ [1] San Franciscans for Better Parks spends half a million dollars, much of it going to Solem & Associates. http://www.sfgov.org/site/ethics_page.asp?id=13953 http://www.sfgov.org/site/ethics_page.asp?id=14930 [2] Solem & Associates gushes about their clients. http://www.solem.com/solem_pages/services/guide.htm "If you're a major oil company and the San Francisco board of supervisors wants to force you to sell your gasoline outlets in the city, you call Don Solem. If you're a development company hoping to build on a prime mid-town location, and you want everything to go smoothly, you call Don Solem. And if you're a citizen's group hoping to pass a bond measure for environmental improvements, you call Don Solem. At least that's what Chevron, Forest City Development and San Franciscans for Better Parks did, and in each case the result was the same: victory." http://www.solem.com/solem_pages/services/saopinionresearch/opinions_client… m [3] From the ballot pamphlet, Rizzo's promises that Prop J would do environmental wonders (promises funded by San Franciscans for Better Parks). LOCAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS FOR PROPOSITION J Proposition J converts 250,000 square feet of surface parking into grass, trees, and open space where today there are cars and more parking will be removed later. Proposition J jump-starts long-discussed public transportation projects including a free inter-park shuttle, supported by fees from the parking garage, as well as better public transportation to the Park. It preserves the Museum Concourse while removing cars from the surrounding area. Frop J also enables the Park to keep the Academy of Sciences, an institution that supports wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation through research and education. None of this is a coincidence. Environmentalists worked hard on the design of Proposition J to ensure that it would improve and enhance Golden Gate Park for recreationists, museum-goers, and everyone else who enjoys the Park. VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION J John Rizzo, Environmental Activist David M. Jamison, Chair, Golden Gate Park Conservancy Kirby Walker, Board Member, National Resources Defense Council Dennis Antenore Helen Martin Spalding, Trustee, Wildlife Conservation Society Walter C. Sedgwick, Director, National Audubon Society Director, Land Trust Alliance The true source of funds used for the printing fee of this argument was San Franciscans for Better Parks. ------- End of Forwarded Message

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Help me win a BART seat?
by Emily Drennen 03 Nov '06

03 Nov '06

Hi there, I could really use some help this weekend. I am running in a tight race and help from the SF Green Transportation Group might be the difference between a Republican incumbent and a new progressive voice on the BART Board. If you have an hour or two before the polls close, please call or email my campaign manager Richard to find out how you can help. Richard Dunn 510-459-3561 or richard(a)emilydrennen.com Thanks, Emily Drennen Green Candidate for SF BART Board www.emilydrennen.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get your email and see which of your friends are online - Right on the New Yahoo.com (http://www.yahoo.com/preview)

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