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Push to Organize SF Transit Riders Proving Difficult

Flickr user soyunterroristaDave Snyder, organizer of transit riders​Last month's well-publicized service rollbacks at Muni were long anticipated by unhappy bus riders, motorists and regular transit activists, but at least one man has tried to capitalize on the transit agency's woes. Longtime trans ... More >>

Riders Rolling with Muni's Punches

Taylor FriedmanSure, the 30 is crowded. But everyone's too busy listening to their iPod to complain. ​People love to bitch about Muni. You very rarely hear anyone mention their joyous -- or even normal -- ride to work. That's because Muni is a collective complaint; the bond that ties us togeth ... More >>

Muni Drivers Pissing on the Street

Via N-Judah ChroniclesMicturating Muni drivers have raised the ire of their higher-ups. And now it's hit the Internet. ​You'd think they'd have run out of ideas long ago. But Muni has found a completely new way to create a bad situation involving urine. Drivers have allegedly been pissing in the s ... More >>

Julio Mestre, Charged With Molesting Invalids in Contra Costa, Did Same Here in S.F.

San Pablo Police DepartmentFormer Muni Driver Julio Mestre molested an incapacitated San Francisco hospital patient -- purportedly while wearing his Muni uniform​Julio Mestre, the 56-year-old charter bus driver charged with molesting elderly invalids at a San Pablo convalescent home, did the same ... More >>

Muni Riders Walk Out of Tunnel Following Malfunction

Alexia Aubault EskenaziMuni passegers wandered up out of the Metro Tunnel after a long delay​Scores of Muni riders, blinking after nearly an hour trapped underground, straggled out of the Duboce and Church tunnel moments ago. The walkers followed the emergence of an eye-catching six-car train, whi ... More >>

Is Progressive Supes' Muni Amendment Just a Bargaining Chit?

Like this old train, many elements of yesterday's sweeping Muni charter amendment were things we've seen before...​The Charter Amendment yesterday introduced by a quartet of progressive supervisors would essentially tear apart the way the Municipal Transportation Agency is run and sew it back toge ... More >>

Baylinks: BMX Bikes, Birdman, & Drunk Smurfs

​McLaren park may become a haven for BMX bikers. [Uptown Almanac]Hayes Valley Farm is having a film night. [Haighteration]Mysterious birdman of Civic Center feeds, helps pigeons. [EPA and Around the Bay]Shots of the Columbarium, San Francisco's prettiest place to be dead. [Richmond SF]You know it' ... More >>

City Audit Slams Muni Labor, Management

N-Judah Chronicles/Lauren Oliver -- Used with PermissionPlenty of fail to go around...​City's Budget Analyst Harvey Rose released "part one" of a performance audit of Muni today. And, guess what? Muni drivers' self-serving work rules cost the city millions. The agency is drowning in overtime, acco ... More >>

It's No Secret Why Muni Abandoned Bus Stop Consolidation

Not going anywhere, it would seem...​The San Francisco Examiner today had a story noting that the idea of bus and train stop consolidation, pushed as a remedy that could save Muni millions by speeding up vehicles, has just as speedily fallen off the radar. The Ex does a downright public service by ... More >>

Coming Saturday: Muni Service Cuts

Well, this ain't happening here...​You don't have to wait long to wait long. Starting tomorrow, May 8, Muni will initiate 10 percent service cuts in a cost-cutting measure. The agency stands to save around $4.8 million for the rest of fiscal 2010 (which ends on July 1) and $28.4 million in fiscal ... More >>

Muni's Taxi Medallion Revenue Projections Now Officially Bullshit

This movie sucked -- and so did the idea taxi medallion sales would buoy Muni this year​In our recent cover story, "The Muni Death Spiral," we examined the less than savory sausage-making behind the Municipal Transportation Agency's budgeting process. Multiple Muni sources told SF Weekly that the ... More >>

Vandal Busts 30 Windows on Muni Train. How Many Windows Do Trains Have?

Well, here's one you can't blame Leonel Jarquin for...​The San Francisco Police Department last week trumpeted the arrest of one Leonel Jarquin -- who, if guilty of the crimes with which he is charged, is one of the most comprehensive vandals in our fair city. The 18-year-old is charged with busti ... More >>

Muni Budget Leaves Board Prez David Chiu Mystified

N-Judah Chronicles/Lauren Oliver -- Used with PermissionBoard President David Chiu to Muni: Show me the money! ​Board of Supervisors President David Chiu likes to remind people that he's a Muni rider. Come May 8, with 10 percent service cuts taking effect, he'll be a Muni waiter, just like everyon ... More >>

Has Muni CEO Nat Ford Even Read SF Weekly Cover on Muni?

​We reported earlier how Muni CEO Nat Ford called a mandatory meeting for the transit agency's top brass in the wake of SF Weekly's cover story, "The Muni Death Spiral." Ford purportedly handed all of his top lieutenants a copy of the paper, gave them 20 minutes to read it, and then railed against ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Hidden Joys of Proposed Muni Budget

Ready or not, here it comes...​Yesterday, the Municipal Transportation Agency reluctantly passed a two-year budget for Muni. We're notifying you today as a symbolic nod to the overriding feature of that budget -- its 10 percent service cuts. Much like the buses and trains themselves, you had to wa ... More >>

Muni Confirms CEO Called Mandatory Meeting Following SF Weekly Cover

That means you, Muni employee! ​Last week we reported that, in the wake of SF Weekly's cover story, Muni CEO Nat Ford demanded his top brass attend a Wednesday meeting in which he railed against "snitches" talking to the media. Muni spokeswoman Kristen Holland today confirmed that this meeting did ... More >>

Muni CEO Nat Ford Allegedly Calls Mandatory Meeting in Wake of SF Weekly Story, Rails Against 'Snitches'

​It appears Municipal Transportation Agency CEO Nat Ford was less than thrilled with SF Weekly's Muni cover story this week. According to a source within the transit agency, on Wednesday, the day the story came out, Ford summoned all of Muni's top brass into his office -- 30, 40, or perhaps even m ... More >>

Supes Debating Muni Service Cuts Worst of All Possible Worlds

​Yesterday's action by the Board of Supervisors killing an appeal that would have prevented deep, across-the-board Muni service cuts was dinner with a psychotic ex-girlfriend at a terrible restaurant. It was a 1974 Ford Pinto that only cost you $14,000. It was a dessert that's fattening and tastes ... More >>

Expect Muni-Related Drama at Today's Supes Meeting

Bryan DemplerWe predict service cuts will miss their train...​The Board of Supervisors today will weigh in on a highly technical matter -- but one that affects hundreds of thousands of people, and draws hundreds of enraged commentators at city meetings. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, for one, is expect ... More >>

Muni Budget Still Has Millions of Uncertainties

Jim Herd​As others have noted, the budget projections over at Muni have gone from abysmal to merely terrible. This, surely, is a sign of progress. And, make no mistake, the agency is breathing quite a bit easier in the wake of some unexpected cash infusions than it was even a month or so ago. But ... More >>

Ingrate Couple -- and Their Dog -- Find Innovative New Way to Slow Down Muni

Jim HerdIt came from Muni...​God knows Muni doesn't need any help being slow. But, thanks to the eclectic folks it serves, sometimes it gets it anyway. Take a Sunday afternoon incident on the bus at 30th and Mission. Ozzie, Harriet, and their unmuzzled, unleashed dog skulked onto the bus. Paying? ... More >>

Around the Muni in 80 Days: Man Plans S.F. Transit Odyssey

Bryan Dempler'Man vs. Muni' dude Bryan Dempler has a long road ahead...​Every Day, Bryan Dempler takes a train downtown for work. Then he take a train home. Then he takes a train back downtown for night school. And then he takes a train home. Now he's come up with a novel new way to spend his days ... More >>

S.F. New Media Admits It Can't Quit Chronicle

OMG! Like, stuff blew up! ​Last night, the Commonwealth Club asked a panel of new media start-ups to imagine a San Francisco media landscape without a daily newspaper. The panel was boldly titled, "If Not the Chronicle, Then What?" Turns out, none of the panelists could imagine doing their jobs wi ... More >>

Will Influx of State Money Prevent Muni Service Cuts?

Woosh! Are service cuts soaring away?​When it comes to funding, Muni has been down so long, everything looks like up to them at this point. So the surprise news earlier this week that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a pair of bills that'll send roughly $36 million Muni's way -- after he'd earlie ... More >>

Muni Whoops: Service Change Sign Installed Upside Down

Reading delay...​Commuters wandering past the Muni tunnel at Chuch and Duboce this morning may be forced to assess just how well they're recovering from St. Patrick's Day. Muni has, dutifully, installed a large, hot pink sign informing riders of a pending rail construction project that will keep t ... More >>

Will Muni Finally Catch a Financial Break?

Is good news on the way? ​City Controller Ben Rosenfield was strolling through the pathways of City Hall this morning with a document tucked under his arm that may or may not save Muni some much-needed moolah. He's not saying. Not yet at least. The document beneath his arm was a draft copy of an a ... More >>

List: The S.F. subway to nowhere

Baylinks: Mid-Market Trouble, Tibet, & Rainbows

Kevin Bacon: Not riding Muni.​Is more biking an unintended outcome of poor Muni service and high fares? [Streetsblog]Susie Cagle takes a look at the problems facing Mid-Market and possible solutions. [SFAppeal]Tibet demonstrators march down Market. [SFist]Vintage Muni complaint letter. Because som ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Muni Fail

Federal scrutiny could threaten funding for the Central Subway boondoggle.

Think Tank's 28 Ideas to Save Muni Millions -- Without Fare Hikes or Service Cuts

N-Judah Chronicles/Lauren Oliver -- Used with PermissionA plan that can't fail? ​Unlike March Against Muni, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research didn't take the streets or wield any bullhorns. Instead, they offered actual solutions to Muni's myriad problems. On Friday, the moderate think tank ... More >>

Marching Muni Drivers Overwhelm 'March Against Muni'

All Photos | Joe EskenaziMarch Against Muni organizer Jared Roussel looks on as Muni Drivers' union boss Irwin Lum snatches away his bullhorn and addresses the crowd​"March Against Muni," the odd amalgam of largely young, hip people deeply incensed at rude Muni drivers, paper Fast Passes, and ... More >>

Tangling With Muni Union Helped Make Mayor Frank Jordan Into Ex-Mayor Jordan

A number of work rules that may have made sense when this bus was new are still in Muni's union contract...​As many folks steaming on Muni know, the drivers' union last week spurned concessions that would have saved the city some $15 million -- while accepting city charter-mandated raises for $8 m ... More >>

Muni May Lay Off 170 Operators on Friday

Jim Herd​Muni spokesman Judson True has confirmed a rumor disseminated by the Muni Drivers' union: 170 operators -- and 230 Muni employees -- will be facing layoffs after Friday's Municipal Transportation Agency Board meeting. "At the Friday meeting, service reductions will be voted on. If the boa ... More >>

Muni Driver Suffers Textbook Sweater Theft

The sweater-wearing community is aghast...​Last year we interviewed a number of Muni drivers in the Mission and Excelsior regarding a disturbing trend: The calculated thefts of their clothing.Those who covet Muni drivers' hats, jackets, shades, iPods, and other swag have it all worked out. "They ... More >>

Can Twitter Muni = Something Not Vile?

N-Judah Chronicles/Lauren Oliver -- Used with PermissionIs the relationship between Twitter and Muni symbiotic? ​Pencils up! Which of the following actually has a shot at improving Muni's lot? A. PrayerB. Paramilitary squadsC. Workers control the means of productionD. TwitterAccording to an increa ... More >>

Silver Linings of Muni's Pending Service Cuts and Fare Hikes

EarthnikNo, no -- this is for the best! ​On Friday, Muni wheeled out a cavalcade of proposed service cuts and fare hikes, all of which were met with about as much enthusiasm as, say, a proposal to economize by storing the dead in public school classrooms. Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, ... More >>

Supe Hopes Audit of Muni Management Will Be Factor in Budget Battle

Jim Herd​With the Municipal Transportation Agency preparing to send hundreds of workers packing and MTA staff advocating for fare hikes and service cuts, Supervisor David Campos has a different idea. Earlier this week, he requested the city's budget analyst undertake a full audit of the city's tra ... More >>

S.F. Streetcar Maven Mystified By Muni's Attempt to Charge $5 For F-Line

When will I be a real rail line?​Today, Muni's staff will try to sell the agency's board on a handful of eye-opening measures meant to make up the latest budget shortfall. Among other controversial measures, Muni proposes to jack the price of a ride on an F-Market line up to $5. Deprived of state ... More >>

SF Gov InAction: Hearing About Muni Is No More Disturbing Than it Needs to Be

  Dear Alleged Readers: I'm burned out on politics. The meetings, the hearings, the the petty egos ... and that's just Bevan Dufty's schedule last week. I need to take a break. So over the next several weeks I'll be asking some of my favorite local analysts, writers, bloggers, and perso ... More >>

What Does Latest Proposed Muni Hike Mean? It Means Muni Never Meant What It was Telling Us Before.

Speeding out of your price range...​Since paying more and getting less seems to be the order of the day worldwide, it's good to know that we in San Francisco have been in the vanguard once again. Delegations of government officials will, no doubt, be arriving here shortly to take notes on just how ... More >>

Who Will Be Thrown Under the Bus? Supe, Muni Union Up Ante in Duel.

Lo, what's this on my seat? Ah, a polemic! ​Muni riders yesterday may have discovered something unexpected on their seats -- no, not that. Thousands of pamphlets penned by Transportation Workers Union president Irwin Lum decrying Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and a recent article written about him in t ... More >>

Muni Video of Bus-Truck Crash Offers 'Plague O' Both Your Houses' Moment

Muni today released video -- from no fewer than seven different angles -- of the Jan. 5, early morning accident between the 19 Polk bus and a pickup truck. The takeaway: Muni screwed up. But the driver of the white pickup truck screwed up worse. Way worse. The camera angles pictured above don' ... More >>

Muni's Take On Latest Crash: This Is Happening Less and Less!

This has never happened to us before...​So the statistics released by Muni today seem to indicate that -- contrary to what the news may lead you to believe -- your probability of being mangled on (or by) Muni are decreasing. Muni vehicles got in (just?) 5.46 collisions per 100,000 miles traveled i ... More >>

Bay Links: F-bombs, Trailer Parties, & Young Romance

Bombs away!​Chris Daly drops the F-bomb at supes meeting. [City Insider]And speaking of supes, no more Yom Kippur break for the Board. [Sweet Melissa]Bloggers get their groove on at the SF Appeal Holiday Party. (Check out video of SF Weekly Web Editor Alexia Tsotsis busting a move) [SF Appeal]Love ... More >>

List: Muni Fight Club rules

Shaky bond insurers cost taxpayers money

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Hometown thieves we'll tolerate, but not southern sexists

The Great Bank Thievery

The city and state say the Bank of America stole hundreds of millions -- even billions -- of dollars from the government. But didn't San Francisco finance officials know what was going on? And shouldn't B of A executives be under criminal investigation?