Tag Archives: politics

June 3 voting guide: No on 98, 99, F. Yes on G.

All these propositions are really annoying. I’ve received over 15 mailers for and against state and local measures and candidates. 15 * millions of Californians is a lot of waste. I really enjoyed SPUR’s voter guide. Or, ignore it all … Continue reading

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Driving in the City is beautiful.

I eeked by on Sunday with my lowest Sunday earnings in a long, long time — only $87. This was offset by better than usual earnings Monday and Tuesday, both over $170 (over average). I notice that fares run together … Continue reading

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Website highlights financial stress of driving a taxi in the City

I point your temporary attention to a Flash website produced by UC Berkeley j-school grad students Eric Zassenhaus and Amy Jeffries. The video clips thumbnailed along the bottom are accurate and colorful paintings of a typical taxi shift. Well worth … Continue reading

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The headline should read, “Mayor signs taxi gate fee increase, lowering pay for City workers.”

Mayor Newsom signed a bill last week that increases gate fees for most cab drivers by $5 (effectively a $.50/hr paycut) and increases the gate fee for Compressed Natural Gas and hybrid cab drivers by $13.50 (effectively a $1.35/hr paycut). … Continue reading

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Ignore the Hillary/Obama charades: NAFTA is good.

Marketplace painted a nice picture of Obama and Hillary’s voracious battle for the crown of ultimate NAFTA hater. This is frustrating. Yes, they’re in Ohio. Yes, they have to cater to the lowest common denominator. Instead, they should rise up … Continue reading

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Muni’s Nat Ford doing good things?

Wow, it looks like Nat Ford might actually know how to run a municipal transit agency. Let’s hope the Board of Supervisors gets off his back and lets him do it right. Link

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How to fix Muni (for real)

On my ‘to write’ list is a manifesto of how to fix Muni. Lay out what’s wrong. Lay out what we need to do to fix it. Dave Snyder of SPUR beat me to the punch. I met Dave last … Continue reading

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Why is Congress wasting its time (aka our money) with baseball players?

I’ll admit right up front: I’m not sure what Congress actually does at their meetings in Washington. But, what I glean from an ear half-tuned to NPR is that it’s usually a discussion on legislation germane to American citizen’s lives … Continue reading

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When I get mad about employers screwing me over, I think of Robert Reich and then direct that anger at the government. You can too! Here’s how.

When I drive an 11 hour shift and make only fifty or sixty bucks I feel pretty sour. This doesn’t happen often. But, it does happen a few times a month during this time of year when demand for cabs … Continue reading

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Mayor spends thousands of dollars to learn transit user fees are necessary.

Dear Mayor Newsom You didn’t have to spend City taxpayer money on private consultants. Anyone could have told you: Just like any other shared and limited public resource, public transit needs user fees. Offering ‘free’ Muni is a destructive proposal. … Continue reading

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