but as ftd stop me and ask me why i was driving on the same day i was driving when richie wiener's wife was driving. she had a taxi medallion and i did not. i also wrote for national cap for 4.5 years. when i left, i was asked to give $500 back. no reason. there is no fire walls between the cab companies and the cab drivers. you sit back here and patronize the cab companies. we have seen a management standing with you. i do not see you standing with taxi drivers because they have no input. ubercab is taking over the industry because there is no limousine commission in this

city. where are the taxi stands? we get taxi tickets and the mta does not give them to bus drivers. >> mr. heinrich -- heinicke, i am asking you to leave the board please. other commissioners, i would like to ask you to consider my thoughts and encourage him to leave. we all talk about wanting a world-class taxi system in this world-class city. there will never be won if we have an abused and demoralized work force. ever since director heinicke has come into this arena, he has state -- he has called for medallions to be taken from permit holders. he has created a poisonous relationship between the regulatory agency and the work

force, many of whom are afraid to come into this building. the idea that the sfmta would take $20 million per year, tried to take $20 million per year, from some of the poorest-paid, blue-collar workers in the city, and use it to pay for the salaries and benefits of some of the best-paid, blue-collar workers in the country, is just unthinkable to us. we have no overtime, sick pay, vacation pay, no health care. we have no retirement plans, no paychecks. that this money would be extracted from lost to go elsewhere is unthinkable. it will never go down. we will come back here in a few years if this continues. we will come back here in a few years and it will be just the same.

the idea that the cab industry, this vital industry of 5000 active drivers, should be a subset of the finance department of the mta is absolutely unacceptable. thank you. >> i just left out a thing for the request for writ. vice chairman brinkman: u.s. party had your chance to speak. thank you. >> i am on the taxi advisory council. i wanted to say that i think the taxi advisory council, although the task of figuring out what to do with medallions is pretty much over, you should continue having this council. it is a way for drivers and company owners to sit down at the same table and speak.

discuss the issues that concern them. otherwise, the town hall does not happen as much. as far as uber, you need a lot more inspectors out their 24-7. i appreciate the efforts being made now. more than has been made since i've been driving a cab. it is just a drop in the bucket for these guys. you need to explore this all- taxi access with whatever means there is. i do not think the m.t.a. should be going into the taxi business by leasing and selling medallions for the purpose of paying off their debt. you are competing with not just cabdrivers' for medallion income, you are taking half of the medallions that career drivers have been waiting for to get.

by leasing the medallion to the companies, you are competing with medallion-holders for income. one other thing i wanted to say about the cameras that are in the cab, there is no way to tell whether the audio is on or not. i think these cameras need to be redesigned so you can tell. they should not have any audio whatsoever, but right now, they say they are not recorded audio but i have talked to a lot of drivers who have heard audio when they go in to review an accident. you cannot believe the companies. unless there is a verifiable way that we know, you do not know if your conversations are being recorded. >> i think i'm going to address the same issue that he was going to address. at least one of them.

medallion-holders get up here and they all looked pitiful. maybe they are. i would like to point out that these guys that have made about $1 million apiece off of each one of these medallions over the last 30 years, they are making about $3,000 per month. they actually have good returns. under a different situation where there was not some kind of compromise, their selling would be fine. this is a way to get medallions to people on that list. given a choice between somebody who has a $3,000 amount retirement and somebody who will have no retirement whatsoever, i think you should consider keeping this.

you guys are making so much money off of us. if we go down, you go down. >> i want to thank roberta boomer. she told me about an article. in many cities, ait has taken people by surprise. they will go through sacramento

and try to get some legislation to protect the industry here. i am more of a wait and see type person. the medallion at sales policy will be heard your later in the summer. whether they should not -- whether or not they should be allowed to sell. if you allow them to sell, probably about 200 would come forward. 50,000 per transfer, that would be $10 million for the agency. it is self-defeating to make them die off. there are some legal and fairness issues involved. there are 12 under people wanted to purchase medallions. these are int -- 1200 people

who want to purchase medallions. they do not want to wait seven or eight more years. they want to begin building equity. if the supply is needed, the city would make money. you would obviate some lawsuits. i think it is the right thing to do. you will put the medallions and the hands of an active working drivers. thank you very much. >> thank you. i would like to echo her worlds. -- words. we should be a separate division. we really need that for a month. it is important -- that forum.

it is important. i have never heard of a price more than $15,000. conservative estimates are that anyone with any of those medallions have made at least $8,000. more like $1.5 million. some people have two, three, seven medallions, and they do not drive. please pull all those medallions and give those to working drivers. that is the right thing to do. with regards to the phenomenon and the sedans, the companies like the impression that more cabs solve problems. we need technology to be applied. we have more cabs per capita than new york city.

in new york city, there is one cab for every 633 people. in this town, there is one cab for every 587 people. we do not need more cabs. the need to get to the past to where they are needed when they are needed. once we know how the industry really works, we should issue medallions as they are genuinely needed. the whole idea of more cabs on the inside of the box, and permitted black market on the outside of the box, it is not the way things ought to operate. >> thank you. >> i missed 14 and 15. history looks back at society

and judges them about how they treat their weakest members, oldest members, the sick and elderly. san francisco is a really expensive place to live. when the city was without tabs -- cabs, and many grandparents are taking care of their grandchildren, even their great- grandchildren. children are very expensive. i know because i have seven stepchildren. it is just not fair when those people are in an older and weaker state, to wait for them to die so the city can get the full value of the medallions. it is not in line with the kind of values that the west has always exhibited in terms of how

to make things fair for the most people as possible. i have really appreciated the effort by the sfmta to try to deal with so many of opposing forces. i really think we could make the city public works a lot more efficient. i think there are other sources of income than preventing these people, who are now very weak, and who doesn't budget not to be able to sell their medallions? we do need more cabs. we definitely need them on friday and saturday night. people are willing to pay, and when we have a huge convention -- >> thank you. the last person who has turned in a speaker cards.

>> i live in district 6, 55 mason. i just voted today and going to the golden gate celebration, it was scheduled from 11:00 until 11:00. you could not get from golden gate celebration until 2:00. we made it to market street at 2:00. i hope this is the time where the san francisco transit authority can work to make sure buses, cabs, and on the ground or a work like philadelphia. you can go out, the transit system is the number 1 in the nation, i think. it does not stop you from going out after 12:00. it is very important that all ages, all incomes be able to take care of transit. i think we need to have a diverse group of people from

each of these cabs, muni, the bart. liberty and justice 24 hours, and people need to be able to get a cab. be like other american cities. people can take different types of transportation. you have to -- things are coming out of the closet. let's let the protest -- thank you. >> thank you. >> that is the last person to turn in a speaker card. >> thank you. public comment is now closed.

we will move to the consent calendar. >> item 10.2e has been severed from the consent calendar. that is the only request. thank you have a motion to approve the consent calendar? >> second. >> all in favor? >> thank you. we will hear 10.2e, and this has to do with establishing a shuttle bus zone. >> thank you. >> good evening. i want to thank you for scheduling all of these items in one special meeting. i severed this item, although it pertains to a lot of what is your that relates to the new

hospital going in at the cathedral hill. i want to say that i do not have kids, but i know some of the best times in people's lives is when they witness the birth of a child. one of the best times in my life was june 30, 2010, when i witness the birth of the hospital. out of the slavery of throes of sutter health. why this relates to this is because of the city's relationship. i do not see anything here -- i picked this item because it is right next to an atm. there is a citibank atm. the reason i am concerned, you have a shuttle bus design, but how about taxi zone?

you are still treating taxis like stepchildren. where is your cabstands? it is not just about wealthy people getting to a cab. it is also about the issue of paratransit. they take cabs from medical appointments, or go into the emergency room. i do not see anything about cabstands on here. yes, you've got a shuttle bus zone. yay! what about your responsibility to also make sure your staff asks one of the questions, where do you have your cab stand? that is my biggest concern. >> thank you. do i have a motion to approve item 10.2e? thank you. motion moved.

>> i know the director is going to finish the report after the closed session. it would be inappropriate to discuss whether to conduct a closed session. >> thank you have a motion to go into closed session? >> it will take me a moment to put the room into closed session. >> thank you.

>> the mta board of directors met in closed session. total compensation for the value of the lost goodwill and the non movable fixtures resulting from the condemnation of the property on stockton street. the board also discussed labor negotiations, but took no action spurred -- but took no action. >> do i have a motion? >> all in favor? >> thank you. we are returning to the best part of the meeting. >> no comment on that.

four hours after being rudely interrupted, a few quick things. we do more than taxis at the sfmta in case of folks have forgotten. san francisco, this past week, was part of the kickoff of the green lanes project. it is a new project that is being launched by the foundation with the intent to bring more protected by ways to -- bike ways to u.s. cities. we were one of the cities chosen to participate in the project. it will be supporting development of these kinds of facilities and networks over the next two years. we were selected along with

austin, chicago, memphis, portland, and washington, d.c. we had our kickoff last week in chicago, and were we were joined by the administrator of the federal highway administration. strong support from the u.s. to permit a transportation for this initiative. cities were recognized for their ambitious goals and their -- ambitious goals. we, for example, presented not just be recently implemented jfk bike way, but as well as the polk street project. we were selected also because of the quick work we have done since the injunction. people have been ty