tv, it is very impressive work. >> he was trying to escape on muni. chairman nolan: it involves us all. >> [reading names] >> at this time, i am rising to speak to an item that is not on the agenda that may solve a lot of problems. and that is the idea of a centralized taxi dispatching service in addition to what ever other dispatch service they have in their cabin. i am not just talking about open taxi access, and if i am, i want to put some flesh on the

skeleton. i feel i have the right to do this because i asked for and got them meeting with mayor brown and got the former commissioner with me. mayer brown said it was a no- brainer. nobody in the city has carried forward. revenues and endorsed the idea in tuesday of the city addresses. the idiot is to use high-tech dispatch the that a passenger can get the nearest available cab regardless of company. with the director were here, he would know that under the law, taxicabs and their owners are public utilities. i think we need to revisit

centralized taxi dispatch in addition to whatever dispatched there is in any of the other companies. a they there would be more reliable service across the board for passengers taken as a whole and it would be a win-win for the drivers as well. the meeting i had with willie brown was 14 years ago. and nothing has been done since then. it is just business as usual. it is your business to see where you can do to help the public get better dispatch. >> [reading names] ." i'm from aerocab company. it is important to point out that it virtually is negated by

the memorandum in october of 2010. this requires cabdrivers to pay mandatory credit card fees. they barely make enough money to support themselves. the owners are zero former cabdrivers and they look out for the interest of cabdrivers. in order for us to survive in this industry, we must take decisive action regarding the unfair treatment. let me give you a quick example. oh russian-speaking citizens, they call a public meeting to transfer them die in this out in record time. something they have never done for any other cab company. we're grateful for breaking the

pattern of non responsiveness. we hope that this board will follow her example and respond before they complete their review of our complaint. i would like to start with him. i want to hear the opinion regarding the causes of action and evidence in our complaint. i will call his office tomorrow morning to schedule an appointment at his convenience and the hope he can make time for us. >> i would like to address the structure of the newly formed a taxi advisory council. as you know, it was formed to

evaluate the medallion pilot program. i attended the last meeting at it seems to be composed of the majority of members that seem intent on undermining the sales program. the only do i find this confusing, the lenders are starting to be affected as well. what if they stop lending? hard-working career drivers, some of them have invested their life savings. i have a friend that invested $175,000 of money he saved during his entire working career. if this program fails and they stop lending, what are you going to do? are you going to reimburse these people? there have been 120 transfers. i really find it curious that

the director has created a scenario that could potentially sabotages program. i wonder if she is thinking with a clear head here. particularly with an item 12. you are giving them no exit strategy. it puts the public in danger and imposes a potential liability on the city. thank you. >> thank you so much, good afternoon. i like to address how to items, what about the mason street. we have to use that area, we have to make a left turn.

it makes delay for the public for the hotel and sites. please take away this time limit. we are making it very safe to make a left turn. another item is about the bicycle lanes. your bicycle lane is only for young people 20-40 years old. all the family and kids can i use the bicycle lane because it is not safe. you have to create a lane for the public. it is a big project. for the families like your kids and your grandchildren.

e is for education. you cna make -- can make money and teach children. and entertaining. you could have ice-cream service, so this should and bring the family out. they cannot do it on market street. [chime] >> [reading names] >> commissioners, once again, thank you for letting me address you. i like to bring the two topics

today and to spend a minute on each. there are many cab companies out there that operate with funds from taxi drivers. and when the taxi drivers leave the firm, they don't get their money back. the number is probably in the thousands. you place a deposit of $500 for whatever claims they are. they can decide not to pay you and take them to small claims court. i think they should start addressing issues related to the taxi drivers. they don't have to go to court nonstop. the you will know what cab companies are violating these laws because a security deposit is a security deposit. i would like to also bring a of if you look at an increase on

the meter, without doing an economic impact on the income of taxi drivers, you're doing a disservice to the city and county of san francisco. most cabdrivers' a very big fees to cab companies have they get virtually nothing back except a taxi with four wheels, brakes, a radio, and that is is. if you want to increase the meter, you can start a pension fund medical fund and the union for taxi drivers. they will have the same rights that 29,000 other employees in the city have. as of right now, they have no rights of all. i thank you. >> the next speaker?

>> it is like christmas for the drivers today. they will be very happy, and you finally give them something that is a great tax to you. they would be really very happy from the bottom of their hearts. during the town hall meetings, the back seat terminals are so far and there. 150 cabs will be stocked in a determination will be made. it has proven to be false, and the statement of the cab company, they will sue.

we're saying to look into this matter. some inspectors want to a lemonade heehaw -- eliminate the limos from the city. thousands of these days and days out, we're standing there to distribute a violation. city employed people cannot go on and put any such thing as propaganda. these are the flyers for the board members, and they should stop distribution. the last speaker,

[unintelligible] >> dan hines. >> members of the board, once again, i am president of national veterans cabin, and the number of the taxi advisory council. i wanted to take this opportunity to give you my personal assessment of the program. the pilot program has more than met its goals. have a financially viable exit now. opportunities have opened up for drivers on the waiting list. there are more than a thousand that wish to purchase medallions. the city has generated substantial revenues through this program. lived in fortunate enough to have competent and conscientious oversight.

the work that both groups have done has been truly outstanding. has the opportunity to sell is currently closed to anyone not in the pilot, i would ask this board to formally request a specific recommenda way to transition from the pilot program to a continuation of medallion sales on an ongoing basis. this recommendation that is the one that chartered responsibility should be given priority over other items. other items are brought and i think this should be a primary issue. i think the representation, it should be held by someone who

has purchased a medallion. chairman nolan: that will conclude public comment. one more? you know how it works? you are supposed to indicate you want to speak. >> it would be helpful if you turn them at earlier. >> there is a lot to talk about, but i want to focus on a few things. before it purchased the cabinet earlier this year, i was very familiar with the taxi system here in san francisco and wanted to give you a couple observations as to why i think our system is flawed and why we have very bad availability to the public. first, let me give you the facts. right now, we have a cab company with major dispatch services, and have about half of the medallions.

we have different color schemes popping up, so we have about 31 different cap companies right now. half of them are at companies that have no dispatch service whatsoever. the burden of servicing the neighborhood call fallen half of the medallions we normally have. you have to meet service demands and neighborhoods, you have to pick up orders and that is the first thing you can do. you have to make sure that they are servicing the neighborhood, not just half of them. we have a situation where i have hundreds of orders that i can't fulfill, and dozens of drivers waiting to go out. there is no love lost between the other cab companies and myself. the one thing that unifies the other major cab companies is that we will be out of business soon because the standards have

applied. the standards in this industry are so low that i have never seen the level of exploitation of i have -- as i have seen now. the giants are operated by individuals. the proliferated and operated it least 30% of the medallions. one of the things the city must do is create standards and enforcement to make sure that the neighborhoods are matt. 31 cab companies with only half of them actually servicing the neighborhood. that has to change. chairman nolan: anybody welse -- else want to speak, let us know. two speakers. ok. >> be medallion pilot program

should be stopped. it should be brought back and issue to the drivers. i will tell you why. you are having the cabdrivers pay defending on what you choose. $200,000 goes to the [unintelligible] don't think that is fair, the cabdriver's like me that have been driving a cab for 23 years and have been on the waiting list, the medallion that higher

earnings and deserve. when i'm driving a cab, my feet get sore. i will be unable to drive a cab. for us, don't you think it's like changing the rules in the middle of the game? issue medallions under the leading less. if any new medallion is issued, it should go the drivers on the waiting list. use l 6 and in the hands and you get $225,000. under this proposal, you sell one medallion and you get more than $225,000. [chime] chairman nolan: next speaker. >> i am a member of the taxi

advisor a council. of like to take issue with the claims a couple of previous speakers that a new constitution, that anybody is trying to kill the pilot program. i don't know of anybody that has that in mind. there are people on the pilot program who have for it any kind of discussion of fair system to come out of this. there are a lot of us still concerned with people on the list as the last speaker just spoke, they spend their career trying to get their medallion and planning of with all of this stuff. we put up with a lot of stuff. the are a lot of us the lead to

discuss a possible future program that would be fair, and presented as a compromise solution. the pilot program was a small number of medallions and we will sell and evaluate the effects of drivers. there are people on the committee that feel that the purpose of the pilot program is just to transition in the total transfer ability. my understanding is that we're supposed to be of value leading it, finding the problems, and suggesting a fair way to continue like a dual system where of medallions will be issued to drivers have made a career. i don't think that should end. it doesn't mean we are trying to kill the pilot program. i think also of the flyer that as a vindictive fet earhart is not propaganda, is an

explanation of the way bi thinke of the money that you guys are spending to disseminate truthful information. chairman nolan: next item. >> you have concluded regular items. chairman nolan: is there a second? we will go to closed session. thank

>> the san francisco cons tri of flowers in golden gate park is now showing a new exhibit that changes the way we see the plants around us. amy stewart's best-selling book, "wicked plants" is the inspiration behind the new exhibit that takes us to the dark side of the plant world. >> i am amy stewart. i am the arthur of "wicked plants," the weeds that killed lincoln's mother and other botanical atrocities. with the screens fly trap, that is kind of where everybody went initially, you mean like that? i kind of thought, well, all it does is eat up bugs. that is not very wicked. so what?

by wicked, what i mean is that they are poisonous, dangerous, deadly or immoral or maybe illegal or offensive or awful in some way. i am in the profession of going around and interviewing botanists, horticulturalists and plant scientists. they all seem to have some little plant tucked away in the corner of a greenhouse that maybe they weren't supposed to have. i got interested in this idea that maybe there was a dark side to plants. >> the white snake root. people who consumed milk or meat from a cow that fed on white snake root faced severe pain. milk sickness, as it was culled, resulted in vomiting, tremors, delirium and death. one of the most famous victims of milk sickness was nancy

hangs lincoln. she died at the age of 34, leaving behind 9-year-old abraham lincoln. he helped build his mother's casket by carving the woodallen petition douche the wooden petition himself. >> we transformed the gallery to and eerie victorian garden. my name is lowe hodges, and i am the director of operations and exhibitions at the conls tore of -- cons tore of flowers. we decided it needed context. so we needed a house or a building. the story behind the couple in the window, you can see his wife has just served him a glass of wine, and he is slumped over the table as the

poison takes affect. a neat little factold dominion about that house is actually built out of three panels from old james bond movie. we wanted people to feel like i am not supposed to be in this room. this is the one that is supposed to be barred off and locked up. >> the ole andersonner -- oleander. this popular shrub is popular in warm climates. it has been implicated in a surprising number of murders and accidental deaths. children are at risk because it takes only a few leaves to kill them. a southern california woman tried to collect on her husband's life insurance by putting the leaves in his food. she is now one of 15 women on california's death rowan the only one who attempted to murder with a plant.

>> people who may haven't been to their cons tore or been to -- do serve tore or their botanical garden, it gives them a reason to come back. you think let's go and look at the pretty flowers. these are pretty flowers, but they are flowers with weird and fascinating stories behind them. that is really fun and really not what people normally think of when they come to a horticultural institution. >> "wicked plants" is now showing at the san francisco conserve tore of flowers. unless next time, get out and play. >> hello.

9 judge terri l.