should an individual who is permitted run afoul of the existing legislation. thank you. >> thank you very much. i do want to bring one technical before you to your attention, change the date the existing permit expires from the end of this calendar year to june 30, 2013. you have in the packet that i circulated to you, in front of you, it reflects this change, this process has taken longer than i anticipated. that's the slight change i need to make. i would urge your support on this matter, thank you. >> thank you. it looks like a junk dealer permit is did $1,308 and can we adopt the amendments without objection? thank you. can we also move this forward with a positive recommendation

without objection? >> thank you. >> thank you. thank you, supervisor cohen. mr. clerk, can you call the last item? >> item no. 6 is a hearing on the municipal transportation quarterly progress on increasing and improving tax service. >> scott wiener. >> about a year ago i submitted a hearing request to request quarterly updates from the municipal transportation agency about taxi service in san francisco and efforts to reform and improve our taxi system. if we are ever to become truly a transit first system, muni, those critically important, will never be enough by itself. we also have to have in addition to great biking and ability for people to walk around safely, we need to have car sharing and very importantly we need to have a world class taxi system.

we currently do not have enough taxis in san francisco. taxi service is not where it needs to be. people still have incredible trouble getting a cab, whether they are visiting the city, whether they are living in the city, and if we want people to be able to live here without owning their own vehicles we need to give good cab service. i know that the mta has been moving forward with some very positive measures to improve service and i want to commend the mta for doing that and today we'll be having our quarterly update and miss hiashi is here from the mta so i'd like to invite her up to provide a update. >> chris hiashi, deputy director of taxis and accessible service. 2013 is going to be an exciting year for taxi service

in san francisco. around the end of the year in a few weeks a report from our best practices consultant who is looking at best practices in taxi regulations throughout the country and internationally. we're very much looking forward to the results of this study because, among other things, it represents a very comprehensive data collection effort from customers and stake holders that has not taken place in san francisco in many years and this will both quantify and validate our neighborhood service issues rather than having to rely on anecdotal information. in addition to analyzing the immediate needs on whether taxi supply is recommended it will also include a longer term structural analysis of how we might look at the licensing structure for taxi operations not only how many are needed but how we can structure taxi licensing to meet neighborhood service demand. and then in addition i believe that we'll

see this report identifying a further potential for taxi usage in san francisco, as supervisor wiener indicated, if we are going to make san francisco a place where people don't need to use their private cars that is consistent with the sf mta's goals of getting more people to use taxis and into other forms of public transportation. in addition to our best practices study which we think will provide us with a lot of very useful information at the beginning of the year, we're also going to be receiving responses to a request for information that was issued and those responses are due on december 28th. that is for the purpose of attempting to construct a data platform, if you will, for electronic taxi hailing applications to come into san francisco and be able to see the entire taxi fleet through these applications so that they can become more

reliablely communicated with by individuals on the street using burgeoning forms of mobile technology that are available today. third, i'm very, very proud of the accessible services staff and the work they have done to implement our wheelchair pick-up both incentive program and disciplinary program using this carrot and stick approach we find that our 100 ramp taxi vehicles that are accessible to wheelchairs are much more in service now than they were when this program was beginning to be enforced at the beginning of this year. and then, finally, not the only thing we're doing but i'm trying to give you a sense of the highlights, we are implementing a color scheme performance standard system whereby if color schemes don't meet certain basic pass/fail requirements and by color schemes i mean the taxi companies, if they don't meet

certain pass/fail requirements they will not be able to grow their business by attracting more medallions until such time as they do meet those pass/fail requirements and leaving the pass/fail requirements aside, using a scoring system to rank these companies based on their dispatch success, the level of paratransit performance, the number of complaints and compliments received but it will be very heavily weighted toward dispatch success, not just number of phone calls but based on a per taxi count of how many times people successfully are able to get into that vehicle as a result of a dispatch call. so i think this is the first time that we are going to be holding those companies accountable to public service and i'm really looking forward to implementing that in 2013 as well. so those are some of our service-related highlights and i'm happy to take any questions. >> thank you, miss hiyashi, i

want to commend you and miss bose and others for our strong work moving this forward. i know it's really challenging. i work but i think the agency is moving in a positive direction. do you have, i know this is -- everything in san francisco takes a little bit longer than we anticipate, just the nature of our city, and i'm wondering if you have maybe a gross estimate for how many years you think it's going to take until we have what you believe will be adequate cab service. i know adequate cab service might be in the eye of the beholder, but just trying to get a general sense. >> i was thinking more along the lines of it's always going to be a moving target. there's always going to be solg else we can do to make things better, but i think the best practices

study that we are expecting soon is going to be a really valuable platform torus to look at what other cities do, what options we might have, what sort of creative solutions we might have. for example, san francisco is the only -- other than las vegas -- is the only town in the united states that has part-time permits and we did that in order to try to deal with peak time demand. there may be other creative ways that we can get more taxis into the neighborhood. for example, the 8,000 series of permits that was just issued to companies are not allowed to pick up at the airport. we may find that we want to implement some zoning kind of criteria to make sure that certain taxis stay in certain neighborhoods or find other incentives and motivators to get more service out into the neighborhoods. so i don't know that it's something -- to me it doesn't feel like a chronological

exercise so much as how creative can we get and really identify what the sources of the problems are and try to do something about distribution. >> and i agree distribution is a big issue. there are parts of the city where it's almost impossible to hail a cab on the street and challenging to get a dispatch cab. i'm glad the agency is considering those issues. i do believe that as supply increases we'll probably organically see cabs moving to a broader swath of the city and in my view i think we have a real pent-up demand in this city. there's a lot of people who don't even think about taking a cab because they don't believe they can get one. as we have more cabs on the street that pent-up demand will be unleashed so i'm optimistic about that. >> colleagues, any questions? >> just a quick question. we

heard a hearing on car sharing and new types of programs that might seem to compete with taxi service and i'm wondering how as those types from zip car to city share to new types of zip cars coming into the city, how will that affect taxi service and competition with taxis. >> pier to pier sounds like a fancy way of getting grandma's old corolla out of the garage and making yourself into a taxi. we are serious about getting people into taxis by whatever mechanism it takes. we are not afraid of technology and we're not trying to be anticompetitiveness. however, there is a factor of

public safety. we need to make sure when somebody gets into a vehicle that that's a safe vehicle and a safe driver. with that said, we're all in favor. if we can satisfy those concerns there's also a concern about unregulated meters, for example, and what the customer can expect. some of these sfrlses, services, will say it's a suggested volunteer donation and it's no different from the casual carpool but what they don't say is in their 26-page user agreement when you put your credit card on file that if you do not make the suggested voluntary donation that it will be automatically deducted from your credit card, making it neither voluntary, suggested nor a donation. this is not a viable consumer situation. motor vehicle for hire regulators exist in order to screen the safety of the drivers, screen the safety of the vehicles, and make sure that the basis for the fare is

fair. so if those considerations are satisfied we are in favor of anything that will increase transportation service in san francisco. >> supervisor cohen. >> i just wanted to say thank you and acknowledge your department's hard work. i appreciate you putting in the effort and looking into this matter. as you remember last year, earlier this year, we have always had this on-going conversation. i certainly had an opportunity to talk to you about my concerns around the taxi, not only the concerns but the challenges around the taxi industry. so thank you for coming back to us and making this report and i look forward to seeing you again. >> thank you. >> thank you. shall we open this up for public comment? please come forward if you would like to speak. >> ro*pb on miller, i took a

taxi to get here from market. it was 7.95, i gave the driver a $10. there's only a shortage if you are hysterically running around with your head cut off. if you call for a taxi you can get a 5 or 7, 10-minute wait, a taxi will come. we need more planning on individual lives and less running around as if we were competing on donald trump's game show to be the most active and most aggressive. so you plan and you call for a taxi or you go on a busy thorough fare, you flag one down in 5 or 10 minutes. these new pefky little taxis, what do they call them, cyber come things. we have a california state law that says you are not supposed to not be texting and not be on these

mobile devices while driving so we don't want more people looking on their gps and rushing here and let me see -- again, my same theme today. we just don't need more speeding and i hope you will text the hell out of private automobiles like london does, $25 a day for every car that comes into california and put it right into muni and taxis. and tax the hell out of automobiles every day, every car that comes into san francisco. i said that twice on purpose. thank you. >> mark gruberg, taxi association. i wanted to call to your attention what the mta is doing with regard to

drivers. this is extremely important in terms of service because the drivers are the ones who provide the service. if you don't have good drivers, you don't have good service. if you don't have experienced drivers, you don't have good service. so far they have taken more than $25 million out of the taxi industries, they have approved the leasing of medallions to cab companies, 150 to 200 medallions that are being leased by cab companies cutting off the drivers who have waited for these medallions for up to 17 years. in the next year alone they will receive a minimum of 20 to 25 million dollars from the taxi industry and possibly as much as 50 or 75 million or more. i am not making these numbers up, they are real numbers, i can pencil them out for you. they have taken drivers' futures and thrown them into

the gutter. this is what this agency is about. i'm not laying this on staff, i think staff is trying to do their job within the constraints but the pressure is from above and it's all based on money. these rogue taxi services that are out there, they are based on a false and fraudulent premise that they are not providing taxi service. they are providing the same service through the same means as taxis. you can't have two parallel systems providing the same service, one of which is regulated and the other of which is not. it doesn't work for anybody's benefit, especially the public's benefit. and that will come to pass. thank you. >> next speaker.

>> nola gravis, also with united taxi workers. always a hard act to follow when i follow mark or anyone follows mark. if you want good cab drivers, if you want good cab service, you've got to have good cab drivers. 25 million dollars out of our pockets. and out of the industry as well. the mta has about 10,000 drivers. 5,000 have health care, have optical, have medical, have dental, have paid sick and vacation days, have a retirement. then there's 5,000 workers that don't have any of that and they have to buy their job on top of it. and the money that

they are using to buy the job, the part that doesn't go to the bank for interest, is going to the mta and i would presume is going to pay for the benefits of the muni drivers who get those benefits that we get none of. i have driven a cab since 1973 in this town. i would love to retire. obviously that's a physical issue for me. but as long as i can sit in the cab, i have to sit in the cab because there's no retirement. there aren't enough cabs. just before i got here i checked about down at the airport. there are over 100 cabs waiting to get into the airport at 1:00 this afternoon. that's 100 waiting to get in. that means there were 286 cabs

there waiting already in the line and 100 were waiting to line up behind them. they wouldn't be there if there was business here in the city. thank you. >> thank you. if there's anyone else that would like to speak, please come forward. seeing no other people, public comment is closed. supervisor wiener. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank everyone who came out today and thank you to mta for the update, i would like to move to continue this to the call of the chair so we can schedule it in the future for the quarterly update. . >> colleagues, can we do that without objection? thank you. mr. clerk, is there anything else? >> no, sir, that completes the agenda. >> meeting adjourned. (meeting adjourned).

ing please call the role. >> director bridget. >> brinkman? >> present. >> director heinicke is anticipated. director lee? >> present. >> director nolan? present. rib key present. mr. chairman, directors, you have a quorum. announcement of produce sound producing devices during the meeting please be advised the ringing of cell phones, pagers and other similar sound producing electronic devices are prohibited at the meeting. any person responsible for one going off in the meeting may be asked to leave the room. and please know that cell phones that are put on the vibrate position do cause

microphone interference so the board respectfully request they be placed in the off tion position. full approval of the minutes of november 20, 2012 regular meeting. >> motion. >> second. >> all in favor say aye? >> aye. >> so ordered. >> item 5, communications. >> okay. ms. boomer, on this one, members of the board, because there are two issues today there are not going to be a whole lot of people. what i'd like to do is to begin with asking a question of the people in the audience here today, how many people want to speak on the free muni for youth? issue? if you want to speak, please raise your hand. >> free muni for youth. >> how many here to speak on behalf of the [inaudible]? >> how many people want to speak on the free muni for youth proposal? >> so, we've got three people. how many want to speak on behalf of -- how about the central subway issue? okay. we have very few members, what i'd like to do is do the free

muni issue right away. that's 10.3 on our agenda. we don't need a staff report. remind that you this board -- the policy we have, we are doing this because the money has been found through the mta and through supervisor campos' leadership. so, with that let me ask supervisor campos to come and join us, please. >> all right. let me read it into the record. item 10.3, authorizing the director to accept and expend $6.7 million in fy 2013 transit sustainability project funding from the mtc, to be used for the free muni for low income youth program and the light rail vehicle rehabilitation project from the mtc to be used for the free muni for low-income youth program and the light rail vehicle rehabilitation project. >> supervisor, good afternoon. welcome. >> good afternoon, mr. president. , commissioners. thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to address you today. and if i may, i'd like to begin by asking all of the community members who are here to speak in support, to be here in support of free muni for low-income youth to please stand * so that you can see them. >> good work. >> thank you very much.

thank you very much. you can sit. thank you. as you can see, there are many supporters here and the overflow room as well. and i also want to acknowledge the many youth and parents and community members who have been working on this not for a year, but two years, who could not be here today. and i want to begin by also thanking this board of directors for what is clearly going to be a very historic vote here in the city and county of san francisco. not only does it address the immediate needs of getting our youth to school and other activities, but it also makes a very strong statement that our local transit agency and the city and county of san francisco value our young people, value our families, and that this agency wants to build a new generation of public transit riders. it is because of these riders that ultimately the system will be sustained. and i want to also highlight

the tremendous leadership not only on this issue, but on zombie the head of transportation city and county of san francisco, ed rifkin who has been instrumental, not only in this effort, but in so many efforts to improve public transit here in the city and county. our path to this historic day has been a long one as you know. over the past three years we have heard from low-income and middle income families across san francisco. but the drive ambition of our youth and parents and community is ultimately what got us to this point. and i am especially grateful to six organizations that have helped raise the funding power. chinatown community center, the san francisco youth commission, urban habitat, the student advisory council, and jamestown community center. i also want to thank so many folks throughout the city who have, you know, taken the time to pitch this, this program. and just to close, my colleagues on the board of

supervisors, supervisors avalos, chu, kim, mar, our mayor has been supportive of this. it is a very historic time and i want to thank you for the opportunity. and if i may, i know that we have one member of this coalition who is here to speak. and, so, i will -- if it's okay with you, i will turn it over to her. thank you. >> thank you, supervisor. (applause) >> good afternoon. [speaking through interpreter] -- spanish interpreter] good afternoon, my name is

elena martinez from power. i know many families that will benefit from this program. and thank you for investing in the future of our children. thank you to the director board. on behalf of the community and all families and children, we know that this wouldn't be possible without our movement and working together. thank you very much. (applause) >> thank you. members, we have a motion on 10.3. >> sorry, we need to see if there is any -- >> is there any other on this item alone? seeing none on this item, is there a motion on 10.3? >> so moved. >> second. >> second. >> any further discussion? absolutely, director heinicke. >> thank you. i appreciate the speed with which this is moving and i appreciate supervisor campos' comments. he and i don't always agree on items, but we talk it out and i find him to be a genuine and thoughtful person and i appreciate the passion he's shown on this.

director reiskin, i have two questions on. this supervisor campos, if you want to address any of this, we're addressing it on the consent calendar. it certainly wasn't an item of unanimous consent at the board of supervisors, but surely you did get the majority vote there. director rifkin, when we first proposed this, we made very clear, i think as a group to the community, that if they found new funding for this, we were not opposed to this on policy ground. that obviously the idea of providing reduced or even free fares for the truly under privileged children in our community is a noble idea and one that i think we all agree is worthy of pursuing from a policy standpoint. but when we reached that sort of agreement, one of the points was that it be new money. and i think we've heard from some members of the board of supervisors and some members of the community the concern that this money is not really new money earmarked for this. it's discretionary money that we could have spent on something else.

and, so, maybe i just say, what is your reaction to that particular, and you know, how do you weigh the benefits of spending this discretionary money on service upgrades or something like that as opposed to this project? >> what i would say is i think that's all correct and those are valid, legitimate points. when we had the discussion here back in the spring, and when the mta board approved this, it was contingent on funding from the mtc. so, actually in terms of the letter of the resolution that was adopted, what we're doing here is fully consistent. what is different is that the discussion that we had surrounding that approval was the understanding that the identified source at that time from the mtc were funds that wouldn't otherwise be coming to the mta and that were otherwise available to us. we did -- i will remind you

that that detail, notwithstanding the only division on this board, was whether to support a program of free for low-income youth versus free for all youth. but ultimately we had unanimous support from this board for the pilot program we proposed which would have been the 22-month pilot with that mtc money. so, fast forward, that funding source didn't come through, but i think -- but then this program was developed by the mtc and i would imagine supervisor campos will comment on his role in that and how this came together. but this was a specific grant program called the transit performance initiative that had as an explicit goal increased ridership and had as an explicit eligible program a low-income youth fare program and that's not coincidental. and that's as a request. >> sure. >> so,