tv Government Access Programming SFGTV July 30, 2018 3:00am-4:01am PDT
3:00 am
why don't we also do this, because this will also further clarify. we can change sections 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and make them part of the preamble and not mandates. if they read like mandates, they aren't intended to. they are just definitions. all the way to 1.6. 1.7 would be the only deliverable. and we can change 180 days to whatever reasonable amount of time the chief believes this could be done. we will strike 2 and 3. and we will make the language of section 1.7 more clear, that we are requesting the chief to come back to us. in fact, actually, why don't we do this, instead of making it a
3:01 am
consolidation of the general orders, because those general orders already exist. what we will say, if the chief will come back to the commission for consideration, a planning department that defines a peer support unit specifically considering the following. >> repeat that? >> the only deliverable in this document will be within x amount of days of the adoption of this resolution, the chief of the department shall deliver to the commission, for its consideration, a planning -- something of this effect, a planning document. describing a state-of-the-art peer-support unit, consistent with this resolution and setting forth minimum standards of the peer support unit considering the following. and that's when it gets into a
3:02 am
and a-i. >> commissioner veronese, i like this, i would like it to be brought back, cleaned up, shortened so we can vote on it. i don't think we are ready to vote tonight. at least i'm not ready to vote tonight on this resolution. >> i'll do that. >> i would like to see it cleaned up, shortened, made more of a set of considerations and not mandates and then let's look at it at the next meeting. is that agreeable? >> yes, i will do that consistent with the understanding of -- >> we will take some action at
3:03 am
the next meeting. >> i would like to hear from the chief of the department, please. thank you. >> let me finish with commissioner veronese. finish your thought. >> i believe commissioner hardeman has been sitting silently and patiently as well. >> i'm not in any hurry. >> i think it's important to have the chief speak first. give us your input. >> sure, i'm happy to take any specific questions. it's been a long day, i might be able to be more concise if i get specific questions. commissioner veronese, thank you very much for putting this forward. i've been a long-time supporter of the stress unit and i've worked with a number of members including captain griffin, we have two new members, nazareta and mahoney. certainly i would like their input, as well as griffin, i
3:04 am
know retired member christy, endeavoring to look at building on what we have, i really think is a great model. i do. i know there are a number of departments, i know commissioner veronese, you mentioned long beach, they are very progressive. but there are departments that don't have full time members that are firefighters and/or medics that are truly peer members. they have other alternatives. but i think with a model program, could it be built and improved? absolutely. that's what i think the spirit of the resolution is. having said that, i would endeavor to get some of the people that are doing the work to weigh in. particularly our two new members, as they are sort of the future of the department and they have time left in the department they aren't going to be retiring any time soon, to really engage them, as well as some of our subject matter experts that have previous time there.
3:05 am
what i would envision would be forming a work group. the stress unit, peer support unit does work closely and report to deputy chief over homeland security. chief cochrane under the direction of the deputy chief, chief nicholson. so six months, i know, basically sort of a negotiation with commissioner aliota veronese was ambitious. six months is tight. not to let it tread off your presentation might make more sense to make it as comprehensive as possible as we reach out to other departments and so forth. it's certainly a project i look forward to working on and seeing if we can improve. i'm sure we can.
3:06 am
but we have a good model. i do like the idea and i know you brought it up, president cleaveland, it's important that not everyone, i will use myself as an example, i have regular contact with members of the stress unit. i have nothing but total respect for the work they do. personally, if i'm, and this is just me, and everyone deals with their stress in different ways. personally, if i'm having struggles, whether work-related, home-related, whatever-related, me, the person i am, i choose not to talk to someone within the department, because i'm a very private person and i totally trust confidentiality and so forth, but for me, having sort of a third party and having that anonymity, maybe going to a mental health network, where no one really knows who i am, maybe they do, but they aren't as closely tied in, to have layers built in, because everyone processes things differently, or is more willing to share.
3:07 am
that peer support is amazing helpful for some and the only person will you go to. for others, maybe it's too close. to have realization that people process their stress in different ways, but the bottom line is, to your point, having the resources available when the person needs it and wants to reach out. i think we have done a better job over the years instead of being reactive. often time it's was a very informal way. hey chief, or firefighter so and so, please give someone call, he is struggling. he is having a marital problem, a substance abuse problem, he is having a hard time with the call we just responded to. that happens and it happens very productively, but to your point, representative cleveland, we recognize it whether people want it or not. in there's a traumatic scene, we automatically send a team out for debriefing. the natural response for people
3:08 am
who do what we do is okay, i'm fine, and we move onto the next call. we have formalized that well, i think, over the last few years. certainly, i will commit to working towards taking a look at what we have and seeing what we can do to rework it, or add to it, and i'll have to put a team together, but i'm confident we can do so. and i'm happy to answer any questions. >> thank you, chief. commissioner covington, did you want to say something? or did you want to go to commissioner hardeman. i see your name was up there first. >> yes, that's before commissioner hardeman chimed in. i think this is a very valuable discussion that we are having. and i think we are moving in the right direction. the chief needs input. she needs input from, you know, a variety of sources and a variety of people.
3:09 am
she perhaps will need continued direction from you as well. they all had commissioners involved and still have commissioners involved, as well as people at various ranks within the department. and i think that's a valuable thing. we really have to make sure that people feel included in this process. that all of this doesn't have to come out of the chief's head. that there is a meeting of the minds, as to how best to proceed. so i think we are on the right track. >> it's a collaborative process. >> yes, definitely. >> commissioner hardeman?
3:10 am
>> yes, thank you, mr. president. commissioner alioto veronese, i'm just really surprised hearing the names involved helping you draft this, they want to hire a medical doctor, specializing in treatment of mental illness to be a full time employee of the fire department. i don't understand it. if you are saying drug addiction is a mental illness, which it's not, it's an addiction, some people may refer to it, but i think that is pushing it too over the edge. i just don't understand that. is that a group decision? who -- without naming anyone's name but how did that surface?
3:11 am
it shocks me. >> would you like me to respond? >> yeah, how did that come about? >> there are departments that have looked to the assistant of different types of physicians to form their units. some departments actually have some within their units. i'm not saying that we need one. that's not what this says. and so, it's very clear to me that the language and the format of this document is misleading people on this commission. because that's not what this document says. this document says, what this document really says, is there are experts out there who know more about addiction, that know more about suicide, that know more about the effects, the symptoms of p.t.s.d., more than yourself, myself, we're not experts at this.
3:12 am
the point of this document is who are those experts? identify those experts. give them the input. essentially create the working group that commissioner covington was talking about. and maybe that's why this document should be more clear. because the document is more of an instruction to create a working group, figure out who the experts should be and tell the commission at the end of the day what that unit looks like so we could make it a part of a budgeting process going forward. so i apologize for misleading you. this document doesn't say in it that we need a full time employee that's a physician, i don't know that's appropriate at all. i don't have the expertise in this genre to know whether or not that's true. it may be true. it may not be true. i don't have those expertise. i'm sorry i mislead you to think somebody in some group i talked to said we absolutely needed that. no, that's not true.
3:13 am
but we should be consulting the experts in this area that are doctors. and frankly, you may believe that drug addiction is not a symptom of mental illness. i don't believe that. in some circumstances. that's why these conversations are important. right, commissioner? with all due respect, this is an amazing conversation because there are commissions and departments all over this world that are not having this conversation. so if we don't vote on this tonight, in my mind we have made progress, because we are talking about issues. if you talk to people who actually had addictions within this department, you may find those addictions have something to do with some p.t.s.d. injury they have had. and as a result of that, once we have people that are looking
3:14 am
at this issue, commissioner, we may find that the alcoholism, or the pill addiction, or the oxycontin addiction, or whatever addiction may exist with any particular member of the department, right, some people prefer to go to third parties to talk to people. some people will only talk to people that are firefighters. some cops will only talk to people who are cops because they fully understand them, right? some people like to be more anonymous. some people will turn to alcoholism, pills and other addictions. right? and all of that is more than you and i could ever understand. but this document is basically asking us, is asking the chief, which is really the only thing we could do. our authority, the public should know this. if you are watching at home, the commission's authority, does not go beyond the chief. we cannot tell any of the members of the command staff what to do, when to do it.
3:15 am
the chief is the chief of the department. she runs this department. we set policy for this department. and so what i'm trying to do is set a policy this is an issue that is important to us, we would like the chief to look into it. this is something that needs to be explored and nobody is talking about it. they are starting to talk about it. and we're talking about it now. but i think that when the report comes back to us, once we have a model that the commission will accept, and the report comes back to us a year from now, or six months from now, or whatever it is, i think we will all be surprised what the state-of-the-art unit looks like, it's not, with respect to the chief and all the efforts so far, it's not what we currently have. >> well i hate to give you the bad news, but i've been going to aa meetings with firefighters for 42 years. and police officers. and i wrote my unions addiction
3:16 am
policy way back 35 years ago. i have dissected it, rewrote it, had reports given to me monthly on every hour, every minute of every conversation, practically. and discovered that most people's problem is, is drugs and alcohol, without question. also what people worry about, it's problems at home, children, wife, domestic violence. a member could call up just like you could do now, could you call alex, ask for anything. with my union, retired, my members were able to call up and ask questions about anything. i need to refinance my house, i need to get an auto loan, where is the best place. that's what it ended up being,
3:17 am
more than an addiction recovery. my union, if you look at the suicides, and you take the suicides nationwide, they are fishermen, farmers, lumber workers, factory workers, construction workers, carpenters, miners, electricians, maintenance workers, mechanics, repairers, installers, factory workers, production workers, architects, engineers. then firefighters, police officers, and protective services, probably sheriff and etc. and rent-a-cops. and then artists, designers, athletes and entertainers that's what my union was made up of. almost identical suicide rate was firefighters.
3:18 am
so i know a lot about this issue. i have spent many, many, 42 years. i could sit down and write a document that would blow your mind and you would say, that sounds good to me. so i do know some worker does know a lot. >> commissioner, that's the great thing about these commissions. i didn't know that, if i had known that six months ago, i would have put you to work. >> i don't advertise it, but i thought it was a good time. >> commissioner, i respect your experiences. we all come from different experiences and have different things to add to these commissions. that's why these commissions are great and that's why they are unique and that's why they are important. i have deep respect for every member of this commission and their experiences. i don't mean to down play and i don't think you took my comments as down playing your experiences. for sure i don't have that knowledge.
3:19 am
but i appreciate it deeply. i think that's why this is so important. i think that's a very good example of why this conversation is so important. because we all have different experiences, we know this problem exists, right? we all have different experiences. all i'm trying to do is find a better solution to it. that's it. so when the chief comes back, if we pass something, if the chief comes back six months ago, you could say through your experiences, no, i don't agree with this, because of this. i think the stress unit should have no doctor. but the point is, and i think everyone here would agree, the point is, it's an important issue to look at. so let's look at it, let's put the right language in this resolution so that we can have the chief take a look at this issue, do a deep dive into this
3:20 am
issue, come back to us whenever that date is, so we can budget to deal in a more appropriate way than the way we are currently dealing with. that's all this is. >> vice president nakajo. >> commissioner veronese, i want to thank you for the hard work and the passion. about a year ago when you came, one of the first statements you stressed with your fundraiser was in this regard of stress of the members in terms of the regard. at this particular time i would like to acknowledge and appreciate the commissioners on this commission as well as the chief and everyone of you command staff, and every member in this audience that has been with us for the last three hours. i totally agree with commissioner covington, a good, healthy, robust discussion. and i appreciate you being in
3:21 am
it at the forefront so we could discuss it. for me, in terms as well, with the contract question that came about for individuals, it's about options. and it's about options to be able to have the options. and of course, within our own family and our own house, i think we want to reach out to our members in terms of our own, but i also share the feeling that sometimes i like to go to someone who doesn't know me at all. because sometimes self esteem and guilt is tough enough when one asks for help. so for me, a healthy discussion around options is really important. just one question in terms of logistics. chief hayes-white, who is the administrator of the program. >> the stress unit is built on
3:22 am
a lot of confidentiality, there's an ability for members of the stress unit to come directly to me. if there's something that comes to my attention, we are a paramilitary organization. members are given a lot of latitude and they deserve that latitude. there's a lot of trust that goes along with that, having said that they report to the assistant deputy chief overseeing homeland security, in this case michael cochrane. >> that's what i wanted to hear. the bottom line, responsibility and we have a structure. i'm not saying the structure is sufficient, because obviously there's concerns. and again commissioner, i appreciate you being in this conceptually all the things we are talking about. i can support that, the detail things we are talking about, the budget issues and everything we talked about. thank you for the clarity in terms of the intention of the resolution. when i first read it, it certainly sounded like we were
3:23 am
creating a new unit. not that there is anything wrong with it but i think this calls for the response we as commissioners have, that is oversight. that's purely on the level i dialogue, i personally enjoy the dialogue and the frank discussion among all of us and i thank you all for your time this evening. thank you mr. president. >> thank you, mr. vice president. commissioner veronese you are going to take this resolution and streamline it, bring it back to us in a couple of weeks, for reconsideration. is that correct? >> yes. i will do that. >> all right. i don't know if we need to vote on that. do we need a vote? i don't think so. all right. very good. thank you. we will move to the next item, madam secretary. >> item 8, agenda for the next
3:24 am
and future fire commission meetings. >> well we have one item already. for the next meeting. commissioners, any input here? any public comment? >> i want to congratulate commissioner veronese's cousin on winning the british open. he looks like your cousin. >> does he? >> anybody disagree? there's italian heritage there, connection, he has got to be sicilian. >> i will look him up. i wasn't aware of it. >> this is the win of what? >> british open. he is italian. >> oh, right. >> i think we wanted to put the chief's residence on the next meeting's agenda to discuss that. >> i have the chief's resident's update.
3:25 am
we do have a closed session settlement that needs to be approved. are we going to put the mayor's transition update on the next -- >> i don't think we will be ready at that point. >> and commissioners, just as a reminder, i will not be present for 8-8. deputy chief gonzalez is a good fill-in for sure. he is limited in one aspect and that is of the chief's residence, he doesn't have sort of the knowledge i might have but chief rivera is very well versed on it. i just wanted to raise that for you. >> okay. >> any other commissioners have any additional items to add? >> just a clarification, between now and the next meeting, are we going to be looking for a place for the retreat?
3:26 am
we have the google doc that will be coming around. we will need a facilitator for that meeting. usually at retreats you do have a facilitator who is the person who keeps things moving. >> and does an agenda need to be posted for that? >> yes, it would have to be, yes. >> like a special meeting? >> yes. >> all right. the chief and i will discuss that and come up with a facilitator, if you have input on a facilitator. i know one person that might be useful as a facilitator. >> okay, great. >> we will get a facilitator. >> anybody in the department you could use? >> all right. very good. >> madam secretary?
3:27 am
>> item 9, adjournment. >> so moved. >> second? >> second. >> all in favour? favor? aye. >> aye. >> this meeting is adjourned. thank you. >> chairman brinkman: thank you for your patience. will go ahead and call this meeting to order. the tuesday, july 17, 2018, meeting of the san francisco municipal transportation agency,
3:28 am
board of directors and parking a authority commission. please call roll. [roll call] >> clerk: dr. heinicke will not be joining you today. do you have a quorum. be advised that the ringing and use of cell phones, pagers and other sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited. any person responsible for one going off in the room may be asked to leave the room. cell phones set on vibrate cause microphone interference, so we respectfully ask they be placed in the off division. new public comment on the minutes? >> chairman brinkman: do i have a motion to approve the june 9 minutes? all in favor? any opposed?
3:29 am
approved. we have a lot of public comment today, as you can see, looking around and those in the overflow room. a lot of people are here to comment on a number of items, two of the big items appear to be townsend street and the embarcadero. i ask that you give your comment after director's report and i will move general public comment to after consent calendar and after item 11. so we'll split public comment and move it down further so the members of the public here for the agenda items will be able to give public comment. so note that. if you are here for embarcadero and townsend, the best time to give your public comment will be after the director's report. that doesn't mean you can't stay and give comment again under general public comment, but you will need to wait until after agenda item 11 to give that
3:30 am
comment. >> clerk: introduction of new or unfinished bisbee members? >> chairman brinkman: anything? seeing none, item 7. >> good afternoon, madam chair, members of the board and public and staff. i would like to ask our director of transit, john haley, to come forward to recognize outstanding muni employees. >> good afternoon, board members, ed. are you ready to meet a couple of heroes? marie, please join me. and heroines. so this is marie rico, who is an operator out of our woods division and has been for the last several years. on an afternoon on june 25, she
3:31 am
was driving her normal route, the 54. and then i will turn it over to them to describe the events that transpired. this is todd els. todd is a former air traffic controller. and he finds he's now functioning as a controller much less stressful, particularly during takeoffs and landings of the vehicles. so i will turn it over to them, but i will say to describe the events of june 25 -- i will tip my hand saying this is a story that has a very happy ending. it has a happy ending because of the work of the two individuals. marie, if you don't mind, if you would describe for the board -- >> um, i'm so nervous. excuse me. that day, i got a call on the
3:32 am
coach and told me there was a child missing. gave me the description. at first i did not notice the child with that description. they called me a second time and told me to take another look. so i felt it was in the best interests to stop the bus. i went back. another passenger alerted me that there was a child there that fit that description. i got the child. i placed him in the front of the bus with myself and my other -- i have a daughter that was riding with me that day. so i placed the child in the front seat. and i was instructed to drive or take the coach down to 3rd, where i was to wait for my follower, which is another bus behind me. i believe, you know, was the mother or whoever was on that coach. and so that's exactly what i did. >> chairman brinkman: thank you. thank you so much.
3:33 am
mr. els, would you like to give us your point of view? >> just to add on that, i received the call from 311, which had the mother on the coach, which was on the follower. and she was very adamant that it was on her coach, and so i was very determined to help her. the first description was not successful, so i gave a detailed one that the mother had given and that was successful and i ordered her to wait at the terminal for her follower. >> chairman brinkman: thank you, both. it's a testament not just to your communication skills, but also the communication center and the fact that you have made every single child that rides muni inside or outside of san francisco feel so much better knowing that we can react so quickly. on behalf of the board of directors, the agency, and
3:34 am
everybody in the city who has loved ones, thank you for the work that you did and continue to do. [cheers and applause] >> chairman brinkman: i believe that you brought some co-workers with you. can the co-workers please stand? and i think your daughter came with you, but -- she's shy. >> sorry. that's her daughter, reyna. >> chairman brinkman: thank you, again, so much. much appreciated. >> it's my pleasure to introduce you to -- let's say the voices behind the curtain. as you know, we run a 24/7
3:35 am
operation. for the last 12 to 18 months, at a time, the late hours from midnight on until we open the system at 4:00 a.m. have become a busier period than we ever anticipated. part of that is unprecedented construction and projects going on, regular, routine maintenance. and then hours upon hours for the last 15 to 16 months, detailed testing every night of lrv4 cars required to get them ready for service. by the way, we now have 30 lrv cars and 20 are service-ready. part of that is made possible by what i refer to as the voices behind the curtain or the voices on the phone. to my left is steve clark, who is the most senior controller
3:36 am
and is both a wealth of knowledge on our complicated train system, but also a very good teacher. and that he is able to give guidance to people who are looking for track time, how do i test the castro crossover? how do i get a train across it? it's a delegate balancing act and ingenius and creative, but most of all, showed fidelity to the system. there is massive activity with few incidents. thomas mcqueen is a controller that works overnight. this, again, requires a great deal of dependence, initiative, and i can tell you as recipient of the diligence and good work every morning that i never have an empty mailbox at 4:30 a.m. when it's time to rise and shine
3:37 am
at get at it when it comes to steady and consistent and safe stewardship of the system. so in my view, it's long pastime to recognize some behind the curtain voices or people that we don't normally see. i feel bad interrupting their sleep cycle to show up here, so i am hoping their acceptance speeches may be less because of that. but, again, steve clark and thomas mcqueen, who are keeping the railroad safely running and making sure that the work gets done and that we're ready to place some 800 plus vehicles on the road every morning. we owe them a great deal of gratitude. >> chairman brinkman: thank you so much. would love to have you say a few words and thank you for
3:38 am
interrupting your night's sleep for us. >> thank you for having us done. it's a pleasure. theres a few other parties involved that haven't been mentioned, such as our overheadline crew and signal maintenance crew, who we work with hand in hand and they've been very accommodating as far as making compromises to some of the things that they need to do, so we can get lrv4s in there for testing. >> i'd like to say thank you, all, for the recognition. >> chairman brinkman: thank you, again, on behalf of the board and on behalf of the city, the work that you do, although a lot of people don't see it, we benefit from it during the day and will benefit from it decades and decades into the future. you are being able to facilitate all this work going on, so thank you, again, on behalf of everyone. [cheers and applause] i think you have some co-workers as well. are there co-workers of these
3:39 am
gentlemen that are here as well? do you want to stand? there we are. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, madam chair. moving on. wanted to give you some vision zero updates. want to start with a couple of videos that we are going to hopefully play for you. the first one is a statewide department of motor vehicles vision zero public service announcement. as we know, data shows that speeding is a top cause of fatal crashes, both in san francisco and statewide and i believe nationwide. and there's a video on safe speeds that the dmv will be running at their facilities throughout the state. so we wanted to share that with you. i don't believe it has sound,
3:40 am
but you will get to see the video. if we can ask sfgov tv to go to the video, please. >> we're grateful for our partnership with the dmv on that. the other is a video of social media highlights. i think we've sheen you some of these before. it's our fifth video of the year show indicating the work of various city departments. and so i wanted to show you that one. >> hello, san francisco. here's our monthly roundup of
3:41 am
city projects helping san francisco reach our vision zero goal of ending traffic deaths. the district attorney's office is launching a campaign it raise awareness around seniors as a high-risk group for pedestrian fatalities. look out for the drive slow banners and bus ads. sf public works purchased streetsweepers to keep the streets clean and safe. new buffered bike lanes were installed. they hope to physically separate bikes and vehicles and keep everyone safe. chinatown's broadway street received several street treatments that will include visibility. paving will also enhance the walking and biking experience. those are this month's highlights. go to visionzerosf.org.
3:42 am
>> good opportunity to highlight the work that many people are doing around the city to enhance vision zero. one significant activity that's happening in the city that's a collaboration between the mta, public works, and the public utility commission is the masonic streetscape project. it runs from geary to fell and there will be some paving that will good from fell down to haight. and this is a project that is nearly complete and it's addressing one of the city's high-injury corridors. you will recall when we brought this to you for approval that at the time it was seeing a significant number of injuries and fatalities of all modes.
3:43 am
people walking, people driving, people biking. so it really was a divider of neighborhoods almost like a mini freeway running through the neighborhoods in san francisco now includes a landscaped median. a public plaza will be one of the last pieces to get completed. upgraded utilities like water and sewer. of course, it's been repaved. there are bike lanes to go behind the bus stops, trees, sidewalk planters and pedestrian-scale lighting. by the time we next meet, the construction should be just about complete. this was largely funded by our own revenue bond to the tune of $26 million. really a transformational project and one that took a lot of community work up front and then design and construction work and now are nearing the end. so it will be largely done before we next meet. i wanted to give you that
3:44 am
highlight. i also want to talk or ask tom mcgwire, sustainable streets director, to talk about two projects in the future, as we look forward and look back on the near completion of masonic. there's been a lot of discussion within the last few weeks. we knew there would be a lot of folks interested in talking to you about them, so we wanted to give you an opportunity to hear from us as well as the opportunity to inform our comments. i would like tom mcgwire to give you an update. >> good afternoon, directors. i want to give you an update on the embarcadero and townsend street. i know you've received a lot of correspondence and there's been press coverage of the potential
3:45 am
improvements on townsend street, especially installing a parking protecting bikeway on townsend street. a message that m.t.a. has given that the project would have to wait until after d.t.x. construction was out there. and i want to make it clear today that we're mindful of the fact that we'll have to reconstruct townsend, i don't think we have to wait until it takes place with a parking-protected bike lane. there's been some changes with muni overhead wires. i think we found some ways around it. and i think we can move forward quickly with the public process to talk to the businesses, as you always challenge us to do,
3:46 am
make sure that the users of the street have a chance to weigh in and be consulted and move in with a solution of protection between 4th and 7th on townsend street. that's the update there. on embarcadero, as you know, a petty cab driver was hit and killed. now this is both a criminal and tragic act. the embarcadero is on the high injury network, as one of the city's most prominent seats of a high-injury network. the sfmta has been working with stake holders in a public process to develop the project that is about making multimodal improvements and making it safe
3:47 am
for all users. we have gained consensus with key stake holders and tenants at the port. through that process, we've identified a two-way, protected bikeway as the preferred option for the street. and we're preparing for a 2018 public open house to announce the details and to kick off the environmental review process, which is the critical next step to get the enhancement. now while we advance the embarcadero enhancement, we've done some short-term things. if you have been out there, you saw the extension of the bike lane, introduction of signal and box at embarcadero and north point, as well as traffic signal to make the street operate safer for everyone.
3:48 am
we're also investigating in the next six months upgrading the curb that floats to parking. we're going to, again, work with the stake holders in the area to find way to restore that parking 24/7 and create a true, green bike lane. and similarly, working with stake holders to see if we can create a safe recycling facility for the northern part of the embarcadero to the financial district. that's something that we'll do even as we kick off the environmental project for the enhancement project. as we move forward with the enhancement project, we will be sure to look for any opportunities to coordinate or leverage the work with -- opportunities to work with the
3:49 am
port which will be emergency seawall rep ardz -- repairs. i want to stress that the projects are not dependent on each other. we can move forward with the embarcadero, even as they work on their own safety projects. it's important to acknowledge leadership, it's worked through obstacles to make sure both streets can be rebuilt faster. supervisors in 3 and 6 have played a role. and the bike coalition has raised their concerns. that's the status update. i think we have a clearer path to get safety improvements on townsend and embarcadero. >> we've heard from you and other elected officials as tom mentioned and we're committed to
3:50 am
doing what we can to get safety measures on the ground as quickly as we can and engaging all the relevant stake holders in the process. we'll keep you up to date on those and also what the public comment is on these. a few other quick items. one with regard to shared, powered scooters. we received 12 applications, more than what we were anticipating. so we've been reviewing the 12 applications along and using as a lens the m.t.a. and c.t.a. emerging mobility service technology principles that you have all adopted last summer. the principles include a safety transit accessibility, labor
3:51 am
disabled access and financial impacts. so those are the dimensions upon which we're reviewing the applications. we'll be finalizing our recommendations and should be ready to make an announcement within a couple of weeks. we'll then work with selected operators to finalize the permit and we project sometime in august. so a quick update on the scooters. i did want to give you an update on a couple of funding issues. the first is that measure 6 has qualified for the november ballot that would repeal last year's senate bill 1.
3:52 am
it increases the tax on diesel and gasoline and vehicle registration fees to the tune of $5 billion a year, that s.b. 1 would generate. measure 6 has qualified for the ballot. it would also require a vote of subsequent gas tax increases to be subjected to a vote of the people, taking it out of the hands of the legislature and the governor. san francisco is on tap to receive $60 million of s.b. funds per year as well as other categories that we would be able to compete for. so it would -- should those funds go away, it would be a pretty significant hole in our operating and capital budgets, but department and public works as well.
3:53 am
so we will be working to inform. to be clear for you and the public how the revenues are being used to make an informed decision. another funding note, taxpayer association has filed a suit against the bay area measure 3, the $3 bridge toll increase. this is a challenge in state court that, i guess if successful, could delay, if not eliminate that measure. the lawsuit essentially says it's a tax and not a fee and, therefore, requires a 2/3 vote needed or 55% support.
3:54 am
r.m. 3 has about $140 million for muni and, again, other expediture categories and, again, and operating budget impacts are reliant on those revenues from r.m. 3. so we'll make sure that we have clear information, not that it will be a vote, but want to be sure that people understand the situation and will keep you up to date in regard to this litigation. and, finally, the big thing happening right now in san francisco with regard to muni service is the twin peaks
3:55 am
project and the closure. the good news is that the project is on track at the moment. i don't know if that pun was intended, but it's on track to finish within the two-month window. crews have been working around the clock. they've been doing a great job, contractors, m.t.a. and other city staff. to give you more detail, half of the seismic retrofit work is done. most of the drainage system work is done. we think it's the original from 100 years ago. so it's important to replace that because it was no longer functioning. two of the four crossovers are installed. and the track removal and replacement continues largely on schedule.
3:56 am
from the community side, they have twice a week office hours in west portal. and we've been beyond the office hours staff walking up and down the commercial streets and engaging on an ongoing basis with the merchants. there's been a lot of on-the-fly flexibility to accommodate loading. last time i was there, i saw one of the business owners talking to one of the construction reps to facilitate loading, so the team has been accommodating and ensuring that the loading needs of the merchants can be met. and we've also for the riders had ambassadors, very heavily deployed, particularly at the beginning, and a lot of signage to make sure that everybody understands how to move around in terms of the substitute service. in terms of the service, the transit plan does continue to
3:57 am
perform very well. tens of thousands of people that use that tunnel every day, who we have had to help find alternative routes. the travel times are much quicker than expected and we've gotten some positive feedback on 311 and social media. i had a question at the last board meeting, might have been from you, madam chair, would it be a 20-minute add to the trip. and i think we're finding some of what we posted which were conservative, outside estimates, people are experiencing less. i've used it at rush hour and not at rush hour and it's been a pretty smooth transition. the service is running well. a lot of different folks are fair inspectors, station agents, inspectors, ambassadors, helping to facilitate answering
3:58 am
questions and just helping the customers, particularly in the first few weeks when it was less familiar. and we have been from our customers, from merchants, from operators, getting feedback along the way and made scores of micro adjustments for sign author schedule or loading, lots of things that we're doing, realtime adjusting, based on feedback that we're getting to make sure that it continues to go smoothly. so we're about not quite halfway through, but so far, it seems to be going well on all dimensions. that concludes my report and i would be happy to answer questions. >> chairman brinkman: thank you very much. dire does anyone have questions? >> you said you got 12 applications for the scooters. i thought a decision would be made at the end of last month. when is that? >> yeah, so we got more applications than we thought, as
3:59 am
i said. and so it's taking us more time to go through them and the varability in the applications, it's taking us time to do the analysis so we can look at them apples to apples. when we mentioned end of june, we were not sure what would happen with our bike share permits. sorry to say, it seems like i was right on that. we expect within the next couple of weeks. and it will take a few weeks to get the permits executed. so we're about a month behind. >> i remember one of the things that was overwhelming is that they all seemed to arrive at the same time.
4:00 am
>> yeah. and so whatever the timeline will be for when the scooters hit the streets again. >> chairman brinkman: thank you. i would like to move to public comment. i will remind people who want to comment on townsend and embarcadero this is a great place to do it. or you can stay and comment under general comment. ms. boomer, let's set a 2 minute time limit. you will hear a soft chime when you have 30 seconds left. and then a louder chime when your 2 minutes is up. when that louder time happens, i will politely, but firmly cut you off. people in the overflow room, as your name is called, go ahead and come to this
34 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
SFGTV: San Francisco Government Television Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on