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2:00 ‑ REGULAR MEETING ORDER OF BUSINESS 1. Call to Order Chairman McCray called the meeting to order at 2:07 p.m. 2. Roll Call Present:
3. Announcement of prohibition of sound producing devices during the meeting. Chairman McCray announced that the ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at the meeting. He advised that any person responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices might be removed from the meeting. He also advised that cell phones that are set on “vibrate” cause microphone interference and requested that they be placed in the “off” position. 4. Approval of Minutes On motion to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2007 Regular Meeting: unanimously approved. 5. Communications Board Secretary Boomer reported that there would be no CAC report. 6. Introduction of New or Unfinished Business by Board Members None. 7. Executive Director’s Report (For discussion only)
Executive Director/CEO Ford presented Special Recognition Awards to Leila Haddad; Conzy Jones and Mario Gallardo for their efforts on the Combined Charities Campaign for the City and County of San Francisco. This year’s campaign, led by the SFMTA raised the most amount of money in the city’s history. Executive Director/CEO Ford also presented Special Recognition Awards to Frank Fenton, Electrical Transit System Mechanic, Green Division Support Shop and Richard Ng, Transit Operator, Cable Car Division. Executive Director Ford announced that the SFMTA would be the host for the American Public Transportation Associations’ 2008 Rail Rodeo and Conference. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our newest light rail division, Metro East. We will be reaching out to our neighboring rail partners, BART, CalTrain and VTA to showcase Bay Area rail projects. Over the next month, the SFMTA will be testing a double deck bus as part of our exploration of innovative ways to improve the quality of Muni service through the Transit Effectiveness Project. Double deck buses have similar capacity to articulated vehicles but require less storage space which would help ease our facility constraints. The bus manufacturer is loaning the vehicle free of charge. The agency is responsible for fuel and evaluation costs. E.D. Ford invited the SFMTA Board to a holiday celebration on Wednesday, December, 19 at 1 South Van Ness from 11:00am – 2:00pm. 8. Citizen’s Advisory Council Report No report. 9. Public Comment Bob Planthold stated that the Board ignores public comment. The disabled have been saying that enforcement for disabled access has been inadequate. It has been said that that disabled people who would serve on the “Quad Squad” would be assaulted. We know how to take care of ourselves. Mr. Planthold stated that if he doesn’t see substantial progress or response, he will file a complaint with the Ethics Commission. THE FOLLOWING MATTERS BEFORE THE MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY BOARD OR PARKING AUTHORITY ARE RECOMMENDED FOR ACTION AS STATED BY THE MTA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO OR CITY ATTORNEY WHERE APPLICABLE. EXPLANATORY DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CALENDAR ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT 1 SOUTH VAN NESS AVE. 7th FLOOR. CONSENT CALENDAR 10. All matters listed hereunder constitute a Consent Calendar, are considered to be routine by the Municipal Transportation Agency Board or Parking Authority Commission, and will be acted upon by a single vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Board/Commission or the public so requests, in which event the matter shall be removed from the Consent Calendar and considered as a separate item. (10.1) Approving the following traffic modifications: A. ESTABLISH - RESIDENTIAL PERMIT PARKING AREA "S" (2-HOUR TIME LIMIT, 8AM TO 9 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)- 21st Street, both sides, between Noe and Sanchez Streets; Sanchez Street, both sides, between 22nd and Hill Streets; Noe Street, both sides, between 21st and 22nd Streets; and, Hill Street, both sides, between Noe and Sanchez Streets B. RESCIND - NO PARKING ANYTIME - Napoleon Street, south side, from 494 feet to 325 feet east of Jerrold Avenue. C. ESTABLISH - ONE-WAY STREET - Stone Street, southbound from Jackson Street to Washington Street. (Explanatory documents include a staff report and resolution.) (Bond Yee) RESOLUTION 07-182 Members of the public requested that Item 10.1A be severed from the agenda. PUBLIC COMMENT on Item 10.1A: Jill Ramsey stated that once “S stickers” went up in her neighborhood, parking became difficult on her block. She has had to call 311 for abandoned cars that are parked on her block for two weeks at a time. Some people in neighborhood have four cars and park them on her block. John Doe stated that DPT has not been responsive to his request for information. DPT only provided information on one of the four blocks and it was provided after the public hearing. The process is unjust and the Sunshine Ordinance says the public is entitled to the information. Bob Callori requested a show of hands of people in the audience who supported the item. He stated that at least 15 people raised their hand. Andy Harris stated that he was protesting the permit area on only one of the blocks. A majority of people are opposed to a residential parking permit between Noe and Sanchez. If approved, then please provide four hour parking. If someone goes for dinner at five p.m., they could get a parking ticket. Mr. Harris requested less time and four hour parking. Web Dell expressed opposition to the two hour parking restriction. The City sends out notices for construction to everyone in the area but DPT only puts up notices only on utility poles. Everybody who lives on those blocks could receive a notice. DPT won’t be happy until every street has two hour parking. The amount that people pay for parking tickets is absurd. Mr. Dell stated that he was vehemently opposed to this item. Gilbert Gonzales expressed appreciation for the cooperation over this issue. A majority of homeowners are in favor of the “S” sticker. The only issue they have had has been the piecemeal approach to residential permit parking. In response to the public’s concerns, Bond Yee, Director, Parking and Traffic, stated that the residential permit program is a community based program generated by the neighborhoods. City-wide, there are 27 permit areas with over 80,000 permits issued. With respect to the specific request on the agenda, every block submitted a petition with over 50% of the homeowners in support. Notices were posted on doors and on utility poles at least a block beyond the permit area. All blocks meet the criteria for designation. On motion to approve Item 10.1A: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum On motion to approve the Consent Calendar (Item 10.1A severed): ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum REGULAR CALENDAR 11. Presentation and Discussion regarding the development of a pilot program for Fast Pass usage for seniors and people with disabilities on BART. (Explanatory documents include a staff report.) (Debra Johnson) Debra Johnson, Chief of Staff and Director of External Affairs presented the staff report. Directors Shahum and Mezey stated that the Translink option should be pursued as a long-term solution. Vice Chairman Nolan stated that the BART EZ Rider option didn’t seem to have support and that staff should revisit the magnetic stripe as an interim option. PUBLIC COMMENT: Bob Planthold stated that out of fairness and equity, pursuing the magnetic stripe option is appropriate. Passes already have a magnetic strip so it’s not a different fare instrument. There are solutions that have been suggested. Regarding the formula for reimbursement, Mr. Planthold noted that federal legislation says that the discount fare can be no more than half of the fixed route fare. With a fixed route fare at $1.02, Muni would not have to reimburse BART for more than .51 cents. Mr. Planthold added that the positioning of Translink equipment on motor coaches is a hazard for seniors and people with disabilities. Staff should ask BART regarding their concerns about fraud. Bruce Oka stated that he has been working on this issue for 20 years and he thought that progress was being made last January. Somebody needs to do something to get this program off the dime. Chairman McCray requested that staff present the magnetic stripe pilot project to the Board within 60 days. 12. Presentation and Discussion regarding the Transit Effectiveness Project. (Explanatory documents include a staff report.) (Julie Kirschbaum) Julie Kirschbaum, Manager, Transit Effectiveness Project, presented the staff report. PUBLIC COMMENT: Bob Planthold stated that DPT is an integral part of enforcement and needed to be included in the TEP. There needs to be greater enforcement over people who park in bus zones or who drive in the diamond lanes. There is a lack of enforcement of the Google-Bauer buses which block bus zones. He stated that people won’t easily let their bus stops be moved and there may be hidden factors and costs that aren’t revealed in this high level review. Rafael Cabrera, TWU Local 250-A, stated that Muni tried rear door boarding a few years ago but it was stopped because nobody was paying their fares. This is a stressful issue for 250-A members. Traffic congestion causes slower speeds. Some recommendations may look good on paper but may not make sense on the street. The board took a five minute recess. 13. Presentation and Discussion of the FY08 First Quarter Service Standards Report. (Explanatory documents include a staff report.) (Debra Johnson) Debra Johnson, Chief of Staff and Director of External Affairs and Ken McDonald, Chief Operating Officer presented the staff report. Director Shahum requested regular reports on training and wanted to make sure that the service standards include the Nelson/Nygaard recommendations, the Strategic Plan Goals and other measures from Prop. A. Chairman McCray expressed concern regarding whether operators wore watches and whether everyone was synchronized in terms of time. Director Mezey requested additional information regarding the difference between lines that are leading and lagging in on-time performance. Director Din requested that additional explanation be added to the report when there is a large fluctuation from quarter to quarter No public comment. 14. Presentation and Discussion of the SFMTA Communications Plan. (Explanatory documents include a staff report.) (Debra Johnson) Murray Bond, Deputy Director, Strategic Communications presented the staff report. PUBLIC COMMENT: Tom Radulovich stated that the excessive advertising shows that you don’t have regard for the customers. Ads are a negative for riders and they can’t see the messages they need to see to navigate the system. On the positive side, there has been a real effort to look at design in lighting, color, art, station design and maintenance. Things that make stations safer are a good investment. 15. Approving the SFMTA 2008 Legislative Program. (Explanatory documents include a staff report, program and resolution.) (Debra Johnson) PUBLIC COMMENT: Tom Radulovich stated that the draft program looks great. Camera enforcement for left/right turn bans are poorly enforced and should be looked at. The SFMTA needs to work with Caltrans to figure out how to mitigate areas where state highway’s interface with city streets to improve pedestrian safety. Caltrans should pay for fixing those poorly designed intersections and look at their design standards Andy Thornley, SF Bike Coalition stated that they were gratified to see the success of AB 821 and urged staff to work on right and left turn violators. RESOLUTION 07-183 On motion to approve: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum 16. Authorizing the Executive Director/CEO to execute the Agreement for Armed and Unarmed Security Guard Services with King Security Services for a term of three years with option to renew for up to an additional two years, for an amount not to exceed $17,100,000. (Explanatory documents include a staff report, resolution and agreement.) (Sonali Bose) PUBLIC COMMENT: Nils Welin, CEO, Cypress Security stated that they’ve been in business since 1996 and are a union contractor. Cypress submitted a timely proposal and was ranked second when the bids were opened. They were told that their bid was not responsive. Cypress submitted a protest today. They met all qualifications set forth in the RFP and their bid was below the current contractor. Our protest has not been considered. Mr. Welin requested that the Board reconsider the contract. Crystal Java, SEIU, Local 1021, thanked Ken McDonald on car cleaner issue. With reference to the contract, Ms. Java stated that SEIU had concerns. King Security is a non-union employer and SEIU has wage complaints against them. Sonali Bose, Chief Financial Officer stated that Cypress failed to meet the qualifications because they didn’t have armed security services. They were unable to demonstrate that they had experience. All winning bidders are required to comply with the city ordinance including minimum wage requirements. RESOLUTION 07-184 On motion to approve: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Din, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum NAYES – Black and McCray 17. Endorsing changes to the Bicycle Plan Projects for environmental review, approving the proposed revised scope of the environmental review; and authorizing the Executive Director/CEO to make necessary modifications to the Bicycle Plan to reflect projects that will be the subject of environmental review. (Explanatory documents include a staff report and resolution.) (Carter Rohan) Director Shahum stated that she was recusing herself from the item due to a conflict of interest. Oliver Gajda, Manager, Bicycle Program, presented the staff report. PUBLIC COMMENT: Andy Thornley, SF Bike Coalition, expressed support for extending the scope but added that it’s dubious that it’s taken three months to just add lines to a map. These are not improvements. He noted that a big hazard with the project is how vague it is. There are many places where things can fall through the cracks. There haven’t been any bike improvements in the past 1 ½ years and it may be 2010 before another bike project is constructed. Mr. Thornley expressed concern about the length of time it’s taken to get through this project and urged the Board to keep watching this closely. Tom Radulovich, Livable City, expressed disappointment regarding the slip in the project schedule. We’re waiting for a safe, continuous bike network. We’re happy to see the plan taking shape but it’s not a network. With the passage of Prop A, the MTA Board has control. It’s a priority for voters and is the board’s responsibility. Mr. Radulovich urged the Board to find out if there’s a way to recover some of the lost time and to ask staff what they need to move this item forward. If we get to 2010, it will be five years without any bike projects. Dave Snyder, SPUR, expressed support for the motion and for expediting the program to get a bike network implemented. He also expressed support for the additions to the Bike EIR. He stated that he was disappointed that the schedule has slipped and urged the Board to add resources to expedite the project. This set of bike improvements is a small step towards the kind of improvements that will make bicycling a viable transportation option. The city needs a comprehensive plan to make bicycling a viable option. Please expedite the EIR. John Rizzo, Sierra Club, expressed disappointment about the length of time it took to get here. Mr. Rizzo stated that the original timeline for the EIR was much longer than the timeline for bigger projects. This timeline is close to the PUC’s water project. We haven’t been able to put one bike lane into Golden Gate Park because of the injunction. Mr. Rizzo urged the Board to push this and to get back to the original dates if you can. RESOLUTION 07-185 On motion to approve: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, and Nolan RECUSED - Shahum ADJOURN- The meeting was adjourned at 5:53 p.m. A tape of the meeting is on file in the office of the Secretary to the MTA Board of Directors. Roberta Boomer The Ethics Commission of the City and County of San Francisco has asked us to remind individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [S.F. Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code section 2.100 et seq.] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 415-581-2300; fax: 415-581-2317; 30 Van Ness Ave., Suite 3900, SF, CA 94102-6027 or the web site: sfgov.org/ethics. |
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