This was the scene the other day at the LGBT Center at a Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club meeting in support of Community Choice Aggregation.
Here’s a report from KPIX Channel 5 (if you can handle a commercial beforehand.)
Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, Supervisor David Campos, Carole Migden, Paul Fenn, John Rizzo, Chris Jackson, and Eric Brooks, among others, were all there:
The fight over Proposition 16 is hotting up, certainly.
San Francisco’s Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club is hosting a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Town Hall tonight at the LGBT Center on the corner of Market and Octavia. CCA is:
“a system adopted into law in the states of Massachusetts, Ohio, California, New Jersey and Rhode Island which allows cities and counties to aggregate the buying power of individual customerswithin a defined jurisdiction in order to secure alternative energy supply contracts. Currently, nearly 1 million Americans receive service from CCAs.”
The special guests will be Assembly Bill 117 (2002) author Carole Migden, District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, District 9 Supervisor David Campos and San Francisco Bay Guardian Executive Editor Tim Redmond.
The whole shebang starts at 6:45 PM:
STOP the PG$E Power GRAB!
That’s okay! Former State Senator Carole Migden, author of the Community Choice Aggregation legislation, and many others will be at this special Milk Club PAC Forum to help explain these issues and show you how to educate our communities and take DIRECT POLITICAL ACTION!
This event is OPEN to the PUBLIC!
Please invite EVERYONE YOU KNOW to attend this SPECIAL FORUM and STOP PG&E!
Special Guests Include:
Former State Senator Carole Migden, San Francisco
Supervisors David Campos & Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco
Featured Presenters:
Paul Fenn, John Rizzo, Chris Jackson and Eric Brooks
Moderators:
MILK Club Political VP Linette Peralta Haynes
SF BAY GUARDIAN Editor-in-Chief Tim Redmond
Convener:
Tom Taylor, Milk Club Environmental Caucus Chair
HISTORY + ACTION = PROGRESS
Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club
Celebrating 35 Years of Progressive Political Action and Fighting for our Communities
That big residential solar project in the Lower Haight / Western Addition / Hayes Valley from SunWheel Energy Partners just went live. The juice, she is flowing.
See all the deets in this 15 minute video - it’s just like being there.
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil “The Thrill” Ting was there for the ribbon-cutting…
…as was District 5 Supervisor Ross “The Boss” Mirkarimi:
San Francisco Affordable Housing Sites Power On Solar Energy
Federal, State and Local Officials, Site Residents and Community Members Celebrate Green Energy and New Jobs at Western Addition Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
San Francisco, CA, January 26, 2010 – On Monday, January 25, 2010, Sunwheel Energy Partners, which provides turnkey solar energy systems for urban and community partners, celebrated the commissioning of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at three affordable housing community sites in San Francisco’s Western Addition and Hayes Valley neighborhoods — bringing solar power, green jobs and financial relief to residents and owners. The ribbon cutting ceremony at Plaza East Apartments was widely attended by a notable group of federal, state and local officials as well as the site’s residents and community members who were hired to install the solar panels.
Dignitaries in attendance included Henry Alvarez, Executive Director, San Francisco Housing Authority; Timothy Alan Simon, CPUC Commissioner; Phil Ting, SF Assessor-Recorder; David Rubin, Director of Service Analysis, PG&E; Michael Carlin, SFPUC Deputy General Manager; Neola Gans, Vice President, SF Housing Authority Commission; Caroline Krewson, Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Stephen Schneller, Director, San Francisco Office of Public Housing; Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco Supervisor; and representatives of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s offices. Senator Mark Leno issued a proclamation commending the site.
Even more deets, after the jump
It took a while, but this photo is clear evidence of an A2B electric moped from San Francisco-based Ultra Motor USA apparently being used by a regular San Franciscan. Heretofore, I’ve only seen A2Bs being borrowed by tourists for short-term rentals, or by riders on test drives, or by employees trying to promote the brand, stuff like that.
So this is progress, of a sort.
Let’s see here, yes, that’s an overweight, overpriced A2B Metro being used as designed in San Francisco. Finally.
And here’s something else that’s new – an endorsement from Jay Leno. Check the short video with dressed-for-success(!) (in a camo tank, Daisy Dukes* and high-heeled boots) Ultra Motor “Sales Manager” Shelby Nielsen at advertising-choked JayLenosGarage.com:
Let’s see here. Jay Leno:
Clearly doesn’t understand the concept of voltage. [Conferre this huge 6-volt lantern battery with tiny 9-volt battery next to it - which has more power do you s'pose? Discuss.]
Thinks the weight of 73 pounds (or is it closer to 90 with the optional $650 battery you can see behind the seat?) ”isn’t bad.” [Actually, it is bad.]
Thinks it’s practical to pedal a moped.
Thinks it’s practical to carry a moped up and down stairs on a daily basis.
Doesn’t care about the price
Believes in helmets for people on motorcycles but not on mopeds, despite the fact that he needed to wear a helmet during his test drive on public streets under CA law.
Here’s the thing – A2B mopeds, like all mopeds, are basically manifestations of license-and-registration scams. Moped owners don’t have to deal with all the hassles involved of owning a scooter or a motorcycle – that’s the reason for the ridiculous design compromises.
So that’s how it’s going for the first year of these mopeds in the 415.
And to close, let’s review The Law:
24016. (a) A motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 shall meet the following criteria:
(2) Operate in a manner so that the electric motor is disengaged or ceases to function when the brakes are applied, or operate in a manner such that the motor is engaged through a switch or mechanism that, when released, will cause the electric motor to disengage or cease to function.
(b) All of the following apply to a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406:
(1) No person shall operate a motorized bicycle unless the person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards described in Section 21212.
(2) A person operating a motorized bicycle is subject to Sections 21200 and 21200.5.
(3) A person operating a motorized bicycle is not subject to the provisions of this code relating to financial responsibility, driver’s licenses, registration, and license plate requirements, and a motorized bicycle is not a motor vehicle.
(4) A motorized bicycle shall only be operated by a person 16 years of age or older.
(5) Every manufacturer of a motorized bicycle shall certify that it complies with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for bicycles adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. 1512.1, et seq.).
(c) No person shall tamper with or modify a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 so as to increase the speed capability of the bicycle.
27802. (a) The department may adopt reasonable regulations establishing specifications and standards for safety helmets offered for sale, or sold, for use by drivers and passengers of motorcycles and motorized bicycles as it determines are necessary for the safety of those drivers and passengers. The regulations shall include, but are not limited to, the requirements imposed by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 (49 C.F.R. Sec. 571.218) and may include compliance with that federal standard by incorporation of its requirements by reference. Each helmet sold or offered for sale for use by drivers and passengers of motorcycles and motorized bicycles shall be conspicuously labeled in accordance with the federal standard which shall constitute the manufacturer’s certification that the helmet conforms to the applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.
*In the “accepted vernacular“
San Mateo County’s famous all-electric Telsa Motors seems to have yet another problem these days. Tesla 20% Founder and CEO Elon Musk is now saying he expects to launch the Model S sedan “within two and a half years.”
So what’s that, the third quarter of 2012?
O.K., but this is what the Tesla website shows currently - it goes, “Deliveries start 2011.” See?
Would you consider that a delay? Others do.
But weren’t these cars supposed to be running around already? Yes:
“Tesla is building an assembly plant in Albuquerque, N.M., which is slotted for completion by the end of 2008. The company says it plans to build 10,000 WhiteStar sedans annually starting in 2009.”
That’s what you can expect from Tesla, aka Government Motors West.
Ah yes, the horrible Tesla Motors company, based in nearby San Carlos, CA, comes now to diagnose the public’s ”range anxiety” concerning electric vehicles. Their point is that if you keep on charging up an electric car, it will keep on running.
O.K.
But why did Tesla need to get bailed out by the Feds to the tune of a half-billion dollars? Did they try to get private financing? Oh yes, numerous times, but, for some reason, they felt the need to take the money from the Feds. If Tesla is such a great company, why don’t they pay back the government loan right now and thereby relieve taxpayers of loan repayment anxiety?
Oh well.
Here’s some Photoshop Phun – what’s been changed in this photo?
1. “Founder” Elon Musk has been enlarged to make him look more like a man-child playing with a rich man’s toy on the Feds’ dime; or
2. Indoor sunglasses have been added to make “founder” Elon Musk look more like a man-child playing with a rich man’s toy on the Feds’ dime; or
3. Pink XXL Crocs shoes from Costco ($14.99) have been pasted on.
You Make The Call:
You know Tesla, your fast little toy has impressed some people, but your track record over the past six years is not impressive at all and it remains to be seen how you’ll do over the next six years.
Just saying…
Remember that Tesla Motors corporation? They were the cock of the walk in the electric car world a few years back. Remember? They finally got a bunch of money from the feds, but they’re going to need to hurry. Why? ‘Cause a real car company is going to start to sell a vehicle that people might actually want to own. The new Nissan LEAF coming soon, so that’s disruptive to Tesla’s business model.
Will it actually go 100 miles on a charge? Maybe not at first, in real life, but it’s a start. Nissan too is getting government money, but that’s only after they’ve put a ton of their own hard-earned yen into the LEAF project.
Nissan had to choose where to sell the first LEAFs (or is the plural LEAVES?) and they chose the bay area and and handful of other places. O.K., maybe our Quimby-esque Mayor hectored them into doing so and that’s the only reason they’ll be selling LEAFs in town, I don’t know. IMO, Nissan is doing the vast majority of heavy lifting here while San Francisco is simply spending a couple mil. we got from the feds. Is that a public-private partnership? It’ll do, I s’pose.
General Motors / Saturn never really had its EV1 / Impact electric vehicle available for lease to rich people (GM just didn’t lease them to all comers – you had to prove to GM you were worthy) in the bay area back in the day because of all our hills – that was a major factor. (The few people that got EV1’s here were always worried about running out of gas, so to speak, causing them to drive at night without the headlights on and/or guide their crippled steeds into bus zones for temporary parking, and later on, DPT towaway. Remember that, G? Good times.) Getting a LEAF will be a much easier affair.
You already know the Nissan Versa. The LEAF will be a swoopier version and, of course, electric powered:
Here it is. The LEAF is a babe-magnet, apparently.
How much will it cost? Don’t know. Should you install a charger station now, while the permits are free? Don’t know. Will this be a popular car in the bay area? Probably.
Anyway, the deets after the jump.
Remember back in the day, back when San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu was test-driving the new Trek electric bicycles along with a few other supes? Well, it looks like the test-ride is over and nowadays this is his regular ride.
cf. my bike (the red one) - it was about five times cheaper and it has better brakes, gears, pedals, tires, etc., but, sadly, it does not have electric assist. Click to expand:
Here’s a reverse angle of President Chiu’s ElecTrek:
This bike is all right (especially when compared to the horrible overweight, overpriced Ultra Motors A2B electric moped, the Worst Consumer Product of 2009).
You could totally haul Trek’s black beauty upstairs. The big issue is the $2000+ price, but oh well.
cf. Mayor Gavin Newsom’s official ride, complete with a satellite TV antenna to see hisself on the CNN and an engine bigger than a bus and a saddled-up weight that’s so heavy it requires an official-bidness-only exemption to be legal in many parts of San Francisco (including a block of his own street). Srsly.
Oh well.
No, not you. You’re a peach, you average-or-better Toyota Prius driver in San Francisco. The problem is all the thousands of other drivers of Priuseses in town. You know, the left 40% of the bell curve.
What’s the deal with you all? You drive as if you’re the only people on Earth. So, if there are a lot of streetlamps on at night, don’t bother turning on your headlights cause how does it benefit you, right? And if you want to cross town, just drive through the Sunset Tunnel – no hills and no red lights! And if you want to park, just do it the way you feel, you dig? You’re entitled.
As here, where a hastily parked Prius turns busy Stockton Street into a slolom course. I mean, its rear is more in the traffic lane than not. But for a bad San Francisco Prius driver, that’s a parking job well done, now let’s find that Starbucks:
Click to expand
Now don’t be talking about confirmation bias. Oh no. Just check it out for yourself, on the streets.
So, Volvo drivers are the ones who don’t know that you’re thereand Prius drivers are the ones who know that you’re there, but they just don’t care.
(And someday somebody will explain to me how the EPA mileage estimates are lower for the 2010 model than they were for the 2004 model, even though the roomier 2010 model is better in many ways and, in real life, gets better fuel economy. Did somebody mislead us about fuel economy, back in the day?)
All right Prius driver, enjoy your rolling triggerfish, but try remember that you’re not the only person in the world.
Glub glub.
This is how outbound Market Street appeared in San Francisco this morning as Best Buy sent a parade of expensive $2500 A2B electric scooters (the Worst Consumer Products of 2009) and also inexpensive E-Zip bikes up the street. E-Zips went for $350 last year at some Wal-Marts (not that I could tell, having never set foot in one) and now $500 (and up) at Best Buy.
E-Zip in the background, A2B in the foreground. Were there a dozen or so riders in this mini, corporate Critical Mass? Something like that:
Click to expand
What do you get for you $350? Well, you don’t get high tech batteries, that’s for sure. But that’s part of the reason why it’s cheaper than the obscenely overpriced A2B and the Trek Ride+, which is being tested out these days by some of San Francisco’s elected officials. Costco also has a few dogs in the e-bike hunt, upon occasion.
Will you say “Engine*, yes. Gas No”?
Only Time Will Tell.
*Not an actual “engine” – the marketing cookies of Best Buy mean motor, but oh well.
