“The Subway to Nowhere. House Chamber, Washington, D.C. June 27, 2012. Remarks by Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA).”
“Mr. Chairman:
This amendment forbids further federal expenditures for the Central Subway project in San Francisco.
The project is a 1.7 mile subway that is estimated to cost $1.6 billion –– and those cost estimates continue to rise. Its baseline budget has more than doubled in nine years and shows no signs of slowing. The current estimate brings the cost to nearly $1 billion per mile. That’s five times the cost per lane mile of Boston’s scandalous “Big Dig.”
It was supposed to link local light rail and bus lines with CalTrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit, but it’s so badly designed that it bypasses 25 of the 30 light rail and bus lines that it crosses. To add insult to insanity, it dismantles the seamless light-rail to BART connection currently available to passengers at Market Street, requiring them instead to walk nearly a quarter mile to make the new connection. Experts estimate it will cost commuters between five and ten minutes of additional commuting time on every segment of the route.
Even the sponsors estimate that it will increase ridership by less than one percent, and there is vigorous debate that this projection is far too optimistic.
I think Margaret Okuzumi, the Executive Director of the Bay Rail Alliance put it best when she said,
This administration is attempting to put federal taxpayers – our constituents — on the hook for nearly a billion dollars of the cost of this folly through the “New Starts” program – or more than 60 percent. We have already squandered $123 million on it. This amendment forbids another dime of our constituents’ money being wasted on this boondoggle.
Now here is an important question that members may wish to ponder: “Why should your constituents pay nearly a billion dollars for a purely local transportation project in San Francisco that is opposed by a broad, bi-partisan coalition of San Franciscans, including the Sierra Club, Save Muni (a grassroots organization of Muni Riders), the Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods, and three of the four local newspapers serving San Francisco?
Why, indeed.
I’m sorry, I don’t have a good answer to that question. But those who vote against this amendment had better have one when their constituents ask, “What in the world were you thinking?”
# # #
This amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act (HR 5972) was approved by the House on June 29th. The legislation next goes to the Senate.
Here’s the question: Is Chris Rillo, ERISA attorney and part-time Richmond District resident, a NIMBY? Let’s look at the evidence:
“Mr. Rillo and his wife are both long-term residents and homeowners in the Richmond district who have worked hard advocating for the safety of our neighborhood.”
Apparently, Chris Rillo tried to “intimate” District One Supervisor Eric Mar:
“When the captain called to tell me he was relieving me from the board, I asked whether it was for a cause,” Rillo said. “He simply stated he had the right to constitute members of the board and assured me there was no cause. I was startled when he reported a cause that night, that I supposedly intimated Supervisor Mar.”
Uh, I think that’s spelled intimidated, Counselor.
No matter, this incident will serve to keep our local millionaire NIMBYs down, so that’s good.
“Circulation of print newspapers continues to plummet, and we believe that the only print newspapers that will survive will be at the extremes of the medium – the largest and the smallest,” said Cole. It’s likely that only four major daily newspapers will continue in print form: The New York Times, USA Today, theWashington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. At the other extreme, local weekly newspapers may still survive.
“The impending death of the American print newspaper continues to raise many questions,” Cole said. “Will media organizations survive and thrive when they move exclusively to online availability? How will the changing delivery of content affect the quality and depth of journalism?”
But we’ll always have the SFGate, so there’s that.
The Great Wall Street Journal Pay Wall isn’t fully operational right now, so that means that you can follow the lead of SF Bay Area Observer’s Ron Russell by checking out today’s bit from Bobby White in the Wall Street Journal:
In an interview, Ms. Quan acknowledged that “Occupy has damaged downtown businesses and mistakes were made.” Still, she said, she believes most voters back her and “I do not believe that most of the businesses in the city agree with this recall campaign.” The 62-year-old Ms. Quan, who was elected in late 2010, added that Oakland’s ethnically based chamber of commerce organizations support her, as do major businesses in the city such as Pandora Media Inc. and Kaiser Permanente.
Is that an apology? (Your Bromide of the Day: As goes Pandora Media, so goes Alameda County.)
And there’s this:
Corey Cook, an associate professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, said until Oakland’s recall effort becomes more structured, he is uncertain if it will succeed. Still, he said, “To go from being an unpopular leader to one worthy of recall requires a very public failure, and it seems [Ms. Quan] has accomplished that.”
“The Mobile Food Town Hall will be held on February 25, 2011 at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, Atrium Conference Room, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Click here or see our previous blog post, below, for more information.”
Will “concerns” be “addressed?” Oh hells yes! You can count on that…
Now, what are the odds that three different people decided to join the Yelp all at the same time to post one-star reviews of the same old place? Pretty low, actually. Those are the haterz, they got riled up over the whole Second Street Food fight issue, one that just got picked up by the WSJ.
But what about the shills? Is it possible that someone with an ownership interest in already-poorly-rated Harvest & Rowe is posting multiple five-star reviews? (Would this be like writing an annual performance review of yourself for your boss to peruse? “I work well with others, all our great new ideas came from me…”)
Anyway, check it, a re-review from “Erin A” or somebody:
But surprisingly, the Yelp (or somebody) has already taken down the five-star re-review from earlier this month. (That’s pretty smart Yelp, if you can figure things out like that, srsly.)
Now, speaking of which, what’s up with Jose R? He just happens to loooooove the Harvest & Rowe but he’s just not into the highly-rated Mixt Greens, the hated competition of Harvest & Rowe. Isn’t that funny? These days, you just can’t tell who is behind what, huh?
Anyway, draw your own conclusions….
And Item 3: That recent bit in the Wall Street Journal quoted people from three bricks-and-mortar food purveyors on or around Second and Mission. Let’s meet them why not?
Here’s Muffins, Muffins:
“The food trucks are a threat to us,” said Diane Tran, owner of Muffins, Muffins, a pastry and sandwich shop on Second Street and one of the restaurants that signed the police complaint against JapaCurry. “They park in front of us, take our customers and leave the truck running so we get the smell of gas and smoke in our shop. We wish they weren’t around here, because we don’t do well when they are.”
It’s easy to complain, huh? Point in fact, the JapaCurry truck has never parked in front of her business, seen here:
So, how can the owner of Muffins to the Second Power detect the smell of gas and smoke from one particular vehicle parked at least tens of yards away? Or maybe all that smoke is from her customers? Did she or somebody else before or does she or somebody else now want to sell cigarettes or something? Can’t quite tell:
(Hey, do you think the “E” in “E. Mar” stands for Eric? Well, it does! Hurray!)
She also sells the potato chips.
Here’s Sammy’s on Second. Do you think the owner would be able to tell if a food truck happened to be parked around the block on any particular day – do you think his sales of bags of potato chips go down due to all the potato chips that JapaCurry sells? (But JapaCurry doesn’t sell potato chips, see?)
And Tart to Tart, well that’s a chain, right? That’s a chain what sells potato chips ‘n stuff for lunch. (Is that your A-game, T to T?)
But what about all the popular places in the area? Are they whinging to the SFPD as well? Don’t know. But you’d think the more successful places might be too busy to hate ‘n stuff. I’d be curious to see a list of the aggrieved sometime.
All right, that’s it for now. Place nice and fly straight, people!
Now, I’m not up to speed here – is Glenn the gay guy that just came out? Anyway, find out tonight on Channel 3.
“Glenn’s attempt to follow his heart puts his career — and safety — on the line. Meanwhile, Marisa gets a surprise visit from an old friend. Elsewhere, Rabbit helps a patient deal with his devastating loss.”
And guess what? Ratings are up a bit lately. If only certain judgmental people hadn’t been so negative, and if it didn’t cost millions and millions to film old-school, episodic, Hill Street Blues-style television in pricey San Francisco, well who knows, maybe Trauma could have gone a full season.
And see Aimee Garcia whenever you want, right here. (You know, some people were able to walk off the Hindenburg without a scratch - maybe A.G. will similarly escape Trauma without injury)
The San Francisco Chronicle says that the Doris Duke gift has provided the museum with “a trove of Southeast Asian artifacts that has given the institution a depth in this collection area unique among American museums,” and it notes that “the exhibition, and the glorious catalog that accompanies it, mark the completion of that marathon of remedial work.”
Continuing the conservation storyline, the Wall Street Journal tells the story of how “Some of the Buddha paintings and gilded bronze sculptures that are part of a major upcoming exhibition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco took an unusual detour en route to the museum: They spent decades in storage in a shooting gallery at tobacco heiress Doris Duke’s New Jersey mansion.”
The New York Times reports that “in galleries painted smoky lilac, charcoal or bright green, inlaid glass chips gleam on upholstered benches, shadow puppets of monkeys fight demons and princes ride elephants on cloth paintings.”
The San Francisco Examiner praises“fascinatingly detailed paintings of royal hunts, historical tableaux, legends and Buddhist images. A particularly haunting work is the Burmese gilded wood statue of the monk Shariputra, the body leaning at a strange angle, every detail of it and the robe signifying something.”
Bay Area ArtQuake says that Emerald Cities is “another beautifully organized, elegantly presented exhibit with a catalogue that’s a ‘must buy.’”
Leave us travel back in time to October 21st, 2009, when we last heard from NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and NBC Entertainment chief Angela Bromstad:
Trauma? Don’t they film that in our little town, (the fourth-largest in the whole state, I’m proud to say)? Yes they do! Maybe NBC could commit to nine more episodes (the “back nine”) so we could have a full season of on-location shoots?
“NBC has picked up full seasons of Thursday night comedies “Community” and “Parks and Recreation,” as well as its Wednesday night medical drama “‘Mercy.’”
Well, what about Trauma? Hello-oooo, NBC? Hello-ooooooooo?
Uh oh.
No matter, twirlypopper pilot Aimee Garcia will still maintain her official websiteregardless of when Trauma gets cancelled. (You all seem to just love her.)
Click to expand
In light of recent developments, the unofficial NBC Trauma Deathwatch™over-under date has been officially moved up to: November 30, 2009.
Adjust your wagers accordingly.
Enjoy it while it lasts – a new show (the Halloween one?) is on tonight at 9:00 PM.
