Monday, January 03, 2011

Muni's got a deficit -- brace for more parking tickets

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Drivers in San Francisco beware: the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs the city's transit and parking operations, is looking to increase issuing the number of parking citations issued, officials announced Monday.

The reason? To help close a projected $21 million deficit in the $775 million operating budget for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

The agency budgeted about $99 million for parking citation revenue this year but projections have been falling short due to a decline in the number of tickets issued. In response, officials will look at redeploying the parking cops so they're working the times and locations ''to bring in the most revenue for the agency and the city,'' agency spokesman Paul Rose said.

Overall, the agency is down $11.6 million in anticipated revenue and up $9.6 million in anticipated expenses.

The agency quietly revealed the new budget numbers at the end of the business day Monday and will make a formal presentation to the agency's governing board Tuesday.

In addition to stepping up parking violation enforcement, officials hope to plug the budget hole by selling off more taxi permits, known as medallions, and reducing overtime. Officials said they have no plans to cut Muni service or raise fares.

The continued budget problems, however, make the prospect of fully restoring service that was cut an unprecedented 10 percent in May more remote. Muni put back nearly two-thirds of the lost service in September by patching together a one-time funding package of about $15 million. But to put it all back next year, an additional $36 million would be needed, and so far only $14 million has been identified.

Posted By: Rachel Gordon (Email) | Jan 03 at 06:11 PM

Listed Under: Transit, traffic and just getting around | Permalink

So who's the city's top prosecutor?

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San Francisco is now without a District Attorney. We'll see how long that lasts.

The office became vacant today when Kamala Harris was sworn in as state attorney general, and outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom has yet to appoint a replacement to serve out the last year of her term as district attorney.

Harris is out as DA, but as state attorney general, you could say she's still the boss.

AP

Harris is out as DA, but as state attorney general, you could say she's still the boss.

The mayor is required to fill the office, but there is no specified deadline. Until he does, state law says that the number two in the office, Chief Assistant District Attorney David Pfeifer, assumes the authority and power of the district attorney, even though he doesn't have the title.

Newsom, much to the chagrin of more liberal members of the Board of Supervisors, has delayed his swearing in as lieutenant governor up to a week, and is expected to make his pick for interim district attorney in the next few days.

We're still awaiting word from the attorney general's office on the legality of Newsom's move, but one thing is certain: If someone thinks Newsom's actions warrant his removal as lieutenant governor, they'll have to get the attorney general's approval.

Smart money says it will come sometime after Tuesday's board meeting, where naming a successor to serve out the last year of Newsom's term as mayor is on the agenda. Board President David Chiu is still widely mentioned in scenarios as a district attorney appointment, even though weeks ago it appeared he wasn't interested and had an eye on becoming interim mayor.

Given the political intrigue swirling at City Hall and the city's $379 million budget deficit, Chiu may have rethought that position. But he'll likely want to see how the cards fall Tuesday when the current board takes up the issue of appointing an interim mayor. A new board, with four members elected in November, will be sworn in Jan. 8 and get to decide the matter if Newsom hasn't left office before then.

If Newsom names Chiu the interim district attorney, Newsom gets to appoint someone to fill his board seat in District Three, giving the mayor one more ally as 11 supervisors try to cobble together six votes to name Newsom's successor -- and they can't vote for themselves.

Posted By: John Coté (Email) | Jan 03 at 05:23 PM

Listed Under: DA Kamala Harris | Permalink

Supervisors hit back at defiant Newsom

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The Board of Supervisors' Rules Committee started out with a roar this morning, determined to take on Mayor Gavin Newsom for his decision to delay his swearing-in as lieutenant governor and potentially keep the current board from picking his replacement.

David Campos: We are legitimate.

David Campos: We are legitimate.

Gavin Newsom: I'm still in charge.

Gavin Newsom: I'm still in charge.

The initial strategy: hold up the mayor's nominations to various commissions and boards.

''He's saying this duly elected Board of Supervisors does not have the legitimacy to decide on the question of an interim mayor. ... At the same time he is doing that, he also is asking this very board, whose legitimacy he has questioned, to turn around and confirm these appointments,'' Supervisor David Campos, chairman of the Rules Committee, said today. ''It is inconsistent to say the least.''

Added Supervisor John Avalos, who does not serve on the Rules Committee but who showed up to speak, ''To me, the mayor cannot have it both ways. He cannot have his cake and eat it, too.''

But by the end of the four-hour meeting the roar turned into more of a meow as the committee voted in favor of three of the 10 nominations up for consideration.

The green-lighted trio, whose nominations will be considered by the full board Tuesday, are: laborers' union leader Vince Courtney, backed by the politically potent organized labor community, for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Leona Bridges, who has a background in financial planning and management and packed the hearing room with supporters from the African-American community, for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board; and former Supervisor Leslie Katz, who now serves on the Democratic County Central Committee, for the Port Commission.

In all three cases, the Rules Committee said the business before the affected commissions is pressing and that the vacancies should be filled as soon as possible.

The Rules Committee still may endorse some of the held-up nominations at a later date, just not now, said Campos, a view echoed by Supervisor Eric Mar, who also serves on the panel. From the onset of the meeting, the committee's third member, Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, spoke against holding up any of the mayor's nominations.

Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker called the delay tactic ''a petty political game and is representative of why Mayor Newsom thinks this board is not qualified to pick the interim mayor.''

The nominations that were delayed are Michael Kim to the Port Commission, Andrew Wolfram, Richard Johns and Karl Hasz to the Historical Preservation Commission, Harry Kim and Herb Cohn to the San Francisco Relocation Appeals Board, and Florence Kong to the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission.

For the record, Newsom hasn't said when he will assume his new post of lieutenant governor, but has scheduled an inaugural celebration for 1 p.m. on Jan. 10 -- two days after the current Board of Supervisors will be termed out of office and a newly configured Board of Supervisors with four new members will be sworn in.

The current board, meanwhile, has scheduled a vote to select an interim mayor to serve out the year remaining on Newsom's term at its Tuesday meeting. However, the appointment can't be made until Newsom vacates the mayor's office.

Posted By: Rachel Gordon (Email) | Jan 03 at 02:56 PM

Listed Under: Board of Supervisors | Permalink