July 10, 2013
Letter from the Director Monday, July 1 our city saw the importance its transportation system plays in our quality of life. With the upheaval felt by hundreds of thousands of commuters into the city during the BART strike, the SFMTA, the city family, our unions and our partner Bay Area transportation providers needed to step up to aid commuters get to where they needed to be. Read more here.
A San Francisco Treat: 50 Years of Ring-a-Ding-Ding This year's golden anniversary of the annual cable car bell ringing contest on July 11 will bring out some of the quickest wrists in the business. Returning champ Trini Whittaker will face a half dozen challengers, including two former winners, three former finalists and one first-time competitor who will vie for the title of Operator with the most "appeal." Read more here.
Landmark Pride Weekend Sets New Records for Crowds, Elation There was no precipitation to dampen the spirits of revelers, though rainbows were everywhere during 2013 Pride weekend. With spirits buoyed by two landmark Supreme Court decisions effectively overruling California's Prop. 8 and reinstating same-sex marriages in California, the LGBT community and its allies marched joyously through city streets to celebrate the ground-breaking victories. Photos and more here.
Memberships for Bike Sharing in San Francisco to Open Next Monday The wheels are turning quickly for the Bay Area's new bike sharing program, Bay Area Bike Share. The service is officially coming to San Francisco in August 2013 and is part of a broader regional program extending down to Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose. Read more here.
Issue 1 Volume 9
SFMTA Helping Grow Next Generation of Public Servants It's being called a "silent crisis." According to City Hall Fellows Founder Bethany Rubin Henderson, over half of the country's municipal work force are on the tail-end of 20-30 year careers and will soon be opting for retirement. Where will our future public servants come from? Programs such as City Hall Fellows and other internship programs adopted by the SFMTA are helping develop some of the best and brightest college graduates into the next generation of civic leaders. Read more here.
Twitter Follow the SFMTA on Twitter! Muni personnel really stepped up during the BART strike and customers recognized the extra effort. Read more here.
Questions? Questions, comments or submissions? E-mail us at newsletter@sfmta.com.
Copyright Š 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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Letter From the Director
July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:36 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
On July 1 our city saw the importance its transportation system plays in our quality of life. With the upheaval felt by hundreds of thousands of commuters into the city during the BART strike, the SFMTA, the city family, our unions and our partner Bay Area transportation providers needed to step up to aid commuters get to where they needed to be. I would like to express my thanks to every one of you, across all divisions, who pulled together during the course of the strike last week, working around the clock to mobilize the SFMTA transportation and emergency management system to best aid stranded customers. Though equally affected by the BART work stoppage, our frontline personnel made a commitment to be on hand last week to serve the critical needs of thousands of displaced travelers. Operators, Mechanics, Supervisors, Transit Fare Inspectors, Muni Ambassadors, Station Agents, Parking Control Officers, Managers, and more than 80 volunteers took to city streets at key transit hubs with flyers and fact sheets to help customers find the quickest way to get to their destinations. The SFMTA transportation and emergency management team stepped up accordingly, prioritizing service along key routes and along the BART corridor. Our enforcement team was also on the street clearing transit-only lanes to keep traffic flowing efficiently, our garages were open early and available to accommodate additional drivers and taxis were out in full force. Thank you for your commitment to this Agency, our city and the customers we serve. Sincerely,
Edward D. Reiskin Director of Transportation
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A San Francisco Treat: Fifty Years of Ring-a-Ding-Ding July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:36 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
The melodic clanging of cable car bells will ring out once again from Union Square on July 11 for the 50th anniversary of the SFMTA’s Cable Car Bell Ringing Competition. Motorized Cable Car #62 will sit perched at the center of Union Square and serve as a backdrop for the two separate bell ringing competitions.
Reputation, prizes on the line Along with some legendary heavy hitters returning to face off in this year’s professional category, three to five teams of local media and community representatives will try their hand at making music with the flick of a wrist during the amateur event. The golden anniversary edition of the popular contest is presented by the SFMTA with the support of long-time partners the Union Square Business Improvement District, the Friends of the Cable Car Museum and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Comedienne Debi Durst will return as mistress of ceremonies. The Slot Blades, an in-house band comprised of cable car Grips and Conductors, will provide pre-event entertainment along with the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleaders and 49er team mascot Sourdough Sam. Along with bragging rights, cash and sponsor-donated gifts, such as hotel stays and restaurant certificates, will sweeten the pot for competitors in both categories. Winner of the professional category, aka the “World Champion Bell Ringer,” will additionally receive an authentic custom-made cable car bell which should delight both the winner’s neighbors and the neighborhood children.
Finalists ready to ring “We’re looking forward to a spirited competition for our golden anniversary,” said David Banbury, Superintendent of SFMTA’s Cable Car Division. “The guys are really geared up for this.” This year’s finalists in the professional category are three-time bell ringing winners Ken Lunardi and Leonard Oats, former finalists Jorge Lacayo, Joseph Sue, Singh B. Rai, and first-time finalist Ignacio Sandoval. The six challengers will take on reigning champ Trini Whittaker, who dethroned favorite Leonard Oats last year in a “ring off” after the two tied—the first tie in the event’s history. Ignacio Sandoval, an eight-year cable car veteran and first-time finalist, found himself in awe as he watched his competition during the semi-finals. “I wasn’t sure about this year. When I saw my co-workers play, especially Kenny Lunardi, Leonard Oats and Byron Cobb who play so well, I was a bit afraid,” Sandoval said. “I’ve decided that this year, I’ll play like I do at work and simply enjoy it. I just want to go and have fun and participate.” Singh B. Rai has made it to the finals three times but has yet to bring home the bell. “I’m just proud to be in the competition,” he said. After narrowly missing winning his fourth consecutive victory last year, Leonard Oats is determined to recapture the title. He’s been working overtime on what he calls a “special routine” for this year’s competition and isn’t averse to a little trash-talking. Oats has a special message for Trini Whittaker, this year’s defending champ and the man who ended his consecutive reign. “The time for training is over,” Oats said with a laugh, “now it’s time to win my title back.”
A final friendly gathering of the 2013 cable car bell ringing competitors Back row (L-R): Leonard Oats, Joseph Sue, Trini Whittaker, Angel Sandoval Front row (L-R): Singh B. Rai, Jorge Lacayo and Ken Lunardi
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Landmark Pride Weekend Sets New Records for Crowds, Elation July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:36 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
There was no precipitation to dampen the spirits of revelers, though rainbows were everywhere during 2013 Pride weekend. With spirits buoyed by two landmark Supreme Court decisions effectively overruling California’s Prop. 8 and reinstating same-sex marriages in California, the LGBT community and its allies marched joyously through city streets to celebrate the ground-breaking victories. Here, in pictures, is a look back at what will be considered a Pride weekend for the ages.
The SFMTA contingent gets ready to roll
A smiling Cable Car #62 turns and heads up Market Street
Go-4s celebrate the Supreme Court Ruling
SFMTA employees and allies led by Kimpreet Puar and Lea Militello
Director Haley keeps an eye on traffic
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Memberships for Bike Sharing in San Francisco to Open Next Monday July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:35 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
Bike sharing, already operating in several U.S. cities, allows commuters and tourists to use bikes for short rides, picking them up and dropping them off at designated, close-together stations, typically in a crowded downtown, business district or at a transit hub. Members pay a fee, which gives them access to an unlimited number of rides of up to 30 minutes. Surcharges are added to longer rides. Cities like Washington D.C, Minneapolis and New York City are using their bike shares to help locals solve the “last mile” problem — the difficulty of getting commuters from a transit hub to their final destination. While an exact launch date for Bay Area Bike Share has yet to be determined by the program’s administrator, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, membership sales for the program will be open to the public on Monday, July 15 at www.bayareabikeshare.com. The first 1,000 individuals to join as annual members will receive unique Founder Keys in their welcome package. The first phase of the Bay Area Bike Share launch will unveil 350 bikes and 35 stations in San Francisco’s downtown core, and fans have been flocking to a crowdsourcing website created by the SFMTA to give their input on where new stations should be located in the city.
Phase 1 Station Locations in San Francisco
The new Bay Area Bike Share Bike
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SFMTA Helping Grow Next Generation of Public Servants July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:35 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
It’s being called a “silent crisis.” According to City Hall Fellows Founder Bethany Rubin Henderson, over half of the country’s municipal work force are on the tail-end of 20-30 year careers and will soon be opting for retirement. Where will our future public servants come from? Programs such as City Hall Fellows and other internship programs adopted by the SFMTA are helping develop some of the best and brightest college graduates into the next generation of civic leaders. Read more here.
Enticing Grads into the Public Sector A 2011 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that only 6 percent of college graduates in all 50 states have a desire to work in government at any level. The survey results come as no surprise to Bethany Rubin Henderson who founded City Hall Fellows in 2008. Henderson’s City Hall Fellows program seeks to engage exceptional college students at the most advantageous time, within a year of their graduation. The program’s approach is simple: Incentivize each of San Francisco’s 14 City Hall Fellows, referred to cumulatively as a “cohort,” with a paid, year-long placement in a city agency to gain firsthand experience in using local government to drive social change. Over the last five years, 75 Fellows have left a considerable imprint on three challenging urban environments: San Francisco, Houston and Baton Rouge. Belle Yan and Matthew Spring, working with the SFMTA’s Finance and Information Technology group, are two of fourteen “urban changemakers” selected for this year’s City Hall Fellows cohort. Yan and Spring worked as part of the team responsible for implementing the Agency’s performance data reporting and the recent Employee Engagement survey and will “graduate” from the program on July 17. “My experiences in this fellowship have further cultivated my curiosities of how local government functions and my dedication to serve the city that raised me,” said Yan. City Hall Fellows’ strategic approach to increasing new graduates’ participation in government is clearly working. Approximately 60 percent of alumni continue in local public service immediately post-Fellowship.
History of Success Brandon Matthews, a 2012 UC Berkeley graduate, has been an intern in the Urban Planning Initiatives/Transportation Planning Demand group since 2011. “My internship at the SFMTA has provided me with hands-on working experience and has allowed me to communicate with a wide variety of users for project development and implementation,” Matthews said. The SFMTA has long understood the value of nurturing talented college graduates. In 1992, The City and County of San Francisco addressed a chronic shortage in transportation engineering staff by starting a paid summer internship program for college students in which the SFMTA participates. A total of 159 students have gone through the program since its inception, of which 34 (21 percent) were hired as full-time staff. SFMTA City Traffic Engineer Ricardo Olea was an intern in the program during the summer of 1994 and 1995. “It was an exciting time to be working in transportation in San Francisco. The Loma Prieta Earthquake resulted in the closure of the Embarcadero Freeway and would soon lead to the closure of the Central Freeway,” he said, “the internship exposed me to small- and large-scale street changes and showed me how each can improve the everyday functioning of the city.” A number of current SFMTA employees including Carlton Wong, Darcy Lim, Will Tabajonda, Dustin White, Cathal Hennessy, Virginia Rathke, Kathleen Phu and Teresa Tapia also began their careers as interns with the SFMTA. Fifty-five interns are currently employed by the SFMTA.
City Hall Fellows Belle Yan and Matt Spring
Intern Brandon Matthews with the SFMTA's Urban Planning Initiatives/Transportation Planning Demand Group
Kathleen Phu, former intern, now with SFMTA Policy and Planning within the Sustainable Streets Division
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Twitter July 10
by DeAnda, Mark on 7/10/2013 9:34 AM Category: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #9)
Follow the SFMTA on Twitter! Muni personnel really stepped up during the BART strike and customers recognized the extra effort. Read some recent tweets from an appreciative public.