The Recreation and Park Department is placing a massive bond measure before voters for the second time in four years, but unlike the last occasion, this proposition is facing opposition from a high-profile coalition.
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City agencies are looking into the hiring and payment practices of an America’s Cup event production contractor previously caught letting its roving workforce be paid less than San Francisco’s minimum wage.
The inquiries were prompted by complaints from local unions crying foul about compliance with the terms of last winter’s assiduously discussed labor agreement between City Hall and organizers of the sailing regatta.
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Operating a transit system in one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the country can be a perilous task. Knowing this, BART is taking no risks.
Working with UC Berkeley, the transit agency is the first in the nation to install an automated early warning earthquake system, which will provide BART with precious extra seconds to slow down or stop trains before a temblor hits the tracks.
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Nearly $40 million in state funds were approved Thursday for Caltrain’s positive train control system, a key step in the transit agency’s ongoing quest to electrify its railway.
The funds were approved by the California Transportation Commission and will be used for projects designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, enforce speed restrictions and improve worker safety, according to Caltrain.
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The idea was born out of a conversation among friends, over a few beers after work: They would ride their bikes together down Market Street once a month. The first trip included just a handful of riders and ended after a short jaunt to Zeitgeist, a cyclist-friendly bar in the Mission district.
Today, Critical Mass is an institution in 350 cities worldwide, and on Friday thousands of cyclists are expected to take part in another impromptu dash through San Francisco to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event in the city where it originated.
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An electrical surge near the Civic Center BART station caused a large, bright flash of light on the tracks during a Sept. 16 incident that shut down the station for nearly an hour, according to an agency investigation that differs from previous police reports on the matter.
Startled passengers witnessed a 1,000-watt arc of electricity flash before their eyes, caused when the BART train struck debris capable of carrying a current, the investigation found. Along with the bright light, the accident also caused loud booming noises and plumes of smoke from the point of impact.
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Any weekend boasting a Giants playoff matchup at AT&T Park and a 49ers home game could be considered epic by San Francisco standards. But for the first weekend of October, those contests might actually be considered the underdogs.
An unprecedented confluence of major events is expected to bring more than 1 million spectators to San Francisco from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, forcing The City’s already overstretched transit system to devise a game plan to manage the crowds.
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Having a private foundation manage a nine-hole golf course in Golden Gate Park — a scenario feared by some local golfers — has been pushed back for at least a few months.
The Recreation and Park Commission was scheduled Thursday to vote on a five-year contract agreement to have First Tee assume management duties at the Golden Gate Park Golf Course. First Tee, a nonprofit organization, would oversee day-to-day operations at the course through its subsidiary, the Golden Gate Park Golf Course Foundation.
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By all accounts, 2012 should be a banner year for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Muni, the transit system run by the agency, is celebrating its 100th year. Contentious labor negotiations between management and the powerful operators union are a thing of the past. And SFMTA chief Ed Reiskin, a widely respected leader now in his second year, has a clear mandate to improve the agency.
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A controversial design plan for the Central Subway’s Union Square station was approved Thursday, but opponents of the project said lawsuits could be coming as a result of the decision.
Because the station will sit on park property, the Recreation and Park Commission was required to sign off on the plan. The commission did so unanimously in the latest hurdle cleared for the $1.6 billion Muni project that will extend underground Metro service from South of Market to Chinatown.
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Slowly but surely, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District has begun to chip away at its once-cavernous budget shortfalls — enough to possibly delay a planned toll increase.
The district, which oversees maintenance of the iconic span and operates bus and ferry transit fleets, is projecting a five-year budget shortfall of $66 million. While that may sound daunting, it’s a stark improvement from the $87 million shortfall that the bridge district was forecasting last year. The 10-year shortfall also has shrunk, declining from $322 million to $285 million.
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A proposal to transform Masonic Avenue from a six-lane thoroughfare to a four-lane boulevard was unanimously approved Tuesday by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s board of directors.
Masonic is an important north-south connector, with 32,000 vehicles using the avenue each day to travel between the Panhandle and northern neighborhoods. The busy artery also has been the scene of several high-profile accidents, and neighbors have backed a plan to calm traffic on the street.
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Thanks to a series of improvements at San Francisco International Airport, including the reopening of the revamped Terminal 2, concession sales increased by 14 percent last fiscal year, topping out at $783.4 million.
Gross receipts from car rentals, retail stores, food vendors and duty-free shops all showed double-digit increases.
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A plan to completely remake Masonic Avenue — a busy artery with a history of high-profile traffic accidents — could be approved Tuesday.
In the works for several years, the proposal would replace two traffic lanes with 1.2 miles of separated bike paths, add a center median with new trees and install sidewalk extensions to better accommodate transit vehicles and pedestrians. The changes will affect on Masonic between Geary Boulevard and Fell Street.
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Muni’s long-standing attempts to improve service and reliability have hit significant roadblocks in the past several months.
Since March, Muni has posted steadily regressing marks in its five primary service standards, including a dismal 57.2 percent on-time performance rate in August. That’s well below the 85 percent benchmark set when voters approved a ballot measure to expand the agency in 1999.
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