No
Taxi Ballot Measure
This Year |
|
Many drivers were
pleased when Supervisor Matt Gonzalez decided not to go ahead with
a measure intended for this November’s ballot that would have
allowed transferability of taxi permits. United Taxicab Workers strongly
opposed the proposal, and dozens of drivers testified against it at
hearings held at the Taxi Commission and a committee of the Board
of Supervisors the week before the ballot deadline.
click
here to read this article
New
Limo Law Takes Effect Jan. 1
Law Allows Greater Enforcement
Against Illegal Limousine Activities
After
years of frustration over the stealing of taxi business by bandit
limousine operators, United Taxicab Workers decided to do something
about it.
So we approached San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno
to ask his help in toughening laws against limo thievery. The result:
AB 2591, a bill passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature and
signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The new provisions take effect on Jan. 1.
click
here to read this article
Judge
Allows John Lazar To Keep Family Permits
In
a setback for taxi drivers waiting to obtain their own medallions,
Superior Court Judge Paul H. Alvarado has upheld a Taxi Commission
decision allowing Luxor Cab President John Lazar to keep two taxicab
permits formerly held by his deceased father and brother.
After John’s brother, Bill Lazar, Jr., died in 2000, John
asked the commission to award him the medallions, claiming that
his father had tried to place his name on the permits in 1978, but
had not succeeded owing to mistakes made at the Police Commission.
click
here to read this article
Five
Rules for Keeping Points Off Your Driving Record
By Francisco Rodriguez Traffic Attorney
One of the most important things for any professional, be it a doctor,
a lawyer or a driver as yourself, is our license. For myself it
is the way I put food on the table. The same goes for a taxi driver
and all other professional drivers. Your California Driver’s
License is a very precious item to have, but remember it is a privilege
and not a right. The following will tell you some of the basic rules
about keeping your license.
click
here to read this article
Contribute
to UTW’s Legal Fund
Judge Alvarado’s decision in the Lazar case (see above) has
dealt a blow to UTW’s efforts to prevent children of deceased
permit holders from inheriting their parents’ permits. “Inheriting”
isn’t the term being used for it, but that in fact is what’s
taking place.
The Lazar case points out the difficulty of obtaining justice once
these kinds of bad decisions are made. But we cannot just give up
and allow decision-makers free rein to trample on drivers’
rights. We need to be able to pursue these cases to a just result.
UTW has not yet decided whether to appeal the Lazar decision. The
considerations are both legal and financial. But regardless of what
we do about the Lazar case, we fully intend to pursue the Welch
case, which involves eight medallions. And then there are the 25
Veterans’ corporate medallions. (See p. 2.) If a settlement
along the lines currently proposed is reached, UTW will seriously
consider a legal challenge.
To effectively oppose these decisions, we must have sufficient financial
resources. Your contribution to UTW’s Legal Fund will help
place permits in the hands of working drivers, as Prop K intends.
Checks should be made payable to United Taxicab Workers, with the
notation “Legal Fund” in the memo space. Our mailing
address is: 2940 16th St. #314, San Francisco, CA 94103
.
At
the Taxi Commission
The
Taxi Commission meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month
at 6:30 p.m., in room 400 of City Hall. Special meetings may be
scheduled as needed. The following is a summary of significant commission
proceedings at recent meetings:
click
here to read this article
Commission
Considers Settlement
Over Veterans’ Corporate Permits
The
Taxi Commission is considering a legal settlement with Veterans
Cab Co. that would allow the company to retain most of its corporate
permits for years and some for decades to come.
Seven years ago, the Police Commission turned down Veterans’
application for approval of company redemption (repurchase) of shares
of deceased stockholders. The application was made pursuant to Proposition
K of 1978, which provides that a transfer of 10 percent or more
of corporate shares without commission approval renders the permits
“null and void.” Seven other companies made applications
which were also disapproved.
click
here to read this article
SFO
Taxi Pick-ups Pick Up
Taxi
pick-ups at San Francisco International Airport showed a modest
increase during the first nine months of 2004 compared to 2003.
But the numbers are still far below where they were five years ago.
click
here to read this article
UTW
Endorsements
As
we’ve done in the past, United Taxicab Workers has made selective
endorsements in the Nov. 2 election. We’ve focused on local
candidates and issues of importance to our membership and to cab
drivers in general.
click
here to read this article
Problems
at SFO?
Taxi
drivers who observe problems or have disputes with dispatchers inside
the garage or at the terminal stands should contact the on-duty
shift manager at (650) 821-2700 or 821-2704. Problems
or complaints can also be addressed to Landside Operations at (650)
821-6528.
