Taxi service lacking in The City

Mary McGuire makes some good points in her guest column regarding the Taxi Commission (“Taxi Commission deserves better,” Viewpoint, July 26). However, riders are really only concerned about two things: Can I get a cab and can I get it in a timely manner?

Unless you are in a few strategic locations, like the St. Francis Hotel or Fisherman’s Wharf, the answers most of the time are no and no. Just in the past week I tried to get a cab on Haight Street (gave up after 25 minutes), the Castro (took 20 minutes) and calling one to my home (40 minutes). So in my mind, the taxi industry is “out of control.”

By the way, I know someone who has had a medallion for more than 10 years who has never driven a cab, not even for an hour. He’s made a lot of money.

Joe Mac

The City

City’s economic problem

Proposition I, which requires economic analysis of proposed legislation, must be implemented both in spirit and in accordance with the mandate of the electorate (“Why not just live with Prop I?” Editorial, July 26). We need an economist in an Office of Economic Analysis who will use orthodox tools of economics to assure that San Francisco optimizes the allocation of very scarce resources to meet our unlimited wants.

We don’t need a lawyer or architect or CPA dressed up as an economist, but rather a real economist who has proven academics and a successful history of applied economic experience. The budget analyst and controller have not demonstrated the incisive, theoretical and meaningful quantitative analysis that one would expect from a well-qualified and experienced economist.

If one speaks with many of the city department heads, one quickly realizes that far too many of them are out of their depth in their current positions and into politics as usual. These department heads have done a disservice to the mayor and citizenry.

Richard Bodisco

The City

Business of grocery stores

Your article on grocery stores in San Francisco reflected the tension between free-market economics and The City’s anti-business attitudes (“An evolving industry is shuttering,” July 25).

Grocery store net profits are 2 percent, leaving no room for management errors. Neighborhoods need accessible local grocery stores with inventory choices. Available space is at a premium in land-poor San Francisco. Taken together, these factors mean that stores that succeed here must be major national chains with economies of scale and high stock turnover, or smaller, high-end stores with larger margins.

Acting against this are The City’s anti-business attitudes. One site owner waits on a permit to start new store construction. A temporary site was lost due to conditional use permit processes. Supervisors introduce legislation barring grocery employee layoffs and request a store to stay open or find a

replacement.

Get rid of the anti-business permit bureaucracy and legislation to see more grocery stores open, with more job opportunities.

Ron Getty

The City

Wildlife in our parks

The Natural Areas Plan presented to the Recreation and Park Commission on Wednesday is fraught with bias and inappropriate conclusions. Non-native trees that provide public benefit, public access to open space and recreation for dogs are sacrificed for the vision of a small group of extremists that want a kind of Disneyland “urban” natural area.

The report naively suggests “the only long-term solution to [the problem of feral cats] is to eliminate the release of animals into the wild.” Since when is an urban park “the wild”? Is the report suggesting we station the National Guard around our parks and shoot people caught abandoning pets?

Trap, neuter and release is the only humane method of reducing feral cats in San Francisco’s managed colonies.

The report recommends predator control in a humane manner “to the extent possible.” This means an end to our humane laws. It’s the “natural areas” in urban environments that should be protected “to the extent possible” — without killing or substantially limiting opportunities for recreation.

Dana Smith

Daly City

Train to Disneyland?

I want to commend the Examiner’s July 11 editorial for endorsing the high-speed rail project for San Francisco.

In order for it to be a success, the stations selected need to be near major tourist attractions. Hopefully, one of the Los Angeles stops will be very close to Disneyland, so tourists can ride the high-speed rail for vacation instead of driving or taking an airplane.

Jennifer Tse

The City

Healing music

I wish to commend and thank the Stern Grove Festival for inviting Mavis Staples to perform at the Stern Grove concert last Sunday.

Staples’ beautiful and soulful singing and her message of love and hope inspire us, especially as we grapple with the tragedies in Iraq, the escalating war in Lebanon and the unaddressed social ills and human conditions — including global warming, poverty, homelessness and disease — confronting us.

Anh Le

The City