Posted on 06/27/2007 7:49:22 AM PDT by SmithL
As if San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew didn't have enough headaches, now comes word that the city's Taxi Commission is reviewing whether his family should be allowed to keep a long-held taxi medallion that allows them to rent out a cab for thousands of dollars a year without ever driving it.
The Jew family isn't being targeted in particular -- the commission is looking into all 100 "corporate medallions" that the city issued before 1978. That's when rules were changed to require that future medallions be given only to working cabbies who drive at least 800 hours a year.
Now the Taxi Commission wants to make sure none of those old corporate medallions -- which can rent out for anywhere from $1,800 to $3,000 a month -- has illegally changed hands. Rules don't allow more than a 10 percent change in ownership, and figuring out the legalities of passing medallions from one family member to another gets complicated.
"We've sent our staff up to Sacramento to do research on all the corporate filings, and we are still waiting for those documents to get back to us,'' commission executive Heidi Machen said.
Jew's father, Howard, founded a cab company years ago -- just one of many businesses the family runs, including real estate rentals and the Canton Flower Shop in Chinatown. Ed Jew says in city filings that he has less than a 10 percent ownership in the cab business, but that's been enough to disqualify him from voting on taxi-related issues at the Board of Supervisors.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
This sounds like discrimination against the Jews.
Oh, no, of course not. That's why they suddenly just happened to "investigate" a practice that has been customary for 29 years.
It's not easy being conservative in San Francisco.
I have never understood such “medallion” systems for regulation. Seems it is just a case of government having a heavy hand.
It seem that it would make a lot more sense to just license taxi companies just like any other business, requiring safety inspections of the vehicles used, and properly licensed drivers.
But then again, it wouldn’t allow for the bribes and other under-the-table profit making for politicians.
I had the same thought but slightly courser language.
Perhaps the government wants the Jews to wear a star instead of a medallion......
It's designed to be anti-competititve. If you had a free market, then competition would increase, fares would decrease, and cab drivers would have trouble making a living.
And the appropriate corresponding tattoo?
Tattoo? No, today they’d use a chip in your tookus........
Below is an excerpt from an article posted on FR last week:
Townspeople have their say
So much outrageous behavior this year seems to get mixed reactions on street
Heather Knight, Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, June 22, 2007
In May, the FBI raided the office and other properties of Supervisor Ed Jew over allegations he accepted $40,000 in cash from owners of a tapioca drink shop chain in exchange for helping them resolve permit problems. He was charged last week with nine felonies related to allegations he lied about living in the Sunset District to run for supervisor and that he really lived in Burlingame. Meanwhile, he continues to come to meetings and cast votes.
Is that your opinion, or the city's justification for such socialist, government strong hand tactics?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.