Getting around in San Francisco might become more expensive very soon. The SFMTA faced with a looming budget deficit is considering several ways to increase revenue, from raising the cost of Muni fares to extending parking meter rates, to help close its two-year projected budget deficit of $79.7 million. 

Many of the proposed ideas have been mentioned before — Reset reported on SFMTA’s idea to increase parking meter fine tickets in September. Read More

By: Angelie Agarwal and Julie Hayes

We were thrilled when the good folks at Reset San Francisco called in reinforcements to weigh in on transit etiquette as a follow-up to their recent post about Muni Manners! As loyal riders of San Francisco public transit, we Muni Ladies have seen our commutes change with the rise of iPods and the fall of public decorum. And, when fuel prices and mass transit ridership approached an all-time high, we really felt the squeeze on BART and Muni. In an effort to improve our commutes and bring some civility back to public transportation, we pulled together An Etiquette Guide for the Mass Transit Savvy that shares simple rules of the road with a modern twist. Read More

If you were able to have a direct impact on how your city or county allotted its budget, would you be more likely to show up for municipal elections?

If you could take a geotagged photo of that pothole on your way to work and send it to the appropriate city department, would you be more confident that it would actually be fixed?

If you have more faith in city or county government, would you be more likely to support new programs tackling problems like traffic congestion, job creation and access to quality education? Read More

At Reset we know the value of better living through better information. That’s why when the U.S. Census Bureau released better, more comprehensive data about poverty in the United States, we knew that we had to spread the word.

This week the U.S. Census Bureau released a new Supplemental Poverty Measure that provides a fuller picture of who qualifies as being in economic need. The current poverty model does not factor in expenses such as out-of-pocket medical care, childcare or commuting, and it does not consider non-cash government aid when calculating income, such as food stamps or tax credits. The supplemental poverty measure includes things the government does to try to alleviate poverty such as the earned income tax credit, food stamps or housing vouchers. Read More