Reset San Francisco | Phil Ting for Assembly 2012

Petition for SF City Hall to Accept YouTube Testimony

YouTube Testimony at San Francisco City Hall

Petition for SF City Hall to Accept YouTube Testimony

Do you agree that more people should be heard at City Hall?

City government is only going to be as good as the information it gets. And right now, most of the information it gets comes from about the same 1,000 people who have a specific self interest to come and lobby at City Hall.

So if we want a better MUNI, better schools, common-sense economic policies, cleaner streets and a cleaner government – we need to make sure more people have the chance to be heard.

That’s why the Reset San Francisco community is proposing a simple, free and ultimately very powerful way to open up government so more of us can have a voice at City Hall. And we need your help. Read More and Sign Our Petition

The Wealth of Cities

The Wealth of Cities

In these tough times, most of us are looking to save a few dollars. And when we save money on goods that are produced far away, that means we have more money to spend right here at home promoting San Francisco’s economy. Earlier in the week, Ben Shore wrote about the tremendous economic benefits of car sharing, with thousands of dollars freed up to spend right here at home every time a family decides not to buy a car and rely instead on public transportation and car sharing.

Now here’s another Web 2.0 idea that keeps local dollars in local communities. It’s called NeighborGoods, and it's an idea to help make our communities wealthier by sharing local goods. Read More

Using Web 2.0 Tools and Social Media to Help in Times of Disaster

Alert SF - San Francisco's notification system

Using Web 2.0 Tools and Social Media to Help in Times of Disaster

As the world continues to watch and react to the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, communities far and wide are assessing their own systems of disaster alert and preparedness. While we may not be able to predict when natural disasters occur, we can and should use modern technology to improve our ability to bring help where it’s needed most.

We’ve seen how Web 2.0 tools like Facebook and Twitter can help people exchange information in times of crises – even in areas not as technologically advanced as we are here in San Francisco. We’ve seen systems like Reverse 911 protect countless lives by sending targeted phone calls informing people of impending dangers. And, we’ve seen millions of dollars in relief aide delivered in places like Haiti and Chile through online donations – or simple text messages that donates $10 instantly. Read More

Reset Views: Crowdsourcing San Francisco City Hall

Read "Crowdsourcing San Francisco City Hall: Open government may benefit quality of life" by Kate Maeder

According to a recent study by the Pew Internet Project, if government were more open and more transparent, we’d be happier and more inspired to make our city better.

There are a number of San Franciscans championing open government and the Gov 2.0 cause: GovFresh founders, Adriel Hampton and Jay Nath, Tim O'Reilly, and a number of other “Gov 2.0 Heroes” – and although there’s been progress over the last few years, City Hall can do better.

And one way to do better is to “crowdsource” our ideas and their ideas, empowering us to get involved and to get engaged. Read More

User Generated Public Safety

72hours.org - San Francisco Public Safety

User Generated Public Safety

Today our first thought should be to send our help to our Pacific Rim neighbors who are suffering from devastating earthquakes. The Red Cross has set up relief efforts for both Japan and New Zealand. You can help here.

But our second thought should be to renew our own commitment to safeguarding our families, our neighborhoods and our city when it is our turn. And the data is clear – there is a 63% likelihood of a major earthquake striking the San Francisco Bay Area in the next two decades.

There is so much more that government can do. But what can we do? This is a community dedicated to User Generated Government. That can include User Generated Public Safety. Read More

San Francisco Taxi Cabs Must Be Used More Efficiently

Read "San Francisco Taxi Cabs Must Be Used More Efficiently" by Ben Shore

It’s no secret that taxis – when we seemingly need them most – are hardest to find. The reason is simple. San Franciscans who use taxis mostly use them at the exact same time – during commute hours, Friday and Saturday evenings and on rainy days. These “peak times” certainly help to keep drivers busy but they also serve as a reminder that San Francisco’s taxi system needs to be upgraded. Read More

Reset Blog: Proposition 26 Keeps MUNI’s Hands Tied

Read "Proposition 26 keeps MUNI’s hands tied" by Phil Ting, Assessor-Recorder of San Francisco

While the November 2010 mid-term election saw many progressive victories in California – like sending Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris to Sacramento and beating back Proposition 23 – it also brought about one dangerous defeat: the passage of Proposition 26.

And it is already becoming clear that Proposition 26 has the potential to be a Proposition 13 of our era, not just starving local government of funds they need to deliver effective services but also creating an increasingly contorted and unfair taxation system. Read More

The Clipper Card Disaster

Read "The Clipper Card Disaster" by Eric Jaye

The Clipper Card sounds like a great idea – until you use it.

The goal of the Clipper Card system is to create a single pass you can use on just about any Bay Area transit system. The cards are designed so you can load with a Fast Pass, BART discount tickets, CalTrain passes or any combination of transit payments.

But like so many ideas proposed for improving transit in San Francisco, riders are now being bedeviled with the a series of snafus that are making mass transit even less reliable. Read More

Reset Views: Creating a Better Business Environment for the 21st Century

Reset San Francisco Guest Blog - Reset Views

Reset Views: Creating a Better Business Environment for the 21st Century

Reset Views is Reset San Francisco's guest blog roll giving anyone a chance to make his or her voice heard. Do you have a Reset View? Start your own blog here.

Read "Creating a Better Business Environment for the 21st Century" by Scott Hauge, President, Small Business California:

As the president of Small Business California, I believe in the free market. And I also believe that what makes the free market work is that everyone plays by the same rules.

Unfortunately, a tax loophole in our state is being exploited which hurts small businesses and creates a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. Out-of-state, online-only vendors don’t collect state sales taxes at the point of purchase like brick-and-mortar stores are required to do. This loophole has given out-of-state, online-only retailers an unfair competitive advantage over retailers in our own community. Read More

Reset SF Blog: Beyond the Band-Aid for Our State and Local Budgets

February 1, 2011
by Phl Ting

As San Francisco struggles to find common sense solutions to our ongoing budget deficits, we must start addressing the underlying problems in our finances and not just apply the type of “band-aid” fixes that only work in the short term.

A perfect example of such “band-aid” solutions is the Municipal Transportation Agency’s recent proposal to make parking control officers issue more parking tickets to close the agency’s budget gap.

Read the full blog article here.