by Juliana Birnbaum Fox
A type of telephone polling called persuasion or “push” polls, whose purpose is more to plant information rather than measure public opinion, have been increasingly used to influence voters with misleading or false language.
Supervisor Daly’s bill, co-sponsored by Supervisors Ammiano and Mirkarimi, wouldrequire disclosure of these polls when conducted within 60 days of an election and related to candidates for a San Francisco elective office.
The legislation would require the persons conducting to poll to identify the call as “a paid political advertisement” and require that person authorizing the poll file with the Ethics Commission.
“I’m concerned about the corrupting influence push polling has on elections,” said Supervisor Daly. “The City has a responsibility to ensure that are elections are as fair and open as possible and that voters have the most accurate information on which to base their decisions when they vote.”
New Intercity Bus Service offers $1 fares
San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are part of a new express bus with services to L.A., San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas with fares that start at $1.
Megabus.com, a subsidiary of Coach USA, offers a limited number of $1 seats on each route so passengers are encouraged to book early via the internet. After all $1 tickets have sold, prices increase incrementally. The Web site is available in English and a Spanish version is being developed.
The megabus.com San Francisco stop is located at the bus shelter in front of the San Francisco Caltrain station on 4th Street; the San Jose stop is located on the west side of Cahill Street, just south of the entrance to the Caltrain Station; and the Oakland stop islocated behind the West Oakland BART Station.
While being cost-efficient, bus travel is environmentally friendly as well. If one megabus.com coach was filled to capacity, thereby removing 56 cars from the road, the result would be 3,850 fewer pounds of carbon emissions for every 100 miles traveled.
South Bay Union charged with violating Union laws
A case against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) alleging that the organization did not pay overtime to its workers will draw to a close this month at the California State Labor Commission.
The decision could set a precedent for other SEIU staff to pursue similar claims, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay. The workers were quick to point out the irony of the situation, as unions were responsible for the legislation that created the eight hour day and overtime protections for workers.
“I am embarrassed and hurt that an organization that is supposed to defend workers’ rights and uphold laws that protect workers is denying us the right to be paid farily for the amount of work that we have provided them,” stated Phuong Tran, a former SEIU employee.
San Francisco welcomes first California-based airline
Virgin America and the City of San Francisco celebrated the airline’s new local headquarters and operations base at SFO by lighting monuments red throughout the city this past week.
“We wanted to paint the town red to show our excitement over our hometown airline,” Newsom said during a welcome event. “…It brings thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in business revenue and millions of dollars in state and local taxes.”
Virgin America is the only airline based in California and the first to have its headquarters in Northern California. Effective today, Virgin America will start with five daily flights to Los Angeles and two daily flights to New York City. A third San Francisco-New York flight will be added on August 19 and a fourth on September 9. Within the next two months, Virgin America will add flights to Washington D.C. (Dulles) and Las Vegas.
