Sponsored link
Saturday, June 20, 2026

Sponsored link

City Beat: $1 billion fine for Google?

 

I’ve always thought San Francisco could use a Displacement and Neighborhood Impact Agency. I’ve argued that every major development, tax break, etc. should require not just an Environmental Impact Report but a Displacement Impact Report: How many San Franciscans will lose their homes, and how many nonprofits and small businesses will be forced out by the project? That way we could look at the tradeoffs: Is the Twitter tax break worth a few hundred evictions and commercial displacements?

So now, at least on the web, we have one. And the folks who have created it estimate that the fines Google and the other companies with private buses don’t pay for stopping in Muni bus stops (at $271 a pop for ordinary folks) are equal to $1 billon: There are more than 200 Muni stops that get used a total of 7,100 times a day. Add that up over two years (2011-2013) and you get a lot of cash. (more after the jump)

Marke B.
Marke B.
Marke Bieschke is the publisher and arts and culture editor of 48 Hills. He co-owns the Stud bar in SoMa. Reach him at marke (at) 48hills.org, follow @supermarke on Twitter.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Sponsored link

Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Latest

Under the Stars: A house music master takes us back to Zanzibar

... and a techno originator flies us to Tokyo. Plus: New foamboy, Omar remixed, Broken Social Scene's tender missives, more

Good Taste: New frozen treat shops are ready for SF summer

Spoons up for old-fashioned scoops, Japanese soft serve, and Chinese froyo.

‘Girls Like Girls’ like Hayley Kiyoko

From a music video to a YA book to now a movie, the first-time director has blown up her story of young queer love and discovery.

Planning Commission sides with mayor on cutting fees for affordable housing

The vote, of course, was 4-2. But Lurie has backed down on charging more for arguments in the ballot handbook.

You might also likeRELATED