Sponsored link
Tuesday, March 10, 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

Latest

Lurie had a great year—if you’re in the top 20 percent

For San Franciscans who are not rich, the city's numbers aren't looking anywhere near as good.

Can you keep up with The Living Earth Show?

With Roar Shack venue, multiple bands, new LP, and performances galore, SF contemporary music duo continues to push boundaries.

A Go-Go’s-eye view of women making killer music, from punk to pop

Drummer Gina Schock's personal archive show at Haight Street Art Center is like stepping into a lived memory of the band.

A Holocaust survivor in San Rafael finds his voice in ‘The Optimist’

Herbert Heller couldn't talk about his Auschwitz experience until his 70s; movie shows how he then inspired younger generation.

You might also likeRELATED