Muni puts brakes on Culture Bus, MJ’s mother gets custody of the kids, airlines are tweeting sweet deals, and salame plant goes extra mile for its laid-off workers.
Expensive experiment
1. Muni discontinues Culture Bus
The details: The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced that it will discontinue its 74X CultureBus on Aug. 15. The bus ran from downtown to Golden Gate Park, making stops at city cultural institutions, including the California Academy of Sciences. Muni — which is trying to close a $129 million deficit — said it didn’t have “the ridership we had hoped for.” During its first four months on the road, it had a net operating loss of $547,445.
Taking a stand
2. Sudan woman fighting country’s law against slacks
The details: A Sudanese woman in her 30s is fighting a law in her country against women wearing trousers in public. Lubna Hussein, who was working as a journalist for the United Nations, faces 40 lashes for violating Sudan’s dress code for women, a strict interpretation of Islamic law adopted by the country’s Islamic regime. She was arrested along with 12 other women at a raid on a popular cafe; 10 of the women have already conceded to a punishment of 10 lashes. Hussein chose to take her case to trial and has said she wishes to waive the diplomatic immunity she receives through her job with the U.N. so she could challenge the dress code law.
Stealth bonuses
3. Bank of America fined $33 million for misleading investors
The details: The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued Bank of America for allegedly hiding from investors its plan to pay as much as $5.8 billion in bonuses to Merrill Lynch executives as part of the bank’s government-brokered $50 billion acquisition. Bank of America quickly settled the charges by paying a fine of $33 million. The bank had promised voting shareholders it would withhold bonuses, but it already authorized the Merrill executive bonuses in writing.
Cool on custody
4. Court OKs custody of Michael Jackson’s kids to his mother
The details: Michael Jackson’s mother was awarded custody of the singer’s three children on Monday, and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe was given visitation rights, formalizing an arrangement announced last week. Katherine Jackson, 79, also asked for more say in guiding the matters of Michael’s estate, which has been valued at more than $500 million and is expected to grow because of the huge demand for his music since his death.
Moving forward
5. Developer takes Ground Zero impasse to arbitrators
The details: After a months-long lease dispute that has delayed rebuilding at the World Trade Center, developer Larry Silverstein has announced he will go into arbitration with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Silverstein alleges the Authority, the property’s owner, isn’t rebuilding parts of the site on time, while the agency says it is meeting its obligations.
Noise pollution
6. Volume of Caltrain horns to be reduced
The details: After complaints from Peninsula residents, Caltrain has announced it will reduce the volume of its train horns to 98 decibels, a level that is at the low end of the safety range set by federal law. The horns had become louder after Caltrain moved them to the top of the trains in response to federal regulations, but they will now have special regulator valves installed to dampen the sound.
In Mervyn’s wake
7. Kohl’s to hire 1,000 in Bay Area
The details: Kohl’s is taking over the Bay Area. The department store is taking advantage of the exodus of Mervyn’s and setting up shop in the abandoned stores, as well as hiring 1,000 workers throughout the Bay Area. Kohl’s took over many of the leases when Mervyn’s went bankrupt last year. The company plans to open stores in Hayward, Millbrae, Mountain View, Napa, Redwood City and San Rafael.
Tweet for a deal
8. Fly on the cheap with Twitter
The details: Travelers looking for the best airline-ticket deal can now use Twitter to find cheap last-minute flights. JetBlue and United Airlines are posting exclusive deals via the San Francisco-based online social-networking service. JetBlue offered $9 flights from Long Beach to San Francisco for 50 available seats on a Saturday flight one week later. United only offers its deals one or two days a week for one or two hours at a time, and its Twitter feed has more than 23,000 followers.
Exec pay cuts
9. Mayor, supes and others will take a mandated pay cut
The details: San Francisco’s top 18 elected officers — including Mayor Gavin Newsom and the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors — will take a 2.45 percent pay cut for the first time. Workers gave up nearly $61.2 million in compensation for the current fiscal year to help close a $438 million deficit. The City Charter mandates that when such concessions are made, the Civil Service Commission can “review and amend” elected officials’ salaries for comparable cost savings.
Digital books
10. Sony releases less expensive e-reader to compete with Amazon’s Kindle
The details: Sony’s new e-reader is simpler than Amazon’s, and the smaller version will sell for only $199, bringing some new competition into the fledgling market . Books for Sony’s reader will also sell for $9.99, the same price as Amazon’s. The e-books, however, will be in a format that isn’t compatible with the Kindle, so buyers who already own a rival device would have to repurchase their libraries in order to read them on the Sony.
Bright light of the week: Columbus Salame
What: Company takes out full-page ads helping its displaced workers find jobs
Why: The Columbus Salame slicing and packaging facility in South San Francisco was demolished in a July 23 fire that is still under investigation. Of the 95 employees who worked there, Columbus was only able to continue employing 44 at its other sites. However, the company has begun taking out full-page newspaper ads pleading with employers to hire its high-quality laid-off workers. Columbus said it has been getting responses to the campaign.
