Storiez & Schtuff; Mayor and Student Get on a Bus

By SENSE:

This is the first of a series of blog entries in which I will attempt to capture tales about people, places or events around the city. These stories will be funny, interesting, sad, compelling, inspiring or all of the above. I am, by nature, a storyteller, and so rather than simply distribute information in my blogs, I have created a forum in which to tell tales of everyday life in the city.

A friend told this first S & S tale to me yesterday, while we sat outside at Medjool having a beer and eating some grilled beef skewers with salsa verde.

A Mayor and a Law Student Get on a Bus…

… Last summer, a young man was waiting at his regular bus stop at Fillmore and California when up walked Gavin Newsom. The mayor began waiting patiently for the bus to arrive, like everyone else. The young man recognized him immediately and never one to be bashful, approached the public transit-commuting mayor. He introduced himself and shared with the mayor that he was a first year law student at Hastings. The two of them chopped it up for about 5 minutes or so, and the young man was delighted to have such an up close and personal interaction with this public official who he admired.

At that point, the bus began to approach the stop… only the bus did not actually stop. Rather, it slowed a bit, and then drove right on by those waiting, including Mayor Newsom. The young law student explained to the mayor that because they were one of the last stops on the route, that this would often occur because the bus was packed.

While they were standing there, two more buses drove by them with out stopping to pick them up. Finally, a woman who had been minding her own business to the side, marched up to Mayor Newsom and exclaimed, “This is bullshit Mr. Mayor! Can’t someone do something about this?” Mayor Newsom turned to the woman and said, “You just did.” He then got on his cell phone. Moments later a car came to pick him up and off he went.

The next day, the law student was back at the very same bus stop… only something was different. Standing in front to the bench on the edge of the sidewalk, was a MUNI worker, who upon seeing a bus approaching hailed it to stop, allowing those waiting to squeeze on the bus. The MUNI worker was out there doing this for several weeks until bus drivers started making more of an effort to fit more commuters on their buses. The young man and all the other commuters who waited at this stop would never again have to wait longer than those who got on earlier in the bus route.

My friend Casey, who was telling me the story, was the law student at the bus stop. Whatever your opinion of the San Francisco mayor… this was one time when he saw a problem, albeit a relatively small one, and 24 hours later, the problem was solved.

Have a story? Send it to me and I will make it a “Storiez and Schtuff” entry.

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