By ROY MORLIDGE
Beat Staff Writer

As we enter the final hours of 2009, it is time to look forward to a new year and from how things look to me, 2010 is promising to be a year of change.

For the state of California, the biggest change will come in the form of gubernatorial election.  With Gov. Schwarzenegger leaving office, it will once again be time for Californians to elect a new leader who can hopefully help lead the state in a promising direction. And let us not forget about all the other state, local, and national offices that will also be up for grabs.

2010 is also promising to bring with it major changes in the California Beat. Now I’ve heard about some of the plans and all I’m going to say is that they are going to be exciting, well exciting to us that is. If all goes as planned, expect to see a brand new California Beat in just a few days.

Among all the planned changes however is one that will affect me personally. After having been a member of the California Beat since day one, I have decided that it is now time for me to leave.

I’ve had some good times writing for the California Beat, from enjoying a gorgeous sunset at the top of Sweeney Ridge to a bayside bowl of clam chowder in Monterey. Likewise I’ve also had my fair share of not so good times, such as a painful tumble at the Marin Headlands or my unexpected dip into the San Francisco Bay. But in all, the experience has been a fun and rewarding one.

But my leaving the California Beat doesn’t mean that I will completely vanish from the web. I’ll be going my separate way with a new project that I expect to go online sometime in January or early February. And as for the California Beat and its staff writers, I send my best wishes for a bright future.

The last year and half has been fun and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. So with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and farewell for now.

By RACHEL SCHWARTZ
Beat Contributor

Torrential downpours were not enough to stop hundreds of Santas from descending upon San Francisco Saturday in the annual mix of debauchery and merriment known as Santarchy.

An event that began in San Francisco in 1994 as little more than a few dozen people in Santa suits out to cause a little chaos and question the traditional imagery of Christmas has grown into an international movement, with gatherings taking place as far away as Dublin and Seoul.

For many, part of the appeal of Santarchy is it gives them the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season without the emphasis on commercialism that has become so commonplace.

“The thing that got me was that I didn’t have much of a spirit for Christmas anymore, so the idea of, ‘Let’s sing and get dressed up and be merry,’ it seemed right,” four-time Santarchy participant Abby Polus said. “There aren’t many places where you see people doing non-commercial acts during the holidays.”

While some Santas identified with a specific region — Hawaiian Santa, Santa from the Playa — most were just Santa. For some that meant the traditional suit, but for others it involved striped stockings, a disco ball attached to a candy cane, or red and white chaps with nothing underneath.

“I like seeing how people get creative with such a standard outfit and then make it so unique,” a woman going by “Winky the Elf” said.

Santa’s pals were not left out of the party. Elves and reindeer took part in the wandering bar crawl/dance party, with toy soldiers supervising the activities.

Although the rain did shift some of the planned activities — participants said they spent more time inside than in years past — it did not seem to the dampen the spirit of the event. The Santas got to celebrate Christmas in the way they had hoped before getting back to the North Pole.

E-mail Rachel Schwartz at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

We’re nearing the end of the first full week of post-major service changes on over 60 MUNI lines. We want to know how the week went for you, the MUNI rider, on the revamped system.

Earlier this week, the MTA said that the changes went smoothly, with no major hiccups partly due to the mass outreach effort that was performed to notify riders before the Dec. 5 changes went into effect. Do you think that was accurate?

Leave your experiences and comments below this post. We’ll sum up everyone’s MUNI tales in a later post next week.

Some of our observations:

• On many days, we saw 40-foot buses running on the 38-Geary route which usually operates 60-foot articulated buses as standard equipment because of the heavy passenger volume. We imagine that those 40-footers were slammed during rush hours.
• We saw 30-foot buses operating on the busy 71-Haight-Noriega route. Forty-foot buses are standard equipment on this line which often carries crush loads at all times of the day. Now that the 7-Haight line was eliminated, those 30-foot buses needed to pick up the slack for the 7-Haight too. Sardines anyone?
• We noticed that the 9-San Bruno and new 9L-San Bruno Limited routes now operate with 40-foot buses. The 9-San Bruno previously used 60-foot articulated buses.
• A great deal of Potrero Hill residents are quite pleased that the 10-Townsend now gives them a direct link to Downtown and the Financial District. The one-seat ride is already proving to be very popular with riders in that neighborhood.
• And, we’re still very puzzled by MUNI’s decision to not put a 9L-San Bruno Limited bus stop at the one place along the entire route that generates the most passenger boardings: San Francisco General Hospital. Instead, the nearest bus stop is two blocks south of the hospital’s main gate at 24th Street. We’re still scratching our heads over that one.

What do you think about the service changes? Tell us below!

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

Campus Drive // Oakland

From the California Beat photography collection, Bay Area Snapshots is an occassional glimpse at daily life in the San Francisco Bay Area.

(Editor’s Note: On Dec. 5, MUNI will implement a series of service changes that will significantly reduce and cut back bus, trolley coach and streetcar service on more than half of the system’s routes. Some of those changes include entire cancellations of routes. Some of those routes have been in service for generations. This week, the California Beat offers obituaries for those doomed transit routes that will be eliminated on Dec. 5. It’s a glimpse back at the legacy that the transit line left behind, and how it helped shaped San Francisco to what it looks like today.)

89 Laguna Honda

MUNI Motor Coach Route

Start of service: June 1966
End of service: Dec. 4, 2009

Odds are, there’s a good chance that you never knew that the 89-Laguna Honda route existed.

And odds are, there’s a chance that you never knew that the 89-Laguna Honda is shortest transit route in the entire MUNI system, if not, in the entire state of California.

Since 1966, MUNI has offered a shuttle service that ran from the Forest Hill MUNI Metro Station (simply known as the Forest Hill station before modern Light Rail Vehicles operated on the K, L and M lines through the Twin Peaks tunnel) to the city-owned Laguna Honda Hospital.

The distance the bus line traveled from the front steps of the streetcar station to the hospital’s bus stop was akin to 5 city blocks at six-tenths of one mile.

Because it was such a short trip, and since few passengers ever rode it, a myriad of vehicles were used on the 89-Laguna Honda route during its nearly 40 year run.

There was a time when a Universal Studios tram-esque type vehicle was used on the route. It came complete with bunting along the roof line and horizontal seating where passengers could simply hop on and off much like a cable car. We imagine that when the elements turned cold and wet, it must have made for a chilly ride!

Then came the “Lagunaville Trolley,” a funny looking shuttle bus that looked like it came straight out of Disneyland’s Toontown shuttled passengers back and forth from the station to the hospital.

A Dodge minivan dressed in MUNI’s orange stripes later took over passenger duties, and after MUNI acquired a fleet of 30-foot Orion shuttle buses, the standard motor bus became standard equipment on the line.

When it disappears on Dec. 4, it’ll mark the end of a unique bus route that few knew about, and even fewer actually ever rode.

It survived almost four decades with the distinction of being MUNI (and possibly California’s) shortest bus route. But during those four decades, it shuttled disabled, elderly and frail passengers from the train station to the hospital doors on-time and occasionally, on the classiest of transit vehicles.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

(Editor’s Note: On Dec. 5, MUNI will implement a series of service changes that will significantly reduce and cut back bus, trolley coach and streetcar service on more than half of the system’s routes. Some of those changes include entire cancellations of routes. Some of those routes have been in service for generations. This week, the California Beat offers obituaries for those doomed transit routes that will be eliminated on Dec. 5. It’s a glimpse back at the legacy that the transit line left behind, and how it helped shaped San Francisco to what it looks like today.)

53 Southern Heights

MUNI Motor Coach route

Start of service: ???
End of service: Dec. 4, 2009

We’re not too entirely sure when the 53-Southern Heights MUNI route began service, but we do know that it started off as a Market Street Railway bus route sometime before the privately owned and operated company merged with the publicly owned Municipal Railway in 1944.

During its decades in service, it unofficially gained the nickname of being the mountain goat bus of Potrero Hill because of the constant steep grade changes that the area’s topography is known for.

It largely served as a community service connector linking the Potrero Hill projects on the southern end of the district to the 16th Street/ Mission BART station.

The route almost exclusively saw the use of smaller 30-foot buses because of the relatively small crowds that rode the coaches. But it was an important one-ride link for BART commuters looking for a quick ride back home to atop Potrero Hill during the evening rush hours.

When Dec. 5 rolls around, that one-seat ride from BART could become a triple transfer deal for riders of the soon-to-be former 53-Southern Heights route.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

Photo by SF Streetsblog

(Editor’s Note: On Dec. 5, MUNI will implement a series of service changes that will significantly reduce and cut back bus, trolley coach and streetcar service on more than half of the system’s routes. Some of those changes include entire cancellations of routes. Some of those routes have been in service for generations. This week, the California Beat offers obituaries for those doomed transit routes that will be eliminated on Dec. 5. It’s a glimpse back at the legacy that the transit line left behind, and how it helped shaped San Francisco to what it looks like today.)

26-Valencia

MUNI Motor Coach Route

Start of Service: 1892

End of Service: Dec. 4, 2009

The 26-Valencia MUNI line, much maligned for its duplicity by other busier routes (like the J-Church and the 14-Mission lines) served much of its service life as the alternative for many folks who didn’t want to bother with the crowds of the busier, more popular choices.

The 26-Valencia was once known as the 26-Guerrero, originally as a streetcar route for the now-defunct privately-owned competitor of MUNI, the Market Street Railway. It connected the city’s Downtown area with the outskirts of Daly City at Mission and Onondaga Streets when MUNI assumed operated of the route in 1944.

In the 1950s, motor coaches would begin to dominate the route as streetcars gradually replaced buses throughout the city. The 26 became a bus line that connected San Francisco State University with the Old San Francisco Mint.

It would chug along for decades and became a favorite of operators because it carried so few passengers compared to competing service just a block away on the busy Mission St. corridor.

In 2007, service on the route was cut dramatically. Its southern end was severed in half, going as far south as Balboa Park BART station. It became the target of the San Francisco Transit Effectiveness Project, which argued that the route should be eliminated because resources should be diverted towards improving capacity and the speed of service on the busy 14-Mission route just a block away.

For riders who chose to wait longer for a much less crowded and calmer alternative to the hustle and bustle of the 14/49 routes, it’ll be an option that will soon be sorely missed.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

Pescadero, California

From the California Beat photography collection, Bay Area Snapshots is an occassional glimpse at daily life in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Photo by Matt Lee

(Editor’s Note: On Dec. 5, MUNI will implement a series of service changes that will significantly reduce and cut back bus, trolley coach and streetcar service on more than half of the system’s routes. Some of those changes include entire cancellations of routes. Some of those routes have been in service for generations. This week, the California Beat offers obituaries for those doomed transit routes that will be eliminated on Dec. 5. It’s a glimpse back at the legacy that the transit line left behind, and how it helped shaped San Francisco to what it looks like today.)

20-Columbus

MUNI Trolley Bus Route

Start of Service: June 30, 2007
End of Service: Dec. 4, 2009

MUNI’s short-lived 20-Columbus trolley bus route was the agency’s unique and piece-meal solution to providing service that was eliminated along the Columbus Ave. corridor after the T-Third MUNI Metro light rail streetcar went into service.

The T-Third Metro line replaced the 15-Third bus route which, for decades, provided direct connections between North Beach and the city’s Financial District. After it was eliminated, there was an outcry from those North Beach residents about not being able to catch a one seat ride from their homes to the Downtown area.

MUNI”s answer was the 20-Columbus trolley bus route. It went into service in June 2007, and for the most part, carried very few passengers. It was one of the few MUNI routes where passengers were virtually guaranteed a seat partially because it was a short route that ran once every 20-minutes.

That’ll come to an end Dec. 4, when MUNI will cancel this bus route. The agency had always planned on running some sort of bus route up and down Columbus Avenue, utilizing the overhead trolley coach wires regularly used by the 30-Stockton and 41-Union lines.

The photo above depicts an old 1976 Flyer MUNI trolley bus that had a destination sign for the 20-Columbus — part of the agency’s original plan to implement bus service on the street well before the outcry from North Beach residents.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

(Editor’s Note: On Dec. 5, MUNI will implement a series of service changes that will significantly reduce and cut back bus, trolley coach and streetcar service on more than half of the system’s routes. Some of those changes include entire cancellations of routes. Some of those routes have been in service for generations. This week, the California Beat offers obituaries for those doomed transit routes that will be eliminated on Dec. 5. It’s a glimpse back at the legacy that the transit line left behind, and how it helped shaped San Francisco to what it looks like today.)

7-Haight

MUNI Trolley Coach Route

Start of Service: Feb. 17, 1916
End of Service: Dec. 4, 2009

The 7-Haight line existed — in various forms — as long as the San Francisco Municipal Railway has been around. It began service as a streetcar line for the competing privately-owned and operated transit company, the Market Street Railway, in 1916.

The original streetcar line was called the 17 Haight-Ocean, which brought passengers from the grand Ferry Building loop, down bustling Market Street, east on Haight Street, through Golden Gate Park and right towards Ocean Beach via a private streetcar right-of-way which criss-crossed the park.

Under MUNI’s operation in 1948, streetcar service on the route was scrapped, and the motor coaches which replaced the rail cars went only as far as Stanyan Street since they couldn’t operate through the park’s rail right-of-way.

A year later, trolley coaches were introduced on the line, which was now called the 7-Haight.

The routing would remain much the same for decades — moving hippies, hipsters and yuppies up and down Haight Street in the era of Summer Love to the time of Dot-Com booms and busts.

In the latest round of service cuts, MUNI slashed midday and weekend service on the 7-Haight, leaving it as a peak-hour only route Monday through Friday.

When the final bus pulls into the barn Friday evening, it’ll be the first time in 93 years that a transit vehicle on San Francisco’s Haight Street route hasn’t seen revenue service.

E-mail the Beat at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.