REPORT-SF-941XX

12/02/2004
Subj: Re: Complaint - Various Violations on Hayes Street (From Stanyan, East) and various other sites in that neighborhood
Date: 12/2/2004
From: rmskaff@comcast.net
To: Grace.Moore@sfdpw.org,Board.of.Supervisors@sfgov.org, michelle_adams@dot.ca.gov, michael.winter@fta.dot.gov

12/02/04

Mr. Kevin Jensen
ADA/Disability Access Coordinator
San Francisco Department of Public Works
30 Van Ness Avenue, 5th Floor
San Francisco, Ca. 94103

Mr. Jensen,

Once again, I am filing a public right-of-way complaint with you regarding
non-complying construction in the public right-of-way. In this case, the
violation is once again created by P.G.&E undergrounding crews. This has
been an issue with P.G.&E. for a number of years and throughout the City.

I am unwilling to continue spending my time attempting to protect my rights
and those of others in the disability community by acting as an enforcement
individual for the City because the City of San Francisco and the Department
of Public Works is unwilling or unable to enforce it's own Orders, in this
case, Order No. 167,840, titled guidelines pertaining to the placement of
barricades at construction sites. You must recognize that the City's lack
of enforcement of that Order doesn't even take into account the fact that
the City of San Francisco is not in compliance with state and federal
codes/regulations that require the City and it's department responsible for
the public sidewalks to assure that the public right-of-way is both safe and
accessible for the public to use, including those of us with disabilities.

If there isn't a dramatic and immediate change in the way the City takes
it's responsibilities with regard to the enforcement of access
codes/regulations and local City Orders to protect the rights of persons
with disabilities in the public right-of-way, I will take the only other
option apparently available to me and take legal action against the City for
it's pattern and practice of discriminating against my rights to safe and
functional access to the public sidewalks under the City's control.

Within the next thirty days, I expect a written response indicating what the
City proposes to do to assure that the kind of violations shown in the
attached photos don't continue to occur.

Thank you for your help with this matter.

Richard Skaff
Email: rmskaff@comcast.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Santos, Edelmira" Edelmira.Santos@sfdpw.org
To: "Chono, Cynthia" Cynthia.Chono@sfdpw.org, rmskaff@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004
Subject: Complaint - Various Violations @ Hayes Street (From Stanyan) -
Richard Skaff


Dear Ms. Chono/Ms. Moore:

May we refer to you the following complaint phoned in today by Mr. Richard
Skaff for consideration and response? Mr. Skaff claimed that there are PG&E
crews working on both sides along Hayes Street, from Stanyan going East. He
observed that the utility company's crews are repeatedly in violations of
the DPW (Order No. 167,840) Guidelines pertaining to the placement of
barricades at construction sites, & the federal/state codes as well. In
above-mentioned location, he noted that -

* There are vehicles parked on the sidewalk blocking pedestrian's path of
travel.
* The excavated areas are covered with plywood without cutback.
* Some sections of the sidewalk excavated areas are improperly barricaded
or no barricade at all.
* There are also open trenches.
* A safety/tripping hazard not only for persons who are blind or visually
impaired but also for other pedestrians as well.

The Disability Access Coordinator's (DAC) Office requests that -
* An inspector visits the site to investigate, assess the condition and take
appropriate action, if necessary.
* The Disability Access Coordinator be informed of any noted violations and
what measures DPW takes to address them.
* What actions the utility's forces or their contractors have taken to
correct current violations and prevent future violations.

Please respond ASAP, so we may inform the complainant of our findings and
actions taken before December 31.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Emy C. Santos
DPW Disability Access Coordinator's Office
Tel. No. (415) 558-4526
Email Address: Edelmira.Santos@sfdpw.org