How Your Tax Dollars Get Wasted By the San Francisco City Government

So, recently I had my car towed, twice actually, but who is counting? There’s nothing news worthy in that, other than the fact I was actually present in the vehicle both times. This has of course prompted a lawsuit on my part, which of course to be expected considering that not only myself but my girlfriend were both legally kidnapped and falsely imprisoned by a government agency and it’s contractor. While that lawsuit may be of minor interest to some, in of itself most likely not something anything the public would have great interest in. However, what is most certainly going to be of interest to the reading public, is the information I uncovered while thoroughly investigating the inner workings of the SFMTA and it’s contractor Auto Return in preparation for my upcoming litigation against both agencies.

So, where to begin? It can be quite the chore dissecting for all the inner workings of the most inefficient and bloated of all local government agency and it’s civilian contractors. So, let’s start where every one is always interested… Money. So what about money exactly? How about it’s waste by the city government? So, for starters, what may come as a surprise to some, is the fact that Auto Return is the only contractor working for the City in this capacity, and has been granted a five year monopoly to be the company that tows all cars in the City of San Francisco. Meaning that no matter what it says on the side of the tow truck that takes your car away, your car will always end up in the Auto Return tow yard. While this unAmerican practice can be said to be justified through the Cities use of competitive bidding.T his process in of itself leaves much to be desired, as while they claim a rating or point system, just how that system works is never fully disclosed. However, the use of this “competitive bidding,” isn’t nearly as offensive as is the fact that the reward for winning that contract is no less than $65,000,000 for five years. Moreover, that’s merely the base award.

Aside from the $13,000,000 a year contract paid directly from the Cities General Fund, Auto Return also gets given the license to use the multimillion dollar storage and auction property located on Bay Shore, completely free of charge. Therefore, besides $65,000,000 for five years, the SFMTA does give it’s contractor free from rent, a large facility in which it may house itself for those five years. What’s infuriating about that is the fact that the City does not own the property itself, and therefore pays a multinational industrial land leasing company an undisclosed amount of money in rent annually so it’s contractor has a happy home from which to operate free of charge, on top of the 65,000,000 for five years the we already pay out, in order that our cars may be unwantedly towed away from us.

However, good old San Francisco couldn’t stop there, as free rent and 65,000,000 wasn’t considered to be a large enough waste of your tax dollars. Therefore, the City also allows Auto Return to keep the tow charges, and even add an additional $200.00 administration fee to every tow. What's so infuriating about these "administrative fees" is they are a complete violation of the mere $65.00 they are contractually obligated to charge people if they get towed. That's right, and in fact actually totally true. Per Auto Returns contract with the City, which they won in large part based on their promise to keep tow fees down and reasonable, Auto Return is only allowed to charge $65.00 per a tow. So being the slimy scumbags they are they introduced added $200.00 administrative fees, which are completely separate from the required tow fee maximum they are allowed to and do charge the victims they tow.

Now, technically they say they are not in violation of their contract with the City in charging this additional administrative fee, which their contract fails to mention or speak about anywhere therein. Therefore, they get away with this, which is totally an additional $200.00 tow fee, just called something else. Why? Because the City of San Francisco doesn't care to hold Auto Return to the terms of their contract, and consequentially the vehicle owners of San Francisco suffer due to this lack of accountability. However, it's just another way in which the City of San Francisco has given and continues to give Auto Return just the most insane sweetheart deals and contracts, and all to the detriment and cost of the tax paying and car owning citizens of San Francisco. So, if your backside is feeling a little soar, like you've been properly bent over and screwed, at this point in our truthful tale it would be of little surprise.

However, remember this is San Francisco, and there’s nothing like throwing more money, after bad money to ensure the tax paying and car owning citizens of San Francisco are totally hosed. In honor of that great San Francisco tradition, I'm glad to inform you that the only expense Auto Return is obligated to cover is the 90,000 a month in rent that Auto Return pays to Caltrans for the use of its main front office and tow yard under the freeway. That's right, Auto Return pays the monthly equivalent of an decent annual salary of $90,000, on a monthly basis to Caltrans for that dark, damp, dirty, noisy, and otherwise completely useless real-estate located on 7th Street, under the freeway, and next to 850 Bryant. Real-estate that due to location and composition would be beyond dirt cheap, if not forgotten free land, and Auto Return pays to Caltrans 90,000 a month. This makes that otherwise useless land, some of the most expensive real-estate in San Francisco per a square footage. It must be nice.

When put together, the fact that Auto Return presupposes a right to so aggressively tow, charge, and operate on our tax dollars a very infuriating prospect. If you’re a tax paying San Francisco resident then you are completely getting hosed, and if you own a vehicle like I do it did in the City then you are just outright screwed. The fact of the matter is the City of San Francisco owns plenty of real-estate that it need not pay rent on, which it could make available for Auto Return's use. In the alternative, the City could actually charge it’s contractor rent, novel as this idea may seem to the brass of the SFMTA. There is a reason why monopolies are unlawful in this country, and a quick study into the workings of Auto Return and it’s contract with the SFMTA is a harsh reminder of why.