"Akit is the man. He knows Clipper." (spenta)
"It’s a fantastic blog for any San Franciscan."
(Kevin)
"Your blog is always on point, and well researched!" (Nina Decker)
"Everyone's favorite volunteer public policy consultant..." (Eve Batey, SF Appeal)
"You are doing a great job keeping on top of Translink stuff. Keep up the good work!"
(Greg Dewar, N Judah Chronicles)
"...I don't even bother subscribing anywhere else for my local public transportation info. You have it all..."
(Empowered Follower)
"If anyone at City Hall wants to make public transit better for all San Franciscans, it would be wise to follow Akit religiously...
or, better yet, give him a job."
(Brock Keeling, SFist)

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Happy 400th Blog Post!


It's a happy moment for Akit's Complaint Department as this is my 400th blog entry.

A big thank you to all you loyal readers and the occasional visitors who have supported me with this blog as you have also contributed to efforts to change public policy.

I write a lot about San Francisco and make people aware of the news that no major news agency would cover. I highly support the efforts of citizen journalists and photographers, including those with no formal training (including me) to provide the news that people should read about.

A lot of my work focuses on policy changes and accountability. SF Appeal's Eve Batey stated that I am "everyone's favorite volunteer public policy consultant" and I believe that's the best way to describe me. I like expressing my opinions and provide ideas so that we can all live in a happier city and society. I enjoy making our government officials accountable for their work and doing the dirty work to find if there are some who are trying to pass things under the radar of the general public. One great example is when I found out the TransLink to Clipper conversion will cost $1.4 million, and it received major public exposure through KTVU (with no credit to my hard work) and SF Appeal (with credit).

There's a lot of times where my blog entries make policy changes, but I don't get any credit for the work; it's frustrating, yet I can still smile at the fact that I contributed in some form. I do appreciate those who have referenced my work and/or have gone more in-depth with their press credentials to ask the tough questions and get the answers.

Always remember, the citizens of San Francisco are the true owners of the city (thanks Greg Dewar). We may elect people to make changes to policies, but the all the people of the city pay their taxes, and through our right to vote, we can kick out politicians and make policy changes.


If you are ever interested in making policy changes, here's a chance to do it: VOTE.

If you haven't registered to vote, go do so. If it sounds too inconvenient to vote on election day in June, why not vote by mail? I'm a permanent absentee voter and simply dropping off my completed ballot on the way to work is much easier than waiting in lines or trying to find the nearest polling place.

1 comment:

Eve said...

Congrats, Akit! Here's to the next 400!