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Two BART safety monitors sit side by side, one holding a book, in a passenger’s photo that resulted in suspensions.
Photo: m&r, Courtesy Evan Bates

How many workers does it take to change a lightbulb — or, in this case, upgrade a fire alarm at BART’s Embarcadero Station?

At least four — including two $45-an-hour safety monitors who were suspended for 30 days for sitting down on the job after we showed a revealing photo snapped by rider Evan Bates to BART officials.

“What got me is that one guy had the book in his hand, and most people generally don’t get to read while they get paid,” said Bates, who investigates money laundering for a bank.

Under BART operating rules, any maintenance done on station platforms requires at least two safety monitors — one to warn of arriving trains, and the other to keep passengers from straying too close to the job.

So what were safety monitors in the photo’s foreground doing seated side by side in the same direction — and one holding a book?

“They are are not supposed to sit down for long periods of time,” said BART spokeswoman Alici a Trost, “and they are not supposed to be reading, either.”

Trost said monitors aren’t actually BART employees. They work for a temp agency that has a four-year, $17.5 million contract to provide BART with safety monitors for the system’s various work projects.

BART insiders tell us that most of the 85 safety monitors being used are retired BART workers making extra money.

Academic achievement: The University of California recently released its top salary survey for 2014 — and once again sports is king.

Leading the list: UCLA head football coach Jim Mora, whose combined $300,000-a-year state paycheck — along with $3.1 million in outside funds — earned the Bruins coach a total of $3.4 million. Head Coach Sonny Dykes at Cal Football practice at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday, August 7th, 2015.

Mora’s counterpart at UC Berkeley, Daniel “Sonny” Dykes, received a total of $1.8 million in state and other money.

Former Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who was fired in 2012 and is now with the Canadian Football League, was still being paid off on his contract to the tune of $1.8 million as well.

The system’s second-biggest earner was UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford, whose combined state and outside pay was $2.7 million last year.

After sports comes medicine, with UCLA obstetrics wiz Khalil Tabsh coming in at $2.3 million, and UCLA Department of Surgery Chairman Ronald Busuttil at $2.2 million.

Closer to home, Gordon Cohen, chief of pediatric surgery at UCSF Medical Center, received $1.75 million in state and outside pay. He was followed by UCSF Dermatology and Oral Pathology Service co-director Timothy McCalmont at $1.7 million and UCSF med center CEO Mark Laret at $1.6 million.

By comparison, UC President Janet Napolitano earns $570,000 a year in base salary, plus an annual car allowance of $8,916 and a free apartment that she also uses for UC functions.

Napolitano’s predecessor, Mark Yudof, was paid $546,000 in 2014 for teaching law part time before retiring in June.

“As is customary at UC and other universities, once a president or chancellor leaves that office to pursue teaching at the same institution, he or she is given a year’s (paid) sabbatical in between,” said UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein.

Garbage detail: About 1,500 low-income, elderly seniors in Oakland will be getting their garbage discount back this month. But the fate of restaurants, whose garbage bills skyrocketed under the new City Council-approved contract, is still up in the air. Low-income, elderly seniors will get their garbage discount back this month, but the fate of restaurants is still up in the air.
Photo: Michael Short / Michael Short / Special To The Chronicle

Under the new contract with Waste Management, seniors living in single-family homes lost their 12 percent discount — but thanks to a $100,000 community block grant, the discount will be reinstated for a year.

Commercial compost pickup rates for restaurants may be coming down as well, though other businesses may have to make up for the difference.

Oakland city staffers, who had been asked by the City Council to reassess the new garbage contract, have presented a proposal to reduce commercial compost rates by 22 percent. To make up for the lost revenue, however, regular commercial trash rates probably would have to be increased by 4 percent.

Many cities subsidize the more environmentally friendly composting operation by building the price into the overall commercial billings. Oakland doesn’t, but that may change thanks to the political pressure being brought to bear on the City Council.

Quote of the week: From San Diego businessman Floyd Kephart, a daily fixture at the Del Mar racetrack, on why anyone should believe his prediction that his much-maligned Coliseum City financing plan for a mega sports complex that would keep the Raiders in Oakland has up to 50-50 odds of getting off the ground: “I make lines for a living. Racing lines every morning.” “I make lines for a living. Racing lines every morning.”


