We're Only Average

If you saw a bunch of officials rushing home to check their mailboxes yesterday, it's because yesterday was the day the results of a city survey was released. And the verdict? In most cases, San Francisco is just pretty much average, averaging a C. That's not going to get us into an Ivy League school .

The survey, conducted by the City Services Auditor found that while the city's grades seem to be improving from the last survey in 2005, they still aren't that great. In fact, in the larger issue of city services, the city only gets a C+. Experts say they would have gotten a C if it weren't for the fact officials stayed late after class and helped clean the erasers.

Not surprisingly, the survey said that most people weren't very happy with Muni, getting just a plain ole C. That's down from the C+ Muni got last time. The C breaks down as a B- for conveyance of routes, C- for timeliness, C for cleanliness, C for courtesy of the drivers, C for communication, and a C for safety.

It should be noted too that the survey wasn't quite in line with the population of the city as it was older and more educated. It was also made up mainly of people who've lived here for a while and skewed towards white than the full rainbow of San Franciscans. Pollsters also noted that the web site Vote for the Worst had nothing to do with this poll.

Here's the full grades:
Safety: C+
Public transit: C
Cleanliness: C
Penmanship: B
Pavement: C-
Parks: C+
Libraries: B-