A former dishwasher at the French Laundry in Yountville has filed a lawsuit on behalf of 50 other employees alleging that the restaurant routinely violates state law around mandatory break times and resting facilities, and that it also failed to pay the minimum wage or overtime.

The lawsuit was filed last week, on March 19, by the Glendale-based Koul Law Firm, as the Press Democrat was first to report. The named plaintiff is Elena Flores Beteta, who the suit says worked as a dishwasher at the French Laundry from 2022 to 2025. The suit names the French Laundry Restaurant Corporation and Thomas Keller Restaurant Group as defendants, but Keller himself is not personally named.

Beteta alleges that that the restaurant failed to pay overtime wages that were owed to her, and she was "required to work off the clock, [and] work through meal and rest periods" without compensation. The suit also contends that the restaurant does not provide breakroom facilities as required by law, and that bathroom facilities for employees are a 10-minute walk away in a storage facility that was consistently filthy.

The Chronicle also reports on the details of the suit, which include claims that employees were required to perform tasks, such as mopping floors, after they had clocked out for the night. And it suggests that meal times were consistently abbreviated by required tasks like taking out trash, or standing in line at the time clock.

The French Laundry issued a statement saying, "We value our employees and maintain a respectful, professional, and inclusive workplace. We are committed to complying with all applicable employment laws and regulations, and we maintain policies and practices designed to promote fairness and compliance across our organization."

This is not the first time that Keller's restaurant group has been sued over alleged labor violations. In 2016, they were sued for pregnancy discrimination when an employee at Keller's New York restaurant Per Se — which serves nearly the same menu as the French Laundry — claimed she was denied a transfer to the Napa restaurant after it had initially been offered to her, after managers discovered she was pregnant. While the restaurant was cleared of wrongdoing in court, the suit was later settled in 2019, per the Chronicle.

Keller's Las Vegas restaurant Bouchon Las Vegas was also hit with a sexual harassment claim three years ago, involving managers there.

A spokesperson for his restaurant group responded to his suit with a statement:

French Laundry is fully compliant with all California employment laws and this is the first person in 48 years to pursue legal action against The French Laundry about time and attendance or meal breaks. This frivolous, attention seeking filing is based on inaccurate, baseless information, including falsely claiming to represent other staff in a desperate effort to feed this false narrative. We are confident that we will prevail on the merits.

This latest class-action suit is reminiscent of two lawsuits in recent years involving alleged labor violations at San Francisco's House of Prime Rib. Those suits contended, among other things, that employees there were denied breaks of any kind, forced to perform tasks while off the clock, and forced to sign waivers forgoing meal breaks.

Over a decade ago, SF dim sum destination Yank Sing agreed to pay $4 million in back wages to employees over similar violations. In 2020, current and former employees of Burma Superstar won a $1.3 million class-action settlement, also over similar labor violations.

In recent weeks, Keller has been in local headlines over a planned affordable housing development in Yountville — with the tone of the headlines suggesting that he is among those fighting against affordable housing in the town, full stop. But Keller and others are arguing that the developer failed to do enough community outreach on the unit mix for the project, which is primarily studios and one-bedrooms — and he says his employees primarily want family housing with more bedrooms.

As of last week, per SFGate, the town of Yountville has put a pause on the development, after receiving enough signatures to put a referendum on an upcoming ballot that will put the zoning issue to voters.

This post has been updated with a statement from the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.

San Francisco Unified School District officials announced Sunday evening that teachers will go on strike Monday after their demands weren't met and city leaders unsuccessfully pleaded for a 72-hour pause, with negotiations starting back up at noon on Monday.

As the Chronicle reports, no agreement was made between the United Educators of San Francisco and the San Francisco Unified School District over the weekend, aside from a tentative concession protecting undocumented students. As Mission Local reports, the agreement wasn’t enough to call off the strike for Monday, as the union’s demands for pay increases, full health care, and improved special education services still weren't met.

“We have made it very clear that our demands are for fully-funded family healthcare, for educators improvements to special education, and salary increases that do not come at the cost of concessions or takeaways,” said Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, per Mission Local.

As 48 Hills reports, the union’s demands amount to a budget of around $35 million — about half of what the city budgeted for the San Francisco Police Department this year, in spite of the city’s plummeting crime rate. Additionally, teachers earn an average starting salary of $79,000 per year, compared to $119,000 a year for a beginning SFPD officer. Police officers also get full health-care coverage while teachers pay about five percent of their income for health insurance.

Per Mission Local, negotiations between the two parties went on for nearly 12 hours Saturday, with the union making an offer at 2 pm, then receiving a counter-offer around 8 pm. Per Mission Local, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement at 1 pm Sunday requesting that the teachers' union postpone the strike during negotiations so school could remain in session. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi reinforced Lurie’s statement.

As Mission Local reported Friday, the principals' and administrators' unions, as well as custodians and other school employees, will also be taking part in the strike Monday, keeping schools entirely closed.

“A single administrator alone in a school building does not constitute a functioning or safe school environment. Under these conditions, keeping schools open puts students at risk,” wrote United Administrators of San Francisco president Anna Klafter.

Per Mission Local, teachers and principals received a confusing email from the district over the weekend, assigning staff to various district sites Monday, which many viewed as an attempt to undermine the strike.

“Staff were given work assignments to ensure that anyone who reports to work during a strike has a designated location and can support with district operations,” the message said. Per Mission Local, workers can’t be mandated to report to work, but the school district must provide work to any employees who decline to strike.

Per Mission Local, none of the staff had plans to cross the picket line, and they considered the move an insult. “It is absolutely embarrassing,” said one school principal, per Mission Local. “I am embarrassed on their behalf.”

SFGate has a comprehensive list of resources for families during the strike. The school district will be offering free breakfast and lunch for students, childcare for younger children, and independent study packets. The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families will also be providing meals to students during the strike, and local churches are working with Superintendent Maria Su to provide academic and recreational support, per SFGate.

Image: United Educators of San Francisco/Facebook

Previously: SF Teachers Union Announces Strike for Monday, But 11th-Hour Bargaining Continues

The darling of the organic-vegetarian frozen food aisle took a hit with some workplace safety allegations at their Santa Rosa plant, creating some grocer boycotts and talk of workers unionizing.  

I was surprised to learn that popular organic frozen food manufacturer Amy’s Kitchen does not have an “Amy” in charge. The Santa Rosa-based maker of vegetarian pot pies, pizzas, and such was founded in 1987 by Rachel and Andy Berliner, and according to CNN, the company is named after their daughter “born the same year as the company that bears her name.”

But even more people were surprised when a January NBC News exposé on the Santa Rosa plant alleged that Amy’s Kitchen facility was an injury-riddled workplace, with employees saying, “We don’t want to be treated like donkeys anymore.”

That report was quickly followed by an OSHA compliant from Amy’s Kitchen employees, which according to SFGate, alleged that “workers on the production line are expected to produce more than 25,000 plates of food in a single 8-hour shift,” and that these workers “were not given time for water or bathroom breaks because of the expectation to meet these demands.”

NBC News added at the time that “The complaint also described locked fire exits,” though the company’s ‘Chief People Officer’ told NBC News that “They’re not locked, period, full stop,” and “If ever a fire exit is blocked, that is remedied immediately.”

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Either way, the grocery manufacturer was quickly losing its reputable image. Eater SF reports that Oakland’s Mandela Grocery Cooperative pulled Amy’s products off the shelves, and that multiple “vegan food justice” organizations have called for a boycott. Thrillist reports that  Teamsters Local 665 is now trying to unionize the place.

Here in SF, the Chronicle reports that Rainbow Grocery is still selling Amy’s products, but that the grocer's worker-owner employees “requested a cooperative-wide meeting for Wednesday to discuss the controversy and potential next steps.”

That same Chronicle report also obtained an internal audit (“conducted at the request of a large Amy’s customer”) wherein a surprise inspector visit seems to have found the safety issues seemingly resolved. That audit did flag a “a ‘lack of communication’ with employees about how to anonymously file grievances” because materials were mostly just in English, and “a fire extinguisher that was obstructed but cleared while the auditor was at the plant.”

Amy’s says they have since posted the grievance materials in Spanish, as the majority of workers at the plant speak Spanish as their primary language.

Otherwise, it sounds like the Amy’s Kitchen plant did clean up its act (or maybe never had major problems?) once complaints about repetitive stress injuries and lack of employee breaks hit the national news. But perception problems are harder to clean up, and Amy’s Kitchen now has a perception problem among its left-leaning customer base.

The Chron spoke to some employees at the plant who had no interest in unionizing, and one said the Berliners treat employees “like family.” Amy’s Kitchen will probably have to make more of their employees agree with that statement if they’re going to keep selling all those burritos, frozen pizzas, and ravioli bowls to a target demographic that generally supports labor in workplace disputes.  

Related: Dandelion Chocolate Union Vote Wins By One Vote, But Many Union Voters Since Laid Off [SFist]

Image: Amy’s Kitchen

What's set to be the largest housing bond in San Francisco history could be tanked on the November ballot by vocal opposition from local labor leaders who are concerned about a union-related provision relating to such housing bonds.

On Friday, Mayor London Breed announced that a proposed $500 million affordable housing bond headed for the ballot would grow to $600 million thanks to some updated numbers from the City Controller’s Office. As the Chronicle reports, the Controller updated the amount of debt the city could support without having to raise property taxes — and this is the second time the bond has ballooned, after an updated projection of property tax revenues grew it from $300 million to $500 million in April.

The bond will need a 67% majority to pass, and while affordable housing is a popular cause among San Francisco voters, this may not be a shoe-in due to one highly influential voting block: labor.

As Mission Local explains, labor leaders are inclined to oppose the bond after discovering that a recently passed law does not include such housing bonds among projects that the city is required to enter into project labor agreements for. Now, while the vast majority (upwards of 99%) of labor used for public construction projects in San Francisco is union labor regardless, the project labor agreement law forces a particular collective bargaining process and bureaucracy for all projects undertaken in the name of "Public Work or Improvement." Bond-funded housing that will be operated by non-profits won't be covered, and therefore even though local unions stand to benefit enormously from $600 million flowing to "shovel-ready" housing projects, they look likely to mount an opposition to the bond in a show of power and solidarity.

Per Mission Local, a project labor agreement provides greater protection for union workers over the course of a project — forcing non-union tradespeople to be paid union wages, for instance — so this isn't completely counterintuitive.

But it is certainly a frustrating squabble to look at from the outside, with one labor leader suggesting the bond can easily be tanked at the ballot box with a bit of union opposition. "If you think they can pass this measure with 67 percent and not run a perfect campaign, I think you’ve got another thing coming," says the "veteran labor leader" to Mission Local.

So, if a labor-funded opposition campaign does kill this huge housing bond, we can chalk labor up among the forces working against affordable housing construction in San Francisco, even if their intentions may be noble.

It's not enough that NIMBYism still runs rampant and creates extraordinary delays for any housing project in SF. As this recent opinion piece in the New York Times puts it, following the recent delay tactic in passing SB 50, "Creating dense, economically and socially diverse urban environments ought to be a paramount goal of progressivism... Yet where progressives argue for openness and inclusion as a cudgel against President Trump, they abandon it on Nob Hill and in Beverly Hills."

A decision by about 500 cafeteria workers at Facebook's Menlo Park campus to unionize led the Guardian to do this piece profiling a husband and wife who work in the cafeteria and are currently living in a garage with no running water with their three children. Nicole and Victor, who do not give their last names, live in a two-car garage that belongs to Victor's parents, and they've lived their with their kids for the past three years.

They are technically employees of Facebook's food service contractor, Flagship Facility Services, and they say they make decent hourly wages — Nicole makes $19.85 per hour as a shift lead, and Victor makes $17.85 per hour.

Says Victor to the Guardian, "Back in the day, [that hourly wage] would have been a great number. But because of Facebook moving in [to Menlo Park], everything is so expensive. I have to get payday loans sometimes. We barely make it."

Nicole says she feels uncomfortable at Facebook and like she's looked down upon. "They look at us like we’re lower, like we don’t matter," she tells the Guardian. "We don’t live the dream. The techies are living the dream. It's for them."

Nicole also notes that the company recently held a bring-your-kids-to-work day, but cafeteria workers' children weren't invited.

A spokesperson for Facebook responded to this in the Guardian saying that none of the company's contractors participate in bring-your-kids-to-work days or have access to other company amenities like gyms, or the company medical clinic. The statement further said, "We are committed to providing a safe, fair, work environment to everyone who helps Facebook bring the world closer together, including contractors."

The couple hopes that by unionizing, which neither Facebook nor their employer Flagship opposed, they may get higher wages and get to share in the company's wealth a bit more. "Our motivation is not to bash either company,” Nicole tells the Guardian. "It’s for our families. Why do we have to live like this, when the company we work for has the resources to make it better?"

As Business Insider reports, the union's business manager Enrique Fernandez is looking to negotiate some higher wages for the cafeteria staff, who by Facebook's own rules must all make a $15/hour minimum wage. "We are pleased that Facebook and Flagship have been cooperative partners in this organizing process," Fernandez said in a press release. "We look forward to sitting down to negotiate a contract that addresses some of the challenges workers are going through.”

Previously: Facebook Now Officially Used Monthly By More Than One Quarter Of Earth's Population

In 2012, the now-former owner of popular Richmond district restaurants Hong Kong Lounges I and II, Ming Lian Zhou, was ordered to pay 48 workers more than $90,000 in unpaid back wages. At roughly this time last year, we learned and he had very much not done so, although he did submit forms to the US Department of Labor, who investigated the initial misdeeds, that stated he had correctly distributed the back wages.

Although the Labor Department forced Zhou to turn over the money owed to them, in turn paying that money to the unpaid workers, Zhou forced those workers to cash the government checks and hand the lucre back over to him, penalizing and/or firing those who did not obey.

Now he's pleaded guilty to a felony charge of concealing a material fact from a government agency, the Chronicle reports, entering his plea before US District Judge Richard Seeborg.

Zhou faces as many as 25 years in prison for the felony and will be sentenced on January 17.

This case is happening just as we heard of some other allegations against another Richmond restaurateur, the owner of Burma Superstar. A class-action suit by current and former employees has been filed in the East Bay, but the restaurant is denying that the suit has any merit.

Previously: Owner Of Hong Kong Lounge I & II Is An Extremely Shady Dude

Amazon's latest innovation isn't a new subscription program or e-book reader: It's a 30-hour work week for certain employees on technical teams, the Washington Post reveals. A few dozen workers at the Seattle, Washington-based company will toil Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., receiving just 75 percent of the pay 40-hour-per-week workers are making but entitling them to all the same benefits.

"We want to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth," the Journal quotes a post from the company explaining the program. "This initiative was created with Amazon's diverse workforce in mind and the realization that the traditional full-time schedule may not be a 'one size fits all' model."

Like the Journal, CNet speculates the program might be part of Amazon's response to a damaging New York Times investigation of the company's corporate culture in piece published last year that painted a bleak picture of employees crying at desks etc. etc.

"There has for a very long time been a stigma against working reduced hours, or part-time work," president and founder of the Families and Work Institute Ellen Galinsky tells the Journal, speaking generally of American work culture. "Even names like that, 'part-time' or 'reduced,' make it seem like a deviation from the norm, like you're doing less." At a company with the reach of Amazon, she appears to surmise, such a program could play a crucial role in destigmatization.

Another benefit that Columbia Business School professor Rita McGrath gestures to: "Amazon isn't very good at promoting and keeping women, and the irony is that Amazon's customer base is very diverse... So you have this kind of deaf ear in tech to this vital group of customers." If the program catches on and expands, "it offers an opportunity to tap into people that you wouldn’t normally because of the way you structure your workweek," she concluded.

Related: Unlimited Vacation Time: The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Of The Modern Workplace

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of SF State's impressive Labor Archives and Research Center, the center's director Catherine Powell commissioned a dance performance choreographed by Jo Kreiter and produced by local apparatus-based dance company Flyaway Productions to call attention to the archive, and its building. The resulting performance that occurred earlier this month, which you can see above, features dancers lowered on ropes along the side of the building itself and appearing to fly through the air as they leap above its surface.

Powell selected Kreiter because her work often deals with social justice and women's issues, and they wanted to create something that spoke to the lives of women in the workplace since the 1970s. The archive includes things like oral histories from local women who were the first in their trades, like the Bay Area's first female electrician.

As the Golden Gate Xpress reports:

The dance features several oral histories from women breaking gender roles in the workplace.

The dance was broken up into three sections: It opened with choreography about women trying to break into the job market, then moved to the second section covering the topic of women being confined to menial work, despite their qualifications, and finally, portrayed women working in the garment industry.

Powell said the idea was simply to put on a spectacle that would remind people on campus that the archive was there. “A lot of people on campus just didn’t know we were here — we thought, ‘We want to be visible; we want people to know we’re here,'" she tells the Xpress. And, now, they do.

Even if BART can manage to get voters to agree to that $3.5 billion infrastructure bond they want to put on the November ballot, it's not like all their money worries will come to an end. Yes, they say, they will finally be able to afford to fix their admittedly-decrepit infrastructure. But in a move that seems all too common for the priority-impaired agency, BART has entered into a new labor agreement with workers' unions without any idea how to pay for the $77 million in increased wages included in the contract.

The news that BART settled a contract with its workers ahead of the 2017 deadline was a bright spot in what's been a bleak year for the transit agency, which has been beset with criticism for a mysterious voltage spike that snarled transit for weeks — criticism strong enough that one staffer took to Twitter to (indirectly) convince followers that that 3.5 billion in bond bucks is just what they needed to get things (ahem) back on track.

But that bond measure money wouldn't cover the dough agreed to in the labor deal, the Chron reports, which includes 10.8 percent in raises for staff and an agreement not to strike for the next five years.

As noted in a February report from the Chron, BART also has a "'me too' policy that gives managers raises that match what the unions negotiate," which is why all staff — not just union members — received $3.3 million in annual bonuses last and, presumably, this year.

All in all, reports the Chron, the new increases agreed to in the contract will cost BART an extra $77 million over the next five years. Since "ridership has maxed out and sales tax revenues that help fund day-to-day operations are slowing," how will BART make the money? Fare hike? Bake sale?

Well, it won't be a fare increase, BART General Manager Grace Crunican says, asserting that other than those scheduled hikes determined by inflation the prices you pay to ride BART will not be going up.

OK, so, how then? Who knows! It's a mystery even to BART board members like eastern Contra Costa director Joel Keller, who tells the Chron that “That’s what we are waiting to find out."

Waiting for what, Joel, to see how much money your seat hog law rakes in? Maybe you guys need to get cracking on that bake sale, after all.

Previously: BART Having Come-To-Jesus Moment About Where It's Been Spending Its Money
Man Behind BART's Honest Tweets: 'Public Transit Has Always Been About Politics
BART's Actually Gotten More Reliable Over Last Seven Years, Not Less — Are They Just Crying Poverty?
As BART Cries Poor On Twitter, They Hand Out $3.3 Million In Bonuses
BART And Workers' Unions Reach Tentative Labor Deal Ahead Of 2017 Contract
Manspreaders Beware: BART 'Seat Hog' Ordinance Passes

If you're heading to AT&T Park today to see the Giants take on the Rockies, you might come across another heated battle. An estimated 750 concession workers are on a one-day strike. Members of Local 2 are protesting the ballpark's concessionaire and Centerplate -- NOT the Giants, mind you -- regarding wage increases, job security, and improved healthcare.

SFist arrived at the park this morning to find Local 2 protesting early in the AM along King Street, cheering on drivers that honk in support... and jeering ballpark authorities entering the stadium.

The Giants sent out the following press release regarding today's game.

Dispute between Local 2 and Centerplate, AT&T Park Concessionaire

When you arrive at the ballpark for today’s 1:05 p.m. game against the Rockies, you will find picketing by Local 2 involving a dispute between them and the ballpark's concessionaire, Centerplate.

This dispute and the picketing are directed at the concessionaire, Centerplate, NOT the Giants, the ballpark or today's game.

Centerplate does not anticipate this will result in any disruption to the food and beverage service inside the park.

We apologize to you for any inconvenience this unfortunate situation may cause, and we remain hopeful that Local 2 and Centerplate can find common ground and move forward.

Sincerely,
San Francisco Giants

Ballpark workers have asked Giants fans NOT to cross the picket line today. But if you do attend today's game, "enjoy the game but don't buy food" is the rallying cry heard at 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

Hopefully, with two championships and a perfect game under the franchise's belt, Centerplate, the company that operates the concession stands at AT&T Park, will find a way to dip into the increased revenue to help these people out. After all, they are the ones who serve fans their beer, nachos and garlic fries during the game.

Anyway, please be advised if you plan on attending Saturday's 1:05pm game.

After a rather tone-deaf protest at San Francisco City Hall yesterday -- where, while donning L.A. Dodgers hats, a quartet performed in front of a Giants cap on the dirty floor -- musicians at the San Francisco Symphony have officially gone on strike. Perched out in front of Davies Symphony Hall on Wednesday, an estimated 100 musicians "announced a work stoppage as a result of management's stalling negotiations and other financial issues."

“Management continues to stall negotiations and refuses to open its financial books so that we can reach a fair deal that will allow us to remain one of the best orchestras in the world,” said David Gaudry, Chair of the Musicians’ Negotiating Committee. “With one week to reach a deal and no movement on their offer, management’s strategy is clearly to run out the clock. Management is seeking a contract that will not even allow us to keep up with the cost of living, while cutting our retirement. At the same time, Management has rewarded itself significant bonuses, expanded programming and announced it will pursue a more than $500 million renovation of Davies Hall. We had sincerely hoped that there would not be a disruption, but the future of our symphony is at stake.”

To the press release:

After months of contract negotiations and performing without a contract for twenty-four weeks, the Grammy-Award winning San Francisco Symphony Musicians have requested that management open its financial books in an attempt to reach a fair agreement that enables the Symphony to maintain its status as one of the top orchestras in the country. The Musicians seek to reach a deal prior to March 19, the day that the Symphony will embark on a high profile tour of the East Coast, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

The Musician’s contract expired on Sunday, February 10, the very same day the Symphony won the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance of 2012. With an endowment that has increased in value by 83% over the last ten years and currently approaching $300 million, the San Francisco Symphony has the second largest endowment of any symphony in the country.

Management has rewarded itself with salary increases substantially greater than provided for Musicians; has developed plans to embark on a major redesign and renovation of the Davies Symphony Hall at a cost of up to a half billion dollars; and has increased the budget $11 million over last year for a Centennial Celebration party - while demanding a wage freeze and calling for increasing the costs to be borne by the Musicians, including pension reductions.

However, as symphony spokesman Oliver Theil explained, "Our musicians are among the highest paid orchestra members in the country ... Their average salary is over $160 thousand dollars a year with over ten weeks paid vacation."

Anyway, this means that the scheduled March 14 performance is hereby cancelled. Patrons with tickets to the March 14 show may exchange them for an upcoming concert or receive a refund. Call the Symphony Box Office at 415-864-6000 and on the Orchestra's website at www.sfsymphony.org/press.

We here at SFist thank the musicians for stopping short of burning an effigy of Buster Posey.

Justin Beck is live at City Hall covering today's SEIU occupation. So far there are an estimated hundred or so protesters inside, one brandishing a bullhorn to shout and chant stuff. Supervisors Eric Mar and David Campos have shouted into the bullhorn. Others might too. Cops are at the scene and reportedly "concerned about the noise level." It's all very exciting. (Not season finale of RuPaul's Drag Race exciting, but thrilling nevertheless.) Anyway, we'll keep an eye on the scene. If you'd like to watch it live, visit Justin Beck's UStream or view it below.

Of the 2,100 Muni drivers currently employed by the SF MTA, some 900 or so are unavailable for work on any given day due to sick leave, long-term leave, or days off. The Examiner reports that only 58% of workers, about 1,225, are available most days to cover the 1,300+ runs, and that Muni is ending a year-long hiring freeze and is about to take on 120 new drivers in the next six months. But would Muni need to make so many new hires if their workforce were better managed (and healthier)? With 345 people out sick each day, something might be up there -- though Muni recently instituted a policy requiring a doctor's note in order to take a sick day, which is probably an indicator that people have been abusing the sick leave thing for a while.

Walter Scott, secretary-treasurer of the Muni drivers' union, says “I don’t see it being any different than any other year or any other workplace.” But really, Walter? We don't know of too many workplaces where 16% of the employees call in sick on an average day, and almost half aren't available to work. Not that people shouldn't have days off, we're just sayin'.

PREVIOUSLY: Recent Spate of Muni Delays Not Your Imagination, Muni Ridership Down 4%, But Bottom Line Is Fine

OK. Here we go. Jennifer Siebel Newsom is in labor. Gavin Newsom, via Twitter, says:

gavinnewsom: "Arrived at hospital -- hours away from becoming a father"
about 2 hours ago from txt

gavinnewsom: "... I'm nervous-- 10 minutes and we begin
about 1 hour ago from txt

Eee!

The city's newest citizen, a Virgo girl, is just minutes (or hours) away. We'll update as soon as we know more.

Update: Catherine Bigelow and Appeal have word that the little blessing, named Montana Tessa Newsom, weighed in at "a healthy 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20.5 inches ... born at 12:39 p.m." Ta-da. And here, courtesy of Christopher Renstrom, is Monty's very first horoscope: " The New Moon in Virgo makes you even more determined to beat a problem. Willpower plus mental acumen gets results! "

Congratulations, Newsom family. Now get to swaddling and diaper changing, you two.