Nearly 4 out of 5 BART riders oppose the idea of a temporary fee rollback, according to BART's in-house survey.

Faced with an unexpected $4.5 million surplus, BART directors recently gave the preliminary OK to roll back fares 3 percent for about four months as a "thank you" to riders who were hit with an increase earlier this year.

Federal regulations, however, mandate that BART get riders' opinions about the proposed rollback before directors give final approval. So the transit agency commissioned an online survey and passed out questionnaires. More than more than 75 percent of the 662 respondents said "no thanks."

What they do want is longer service hours and cleaner cars.

Questions have also been raised about the cost of the rollback. BART staff says changing all the system's fare signs and then changing them again when the prices go back up could cost as much as $200,000.

BART board President James Fang, who came up with the rollback idea, thinks the agency's staffers have it in for the proposal because it interferes with their own pet projects.

"It's a dirty trick by staff, and quite frankly I resent it," Fang said. "Staff just wants to spend the money on themselves."

The board's final vote on the rollback proposal is Thursday.

New Role: Geena Davis, who played Thelma, the passive housewife who went on a road rampage with her buddy Louise in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise," has been named to the California Commission on the Status of Women.

Democrat Davis, whose other film credits include "A League of Their Own" and "Earth Girls are Easy," was nominated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but needs Senate confirmation.

Considering that she's a member of the Mensa Society, it shouldn't be that difficult.

Reilly revs up: Quite an interesting crowd at the kickoff for Janet Reilly's run for San Francisco supervisor.

Mayor Gavin Newsomwas there, as was state Sen. MarkLeno, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, firefighters union head TomO'Connor and a number of other labor and neighborhood leaders.

City Attorney DennisHerrera,whose office is trying to bar Reilly's main rival - incumbent Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier- from running on the basis that she is termed out, wasn't there. But his wife, Anne Herrera, was.

Up in smoke: As much as they may like the idea, skittish Democratic leaders opted to stay neutral on the question of whether pot should be legalized in California.

The issue came up during a recent meeting of the party's executive committee. Many of those in attendance - including state party Chairman John Burton - indicated that they personally favor Proposition 19, the November ballot measure that would allow localities to regulate recreational marijuana for adults.

"I haven't smoked a joint in 30 years, but I'm voting for it," Burton told the group.

But despite the personal endorsements, in the end, party leaders felt that taking a formal position was too risky.

"There was a feeling that it would put candidates on the spot," said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.

Spy games: FBI agents were spotted nosing around the offices of Sacramento political consultant Jason Kinney the other day in what appears to be the latest intrigue in a computer-hacking case involving an ousted Middle Eastern crown prince.

The prince is Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, who was deposed seven years ago as deputy ruler of Ras al Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates. He has enlisted Kinney and two fellow Democratic strategists - former Gavin Newsom press adviser Peter Ragone and ex-Clinton White House spokesman Chris Lehane - in his PR drive to regain power.

Oddly enough, it was Kinney and crew who asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for the investigation after a hacker apparently got the goods on the reported $3.7 million the ousted sheikh was paying them.

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