What costs more: a home in San Francisco's Sunset District, or a wheelchair ramp in the Board of Supervisors' chambers?

If you picked the house, you're wrong.

By the time the final tab comes in, the cost of designing and installing a ramp to the president's chair at the Board of Supervisors - a project now under way - is expected to top out at $699,413.

That is about $50,000 more than the median cost of a home in the Sunset.

Why so much for a 10-foot ramp?

First, it took two companies, at a total cost of $132,205, to come up with a design that passed architectural muster for a designated historic landmark. The cost in city staff time to oversee the planning hit $38,434. That's $170,639.

Then came the job itself.

To install the ramp, the board's majestic podium is being taken apart, raised five steps above the chamber's floor, then put back together.

Costs include $25,200 for materials, $201,678 for labor and $49,000 for a set of historically accurate brass handrails. Outside historic experts to keep an eye on the work are getting $48,824.

Miscellaneous costs bring the construction job's total to $477,000 and change.

Also, because the job could take 10 weeks, the supervisors have set aside $51,042 to pay for relocating board meetings.

Supervisor John Avalos - the lone "no" vote on the project when the board approved it in February- said the political math just doesn't add up.

"This is a tremendous amount of money being spent on something in City Hall that rarely or may never even get used," Avalos said.

"Meanwhile, there are so many other needs for handicapped access that are really needed that are going unfunded," Avalos said.

Board President David Chiudefended the project, saying that "San Francisco has been at the forefront of access issues, and it's important the board reflect that."

Chiu also said the cost is "significantly" lower than the $1.1 million original plan.

Job play: Even before he announced it, Gov. Jerry Brownknew his call for corporate tax reform for more jobs stood a snowball's chance of getting the needed four Republican votes in the Legislature for passage.

But as one Brown staffer explained, by doing nothing, the governor would be criticized for inaction on the biggest issue in the state.

Besides, the real play will be in 2012, when Brown will either go to the ballot with a tax overhaul or use reform as the main issue in the 2012 legislative races when the open primary and the newly drawn districts come into play.

Republican Assembly leader Connie Conway of Tulare promptly said GOP lawmakers would fight the governor's tax reform plan "every step of the way."

However, Republican state Sen. Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo said that although Brown appeared to be "obsessed" with raising taxes, he was still open to working with the governor.

And with good reason. Brown carried Blakeslee's newly reapportioned district in 2010 by 16 points.

Odds-on favorites: A new citywide poll commissioned by the San Francisco Police Officers Association, in preparation of their election endorsements, backs what other polls are showing - stand-in Mayor Ed Lee will be very tough to unseat.

And so will appointed District Attorney George Gascón.

Both political newcomers are on track to receive 30 percent-plus of first-round votes in the ranked-choice balloting, more than twice what their nearest rivals are polling.

And even after second- and third-place votes are added to the mix, the two maintain healthy leads.

Plus, according to the poll of 502 likely city voters - conducted from Aug. 14 to 17 by the firm of Fairbanks, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates - 64 percent of those surveyed had a "generally favorable" opinion of Lee, with only 11 percent unfavorable. The remaining 25 percent had no opinion.

Thirty-nine percent viewed Gascón favorably and just 8 percent unfavorably, while 54 percent had no opinion.

Interesting to note, when the pollsters brought up Lee's tax breaks to keep Twitter in town, his turnabout on his promise not to run and his close ties to "powerbrokers" Willie Brown and Rose Pak, Lee's favorables actually went up 2 percentage points.

Bike break: Good news for the spandex crowd. It looks like Golden Gate Bridge officials will be able to reopen the span's west sidewalk a bit early.

The sidewalk repair work began at the end of May and forced bicyclists to mix with walkers on the east sidewalk. It is now expected to be completed in mid-September, about two weeks ahead of schedule.

EXTRA! Catch our blog at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.