When it comes to car break-ins, you’d be hard-pressed to top the Walmart parking lot off East Oakland’s Hegenberger Road — where there’s been an average of one car burglary every single day for the past year.

And it’s not just Walmart. Auto break-ins are out of control all over the area.

“Carrows Restaurant (on Hegenberger) has had so many break-ins that they have had to hire their own security,” said City Councilman Larry Reid, who has been pressing the Police Department to shift more resources to the neighborhood.

Another favorite target area is along 98th Avenue, including a retail strip at Kitty Lane that features a Starbucks and Wendy’s. Hotels near Oakland International Airport have been badly hit as well.

But it’s the Walmart parking lot that seems to be the biggest magnet for trouble. The 365 car break-ins there accounted for nearly half the 840 vehicle burglaries reported in the past year in East Oakland.

Frequently the victims are newly arrived tourists driving rental cars they picked up at the airport, and who may not be familiar with the high-crime area.

“We are working with the Police Department as best we can” to find ways to end the problem, said Walmart spokeswoman Erin Hofmann, who tells us the store now has round-the-clock security and extra lighting.

“It’s certainly a problem for us,” said Deputy Police Chief Danielle Outlaw, whose officers have been conducting weekly sting operations at the parking lot and elsewhere.

Police could not tell us how many arrests they’ve made, but they did provide us with a report showing an eye-popping 219 burglary busts for the entire beat area in the past year — though it hasn’t seemed to slow the problem.

Records show there were 31 auto break-ins in the Walmart parking lot during the first six weeks of this year — accounting for nearly half of those reported in the East Oakland area.

“I’ve seen them — they are very good at it,” said Mike Genthner, owner of the Harley-Davidson dealership on Hegenberger.

One idea that’s been floated is to create a business improvement district, where merchants would pay extra for more policing. It’s drawing a mixed response.

“What is the city doing with the money it has now?” Genthner asked. “Who needs to pay more taxes?”

Of course, it’s not like car burglaries are the only problem for police in East Oakland. Chief Sean Whent was supposed to meet with merchants the other day, but had to cancel at the last minute — he was needed on 88th Avenue, where an officer had shot and wounded a knife-wielding man.

Late again: Despite tens of millions in new funding, red bus-only lanes and repeated service and staff reshuffling, Muni’s on-time performance continues to sink.

A city controller’s report found that from October to December, Muni showed up early or late 56 percent of the time — a 5.8-point drop over the same time the year before, and an 18-point drop from 2010.

“That is really disappointing,” said Tom Nolan, chairman of the Municipal Transportation Agency, as he waited for a bus at Geary and O’Farrell streets.

Another controller’s audit found that in the past 10 years, Muni’s overtime has nearly doubled — totaling $55.6 million last year — with most of it going to drivers.

Muni spokesman Paul Rose chalked up most of the on-time troubles to a shortage of drivers and an average of 60 vehicle breakdowns a day — two problems that the transit agency has repeatedly targeted for improvement.

Nolan also blames the congestion brought on by the building boom.

Whatever the case, Muni once again assured us that improvements and new buses are just around the corner — and that new and expanded services will be coming on line in April.

Rose also noted that in the past month there was an uptick in on-time performance to 57.5 percent — better, but still way below Muni’s mandated goal of 85 percent.

And finally: The Chinese New Year Parade isn’t until March 7, but the sharp-tongued impresario Rose Pak was warming up last week when she took to the microphone to kick off the Year of the Ram — and to say goodbye to the Year of the Horse.

As her friend, former Mayor and current Chronicle columnist Willie Brown posed for pictures with a ram and a horse outside the Hilton in Chinatown, Pak crowed to the crowd: “He should have had one taken with an ass.”

“But there is no Chinese Year of the Ass.’’

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross