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San Francisco appeals board upholds taxi A‑card revocation after hearing on suspended license and alleged brokering
Summary
The Board of Appeals upheld the SFMTA's revocation of Driskiki Elasali’s A‑card after hearing evidence the driver operated with a suspended California license and repeatedly gave false statements to regulators; the board voted 5–0 to sustain the disciplinary action.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on March 4 upheld the revocation of Driskiki Elasali’s taxi A‑card, agreeing with the Municipal Transportation Agency’s case that he repeatedly drove with a suspended California license and made material misstatements to regulators.
SFMTA attorney Jordana Thigpen told the board the matter had been under review for months and that the agency had received “extensive complaints” alleging unauthorized brokering and leasing of medallions and other rule violations. Thigpen said the agency’s record showed Mr. Elasali had been informed of a suspension and later was stopped at a DUI checkpoint while his license was still suspended: “We can no longer trust him to tell the truth,” she said, urging the board to sustain the revocation.
Counsel for Mr. Elasali, Leah Parmenter, argued the principal suspension stemmed from an attorney’s failure to pay a “fix‑it” ticket, and that her client had cooperated with police and with agency staff. Parmenter said Mr. Elasali believed his attorney would take care of the ticket and that the driver had not intentionally sought to conceal the matter.
Sergeant Ron Reynolds of the SFPD’s taxi detail testified he had checked DMV records and that Mr. Elasali’s license showed entries related to a failure to appear and a resulting suspension; Reynolds said a computer check on Aug. 22 showed the license was expired and that later checks confirmed the suspension remained in place until the matter was resolved in early September.
Multiple drivers and medallion holders spoke during public comment, with some defending Mr. Elasali and others describing patterns of alleged brokering and overcharging by brokers in the industry. The SFMTA described brokering as layered leasing arrangements that can obscure who is actually driving cabs and can result in off‑book cash payments to medallion holders.
After questioning and deliberations, Commissioner Garcia moved to uphold the revocation; the board recorded a unanimous 5–0 vote to sustain SFMTA’s disciplinary action.
The Board’s decision leaves the revocation in place; commissioners said the record showed sufficient grounds based primarily on the driver’s operation during a suspension and related false statements. No further administrative schedule for the matter was announced at the hearing.
