LGBTQ Democratic leaders in San Francisco are ramping up their efforts to secure more funding for Bay Area transit agencies. Resolutions on the matter are set to be taken up this week by both the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Democratic Party.
It comes as state lawmakers press ahead with their own efforts to save regional transit systems that have yet to recover financially from the downturn in commuting patterns wrought five years ago by the COVID pandemic and employers’ pivot to remote work. More employees are expected to be required to return to their office spaces on a daily basis in the coming months, however, the fiscal pain for transit agencies is expected to linger for some time.
As of now, transit systems are staring down a fiscal cliff and looking at service cuts and other measures to balance their budgets. While transit advocates and regional leaders want to put a ballot measure on the November 2026 ballot to provide agencies like BART and San Francisco’s Muni new revenue streams, there is a growing call to see state lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom allocate $2 billion in state funds over the next two years to public transit agencies.
“As one of the millions of Californians who regularly uses public transit, I’m deeply concerned about the impending fiscal cliff facing our state’s transit systems. That’s why, earlier this week, I introduced a proposal to provide $2 billion in funding over the next two years to vulnerable transit agencies throughout California, including BART, Muni, and AC Transit,” wrote state Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) a straight ally and former mayor of his East Bay city, in an email to constituents earlier this month. “Ever since the onset of COVID, our transit agencies have struggled to meet their operating costs, and now, some face fiscal insolvency by 2028. The closure of California’s transit agencies would have devastating effects on our state, stranding low-income residents, seniors, and essential workers, leading to more congestion on our roads and worse air quality, all while increasing economic inequality and reversing post-pandemic recovery statewide.”
Joining Arreguín in making the funding requests were gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, and gay Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles). Wiener and Arreguín are also jointly working to pass Senate Bill 63 that would allow for the regional transit revenue ballot measure to be put before Bay Area voters next year.
Working with transit advocates, queer District 9 San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced a resolution in support of the emergency funding from the state for transit agencies. It is to be voted on by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday, March 25, and with seven sponsors, is expected to be adopted.
“Public transit is the backbone of San Francisco’s economy and an essential service for hundreds of thousands of people,” stated Fielder. “Without this critical funding, we face severe service reductions that will hurt workers, seniors, and families, and set back our city’s recovery. The state must step up and ensure our transit system is funded, not failing.”
Fielder noted she authored the resolution following a letter that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had sent to legislative leaders also calling on them to approve the funding request. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is shortening bus lines and taking other measures to plug a $50 million hole in its current budget and has projected a $320 million budget shortfall in its coming fiscal years, causing concern that the agency will make even more drastic cuts to its routes and reduce service for riders in order to balance its budget.
“This state funding would protect the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on Muni every single day to live their daily lives – to get to school, work, the grocery store, the doctor’s office and more,” stated SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum in a news release sent out by Fielder’s office. “We’re doing everything we can to be efficient and prudent with the resources we have, but the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic is still severe - for the SFMTA and for transit agencies throughout California. Assistance from the state would help make sure we can keep providing the Muni services San Franciscans need and deserve.”
As the Bay Area Reporter first reported in February, San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee fourth vice chair Emma Hare authored the resolution titled “Condemning Funding Prejudice At The U.S. Department of Transportation And Urging Bay Area Transportation Agencies to Seek Additional Funding Sources” that is to be voted on Wednesday, March 26, during the meeting of the oversight body for the local party. It needs 17 of the 32 DCCC members to vote for it to be adopted.
Gay DCCC members Mike Chen, Joe Sangirardi, Peter Gallotta, and Michael Nguyen have signed on as co-sponsors. (As Hare, who is bisexual, is out of the country on her honeymoon, a proxy will be voting on her behalf.)
It condemns as homophobic a Trump administration proposal to have the U.S. Department of Transportation give higher preference in its funding allocations “to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.” Doing so would hurt cities like San Francisco, which consistently ranks in the bottom of major metro areas when it comes to fertility rates.
The local party resolution also endorses the request in state funding for transit systems being made by the members of the Legislature. As the B.A.R. noted last month, BART is dealing with a $35 million deficit in its fiscal year that begins July 1 and projects having to close a deficit between $350 to $400 million in 2026.
A draft version of the resolution reads, in part, “The San Francisco Democratic Party urges Bay Area transportation agencies to seek additional and creative funding sources, including but not limited to joint development, road use pricing, and/or taxation. The San Francisco Democratic Party also advocates for the prioritization of Muni in the city’s upcoming budget and supports our Bay Area legislative efforts to secure $2B from the State of California for short-term bridge funding to keep our public transportation system and regional economy running and to ensure equal opportunity for all communities in San Francisco.”
In a statement to the B.A.R. Wiener thanked the committee members for bringing forward the resolution. A member of the DCCC due to his legislative seat, and a former local party chair, Wiener plans to vote for it Wednesday evening.
“Our transit systems are critical to San Francisco’s future – there is no downtown recovery and no meeting our climate goals without it. By beginning to build support for a 2026 regional ballot measure now, we can secure a strong future for the entire Bay Area,” stated Wiener. “I thank Emma Hare and the rest of the committee for bringing this resolution forward.”
Housing on transit land
Another policy goal local and state leaders are pursuing is building more housing by transit or on land owned by transit agencies, with the hope that the new residents will become riders of public transit. Earlier this month San Francisco supervisors voted in support of the SFMTA’s Joint Development Program Goals and Policy aimed at constructing housing on its bus yards, parking lots, and other parcels it owns.
“By developing housing on SFMTA land, the San Francisco Bay Area will make progress on our housing goals while also saving our public transportation network. This is a win-win-win for housing, transportation, and our regional recovery,” said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who chairs the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and authored the resolution. (Hare is one of her legislative aides.)
The authority, which is compromised of the supervisors, is to give its final approval of SB 63 when it meets Tuesday. This morning, Wiener and Arreguín will be unveiling specifics about the bill during a press conference where they will be joined by local municipal, transit and business leaders.
Wiener is also working to pass his Senate Bill 79, which would ease local zoning restrictions for certain transit agencies to develop housing near their stations. He has dubbed the legislation “a game changer” that can help address the region’s housing shortage, lower housing costs, boost transit ridership, and climate change goals by reducing car usage.
Similar bills authored by Wiener have failed to become law. If SB 79 is enacted, Wiener has argued the bill “will legalize multi-family housing up to seven stories near train stations and major bus stops, cut housing costs for working families, and provide a critical funding boost to struggling transit agencies.”
Supportive of the legislation is gay BART board member Edward Wright, who joined Wiener and other transit leaders earlier this month at a rally and press event held at the Daly City BART Station to promote SB 79.
“More homes near transit means more people taking our trains, and not clogging our streets and bridges with more cars,” noted Wright in a post on Threads, with video of his remarks at the March 14 event.
Keep abreast of the latest LGBTQ political news by following the Political Notebook on Threads and on Bluesky
Got a tip on LGBTQ politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email [email protected]
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