SF Transit Riders Union

In conversations with Supervisors and their aides over the last several days, it’s clear that the Muni funding increases contemplated in two proposed ballot measures — the parking tax and the charter amendment’s increased set-aside — are both on thin ice.

The parking tax is polling about 10 points down right now, and politicians have a tendency to trust snapshot polls more than they trust the ability to change voters’ opinions. The Supervisors have other tax ideas that are more popular  and have told me they prefer to select fewer more popular taxes in order to prevent voter backlash against all taxes.

The increased set-aside is not a popular solution for funding transit because it just uses general fund money that would otherwise fund health clinics, the arts, and other critical social services. A compromise we’ve advocated is to make the set-aside contingent upon the passage of a general fund tax, enlisting the transit-riding public in the support of the tax to generate revenue for general public services as well as the transit to get people to the clinics and theaters! The Supervisors I’ve talked to are open to this idea.

The Supervisors are holding their first hearing on these tax measures this Friday, June 25, at the 1:30 Rules Committee meeting. Please express your opinion on the charter amendment we’ve analyzed here, and please share the only official message we have at this point: “whatever you do, find some way to increase the Muni budget to restore full service.” If you can’t attend, you can email Committee Chair David Campos by clicking right here.