Is Newsom Holding Muni Budget Hostage?Paul Hogarthbyline‚ Apr. 08‚ 2009Once again, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is in a budget crisis – and we are told another round of fare hikes and service cuts are inevitable, making San Francisco Muni even less accessible. But can we really pin the blame on the recession, or is the culprit a transit commission entirely appointed by the Mayor? Voters passed Muni reform in 1999 and 2007 to “de-politicize” the MTA, but now our transit policy is subject to the whims of one politician – Gavin Newsom. Muni’s $129 million deficit means the MTA Board is exploring painful choices that would cripple service, but $80 million of the problem is “work orders” from other City Departments. Newsom directed every agency to trim its budget, and some unloaded it on Muni by charging for services done for free. The Board of Supervisors Budget Committee will hold a hearing today to look into it, but ultimately the Mayor appoints and controls who’s at MTA. Muni could have also gotten an extra $38 million in federal stimulus funds, if they had sent someone to lobby the regional transit body who made those decisions. But with Newsom hoping to see the funds used for other purposes, Muni sat silent. Meanwhile, AC Transit – whose commissioners are elected by Alameda County voters – fought for that slice of the pie. |