Maxwell Throws Muni Riders Under a BusPaul Hogarthbyline‚ May. 28‚ 2009Supes Get Played As Newsom Runs the Clock The battle to rescue Muni died a quiet death yesterday, as the Board of Supervisors failed to muster the votes to reject an unfair MTA budget. When Sophie Maxwell made it clear she would not be a seventh vote to hold the Mayor accountable, efforts to keep Muni affordable, prevent service cuts and an equitable way to “share the pain” in tough budget times came to a screeching halt. The budget may be better than what the MTA first proposed, but no progress was made after May 12th – when Board President David Chiu mustered out a pittance under trying circumstances. MTA chief Nat Ford admitted yesterday that none of Supervisor John Avalos’ proposed changes are in the budget, and left the Board with vague promises that Muni will “look into” more revenue. In other words, the Supes got played. The City Charter only gave them 30 days to reject the budget, and some had tried to use that time to negotiate a deal. But Gavin Newsom knew that if he just “ran the clock” and stonewalled the Board, Maxwell would eventually buckle and he would win – which is exactly what happened. None of which bodes well for the upcoming City budget … |