SFTR Response to: Proposed SFMTA Budget Charter Amendment
What is the Proposed Charter Amendment?
On September 19th, Supervisor Safai introduced and Supervisor Peskin co-sponsored a charter amendment which would require explicit, written mayoral approval of any SFMTA budget that:
- Changes Muni fares (upwards or downwards)
- Increases the hours in which parking meter fees are collected
- Increases the maximum meter fee that can be collected
A budget with any of the above changes can only be submitted to the Board of Supervisors with approval by the mayor, and the mayor has 15 days from the budget submission deadline to approve. The way the amendment is currently written, failure of the mayor to approve within that deadline would result in the budget being sent back to SFMTA to remove the changes to fares/fees.
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This letter was submitted to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in response to the proposed City Charter amendment relating to the SFMTA budget, introduced by Supervisor Safaí on September 19th, 2023.
October 25, 2023
To the San Francisco Board of Supervisors,
San Francisco Transit Riders has considered the proposed charter amendment that would require the mayor’s approval of certain SFMTA budgets before being sent to the Board of Supervisors.
San Francisco Transit Riders opposes this charter amendment.
SFMTA must maintain isolation from unnecessary political interference
In order to make progress towards the ambitious goals our city has set to reduce climate change, advance equity, and create a world-class transit system, voters know that it is necessary for SFMTA to maintain a degree of isolation from the political battles of City Hall. That is why San Franciscans have strongly supported SFMTA’s independence from the city’s electoral politics in two separate elections over the past several decades, including Prop E in 1999 and Prop A in 2007.
As an enterprise department, the SFMTA has direct control over revenue options to fund the transit service that hundreds of thousands of people rely on every day. In periods of fiscal uncertainty, SFMTA is forced to make the choice to either increase revenue by raising fees or cut transit service.
Currently, SFMTA is facing a fiscal deficit due to the ridership impact of COVID-19 and expiring federal funds. In response, earlier this year SFMTA approved a plan to extend parking meter hours in line with other cities’ modern standards–a responsible decision that will generate enough revenue to sustain several Muni lines. Under the newly-proposed charter amendment, however, funding solutions like this would be at risk–at the expense of thousands of transit-dependent San Franciscans.
Avenues for accountability on parking fee increases already exist
To the degree the amendment’s authors assert there is no accountability between the SFMTA and the voters, the sequence of events that precipitated this amendment suggests otherwise. Through the existing channels of democracy and communication, elected officials can and have engaged with the SFMTA to convey the needs of their constituents and the SFMTA has been responsive to their concerns. A structural change in the form of a City Charter amendment is an overcorrection for a problem that does not exist.
Specifically, in response to the SFMTA’s most recent proposed extension of parking meter hours, many local businesses voiced concerns. A non-binding resolution for a pause to this action was introduced by Board President Peskin. Subsequently, SFMTA Director Tumlin, Mayor Breed, and Board President Peskin agreed to pause this activity and referred it to the City Economist for evaluation. This demonstrates that our City’s current channels of communication and process are effective.
Lopsided accountability
The proposed amendment states that the mayor must explicitly approve any SFMTA budget that includes changes to transit fares, increases in meter hours, or increases the maximum meter fee.
As proposed, the amendment may increase the Mayor’s accountability when it comes to increased fees, but the proposed amendment will fail to hold anyone accountable for the service cuts that will be a direct result of insufficient funding in the absence of fee increases.
By silently withholding approval, the mayor could single-handedly put the SFMTA in a position where service cuts are the only option to balance the budget. This creates a situation where, by the mayor doing nothing, thousands of Muni riders are left waiting at the curb.
Isolate politicians from increasing costs
Let’s face it: raising fares and raising parking meter rates are not politically popular choices. The choices may, however, be fiscally necessary in times of fiscal uncertainty to prevent catastrophic cuts to transit service. By depoliticizing the SFMTA, the agency is empowered to make the hard choices that are necessary for our city’s transportation system.
No politician wants to be seen as solely responsible for raising fares or meter hours. Burdening one official, the mayor, with this responsibility is a sure way to ensure the fares and rates are never increased. Yet there is no accountability in the proposed amendment to prevent a decrease in services that might result from stagnant fares, fees, or meter hours.
The current process meets the needs of voters
The status quo, which requires the entire Board of Supervisors to act on the entire SFMTA budget, ensures that the agency’s budget represents the best interests of all San Franciscans. The current requirement that a ⅔ majority of the Board is necessary to override the agency’s budget shows that our elected officials can get engaged when needed, but only when they agree to work together–not when one elected official may be scared away from making a hard choice.
The charter amendment ignores the needs of some of our most vulnerable neighbors
By shifting the political burden from preventing service cuts to preventing increases to fares and fees, this charter amendment ignores the needs of San Franciscans who rely on broad public transit service as a lifeline. Hundreds of thousands of San Franciscans rely on Muni to connect them with jobs, healthcare, food, and other essential services. The SFMTA must be allowed to maintain all the budgetary tools to ensure these connections are not severed.
Barbara S. is a senior citizen in the Richmond who does not own a car and relies entirely on public transportation to get around the city. Bruce M., from the Tenderloin, is disabled and can’t get around without frequent and reliable Muni service. And Alex K., from the Mission, saves thousands of dollars per year by opting to take Muni rather than be weighed down by costly monthly car payments.
For thousands of San Franciscans like Barbara, Bruce, and Alex, a modest increase in parking meter hours could mean the difference between access and isolation. It means the difference between financial independence and catastrophic auto debt.
Amendment Modifications
SFTR is against this proposed charter amendment, but if the amendment moves forward, it is crucial that its language be changed to allow explicit written mayoral disapproval of a budget, rather than requiring the Board of Supervisors to wait for the mayor’s explicit approval.
The amendment must also be modified to require that the mayor identifies alternative revenue sources for the agency, or specific cuts that SFMTA should impose equivalent to any funds lost as a result of the mayor’s disapproval of fare, fee, or parking hour increases.
Notably, the amendment as written requires the mayor to approve any change in transit fares–up or down–but does not require any approval for decreases in parking fees. If the proposed amendment moves forward, it should also remove the mayor’s ability to block fare decreases, in line with the city’s goals to make public transit more affordable and accessible.
Conclusion
There is a lot of work to be done to get more people back on Muni and create a transportation system that is accountable to all San Franciscans. We know Muni must improve in order to increase ridership, but curtailing the agency’s ability to balance its own budget could undo even the inadequate service restoration that has been implemented in the wake of COVID.
SFTR is working hard to get to our vision of a connected, reliable, comfortable, and equitable system. We are against this charter amendment because the changes it is proposing will make it harder for San Francisco to achieve that vision.
We urge the Board of Supervisors to vote no; do not place this amendment on the ballot.
To discuss this matter further, please contact Dylan Fabris, SFTR’s Community and Policy Manager, at info@sftransitriders.org.
Sincerely,
Thea Selby & Dominique Monié
Board Co-Chairs
San Francisco Transit Riders
