Editorial: Newsom Should Fund Ailing Transit Systems

Will California Governor Gavin Newsom let the state’s transit systems fail? The San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial board argues that he shouldn’t. “Without money to keep public transit from going kaput, and with fewer grants available to buy electric vehicles, how will lower-income Californians get to work or the doctor’s office?”

Without state intervention, in the Bay Area alone, “The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency estimates that it will have to slash one line per month for 20 months starting this summer if state funds don’t come in. BART, meanwhile, is bracing for a worst-case financial scenario that could result in closing service on weekends, shuttering two of its five lines and nine of its 50 stations, and running trains as infrequently as once per hour.”

Meanwhile, the governor’s proposed budget steadfastly supports transit funding cuts. The editorial board argues that “Many other investments will be for naught if California’s public transit systems enter financial ruin.”

The board points out that transit agencies are working to develop better accountability systems as they seek additional funding. “On Thursday, the California Transit Association released a proposed accountability framework that would require agencies receiving state funds to submit detailed plans to recover ridership and address operating deficits. Agencies would also have to submit progress reports every two years outlining how they spent the money.”