Rescue Muni

If you’re stuck at work or out watching the Giants, you can still comment on the MTA’s proposed service cuts and the proposed budget. Details on how to comment are on the MTA’s website. (Also, don’t forget tomorrow’s hearing about the “work orders” from SFPD and others that have mysteriously consumed ALL of the additional funding from Prop A!)

Here’s a suggested comment: Don’t just make the TEP cuts. The TEP proposed many revenue-neutral changes that would SPEED UP service (mainly stop consolidations and bus lanes/bulbs to give transit priority.) There’s no reason to wait fot these!

If you’re concerned about the proposed MTA service cuts due to the budget crisis, plan to attend one of two hearings this week. The SFMTA is holding a hearing on the cuts on Tuesday, April 7, unfortunately during the Giants’ Opening Day – but there is a meeting scheduled two weeks later, on April 21, when you can also submit comments.

As or more important is a hearing at the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee, on Wednesday, April 8 at 1:30 pm. At this meeting the Supervisors will be asking city officials about the suspiciously large work orders submitted by various city departments to the SFMTA, including a huge increase from SFPD, this fiscal year. (When did you last see a cop ride a Muni bus, or pull over a bus lane violator? Comment on that at this meeting.) One of the major causes of service cuts is this $28 million per year increase in other-department work orders, which has almost completely consumed the increase in funding passed by the voters in Proposition A (2007). If you don’t think Muni is getting good value for the millions of additional dollars being billed it by SFPD and other departments, speak out at the meeting!

Update: The Examiner has a good summary of possible cuts.