First Stop on the MTA Veto Express: Budget and Finance Committee Meeting May 6th

There’s no denying that in general, our economy is in the can, and life’s pretty difficult for everyone. That said, when making decisions in these times, one has to sometimes look beyond the short term and figure out decisions that will make the most sense now, and in the future. Since this kind of nuanced thinking wasn’t a part of the discussions at the SFMTA, we’re now in the position of having to lobby our Board of Supervisors to veto the entire thing, just to get some attention over there.
I’ve always been realistic about what can and can’t be done, but I also know that starting the “cut service jack up fares” death spiral SPUR so eloquently described in its studies on MUNI isn’t going to serve anyone in the long run. Likewise, this idea that we pay people to simply not bother to show up to work, and somehow still keep their jobs is a bit mystifying. And so on. It’s not like any of this is news, though – the SFMTA was warned about this years ago (before the looting of MUNI by assorted elected folks) and yet, it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
All this talk is essentially ignored by the SFMTA’s mayor-appointed board, so it’s time to use the language they have to listen to – a nice big VETO of the budget by 7 Supervisors. The first hurdle will be on May 6th at 1:30 at City Hall, where Board President Chiu’s proposal will be presented. If you can attend the meeting, do so and make your voice heard in person. If you can’t, be sure to email or snail mail your Supervisor before the meeting. Even if you’re a big ol’ cynic, do it anyway. Brute force is the only thing anyone seems to understand at City Hall these days, so do your part to give ’em a dose of reality down there.
Also, I’ve started up a Facebook Group which you’re free to join as well. In the end, what’s most important isn’t the number of people on a Facebook group – it’s the number of people willing to send a message to City Hall that the SFMTA can do better – and has to in these tough times.
I’m sending my letter off to my Supervisor, Ross Mirkarimi, and CC’ing Board President Chiu as well. Don’t let the spinners and nay sayers get you down – doing nothing ensures nothing happens. Doing something means that no matter what, you can at least say you tried.