The Real Impact of Muni Cuts
By: Alex Cullins
While the city cuts bus routes and whines about debt, the truth is that SFMTA’s budget deficit is a manufactured problem.
What sense does it make that SFMTA speculates that they will be 322 million dollars in debt by the next fiscal year, and the only solution they can come up with is cutting bus routes?
This strategic incompetence threatens the livelihoods of thousands of working class San Franciscans, as SFMTA makes cuts from the bottom. Unless we create a new source of revenue, these cuts will continue happening until there is nothing left. Corporations and billionaires profit off of working class labor, then avoid taxes they’re meant to pay back to our communities. It's time we change that narrative.
As a full time student with two jobs, I take the (5) fulton at least twice a day to get from my house, my internship and my Job. The new muni cuts add an additional 25 minutes each way for my work commute downtown as a server, as it now takes over an hour each way to commute. Having to commute two hours within the same city for work shouldn't be a reality.
As an independent 20 year old student, my job assists with my tuition, room and board and meal plan at the University of San Francisco, while I take on 20,000 in loans a year. It’s already a lot to juggle working 40 hours a week while attending classes full time. Between school and work, I don't get a day off, and often stack work shifts immediately after my morning classes. However, due to the muni changes, I am unable to take additional shifts right after classes.
When the city makes cuts from the bottom up, it affects real people like me, just trying to go about their lives as hard workers.I know I’m not the only person whose livelihood is being thrown into limbo by our billionaire Mayor and other politicians presenting these cuts as a solution.
It's incredibly infuriating to hear things from our lawmakers like “we had to make tough choices” and “we’re already in debt” when the power to raise revenue lies in their hands.
This shows us so clearly how politicians are just puppets for corporate interests that buy them into office. We the people, can not allow the privatization of our transport as companies like Waymo and Uber try to infiltrate our city and sell essential services back to us at a higher price.
It's incredibly infuriating to hear things from our lawmakers like “we had to make tough choices” and “we’re already in debt” when the power to raise revenue lies in their hands.
This shows us so clearly how politicians are just puppets for corporate interests that buy them into office. We the people, can not allow the privatization of our transport as companies like Waymo and Uber try to infiltrate our city and sell essential services back to us at a higher price.
San Francisco politics should represent the people, people like you and me, whose livelihoods depend on a reliable public transit system.
Without the power of the people using our collective voice, muni cuts will remain the status quo. The bus that gets you everywhere you need to be could be next.
The city should be raising revenue by taxing corporations and billionaires. One way we could do this is by putting measures to close the corporate loophole in Prop 13 on the ballot, which would raise property taxes exclusively for corporations. This would raise 17 billion dollars every year statewide, the longer we wait, the longer corporations continue to pocket that money. It’s egregious to watch our billionaire Mayor support cuts to Muni after he did press for “riding the bus” during his campaign. For working class San Franciscans like me, public transit isn’t just a photo op; it’s our livelihood. We’re done with excuses, cuts and manufactured deficits. The people are ready for real solutions.