Mass transit gets the shaft in California budget......

[marmar]

from the San Francisco Chronicle:



Transit to see service cuts, fare increases
Rachel Gordon

Friday, February 20, 2009


What changes: The revised budget cuts state assistance for public transit operations for the remainder of the fiscal year, leaving just $76 million of the $306 million promised to operators in California when the original budget was adopted. The reduction deals an $83 million blow to Bay Area transit agencies. Next year there will be no transit assistance coming from Sacramento. Transportation agencies, already seeing less money for operations due to declining tax revenue in the economic downturn, have yet to make final decisions on how to balance the books.

What it means to you: Riders might see less service, higher fares and dirtier vehicles. BART is considering raising fares and reducing the frequency of train service. AC Transit is considering service cuts and fare hikes. The San Francisco Municipal Railway plans to defer maintenance, which could result in more missed runs.

Reaction: "The state's abandonment of transit operations, even as ridership rises, is a huge setback for people who want to get to work, to school or to the doctor in an environmentally sustainable way," said Muni spokesman Judson True. BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the funding loss "is equivalent of leaving the fare gates wide open every weekday for nearly a month."

Highlights

-- California transit agencies lost three-quarters of state funding for the remainder of this fiscal year. For Bay Area transit agencies, the combined cuts amount to $83 million. State transit assistance for next year was eliminated. The financial blow will be felt from Petaluma to San Jose.

-- Local agencies are still working on final plans to balance their budgets but are considering raising fares, cutting service and deferring maintenance.

-- The regional TransLink and 511 programs will be affected.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/20/MN7D161AOO.DTL&hw=reduction+bay+area+transit&sn=001&sc=1000

[barbtries]

1. that's a travesty

sorry to hear it.

[FreakinDJ]

2. They shut down the Bay Bridge Retrofit project as well

Don't want to be driving on that bridge in case of earthquake

[marmar]

4. I thought that project was considered essential.......

n/t

[FreakinDJ]

6. They also shut down Sacramento Airport Terminal B project

Aaaarrnnold has been putting 1000s on the unemployment rolls by placing holds on funding through executive orders and the RATpubliCON media is trying to make him look like the good guy

[AndyTiedye]

9. Time for "Total Recall II - Send the Gropernator Back to Hollywood!"

[villager]

3. Thanks Republican fuckheads!

n/t

[Selatius]

5. California should have sued Enron to get back the 7 or 8 billion it lost through price gouging.

Remember a few years back when it came out Enron was artificially creating an energy shortage in order to justify charging higher premiums?

[FreakinDJ]

7. Grey Davis did and California Won Billions

except Aaarrnnold excepted $.006 on the dollar in the Award Settelment

Way to balance that budget Aarrnnold !!!!

[Captain Hilts]

8. Wow! Didn't know that!

[FreakinDJ]

10. Just like Pete Wilson told him too

There were plenty of rumors around Arnold meeting with Pete wilson, Ken Lay, and his advisors in a LA hotel prior to winning the governor's seat in California. His actions with the settlement pretty much confirmed it.

Arnold hasn't done any thing with Calif other then make us into a Big Joke - but Hey - he's got muscles - in the head!

His idea of Workman's Comp Reform - No such thing as "Back Pain" The insurance companies could not have gotten a sweeter deal