Join San Francisco Transit Riders for a panel discussion and Q&A with transit and climate leaders from across the city! In honor of Membership Month and SF Climate Week, SFTR is hosting a panel discussion on the importance of public transit in addressing San Francisco's climate goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and stopping climate change. We will ask panelists about the changes necessary to move towards a greener future in the transportation sector, and some of the challenges that stand in our way. At the end we will dedicate some time to an audience Q&A.

Panelists include:

• Amanda Eaken, Chair of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors
• Jason Henderson, Professor in the department of Geography & Environment at San Francisco State University and author of Street Fight: The Politics of Mobility in San Francisco
• Tom Radulovich, Policy & Planning for Livable City, and a former elected director of the Bay Area Rapid Transit District from 1996 to 2016
• John Anderson, 350 San Francisco Coordinating Committee member

Event tickets start at $5. Supercharge your donation at checkout to also get access to our post-event happy hour and mixer! A ticket also grants you an SFTR membership for the full year, so you can come to more panels and transit-oriented events all year long! 

Face masks are encouraged.

Join us, along with Dean Preston and other transit advocates, on April 18th at 12pm to rally for transit funding!

Bay Area transportation agencies are in a dire situation and need state support and need ongoing and reliable funding from the state to support Bay Area transit systems to serve the millions of Californians that rely on public transit everyday.

Based on current ridership, service levels, and cost trends, Bay Area operators forecast annual budget shortfalls in the tens of millions of dollars in FY 2023-24, growing to hundreds of millions of dollars beginning in FY 2024-25 and thereafter.

• SFMTA is predicted to face a $130 million budget deficit by FY 2024-2025

• Golden Gate Transit will possibly face a $423 million budget deficit over five years and ridership is still 45% of pre-pandemic levels

• BART predicts operating deficits to rise over the following five years with a $238 million increase from fiscal year 2023 to 2024

Funding gaps of this enormity could lead to significant cuts in the already limited service levels and could cut off access to critical destinations for those who rely on it most.

In January 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which included a $2 billion cut to the Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program and no funding for transit operations.

If the Governor and the State legislature want to truly prioritize equity, the environment, and supporting San Francisco’s economic recovery, then they should prioritize local transit agencies with enough funding to ensure that there are no cuts to service but also enough funding to support increased service to draw riders back to public transit.

Please consider attending the rally on April 18 at 12 pm (Polk Street steps at City Hall) and signing the petition to demand the Governor includes significant public transit funding in the May revision to the budget by May 14, 2023, and the Assembly and the Senate to their own revised versions by June 2023.

We need your help! Come support Earth Day, transit, and more on April 22. 

John- Become a member today! Your membership provides access to member benefits, special access to events, opportunities to inform our priorities, and to help us lead the fight for Muni funding!