If you didn't get a chance to last week, you still have time to contact your District Supervisor, and urge them to vote NO on Supervisor Safai and, co-sponsor, Supervisor Peskin's a charter amendment which would require explicit, written mayoral approval of any SFMTA budget that:

• Changes Muni fares (upwards or downwards)
• Increases the hours in which parking meter fees are collected
• Increases the maximum meter fee that can be collected

This action is especially important for those of you living in Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11. These Supervisors need to hear from constituents like you to understand why this amendment poses a dangerous threat to SFMTA funding, and riders like you. Click the link below to customize an email to your Supervisor. 

Why does this matter?

The proposed amendment asserts that the mayor must explicitly approve any SFMTA budget that includes changes to transit fares, increases in meter hours, or increases the maximum meter fee. As proposed, the amendment may increase the Mayor’s accountability when it comes to increased fees, but the proposed amendment will fail to hold anyone accountable for the service cuts that will be a direct result of insufficient funding in the absence of fee increases. By silently withholding approval, the mayor could single-handedly put the SFMTA in a position where service cuts are the only option to balance the budget. This creates a situation where, by the mayor doing nothing, thousands of Muni riders are left waiting at the curb. Notably, the amendment requires the mayor to approve any change in transit fares–up or down–but does not require any approval for decreases in parking fees. 

The amendment also interferes with SFMTA's direct control over revenue options to fund the transit service that hundreds of thousands of people rely on every day. By continuing to isolate the SFMTA from political influence, the agency is empowered to make the hard choices that are necessary for our city’s transportation system. Ask the Board of Supervisors to vote no on this proposed charter amendment, not place this amendment on the ballot.