This week the state legislature is holding the last two key hearings on transportation funding before the “May Revise” of the governor’s budget proposal.
At last week’s budget hearing, there were over 30 public comments supporting funding to prevent transit service cuts and help regrow ridership. Read on for opportunities to take action this week.
Tuesday 3/14 – opportunity to use massive highway funding increase to help prevent transit cuts
On Tuesday 3/14 at 1:30pm the Joint Senate Transportation and Senate Budget Subcommittee on Transportation will hold a hearing about making the most of federal transportation infrastructure funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA. This funding source provides a nearly 20% increase in highway transit funds. Given the crisis in public transportation, this funding could provide an opportunity to help prevent transit service cuts.
There will be an opportunity to dial in and make a 1-minute comments at the end of the meeting, typically about 2-3 hours from the start time. Dial-in Information: Phone Number: 877-226-8163 Access Code: 7362834
Sign up here and you will get a text or email when it is time to comment.
– Example comment: “Thank you for considering the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding which provides nearly a 20% increase in highway maintenance funds. As you may have heard, there’s a fiscal cliff creating the risk of major transit service cuts. Please consider opportunities to flex this increased funding to transit, as encouraged by President Biden’s recently released budget. We must help regrow ridership from impacts of COVID. We can achieve this and still come out ahead in repairing roads.”
The agenda is here Hearing information and livestream link is available at https://sbud.senate.ca.gov/, (The first section under Joint Hearing – Transportation Committee and Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety, the Judiciary, Labor and Transportation)
Wednesday 3/15 9:30a Assembly Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 Hearing on Transportation
This hearing will consider transportation budget issues including the fiscal cliff facing public transportation.
There will be an opportunity to dial in and make a 1-minute comments at the end of the meeting, typically about 2-3 hours from the start time. Dial-in information: 877-692-8957 / Access Code: 131 54 47
Sign up here and you will get a text or email when it is time to comment.
– Key talking points you can speak to include (full talking points here):
how Governor Newsom’s budget worsens the impending budget shortfalls transit operators are facinghow service cuts would undermine the state’s ability to meet ambitious climate goals as transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissionsthe necessity of public transit for much of California residents’ commutes, especially for those earning less than $35,000how public transit supports good-paying jobs for thousands of California workersthat the status quo of transit funding was not good enough to support climate, equity, and mobility goals pre-pandemic — we have the opportunity to restrategize the structure of our transit systems by pairing short-term operations funding with strategic investments in things like public safety, workforce development and retention, transit priority for more reliable service to help rebuild ridership.
– The agenda can be found here
– Hearing and livestream information is available at https://abgt.assembly.ca.gov/hearings#toggle (Scroll to Wednesday 3/15, Budget Subcommittee No. 3 On Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, And Transportation. Click on “Watch” or “Listen” to listen to the hearing.)
– You can also send a written comment prior to the hearing to BudgetSub3@asm.ca.gov
In the post World War 2 highway era, the Bay Area dismantled the Key System street cars, and transit in the region has never been the same. We can’t afford to lose public transit again. Please sign up to comment if you can.
Friends of Caltrain and Transbay Coalition are part of a large statewide coalition seeking funding in the state budget to prevent service cuts and help regrow transit ridership.And if you would like to volunteer for the Survive and Thrive campaign to help organize support, please sign up here.