Reminder: SFMTA Board Vote on Two-Year Budget Tomorrow

Flickr photo: eviloars

It may not be at the most convenient hour to make a trip to City Hall, but tomorrow’s SFMTA Board meeting at 2 p.m. could be the last chance to speak up before Muni service cuts are extended for the next two years.

The board, which is appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, is set to vote on a two-year budget that, if passed, would continue 10 percent Muni service cuts through fiscal year 2011, with a plan to restore half that service in fiscal year 2012.

Cuts are already slated to begin on May 8 as part of a measure to balance the budget through the end of the current fiscal year, June 30. The SFMTA still has a deficit of as much as $19 million to fill by then.

But transit advocates hope those cuts won’t be continued into the next two years.

Members from various community groups will be out in force at the meeting, including a coalition that includes the Chinese Progressive Association, Chinatown Community Development Center, Community Tenants Association, and People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER). According to a press advisory, they’ll call on the SFMTA Board to “take service cuts off the table, and balance the budget by cutting SFPD work orders and instituting progressive revenue measures.”

If you’re planning to drop in to the meeting quickly to comment, you can follow the San Francisco Transit Riders Union Twitter feed, which will provide updates on when you can comment. Streetsblog will also be Tweeting major developments. 

If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can send an email to the Mayor at gavin.newsom@sfgov.org and the SFMTA Board at mtaboard@sfmta.com.

SFMTA Board meeting with possible vote on FY11-12 budget, Tuesday,
April 20, 2 p.m., in City Hall Room 400. The budget is item 11 on the agenda.