Bay Area Advocates Rally to Stop State Giveaway to Oil Companies
SFMTA has received $600 million over the past ten years from the state’s cap-and-trade program—now rebranded “cap-and-invest”. “These funds have gone to crucial efforts like replacing our light rail vehicles and improving transit service through our Muni Forward program (the 38 Rapid Geary bus is an example),” explained SFMTA’s Michael Roccaforte.
That’s part of why some 100 transit, clean air, and affordable housing advocates held a rally at San Francisco’s Civic Center Wednesday afternoon to demand that Governor Newsom quash an effort by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to allocate as much as $4 billion in new free emission permits to Chevron and other corporate greenhouse gas emitters. This would cut funds to Muni and other transit operators, plus defund several affordable housing programs.
“It’s terrible that we have to be here today,” said the Transbay Coalition’s Carter Lavin, who helped organize the rally. “CARB said: ‘You know who really needs help right now? Chevron and big polluters,” he told the crowd. “The state should be doubling down on affordable housing and transit.”
“CARB is proposing something that supports our biggest polluters at the expense of public transit riders,” said the San Francisco Transit Riders Dylan Fabris, who also addressed the crowd. “I don’t love having to come here every year to tell the governor to stop divesting in public transit.”
The argument for the free pollution credits: to reduce the price of gasoline. But, of course, the way to reduce demand for gasoline is to give people alternatives, such as quality public transit.
Advocates expressed frustration that this is coming on the heels of the announcement that they had massively exceeded signature gathering requirements to qualify a regional funding measure for transit. It’s as if the state saw that as an opportunity to grab transit funds and divert it to gas and oil interests.
After a few speeches, the crowd walked from Civic Center Plaza to the steps of the state office building. There, they took out their cell phones and called Governor Newsom’s office and demanded he intervene to stop the proposal, which will be discussed at CARB’s regular board meeting on Thursday and Friday.
Some callers reported that they “couldn’t get through,” suggesting they had overwhelmed the governor’s phone exchange. Organizers recommended they call again later from their homes and offices. Not long afterwards, officers with the California Highway Patrol, tasked with guarding the state office building, informed the demonstrators that their San Francisco demonstration permit did not apply to the state building’s stairs. The group moved back to the civic center, which is San Francisco territory, apparently.
“Without Cap-and-Invest funding for these vital programs, California will not hit our climate goals, we will not build the affordable housing we need, and our transit systems will languish,” said Zack Deutsch-Gross, Executive Director at Transform. “CARB’s decision to push through this last-minute change is not only a major setback for climate and affordability, but undermines the agreement made by the Governor and Legislature to reauthorize Cap and Invest last year.”
“The Governor’s Air Resources Board is about to allow California’s refineries to ramp up emissions and pollution in working-class communities. Forget ‘cap’ or ‘invest’–CARB is forgoing both as they zero out investments in our people. We know what this rule change represents: a massive giveaway to the oil industry, rushed in at the last minute,” said Megan Zapanta with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network.
The rally was organized by the Transbay Coalition, Seamless Bay Area, TransForm, San Francisco Transit Riders, and several other aligned groups.
If you don’t think CARB should be cutting breaks for Chevron and other polluters on the backs of transit riders, send an email and/or call into the hearing.
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