San Francisco is asking voters to pay more for Muni. The question is whether the agency has earned another bailout. Weeks after Measure A approval, a $535 million Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond that includes $200 million to replace the seismically unsafe Potrero Bus Yard, the city is lining up two new operating tax measures for the November ballot. Before asking taxpayers to contribute more, San Francisco should show it can use the money it already has wisely.
Two measures now before voters would raise roughly $315 million annually and extend through the early 2040s. Mayor Lurie’s Stronger Muni for All parcel tax has won support from most supervisors, while the Connect Bay Area sales tax authorized by Senate Bill 63 would add a full percentage point in San Francisco. Residents are being asked to pay more now and keep paying for decades, even though Muni’s core problem is not a shortage of revenue.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s $307 million deficit is a problem of structure, cost, and performance. Better policy and management could close the gap without forcing taxpayers to absorb another long-term burden. This is not just a funding crisis. It is an efficiency crisis…