Mayor Daniel Lurie told the supes today about his plans to keep Muni solvent. Hint: He doesn’t have one.
During Question Time, Sup. Myrna Melgar noted that a functioning transit system is essential for San Francisco, and that the city can’t recover without one. “We rely on Muni,” she said. “It keeps the economy going.”
Melgar said that about a third of San Francisco residents don’t own a car, and as long as they can get around on the bus, “it reduces citywide congestion.” She asked Lurie: “Will you ensure that we can weather the next couple of years without service cuts?”
Lurie also talked about how important Muni is to San Francisco, but to the extent he gave an answer to Melgar’s question, it wasn’t a promise to avoid service cuts. “Nobody wants to see service cuts,” he said, “but I realize that this is what Muni may have to do.”
Melgar persisted: “What ideas do you have for funding sources?”
Lurie: “I was in Sacramento advocating for state funds.” That’s unlikely to happen since the state also has a huge budget deficit, that’s going to get worse as Trump cuts off more money to California.
Lurie said that in 2026, it’s likely voters will be asked to approve both local and regional revenue measures—and if past patterns continue, that will be predominantly sales taxes, the most regressive form of taxation on the table.
How about taxing the Google buses, or going back after Uber and Lyft or the robotaxis? Uber’s stated mission is to destroy public transit; maybe that giant company should be forced to help keep the buses running.
Didn’t hear any of that from Mayor Lurie.
