Remember the mock funerals for Bay Area transit agencies earlier this month? Well, with a new state budget agreement, BART and Muni may hang on to life after all.
The agreement, released Sunday night, would strike Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed cuts to capital transit projects — which would have reduced the state’s Transportation Infrastructure Package by $2 billion. The agreement would also provide $1.1 billion to transit agencies.
But Annie Fryman, Director of Special Projects at the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, said it’s not enough.
“On its own, this state money will still result in really significant service cuts for Bay Area commuters,” Fryman said.
Fryman said the agreement would cover one-third to one-half of the required funding.
In a statement, State Senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, called the agreement a “very meaningful step in tackling the fiscal cliff,” but agreed that agencies need even more funding.
The new budget agreement still needs Governor Newsom’s signature by July 1 to become final. In the meantime, lawmakers will work to pass a budget bill by this Thursday, June 15.
