CALPIRG Blog

A new Field Poll released today found that 67% of Californians oppose budget cuts to public transit funding.

Now the Legislature and the Governor need to listen. In his May Revise to the budget, the Governor proposed funding the State Transit Assistance program at a measly $306 million, diverting $1.424 billion from public transit agencies, even though public transit is seeing record ridership as a result of high gas prices. The cuts include all of the spillover, a fund for public transit that increases as gas prices rise faster than inflation. Last year the legislature wrote into the budget act that public transit agencies would get 50% of the spillover in each successive budget year.  The governor’s proposal is a significant step backwards from even the compromise approved last year, when the legislature balanced the budget by cutting $1.26 billion from public transit but promised more funding in the future. 

Two weeks ago the Assembly Budget subcommittee voted to reinstate about $318 million to the State Transit Assistance program, for a total of $623.7 million for State Transit Assistance (used for transit operations). Last week the Senate Budget subcommittee voted to approve $494 million for State Transit Assistance and another $129 million to fund capitol projects that are ready, for a total of $623 million. So, same amount of funding, but different ways of spending the money.

We appreciate that the Legislature is offering more funding for public transit than the Governor's office, however, the proposed level of state funding is no where near what California's public transit needs, especially when gas is over $4 a gallon. CALPIRG is urging the legislature to recognize the consumer and environmental benefits of public transit adopt even higher levels of funding in the state budget. 

Read CALPIRG's report on the consumer and environmental benefits of California's public transit: A Better Way to Go.