KPFA reports on AC Transit Rally

Listen to Wendell Harper's report on KPFA by clicking here.

AC Transit directors are hearing testimony on a proposal to boost fares by a flat 25 cents for all single bus rides. The hike would make a ride on AC Transit one of the most expensive in the Bay Area. The cost of monthly youth passes would nearly double from $15 to $28 dollars, rides for seniors and people with disabilities would increase from $20 to $28.

About 100 people rallied ahead of an AC Transit meeting where the options are being considered and they urged other proposals. In fact, one state lawmaker is sponsoring a bill that could mean an increase in the vehicle license fee within all of the 9 Bay Area counties, as Wendell Harper reports.

Wendell Harper: Every interest group or coalition whether the issue is education, healthcare, general assistance or flat out welfare, the plea constantly made against other budget cuts rate hikes or fare increases. In this case, the board in question: AC Transit, unlike local state federal governments can’t raise taxes whether income sales or bridge tolls.

Mary King: AC Transit had for the last two ballot measures been put on for property taxes – those have passed. We’re looking again to try to do that again and to increase those. Those go on homeowners, the homeowner market is pretty tough right now, but we’re going to go back to that same market. The reality is that just keeps us up to the service were at now before the price of gas went up. People know what that’s doing to their ability to drive- the same thing happens to a bus. Hopefully, if we can get that money back from Sacramento, if we can get an increase in our property tax dollars, if we can figure out other forms of subsidies we could not make the cuts but that also requires us getting the public to pay a little bit more, unfortunately.

WH: Former Alameda County Supervisor Mary King is with the board and she was standing near the speakers in Frank Ogawa Plaza, many of whom King says have been working with the transit agency to hopefully ward off the cuts.

MK: They’re working us- Urban Habitat is working with us on a regular basis to try to increase the money that comes in for public transportation. They need to make their voices heard in this way. They need to express their anger. This is a perfectly American way to do business and I’m used to it.

WH: AC Transit representative King, fully apprised by concerns raised by opponents of the fare hike. Even hearing some current legislators, such as Supervisor John Gioia, Contra Costa County; Richmond City Councilmember Tony Thurmond, who are convinced the transit agency can survive its budget defecit without taking action at the expense of senior citizens, children and youth.

Tony Thurmond: If you look closely at what’s happening- this is all being driven by the governor’s draconian cuts in all the areas that are going to hurt us people and hurt the most vulnerable people- the people who depend on public transportation to get to work to take care of their families. Is this OK? No! Are we going to ask for better? Yeah! Are we ready for change? Yeah!

John Gioia: Our social services department was telling us that at the end of each month, parents were making choices of whether to spend money for lunch or for bus fare. We can’t have that!

WH: The Oakland City Council was not without its representative: Councilmember Jean Quan serving on the city council after a stint with the Oakland Board of Education.

Jean Quan: Loni Hancock here, my friend will tell you that most of the state cuts are aimed at the poor, the young people, the seniors in the city and that these cuts, too, is just another layer- the third layer- we’ve got federal cuts, we’ve got state cuts and now transportation cuts making it so difficult for young people to have equal opportunities and for older people just to survive and get along.

WH: While this move may not curtail the current cuts, matters could be adjusted if Assemblywoman Loni Hancock’s proposed bill passes through the state legislature.

Loni Hancock: AB 444 would put a $10 dollar vehicle license fee in the nine bay area counties that that could be used for congestion management including transit. We will work together to make sure that the right thing happens.

WH: AC Transit has proposed a flat 25 cent increase for all single rides. The cost of monthly passes for youth would nearly double from $15 to $28 and seniors and disabled people would see an increase from $20 to $28.

Lindsay Imai: The most dramatic that were most concerned about is the increase to youth and seniors. Right now, the monthly pass for youth is $15 dollars and a lot of youth depend on it- we estimate about 50,000 high school and middle school students use it every day and 30,000 of those are low-income. These are our most vulnerable populations and yet they are going to be impacted the most. Lindsay Imai of Urban Habitat and were part of the Transportation Justice Working Group.

WH: Back to board representative Mary King who says she’s in harmony with the concerns of those who say freeze the cuts. But King sees herself as one who makes the tough, critical choices when other will shy away. As a county supervisor Mary Kin introduced zero-based budgeting as opposed to across the board cuts or having a sacred cow for which to reserve or earmark funds.

MK: I hate to raise the kids fair- but if you don’t raise the kids fare, what do you do, raise the mother’s fare? These families are all distressed and I’d say Sacramento needs to return our money, Washington DC needs to give more money because we at the local level have nowhere to go. I understand the tough choices, as you know. The state has to make the choices, too- between health care, between the criminal justice system- I think way too much is going there. They need to take some out of the jails and put it in to transportation so kids can get to school.

But protesters still insist that cuts are not necessary- it is only because the state and feds won’t give the cities and counties their fair share of revenues.

Carmen Angel Andretti: The seniors, disabled, social security dependent and bus dependent people of Alameda County- we can’t afford a rate increase on the disability stickers from $20 to $28 dollars, nor can we afford to pay $20 dollars. And just because gas prices go up, doesn’t mean our income goes up. I think you should look towards other places for your subsidies and ask for state and federal government subsidies. The federal government should be doing something about these gas prices. It’s affecting the people who can’t afford it- the poor people and I figure that if gas is going up and the government isn’t doing anything about it, they should start doing something about it.

The fare increase is going to be costly. Does this mean that every time the gas prices go up, the fares are going to go up?

Transcribed by Marc Caswell, Urban Habitat staff