APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER REBECCA KAPLAN, COUNCILMEMBER
CARROLL FIFE, COUNCIL PRESIDENT NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS &
COUNCILMEMBER DAN KALB
RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR AND STATE LEGISLATURE
TO PROVIDE OPERATIONS FUNDING TO HELP OAKLAND’S
TRANSIT SYSTEMS SURVIVE AS THEY RECOVER FROM THE
PANDEMIC
WHEREAS, based on current ridership, service levels, and cost trends, Bay Area transit operators forecast annual budget shortfalls in the tens of millions of dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024, growing to almost four hundred million dollars beginning in FY 2024-2025 and growing to over seven hundred millions of dollars in the subsequent years1; and WHEREAS, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) is facing a $47 million budget deficit by FY 2024-25; and
WHEREAS, over five years, AC Transit’s cumulative budget shortfall will total $146 million; and
WHEREAS, AC Transit will have to make ruinous service cuts if the budget shortfall is not addressed; and
WHEREAS, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is facing large operating deficits starting in FY 24-25 ranging from $140 million -$300 million2; and
1 Fermoso, J. (2023) Oakland stands to lose if Bart, AC Transit collapse due to budget crisis, The Oaklandside. Available at:
https://oaklandside.org/2023/06/05/oakland-stands-to-lose-if-bart-ac-transit-collapse-due-to-budget-crisis/. 2 Financial crisis: We can’t afford to lose transit (no date) Bay Area Rapid Transit. Available at:
https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis.
2 WHEREAS, if new funding is not secured, BART is facing devastating cuts that will have serious impacts on the quality of life in the Bay Area, including potentially eliminating early morning, late evening, and most weekend service3; and
WHEREAS, people of color, students, seniors, and low-income people are the primary users of public transportation, and tens of thousands of Oaklanders would be impacted by massive transit service cuts4; and
WHEREAS, transit ridership has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels which poses challenges for transit agencies primarily funded by fares like BART5; and
WHEREAS, the State of California provides a smaller portion of AC Transit and BART’s operations budget than other states do for similar large transit systems in their state6; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s current proposal would lead to massive service cuts for BART and AC Transit7; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s current proposal would disadvantage Oakland’s and the Bay Area’s transit agencies as the funding distribution would be based on a region’s formula rather than a region’s transit ridership or lost transit revenue, which are much better proxies for how the state should distribute funding to avoid service cuts that would most severely impact transit- dependent riders in Oakland, the Bay Area and beyond8; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s current proposal would not allocate any additional funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to avoid massive transit service cuts, despite the State itself acknowledging that transit ridership needs to double in order to meet the State’s climate targets9; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s current proposal would not allow excess one-time Federal Highway funds to be spent on transit operations to avoid massive service cuts, despite President Biden urging states to do so in his recent budget memo10; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: that Oakland City Council urges the Governor and State Legislature to provide the funding that would avoid massive service cuts to Oakland’s and the Bay Area’s transit agencies; and be it
3 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). (2023, May 26). Statement on Bart finances from Board president and GM. Bay Area Rapid Transit. https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230526-0 4 Transportation Access: Boosting Upward Mobility (Urban Institute). Transportation Access | Boosting Upward Mobility (Urban Institute). (2021, December 28). Available at: https://upward-mobility.urban.org/transportation-access%20%5C 5 Kamal, S. (2023) Why California public transit is at a pivotal moment, CalMatters. Available at:
https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2023/04/public-transit-california/. 6 Tolkoff, L. (2023) It’s time for California to step up for public transit: Here’s how to help, SPUR. Available at:
https://www.spur.org/news/2023-05-09/its-time-california-step-public-transit-heres-how-help. 7 2023-24 May Revision to the Governor’s Budget (2023) 2023-24 May Revision. Available at:
https://ebudget.ca.gov/budget/2023-24MR/#/Home.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
3 FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council urges the Governor and State Legislature to ensure that funding is distributed based on the needs of transit agencies to avoid massive service cuts, rather than simply based on population; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council urges the Governor and State Legislature to ensure that transit operations are prioritized in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to avoid massive transit service cuts; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council urges the Governor and the State Legislature to ensure that excess one-time Federal Highway funds are spent on transit operations to avoid massive transit service cuts; and
FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City Council believes closing transit funding gaps is necessary to aid our post-pandemic recovery, equitably serve Bay Area residents and visitors, and further our ambitious climate goals; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: the City Council directs Oakland’s lobbyist to submit a copy of this Resolution to State Senator and Budget Chair Nancy Skinner, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, and Governor Gavin Newsom.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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