Public Transportation Crisis in Kaliforniya: Voters Called to Reject Tax Increase in Kasım

Public transportation systems in the San Francisco Körfez Bölgesi (Bay Area) of Kaliforniya, ABD, are on the brink of a deep financial crisis. Voters living in the five counties in the region will go to the polls in kasım to approve a regional sales tax increase. Officials warn the public that if this tax is not approved, major public transportation agencies such as BART and Muni will have to severely cut their services. It is stated that these service cuts will both extend travel times and further increase the cost of living for region residents. However, a strong opposition movement against the tax increase, which opposes the campaign launched in favor of public transportation, has also started to grow rapidly.

A new campaign launched by the Contra Costa Vergi Mükellefleri Derneği is encouraging voters to reject the proposal in kasım. This opposition group, named 'Uygun Fiyatlı Körfez Bölgesi Toplu Taşıma Komitesi', argues that alternative financing methods should be explored instead of constantly demanding tax increases. Tom Rubin, a member of the group's board of directors, believes that this crisis can be overcome by restructuring existing resources. Rubin emphasizes that instead of voters constantly approving additional taxes, the resources within the system itself must be used much more efficiently. The committee points out that respected public transportation agencies in the region already received more than six billion dollars in taxes, transit fares, and government subsidies in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

The opposition committee claims that public transportation agencies can cover their operational expenses by reallocating their current funds. In this context, they propose suspending funds allocated to massive capital projects such as the BART Silicon Valley İkinci Aşaması, Kaliforniya Yüksek Hızlı Treni, and Caltrain's San Francisco central expansion projects. The group argues that by stopping the expenditures on these mega projects, agencies can fully fund their daily operations in the short term. Additionally, they state that a much smaller and more reasonable public transportation tax proposal could be presented to the public for the 2028 elections. Rubin adds that these funds should be directed towards rational purposes, criticizing the spending of massive amounts of money on 'aimless and extremely foolish' mega projects rather than operating the current system.

On the other hand, supporters of the 'Connect Bay Area Act', which advocates for the sales tax increase, are reacting sharply to these proposals, saying that the opposition group's plan is impractical. Jeff Cretan, the campaign's spokesperson, describes the committee's arguments as 'inconsistent with reality.' Cretan states that a large portion of the money allocated for the mentioned large capital projects comes from federal or state sources, and these funds cannot be used for operational costs due to laws. Ethan Elkind, director of the climate program at the Kaliforniya Üniversitesi Berkeley Hukuk Fakültesi, looks at the issue independently and describes the committee's proposal as 'incredibly misleading.' Experts state that even the matching payments that are suggested to be transferred are subject to various legal restrictions, making the opposition group's plan unimplementable.

If the debated legislative proposal is approved, it is planned to provide approximately one billion dollars in revenue annually for 14 years to agencies such as BART, AC Transit, Muni, and Caltrain. Under the implementation, there will be a half-cent sales tax increase in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax increase in San Francisco. Public transportation agencies have repeatedly announced that they face massive budget deficits due to the drop in passengers and revenue during the pandemic, and that if this law does not pass, drastic decisions such as closing stations and shutting down lines will be made. In contrast, the opposition committee argues that agencies should review their internal spending; proposing lowering overtime pay, re-evaluating contracts with labor unions, and automating the BART system as saving methods.