"This measure would hinder the city's comeback by making rides more expensive and hurting drivers," said CJ Macklin, director of communications at Lyft. "This would be particularly devastating for low-income communities who struggle to even access the Muni system and depend on ride-share to get around. It's the wrong move for San Francisco."
The state's Transit Transformation Task Force recently met for the final time. The two-year TTTF process was charged with producing recommendations - for the legislature and governor - on developing policy reforms aimed at growing transit ridership, improving the rider experience, and addressing long-term operational and funding challenges. The Task Force was mandated by legislation passed by the Legislature and signed into law in 2023.
It should have been a slam dunk for the governor to sign Senate Bill 720, Automated traffic enforcement system programs, but supporters were worried that the perceived unpopularity of red light cameras would sink the legislation. Once word trickled out that it was signed, the celebration began. "What started as an idea three years ago - why don't we reform CA's failed red light camera law so it can be used only for safety - is now official!"
Toll and fare evasion cost the MTA an estimated $1 billion in 2024, though the agency and partners are now reversing the upward trend, according to a report published Thursday by a financial civic group in NYC. Despite the astounding financial loss, the Citizens Budget Committee's (CBC) report, No Fare: The Costs of MTA Fare and Toll Evasion, found that the MTA is starting to stem evasion with the help of the NYPD and state officials.
Zarutska was fatally stabbed by a fellow passenger who sat behind her in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack. Police have since arrested DeCarlos Brown Jr., who reportedly had a history of violent crime and whose mother said he had began acting "aggressive at home" following a recent schizophrenia diagnosis. (Experts emphasize that the vast majority of people with schizophrenia never commit violence, and are in fact 14 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than its perpetrators.)
The loan included in a budget deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature earlier this summer was designed as a bridge to keep BART, San Francisco's Muni, AC Transit in the East Bay and Caltrain on the Peninsula afloat through 2026. The hope was that by then, lawmakers could persuade voters to back a long-term funding source, likely through a regional sales tax measure.
