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Southern California Transit Advocates is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and improvement of public transportation in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

SO.CA.TA opposes Governor's proposal to eliminate public transit operations funding

Letter sent to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding his budget proposal eliminating the State Transit Assistance fund. Similar letters were sent to the leadership of both parties in the Assembly and Senate.


Southern California Transit Advocates strongly objects to your proposal to curtail payments from the State Transit Assistance Fund (STA) for the remainder of this fiscal year, and to eliminate the STA completely in the next fiscal year.

While we recognize that California has a severe budget problem, raiding the only source of state funding that transit operators are legally able to use to operate service will do little more than transfer the state's economic burdens to that portion of the state's residents who are least able to afford it.

Given that virtually all of the state's transportation funding other than the STA - and every penny of the federal government's funding - is restricted from use for operations, every agency uses its STA funds to subsidize the difference between fares paid and the cost of providing this necessary public service. The vast majority of those who use transit have no other options for travel to work, school, or medical appointments. They are, quite literally, transit-dependent.

If the STA subsidy is removed, the state's public transit agencies will be forced either to drastically reduce service, increase fares, or both. Service reductions, in many cases, will remove service from lesser-traveled corridors and potentially cut the transit-dependent off from access to service. Increasing fares, though, has a wider-ranging ripple effect.

It is generally recognized that the transit-dependent, in large part, make up low-income households. These households, out of necessity, must budget a portion of their meager incomes for the necessity of paying transit fares, else they would be unable to travel to jobs and have an income at all. Raising fares requires these households to budget more for their transportation, which results in a lesser amount being available for other purchases. This, in turn, results in a weaker retail (and by extension, wholesale) economy, which has an impact across the entire state in areas not otherwise related to public transportation. The state's economy is driven by transportation, and public transit is a critically important component of same.

In short, Mr. Governor, your proposal will result in an economic downturn which could potentially be many times greater than the $306 million that you propose to remove from the state's budget by eliminating the STA.

We do not believe the state's budget should be balanced on the backs of low-income households, yet that is precisely what you are proposing here. We also do not believe the state's budget problems should result in an economic downturn affecting the entire state economy.

We therefore urge you, in the best interest of all Californians, to withdraw your proposal as regards the STA.