Welcome back to our weekly โMeet the Candidatesโ series, where District 2 supervisor candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer.ย
Muni is facing a $307 million deficit, and if it doesnโt get filled, the agency may soon have to make large cuts to service. Over a dozen bus lines could be cut and regular service could end at 9 p.m, instead of around midnight.
The deficit is spurred by the expiration of COVID-era emergency federal funding, and a slow recovery in ridership since the pandemic. City Hall officials are proposing a $183 million parcel tax for Novemberโs ballot to help patch Muniโs budget and prevent service cuts.
The two candidates have differed in their approach to transit.
Stephen Sherrill has emphasized the importance of Muni. A โfully-functioning Muni,โ he said in a Feb. 3 debate, is โso importantโ because it means fewer cars on the road. In this week’s response, Sherrill said he supports the measure.ย
Lori Brooke has been more circumspect. She said the city should not prioritize any โsingle modeโ of transportation and that the โtransit ideologyโ of Muni has caused problems with traffic and parking for cars. (Both Brooke and Sherrill support bringing cars back to Market Street.) Brooke did not answer this weekโs question directly, but spoke about Muniโs โwasted fundsโ and said a parcel tax would not โsolve all of our problems.โ
Under the proposed tax, homeowners would pay an additional $129 a year (more if their home is over 3,000 square feet). Owners of apartment buildings would start at $249 a year and commercial landlords would start at $799 a year โ both would pay more if their buildings are larger than 5,000 square feet.
The most a commercial landlord would pay is $400,000 a year, versus a cap of $50,000 for apartment building owners. Apartment landlords would be allowed to pass up $65 a year onto tenants.
The parcel tax is one of two proposed taxes on Novemberโs ballot that seek to stabilize Muni. The other, a sales tax that will affect several Bay Area counties, would fund other local transit systems such as BART and Caltrain in addition to Muni.
This weekโs question: There are currently plans to put a parcel tax on November’s ballot to address Muni’s deficit. Do you support the tax? Why or why not?
Mission Local color codes the answers to yes/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate dodged the question.
Stephen Sherrill
- Job: Appointed District 2 Supervisor
- Age: 39
- Residency: Homeowner, has lived in District 2 since 2015
- Transportation: Driving, public transportation, biking
- Education: Bachelorโs degree from Yale University
- Languages: English
I support the Muni parcel tax because robust, reliable transit is essential to San Franciscoโs everyday needs and long-term success.
This isnโt a nice-to-have โ this is about preventing deep, deep cuts that would hurt working families, seniors, small businesses, kids getting to school, and our downtown economy. Healthy Muni benefits everyone โ riders, drivers, everyone. Every rider is one less car on the street or competitor for a parking spot. Itโs good for the economy, for the environment, and for the future of San Francisco.
Endorsed by: Mayor Daniel Lurie, GrowSF, Nor Cal Carpenters Union, San Francisco Police Officers Association … read more here
Lori Brooke
- Job: President Cow Hollow Association
- Age: 62
- Residency: Homeowner, moved to the district 31 years ago
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
- Languages: English
A lot of residents are concerned that SFMTA has wasted funds on many high salaried positions and unpopular projects, instead of investing in drivers and strengthening transit lines.
Residents do not want to have their taxes increased because they have lost trust in how funds are being spent. I also do not think a parcel tax will solve all of our problems. We need to take a serious look at how this money is being spent and make cuts that do not affect the riders.
We must continue to fund and improve transit while ensuring fiscal responsibility.
See Brooke’s full response here.
Endorsed by: Former District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, former State Senator and Supervisor Quentin Kopp, AFT 2121, Local 38 (#2) … read more here.