Prop. P

Okay, this one is a no-brainer to me, but I’d like to open it up, if anyone feels like talking about it.

Proposition P will be on the ballot (along with 21 other measures) next week (or now, for those of you who are voting early). It proposes changing the rules and responsibilities of the S.F. Transportation Authority Board.

However, look closely and you’ll see that the proposition’s main supporter is Mayor Gavin Newsom, who of course appoints the head of Muni. The Transportation Authority Board comprises the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors, on the other hand, and basically oversees the funding of Muni.

So the mayor wants to roll authority under his umbrella of influence? Nice try, governor mayor.

Furthermore, Newsom argues that there is overlap in administrative duties between Muni and the CTA, a funding agency subject to stringent rules from the state government on finance and ethics. If this is true, then eliminating the overlap, after careful consideration into the issue, is called for. Folding one agency into another won’t make anything run more efficiently, and voters should not be led to believe that this will make Muni run on time, or make NextMuni work better.

Public transit in San Francisco will improve when those in power agree that Muni is a priority and deserves more attention (funding, namely) than it has been getting. But a vote for P will not accomplish that goal.

Muni Diaries votes No on P.

For more on Prop. P:

Beyond Chron

N Judah Chronicles

SF Gate