The real story behind Muni's budget deficit - 48 hills

"Despite some idealistic intentions, that framework is in fact what put Muni in the financial hole in the first place. Working from a scarcity mindset, namely trying to preserve an already pilfered service, is a losing battle. To guarantee the service that citizens and workers expect from a city like San Francisco requires a committed vision of the future, one that centers Muni as the public good that it is."

"Muni, the nickname for the San Francisco Municipal Railway, was the first publicly owned and operated transit agency in the country. Dubbed 'The People's Railway' on opening day December 28, 1912, it was a stark change from the city's earlier iterations of mass transit, which were privately owned, for-profit horse-drawn carriages."

"The 1906 earthquake left the city, and by extension the transit system, shattered. That, in conjunction with corporate consolidation (by 1902 United Railroads acquired ten transit companies) fostered unrest. And violent labor strikes in 1907 eventually resulted in San Francisco voters approving a bond for city-owned transit in December 1909."

San Francisco's Muni transit system confronts a $307 million budget deficit expected to grow in coming years. Current public and political debate focuses on cutting costs to maintain existing service levels, but this scarcity mindset created the financial crisis. Guaranteeing expected service requires committed vision centering Muni as a public good. Mayor Lurie promotes private alternatives that undermine public transit. Muni, established in 1912 as the nation's first publicly owned transit agency, emerged from the 1906 earthquake's devastation and labor unrest. By the 1940s, Muni dominated city transportation. After acquiring United Railroads Company post-WWII, the city adopted a 1973 Transit First resolution prioritizing transit vehicles over private cars.

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