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VICTORY:
Bikes for the People!
On
February 25th, POWER, PODER,
CCDC, the SF Bicycle
Coalition and our
allies moved the SF Board of
Supervisors to unanimously
pass the "Unclaimed Bicycle
Ordinance." Watch
POWER in the news.
Introduced
by Supervisor John Avalos, the
ordinance changes the SF
Police Code to allow community
organizations to repair &
distribute unclaimed bicycles
to low-income youth and
families across the city.
Over the last year, community
bike builds have distributed
over 800 bicycles and
conducted bicycle safety
trainings in the Bayview,
Mission, & Excelsior.
Thank you to the American
Heart Association: Voices for
Healthy Kids and SF Heal Zone
for supporting this critical
program!
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Last
week, the San Francisco
Mayor’s Office announced that
Google is donating 6.8 million
dollars for the next two years
to the SF MTA, specifically to
fund the Free
Muni for Youth program
providing free Muni passes to
low- and moderate-income
youth.
This
was not a gift, but as Causa
Justa Director Maria Poblet
put it, "a way overdue
reimbursement to working class
San Francisco, won by POWER
and allies at the grassroots,
and by the city-wide movement
against displacement."
Despite
the donation from Google,
there is no commitment yet
from the MTA about the future
of Free Muni for Youth after
the Google donation runs out.
Our
community coalition responded
by applauding Google for this
first step towards supporting
low-income communities in San
Francisco, but also
calling on Google and all
tech companies to do more
to support community driven
solutions to the
displacement crisis
including better tenant
protections. Watch
POWER in the news.
Today,
on the heals of this news, we
are mobilizing to the MTA
Budget Hearing to call
on the MTA Board
to 1) ensure that the Free
Muni for Youth will become a
permanent program; 2) expand
the program to include 18
years; and 3) stand with
seniors and people with
disabilities who are also in
need of free Muni.
Join
us today - Tuesday, March
4th!
MTA
Hearing
4pm
SF
City Hall, room 400
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Can't come in person? Send
a message to the MTA Board
by signing our petition
here.
Today,
we need to send a strong
message to the city that Free
Muni for Youth must be made
permanent so that it continues
regardless of corporate
donations or future budget
cycles. The MTA has also not
yet decided whether to expand
the program to include 18 year
olds, seniors and people with
disabilities.
With
the new funds from Google we
have a great opening to push
the MTA to expand the program.
Let's
make it happen!!!
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