PROTEST MUNI FARE HIKES AND SERVICE CUTS PROTEST A REDUCTION IN PARKING FINE AND FEE INCREASES INSTEAD OF THE ELIMINATION OF MUNI FARE HIKES AND SERVICE CUTS SUPPORT CHRIS DALY'S RESOLUTION WHEN: Tuesday, May 24 WHAT TIME: 1:15 p.m. WHERE: Polk Street steps of City Hall WHO: The Coalition for Transit Justice and supporters FOLLOWED BY: Public testimony at the regular Board meeting at 2 p.m. in Room 250 to testify in support of Chris Daly's resolution to send the entire Municipal Transportation Agency budget back to the MTA Board of Directors. ______________________________________________________ BACKGROUND: Earlier in the year, the MTA (Executive Director Michael Burns) announced a $57.3 million shortfall for FY2005-2006. MTA staff presented five different scenarios to the Board of Directors, which oversees both Muni and the Department of Parking and Traffic. Scenario Two would have raised the necessary revenue through increases in parking fines and fees only, but instead of opting for Scenario Two -- even though we are a "transit-first" city according to our city charter -- the Board of Directors opted for Scenario 5 which increases fares, cuts service, and increases some parking fines and fees. The Board of Directors then sent its decision on to the Board of Supervisors for its up or down vote during its annual budget deliberations. On Tuesday, May 11, Board of Supervisors Budget Analyst Harvey Rose announced the discovery of about $9.2 million in the MTA budget. On May 12, parking fine and fee increases were considered by the Budget Committee of the Board of Supervisors. Even though no one knew about the discovery of the $9.2 million when the agenda was written for the Budget Committee, the MTA proposed using $4.6 million of the newly discovered revenues to reduce increases in parking fines and fees INSTEAD OF REDUCING OR ELIMINATING MUNI FARES OR RESTORING PLANNED SERVICE CUTS. A majority of the members of the Budget Committee voted to forward this proposal onto the full board where it will be considered on Tuesday. We will be giving public comment on Daly's resolution to send the entire MTA budget back to the MTA board. Please join us. Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour: http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html