Sophie's Choice: Despite John Avalos' Tenacity and Political Theatrics, MTA Budget Can't Be Budged Without Swing Supe Maxwell

Joe Eskenazi

Supervisor John Avalos (foreground) and MTA CEO Nat Ford eloquently and cordially talk past one another at today's surprise meeting

Every lawyer dreams of a Perry Mason finish to the case. But, in the non-televised world of law and order, very rarely does a witness break down on the stand and bellow, "All right! I did it! I did it and I'm proud!"

Along those lines, Supervisor John Avalos probably wasn't expecting Muni boss Nat Ford to accept the District 11 supe's proposed revenue measures and service restorations to the Muni budget on bended knee when Avalos led 30-odd transit activists on an impromptu march from the City Hall steps to MTA headquarters on Van Ness and Market. But surely Avalos was hoping for more than he got -- Ford noting he felt tomorrow's Board of Supervisors' meeting was not the time to discuss Avalos' plans to inject roughly $15 million in parking revenue into Muni's budget while staving off service cuts, and a promise from the Municipal Transportation Authority CEO that he'd merely stay in touch. For, you know, the right time to talk about Avalos' plans. Whenever he feels that is.

Avalos frustratedly walked out of an MTA conference room in the exact same position as when he walked in: He's still desperately trying to find a pony buried in the mounds of horse excrement that is the MTA budget and he hasn't gotten any assurance from Supervisor Sophie Maxwell -- the critical swing vote -- that she'll back him up when he proposes tomorrow to vote down that $766 million budget. Without Maxwell, it doesn't figure he'll get any help from Board President David Chiu, who has been excoriated in progressive circles for the "compromise" budget he brokered last week; Chiu and Maxwell are like Love and Marriage in this deal -- you can't have one without the other. 

"No, I'm not satisfied, but we have another day to work on it," said Avalos as he left MTA headquarters. Regarding Ford's repeated request to wait for a month or so down the road to let the state's nightmarish fiscal picture clear up before tweaking with the MTA budget, Avalos wasn't buying it. The city's budget has to be submitted by June and, he says, without the deadline pressure from the Supes, he fears Ford will "make the easier decision," agree to service cuts and rate hikes as a fait acompli, and "leave revenue on the table."  

In a nutshell, here's the backstory: After Muni submitted a budget that raised fares, hacked service, and did little to stave off the "work orders" other departments use to pillage Muni funds, Chiu last month set in motion a legislative process that would allow the Supes to vote, yes or no, on the MTA budget. Last week, in an 11th-hour compromise, Chiu brokered a mildly altered compromise budget that his progressive colleagues felt was only a drop in the bucket when it came to alleviating the aforementioned woes. Chiu's colleagues resurrected the issue and, today, threw a rally on the City Hall steps prior to tomorrow's vote at the Supes meeting. Avalos told SF Weekly that his call for a march on Ford's office was an impromptu decision: "I told him I'd be talking to him. I didn't tell him I'd do it this way."

Avalos -- a former union organizer -- give a hell of a rally speech and certainly delighted his base with the (literal) call for action. But the comments from him and his fellow supes made it clear that the two additional votes he needs to force Ford and MTA's hand haven't materialized. Supervisor David Campos urged those present at the rally to call or e-mail their supervisor; not the thing you'd do if, as last week, the progressives felt they had the seven votes in hand. During the walk over to MTA headquarters, Avalos confirmed that Maxwell had only gone so far as to say she "liked" some of his revenue-generating concepts -- parking enforcement in central city areas until 10 p.m. and on Sundays, for one -- but wasn't sold on using the $15 million generated toward keeping fares low and bus lines intact (Avalos did confirm, however, that if Maxwell hops on board his bus, Chiu said he would, too. Chiu didn't return our call).

Joe Eskenazi

John Avalos informs a security guard in the lobby that he's here to see Mr. Ford

Maxwell told SF Weekly much the same thing earlier today: She's inclined to agree on increased parking enforcement and charging more at city garages and the like, but would not -- would not -- in any way commit to overriding MTA's budget. "Everything is negotiable. For me to say what I'm doing today, within hours that might change -- within minutes," she said. "I'm seeing changes being made because of what the state is doing right now. I'm allowing Mr. Ford to be flexible." 

Looking for the antonym to "unwavering support"? There you go. And if Ford decides -- as he indicated during his command performance for Avalos -- that he's not inclined to be flexible? Well, who the hell knows what Maxwell will do? Avalos has his work cut out for him when you figure that Maxwell has noted that her decision on this could change from minute to minute -- and Avalos confirmed to SF Weekly that, in order to budge the MTA budget even one inch, "We need her on board."

So where does that leave us? The one thing Avalos wanted from Ford was a commitment (in writing) to accept revenue-generating methods that tap drivers of cars instead of Muni-riders -- but Ford explicity refused to do anything more than call Avalos on the phone at some undisclosed time down the road and "listen" to him. Meanwhile, Maxwell couldn't have been more noncommittal toward accepting the status quo or voting down Muni's budget, expressing instead a desire for another compromise with Ford (the compromise he just said he wasn't interested in). Tomorrow's board meeting will be a doozy. John Avalos has a hard job.