San Francisco Blog

Oh, they're dragging this out...

The ongoing rancor over the Municipal Transportation Agency's woeful budget has transformed into quite a cliff-hanger: First Board President David Chiu fired a shot across MTA and the mayor's bow by crafting legislation allowing the supes to scuttle the budget. Then, at the last minute, Chiu signed off on a tepid compromise -- earning the enmity of his peers. Then said peers resurrected the threat of voting down the budget and Supervisor John Avalos marched over to MTA headquarters to demand a meeting with CEO Nat Ford (it didn't accomplish much). Now, with another showdown scheduled for today, the Supes have continued the fun to a very special noon meeting on Wednesday, May 27 -- MTA Budget: The Final Battle (live on Pay-Per-View ... and free on SFGTV). 

The only element missing in this cliff-hanger is suspense over who's going off the cliff: It's the folks who ride Muni. Even if Avalos and pals manage to stave off the worst of it, this is a putrid budget for all parties; the supes' efforts are less akin to emergency room doctors attempting to resuscitate a wounded patient than morticians hoping to prettify a corpse.

Finally, it warrants mentioning that the Memorandum of Understanding that would detail for what, exactly, the SFPD is billing Muni all those millions was promised within 24 hours  -- 168 hours ago. MTA spokesman Judson True says his agency and the police department are hoping to produce it in "the coming weeks." When asked about the delay, he noted that "it's a back and forth process between the agencies."

What isn't in this city?

Photo   |   Jim Herd