Transit Funding is Affordable Housing Funding

I’m writing to urge you to sign on to the budget request letter for the state to provide $2 billion in new funding over two years for public transit operations from the state budget beginning in fiscal year 2025 - 2026 (Senate letter authored by Senator Jesse Arreguín; Assembly letter authored by Assemblymember Mark González). Every time I go on vacation in another city I’m reminded of just how bad Los Angeles transit is. We should be able to catch a bus or a train without worrying about the schedule, knowing that one will show up in less than five minutes. The cost of living in California continues to rise and transportation is the second highest expense for most families. Car payments, gas, and insurance are expensive and their prices are not coming down any time soon – we need to protect Californians from rising transportation costs by making transit service a better option for everyone. Many communities are already deeply underserved by transit and people face long waits for the bus or train, this pushes more people to driving out of necessity. The State of California routinely underinvests in transit and it shows. It shows through our clogged roads, our polluted air, and our poorly connected communities. By investing less than 1% percent of our state budget – just $2 billion dollars – in transit funding, we can help hold back service cuts that leave community members stranded, or switching to driving on our already congested roads. We can help transit agencies run more service so people can better get where they need to go without harming our environment and worsening traffic. Cuts from Washington are exacerbating the problem and relief from there isn’t coming any time soon. Please, Fund Transit; Support Our Communities this budget cycle.