Due to the lasting impacts of COVID-19, Bay Area transit agencies are again on the verge of devastating service cuts that would lay waste to our region’s transportation system. BART has warned that it could be forced to run trains every 60 minutes, end weekend service and shutter stations. AC Transit recently proposed a draft service plan that would effectively cut revenue miles, or service measured by miles traveled, by 21%, ending service to much of the Berkeley Hills and cutting frequency on key Berkeley lines. Without a new injection of state funding, Bay Area transit agencies face a fiscal cliff that would devastate their entire transportation network.
Jovanka Beckles is the champion Berkeley needs to save our public transit system in the state Senate. Securing dedicated state funding for Bay Area public transit is no doubt the most pivotal issue currently facing Berkeley and the East Bay, even if it might currently feel abstract and distant because service hasn’t been slashed yet. On the AC Transit Board of Directors, Jovanka has been a tireless advocate for riders, union operators, and healthy, well-connected public transit. Jovanka is the leader Berkeley needs to face this crisis head-on and secure funding to save Bay Area transit.
Bay Area public transportation is at an inflection point. With sleek new trains, reliable service to San Francisco every 10 minutes on weekends from Berkeley, rising ridership numbers, and clean, reopened public restrooms, BART is no doubt on the upswing. But if Bay Area transit agencies, including BART, don’t receive a significant injection of state funds to fill the gap caused by decreased ridership since COVID-19, we could see devastating service cuts that would be a disaster for climate change, traffic congestion, and the many riders who depend on transit and have no other transportation options. Saving public transit in the Bay Area is imperative — thousands of low-income riders, especially riders of color, have no other option to reach crucial destinations like work and school. Additionally, reducing carbon emissions is non-negotiable. Forty percent of carbon emissions in the Bay Area come from transportation — mainly single-occupancy vehicles — and increasing transit ridership is how we cut emissions.
Other candidates aren’t poised to be the champion for transit that Berkeley needs in Sacramento during this crisis. Worryingly, Berkeley Mayor and Senate District 7 candidate Jesse Arreguín has garnered over $1 million in independent expenditures from the political action committee of rideshare giant Uber in his favor and against his opponents. Arreguin has also received thousands in donations from car dealership corporations, including thousands from the California Automotive Retailing Group and the Berkeley Auto Group. Jovanka Beckles, on the contrary, is the only corporate-free candidate in the race, so she’s running her people-powered campaign on dedicated volunteers and support from voters like you and me.
Beyond being a champion for transportation justice, Jovanka is a longtime community leader and activist in Richmond. During her time on the Richmond City Council, Jovanka increased the minimum wage to ensure low-income workers earn enough to survive, won rent stabilization to keep vulnerable longtime residents housed, and held Chevron accountable to keep the East Bay’s air clean.
Our city needs a leader in the state Senate who takes progressive Berkeley values to heart. Vote Jovanka Beckles in the primary election by March 5 for a leader who will fight for Berkeley in Sacramento.
Ren Fitzgerald is a UC Berkeley undergraduate student and activist for safe streets and public transportation.
