The pandemic has created a fiscal crisis for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency that may lead to layoffs for more than 1,200 employees.
With a 70% decline in ridership, Muni has already dramatically reduced service, and had managed to avoid huge budget cuts thanks to federal relief that was approved in March.
Barring any change of heart from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, it appears that more cuts and layoffs are now on the way.
To make matters worse, a sizeable portion of SFMTA's revenue usually comes from parking fees and fines, but when the agency eased up on enforcement amid shelter-in-place orders, that revenue stream slowed to a trickle.
When the head of a transit agency describes "sobbing on Zoom calls," it doesn't look good.