State cash could be coming to help fund CA public transit under new budget deal
Still the budget is not finalized, and by law, California has to have a balanced budget.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- State cash could be coming to help fund public transit in California under a new budget deal.
Agencies like BART, Muni and Caltrain have struggled since the pandemic, but now it appears help could be on the way.
Lawmakers were able to make a deal over the weekend that brought back $2 billion in funding that would have been cut to public transit.
MORE: Bay Area public transit agencies say they need more state money to survive
Cal State East Bay Political Science professor Dr. Elizabeth Bergman specializes in analyzing the state budget.
"What they did last night in the legislature was say, "No, we don't want to take that $2 billion reduction, because transit, especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and specifically San Francisco, 'BART is in trouble and has been, since the start of the pandemic,'" Dr. Bergman said.
Last year, there was a surplus of money when the budget proposal was voted on.
This year there's a deficit and lawmakers have had to figure out what to cut, the latest budget proposal had eyed transportation.
"People had been calling that short sighted, especially organizations that are working on climate change and having California meet our carbon neutral goals," Bergman said.
MORE: BART details budget challenges and efforts to boost local ridership, safety
Ridership on public transportation systems like BART are struggling to return to pre-pandemic numbers.
But many have said that there's a need to continue investing, especially if the state aims to meet ambitious climate goals by 2045.
"A lot of people were very upset that the loss of any kind of public transit funding is going to inhibit that goal or make it very, very difficult for us in the long term," Bergman said.
The new deal also provides one-point-one billion dollars of funding over three years.
MORE: Are Muni customers paying their fares? Here's a detailed look at SFMTA's deep financial crisis
Money that State Senator Scott Wiener has been pushing for.
"It doesn't solve the problem completely," he said, "We have more work to do but this is a big, positive start."
Still the budget is not finalized, and by law, California has to have a balanced budget.
Though the state senate and assembly are expected to pass it, it still has to meet Governor Newsom's approval and soon.
"June 15 is the deadline and lawmakers are probably very, very motivated," Bergman said, "Because the law requires them to come up with a budget or they don't get paid."
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