SV Taxpayers Association/Libertarian Party of CCC invite Bay Area taxpayers to discuss BART crisis
In a recent email memo (excerpted below), the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association announced an upcoming BART panel discussion for June 13th in Walnut Creek. Panelists—Independent Institute's Lawrence McQuillan and Cato Insitute's Marc Joffe—will address how to reform BART without more burdensome tax increases.
You may remember that SVTA worked hard as part of a broad coalition opposing two sales-tax hikes to extend BART to San Jose. Although our team defeated the half-cent sales-tax measure in 2006, unfortunately we were unsuccessful at stopping the 1/8-cent sales-tax measure in 2008.
Fast forward to 2023: BART and other transit agencies are now seeking over $5 billion in emergency state aid, and they plan to put yet another half-cent sales-tax increase on the November 2026 ballot, to offset lost fare revenues.
At an event this coming Tuesday in Walnut Creek, two champions of the taxpayer — Lawrence McQuillan of the Independent Institute and Marc Joffe of Cato Institute — will be discussing the fact that BART is in crisis; ridership remains stuck well below 2019 levels; and those who do use the system often deal with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Before taxpayers bail out public transit, these experts maintain that we should be exploring reforms that could reduce or eliminate further subsidies and discussing the very future of BART.
All SF Bay area taxpayers are welcome. Here are the details:
WHEN: Tuesday, June 13 at 6 P.M.
WHERE: The Mercer Clubhouse, 1655 N. California Blvd, 1st Floor, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.
The clubhouse is located three blocks south of the Walnut Creek BART station.
If driving, you can park in the Mercer’s commercial parking area (accessible from Trinity Place). Most spaces are free for two hours.
SPEAKERS:
Debora Allen, BART Director, District One – On the BART board, Allen has been the leading, and sometimes only, advocate for passenger safety, fare enforcement, and responsible financial management. Read more about her at FixOurBART.com.
Marc Joffe, Policy Analyst, Cato Institute – See Joffe's latest op-eds on slashing the cost of BART and transit generally in the Mercury News and at California Policy Center.
Lawrence J. McQuillan, Senior Fellow, Independent Institute – Co-author of Crime, Grime, and Greed at BART, a 2022 study enumerating BART’s defects and recommending privatization.
REGISTER: Space is limited, so the organizers ask that we RSVP by e-mail to MDJoffe@GMail.com. (Admission is free; donations of $5 or $10 will be accepted on site to help offset the cost of holding the event.)
This event is being organized by the Libertarian Party of Contra Costa County, where Joffe serves as an at-large board member.
This e-mailer was originally written by the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association.
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity
Image by Olson Steel