by JR Valrey
The fate of Bay Area public transportation is on the ballot today
Will local public transportation in the Bay die after the election or become a shell of its former self?
Today, the Regional Transit Measure (RTM) will be voted on. The result could severely limit, and in many geographic areas, completely demolish public transportation in the greater Bay Area, greatly affecting the most vulnerable people in the Black community and the general population.
If the RTM is not passed, up to 15 BART stations or possibly 10 Caltrain stations will close. There will be a 50% increase in fees for public transportation services across the board, and bus services will be cut by 16%.
A 0.5% sales tax increase is being proposed in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara. Additionally, a 1% sales tax increase is being proposed for San Francisco County.
If RTM is approved, it will fund free and reduced-price system transfers, infrastructure reliability projects, standardized wayfinding maps and signage. RTM will also support specialized transit discount programs for low-income riders and people with disabilities.
The RTM will cost residents living in the affected counties approximately $10 a month.
Public transportation agencies that will be affected by the Regional Transit Measure include BART, AC Transit, Muni, Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA, the SF Bay Ferry and Golden Gate Transit.
The Regional Transit Measure will have a 14-year duration, starting collection in April 2027 if passed by voters in the combined counties.
For more information, people can visit https://luma.com/connectbayarea
San Francisco International Airport has built a new immigration internment camp
The San Francisco International Airport is currently violating the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which guards against cruel and unusual punishment, with its new in-house immigration jail. It is a facility that was not constructed for detaining people overnight, yet it has been consistently holding people for over 72 hours at the airport, against California Border Patrol policy.
Congressman Kevin Mullins of California’s 15th Congressional District in the House of Representatives, who represents parts of southeast San Francisco and most of San Mateo County, recently went to investigate the Department of Homeland Security/ICE’s new detention center, aka immigration jail, at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), according to a Sept. 1 press release.
“I was really shocked at the sleeping conditions in a congregate setting with no access to a phone, very little privacy, a very dark, windowless environment. I was really concerned by the conditions at SFO,” said Congressman Mullins.
As it stands, captives have no access to beds, showers or medications. The lights are rarely turned off for the captives to sleep. And they cannot call a lawyer. Their only access to food is through vendors at the airport.
Out of two dozen people currently being held, a vast majority of the people detained are green card holders and have been held longer than 72 hours, which is against current California Border Patrol policy.
Spokespeople for the airport claim no responsibility for the human rights violations happening on airport property in relation to the Department of Homeland Security immigration jail.
San Francisco is a sanctuary city. Many believe that the SFO immigration jail is a result of the current administration demanding more detentions and more deportations. The question is: What are the people going to do to stop the U.S. government from committing these human rights violations and ruining people’s lives?
JR Valrey is a veteran journalist and Editor in Chief at the San Francisco Bay View. He can be reached at JR@sfbayview.com and on IG: @JRValrey