The Facts

Muni avoided immediate deep cuts when the SFMTA board approved a two-year operating budget of $1.5 billion for FY 2026-27 and $1.6 billion for FY 2027-28. The plan closes a $307 million shortfall in the coming fiscal year in part with a $200 million state loan and fare and parking changes. But Rachel Swan at The Chronicle reports that if new transit taxes fail in November, SFMTA may eliminate up to 20 routes, cut evening service after 9 p.m. by up to 60%, and slash cable car, F-Market, and special-event service.

The Context

SFMTA has been working hard to trim its budget for the past year and it's paying off. The agency already made summer 2025 service cuts to help close a $50 million gap, and city officials warned last year that the agency’s deficit could reach $322 million by July 2026. GrowSF previously wrote about that fiscal cliff, which was driven by weak parking and ridership revenue after the pandemic and the exhaustion of one-time aid.

The GrowSF Take

Muni is a core city service, and SFMTA has done real work to narrow the budget gap without immediately gutting service. San Francisco should support both the coming regional transit measure and the proposed local Muni parcel tax. Reliable transit matters for workers, students, seniors, downtown recovery, and the city’s long-term fiscal health.