San Francisco committee endorses state bill to raise bridge tolls as transit stopgap

The Land Use & Transportation Committee voted unanimously to forward to the full Board a resolution supporting Senate Bill 532, a measure authored by Sen. Scott Wiener that would permit a temporary $1.50 increase on Bay Area state‑owned bridge tolls for five years to raise roughly $180 million annually for regional transit operations.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced the resolution and invited SFMTA Director John (Tomlin) and BART Board President Janice Lee to explain the agencies’ fiscal outlook. Director Tomlin said the state budget provided a significant infusion of operating and capital dollars but that the Bay Area still faces a projected multibillion‑dollar operating shortfall across transit agencies over the next five years. “Absent new sources of revenue we would need to start shrinking the workforce and therefore cutting Muni service later in calendar year 2024,” Tomlin warned.

BART Board President Janice Lee said BART faces a cumulative deficit approaching $1.1 billion over five years and described recent steps to improve service and rider experience — including more unarmed safety staff, restroom attendants, and expanded cleaning — that still rely on stable operations funding. Lee said the BART board supports SB 532 while pushing for equity measures to mitigate toll impacts on low‑income drivers.

Public comment featured broad support from transit, climate and labor coalitions who called the bill a necessary stopgap to avoid mass service cuts, while several callers urged faster or stronger equity measures (means‑based discounts, toll caps) and recommended auditing agency finances. One caller urged a longer‑term regional measure in 2026 to replace temporary funding.

The committee recorded unanimous support and sent the resolution to the full Board with a positive committee recommendation. Advocates and agency officials said equity design will be central to the bill’s final shape; supporters urged swift action to avoid service reductions that would disproportionately affect transit‑dependent, low‑income riders.