On Jan. 17, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a report stating that action was needed to cover a $36 million gap in the agency’s 2016 operating budget. The report suggests increasing Los Angeles County rail and bus system fares by as much as 117 percent over an eight-year period.
One of the suggested plans would cause fares to go from $1.50 to $2.25. The 75-cent increase might not seem like a big deal, but for working-class people it means a huge sacrifice. The biggest increases will be applied to commuter passes—the day pass would go from $5 to $13 and the weekly pass from $20 to $45. The current “monthly unlimited” pass would go from $75 to $180.
The only alternative to this plan is a different set of increases to be spread over 10 years as opposed to eight with a nearly identical end result. An overwhelming majority of transit users are working-class people who depend on MTA services to get to work. Many of these workers are surviving on minimum wage.
Who should pay?
Currently the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has a $2.5 billion budget, reporting no deficit. It was revealed this month that $43 million was spent on lawsuits against the Sheriff’s Department. Just last month, 18 current and former deputies and supervisors were hit with criminal charges ranging from beating inmates and jail visitors to falsifying reports. Two more officers have been indicted since. Recent scandals have also revealed that the entire department is run by gangs of cops who carry on criminal activity ranging from sexual assaults to drug trafficking. These armed thugs are also frequently spotted on trains and buses harassing working people and issuing tickets for fare evasion.
Why should MTA or the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors put the burden of closing the $36 million gap on working-class people when we can use the money that is handed over to the Sheriff’s Department to make public transportation free? The $2.5 billion budget can be used to put money back in our education system, in our public transportation, and in jobs. A department that has been proven to be nothing but a massive crime syndicate should not receive the lion’s share of the county budget while people’s needs go unmet. Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced his intention to abolish the business tax in Los Angeles. This tax mainly affects small business owners, but coupled with the lack of taxes on major corporations and banks in Los Angeles, it is a step even further to the right at a time when the city and the county are falling short.
Clearly, the plan is to further cut services and raise the cost of existing services such as transit. If a real tax was levied against big business in Los Angeles, these services could be provided free of charge. It is time that we take control of our public services and demand a just system. The MTA will hold a public hearing on March 29 on the proposed fare increases and the Board of Directors will consider the proposal at a May 22 meeting. We must come together to say no to both plans for fare hikes. When they ask working people where to get the money, we must respond—cut the cops, tax the rich!
