Eber: Captain Obvious BART Follies Continue

If the people of the Bay Area do not approve a bond or sales tax increase next year, BART will have to make massive cuts.  If they do pass the increases, you will see more families and businesses flee, since they will no longer afford government transportation AND the subsidies to keep the trains moving—when the unions allow them to.

“Overtime is way of life for the transit agency.  There are many instances where employees have exploited the system. In one case a janitor took in $276,000.  279 K was paid to a station agent.  Similar or even greater amounts were made by workers in overtime income.  Often this has been more than what has been earned during regular hours.

Management defends this policy claiming  BART saves on payroll expense since they don’t have to hire additional employees.  Critics disagree.”  

Overtime is due to union agreements.  All members of the current BART Board were supported by the unions.  In other words, the unions are negotiating with themselves for contracts.

The 2026 ballot will be filled with local, school, county and State bonds and tax increases.  We might see a wholesale NO vote on giving corrupt and mismanaged, union-controlled government taxes.  That will be the only way to take back government agencies and end the soft-core corruption.

Captain Obvious

BART Follies Continue by Richard Eber

Richard Eber,  Exclusive to the California Political News and Views,  5/27/25  www.capoliticalnewsandviews.com

It is not very difficult to do a hatchet job on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Since this agency was begun, it has been mired in cost overruns, labor disputes, and gross government overreach.

Today, BART is a mess.  With Federal and State subsidies drying up along with ridership being cut nearly in half since the onset of Covid-19, this transit system is financially, running on empty.  Without additional public subsidies BART threatens to lower service levels or even have to cease current operations

Recent government plans involve placing a  measure on the ballot next year that would impose an additional half cent sales tax to prop up them up. With  two thirds of the vote needed for passage, it is doubtful voters will green light such a costly proposal.

Keep in mind residents of San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties have been forking over 1/2 cent sales tax to build and maintain the system for more than half a century.  Do they believe BART deserves more of their hard earned money?

Probably not.

Over the years the BART Board of Directors have been shills to Progressive politicians, labor unions, and crony capitalist vendors. Their riders have had to constantly pony up overpriced fares which are among the highest in the country.

Following an increase of .25 at the beginning of 2025, the average is up to $ 4.72 per trip.  Even a larger amount is planned to be added next January.

In seeking additional funding next year, the BART Board works on the assumption their agency is an efficient, well run operation. As it turns out nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the years threat or actual labor stoppages have resulted in them having  among the highest payrolls of any transit system in the country. Currently, 77% of BART’s expenses are tied up with bloated salary packages.

Overtime is way of life for the transit agency.  There are many instances where employees have exploited the system. In one case a janitor took in $276,000.  279 K was paid to a station agent.  Similar or even greater amounts were made by workers in overtime income.  Often this has been more than what has been earned during regular hours.

Management defends this policy claiming  BART saves on payroll expense since they don’t have to hire additional employees.  Critics disagree.  

Those who run BART, are compensated comparable to CEO’s in private enterprise.  They hide behind bureaucracy and alleged safety concerns for keeping their current inefficient business plan in place.

Asking overpaid employees to take a pay cut is not on the agenda.  Neither is getting out of the development business. They inefficiently build housing in BART parking lots yet still need government subsidies to balance the books. Were this private enterprise, heads would roll.

Security and safety on the transportation system has been an issue going back to the tragedy of Oscar Grant’s death at Fruitvale Station in 2009. Despite this, BART is relatively crime free today compared to most other comparable mass transit operations in the country.

Even with the financial woes of the system, a massive extension of service to the Silicon Valley is now under way.  Taxpayers in Santa Clara along with 6 billion dollars of funds provided by the Federal government are paying for this expansion.

It also should be noted BART carries over 50 million trips a year for its

customers.  Closing down the system is not a viable option as absolute gridlock would tie up the Bay Areas clogged highways were it not around. This leads residents with the following options:

1. Pass a tax measure in addition to 75% of the revenue generated by a current 1% sales tax and additional funds they receive from property tax assessments.

2. With the current budget, reduce service levels during commute and non-peak hours. Another alternative is to eliminate less traveled routes on weekends and run trains less frequently

3. Declaring bankruptcy for the system as a whole.  Under such a scenario BART would go private and be able to bring in revenue from private markets.  Current pension obligations could be reduced. A less costly labor force would need to be recruited; not dependent  on unions and a government monopoly to run their operations.

It seems apparent that some combination of these alternatives will need to be implemented.  Angry tax payers have experienced additional bridge tolls in recent years; not mention a gas hike, planned for 2025. Consumers are in no mood to fork over more revenue to Gavin and his pals in Sacramento.

Since Jerry Brown’s dad Governor Pat Brown pushed for the passage of bonds to finance the construction of BART in the 1950’s, the systems future has never been imperiled, as it is now.

It doesn’t take “Captain Obvious” to know  residents of the Bay Area prefer the State of California  to subsidize their local transportation needs rather than the ill advised Bullet Train debacle. 

The question is how this task can be accomplished with government and/or private sector involvement?