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Committee forwards MTA charter amendments amid strong labor opposition
Summary
The Rules Committee sent a package of charter amendments affecting Municipal Transportation Agency governance to the full Board after hearing intense public comment from labor, engineers and MTA representatives. Labor urged more analysis and meet-and-confer; sponsors signaled amendments will be offered at the full Board.
The San Francisco Rules Committee forwarded a set of proposed charter amendments addressing governance and authority at the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) to the Board of Supervisors after extended public comment and debate.
President Supervisor Aaron Peskin, sponsor of the MTA measure, said he will introduce multiple amendments at the full Board to address concerns raised during earlier hearings. Among the items Peskin discussed were reducing an exempt appointment threshold to roughly 3.5% (from language interpreted as allowing up to 10%), removing provisions that would transfer personal-services contract authority from the Civil Service Commission to the MTA Board, and specifying how new MTA revenue could be used for service improvements.
Labor groups and MTA staff pushed back strongly. Lois Scott of IFPTE 21 said the initiative "still hasn't had the kind of in-depth analysis and dialogue needed" and urged meaningful meet-and-confer with labor. Robert Holland of SEIU Local 1021 said the initiative was unacceptable as drafted and warned that giving the MTA more appointing authority would be a "power grab," a characterization that sponsors disputed.
Supporters on the MTA board said the charter changes could allow more flexible governance and improve operations. Will Dale, a member of the MTA Board of Directors, said the amendments "allow us the flexibility and hopefully the resources to continue to improve" transit service while preserving civil service protections.
Procedure and next steps: committee members agreed to forward the package to the full Board as a committee report without recommendation; Peskin and other supervisors said further amendments and a committee of the whole would follow at the full Board meeting on July 17.
No formal committee vote on final charter text took place; supervisors asked city attorneys and stakeholders to continue consultations so the full Board can consider refined language and amendments.
