Mayor Lurie's Statement On CARB Decision To Gut State Funding For Transit And Affordable Housing

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today released the following statement on the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) decision to eliminate programs that have provided billions of dollars in state funding for affordable housing and public transit:

“After years of struggle, San Francisco’s economy is recovering. Muni and BART ridership have reached post-pandemic highs, office vacancy rates continue to drop, and downtown foot traffic is continuing to increase. We’re making it easier to build housing and more affordable to raise a family here. But our recovery is fragile, and it will come to a grinding halt without reliable public transit and affordable homes to support the families and workers that power our city.  

“Since the start of my administration, we’ve taken steps to make Muni more reliable, efficient, and accountable as it faces a significant budget gap. We worked with partners across the Bay Area and in Sacramento to secure critical bridge funding to keep our transit systems running while we build a stronger long-term financial future for Muni. We passed the Family Zoning plan and proposed a plan to more than double our Housing Trust Fund so we can build affordable homes.

“This decision puts our efforts to save transit, build affordable housing, and drive our economic recovery at risk. Since that work helps achieve our emissions goals, those goals will be jeopardized too. And that risk doesn’t just apply to San Francisco—I brought together the mayors of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Oakland, and we shared these exact concerns with CARB weeks ago.

“Our city is moving in the right direction—we should keep our foot on the accelerator. San Francisco’s families are counting on us to strengthen public transit and build affordable homes. I urge CARB to stand with families and reconsider this decision.”