No Muni Fare Hike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: JOE BLUE 415-440-1866
E-MAIL Joseph [at] joeblue.us

The United Rainbow Alliance, a mosaic of religious organizations, business community members, ethnic constituencies, and concerned citizen activists, is holding a press conference on the steps of San Francisco City Hall at 11:00 AM Friday, February 11. We denounce the planned Muni fare hike; the absurd request to charge .17 for plastic and paper bags while a toxic power plant silently kills and sickens people across San Francisco and we demand accountability in city government at a time when large deficits are being used to justify service cut-backs.

The United Rainbow Alliance is against the punishing fare hike for MUNI which is the result of years of fiscal mis-management by both MUNI and the City and County of San Francisco. We strongly oppose this regressive solution at a time when the head of MUNI earns over $200,000 per year; at a time when need bus routes are being cut back; and at a time when there is fraud and waste in MUNI that needs to be cleaned up. We demand a top to bottom audit of MUNI. We demand no fare hike!

The United Rainbow alliance is also opposed to the proposed .17 fee increase for plastic and paper bags. This issue is a red herring designed to take attention away from far graver concerns such as the toxic power plant operated by Mirant corporation and the absence of toxics clean up in Bayview Hunters-Point while new housing is being built.

Lastly the United Rainbow Alliance knows that there are unknown numbers of employees of the City and County of San Francisco earning over $100,000 per year. We demand an audit of all City government. We fully expect this audit will be resisted by the same political force who seek to use a MUNI fare hike to pay for their budget mess.
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