Can Venezuela Reverse the MUNI Fare Hike?

When transit advocates battled the MUNI fare hike, few thought of looking for answers outside San Francisco, let alone their own country. But revelations of a recent proposed deal in which Venezuela offered Chicago cheap diesel fuel for its public transportation fleet - a deal that could have stopped a fare hike there - may renew hope for a solution to MUNI’s budget woes. Venezuela also recently presented low-income Americans another way to save money when they offered to sell cheap heating oil to a variety of cities in the Northeast. The program will save low-income residents of Boston and New York millions. In response, Supervisor Aaron Peskin recently sponsored and helped pass a resolution urging Venezuela to extend their offer of cheap fuel to San Francisco. Should it prove effective, our city could be the next site to help its most vulnerable residents while thumbing its nose at the Bush administration at the same time.