Public transit systems across California are experiencing a financial crisis, with ridership and fare revenues remaining depressed as inflation and tariffs push costs higher. As Sacramento is asked to commit more resources to agencies that are locally controlled, the question of how to ensure that transit is “accountable” to lawmakers, taxpayers, and riders looms large.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most prosperous regions in the world but prosperity has not been equitably shared, and our governance structures haven’t kept pace with the region’s growing complexity. The challenges we face — a housing shortage, climate change, economic inequality, aging infrastructure — are regional in nature. If we are to meet this moment, we need regional governance systems designed to respond at the right scale, with the right tools.

Governance is not about symbolic representation. It’s about power: who holds it, who sets the agenda, and whether systems are built with communities or imposed on them. In East San José, residents are choosing the former and building what they've long been denied.

A coalition of environmental, health, and community organizations supports the Bay Area Air District’s plan to cut harmful air pollution from gas water heaters while urging practical flexibility to protect residents during the transition to clean, zero-emission technology. With SPUR's leadership and extensive community input, this letter details recommend case-by-case exceptions where clean alternatives are not yet feasible—such as small, high-temperature, space-constrained, emergency, or low-income household installations—so people aren’t left without hot water or facing unaffordable costs. The letter emphasizes that smart flexibility measures, strong public education, and data collection can speed market innovation, prioritize low-income communities, and still deliver major public health benefits, including fewer asthma attacks, fewer premature deaths, and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual health savings.

On September 8, SPUR provided testimony to the California Assembly Transportation Committee as a lead witness in support of Senate Bill 63. Our testimony focused on the importance of preserving transit service in the region and emphasized that government is accountable to riders and taxpayers to ensure that these systems are maintained.