It was certainly one of the more eye-popping acts of legislative hypocrisy in recent years.  East Bay state Assembly member Buffy Wicks on June 29 trumpeted on X how she both wrote and voted for advancing the revised Local Taxpayer Act (2/3 voter threshold for new taxes),while at the same time saying she "adamantly opposed" the bill. Lance Christensen of the California Policy Center and longtime Sacramento watcher unpacks the double-dealing in this exclusive Opp Now Q&A.

A recent Mercury News article threatens the “sky is falling” if taxpayers don’t bail out transit, says Tom Rubin, who argues that ridership collapsed years ago. Where the Merc doesn’t look for cost savings, the former transit executive does: automate the trains like they did in Vancouver, hire way more part-time operators. Don’t like traffic? Encourage remote work because data show workers are driving, not riding, back to the office. An Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to the Merc.

“People are leaving BART and other transit systems because they feel unsafe and because it's dirty,” says transit consultant Tom Rubin. While the Mercury News promotes a massive sales tax to rescue the troubled trains, Rubin asks of tax-happy government leaders: “why should they think if they give BART more money, that something will change? An Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to the Merc.

The Mercury News reports BART fares only cover 30% of costs, and suggests the only solution is a sales tax. But past transit executive Tom Rubin asks why BART is spending over a billion dollars to increase capacity, when ridership is down. He says BART could harness massive savings if they automate trains like they do in Vancouver. Why won’t the unions allow it? An Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to the Merc.

A Mercury News piece whips up fear that BART will raise fares and shut down stations, if voters don’t agree to a half cent sales tax. Quote: “it’s an attack on the lower class.” But transit expert Tom Rubin says the top 20% of income earners would be the most impacted. Should the Bay Area’s poorest suffer a regressive sales tax to bail out rich commuters? An Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to the Merc.