This bill is sponsored by 8 Democrats, including Scott Wiener and Josh Becker. Remember those names? Wiener is responsible for Sacramento mandates that preempt locally determined residential zoning laws, and force high density, high elevation buildings into neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes. This will eventually turn Palo Alto into a high-density urban mess.

With SB 532, Wiener and accomplices aim to raise tolls to $7.50 next year and $9.50 in two years. This is a regressive tax, as pointed out by 7 members of the US House of Representatives. It is yet another abuse of power by the California Democrats who unfortunately have no constraints on their multiple misguided plans to wreak havoc on the lives of Californians.

Local fees and taxes always go up; once raised they never come down. In 1998, the tolls were raised from $1 to $2. In 2019 they were raised to $6, which is already a serious burden on daily commuters. Wiener et al now want to increase this by nearly 60% over the next two years. This won't fix the transportation budget shortfalls -- it will just encourage people like Wiener to be even more reckless with the money they take from people who work productively to make a living.

The "lawmakers" should take exception as this bill discriminates against the lower paid people that must take a car from the east bay over to work here. Given all their hooping over protecting the lower paid people they are now doing the reverse whammy on them. We keep seeing this over and over. The lawmakers only use the "lower paid workers' as talking points to sell some strange bill but really do not follow through with legislation to help. The rationale is to save BART and Caltrain so the lower paid people can go to work. A lot of the workers need cars because they are laborers and have lot of tools.

It isn’t ok for any of us drivers that our politicians frequently raise bridge tolls.
Driving is a reality in spread out SF Bay Area.
The cost of living is high for everyone already - not just the poor.
Operating some transit where it makes sense is a good complement.

How about this solution:
Reduce crime and slowness on public transit and politicians and bureaucrats won’t need to attempt to raise more $ off of us to transfer to such low quality public transit systems to try to keep them afloat. In past I read BART drivers make a high salary despite not actually driving the BART trains. Our transit compares unfavorably on multiple levels and we never have top officials accountable for the poor performance- for decades. This isn’t about the pandemic. Compare to other transit systems.

Stop entry gate jumpers on BART NOW, instead of delaying. It has to do with criminals not paying their way rather than “equity.”

It isn’t a matter for our Congresswoman, so safe for her to take a position and to oppose this.
I’m MUCH more interested in the relevant politicians’ opinions: to learn Assemblymember Berman favors raising the tolls…that’s a politician who supposedly represents us within the state of California (as opposed to representing us at the national level — to D.C.) and please vote for Lydia Kou, who has common sense, as our next assembly member.

Shame on Becker and Berman for showing the same indifference to lower-income drivers/commuters as they have for lower-income people seeking housing since only 15% of all the required new housing is below market rates and only 5% -- FIVE is for very low income.

But that's what their backers want and since they're DODO politicians (Developer Owned Developer Operated), that's what these hypocrites deliver.

Pay attention to who their deep-pocketed backers are to see whose interests they're representing because it sure isn't us, the residents and taxpayers!

When we look at what Caltrain did to 101 when we pay to use lanes to get us to our destination for most of the day on weekdays, we can see that really this tax on motorists is just that. They want to get us out of our cars and provide absolutely nothing in return. There is no reliable public transportation to get a mid peninsula resident to an airport so 101 is the way to go. If traffic is at a standstill and we have a plane to catch, of course we will pay to use the lane. If traffic is at a standstill and our kid has a sports game, concert performance, of course we will pay to use the lane. If we are on the way to an important business meeting, an interview, or an examination, of course we will pay to use the lane.

Basically we are as stuck as if we had to cross a bridge. Surface roads are not the way to get to destinations 10 miles away, so they might as well be the murky waters of the Bay.

We are gradually losing our freedom to travel around the Bay, which in itself would be bad if there was acceptable public transit. Since there isn't, we are either stuck in traffic or prisoners to where we can walk or bike.

Is this taking away quality of life for us all?

Let's not forget that the Governor tried to cut ALL public transit funds from the latest budget now that the state is running a huge deficit instead of its previous huge surplus. Even he knew that commuting has tanked even though we can't address the changes for 8 -- EIGHT -- years.

Let's hear it for congestion fines designed to get people out of their cars during rush hour even though there are no viable public transit alternatives,

Illogical sloganeering is SO much easier than realistic solutions.

Wiener and Becker aren't supporting their constituents.

@Bystander OMG you have absolutely nailed it metaphorically for the rent-ally housing trapped. No out of town activities for our kids, sports or recitals ... we slave away locally and our kids remain here to foisted off to other near towns like travel teams, skateparks, climbing gyms, public pools by train or bike. This is good in a way to take the train or bus. Yet because nothing — absolutely zero — is here it’s either “my way or the Highway (with Fastrak) to help pave the way. We are destined to go nowhere.