The Collector
September 4, 2026
State & Federal Budget Bills Offer a Mixed Bag for Transit
On the eve of Transit Month, California legislators approved a follow-up budget bill on Monday that preserves an important source of direct operating funding for local transit agencies. They also delivered some additional funding to other climate initiatives threatened with cuts from Governor Newsom’s new Cap-and-Invest rule. However, the legislature did not provide funding for the two other big transit programs threatened by Newsom’s rule.
That means the state programs that have allowed local transit agencies on the North Coast to build new transit centers, upgrade bus stops, offer free fare programs for youth and seniors, and buy zero-emission buses are projected to see a 76% funding cut this year.
Meanwhile, at the federal level, Congress passed a stop-gap budget bill that extends current transportation funding programs through December. However, because the bill didn’t guarantee that any actual funding would be disbursed to transit agencies, advocates say the bill amounts to a 20% cut in federal transit investment.
Speak Up About the Future of US 101
Caltrans has published a draft plan for the future of US 101 from Mendocino County to the Oregon border. This is a great opportunity to tell Caltrans we want major safety improvements on Eureka’s 4th Street, 5th Street, and Broadway, which are all part of US 101 and are some of the most dangerous streets in the whole region.
The draft US 101 Corridor Management Plan is long, but it mostly calls for just keeping the highway the way it is right now. We think that’s unacceptable. The way the highway is now contributes to numerous injuries and deaths every year and fails to provide adequate facilities for safe, low-carbon transportation options like walking, biking and transit. Significant design changes, including converting some existing lanes into protected bike lanes or other facilities, are needed to make US 101 a safe, modern facility. Caltrans is taking online comments here through the end of the month.
Protecting Transit’s Role in Multi-Racial Inclusive Democracy
Public transit provides access to participate in society for people of all ages, abilities, and incomes. It is not an accident that transit has been the site of many of the US’s civil rights struggles. Mass transit is a mechanism for an integrated society as both a public arena that people of different backgrounds share and a means for people to access diverse neighborhoods.
Join us next Thursday, September 10th, at 5:45 pm at the McKinleyville Family Resource Center for a talk by Laurel Paget-Seekins on how the Trump administration’s attack on multi-racial inclusive democracy is impacting public transit and what we can do in California to protect and strengthen transit.
We encourage you to take the bus to the talk if you can! And if you do, don’t forget to log your ride for a chance to win prizes donated by the Humboldt Transit Authority.
Del Norte Faces Possible Transit Service Cuts
The Redwood Coast Transit Authority, which serves Del Norte County, is considering reducing service on its bus routes and increasing fares to address a budget shortfall. Among the cuts being discussed is the elimination of Saturday service on Route 20, which connects Crescent City with Klamath, Orick, Trinidad, Arcata, and Eureka, as well as Redwoods State and National Parks.
RCTA is scheduled to make a final decision on service cuts and fare increases at its September 28th board meeting. Affected riders can attend that meeting to weigh in, or submit feedback via the RCTA website.
Workshops on Yurok Tribal Transit Next Week
The Yurok Tribe is holding three community workshops next week to get public feedback as they work to update their Transit Development Plan:
- Tuesday, September 8th, 1:30-3:00 pm, Eureka Tribal Office, 1034 6th St.
- Wednesday, September 9th, 6:00-7:00 pm, Klamath Tribal Office, 190 Klamath Blvd.
- Thursday, September 10th, 10:00-11:30 am, Weitchpec Tribal Office, 23001 CA-96
The workshops can also be attended by Zoom. Email Transportation Planner Chris Sterner at csterner@lsctrans.com with questions.
The Real Impacts of Transit Cuts
Transit funding is complicated. The legislative process is confusing. It’s easy to get lost in numbers and jargon and political spin. But cuts to transit have real impacts on local people who rely on transit to meet their everyday needs. The local economy also suffers from employees not being able to reach jobs, students not being able to reach schools, and shoppers not being able to reach local businesses.
Transit cuts also deal a major blow to our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Getting more people out of cars and onto buses is one of the major strategies for reducing climate pollution. With the North Coast already feeling the escalating impacts of climate change, and international experts predicting the planet will soon pass a critical temperature threshold, cuts aimed at important climate solutions like public transit are extremely short-sighted and damaging.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Transportation Bills on the Governor’s Desk
Among the bills awaiting Newsom’s signature or veto is SB 1167, a key labeling and transparency bill to distinguish between legal e-bikes and high-powered e-motos.
Local Government Vehicles Can Make a Big Safety Difference
By adopting technologies that limit speeding and help avoid crashes, and buying smaller and more safely designed vehicles, local governments can lead by example and make a real impact on safety in our communities.
The Collector is CRTP’s weekly transportation news roundup, published every Friday. We focus on North Coast news, but we also include relevant state, national and international transportation news – plus other items that we just find kind of interesting! To submit items for consideration, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.