GOING TO NEED SOME MORE MONEY. BUT, $5 MILLION IS A BIG STEP TOWARDS MAKING THIS HAPPEN. >> PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVOCATES ARE STAGING A LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO GET THE STATE TO SUPPORT BUS AND TRAIN SYSTEMS IN THE BAY AREA, TO KEEP THEM FROM RUNNING OUT OF MONEY. >>> TODAY IN OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO, THEY HELD MOCK FUNERAL MARCHES TO HIGHLIGHT THE THREAT, AND JOHN RAMOSE HAS THE STORY. >> Reporter: WITH REVENUE DOWN, TRANSIT AGENCIES ARE APPEALING TO THE STATE TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO KEEP THEM OPERATING AND THEY ARE NOT EXACTLY SUBTLE IN THEIR APPROACH. THE 19th STREET BART STATION WAS QUIET ON THIS MORNING, AND UPON THE STREET, ADVOCATES STAGED A MOCK FUNERAL PROCESSION. IT'S PART OF AN EFFORT TO PRESSURE GAVIN NEWSOM TO OFFER MORE SUBSIDIES TO KEEP PUBLIC TRANSIT FROM PLEDGING OVER A FISCAL CLIFF. >> IT WOULD BE A DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF ALL OF OUR TRANSIT AGENCIES, IT WOULD BE SO MUCH HARDER TO GET AROUND. >> IMAGINE IF NOBODY COULD TAKE BART , IMAGINE IF HALF THOSE PEOPLE HAD TO GET CARS THROUGH THE TRAFFIC WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. >> THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, 3 YEARS AFTER THE PANDEMIC SHUTDOWN, BART IS STILL MISSING 60% OF ITS PREVIOUS RIDERSHIP. TRANSIT AGENCIES IN THE AREA HAVE BURNED THROUGH MOST OF THE EMERGENCY FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE AC TRANSIT BOARD DIRECTOR SAID HER BUS SYSTEM NEEDS SUPPORT FROM THE STATE TO KEEP THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE. >> IF WE CUT FUNDING NOW, THAT MEANS WE CUT SERVICE, AND THEN FEWER PEOPLE RIDE. THEN IT IS A DEATH SPIRAL. >> Reporter: LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, A SIMILAR DEATH MARCH PROCEEDED ON MARKET STREET IN SAN FRANCISCO. MUNI IS STILL TRYING TO RECOVER RIDERSHIP. >> THE EPICENTER OF ALL OF THIS ADVOCACY IS RIGHT HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO BECAUSE MUNI, BART AND AC TRANSIT ARE THE THREE MOST VULNERABLE AGENCIES IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. >> Reporter: MUNI DIRECTOR SAID TRANSIT AGENCIES ARE SCRAMBLING TO TRY TO ADJUST, THERE IS TALK ABOUT VOTER INITIATIVE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS THAT WOULD PROVIDE PERMANENT FUNDING FOR TRANSIT AND THEY ARE ASKING FOR HELP TO GET THEM TO THAT POINT. >> IN THE MEANTIME, WE'VE GOT ABOUT THREE OR 4 YEARS OF A FISCAL CLIFF GAP THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR SUPPORT FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN ORDER TO FILL SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SEVERELY CUT TRANSIT JUST AS WE ARE EXPECTING TRANSIT TO BE RECOVERED. >> Reporter: CALIFORNIA FACES A DEFICIT OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO IT MAY BE TOUGH TO ASK THE REST OF THE STATE TO PAY FOR TRANSIT SERVICE IN THE BAY AREA THAT SO FEW PEOPLE SEEM INTERESTED IN USING RIGHT NOW. S D EDTH, E PANDEMIC MAY
