Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on Governor Jerry Brown’s actions to avert Monday’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) strike:

“I applaud Governor Brown for his decisive action so that the people of the Bay Area will not endure a debilitating BART strike on Monday. I support the Governor’s appointment of a Board of Investigation, staffed with proven professionals who can help move this dispute toward resolution. I continue to urge both BART union and management leaders to reach an agreement that honors the work of BART workers and sets BART on a path of fiscal responsibility and sustainability, as quickly as possible.

Our Bay Area transit agency carries hundreds of thousands of people every day to get to work, to go to school and to travel around our region. A strike would not only have a negative impact on our entire regional economy, but it would undoubtedly hurt working families. These are people who did not have a voice over the last several months during non-conclusive negotiations and they certainly did not have a voice during the last four and a half day strike that caused, not just inconvenience, but a significant hardship for many.

The riding public is and must remain our number one priority as all parties work to resolve this dispute.”