The district that operates the Golden Gate Bridge has removed diversity, equity and inclusion language in policy documents to avoid backlash from the Trump administration.
A $400 million federal grant to support the final five-year phase of the seismic retrofit of the iconic span was potentially at stake, said Denis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
Bridge tolls are the district’s primary source of revenue, and, unlike most other transit agencies, the district receives no dedicated state or local tax funding. When the district buys new buses or ferries or does work on the bridge, about 80% of the money comes from federal sources, Mulligan said.
With that in mind, the district board voted 11-3 on Friday to rescind resolutions that referenced race, gender identity and sexual orientation, and approved a new resolution that states broad commitments.
“It reaffirmed their commitment to equality and justice; it denounced racism; it denounced discrimination,” Mulligan said. “It did then, as part of the process, remove some language from some prior actions that could have been problematic to safeguard all the federal grants that we receive for the bridge, for our buses and for our ferries.”
Board members Joel Engardio and Danny Sauter of San Francisco and Tiburon Mayor Holli Thier voted no. Thier had strong words against the action.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a symbol that stands for diversity, inclusion, respect and tolerance, she said. Thier implored the board to vote against the change.
“We must always uphold our values of diversity, justice, equality, and never back down in the face of fascism, bullies and elected officials who try to condition funding or withhold funds solely based on adherence to a conservative racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-everything-that-is-good political agenda,” Thier said.
“We are a district that welcomes everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, ability and more — but if we do not say it, no one knows it, and if we retract it, no one will believe us,” Thier said.
Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters voted in favor.