"Can you imagine if they weren't here anymore?"

"That isn't San Francisco anymore then. So that belongs to San Francisco. That's very famous in the whole world."

Cable cars, one of the main draws to the famous Buena Vista restaurant on Hyde Street, where Tony Poon is manager.

"It's impossible San Francisco don't have cable car. This is iconic and our restaurant here is a 3destination for all the tourists."

"This is the conversation that's been a little, frankly, terrifying to me."

4SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin says with a looming deficit of nearly 300 million by 5fiscal year 2026-2027, everything is 6on the table for possible cuts, including the 7suspension of three cable car lines, California, Mason and Hyde, and the F Market streetcars, which could save an 8estimated $33 million annually. Tumlin says the 9stakes are real.

"As all of you know, the 10lingering effects of COVID and particularly work from home has had a 11devastating impact on the SFMTA budget."

He says the failure of Prop L, which could have generated $25 million for transit, and the new Trump administration could make identifying new revenue sources challenging. Those who work on the cable cars can't believe suspending service is even being suggested.

"It's sad that they're even thinking about shutting down this iconic, and it's the only national, moving 12national monument."

Former mayor Willie Brown, who helped Dianne Feinstein save the cable cars in the 1980s, is 13outraged.

"I'm telling you that the person who even considers because of the budget problems saying cable cars shouldn't be out there should be fired immediately."

Tomlin says Muni is now collaborating with the entire region to help close the budget gap and find new funding sources.

"We have enough time to solve the problem, but only if we t14ake decisive action."