The SF Municipal Transportation Agency that operates Muni just canned 12 of its senior managers in a reorg effort to tackle their massive deficit, and that reorg might mean more layoffs in the near future.

It was kind of a surprise when new SF Mayor Daniel Lurie did not fire interim SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) director Julie Kirschbaum back when Lurie was, shall we say, “accepting the resignations” of many London Breed holdovers. Kirschbaum was the recently handpicked to be interim director after Breed-appointed SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin either was pushed or jumped, so we wondered why Lurie would retain Tumlin’s longtime top lieutenant and ally.

Maybe now we have our answer: because Julie Kirschbaum is willing to issue her staff pink slips. The Chronicle reports that Kirschbaum has relieved 12 high-level SFMTA managers of their duties, in what’s being described as a “reorganization.”

The cuts are understandable. The SFMTA is looking at a $50 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, and what could be a $320 million deficit for the following fiscal year.

“These changes are necessary to reduce duplicative roles and the confusion that comes from overlapping and unclear responsibilities,” Kirschbaum said in an email to SFMTA staff obtained by the SF Standard. “The next step will be a reorganization to set us up to achieve our priorities. The initial phase of that work will be shared by the end of the week.”

Wow, does that make it sound like more layoffs are coming? Kirschbaum herself acknowledged in the same email that she knew the announcement would “undoubtedly raise questions” among staff, according to the SF Standard.

The Chronicle reports Kirschbaum’s email also noted that these layoffs “are never easy, and I take full ownership of them.”

The only identifiable person confirmed laid off by the Chronicle's reporting is SFMTA Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Rewers. Rewers’s department was broken up and reassigned to other SFMTA groups.

“As an executive-level employee, I accept reorganizations happen, and the need and skills required evolve over time,” Rewers said to the Chronicle after learning of his firing. “I had a great run at the SFMTA. My team did great things and set the highest standards of public service.”

Many may cheer Lurie for slashing SFMTA’s executive ranks, and running the government “more efficiently” like a born-rich hedge funder would.

But it’s hard to imagine that cutting bus lines and firing employees will somehow improve Muni service anytime soon.

Related: SFMTA Board Approves Sweeping Muni Service Cuts To Take Effect This Summer [SFist]

Image: @SFMTA_Muni via Twitter