A regional transit funding measure has cleared over 300,000 signatures, well over the threshold to qualify for the upcoming November election.
If passed, the regional transit measure would impose a 14-year, half-cent sales tax in several Bay Area counties, including San Mateo, to narrow gaping deficits some of the largest transit agencies in the region face.
Caltrain faces an annual $75 million average deficit for the next 15 years starting in fiscal year 2027, which begins this July, with BART facing an average $376 million annual deficit. The measure would in large part narrow the deficits of some of the region’s major transit operators. Caltrain, for instance, is facing an annual $75 million average deficit, and BART is staring down a $376 million average annual deficit. Without significant external funding, both agencies have claimed they would have to close down a number of stations, cut service and likely shut down within just a few years.
“Public transit is a cornerstone of our economy and an essential public good that keeps our region affordable for residents,” U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco said in a Connect Bay Area press release. “Connect Bay Area will protect the public transportation service we all rely on while ensuring strong accountability so every dollar delivers reliable, safe transit.”
About $50 million from the measure would go directly to San Mateo County to use for infrastructure upgrades, street repairs and safety investments, among others. Connect Bay Area is a citizen’s initiative and needed to collect 186,000 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot, according to a recent Connect Bay Area press release. It needs a simple majority to pass.
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(3) comments
Once politicians figured out that Regional tax measures, with lower vote threshold, could get the most anything they wanted, voters got the short end of the stick. So, you can pretty much guarantee this one will pass no matter how much you feel about it. I don't know about the rest of you, but those of us here in San Mateo will also be facing a city tax, a school district tax, and I'm sure they'll be able to come up with something else before November. I don't know how politicians talk about making our region affordable with a straight face.
Thank you, Bay Area voters. We need financially stable transit. Not more people clogging the streets in cars.
Does anyone wonder why and how they got so many signatures? Let's make sure this measure gets defeated. Based on the earlier reports the transit agencies are already licking their chops on how to spend our precious tax dollars. They are bordering on criminal.
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