The state Legislature delivered a historic win for San Mateo County by passing Senate Bill 63 this past weekend.
The bill, which cleared both the Assembly and Senate with strong support, gives voters in San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties the chance in 2026 to approve a regional sales tax measure dedicated to preserving and improving public transit. For San Mateo County, SB 63 is more than just another bill. It’s a lifeline for our residents, our economy and our environment.
Why? Because our transit systems are in crisis. Agencies such as Caltrain and BART are facing deep financial shortfalls due to shifting commute patterns and the expiration of federal emergency funding. Without new revenue, the agencies would be forced to slash service, strand riders, worsen traffic and hurt air quality at the very time we need to build a greener future.
But thanks to SB 63, the outlook is far brighter. This measure would provide a stable, long-term funding stream that ensures Caltrain, SamTrans, BART and other operators can maintain and improve service. It also gives San Mateo County the ability to renew its own Measure A sales tax in 2028 with a focus squarely on local priorities, rather than plugging regional budget gaps.
Equally important, SB 63 was written with San Mateo County taxpayers in mind. The bill guarantees around $50 million per year in “return-to-source” funding for SamTrans, money that goes straight back into transformative local projects, from faster bus service to safer streets. It also ensures our county only contributes to regional agencies like BART in proportion to the riders it actually serves.
SB 63 doesn’t just provide funding, it provides accountability. More than ever before, regional transit agencies will be held to rigorous fiscal efficiency standards. BART, Caltrain, Muni and AC Transit must undergo a two-step review process to prove they are spending responsibly. If they fail to deliver improvements, they don’t get the money.
And if San Mateo County residents aren’t being treated fairly on fare policies, cleanliness or service standards, our county can trigger an adjudication process that forces action. An ad-hoc committee made up only of the counties funding that agency will have binding authority to withhold funds until problems are corrected.
This structure puts control where it belongs, in the hands of the taxpayers who are footing the bill. It means agencies must earn public trust and demonstrate results, not just ask for more money. It’s one of the strongest accountability frameworks ever built into Bay Area transit funding.
Meanwhile, we’re already making progress. Caltrain’s electrification has boosted ridership by 76% over the past year, offering riders faster, cleaner and quieter trains. BART has rolled out new trains, enhanced safety measures and stepped-up cleaning protocol, earning its highest customer satisfaction rating in years. The seeds of recovery are there, but without SB 63 that recovery could wither under the weight of budget cuts.
With SB 63 in place, we now have a chance to grow. The funding it enables will allow agencies to stabilize operations, expand service and prepare for future demand. It will allow San Mateo County to invest directly in local priorities while protecting fairness in regional contributions. And it will keep our region moving forward by ensuring that public transit remains a reliable, sustainable alternative to driving.
Letting SamTrans, Caltrain or BART fail is not an option. These systems are the backbone of our economy, carrying workers, students and seniors every day. They reduce congestion, cut emissions and connect us to opportunities across the Peninsula and beyond. SB 63 recognizes that reality and gives us the tools to protect and strengthen our transit future.
The legislature has done its part. Now it will be up to the voters in 2026 to seize this opportunity and secure the funding our transit systems need. With fairness, accountability and a clear path forward, SB 63 represents a commitment to prosperity, mobility and livability for San Mateo County and the entire Bay Area.
We are grateful to the bill’s authors, state Sens. Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguin and their respective staff, for the months of work to bring this to the voters, who deservedly will have the ultimate say.
David J. Canepa is president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the county’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Noelia Corzo serves as the board’s representative on the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Jeff Gee is chair of the SamTrans Board of Directors. James Coleman is a member of the South San Francisco City Council.
(6) comments
You know when these politicians are smiling they are about the to give you the shaft. In particular, this guy from SSF, who is now presiding over a massive budget deficit is the same one who authorized a guaranteed income for a selected demographic constituency. He is now urging us to lard more largess on a corrupt union-base transit system. Follow the money, folks. Vote NO on this labor union ripoff.
Folks, don’t fall for the sob stories. We all know transit will not cease to exist if this bill doesn’t pass. The bottom line is that this bill will take more (if not all) proceeds of your money and transfer it to union transportation workers. Remember, these are the transit unions that operated at 100% capacity with 50% or less ridership during the years of COVID, and even to now. Vote NO. If you change your mind, don’t worry, we know more measures to take more of your money to transfer to union workers will show up again. Over and over again. Because ever-increasing union transportation worker salaries, pensions, and benefits must be paid for. BTW, I wonder how much the authors received from public unions for this biased guest perspective.
Yes, most peoples' salaries go up over time (ideally in line with inflation). Should this not apply to union labor, too? Or are you suggesting that union salaries have increased more than other Bay area workers'? If so, please provide a source.
Thanks for your response, joebob91. What do you have against fiscal management? I have no issues with union labor – as long as they don’t have politicians shilling for them who want to transfer money from taxpayers to union transportation workers for a transit system with 50% demand but continuing to operate at 100% capacity. Vote NO and force transit systems to practice fiscal management. For those who support public transit, such as yourself, are you willing to open your wallet and write a check to these companies? If not, why not? Or how about raising fares to sustain public transit? The ones who use it can pay for it. The ones who don’t won’t.
Thanks to these electeds who put forward and got passed a solution to address the looming fiscal cliffs faced by Caltrain and BART. While not perfect, the measure is the best (and only?) option put forward to date.
Joebob91 - there is no looming cliff. It's all made up.
SamTrans is funded 95% by Measure A/W and is spending like crazy on buying new headquarters, new office buildings, upgrading old office buildings, new buses, new hydrogen buses, new battery buses, ... but they haven't spent a dime on bus shelters in the last 3 years - the one thing they promised riders in 2022.
Caltrain wasted millions on a Swiss experimental train - they could have bought 6 reliable, full e-train sets made in Folsom by Siemens instead. They also overshot their budget for electrification by far, they keep wasting funding on the Dumbarton Bridge studies - a project they really don't want to do (hence the 20 million-dollar studies instead of starting the project)
There was also no need to split SamTrans and Caltrain other than wasting more money on more CEOs, more administrators, more ....
BART didn't buy just one new HQ, they bought a second one for BART police. Even BART board members complain about the incompetence and unprofessionalism of its staff and board members. The reason being that the majority is Pro-Labor, but not the nice pro-labor, the sleazy, greedy kind, where you forget that you actually work for your customers and for the government, so to speak.
These almost 30 agencies MUST be forced to merge, find a professional transit leadership group, and fire all these boards of small-town politicians.
The reason why this is an unaffordable area is because Bay Area Democrats keep making it more expensive for this generation and the next.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.