Bay Area leaders and transit advocates are gearing up to launch a campaign to save public transit from potential drastic budget cuts that could result in service reductions.
On Friday, a coalition called the Connect Bay Area Transit Committee, made up of transit advocacy, businesses, and labor groups, will begin its signature-gathering campaign to get a regional sales tax measure on the November ballot. The committee will need to gather 186,000 signatures by June 6 to qualify for the ballot and would only need a simple majority to pass.
The campaign kick-off will take place throughout the five Bay Area counties authorized to place the measure on the ballot: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties.
In the city, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, state Senator Scott Wiener, and state Senator Jesse Arreguin are anticipated to join the Friday morning rally at Embarcadero Plaza.
Wiener and Arreguin are coauthors of Senate Bill 63, which authorizes the five Bay Area counties to place the regional sales tax measure on the November ballot to fund transit operations. The bill, signed by Governor Newsom last year, allows for 1 percent additional sales tax in San Francisco, while the other four counties would see a 0.5 percent increase.
A survey from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), conducted by EMC Research, released last November, showed 59 percent of respondents would support a regional tax measure to fund public transit.
Bay Area transit agencies, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and BART, are facing budget deficits that could lead to service cuts, according to the Bay Area Connect campaign. The SFMTA is facing a $307 million deficit at the start of July 1, and BART is looking at a $350 million to $400 million deficit in the following years.
In his first State of the City Address, Lurie said that saving Muni was “non-negotiable” and that he supported the regional sales tax measure.
Lurie is also supporting a local parcel tax measure to fund Muni, which could appear on the November ballot.
“This plan to fund Muni prioritizes protecting tenants, homeowners, and small businesses, and ensures that Muni not only survives this financial crisis but thrives for generations to come,” Lurie said at his address to the city.