Voters in Contra Costa and four other counties are being asked to sign a petition to put a sales tax increase on the November ballot that supporters say would help save Bay Area transit agencies from making drastic service cuts.
Connect Bay Area needs more than 186,000 valid signatures by June 6 to qualify a half-cent and, in San Francisco, a full cent, transit sales tax measure that they say will “reimagine and reinvest in a system that serves today’s riders and inspires the next generation.”
The measure, which requires a simple majority vote to pass, would implement a one-half cent sales tax hike in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties; San Francisco’s sales tax would go up by 1 cent because proponents are seeking extra money to shore up the city’s Muni bus and train system.
The 14-year tax increase would take effect next year. It’s projected to raise $980 million annually to fund BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit and local transit agencies, including WestCat in western Contra Costa County, which provides transportation services such as fixed-route buses and rides for seniors and people with disabilities.
Richmond’s sales tax is 9.75 cents per dollar and includes the 6-cent California sales tax as well as a 1.5-cent tax imposed by Contra Costa County and a 1-cent tax on sales in Richmond. If the measure passes, Richmonders will pay a 10.25-cent sales tax on goods purchased here, a bit higher than the statewide average of about 9 cents.
The city tax was first approved by voters in 2004. The revenues go into the city’s general fund to pay for municipal services.
The countywide sales tax includes a half-cent per dollar that goes toward the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. That levy continues until 2034.
BART cuts could include reducing Richmond line to peak hours only
Jeff Cretan, Connect Bay Area’s spokesperson, said the sales tax hike is necessary to keep Bay Area transit agencies from cascading over a “fiscal cliff.”
“The tax will provide transit agencies with the substantial foundation they need,” Cretan told Richmondside.
Without the tax, potential service reductions could include:
- BART: The agency released a report Thursday detailing drastic proposed service cuts (70%), including: Reducing red line service (Richmond) to peak hours only; shortening the Antioch-bound yellow line; eliminating blue line service to Dublin-Pleasanton; closing multiple low-ridership stations; more fare increases; no service after 9 p.m. on weekdays and no weekend service;
- AC Transit: Up to 37% overall service cuts;
- Muni: Elimination of entire routes, up to 50% cuts on major bus and metro lines and severe reductions to streetcar and cable car service; and
- Caltrain: Hourly weekday service, no service after 9 p.m. and no weekend service.
“The impact of these reductions on transit in the Bay Area would be tremendous,” Cretan said.
“People in Richmond need their buses,” he said. “They need their BART trains.”
Cretan noted that the transit service cuts could mean more people decide to purchase cars and then have to pay for gas, tolls and parking or they might resort to using ride services.
“The expense would be far higher than the sales tax,” he said.
Cretan transit service cuts could also lead to more congested freeways and an increase in air pollution.
“Public transit is public good,” he said. “It benefits everybody.”
He said an increase in revenue is necessary because there’s no way to reduce services enough to balance the budgets of the transit agencies.
“You can’t cut your way out of this,” he said.
Why Contra Costa Taxpayers Association president opposes the proposed measure
The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association hasn’t taken an official position yet on the sales tax initiative because it hasn’t qualified for the general election ballot.
However, its president Marc Joffe is certain the organization will be opposed.
He said while he understands that public transit does need to be subsidized because it’s a necessity and the systems can’t operate on ridership fares alone, he thinks that the sales tax increase is too steep a price to pay.
“We already pay additional sales tax for transit,” Joffe told Richmondside. “I think this is too much to ask of lower-income households.”
Under the new measure, Joffe notes, San Pablo’s sales tax would jump to 10 cents per dollar. Both Pinole’s sales tax and El Cerrito’s sales tax would be 10.75 cents per dollar.
Joffe said that transit agencies should cut expenses rather than raise taxes.
“Transit agencies have not done enough to control costs,” he said.
Joffe notes that public transit ridership in the Bay Area remains lower than before the COVID pandemic. Therefore, he says some of the projected service cuts might be warranted.
He adds that because of decreases in ridership, BART’s plans to extend service to San Jose and Santa Clara should be scrapped. Caltrain’s proposal to extend service to AT&T Park in San Francisco should also be withdrawn.
In addition, Joffe says that AC Transit should look into alternatives to its current bus system such as driverless transportation, smaller vans and shared rides.
“This would make transit much less labor-intensive,” he said.
He notes that there are 27 transit agencies in the region, all with their own executives and labor agreements. He thinks consolidating some of these agencies could be a wise cost-cutting move.
More people working from home also reduces the demand for public transit, he said. All told, he said the case for transit is “a lot weaker than before.”
He said that the service reduction projections are a tactic to pesuade voters to approve the sales tax hike.
“They are painting nightmare scenarios that don’t necessarily need to happen to scare voters into voting for the measure,” Joffe said.
BART facing $380 million deficit, director says
BART board member, Barnali Ghosh, whose district includes west Contra Costa County, can’t take an official position on the sales tax measure.
But she said she can address the projected service cuts.
She notes that the BART board was only able to balance its $1.2 billion 2026 budget by using $318 million in state and regional emergency funds and imposing a 6% fare increase on Jan. 1.
Ghosh said the transit agency is facing a $380 million deficit in its fiscal year 2027 budget. On Feb. 12, the BART board will hold an all-day workshop to discuss two potential budgets, one if the sales tax measure were to get on the ballot and be approved and another if that doesn’t happen. The meeting is open to the public.
She said the proposed impacts on service are real. Service could be drastically reduced. Trains could start running at 30-minute intervals. Fares could go up by 30%. Some stations could be shuttered.
Ghosh noted that BART ridership did increase by 13% in December 2025 compared to December 2024. Still, ridership remains at about 50% of the 400,000 average weekday peak before 2020.
“Ridership is not coming back at the rate needed to make up the budget deficit,” she told Richmondside.
Ghosh added that service reductions could reduce ridership even more.
“These kinds of service cuts might not be workable for everyone,” she said.
She agreed with Cretan that the service cuts would impact everyone, including people who don’t use public transit.
“Even if you’re not a BART rider, you’re going to feel it,” Ghosh said.
She said that freeways, including Interstate 80 in west Contra Costa County, will become more crowded as some of the nearly 200,000 people who ride BART on weekdays start driving to work.
“That’s a lot of people you don’t want on the freeway,” Ghosh said.
She said air pollution will also increase and working class and lower-income people will have more difficulty navigating through their daily routines.
“Not having reliable transit is not good for people’s lives,” Ghosh said.
We don’t need another regressive transportation funding measure. Our taxes are already too high.
Vote NO.
Over the last several elections, voters in Santa Clara County have passed multiple tax and fee increases including gas taxes, the Caltrain Measure RR tax, two bridge toll increases, three VTA sales taxes, Santa Clara County’s Measure A 1/8 cent sales tax, the state prop 30 ¼ cent sales tax and the 2010 Measure B Vehicle Registration Fee of $10,and most recently a Santa Clara County”stealth sales tax.” Additionally, we’re on the hook to pay back numerous state bond issues including high-speed rail, the Proposition 1 water bond and the infrastructure bonds of 2006.
All this nickel and diming contributes into making the Bay Area a horribly expensive place to live; especially for people of modest means, who must pay the greatest percentage of their income in these regressive taxes and fees. Each increase by itself does not amount to much, but the cumulative effect is to add to the unaffordability of the region.
Before increasing taxes YET AGAIN, waste needs to be removed from transportation projects. VTA needs to “value engineer the BART to San Jose project, going with a twin bore tunnel and eliminating the redundant BART extension between the San Jose and Santa Clara Caltrain stations. The BART segment from these stations would duplicate both the existing Caltrain line and VTA’s 22 and 522 buses.
Why don’t the wealthy high rollers at MTC suggest taxing rich tech companies and leave the little guy alone for a change?
I agree with Mr. Hough–this is a regressive tax. I realize they’re doing a sales tax because they need just a simple majority to approve it. But this hits lower income households far more than high income households–and in a very unfair manner. I’m not opposed to subsidizing public transit through taxes–but sure a more equitable tax that’s based on property valuation is the better route, even if it requires a 67% vote to approve. Of course, this means they have to show that their planning and changes upcoming are effective and reflect smart management, which may be the larger hurdle. I agree, too, that consolidation of transit agencies (especially buses) will save money as well. I’d vote for the equitable tax, especially if they say they’ll invest in robotic transit, reducing their biggest cost (labor), and smaller vans that will finally provide reliable feeders into BART stations where parking is being removed.