Bay Area voters weigh regional transit tax measure to prevent transit cuts

Bay Area voters are weighing a big decision this election season to bail out Bay Area transit agencies or risk severe service cuts. If the regional transit measure fails, agencies like BART and Muni say commuters will pay the price. KTVU's Zach Sauce is live at the Orinda BART station tonight with a closer look. Zach. And Claudine, Orinda BART station, one of 10 stations, the agency says it could be forced to close early next year if this measure doesn't pass. This says a number of transit agencies face large budget deficits. With the clock ticking down to election day, voters weighing a transit tax to fund agencies like BART, Muni, AC Transit, and the VTA, which have struggled with the decline in ridership since the pandemic. I think we do need to raise the money for the public transportation. I think we need all the public transportation we can possibly afford. We say we need fixes before funding. Greg Dieguez is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit. His group opposes the regional transit measure, arguing that Bay Area transit agencies have long mismanaged their money and failed to innovate. The measure, if passed, would raise the sales tax by 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties, and it would increase by 1% in San Francisco. It's expected to raise about $980 million annually. Over the next 14 years. We have better things we can do with that money. We need a new electrical grid. Area public transit agencies have warned about drastic service cuts if the measure fails. Muni says it could cut up to 20 bus routes. It would be catastrophic for me. Then I'd have to walk both ways to work. Caltrain could reduce service on weekdays and eliminate weekend service altogether. And BART says 10 stations could be closed. I think if the measure fails. There will be some attempts to find a last-minute source, but there isn't much time. BART says they have to cut right away in '27, and I believe them. Advocates of the transit measure also warn that if it doesn't pass, more people will hit the road, resulting in mass gridlock. Dieguez is not convinced. The Bay Area survived the 2013 BART strike, which was a complete shutdown of BART. This is much less than that, and now 13 years later. We're much more able to adapt than we were then. In a recent poll by the Bay Area News Group, 48% of respondents say they plan to support the measure, while 34% say they won't, and 18% remain undecided. Lots of people who aren't particularly focused on this issue are going to decide at the last minute. And, you know, it needs 50% to pass. And AC Transit also saying they could be forced to eliminate 16% of their bus service if this measure doesn't pass. So yeah, a lot for voters to consider this election day. Claudine? Yeah, certainly could be very impactful. And Zach, I know I've heard some voters say, oh, it would be great if this passes so we can improve our trains or our buses. But the way these agencies are really presenting this, this is not about necessarily improvements. It's about about kind of keeping the status quo. Yeah, really about keeping the status quo, keeping the service you already have, keeping your stations online. So that is the argument these transit agencies are making for why you should vote for this measure. Yeah. All right. A lot to consider before election day. Thank you, Zach.