Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Monday that lays the groundwork for a 2026 ballot measure to shore up funding for Bay Area transit systems through a new sales tax.<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 63 (opens in new tab)<\/a>, written by state Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arregu\u00edn (D-Berkeley), aims to increase funding for local transit systems on the verge of financial devastation<\/a> amid struggles to recover pre-pandemic ridership numbers. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Bay Area runs on transit, and this measure will allow it to keep running for many years to come,\u201d Wiener said in a statement. <\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s signature does not automatically send the tax to the ballot.<\/p>\n Instead, it authorizes two ways to qualify the measure. The first option is for a transit board representing agencies across the Bay Area to send it to voters in November 2026, a harder battle because new taxes typically require a two-thirds majority approval.<\/p>\n But proponents are instead pursuing a voter initiative path, which would need only a simple majority to pass. <\/p>\n If approved, the measure would add a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties to fund regional systems like BART, Caltrain, AC Transit, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, and the San Mateo County bus system. In San Francisco, the rate would be 1 cent to cover additional San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency deficits.<\/p>\n In his signing message (opens in new tab)<\/a>, Newsom said he understood as a former supervisor and mayor \u201chow challenging it can be to manage local transit systems.\u201d <\/p>\n But, he warned, \u201cthe public\u2019s willingness to support repeated taxes cannot be assumed.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cSome transit systems fail to adequately demonstrate stewardship, accountability, and innovation,\u201d he wrote, adding that agencies \u201cbear the responsibility of showing how the additional revenues, if approved by voters, will produce tangible outcomes and measurable results.\u201d <\/p>\n