Will Bay Area transit tax measure qualify for November ballot? - San Jose Spotlight

A campaign to place a 0.5% sales tax on the November ballot for Bay Area public transit has collected nearly 306,000 signatures, exceeding the 186,000 required. The measure would raise about $1 billion annually across five Bay Area counties, with roughly $264 million going to VTA each year for 14 years. Signatures gathered by paid workers and volunteers must be reviewed by elections officials in each county before qualifying for the Nov. 3 midterm ballot. Advocates expect qualification results in about a month, depending on county-by-county verification. Transit agencies including VTA and BART face multiyear budget deficits, and BART has warned it might close stations.

"Representatives for the Connect Bay Area campaign on Tuesday said canvassers gathered nearly 306,000 signatures - roughly 120,000 more than the 186,000 required - to provide long-term operational funding for transportation agencies including VTA in Santa Clara County. The sales tax would amount to a 0.5% increase in the South Bay, where some cities already have high sales tax rates. Approximately $264 million would go to VTA annually until the tax ends after 14 years."

"Each signature will be reviewed by elections officials for each of the five counties before the effort can qualify for the Nov. 3 midterm election ballot. Advocates expect to know if the measure qualifies in about a month, but said it depends county-by-county. The signature gathering campaign utilized paid workers and volunteers."

""(Collecting more signatures than required) shows the level of enthusiasm and the level of love that our community has for public transit, an under-discussed but key part of the Bay Area's identity," Harry Neil, a leader of the volunteer signature gathering campaign in the South Bay, told San José Spotlight. "We saw this not only as an opportunity to help save transit, but also to build a wider of culture of advocates for transit in the Bay Area.""

"Agencies such as VTA and BART are the main ways to get around on public transit, but are struggling with multiyear budget deficits. VTA surpassed record ridership expectations with Super Bowl 60 in February, but projects a $15 million deficit by 2027. BART on April 17 reported a 10% year-over-year surge in trips this month, but faces an annual structural deficit of $350 million to $400 million. The agency has warned it might close 15 stations with a 70% reduct"

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