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SamTrans outlines SB 63/Connect Bay Area proposal, warns of service cuts if measure fails; Foster City asks how it would benefit
Summary
A SamTrans official told Foster City the Connect Bay Area measure (SB 63) could raise nearly $1 billion regionally and about $50 million annually for San Mateo County if voters approve it; councilmembers pressed SamTrans on whether Foster City—an area with limited fixed-route service—would receive meaningful local benefits.
Michaela Wright Petrick, government and community affairs officer for the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), briefed Foster City’s council on SB 63 — the Connect Bay Area Act — and a privately funded signature campaign that could place a sales-tax measure on the November ballot. Wright Petrick said the ballot measure, if it qualifies and passes, would propose a half-cent sales tax for 14 years (and 1 cent in San Francisco) and could generate nearly $1,000,000,000 for Bay Area transit.
Wright Petrick said San Mateo County’s local share would be about $50,000,000 a year to allocate for 14 years and stressed that the county’s portion must be used for public transit. She described a fast public-outreach timetable — roughly 10 weeks — and asked the council to help amplify an online and paper survey that closes April 30 as SamTrans develops a local investment plan the board hopes to adopt in June.
Councilmember Stacy Jimenez and other members raised concerns that Foster City is not on major transit corridors and may not be prioritized under the distribution criteria. Wright Petrick said one eligible category is expanding access to underserved communities and that alternatives such as on‑demand shared-ride services ('bridal plus') or bus-stop and road improvements tied to fixed-route service could be on the table for places without heavy corridor service.
On accountability, Wright Petrick said the enabling legislation and the expenditure plan include financial-efficiency reviews by independent third parties and an appeals process for counties that feel funds are inequitably distributed. She warned that if the ballot measure does not pass, major operators have already adopted alternative service plans and could institute large-scale cuts.
