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SamTrans seeks Belmont input on proposed Connect Bay Area sales tax (SB 63)
Summary
SamTrans presented the Connect Bay Area proposal (SB 63), a citizen-initiated half-cent regional sales tax the agency says would raise nearly $1 billion regionwide and about $50 million annually for San Mateo County; SamTrans asked Belmont to help shape a local investment plan and to amplify a short public survey.
SamTrans officials on Tuesday asked the Belmont City Council to weigh in on a proposed regional sales-tax measure—known as Connect Bay Area and tied to SB 63—that would raise revenue for transit agencies across the Bay Area if it qualifies for the November ballot.
Mikaela Wright Petrick, government and community affairs officer with the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), told the council the measure is pursuing placement on the ballot through a citizen initiative and would require 50% plus one of total votes in five Bay Area counties to pass. She said the measure would ask voters for a half-cent sales tax for 14 years (with an additional one cent in San Francisco only) and that, if approved, the measure would produce nearly $1 billion for Bay Area transit operations and capital needs.
“About 63% of the funding would go to preventing major service cuts on BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit, San Francisco Bay Ferry and some other agencies,” Petrick said, and SamTrans expects to administer roughly $50 million a year for projects and services in San Mateo County if the measure passes. She said the funds would be restricted to public transit uses under the measure’s language.
The presentation emphasized a short outreach timeline: SamTrans staff said they have roughly a 10‑week window to gather community input on a local investment plan and are running an online and paper survey (available in multiple languages) that closes on April 30. The agency plans to present a final local investment plan to its board in June for consideration.
During a brief council exchange, a member asked whether the measure would “make all three agencies whole.” Petrick said she could not definitively answer on the spot but noted Caltrain faces an approximate $75 million gap and that the proposed measure would “go a long way” toward addressing shortfalls while operators develop alternative service plans.
A Belmont resident who identified himself as participating in signature gathering urged passage during public comment, saying the measure is essential to meeting climate and mobility goals and arguing that the region currently subsidizes car travel more than mass transit.
Next steps: SamTrans invited Belmont staff and councilmembers to share the agency’s survey materials through city communication channels and encouraged residents to complete the survey before the stated deadline. SamTrans staff said the board aims for adoption of a local investment plan in June, subject to outcomes of signature gathering and the initiative process.
