VTA outlines county investment plan tied to proposed half‑cent sales tax; projects aim to boost bus, rail and safety

Sam Sargent, director of strategy at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, presented a draft local investment plan to the Campbell City Council on May 5 as part of outreach tied to a proposed regional sales‑tax measure. Sargent said the citizen initiative would be a half‑cent tax over 14 years and, after required allocations, could produce an estimated $264,000,000 annually to Santa Clara County in FY31.

Sargent told the council the measure sets aside about 10.38% to Caltrain “to cover our obligations as one of the three member agencies,” and about 5.25% to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for administration and regional programs. He said VTA is organizing potential expenditures into three strategic areas—what the agency calls “foundation,” “reimagine” and “transform”—to reinforce core service, modernize service delivery and pilot new technologies.

“Foundation” investments would support bus corridor improvements, repaving on corridors served by fixed‑route transit, stop amenities and vehicle upgrades. “Reimagine” includes service frequency improvements guided by VTA’s visionary network and expanded youth and senior pass programs. “Transform” would fund pilots for emerging mobility and major capital projects, including additional light‑rail extensions and station area upgrades, Sargent said.

Sargent added that the proposal includes funding for safety and security improvements, greater system accessibility and customer‑facing tools such as real‑time arrival information. “We want public‑facing dashboards so the public and taxpayers can look and say, ‘VTA said they were going to do this,’” he said.

Sargent said VTA has conducted more than a dozen community meetings and plans continued outreach with cities and community organizations. He said the VTA board will receive an information item on the framework this Thursday and is scheduled to vote on the framework on June 4, with details to be refined through VTA’s biennial budget process.

The presentation prompted council questions about public engagement and local coordination. Council member Sergio Lopez, who also serves as chair of the VTA board, said he welcomed feedback and urged residents to participate in upcoming sessions.

VTA staff and Lopez emphasized the local nature of many projects and the agency’s intent to coordinate with cities on corridor design and timing. The presentation concluded with an invitation for written comments and the announcement that backup materials for the board meeting would be posted the following day.

If the board adopts a framework and the measure is certified by signature gatherers, Sargent said, VTA will bring project‑level details back to cities through the normal budget and programming process.