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VTA seeks Los Altos input on draft local investment plan amid push for Homestead and Foothill projects
Summary
VTA staff briefed the Los Altos City Council on a proposed five-county, half-cent sales-tax measure (SB 63) and invited city feedback on a draft local investment plan that would funnel an estimated $264 million annually to Santa Clara County; council members highlighted the Homestead Corridor and Foothill safety improvements as priorities.
Valley Transportation Authority staff on March 24 asked the Los Altos City Council and residents for input on a draft local investment plan tied to a proposed five-county regional transportation sales-tax measure authorized by SB 63.
"We're really just looking for input," Sam Sargent, VTA director of strategy and transformation, said during the presentation. He described the measure as a citizens' initiative: a half-cent sales tax with a 14-year term that would require a simple majority (50% plus one) for passage and is estimated to bring about $264 million a year to Santa Clara County if approved.
The proposed funding framework would allocate roughly 10.38% to Caltrain and 5% to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's transit transformation programs, Sargent said, with 0.25% set aside for administration. Sargent said the plan groups investments into three outcome-oriented categories — foundational (bus corridor improvements, shelters and station upgrades), reimagine (network and fare program changes) and transform (advanced vehicle technologies and station redevelopment) — and that the VTA will present a draft to its board in June after additional workshops and public outreach.
A council member who represents North County on the VTA board said the board's vote to join the five-county coalition reflected concern for regional operators and a high "return to source" for Santa Clara County. "Almost 95% of the money that is raised from this measure, should it pass, will come back to Santa Clara County," the council member said, noting that that figure (stated as about 94.75%) helped secure board support.
Council members and residents used the presentation to press the VTA on projects that directly affect Los Altos, particularly the Homestead Corridor and Foothill Expressway improvements. Council members urged VTA staff to prioritize projects that visibly serve West County communities and to consider targeted bus routes that reach downtown Los Altos rather than stopping at the city's edge.
Sargent encouraged cities and residents to submit project ideas and feedback through the VTA landing page and the project email, investment.plan@vta.org, and said the agency will hold a second workshop April 17 before returning to the board in June.
The presentation did not come with a council endorsement or action; the city council said it would continue to collect comments and coordinate with VTA staff. The VTA emphasized that the local investment plan remains a draft and that staff is soliciting input rather than a formal municipal endorsement at this stage.
