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SAM Trans official Michaela Wright Petri outlines local impacts of Connect Bay Area ballot measure
Summary
A SAM Trans government and community affairs officer told the council that the Connect Bay Area initiative (SB63) could put a half‑cent sales tax on the November ballot for 14 years, delivering roughly $50 million a year back to Sanonteo County for transit operations and locally administered projects; staff urged residents to take a public survey that closes April 30.
Michaela Wright Petri, a government and community affairs officer with the Sanonteo County Transit District (SAM Trans), told the city council that a proposed regional ballot initiative tied to SB63 could bring an estimated $50 million annually to Sanonteo County if voters approve a half‑cent sales tax for 14 years (a full cent would apply only in San Francisco). She said the regional measure would direct roughly $1 billion to Bay Area transit agencies and that about 63% of the revenue would be dedicated to preventing service cuts for larger operators such as Cal Train, BART and MUNI.
"We provide bus and paratransit service here in Sanonteo County which is an essential service for people to get to work, medical appointments, school and other destinations," Petri said, noting SAM Trans riders are disproportionately low‑income: "94% are lowincome and 80% do not drive or choose to not own a car." She described a local investment plan that would steer return‑to‑source funds to county priorities and said SAM Trans is collecting public input to help the board decide how the county’s share would be invested.
Petri outlined the decision process and timeline: signature gathering is underway for a citizens’ initiative; if the measure reaches the ballot it would require a majority (50% plus one) in five counties to pass; SAM Trans staff are conducting a 10‑week public engagement process, hold a board discussion May 6, and aim for board adoption of a local investment plan in June. She asked council members to amplify a survey and toolkit provided to city staff; Petri said the survey closes April 30.
Council members pressed for specifics about how Sanonteo County’s returned funds would be divided. Council member Lens asked whether smaller local programs such as Commute.org or city shuttles were eligible. Petri said local allocations are to be decided by the SAM Trans board and that everything consistent with the public‑transit restriction is on the table: "as long as it falls into the categories … it has to be for public transit or public transit‑adjacent elements of projects." She added that the county’s pie shares were worked out to reflect connections between systems and local ridership patterns.
Council members from Brisbane emphasized the importance of the 292 route and the local shuttle to high schoolers and workers and urged Petri to prioritize underserved corridors, improved stops, and reliability. Petri acknowledged those operational priorities and said the outreach includes language‑accessible surveys, stakeholder workshops and mailed paper options.
The presentation concluded with Petri encouraging residents to complete the survey and with staff committing to provide the board with the community input needed to form a local investment plan if the ballot measure qualifies and passes.
