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SamTrans outlines local investment plan if regional 'Connect Bay Area' measure qualifies
Summary
SamTrans staff told the San Bruno City Council that a regionwide ballot initiative (associated with SB 63) could bring roughly $50 million annually to San Mateo County if passed; the agency is seeking local input to craft a county investment plan before potential ballot qualification.
Michaela Ray Petri, government and community affairs officer for SamTrans, presented to the San Bruno City Council on April 28 about a potential regional ballot measure (commonly described in the presentation as the Connect Bay Area measure) that could appear on the November ballot via citizens’ initiative to address transit operators’ operational deficits.
Petri said the proposal—rooted in state legislation (SB 63, the Connect Bay Area Act) and subject to a private signature campaign to reach the ballot—would levy roughly a half‑cent sales tax in most Bay Area counties for 14 years (with a higher rate in San Francisco) and raise an estimated $1 billion regionally. She said SamTrans would be the local administrator for funds returned to San Mateo County and estimated roughly $50 million per year in locally administered funds for the county if the measure passes.
“SAM Trans would allocate approximately $50 million annually for 14 years,” Petri told the council, adding that about 63% of the regional revenue would be earmarked to prevent major service cuts at large operators such as BART, Caltrain, Muni and AC Transit, while the remainder would fund locally‑administered transit improvements.
Why it matters: Petri said the proposal is intended to stabilize major regional operators facing large operational deficits and to provide a local funding stream for county priorities such as paratransit, safety projects, frequency improvements and transit priority infrastructure. SamTrans staff are developing a local investment plan and have launched short‑timeline public outreach and a multilingual survey (the presentation noted the survey closes April 30) to inform priorities.
Council response: Petri invited council members and staff to participate in SamTrans’ county workshops and to help amplify the public survey; she said SamTrans will adopt a local investment plan in June pending further board discussion. Petri thanked local staff and stakeholder groups that have participated in advisory workshops and asked councils to encourage public input during the outreach window.
Next steps: SamTrans will continue stakeholder outreach, refine a local investment plan for San Mateo County, and present recommendations to the SamTrans Board. The council was asked to share the survey and community engagement materials while SamTrans completes its schedule for potential ballot placement and local plan adoption.
