Senators Wiener and Arreguín Announce Bill to Authorize Bay Area Public Transit Funding Measure on the 2026 Ballot
SACRAMENTO – Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) announced Senate Bill 63, the Connect Bay Area Act. SB 63 strengthens and stabilizes public transportation in the Bay Area as funding shortfalls threaten devastating service cuts at BART, MUNI, Caltrain, AC Transit, and other systems. These cuts would turbocharge traffic congestion and seriously undermine the Bay Area’s economic recovery, climate goals, and quality of life for working people. The bill authorizes a regional funding measure on the November 2026 ballot to provide transit systems with sustainable funding to provide safe, clean, and reliable service across the Bay Area for years to come while improving financial efficiency and coordination across the region.
Without a sustainable source of funding, budget challenges exacerbated by the pandemic will force transit agencies across the Bay Area to make major service cuts. BART could be forced to cut 65-85% of service, meaning trains only every 60 minutes, no weekend service, and station closures and line shutdowns. MUNI could face a 50% reduction in frequency on lines, no regular service after 9 p.m., and the elimination of Muni fare subsidies for low-income riders, seniors, and youth. AC Transit and Caltrain would be forced to make similar cuts.
Major cuts to public transportation service would cause ripple effects for everyone in the Bay Area. Without good quality public transit, fewer customers and employees could access businesses, fewer fans could attend concerts and sporting events, and thousands of low income people lose their only transportation option. Commutes could increase by up to 10 hours per week for key routes connecting the East Bay to San Francisco, and traffic on the Bay Bridge could increase 72%. In San Francisco alone, the 13,000 students who ride MUNI could lose their route to school, and our air quality would tank with millions of additional gallons of gas burned. There are 800,000 jobs within a 15- minute walk to a BART station.
“We must do everything we can to strengthen our public transportation systems to prevent major service cuts, which would be devastating not only for transit riders, but for everyone in the Bay Area,” said Senator Wiener. “Strong, reliable public transportation is absolutely essential for our region and our economic recovery: we need trains and buses to bring customers and workers to businesses, kids to school, people to the doctor and supermarkets, fans to concerts and Warriors games, and tourists to and from the airport. It's essential for our climate goals: we have the greenest bus and rail systems in the country, keeping our air clean and our emissions down. And we really need it to keep congestion under control: strong transit means tens of thousands of fewer cars on the road, and hours of commute time saved each week for our residents. This measure will shore up our public transportation systems, allowing them to build on recent improvements to deliver safe, clean, and reliable service, while improving financial efficiency and coordination between systems.”
"As someone who is legally blind and transit-dependent, I know how critical it is to have reliable and quality public transportation,” said Lateefah Simon. “Tens of thousands of people in the Bay rely on public transportation to get groceries, drop off their children at school, or get to their jobs. Major service cuts to our public transportation systems are simply unacceptable. Service cuts to BART, MUNI, Caltrain, AC Transit and other systems will harm our local economies and climate, make life harder for Bay Area residents and visitors alike, and exacerbate existing inequalities. I applaud Senators Wiener and Arreguin for their bill to ensure our public transportation systems have stable and sustainable funding for years to come."
Public transportation in the Bay Area has long been underfunded compared to other jurisdictions, and the pandemic exacerbated funding issues for transit agencies here and across the country. By 2023, transit agencies across the state were facing major service cuts, but the cuts were averted when Senator Wiener and other legislators secured $1.1 billion in state funding. That money is due to run out in mid 2026, and Senator Arreguín is currently leading an effort to secure $2 billion in gap funding for public transportation systems in this year’s state budget to fund transit service through a regional revenue measure.
“As a transit rider myself, I am deeply concerned about the fiscal cliff our vital transit agencies face”, said Senator Jesse Arreguín. “This bill will empower Bay Area residents to save our public transit, which provides a lifeline to many people, keeps the region’s economy going, and advances our goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Despite these challenging fiscal headwinds, many public transportation agencies have substantially improved service over the last 2 years. Crime on BART is down 17% year-over-year, and the agency’s cost containment steps have kept its costs rising more slowly than the rate of inflation. MUNI earned its highest rider satisfaction rating in 20 years after cutting major subway delays 76% and short delays down 89%.
“A thriving San Francisco needs an affordable, reliable and safe public transportation network so
workers can get to their jobs, our seniors to their doctor’s appointments and our families to school in the morning,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. “To address the impending funding crisis our local and regional transportation networks face, we must take a multi-pronged approach to pair funding solutions with reforms to bring a new era of accountability and reliability to our transportation systems.”
“SFMTA is the beating heart of San Francisco,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. “Our trains and buses move hundreds of thousands of people every day, getting workers to their jobs and kids to school, and I'm proud that Muni is experiencing higher rider satisfaction than it has in twenty years. But we – like every Bay Area transit agency – are facing a budget crisis that will impact service if we don't act quickly. SB 63 gives voters the chance to support transit agencies like Muni, and invest in more reliable, frequent, safe service. Thank you Senator Wiener for your leadership, and for continuing to champion public transit.”
The funding measure authorized by SB 63 will appear as a sales tax in San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties, with an opportunity for San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to opt in by July 31, 2025. The default rate is set at ½-cent, with the exception that San Francisco may have up to 1 cent to provide additional support for MUNI. The exact rates must be negotiated and finalized by July 31, 2025, by which time the transit agencies and local governments must also submit a spending plan to allocate revenue generated by the measure.
SB 63 will also require transportation agencies to make changes to improve financial efficiency and coordination with other systems to receive funding. BART, MUNI, Caltrain, and AC Transit will be required to comply with the MTC’s Regional Network Management policies and programs, and MTC will be required to conduct an independent third party financial efficiency review to identify cost-saving measures for those operators. After the assessment, they will be required to submit implementation plans to MTC detailing cost-efficiency measures they plan to implement.
"SB 63 allows the Bay Area to raise the funding we need to sustain and improve our biggest transit systems - and it includes important policy provisions that ensure transit will be more integrated and financially secure going forward,” said Laura Tolkoff, Transportation Policy Director at SPUR. “BART, Caltrain, AC Transit and SF MUNI carry more than 80% of all transit riders in the region and nearly 30% of all riders in the state. We need these systems to thrive if we want to keep the Bay Area moving, affordable, equitable and sustainable."
SB 63 is joint-authored by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) and co-authored by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco).
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