Contra Costa and Four Bay Area Counties Vote Nov. 3 on $980M Annual Regional Transit Tax

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters across Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties will decide the fate of the Regional Transit Measure (RTM) — a 14-year sales tax measure aimed at closing operating deficits across Bay Area public transit agencies and preventing station closures and bus service cuts.

If approved, the Regional Transit Measure will take effect in April 2027 and implement:

• A half-cent sales tax in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
• A one-cent sales tax in San Francisco County.

$980 Million Annually for 14 Years

The tax is projected to generate approximately $980 million annually for 14 years to support transit operators across the five participating counties.

Agencies slated to receive operating funding from the measure include:

• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
• Alameda-Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit)
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni)
• Caltrain
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
• San Francisco Bay Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, and other public transportation agencies operating within the five-county region.

Simple-Majority Threshold via Citizen Petition

Under California law, a regional special sales tax placed directly on the ballot by the state Legislature normally requires a two-thirds supermajority vote to pass.

To qualify under a simple-majority threshold instead, transit advocates gathered voter signatures to place the Regional Transit Measure on the ballot as a citizen-initiated measure. Organizers submitted more than 241,000 signatures, surpassing the 186,000-signature requirement needed to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot. Because it qualified via citizen petition, the measure requires a simple majority (more than 50%) of total votes cast across the five counties to pass.