At board meetings in the first week of June, decision-makers in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties inched toward decisions on a regional transit funding measure. Legislation to authorize a funding measure includes San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, with San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties have the option to join. Both “opt-in” counties have until August 11 to decide.
The opt-in counties are critical to the success of the measure, since their participation and their funds will be key to determining whether the measure will raise enough money to keep key multi-county services Caltrain and BART running without service cuts.
| Date | Meetings |
| June 11-12 | VTA advisory committee meetings |
| June 12 | C/CAG legislative committee and board |
| June 27 | Special VTA board meeting |
| July 2 | SamTrans receives San Mateo County polling data |
| July 10 | SMCTA receives San Mateo County polling information |
| June 9-July 18 | SB63 heard in Assembly Policy Committee |
| July 23 | Caltrain board to discuss proposals for Caltrain funding and governance |
| Late July | SMCTA vote on whether to recommend that SamTrans opt in |
| August 1 | VTA board workshop |
| August 6 | SamTrans votes on whether to opt in |
| August 7 | VTA board meeting |
| August 11 | Deadline to opt in |
| August 29 | SB63 must pass Appropriations Committee |
| September 9 | Last day bill can be amended before Sept 12 deadline (72 hour rule) |
| October 12 | Deadline for Governor to act on bills |
In Santa Clara County, VTA is leaning toward participation. This shift occurred after VTA’s polling results showing that local and regional measures had identical voter support. However, the regional measure authorizes a citizens’ signature gathering campaign which would allow the measure to more easily pass at the 50%+1 level, rather than the two thirds level if the county put a local measure on the ballot.
San Mateo County’s critical polling data will be presented at the SamTrans board on July 2 and the SMCTA board on July 10. The SMCTA board was leaning toward joining, while the SamTrans board was more ambivalent, with MTC Commissioner Canepa leaning toward, and Jeff Gee, an experienced board member who also sits on the Caltrain board, was not present.
Santa Clara County and San Mateo County are both negotiating for the ability for funding over and above what’s needed to fund Caltrain, BART and regional transit coordination to be “returned to source”, meaning spent at the discretion of the county.
One important variable will be agreements on how to fund Caltrain. While the Caltrain agreement will not be included in the regional measure authorizing legislation, reaching this agreement will be a key factor in whether the ballot measure would keep Caltrain running – an important value proposition for vote.
One new factor in the discussion has been added by polling results released in the last few weeks showing that a gross receipts tax would appeal to more voters and generate more funding than a sales tax, which is the revenue mechanism currently listed in SB63.
A number of board members in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties expressed an overall preference for a gross receipts tax but noted that the information became available with weeks to go to make the decisions.
Jackie Speier, who serves on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, SamTrans and SMCTA boards after stepping down for Congress, appeared to support the gross receipts tax after earlier opposing the sales tax. However, she also leaned toward supporting only a local measure and refraining from funding BART. Other members of the SMCTA board have raised the concern that it would be more difficult to pass a local measure if BART service is cut back overall or not serving the county.