Act NOW to preserve Bay Area public transit and build an ecosocialist future!

Push SamTrans to “opt in” San Mateo County to the crucial regional funding measure (SB 63):

• ASAP: Sign our coalition’s Bay Area transit petition for NO service cuts, plus more support for affordable housing (300+ signatures)!
• ASAP: Sign our coalition’s petition to stop the Caltrans highway widening of 101/92 and fund public transit instead (~600 signatures)!
• By June 30: Email the SamTrans Board of Directors (Board@SamTrans.com) to voice your support of a progressively funded SB 63 (scroll down for talking points).
• Tuesday, July 1, 5:30–6:30pm: Grab media attention for SB 63 by rallying for public transit at Millbrae BART / Caltrain! Printable flyer and RSVP.
• Wednesday, July 2, 2–5pm: Make a 2-minute public comment in person, on Zoom, or by email (PublicComment@SamTrans.com) at the next SamTrans Board of Directors meeting in San Carlos (scroll down for full details).

San Mateo County: Transit 4 All

Push SamTrans to Support a Progressive Regional Funding Measure

BART & Caltrain are in trouble!

Did you know BART, Caltrain, and SF Muni are facing “fiscal cliffs” that will force massive service cuts if they don’t find new funding? The proposed service cuts would mean disaster for transit riders all around the Bay Area:

• BART: No more night or weekend service!
• Caltrain: Back to just one local train per hour!
• Muni: Goodbye to cable cars!
• SamTrans: No more free transfers—cutting off San Mateo County from the rest of the Bay!

SamTrans can help save regional transit...

Our county’s transit agency, SamTrans, has the option to participate in a five-county regional funding ballot measure (Senators Weiner & Arreguín’s SB 63). If voters approve the measure in November 2026, we’ll save our transit agencies AND prevent fossil-fuel emissions by keeping cars off the road.

But some members of the SamTrans Board of Directors (BOD) are hesitant to join the measure—–and might even drop existing funding for inter-agency coordination! We need huge public pushback to encourage these decision makers—–most of whom don’t use mass transit, period—–to support a well-funded, interconnected transit system around the Bay.

The original funding proposal was a 1/2 or 1/4 cent sales tax that would hit working people hard AND fail to raise enough revenue to prevent service cuts, given rising inflation and arbitrary tariffs. That’s why transit operators and activists are now recommending a gross receipts tax on businesses, a solution which has 61% support from likely voters!

Push the SamTrans Board of Directors to join SB 63!

We have to act fast to prevent the SamTrans BOD from sleepwalking us into the worst-case transit scenario. Making public comments—in person, via Zoom, or by email—at SamTrans BOD meetings is the best way to guarantee airtime for socialist perspectives and directly influence San Mateo County’s transit decision makers.

Demand Action at the Next BOD Meeting (Wednesday, July 2, 2pm)

Practice Your Talking Points

• Introduce yourself (name, city, how you use SamTrans)
• Tell the Board how the proposed service cuts to other Bay Area transit agencies would impact you
• Ask them to join the regional funding measure (SB 63) and preserve inter-agency coordination
• Ask them to pursue a gross receipts tax so that corporations pay their fair share!

How to Make a Public Comment

In person (most effective!)

• Location: Bacciocco Auditorium (2nd Floor), 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos
• Arrive at 1:50pm (10 minutes early) to fill out a comment card; give the card to the secretary.
• Wait till the Board opens the legislative agenda item (TBA).
• The secretary will call you to the podium.
• You have 2 minutes to speak.

Virtual

• Location: Join the Zoom call right before the legislative agenda item (TBA). If you want to be notified when it’s time to call in, ask Allison or Geoff in the #transit channel on Discord!
• When the Board opens our item, raise your virtual hand immediately.
• Wait until the secretary calls your name and unmutes you.
• You have 2 minutes to speak.

Email

• Submit your public comment to the SamTrans BOD before 2pm at publiccomment@samtrans.com!

More Ways to Organize for Transit

• Email your support of SB 63 to the SamTrans BOD anytime at board@samtrans.com.
• Join Bay Area’s public transit coalition, Transbay Coalition! Follow #san-mateo-county on their Slack for action alerts, campaign mobilizations, and more.

Thanks for your help, comrades! A better world is possible—if we fight for it.