Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
Thank you for having SamTrans at your recent Council meeting to present information and seek feedback on development of the Connect Bay Area (SB 63) Local Investment Plan for San Mateo County. Your input helped shape the proposed Local Investment Plan framework and we appreciate your input throughout this process.
We are gathering technical information needed to respond to some of your questions raised during the process and will follow up as soon as it is available.
The SamTrans Board will consider adopting the proposed Local Investment Plan at its meeting on June 3, 2026 at 2:00 pm. Meeting details are available here and the agenda will be posted soon. In summary, the framework proposes 55% of local investment funds to expand, fix, and enhance public transit, and 45% to protect existing SamTrans service.
Local Investment Plan Outreach
SamTrans has concluded its outreach to help develop the Local Investment Plan for the estimated $50M annual return-to-source dollars, if the proposed 14-year regional sales tax measure qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters in November.
Over the past several weeks, our team held 27 presentations with city councils and other groups, convened three meetings each for the Agency Advisory Group (e.g. city managers, public works directors, community development staff and transportation staff) and the Stakeholder Advisory Group (e.g. business, nonprofit, labor, special district and other community representatives) and received input from more than 1,800 survey respondents.
Additional Resources
As you recall, SB 63, the bill authorizing the Connect Bay Area measure, includes an expenditure plan that allocates specific percentages of the tax revenue generated from this measure in San Mateo County to BART (27%), Caltrain (24%), San Francisco Muni (7%), and MTC (5% to be used for rider-focused improvements). If the measure passes, 37% percent would be allocated to the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) to support local transit. The Local Investment Plan developed during this community outreach process directly informs the proposed framework that will guide the SamTrans Board’s programming of these funds, if the measure passes.
Uses of funds by BART, Muni and Caltrain would be subject to those systems’ respective boards and accountability and oversight requirements created within the SB 63 legislation. In response to questions raised at various city council meetings, we are sharing resources produced for those bodies:
* BART: BART is facing a financial deficit
* SFMTA: Muni and Street Safety Impacts without Necessary Funding
* Caltrain: Caltrain Budget Deficit
Additionally, here are resources to learn more about the accountability, oversight, and transparency requirements for BART, Caltrain, and Muni required by the SB 63 enabling legislation. You can find a helpful fact sheet from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission here and read the full SB 63 legislation text here.
Thank you again for your partnership and engagement throughout this process. It made an impact. If the Board adopts the proposed framework and the measure passes, SamTrans looks forward to collaborating with cities to prioritize specific projects and implement 55% of the return to sources funds to expand, fix, and enhance public transit for our riders.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments.
Thanks,
Michaela
Michaela Wright Petrik (she/her)
Government & Community Affairs Officer
166 N. Rollins Road, Millbrae, CA 94030
Phone: 650-730-4951
Websites: SamTrans | TA
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