Advocates are gearing up for a regional outreach effort now that the door is open for a Bay Area public transit funding measure on the November 2026 ballot.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 63, also known as the Connect Bay Area Transit Act, on Oct. 13 — clearing the way for a voter initiative to put a 14-year sales tax measure supporting Bay Area transit agencies on next year’s ballot. A coalition of transit supporters across advocacy, labor and business groups formed soon after to spearhead outreach and signature gathering efforts.
The coalition — Connect Bay Area Transit Committee — has to gather more than 186,000 signatures across Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties by June 3, 2026, to coalition spokesperson Jeff Cretan said. Signature gathering can’t start until next year, so he said these first few months are focused on fundraising and building support from other organizations…