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San Francisco Transit Tax Petitions Turned In and Await Election Verification

Verification would put voter decisions on local and regional transit taxes at the center of San Francisco's budget outlook.

Overview

  • Supporters submitted about 18,000 signatures for the Stronger Muni for All parcel-tax petition, which city officials will now verify in a process expected to take roughly a month.
  • The parcel-tax proposal would create a tiered annual charge on properties to raise an estimated $160 million a year for Muni operations if approved by a simple majority of voters.
  • Backers also turned in signatures to qualify a five-county Connect Bay Area sales-tax measure that is projected to generate roughly $1 billion annually for regional transit agencies.
  • Campaign leaders and allies from labor, business, and transit groups publicly joined the drop-off to argue the measures are needed to prevent large service cuts and stabilize agency budgets.
  • A pending California Air Resources Board decision on cap-and-invest allocations could reduce state transit funding that now supports projects and discount programs, creating a separate fiscal risk even if the local measures qualify.