Dems want to tax Bay Area residents for BART, whether they ride or not
Sacramento Democrats have proposed a new sales tax to support Bay Area transit agencies, including BART. This plan allows for a simple majority vote rather than the usual two-thirds requirement, making it easier to pass. The tax aims to raise approximately $1 billion annually for 14 years to address the financial struggles of multiple transit systems in the region.
- ▪Approximately 306,000 signatures were submitted to qualify the sales tax measure for the ballot.
- ▪The proposal would generate about $14 billion over 14 years to support various transit agencies.
- ▪The tax would be imposed on residents across five counties, regardless of local voting outcomes.
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Opinion Dems want to tax Bay Area residents for BART, whether they ride or not By Jon Fleischman Published June 1, 2026, 9:54 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The California Post on Google Sacramento Democrats have found a creative new way to raise taxes. Instead of asking voters in five Bay Area counties to decide separately whether they want to rescue failing transit agencies, they created a regional taxing district that treats millions as one giant voting bloc. Now supporters are celebrating the submission of approximately 306,000 signatures to place a sales tax on the ballot. Do not miss the point: The signatures were not the obstacle course. They were the shortcut. 7 A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train pulls away from the Rockridge station.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at California Post.
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