The proposal would have merged the Bay Area’s 27 transit agencies into one regional entity.
A proposal to create a regional transportation agency in the San Francisco Bay Area was withdrawn from the California legislature, reports Roger Rudick in Streetsblog San Francisco.
The Connect Bay Area Act was pulled by its sponsors, Senators Scott Wiener and Aisha Wahab, “in light of opposition from several corners, but notably San Jose and Santa Clara County.”
In a statement, advocacy group Seamless Bay Area, which supports the proposal, said “The decision to put S.B. 1031 on pause is disappointing, but understandable given the importance of having broad support for a ballot measure in 2026.”
The bill was pulled after it became clear that some legislators would not support a new sales tax to fund the reorganization. “Officials in the South Bay said they were also concerned that a new sales tax would interfere with several existing sales taxes that support transit operations in the county and are being used to help pay for the $12.7 billion BART extension through downtown San José.”
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