Supporters of a proposed sales tax that would shore up the Bay Area's transit agencies garnered over 300,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot.
A campaign to get a proposed sales tax to fund the Bay Area's struggling public transit agencies onto the November ballot was successful, blowing well past the necessary 186,000 signatures needed to qualify the measure.
As Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman explains in an article for KQED, "The Connect Bay Area Act would create a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco County for 14 years, which is expected to generate around $1 billion annually for BART, Muni, AC Transit and Caltrain, among others Bay Area agencies, which are facing steep budget deficits due to pandemic-related drops in ridership and revenue." The Connect Bay Area campaign says they collected over 300,000 signatures, which will be verified by county election officials.
According to a report released last week, the four regional transit agencies saved over $1 billion between July 2019 and 2025 through "efficiencies and revenue-enhancing measures." The report was mandated as the first phase of a fiscal efficiency review required for the sales tax to be possible. "The second phase of the financial review will happen only if voters approve the Connect Bay Area Act in November."
FULL STORY: Campaign to Fund Bay Area Transit Smashes Signature Gathering Goal
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association