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Bay Area sales tax proposed to save BART and Muni service

KALW | By Sunni Khalid
Published March 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM PDT
San Francisco Metro Muni
Joe A. Kunzler Photo
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Flickr / Creative Commons
My First Muni Metro Ride in "Kodak Gold"

Two legislators yesterday (Monday) introduced a bill to place a sales tax on the November ballot in five Bay Area counties aimed at helping BART and Muni deal with huge deficits.

The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Scott Weiner, of San Francisco, and Jesse Arreguin, of Berkeley. 

Weiner foresees a half-cent tax over 10-to-15 years that would generate a projected two billion dollars.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, also known as Muni, faces a 50-million deficit this year, which could grow to more than 320 million dollars by next year.

BART’s deficit could swell to 400-million dollars by fiscal year 2027.

Both public transportation agencies have yet to recover the numbers in ridership caused by the COVID shutdown five years ago. And both are struggling to maintain current service, without federal COVID relief funds.In

Bay Area Headlines
Sunni Khalid
Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.
See stories by Sunni Khalid