Another Sales Tax Is Not Going To Save Transit
Gavin Newsom has signed a bill allowing Bay Area transit agencies like BART and Muni to place a sales tax measure on the 2026 ballot—a temporary fix for a system that is already crumbling. With COVID relief funds running dry and ridership still below pre-pandemic levels, BART faces a projected $400 million annual deficit by 2027, and Muni is staring down a $322 million shortfall next year. Without new revenue, both agencies warn of devastating cuts of trains running just once an hour, buses disappearing from key routes, and working-class riders left behind.
But why does Sacramento keep turning to sales taxes when California could simply ask the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share? Under Proposition 13, billion-dollar companies continue to pay outdated property tax rates while local governments scramble to fund essential services through taxes on everyday people. Instead of balancing public transit on the backs of riders, we should reform Prop. 13 and create a permanent source of revenue that lets our cities thrive.
Paul Chinn/S.F. Chronicle
By Rachel Swan | SF Chronicle | October 17th, 2025
