California Transit and Transportation Leaders Announce Opposition to Prop 43

Statewide transit, transportation and infrastructure groups warn Prop 43 would take away communities’ power to fund transit like San Francisco's Prop H and the Bay Area's Regional Measure RTM

SAN FRANCISCO – SMART Transportation Division, Move LA, California Transit Association, and a coalition of transit, transportation and infrastructure organizations today announced their opposition to Proposition 43. They warned that if the proposition passed, it would make it much harder for California communities to fund buses, trains, road repairs and safer streets.

Prop 43 would require a two-thirds supermajority for special taxes that voters place on the ballot through citizen initiative. Today, those measures pass with a simple majority. This November, Bay Area voters are deciding on two major transit measures that reached the ballot exactly this way: San Francisco's Prop H for Muni and the five-county Regional Measure RTM for BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit. Under Prop 43's rules, measures like these would need two-thirds of the vote to pass.

What transit and transportation leaders are saying

"Our members drive the buses and run the trains that California riders count on every day," said Louie Costa, Safety and Legislative Director, SMART Transportation Division, "When transit funding falls short, riders lose routes and workers lose jobs. Prop 43 would let a small minority block voter-led transit funding even when most voters say yes. That puts service, safety and good union jobs at risk. Vote no on Prop 43."

"I've helped Angelenos organize, gather signatures and win at the ballot box, and I know what that power means for our communities," said Eli Lipmen, Executive Director, Move LA. "Prop 43 would eviscerate our democratic right to organize for the transit our communities need, from better bus service to safer streets. Prop 43 is a step backward for climate, for congestion and for working families who rely on transit."

"California communities rely on local funding measures approved by voters to keep buses and trains running and invest in new transportation options that connect people to jobs, education, and essential services," said Michael Pimentel, Executive Director, California Transit Association. "Prop 43 would raise the threshold for voter-led transit measures to a two-thirds supermajority, allowing a small minority of voters to block investments supported by a clear majority. This proposal would undermine local decision-making and make it significantly harder for communities across California to fund the transit services residents depend on every day."

Two measures on this ballot show what is at stake

San Francisco Prop H would fund Muni operations with a parcel tax for 15 years, raising an estimated $160 million or more a year to help close SFMTA's operating deficit. It qualified after San Franciscans signed a citizen petition, so it needs a simple majority to pass.

Regional Measure RTM would fund BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit with a sales tax across Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. It would raise roughly $1 billion a year for 14 years. More than 235,000 valid voter signatures put it on the ballot, and it needs a simple majority to pass.

Under Prop 43, a measure like Prop H or RTM would need two-thirds of the vote. A measure supported by 60 percent or more of voters could still fail.

The damage would last for years

Prop 43 does not reach back to measures already decided. Its harm falls on what comes next:

• Renewals. When Prop H and RTM expire in the early 2040s, any voter-led renewal would need two-thirds.

• Expansions. New voter-led measures for service increases, extensions, safety upgrades or fare programs would face the same higher bar.

• Every region. The tool Bay Area voters are using this year would be much harder to use in Los Angeles, San Diego, the Central Valley or anywhere else in California.
  
  

Transit agencies face serious operating deficits as federal relief runs out. Prop 43 would make one of the few remaining local funding paths much harder to use, right when riders need it most.

Transit, transportation and infrastructure organizations opposing Prop 43

• ACT-LA

• California Alliance for Jobs

• California Bicycle Coalition

• California Transit Association

• Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities

• Move LA

• Rebuild California

• Rebuild SoCal Partnership

• Seamless Bay Area

• SMART Local 23

• SMART Transportation Division

• SPUR

• Transportation California
  
  

The full coalition is listed at noprop43ca.com/our-coalition.