How will South Bay transit change if tax increase fails?

Santa Clara County transportation projects could be hurt if a regional tax measure to fund public transit is rejected by voters on Nov. 3, but the impact would be less than other parts of the Bay Area — and the details of service reductions are unclear. Senate Bill 63, also known as the Regional Transit Measure, would increase the sales tax by 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and 1% in San Francisco for 14 years starting April 1, 2027 if approved by voters. It would raise roughly $980 million annually for public transit agencies across the region, with $245 million a year — about 25% — going to VTA. Proponents claim the measure would prevent deep cuts at Caltrain and BART — the latter of which has warned it might close 15 stations with a 70% service reduction if the proposed tax increase fails. But despite projecting a $15 million deficit by 2027, VTA isn’t hurting as much nor planning any reductions regardless of the measure passing or failing. “The ma