Voters in Pleasanton and across Alameda County will decide on Nov. 3 whether to add a half-cent sales tax to pay for Bay Area public transit, a vote that BART officials say will shape service at the Tri-Valley's two stations, Dublin/Pleasanton and West Dublin/Pleasanton.
What is on the ballot
The Regional Transit Measure, often shortened to RTM, would raise the sales tax by half a cent in four counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo) and by a full cent in San Francisco. The ballot question says the tax would last 14 years and bring in about $980 million a year. Bay City News reported that collection would begin in April 2027.
The measure grew out of Senate Bill 63, carried in 2025 by state Sens. Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguín, which created a five-county district to manage the money. Because backers qualified it by gathering voter signatures, it needs a simple majority of votes across all five counties rather than two-thirds.
According to the impartial analysis prepared by the district's legal counsel, as reported by Bay City News, 65% of the money raised in Alameda County would go to BART. Other recipients across the region include AC Transit, Muni, Caltrain, the Valley Transportation Authority, San Francisco Bay Ferry and Golden Gate Transit.
What BART says happens if it fails
BART puts its ongoing yearly shortfall at between $350 million and $400 million, tied to ridership that remains well below pre-pandemic levels. In February, its board adopted a fallback budget plan for the case where no new revenue arrives.
Starting in January 2027, it would keep only the Yellow, Blue and Orange lines as full routes, run trains every 30 minutes, close the system at 9 p.m. and raise fares and parking fees by 30%, Pleasanton Weekly reported. The Blue Line is the one that serves the Tri-Valley.
A second phase beginning in July 2027 could close as many as 15 stations. The board left the choice of which stations to a later vote, after directors objected to an earlier staff draft that would have shut West Dublin/Pleasanton during the initial round of closures and Dublin/Pleasanton later.
In this month's Bay City News report, BART was said to list West Dublin/Pleasanton among 10 low-ridership stations that could close.
BART staff have also said the agency would still face a gap of at least $45 million a year even if the tax passes.
