APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
___________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER UNGER
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CALIFORNIA S ENATE BILL SB 63 (WIENER AND ARREGUÍN ) TO PUT A REGIONAL FUNDING
MEASURE ON THE NOVEMBER 2026 BALLOT TO PROVIDE
CRITICAL LOCAL TRANSIT FUNDING
WHEREAS, both the citizens of, and visitors to, Oakland, depend upon its public transit, BART, AC Transit, and East Bay Paratransit, to get to and from work, events, school, community, commerce, and the larger Bay area; and
WHEREAS, those who would be most affected by any cuts to the transit agencies which serve the Oakland area, are the most vulnerable in our society already, students, people of color, and those of lower income; and
WHEREAS, cuts to these services would further exacerbate the climate crisis by driving more regular riders to instead find less emission efficient forms of transit; and
WHEREAS, reliable, affordable, and consistent transit is necessary for the development of affordable housing, to a thriving economy in the city of Oakland; and
WHEREAS, AC Transit provides rides for 30,000 students daily to and from school, and supports the commutes of 134,000 average daily riders; and
WHEREAS, Oakland benefits especially from having more than 700,000 rider exits a month at 8 BART stops within its borders at present; and
WHEREAS, major cuts to public transit could cause traffic on the Bay Bridge to increase by 72% and cause commutes for key routes connecting the East Bay to San Francisco to increase by up to 10 hours per week; and
WHEREAS, California, as a state, has been underfunding transit operations relative to many other states for decades. In 2019, transit agencies in the Bay Area received, on average, less than 16 percent of their operating funding from the state, compared to 21 percent state funding in Chicago, 30 percent in New York City, 44 percent in Boston, and 50 percent in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, BART experienced ridership of over 50 million in calendar year 2024, while AC Transit experienced ridership of nearly 40 million for fiscal year 2024; and
2 WHEREAS, BART is facing annual budget shortfalls of between $350 million and $400 million, and AC Transit is facing a shortfall of $60 million annually, and both agencies will face drastic service cuts by 2027; and
WHEREAS, a state loan of $750 million to BART, AC Transit, Caltrain, and Muni will help prevent transit service cuts before funds can flow from a November 2026 regional transit operations funding measure; and
WHEREAS, a bill to authorize a multi-county transit ballot measure, SB 63 (Wiener, Arreguín), has been introduced in the state Legislature this year; and
WHEREAS, SB 63 authorizes a regional funding measure on the November 2026 ballot to provide transit systems with sustainable funding; and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of San Francisco, San Pablo, Pinole, Richmond Berkeley and El Cerrito have all passed measures in support of SB 63; and
WHEREAS, it is in the City of Oakland’s interest to have a robust public transit system; and
WHEREAS, in order to generate the needed funding on the timeline needed to avert service cuts, that bill must be signed this year, and a measure brought to the voters no later than November 2026; and now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland endorses SB 63 and urges the California State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom to support its enactment into law; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator or his designee to immediately distribute this Resolution, upon its adoption to Governor Newsom, Senator Scott Wiener and Senator Jesse Arreguin.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - BROWN, FIFE, GALLO, HOUSTON, RAMACHANDRAN, UNGER, WANG, AND
PRESIDENT JENKINS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
3426470/ LL