6/17/2025: RALLY TO SAVE BART & CALTRAIN IN SAN MATEO COUNTY
Tuesday, July 1st from 5:30-6:30pm – Rally to Save BART & Caltrain in San Mateo County (Millbrae Station)
Bay Area transit needs to be much better, but it’s at risk of becoming much worse due to funding shortfalls.
That's why community groups and local advocates are mobilizing at a Rally to Save BART & Caltrain in San Mateo County on Tuesday, July 1st from 5:30-6:30pm at Millbrae Station.
We need to get the attention of San Mateo County leaders because, right now, they are deciding whether the County should join a regional funding measure that would save BART, Caltrain, Muni, AC Transit, and other transit agencies. If San Mateo County does not “opt-in,” BART and Caltrain will be forced to slash service in the County: stranding riders, clogging our roads, fouling our air, and stalling our economy.
The East Bay and San Francisco are already participating and Santa Clara County is also still considering if they should join in. So join the rally and help pressure local elected officials to “opt-in” to this critical regional transportation funding measure!
***State Budget Update*** Call the Governor NOW
Governor Newsom is on the verge of making a decision that will determine whether public transit systems across California survive the next year or begin to deteriorate.
Our calls have been working and along with other public pressure, helped motivate state legislative leaders to reject Newsom’s initial budget proposal of $1.1 billion in cuts to local transit funding. Instead, legislators proposed a lifeline:
Full restoration of the flexible transit funds that Newsom proposed to eliminate
$1 billion in loans to Los Angeles-area local governments for general budget relief, including for transit agencies
$750 million in one-time loans to Bay Area transit agencies to avert immediate service cuts
A commitment to negotiate a long-term Cap-and-Invest transit funding deal within the next 4 weeks where currently $3 billion in long-term climate transit funds, including the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program are still at risk.
But until Governor Newsom signs on the dotted line, the budget isn’t set. So we need everyone to call in and speak out for transit.
We cannot let this moment slip by. If the Governor doesn’t take action, transit service will be cut statewide, riders will be stranded, traffic congestion will worsen, and years of climate progress could be erased.
Call Governor Newsom TODAY and demand he accept the Legislature’s transit deal. [Click HERE for call info and script.]
This is our best shot to stop transit cuts and build a stronger foundation for the future. Keep Governor Newsom’s phones ringing, keep the pressure on, and let’s save public transit!
At this free, online Biketivist Forum, Seamless Bay Area will be presenting about the Bay Area’s transportation funding measure and why it’s essential that San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties opt-in to fund BART, Caltrain, Muni, and transit agencies across the Bay.
The goal of Biketivist Forums is to create collaboration among all of SVBC’s members and give you an opportunity to meet and connect with your neighbors to organize around better biking and sustainable transportation in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
Get involved in Transit Month 2025
Seamless Bay Area and San Francisco Transit Riders are co-leading Bay Area Transit Month again this year – a month of activities and contests in September organized by dozens of community-based organizations and public agencies to celebrate the central role public transit plays in our communities. We are now laying the groundwork for Transit Month 2025!
If you're part of an organization and want to learn about getting involved, fill out this form or respond to this email.
If you want to get plugged in as an individual, fill out this form.
Recording: What can the US learn from Italy's “Long Modernization” of Railways?
Italy built up a rail network with faster, more frequent, and more reliable train service over the last century. Their system was outdated in the early 20th century, but is now far better than that of the US. So how did they modernize and what can the US learn from Italy?
Read our recent blog post for a summary of the event, the slidedeck, and a link to recording now on Youtube. A huge thanks to Dr. Marco Chitti, fellow at NYU Marron Institute and Transit Costs Project, for his expertise on the matter and Californians for Electric Rail for co-hosting this event.
Recent from our Blog
Notes from Korea: “Strong Government” Essential to Transformational Change
The third blog post in a series of three—South Korea’s "strong government" is not merely about ambitious politicians making bold promises—it also involves a network of empowered national and regional agencies and research institutions working collectively to implement those visions. These institutions provide the mandate, capacity, and authority needed to carry out public goals, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Notes from Korea: How Bus Reforms and Fare Integration Transformed Seoul’s Transit
In 2004, Seoul introduced transformative reforms including reorganizing its bus network, overhauling operator incentives, and introducing a unified, distance-based fare structure for buses and the metro. These boosted ridership and revenue by over 10% and ushered in a long-term “virtuous cycle” of rising investment and ridership that continues today.
BayPass, shared parking support Kiku Crossing affordable housing in San Mateo
A tour of Kiku Crossing, an affordable housing community near downtown San Mateo, showed transportation demand management strategies including Clipper BayPass, shared parking, and secure, plentiful bike storage help residents living in the community; help the city bring affordable using a downtown parking lot; and help the developer complete the project with less costly car parking.
Regional Measure Funding for Rider Experience Improvements
An important goal for the regional funding measure is to pay for the better agency coordination that leads to rider experience improvements, commonly known as “transit transformation” in the Bay Area. Riders want transit funding to prevent cuts and to make service more convenient and coordinated. Having a clear spending plan for transit transformation investments is important to make sure that the measure delivers promised transit transformation improvements, and to give confidence to leaders in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, who are still making decisions about whether to join the measure.
