SMART tax renewal pitch heads to district board

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is a step closer to getting a financial lifeline in the form of a 30-year tax extension.

A citizens’ initiative petition seeking the renewal of the quarter-cent sales tax has qualified for the June 2 ballot, elections officials in Sonoma County and Marin County said this week. A citizens’ initiative lowers the voter approval threshold from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority.

The petition results are expected to be presented to the SMART board meeting on Jan. 21. The board will be asked to consider whether to recommend the measure for the June ballot. The recommendation would be sent to supervisors in both counties for the final approvals.

Resolutions of approval would need to be submitted to the elections departments by March 6.

“This is a moment of celebration for every resident who values clean, reliable public transit,” said initiative committee chair Suzanne Smith, former executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. “The speed and success of this voter-led signature drive sends a clear message: SMART is popular, people support it and they want the system to keep running and expanding.”

Elections officials verified the petition had 57,418 valid signatures, more than the threshold required to qualify. The base threshold of at least 10% of registered voters between the two counties is 48,809. Because the count was conducted through a random sample examination, the initiative needed 53,869 valid signatures to qualify, elections officials said. Petitioners submitted a raw count of 71,851 signatures.

Marin and Sonoma voters passed the quarter-cent sales tax in 2008 to fund the construction and operation of a 70-mile passenger rail line between Larkspur and Cloverdale, along with a bicycle and pedestrian path that runs parallel to the railroad.

Today, SMART runs trains between Larkspur and Windsor and has about 40 miles of path. SMART has approved contracts for an extension to Healdsburg, and plans are developing to take the railroad to Cloverdale.

The tax that collects more than $51 million annually, or about half of the agency’s revenue, is set to expire in 2029. Without a renewal, or some other saving grace, the agency would be forced to cease operations.

In 2020, a SMART measure for a 30-year extension failed after an expensive and contentious campaign fight. The measure had 54% in favor, but it needed two-thirds to pass.

Since the defeat, the need for a tax renewal has been hanging over the heads of SMART officials.

In late 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a bill that clarified that voters in the two counties were empowered to seek a citizens’ initiative to get a renewal measure on the ballot.

Last year, with the tax expiration date approaching, the SMART board directed staff in March to begin preparing a measure to appear on a ballot as early as 2026.

Then the coalition of SMART supporters announced its campaign. The coalition began signature collections over the summer and filed its petition in both counties in November. Elections officials notified the campaign on Dec. 8 that the petition had qualified.

“I’m very happy we’ve gotten the certification,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the SMART board. “When I heard it needed around 50,000 signatures, I swallowed hard. But obviously there is a lot of enthusiasm and SMART is on a roll with record ridership, we’re expanding the system and getting closer to the promise we made in 2008 to build to Cloverdale. I’m grateful for the initiative and I’m looking forward to seeing this on the ballot in June.”

Marin County Supervisor Eric Lucan, a SMART board member, said, “Looking at the overwhelming number of signatures that were submitted, it shows the support out there in the community to keep SMART rolling, but also to do it through the citizens’ initiative process.”

Novato resident Mike Arnold, who was the treasurer for the campaign against the 2020 tax renewal, remains in opposition. He said local officials conned voters in 2008 by saying SMART would reduce traffic congestion. He said that hasn’t happened.

He has also been critical of the agency’s finances and ridership counts. This past year, SMART reported more than 1.1 million passengers, a 33% increase over the previous year, which was largely attributed to two pilot programs to let youths and seniors ride the train for free. The programs are set to continue through June.

Arnold said the agency has not been transparent about how many riders are riding for free.

“Marin and Sonoma taxpayers will finally get to decide whether it is appropriate to tax for 30 more years the less affluent to subsidize the more affluent,” Arnold said, “for a rail trip that does nothing to reduce traffic on Highway 101.”