In 1989 and again in 2003, San Francisco voters approved a 0.5% sales tax (or a half-cent per dollar) to provide additional funding to support San Francisco’s transportation systems. The 2003 sales tax proposal, known as Prop K, was approved for a 30-year duration. Its proceeds support all aspects of transportation in the city, from Muni maintenance and repaving to pedestrian enhancements to bike infrastructure planning and implementation. It also has supported major capital projects around the city.

Now, nearly 20 years into the 30-year Prop K lifespan, transportation needs in SF have changed significantly. Most of the major capital projects defined in the Prop K investment plan have been completed. Transportation options from bike and scooter share to Uber and Lyft didn’t even exist in 2003. And nobody then could have conceived that a spiky viral ball would completely upend the way SF workers and residents move about the city and conduct their lives. 

For these reasons, the SF County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) have initiated a process to reauthorize the half-cent sales tax for another 30 years, aiming to have the new proposition go before voters in the November 2022 general election. The SFCTA is currently developing the new expenditure plan for the proposed reauthorized tax, collecting input from communities and stakeholders across the city. Part of this process is the convening of the Expenditure Plan Advisory Committee, or EPAC, which has representatives from community groups and advocates, including your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. 

While the EPAC aims to represent many of the city’s diverse stakeholders, it’s also important that the SFCTA hears directly from the biking community as it shapes its priority recommendations. On Tuesday, December 7, we’ll be hosting SFCTA staff for an online presentation and forum on the new sales tax reauthorization for the SF biking community. Agency staff will give a high-level overview of the process and proposed plan, and then will field questions and comments from attendees. 

Interested in weighing in? RSVP to attend the presentation on December 7.