Taxpayers in Sonoma and Marin counties who underwrite their commuter rail service with a sales tax are being asked to keep the financing at its current level for another 30 years.
The one-quarter of one cent tax provides 63% of revenue for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit or about $51 million, according to the system’s annual report. It will expire in 2029 unless voters approve Measure B on the June 2 ballot.
The citizen initiative requires a simple majority vote, unlike a failed 2020 attempt that needed two-thirds approval.
SMART carried more than 1.1 million passengers for the first time in the fiscal year that ended June 30, a 32% increase over the previous year, its 2025 annual report said.
The 48-mile system includes stations in Larkspur, San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County Airport area and Windsor. Future extensions are planned for Healdsburg and Cloverdale.
SMART service, which began running in 2017, has grown to 42 trips per weekday from 34, and 16 trips on Saturdays and Sundays.
Proponents, including the League of Women Voters of Marin County, say the system connects passengers with jobs, education centers, retail hubs and housing along the Sonoma-Marin corridor, and a bicycle-pedestrian pathway.
“By providing a reliable alternative to driving, the train helps reduce traffic on Highway 101, cuts pollution, and makes our region more connected and resilient,” they assert. “Whether you ride the train or not, fewer cars on the road benefits everyone.”
Opponents led by Mimi Willard of the Coalition Of Sensible Taxpayers contend that the measure is “essentially a forever tax that will be paid by the next two generations.”
They argue that the tax is financing only “a single-track, limited capacity, dirty diesel train. There are many higher and better needs for the funds.”