BART faces an annual operating deficit exceeding $400 million and will begin slashing service in January 2027 unless voters approve a regional sales tax in November, Chief Financial Officer Joe Beauchamp warned Lamorinda's elected officials at their annual joint meeting Thursday, July 16, at Saint Mary's College in Moraga.
Beauchamp told council members from Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda that cuts would start with fewer train lines, earlier nightly shutdowns, layoffs, and fare increases. Station closures could follow if no long-term funding materializes. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that BART could shutter up to 15 stations if the measure fails.
The ballot measure would raise sales taxes by a half-cent in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, and by 1 cent in San Francisco, according to the Chronicle. A Chronicle-cited poll found 56% of voters in support. The measure requires a simple majority to pass.
Moraga Mayor Steve Hillis pushed back, noting his town has no BART station and warning that cuts to feeder bus funding would further isolate Lamorinda commuters. Other council members urged BART to mount a stronger public campaign highlighting safety improvements, new fare gates, and cleanliness to win back riders. Weekday ridership has recovered to about 200,000 but remains half the roughly 400,000 daily riders the system carried before the pandemic.
Wildfire evacuation dominates
Wildfire preparedness drew the evening's strongest consensus. Council members from all three cities called evacuation planning Lamorinda's top transportation priority, citing narrow roads, insurance pressures, and home-hardening mandates.
Contra Costa Transportation Authority Executive Director Tim Haile announced the agency awarded a contract for a countywide emergency evacuation study. No completion date was provided. Haile also said the $5 million Lamorinda Smart Signals project, which will upgrade 56 traffic signals across all three cities to communicate in real time and help move traffic faster during evacuations, will begin construction next spring.
Townsend Public Affairs Vice President Casey Elliott briefed officials on wildfire bills advancing in Sacramento, including legislation that would let regional partnerships like Lamorinda compete directly for state prevention grants, create statewide home-hardening certification standards, and allow fire agencies to declare Red Flag school closure days without districts losing attendance funding.
November ballot preview
In addition to the BART funding measure, Elliott outlined several statewide measures headed to voters Nov. 3, including an $11.25 billion housing bond and a measure tentatively numbered Proposition 43 that would raise the threshold for citizen-driven special tax initiatives from a simple majority to two-thirds.
Sacramento and Washington outlook
On e-bikes, Elliott said Assembly Bill 2346 would give local governments authority to set speed limits and lighting standards. He said the bill is likely to reach Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after the Legislature adjourns in late August.
"Now it's more of a waiting game," Elliott said of five Lamorinda federal projects backed by Rep. Mark DeSaulnier that survived House committee review but await final congressional action, likely after November.
What's next
Moraga's Town Council resumes Wednesday, July 29. Lafayette meets Monday, July 27, and Monday, August 10. Orinda returns from its annual recess Tuesday, August 18.
