Quick Take
Friends of Santa Cruz Metro says it has gathered enough signatures to submit its citizens’ initiative to fund the transit agency’s service expansion. The group submitted the signatures to the county clerk’s office Tuesday. If an adequate number of signatures are verified, the county board of supervisors will move at an upcoming meeting to place it on a ballot, though perhaps not until 2028.
Santa Cruz Metro supporters say they have gathered enough signatures to put their citizens’ initiative seeking a half-cent countywide sales tax in front of voters.
The group, called Friends of Santa Cruz Metro, submitted the signatures on Tuesday afternoon to the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office, which will verify whether the group has gathered enough valid signatures to qualify.
The effort is focused on securing a local funding source for Metro’s three-year pilot program, called Reimagine Metro, which includes far-reaching service and route changes with the goal of doubling ridership from 3.5 million to 7 million rides annually and providing more direct, frequent service. The overhaul was funded initially by a $28 million one-time state grant expected to run out early next year. Without a local funding source, the agency could see severe 40% service cuts, mass layoffs and the discontinuation of some popular programs, including Youth Cruz Free, which offers free rides to K-12 students.
James Sandoval, a former Metro bus driver and the current vice president of the transportation department of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, said the milestone shows how much county residents value the transit service, which has seen a large increase in ridership since Reimagine Metro was implemented.
“It’s great to see given the obstacles in our way and how big of a climb it was,” he said. “We got a good thing going and it’s exciting to be a part of the team.”
Initially, the group wanted to gather the required number of signatures by May 11, but did not make the deadline, effectively ending the measure’s chances of appearing on the upcoming November ballot. The Santa Cruz Metro board toyed with the idea of placing its own measure on the November ballot, but decided against it, largely due to limited time to build and run an effective campaign.
District 1 County Supervisor and Metro board member Manu Koenig said that Friends of Santa Cruz Metro collected 15,393 signatures in total, well above the 10,417 valid signatures needed to qualify: “We feel pretty good about our chances of having enough.”
“We have been auditing along the way, because we want to ensure we have the necessary buffer,” said Capitola City Councilmember and Metro board member Melinda Orbach, adding that some signers will inevitably make mistakes like actually living just outside the county. “We really do need that buffer, we have a dedicated group of more than 100 volunteers talking to people about how important Metro is.”
The Santa Cruz County Clerk’s office has 30 business days to verify that the group has collected enough valid signatures. It will then submit a letter to the board of supervisors saying whether it did or did not.
“If it has, the board has three options. It can consolidate the measure with the next regular election, call a special election or order a report with additional information about the impacts,” said Koenig. “Thirty days from now will be too late to consolidate with the November election, so the next regular election would be March 2028.”
Santa Cruz Metro’s budget is currently expected to keep the program funded through June 2028, even if just barely, said Koenig.
“It costs anywhere from basically a half a million dollars to $800,000 or more to hold a special election,” he said. “Since our budget currently gets us through June 2028 without having to make any major service cuts, we can hang on until then.”
“We’re going to be fundraising so we can run a good campaign up until the March 2028 primary,” said Sandoval.
While the citizens’ initiative won’t be in front of Santa Cruz County voters this year, statewide Assembly Constitutional Amendment 22 will be, and it holds major ramifications for both the Friends of Santa Cruz Metro measure and future citizens’ initiatives. If passed, ACA 22 would require special taxes to receive two-thirds approval from the electorate, even if it does qualify for a ballot via citizens’ initiative, which currently requires only a simple majority approval. Santa Cruz Metro is a special district, which means that the Friends of Santa Cruz Metro initiative would be affected. ACA 22 itself needs a simple majority to pass in November. Raising awareness about this legislation is a priority for Metro.
“A lot of us volunteering with Friends of Santa Cruz Metro will be volunteering with the No on ACA 22 campaign,” said Koenig.
Sandoval said he finds it hypocritical that ACA 22 needs only a simple majority despite aiming to raise the vote threshold that citizens’ initiatives need to pass, and expects to be heavily involved in advocating against the legislation, including knocking on doors and reaching out to constituents and representatives.
The Metro board expects to take an official position on the legislation at its August or September meeting. Separate from the Metro board, Orbach said that it’s likely that there will be some overlap between the Friends of Santa Cruz Metro group and those advocating against ACA 22.
“We can celebrate this as a step forward and keep working. This fall, we have to use our volunteers and network we built to mobilize and try to defeat ACA 22,” she said. “Most understand the threat, and we are ready to fight this.”
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