Quick Take
Volunteers have already gathered roughly 7,000 signatures to qualify a ballot measure aimed at protecting and expanding Santa Cruz Metro service, write elected officials Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Manu Koenig and Melinda Orbach. Pushing back against recent claims that the campaign is falling short, the three argue the volunteer-driven effort remains on pace to qualify for either a special election or the March 2028 ballot. They say the signature drive reflects growing public support for transit as ridership surges across Santa Cruz County. Without new funding, however, they warn that Metro could face severe service cuts that would undermine affordability, mobility and the county’s future.
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We want to set the record straight regarding Santa Cruz Metro and the ballot initiative that would keep it running.
A couple of weeks ago, Lookout published an article titled “Friends of Santa Cruz Metro unlikely to collect enough signatures for ballot measure with deadline a week away.”
The article and headline are misleading.
So far, Friends of Santa Cruz Metro has collected approximately 7,400 signatures. We’ve got until Aug. 12 to turn in 10,417 signatures. In other words, we’re right on pace and feel very good about our chances of qualifying for the ballot.
What’s more, this has been an entirely volunteer endeavor. The work volunteers are doing is truly amazing. They are energized to keep giving their time by the enormous, positive feedback they are receiving from the community. A grassroots effort to save our bus system is growing before our eyes.
Now, it’s true that we didn’t make the May 11 deadline to get onto the November 2026 ballot.
The 180 days that an initiative petition has to qualify doesn’t always line up neatly with the deadline for a specific election. The effort missed the cutoff date to get onto the November 2026 ballot, but still has roughly three months to qualify for the next available election. If Friends of Santa Cruz Metro makes its Aug. 12 qualification deadline, the initiative will go to a special election or appear on the March 2028 ballot.
You might be asking, can Metro wait that long? What about its fiscal cliff? The transit agency has warned of 40% cuts if a new local funding source is not provided.
Short answer: Yes, we can hold out (just barely).
At last Friday’s Metro board of directors meeting, we approved a draft budget that shows the transit agency can provide elevated service levels through June 2028 with current funding if it freezes hiring, suspends staff travel and optimizes service.
That is great news given just how much demand there is for transit in our community. In response to the 40% greater service Metro rolled out, there has been a whopping 72% increase in ridership. Most communities see just a quarter of that – on average, a 1% increase in service yields a 0.5% increase in ridership. We’re showing a 1% increase in service yield nearly a 2% increase in ridership. Santa Cruz County and transit were made for each other.
The initiative that Friends of Santa Cruz Metro is qualifying for the ballot would not only maintain this service level, it would also expand free service to seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families and commuters. Making the bus free for K-12 youth has yielded a 500% increase in ridership. Can you imagine what even more free service will do for ridership? It could be the dawn of a golden age for public transit in Santa Cruz County.
Now is the time to double down on transit, not abandon it. We want to see more members of our community get involved and take advantage of our signature collection effort.
With gas prices approaching $7 per gallon, more transit-dependent apartments being built and an aging population whose best driving years might be behind them, offering fast, free transit is essential to prevent gridlock, adapt to climate change and keep Santa Cruz County affordable.
The alternative would be terrible.
If a measure doesn’t pass by March 2028, Santa Cruz Metro will be at the end of its rope. We’ll have to cut service by far more than 40%. A later election date means the agency will have even fewer reserves. Service cuts could approach 60% to 75%. We’d be pulling the rug out from a generation of youth who just learned to use transit, a generation of older adults aging into transit, and everyone in between who is just trying to make ends meet with one of those affordable housing units at the downtown Santa Cruz Transit Center or Watsonville Transit Center.
Let’s come together to choose success over failure. There’s a small miracle happening in Santa Cruz County transit right now. With your support, it will become a large miracle.
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson is the District 3 Santa Cruz city councilmember.
Manu Koenig is the District 1 county supervisor.
Melinda Orbach is a Capitola city councilmember.
