Public transportation
Posted inPolitics & Policy

Friends of Santa Cruz Metro says it has enough signatures for citizens’ initiative to fund expanded service

by Max Chun

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.

Posted inOpinion from Community Voices

Santa Cruz County finally built a bus system people want to ride. Now what?

by Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Manu Koenig and Melinda Orbach

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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