November 2022: Vote Yes on Prop L to Keep San Francisco Moving!

Proposition L will save and expand our transportation infrastructure and is critical for meeting our climate goals. By renewing the half-cent fraction of San Francisco's current sales tax, Prop L will raise $2.6 billion over the next 30 years for transportation projects across the City. Since it is a tax measure, it will require greater than 66% approval to pass, but it does not raise anyone's taxes since it just extends an existing tax. 

The half-cent sales tax was originally passed in 1989 and reauthorized in 2003 under Prop K. Prop K directly provided around $110 million annually for transportation projects and was leveraged into producing four to seven times more in state and federal matching funds. This funding has been critical to transportation projects for all San Franciscans. Prop L will reauthorize this tax again.

The tax has funded big ticket items, such as the Central Subway, Van Ness & Geary Bus Rapid Transit projects and the Presidio Parkway, as well as general projects such as new light rail and buses for Muni, citywide paratransit services, and street improvements for Market street among many, many other programs large and small. (See MyStreetSF for examples of projects funded all across the City.)

The measure includes an expenditure plan stipulating the types of projects that can be funded, as well as the amounts. This expenditure plan was created through a committee (chaired by SFLCV board member Amandeep Jawa) which included transit activists, neighborhood & merchant groups, and equity & social justice activists. This diverse committee also helped shape the resulting balanced plan:

The only hesitation we have with this measure is that sales taxes are intrinsically regressive: such taxes, however small, impact people with lower incomes, for whom budgets are tighter, more so than they affect the affluent. Both prior measures mitigated this by making the majority of the funds go to transit, which disproportionately benefits low-income San Franciscans. The new measure will continue these efforts. As added mitigation to these tax impacts, it also stipulates that the funding should prioritize projects that have strong equity benefits, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Ultimately, we believe the benefits far outweigh the costs and that these mitigations help close the gap.

Analyses show that over 40% of San Francisco’s global warming emissions come from vehicles. We can meet our climate goals with better travel options, electrification of our transit fleets, and zero-emission ferries. We need a robust public transportation system, a safe and protected bicycling network, and more walkable neighborhoods so that greener transportation options are available and accessible to every San Franciscan. Prop L invests billions towards creating this more sustainable future! Please join us in voting Yes on L.