Sacramento Proposes Half-Cent Tax for Safer Streets and Transit

Citizen group files ballot measure to raise $70-$75M annually for road repairs, safety upgrades, and expanded bus service.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 8:07pm

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A citizen-led campaign in Sacramento has filed a ballot measure with the City Clerk asking voters to approve a half-cent city sales tax to fund road repairs, pedestrian and bicycle safety upgrades, and expanded transit service. The proposed tax would bring in roughly $70-$75 million per year, with the money split between street work and public transit. To get the measure on the November ballot, the group must now collect enough signatures from registered voters.

Why it matters

The measure comes amid a roughly $66 million city budget shortfall and a recent spike in traffic deaths, with at least 32 people killed on Sacramento's streets in 2025. Backers say the tax would provide a stable local revenue source to help the city pull in larger state and federal matching funds for safety projects, while also protecting reduced fares for seniors, veterans, and students.

The details

The full legal text filed with the City Clerk would add a 0.5% transactions-and-use tax and create a dedicated Safe Streets and Affordable Transit Fund. The spending plan allocates 48% for city street repair and active transportation improvements, 48% for transit operations and service expansion, 3% for transit-oriented housing infrastructure, and 1% for independent audits and oversight. Within the transit share, 33% would go to boosting frequency and affordability, 6.5% to state-of-good-repair work, and smaller portions to security and regional rail matching funds.

  • The citizen group filed the ballot measure with the City Clerk on February 20, 2026.
  • Organizers must collect about 30,000 valid voter signatures by the spring of 2026 to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot.

The players

Safer Sac Streets

A citizen-led campaign that filed the ballot measure proposing a half-cent sales tax to fund road repairs, safety upgrades, and expanded transit service in Sacramento.

City of Sacramento

The local government entity that received the filed ballot measure and will oversee the signature gathering and verification process.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.