485,782 / 64.5% Yes votes ...... 267,778 / 35.5% No votes
   209748 (66.8%) Yes / 104376 (33.2%) No in Alameda County
   135,424 (54.9%) Yes / 111,235 (45.1%) No in Contra Costa County
   140,610 (72.94%) Yes / 52,167 (27.06%) No in San Francisco County

See Also: Index of all Measures

Section 1( b) of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution provides an exception to the one percent property tax limit by allowing special districts to increase the property tax rate above one percent to pay off bonded indebtedness only for the purchase or improvement of real property. Pursuant to Section 29169 of the California Public Utilities Code and Section 1 of Article XIIIA, the proposed measure shall become effective only upon the affirmative vote of two- thirds of those electors voting on the measure.

If the measure is approved, BART will be authorized to issue bonds in an amount not to exceed $ 1.05 billion. It is expected that the bonds would be issued in series over time. The bonds will have a maturity not exceeding thirtyfive ( 35) years from the issue date of the bond.

Approval of this measure would authorize BART to levy an ad valorem tax on the assessed value of real property within the BART District by an amount needed to pay the principal and interest on these bonds. The estimate of the tax rate required to be levied to fund the bonds in each year throughout the term of authorization would range between 0. 331 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation ( $ 3.31 per $ 100,000) and 1.416 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation ( $ 14.16 per $ 100,000) as set forth more fully in the measure 's Tax Rate Statement in this Voter Pamphlet.

The Tax Rate Statement for Measure BB in this voter pamphlet reflects the BART District 's best estimates, based upon currently available data and projections, of the property tax rates required to service the bonds in the first year in which taxes are expected to be levied to pay debt service on the bonds. The year in which the tax is expected to be highest, and the year following the last expected issuance of bonds, all as required by statute.

If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure do not vote for approval, the measure will fail and BART would not be authorized to issue the bonds to fund seismic improvements.

s/ RICHARD E. WINNIE
County Counsel of Alameda County

The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure BB. If you desire a copy of the full text of Measure BB, please call the BART District Secretary at ( 510) 464- 6096, and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.

Daily Californian

• October 25 - Bond Measure Would Fund BART Retrofits; Voters From Three Counties Decide on $1.05 Billion Issue

• October 17 - Measure BB would raise funds for BART repairs

• October 30 - Bond would boost BART quake safety

• Roundtable discussion on Measure BB - a 1-hour "Forum" broadcast on 10/18/02 (opens in new window)

Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)

• Web site
• Earthquake safety Measure on ballot
• BART places a General Obligation Bond on the November ballot

• Web site

A YES vote on Measure BB will keep BART up and running and keep traffic and our economy moving.

In 1989, we learned just how vulnerable the Bay Area is to traffic gridlock following a major earthquake. BART is the backbone of Bay Area transportation, carrying 45% of all Transbay traffic during the peak commute. If BART were put out of service, traffic jams would choke the region. It would threaten jobs and impair emergency response. It would affect our quality of life, forcing commuters to spend more time in traffic and less time with our families. Earthquake safety experts say modern engineering methods will help keep the system up and running after a major temblor #but only if we Vote YES onMeasure BB.

A YES vote on Measure BB will benefit all of us, whether we use BART or not. It will strengthen the Transbay Tube under San Francisco Bay and make other seismic safety improvements to 30- year- old elevated tracks, older stations, and other BART facilities.

Funds from a YES vote on Measure BB will be dedicated only to seismic safety projects recommended by geologists, safety experts and engineers.

A YES vote on Measure BB will protect your investment with an independent oversight committee to make sure every cent goes to seismic repair and safety. We all know there will be earthquakes in the future. Now is the time to prepare,by voting YES on Measure BB.

Vote YES to protect lives.

Vote YES to keep traffic moving.

Vote YES to protect our investment in BART.

Vote Yes to keep our economy strong.Vote Yes on Measure BB. For our Safety. For our Future.

s/ JOEL KELLER
BART Board of Directors, President

s/ DR. JACK P. MOEHLE, PhD
Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Director

s/ MARK C. SHAW
East Bay League of Conservation Voters, President

s/ EVA ALEXIS BANSNER
League of Women Voters of the Bay Area, President

•Presuming BART 's updated seismic studies to be valid, small passenger- fare surcharges on 92,000,000 current passenger trips annually could fund seismic retrofits. After all, BART 's passengers, all tax-subsidized, don 't pay everyone else 's earthquake or traveler 's insurance.
•Taxes and bridge tolls funded BART 's construction. Property and sales taxes still fund 47% of BART 's $ 451 Million operating budget( including $ 57 Million in debt service on existing bonds) - versus 47% of $ 301 Million ( $ 30 Million debt service) 5 years ago.
•In 30 years, earthquakes haven't caused significant BART interruptions. But strikes by BART's richly compensated employees have #6 days in 1997, 3 months in 1979.
•During 1989's Loma Prieta quake, BART engineers reported, "All BART facilities performed well," having been constructed "to a higher level of seismic resistance than prevalent practice." Transbay Tube passengers "didn't even sense there had been a major earthquake."
•Especially during deep recessions, taxing authorities should stop ganging up on taxpayers. . . .

ALLIANCE OF CONTRA COSTA TAXPAYERS by James M. Arata, Board Member

NO MORE TAXES, ALAMEDA by Barbara M. Thomas, President

WASTE WATCHERS, INC. , FREMONT by Richard G. Ahern, Vice President

LAFAYETTE TAXPAYER 'S ASSOCIATION by Carl R. Piercy, Co- Founder

CONCORD ASSOCIATION OF TAXPAYERS by Marla J. Kaste, Co- Founder

•Last year, BART "knuckled under to union demands in a ridiculous contract" (Contra Costa Times , 8/ 5/ 02)
.•In May, BART 's general manager, now facing predictable deficits, reported having "to defer many new projects . . . including system rehabilitation . . . and seismic improvement" (FY 2003 PreliminaryBudget) .
• Two months later, BART 's bureaucrats rolled out Measure BB, expected to cost Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco taxpayers $ 2.2 Billion ( principal + interest) if passed.
•As the Times editorial continued: [BART, ]"You have increased fares. . . cut back services . . . laid off . . . union workers because of the contract you signed. . . . Talk about your bad timing . . . "("Expect Voter Backlash, "8/ 5/ 02) .

•Taxes already consume half of the next dollar earned by many Bay Area families. That happened gradually # one "price of a hamburger " at a time.
•Already, "Americans spend more money per capita on taxes( $ 10,447) than on food ( $ 2,713) , clothing ( $ 1,436) , and shelter( $ 5,913) combined" ( "Tax Facts, "San Francisco Chronicle , 3/ 27/ 02) .
•$ 19 Billion in new state bonds ( plus interest) appear on this same ballot. Meanwhile, the PUC voted in August to force ratepayers to fund a $ 12 Billion bond #ransom for energy blunders by statehouse politicians.
•Taxpayers cannot continue financing every out-of-control program, or imagined solutions to every contingency. Regarding BART 's demands, the Tribune wisely advised "looking at alternatives that include paybacks of funds Californians have already sent to Washington."

ALLIANCE OF CONTRA COSTA TAXPAYERS
by Kenneth E. Hambrick, Chairman

CITIZENS FOR DEMOCRACY, ANTIOCH
by Ralph A. Hernandez, Chairman

WASTE WATCHERS, INC. , FREMONT
by Kenneth D. Steadman, President

CITIZENS OPPOSING UNREASONABLE NEW TAXES,SAN FRANCISCO
by Elsa C. Cheung, Coordinator

LIBERTARIAN PARTY, CONCORD
by Scott A. Wilson, Contra Costa Chairman

BART is the backbone of the Bay Area's transportation network, carrying 45% of all transbay traffic during the peak commute. Measure BB will strengthen more than 71 miles of the BART system and help guarantee that this level of service continues in the event of an earthquake.

Planned BART improvements include expansions and enhancements in services and facilities, but none of these will matter if the very core of the system is brought down by a major earthquake.

Seismic experts have identified large parts of the BART system that are vulnerable to earthquakes. The Hayward fault runs directly below a large part of the system, and a major earthquake along that fault could dramatically affect BART 's ability to transport people across the Bay for up to two years.

Experienced scientists and engineers agree that improvements financed by Measure BB can take care of the threats posed by earthquakes to the core of the BART system. Measure BB would make improvements and upgrades so BART will be up and running within days #not years.

1. In fiscal year 2003- 2004, the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, the best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ 0.00331 per$ 100 ( $ 3.31 per $ 100,000) of assessed valuation.
2. In fiscal year 2013- 2014, the fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds and the fiscal year of the highest tax rate, the best estimate of the tax rate that would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ 0.01416 per $ 100 ( $ 14.16 per $ 100,000) of assessed valuation
.3. The best estimate of the average tax rate, from fiscal year 2003- 2004through fiscal year 2042- 2043, that would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on a projection of assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $ 0.00780 per $ 100 ( $ 7.80per $ 100,000) of assessed valuation.

s/ SCOTT SCHROEDER
Controller/ Treasurer
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District