Former BART Director Debora Allen responds to apparent passage of Measure RTM

Says, “The election may be over, but the fight for accountability is not”

By Debora Allen

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Following the apparent passage of Measure RTM, former BART Board Director Debora Allen, a leading critic of the regional transit sales tax measure, issued the following statement:

I have never been afraid to be a minority voice, nor have I been afraid of losing while fighting for the right cause.

Nearly half a million Bay Area voters have already joined me in saying that fiscal responsibility and meaningful accountability for government spending of our tax dollars matter. With hundreds of thousands of ballots still to be counted, that number could grow substantially. That’s a powerful voice that deserves to be heard, regardless of the election outcome.

The apparent passage of Measure RTM is disappointing, but hardly surprising.

The transit industry and its corporate and labor allies raised almost $10 million in reported direct contributions to the Yes campaign, not including additional spending on member communications by labor unions and nonprofits. Meanwhile, the volunteers fighting this tax increase operated on roughly $20,000. That’s a spending advantage approaching 500 to 1. The corporate and labor interests had millions to sell their message. The people opposing this tax had volunteers, research, and determination.

The authors of Senate Bill 63, the enabling legislation for Measure RTM, had one overriding objective: secure billions in new funding for Bay Area transit agencies. Yet they acknowledged in the legislation that “financial efficiency and transparency are imperative to build public confidence and support for public transit.” SB 63 was their opportunity to deliver meaningful, independent oversight in exchange for asking voters to raise sales taxes in five counties. Instead, they created an oversight process that lacks meaningful independence and enforceable financial reforms. The Legislature had the opportunity to demand real accountability before committing billions in taxpayer dollars. It failed. That is why I opposed Measure RTM.

The Yes campaign was filled with misleading narratives about the spending habits of Bay Area transit agencies, promises of accountability measures that lack meaningful independence, and frightening predictions of traffic Armageddon if voters rejected the tax. These were carefully crafted public relations messages designed to convince voters that higher taxes were the only alternative to transit collapse.

Much of this effort was driven by three influential Bay Area nonprofits: the Bay Area Council, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research (SPUR), and Seamless Bay Area. These well-funded organizations, backed by powerful corporate and labor interests, have spent years advancing a vision of a denser, more urbanized Bay Area, with transit-oriented housing and concentrated employment centers throughout the region.

These organizations aren’t simply advocating for transit funding. They are helping shape where and how millions of Bay Area residents will live, work, and travel. Voters deserve to understand whose interests are driving those plans, who finances them, and who ultimately benefits.

I’ve lost elections before. Losing is always disappointing, but winning an election isn’t the only measure of success.

Throughout this campaign, the volunteers of CABAT (Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit), SHIFT (Sustainability in Housing, Infrastructure, Finance, Transportation), and Contra Costa Taxpayers’ Association did phenomenal work. They uncovered troubling facts, challenged questionable claims, and learned a great deal about how powerful corporate and labor interests use their financial resources and political influence to sell tax increases to the public.

Most importantly, together we exposed serious questions about transit agency spending, financial sustainability, and the lack of truly independent oversight. Those questions do not disappear because a tax measure passes.

This was meaningful work. It will continue, and it will expand. The passage of Measure RTM doesn’t relieve transit agencies of their responsibility to reform their operations, control spending, or deliver the accountability promised to voters. In fact, with billions of additional taxpayer dollars at stake, the need for independent scrutiny is greater than ever.

Last night, at an election gathering, someone approached me and said, “We are so thankful for you fighting for us. You have guts.”

That meant more to me than any election result.

Because if you want to change anything, you’ve got to have guts.

And we’re not finished.

About Debora Allen

Debora Allen served eight years as an elected BART Board Director and six years as a trustee of the Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association. A business owner, CPA (inactive), and former CFO and Tax Manager, Debora is a longtime advocate for fiscal accountability. She continues to work on government oversight, financial transparency, and taxpayer protection throughout the Bay Area.