Contra Costa residents are already paying two BART property taxes and a half-percent BART sales tax, whether or not they ever ride BART trains.

Look next to Transparent California’s listing of BART salaries and benefits, and note that you have to get to employee number 859 before salary + benefit totals drop below $200,000 ( Web Link ).

Like other local public agencies — including SRVUSD and other school districts — BART routinely cries poverty until it’s time for the next salary and benefit increase.

BART’s 2023 budget shows farebox and other operating revenues anticipated at $255 Million (just 25% of total), tax-money revenues at $762 Million, for operations that were originally supposed to be self-funded.

BART was able to get its 2016 bond-measure tax-increase specially labeled as “Measure RR.” Get it? Measure RailRoad.

Taxpayers were railroaded indeed. As local attorney Jason Bezis observed — and complained officially to the Fair Political Practices Commission — BART spent public funds to promote Measure RR.

Two years later, the FPPC finally fined BART a mere $7,500 (also paid with taxpayer dollars?) for failing to report its campaign funding (for a campaign which BART wasn’t legally permitted to fund).

Tax spending by public agencies for “public education” campaigns — to supply more new taxes — is a common problem. To the extent it supports a “yes” vote, it’s also illegal. Yet the agencies are seldom punished; and in the few occasions when they are, the individual schemers at fault do not wind up going to jail or even paying the fines.

A related problem is the behind-scenes reliance of public agencies on their current and prospective vendors of goods and services for most of their campaign funding (likely as shakedowns). Those vendors then benefit from the new spending afforded by the new taxes (i.e., kickbacks). So far, unfortunately, that’s “legal.”

The 20% salary increase for BART officers should also include a more comprehensive vetting and hiring process.

Remember Fruitvale?

The BART police should have more presence on the trains themselves via ridership. This will add another crime deterrent.

The BART police should have more presence on the trains themselves via ridership. This will add another crime deterrent.