On June 6, 2006, Santa Clara County voters soundly rejected Measure A, which proposed a half-cent tax increase designed to rescue the financially struggling BART extension to Santa Clara County. Measure A was defeated 127,935 (57.41%) “no” votes to 94,891 (42.59%) “yes” votes.
The $4.7 billion BART extension is now in serious doubt, as without the additional Measure A funds, the Valley Transit Authority lacks the money to operate the 16.1 mile extension and federal officials won’t approve a $750 million contribution to the project unless VTA comes up with a stable financial plan.