Former Bay Area mayors support transportation measure, other leaders question how to pay for it

LOS ALTOS, Calif. (KGO) -- Election Day is Tuesday and on Monday, the current mayor of San Jose joined two past mayors of the city to try to get you to vote yes on increasing bridge tolls. All Bay Area counties will vote on Regional Measure 3.

Almost everyone agrees traffic is a major problem in the Bay Area, but some leaders disagree on how to pay for the projects.

What would get two former San Jose mayors, Chuck Reed and Ron Gonzales, back on the campaign trail?

They were at the Diridon Station in San Jose Monday morning, pushing voters to approve Regional Measure 3, also known as RM3.

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"Everybody knows that transportation is horrible most of the day in the Bay Area. This is a way to get some relief for that," said Reed.

Supporters say RM3 is a coordinated regional approach to the major traffic issues facing the Bay Area.

The $4.5 billion measure would fund 35 projects and programs with the goal of reducing traffic, relieve crowding on BART, and improve other modes of public transportation.

One of the biggest issues for opponents of RM3 is how it will be funded.

RELATED: Trio of Bay Area mayors campaign for bridge toll increases

If passed, drivers crossing all bridges in the Bay Area, except the Golden Gate Bridge, would see their tolls increase by $3 over the next 7 years.

Cupertino Vice Mayor Rod Sinks says it's too much of a burden on low-income drivers who have already been pushed out of the area due to high housing costs. He wants to see businesses pay for these projects.

"I think in light of what's happened in the federal government in the last year, we ought to be asking corporations to step up and help us with the ever-rising impacts of displacement of families and with the rising cost of transportation and the impact it's having on our quality of life," said Sinks.

Regional Measure 3 will be on the ballot for voters in the the city and county of San Francisco and the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. To pass, RM3 requires approval by a majority of votes cast on the measure in all nine counties combined.

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