Richmond Faces AC Transit Cuts if Tax Fails; Hercules Weighs 1% Tax

Voters in Richmond and Hercules are deciding two major fiscal and transportation ballot measures on Tuesday that could reshape local bus schedules and municipal sales tax rates across West Contra Costa County.

Richmond Bus Lines 70, 71, and 74 Face Evening Cuts if Regional Tax Fails

According to Richmond Confidential reporter Daisy Dayoung Yoo, AC Transit has drafted a contingency plan to cut up to 16% of its bus service starting in June 2027 if voters reject The Regional Tax Measure (Measure RTM) on Tuesday. The 14-year, half-cent sales tax in Contra Costa County would raise an estimated $980 million annually across the Bay Area, with AC Transit receiving about $58 million per year:

• Impact on Richmond Neighborhood Routes: While busy corridors such as San Pablo Avenue are largely spared, Lines 70, 71, and 74 would stop running at 7 p.m., and weekday frequencies on Lines 71 and 74 would drop from every 30 minutes to every 40 minutes. Line 74—which currently runs from before 5 a.m. to after 10 p.m.—would be cut to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., losing 23 of its 71 weekday trips,even though Census Bureau estimates show 31% of Richmond commuters leave home before 7 a.m. Lines 70 and 71 currently operate until about 8:15 p.m. on weekdays, and on weekends Line 70 would terminate at Richmond BART instead of El Cerrito del Norte. Line 76 on Cutting Boulevard would shrink from 4:40 a.m.–midnight to 6 a.m.–10 p.m. (bringing a combined bus with Line 70 every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and every 30 minutes until 10 p.m.), while Transbay Line L would lose one morning and one evening trip.
• Rider Concerns & Dec. 9 Board Vote: Rider Lilly Palma, who waited 40 minutes for the 71 bus, and Tina Mueller, a resident in her 70s who rides Line 70 to Kaiser Permanente's Richmond Medical Center and the Macdonald Avenue senior center, expressed concern over losing evening access. AC Transit spokesperson Robert Lyles called the contingency plan a worst-case scenario that keeps 93% of lines operating. Former state Sen. Steve Glazer and Contra Costa Taxpayers Association president Marc Joffe oppose the tax on affordability grounds. If Measure RTM fails, the AC Transit Board—including newly elected directors taking office Dec. 4 in Wards 3, 4, 5, and 7 alongside Ward 1 Director Harpreet Sandhu—is scheduled to vote on the cuts on Dec. 9 (and 911 emergencies remain separate from non-emergency medical transit).

Hercules Voters Decide 1% Measure P Sales Tax for Basic City Services

In neighboring Hercules, Richmond Confidential reporter Ramon Castaños detailed Measure P, a 1% local sales tax increase placed on Tuesday's ballot by a 4-1 Hercules City Council vote in July 2026 requiring a simple majority to pass. Mayor Chris Kelley said Measure P would generate $4 million annually for road repairs, 911 dispatch response, parks, water quality, and police retention to help address a budget deficit projected to reach $21 million in fiscal year 2028-2029. Kelley noted that under 1978's Proposition 13 (which caps property tax rates at 1% of assessed value with 2% maximum annual increases), Hercules receives just 5.5% of property tax revenue compared with 20% in Richmond. If approved, Hercules' sales tax would rise from 9.25% to 10.25%—or 10.75% if both Measure P and the half-cent regional transit tax pass, a combined rate opposed by Contra Costa Taxpayers Association member Mike Hernandez and supported by resident Jeae Mahal.