Voters hand BART funds to rebuild and three new directors

Passengers stand inside a train headed to San Francisco at the 19th Street BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Aug. 30, 2016. Passengers stand inside a train headed to San Francisco at the 19th Street BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Aug. 30, 2016. Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Voters hand BART funds to rebuild and three new directors 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Bay Area voters ensured Tuesday that, along with $3.5 billion to rebuild its rail system, BART will have three new directors and funding to extend service to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.

In San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, voters agreed by approving Measure RR to increase their property taxes to pay for the BART overhaul. At the same time, Santa Clara County voters approved a $6.3 billion sales tax measure for various transportation-related projects. Up to $1.6 billion of the Measure B money can be used for the BART extension.

But voter generosity went only so far. Sales tax proposals that included money to buy more new BART cars failed in San Francisco and Contra Costa counties.

The biggest news for BART was the passage of Measure RR. The debate over the issue became unusually contentious with opponents, led by state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, accusing BART of past fiscal mismanagement, particularly with its labor contracts, and arguing that the agency couldn’t be trusted to spend the new money wisely.

Proponents argued that BART, now 44 years old, is suffering from middle age as well as growing pains. Ridership has swelled and everything from rails to train controls to electrical systems needs replacing, they said.

Measure RR, which needed a two-thirds supermajority for passage overall, passed relatively easily with a combined 70.1 percent of voters in the three-county BART district voting in favor.

Support was weakest in Contra Costa, where just 59.5 percent voted in favor. But it was countered by San Francisco, where 81.1 percent of voters cast yes votes, and Alameda County, where 70.9 percent voted in favor.

BART officials said Wednesday that they were heartened by the outcome and were preparing to start work, some of it as early as next year.

“We are grateful for all the Bay Area voters who doubled down on their commitment to transit and to BART, approving the $3.5 billion infrastructure bond designed to keep our system safe and reliable,” said board President Tom Radulovich.

Radulovich, who has served on the BART board for 20 years, decided not to seek re-election in District Nine, which includes central San Francisco neighborhoods, and will leave the board next month. On Tuesday, voters elected former San Francisco supervisor and homeless czar Bevan Dufty over two other candidates as his replacement.

Dufty will be one of three new directors sworn into office next month. He will be joined by Lateefah Simon, who ousted incumbent Zakhary Mallett in District Seven, which includes parts of Richmond, Berkeley and southeast San Francisco, and Debora Allen, who defeated Gail Murray, a 12-year incumbent, in District One, which represents much of central Contra Costa County.

Two other incumbents fought off challenges and won re-election — Rebecca Saltzman in District Three, which includes parts of Berkeley, Oakland, Albany and El Cerrito, and John McPartland, in District Five, which represents Castro Valley and the Tri-Valley region.

Tuesday’s election was the first in recent memory in which a majority of the board faced challengers. But the effect of the results is unclear as none of the candidates ran as part of a slate, and one critic of BART’s labor unions, Mallett, will leave the board while Allen, who campaigned for better fiscal management, will join. Both were supported by Glazer.

In Santa Clara County, Measure B passed with 71 percent of the vote. In addition to the BART extension, money will be dedicated to Caltrain crossing and capacity improvements and road repairs.

Sale tax proposals that would have helped BART expand its rail-car fleet failed in Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. Measure X in Contra Costa received 62.5 percent of the vote, falling short of the 66.7 percent it needed. And in San Francisco, Prop. K, a tax for homeless program and transportation, failed even though it needed only a simple majority. Voters cast 65.1 percent of their ballots against the measure.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ctuan