AC Transit Warns San Pablo of 16% Bus Cuts Without New Regional Tax

The San Pablo City Council heard a sobering forecast for the city's transit-dependent residents: AC Transit is staring down a $200 million deficit that could slash bus service and eliminate 300 jobs by next summer. The meeting also surfaced a bombshell allegation that San Pablo police have been illegally sharing license plate data with federal Border Patrol.

• AC Transit presents $200 million deficit, warns of 16% service cuts and 300 layoffs by June 2027 without a new regional sales tax
• Privacy advocate reveals San Pablo PD illegally shared license plate reader data with San Diego Sector Border Patrol, violating state law
• Carpenters Union flags $270,000 wage theft by developer's subcontractor on city-funded Alvarado Garden affordable housing project
• Consent calendar adopted 3-0 with two council members absent

The basics: AC Transit, the special district providing bus service to 13 cities across Alameda and Contra Costa counties, carries 40 million rides annually. Three-quarters of its riders are people of color; two-thirds are low income; and 65% have no car access. For San Pablo, the agency's fiscal crisis is not abstract — it's a direct threat to how residents get to work, school, and medical appointments.