The 2025 California legislative session was a critical one for averting a transit fiscal cliff. As the session drew to a close, SPUR worked with our partners to focus on three issues: securing critical short-term loans for transit operators; passing Senate Bill 63, which authorizes a regional transit funding measure for the November 2026 ballot; and maintaining funding for transit within the renewal of the the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program.

This summer, SPUR hosted a talented group of policy researchers through partnerships with fellowship and practicum programs at high schools, colleges, and graduate programs. Learn more about the work they did with SPUR and where they headed after collaborating with us.

Why should voters in one county care about funding transit in another? Because the Bay Area’s transit system is very regional. SPUR research found that Bay Area transit trips are 70% more likely to cross county lines than car trips, making the success of all transit agencies vital to the region’s health. We dug into the impacts of the looming $800 million annual deficit and why Senate Bill 63 is the best hope to save Bay Area transit.

San Francisco’s proposed Family Zoning Plan would allow thousands of new housing units to be built in west side neighborhoods that haven’t seen much growth in decades. What would a population increase like this mean for traffic and mobility in this part of the city? SPUR delved into local transportation data and made some surprising discoveries about traffic and commute patterns.

In California, it takes too long and costs too much to build infrastructure of all kinds, including transit. A new report from Circulate San Diego in partnership with SPUR details the challenges that transit projects face during the permitting process and ways to overcome them. Powerless Brokers charts a set of possible next steps for the state legislature following a momentous year for infrastructure streamlining.