San Bernardino County Measure I extension advances toward November ballot

San Bernardino voters may be asked in November whether to keep San Bernardino County’s half-cent transportation sales tax going beyond its current 2040 endpoint, after county transportation leaders advanced a proposed Measure I extension this month.

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously voted June 10, 2026, after two public readings, to recommend that the County Board of Supervisors place the extension before voters on the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot.

That does not mean the measure is already on the ballot. SBCTA said the Board of Supervisors still must decide whether to advance the recommendation and formally submit the proposed extension to the Registrar of Voters for ballot inclusion.

What Measure I pays for

Measure I is the countywide half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements. Voters first approved it in 1989, it took effect in 1990, and voters extended it in 2004 through 2040.

For San Bernardino residents, the issue is not a city-only tax or a San Bernardino City Council decision. It is a countywide transportation funding measure with local consequences for streets, roads, transit, freeway connections, goods movement and other transportation work that affects commuters, employers, bus and rail riders, delivery routes and neighborhood mobility.

SBCTA says it administers Measure I and uses the funding for regional and local road improvements, freeway construction projects, train and bus transportation, railroad crossings, ridesharing, congestion management and long-term planning. Its Measure I overview describes the tax as a locally reinvested funding source that has supported freeway expansions, interchange upgrades, public transit improvements and local road repairs across the county’s cities and towns.

Why San Bernardino is specifically affected

The County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution April 7, 2026, approving the Measure I Expenditure Plan for a proposed continuation of the existing tax. County materials say the proposed continuation is expected to be considered by voters on the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot.

If voters approve the continuation, county materials project the plan would generate about $7.5 billion over its first 30 years. That is a projection, not guaranteed revenue.

The expenditure plan uses a Return to Source model, meaning revenue generated within specific subareas would be reinvested in those same communities. San Bernardino is listed in the San Bernardino Valley subarea, along with Chino, Chino Hills, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, Upland, Yucaipa and valley unincorporated areas.

County materials describe eligible investments as local streets and roads, regional highway and transit improvements, transportation operations, roadway repair, congestion relief, goods movement, transit services and active transportation infrastructure.

That matters locally because the current record supports broad funding categories and the valley return-to-source structure, but it does not establish a final list of specific San Bernardino city projects tied to the extension. Residents should treat the proposal as a funding framework until future ballot materials, plans or project lists provide more detail.

Election dates to watch

The immediate step is whether the County Board of Supervisors formally sends the proposed extension to the Registrar of Voters. If it advances, voters would see more formal ballot materials before the November election.

The Registrar of Voters lists October 5, 2026, as the date mail ballots are delivered to the U.S. Post Office and early voting begins. The voter registration deadline is October 19. Election Day is November 3, and the deadline to complete the official canvass and certify the results is December 3.

For San Bernardino commuters, taxpayers, renters, homeowners and business owners, the practical question is whether voters want to keep a major local transportation revenue stream in place after 2040. The policy question before county leaders comes first: whether to put that decision in front of voters this fall.

Sources

• SBCTA June 10 Measure I extension recommendation
• San Bernardino County Board Actions for April 7, 2026
• San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters 2026 General Election page