In March 2020, Caltrain's ridership dropped by 95% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in losses of $ per month. The joint powers board recast the sales tax proposal as a way to keep the system afloat. In July, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors initially declined to consider the ballot proposal, citing concerns about the system's governance structure, Caltrain officials warned that the agency would run out of operating funds and be forced to suspend service by the end of the year. In August, San Mateo County officials agreed to make Caltrain more independent from SamTrans in exchange for placing the sales tax on the ballot. In November 2020, Measure RR passed which created dedicated funding of a one-eighth cent sales tax.