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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: April 24, 2024

Personnel

New Appointments

  • Sean Youra, Public Programs Project Manager, Energy Programs.
  • Alyssa Dykman, Public Programs Project Manager, Energy Programs.
  • Camille Cauchois, Assistant Planner- Shared Mobility and Active Transportation, Design and Project Delivery.
  • Via Aikens, Finance Technician I, Financial Reporting and Operational Accounting.
  • Theresa Chiong, Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel.
  • Jenny Ngov, Debt Administration Analyst, Treasury and Revenue.
  • Jason Lee, Assistant Director, Transit Initiatives Program Implementation. Regional Network Management.

Updates

Updates ABAG Exec Board Takes First Step to Put Regional Housing Bond on November Ballot

The ABAG Executive Board last Thursday evening took the first step toward allowing Bay Area voters this fall to consider a first-of-its-kind regional housing finance measure by unanimously approving adoption of a resolution that approves BAHFA's placement of a measure that would raise up to $20 billion through the issuance of general obligation bonds to produce new affordable housing units and to protect existing affordable housing properties throughout the region.

Bay Wheels East Bay Expansion

Alix and I were joined by ABAG Vice-President and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Emeryville Councilmember Courtney Welsh and BART Director Rebecca Saltzman at an event earlier this month where MTC and Lyft announced the addition of 24 new docking stations and 565 next generation docked e-bikes to the Bay Wheels regional bikeshare system in Oakland and Emeryville. The East Bay expansion marks the second phase of a two-step Bay Wheels growth strategy that began last fall with the introduction of more than 1,500 new e-bikes and 30 new docking stations in San Francisco and San Jose.

Federal Highway Administration Approves $20 Million Grant for Highway 37

MTC received a $20 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration to help the Resilient State Route 37 partners implement improvements to reduce the risk of roadway flooding and inundation along the 10-mile stretch between Sears Point in Sonoma County and Mare Island in Vallejo.

Disadvantaged & Small Business Enterprise Programs

At this month’s Administration Committee meeting, staff gave an update to commissioners about MTC’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) programs. It is worth noting that from April 2020 - November 2023, MTC committed over $45 million through procurements that included the DBE and SBE Programs and made payments to DBE and SBE firms totaling over $21 million during the same reporting period. MTC also does outreach for these programs, including mentoring, DBE certification assistance, and procurement technical assistance.

Bay Area Summer Academy Now Accepting Applications

Applications for the Norman Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy now are being accepted through April 28. Please help the participating regional agencies—ABAG, MTC, BCDC and the Air District—spread the word by encouraging high schoolers in your communities to participate in this paid summer opportunity. We are encouraging students from Napa (no applications received from Napa), students with disabilities, and students from Equity Priority Communities to apply.

Sea Level Rise Project List Update

MTC-ABAG and BCDC are updating a regional sea level rise project inventory in support of Plan Bay Area 2050+. Updated data will be used in Plan Bay Area 2050+ to create the Sea Level Rise Resilience Project List and also will be integrated into other regional efforts, such as BCDC’s Shoreline Adaptation Project Map program and BCDC’s Bay Adapt Joint Platform.

Regional Mapping and Wayfinding

The Regional Mapping and Wayfinding (RMWP) project team is seeking people with disabilities who use transit to join our new RMWP Accessibility Working Group. The purpose is to provide a space for transit customers with disabilities to share their lived experiences with the project team and help evaluate prototype and pilot wayfinding signage/materials through an accessibility lens. The application is due May 3 and any questions can be directed to Ky-Nam Miller (kmiller@bayareametro.gov).

Looking Ahead

Washington, D.C., Advocacy Trip, May 13-16

Commissioners, ABAG members and staff will travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with our Bay Area legislative delegation next month. The visits will touch on Bay Area federal priorities, grant acquisition and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.

Bike to Wherever Days

Thursday, May 16, is the 30th anniversary of Bay Area Bike to Work Day. Consider pledging to ride that day or for the entire month of May. And for the first time, we now have a Bay Areawide Bike to Wherever Days events calendar on the Bay Area Bike to Work Day website, where residents can find events across the nine counties.

State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference Re-scheduled

The State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference has been re-scheduled for May 28-29 at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center. The event was cancelled in March because the previous venue was not ready. More information: San Francisco Estuary Project.