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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: December 20, 2023

Personnel

New Appointments

  • Jillian Du- Jillian started with MTC on December 11th as the BayREN Single Family Project Manager in the Energy section.
  • Boki Safayev- Boki started with MTC on December 11th as a Junior Grants Analyst in the Budgets and Financial Planning and Analysis section.
  • Iesha Spencer- Iesha started with MTC on December 11th as the Financial Planning and Analysis Manager in the Budgets and Financial Planning and Analysis section.

Retirements

  • Carol Kuester – Carol started with MTC as an intern in 1992 and since that time has held increasingly responsible positions leading to her role as the Section Director of Electronic Payments. Her last day with MTC is January 2, 2024.
  • Gilbert Mingming – Gilbert started with MTC in December 2007 as an Application Development Manager. His last day with MTC is December 29, 2023 as the Assistant Director in the Technology Services section.

Awards and Updates

DOT Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant

MTC received a $10 million grant through U.S. DOT’s Safe Streets and Roads For All program to advance MTC’s Regional Vision Zero work, one of the five largest planning grants in the nation. The goal of this project is to lead our partners in improving safety in their communities, without duplication of their own efforts.

Clipper® BayPass Welcomes Aboard UCSF

UCSF will provide up to 6,000 of its employees with passes for unlimited free travel for one year on any of 24 Bay Area transit agencies beginning Jan. 1. UCSF is the first Bay Area employer to join Phase 2 of the Clipper® BayPass program, which is jointly managed by MTC and BART.

New State Grant for Hwy. 37 Upgrades

The California Transportation Commission approved a $50 million grant to help MTC, Caltrans and project partners advance transportation and ecological resilience along State Route 37 between Vallejo and Sears Point. This includes restoration of the tidal marsh known as Strip Marsh East in Solano County and replacement of the existing Highway 37 bridge over Tolay Creek in Sonoma County with a much longer bridge that will promote restoration of the historic San Pablo Baylands.

State Transformation Task Force

On December 10th , California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin appointed MTC’s Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman to the state’s Transit Transformation Task Force, which will be charged with developing policy recommendations to grow transit ridership, improve the transit experience for riders and address long-term operational funding needs throughout California. The 25-member task force includes several Bay Area representatives, including the executive directors of Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (ECCTA/Tri Delta Transit), Napa Valley Transportation (NVTA/Vine Transit), the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA/SF Bay Ferry), as well as policy directors from Seamless Bay Area, SPUR and the Bay Area Council.

Funding Opportunity: Call for Letters of Interest for Priority Sites

BAHFA released a Call for Letters of Interest/Funding Application Notice to support housing developments on Priority Sites. BAHFA’s new $28 million pilot program will offer low-interest loans to buy land for affordable housing, construct new housing, complete necessary infrastructure and/or cover predevelopment fees, legal expenses or environmental reviews. Borrowers able to start construction within 24 months may seek loans of up to $5 million. To submit an Interest Letter, review the Letter of Interest/Funding Application Notice, then visit the Priority Sites Nomination and Application Portal. The deadline to submit Letters of Interest is January 15, 2024.

Transit Priority Workshop in Oakland

On December 12, MTC and AC Transit hosted a workshop in Oakland to kick off a regional transit priority policy. The workshop was well attended by transit agencies, county transportation agencies, cities, Caltrans, and interest groups. It was energizing to see and be with such a diverse array of stakeholders to tackle the barrier on transit priority.

Regional Network Management Meetings

This fall, we completed the setup of the Regional Network Management framework, which will oversee efforts to improve the regional transit system. Back in July, MTC’s Operations Committee transitioned into a new Regional Network Management Committee. In October, the Regional Network Management Customer Advisory Group, comprised of a variety of customer-focused transit advocates, met for the first time. Also in October a standalone Regional Network Management section was created within MTC, with staff devoted exclusively to carrying out initiatives from the Transit Transformation Action Plan. Most recently, the Regional Network Management Council, comprised of large and small transit operator general managers, was formalized and held its first two meetings in November and December.

MPO Executive Directors meeting in Sacramento

On December 4th, I attended meetings organized by the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG) with my MPO executive director colleagues from the state’s largest regions (San Diego, Southern California, and Sacramento) to discuss on the relationship between state agencies and metro regions, particularly how we develop and implement our long-range plans. As you know, the strategies included in Plan Bay Area 2050 require a ton of partnership at all levels of government and currently state policy provides conflicting direction. We met with key state officials including CalSTA Secretary Omishakin, Office of Planning and Research Director Assefa, and Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Keever. I was joined by Alix Bockelman, Matt Maloney, and Rebecca Long.

Recent MetroTalks

On November 29, MTC hosted an online MetroTalk webinar “Advancing Health and Equity in the Bay Area’s Quest for Climate Resilience” featuring Chanell Fletcher, California Air Resource Board (CARB); Matt Wolff, San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH); Melissa Jones, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII); and Elle Chen, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). Josh Bradt from the Bay Area Regional Council moderated the discussion. On December 14, a MetroTalks event at the BAMC featured San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic and author John King talking about his latest book, Portal: San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities.