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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: January 24, 2024

Personnel

New appointments

  • James Tung, Principal Program Coordinator, Major Regional Projects and Risk Management, Field Operations and Asset Management
  • Elizabeth Ramos, Grants Manager, Budgets and Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Janielyn Bayona, Budget Manager, Budgets and Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Sandy Guerra, Executive Administrative Supervisor, Executive Office
  • Dominic Lucchesi, Associate Planner/Analyst, Bikeshare Coordinator, Design and Project Delivery

Retirements

  • Leah Zippert – Leah started with ABAG in 2000 as a Communications Officer, was promoted to Senior Communications Officer in 2015 and joined MTC as Senior Public Information Officer in the Legislation and Public Affairs section in 2017. Her last day with MTC will be Feb. 6, 2024.

Awards and Updates

Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson Visits Bay Area Bridges

This month MTC organized a boat tour of the Benicia-Martinez and Carquinez bridges conducted for Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson. I was able to attend the tour along with Caltrans District 4 Director and MTC Commissioner Dina El-Tawansy, MTC Commissioner Jim Spering and various staff from MTC, Caltrans and the Water Emergency Transportation Authority. We used a chartered San Francisco Bay Ferry vessel to get an up-close look at both bridges and learn about the long-term maintenance of all seven state-owned spans.

MTC Staff Tours High-Speed Rail Construction Project

On January 9 I traveled to Fresno with MTC Director of Legislation and Public Affairs Rebecca Long for a Central Valley construction tour of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project and met with HSR Board Member Henry Perea, Northern California Director Boris Lipkin and other key HSR staff.

MTC Invited to Speak about Transportation-Housing Linkages at Bay Area Caucus Event

Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman was invited by Assemblymember Wilson to present to the Bay Area caucus during their January retreat about MTC's decades-long work to integrate transportation and housing policy and some of the ways that the state can support our efforts to increase affordable housing in transit-rich locations.

Clipper® START Makes Bay Area Transit More Affordable for More Low-Income Riders

MTC and Bay Area transit agencies this month announced the expansion of the Clipper® START pilot program to include VTA buses and light-rail trains and to include a uniform 50% discount for rides on all systems that accept Clipper for fare payment. The pilot program will run through June 30, 2025.

Blake Named Interim NorCal President of COMTO

The Executive Committee of the Northern California (NorCal) Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) selected DeNise Blake, MTC’s Assistant Director for Business Operations & Capital Projects, as Interim NorCal President until the regularly scheduled Spring 2024 Board elections. Her commitment to COMTO is readily evident by her service as NorCal Chapter Secretary from 2021-2022, and current Co-Chair of the Events and Planning Committee. Congratulations, DeNise!

Meeting with Bay Area Legislators on Transportation Revenue Measure

On Monday, January 22, Chair Pedroza, Director of Legislation & Public Affairs Rebecca Long and I were invited by Senator Scott Wiener to present to members of the Bay Area legislative caucus on the transportation revenue measure that we will be discussing on your agenda today. The meeting was well attended by legislators from across the region, including Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson.

Looking Ahead

State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference to be March 12-13 in Oakland

The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) is hosting its State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference on Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13, at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland. Keynote speakers will include California EPA Secretary Yana Garcia and U.S. EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman. Online registration to attend the conference is now open. More details can be found on the SFEP website.