Report to the Commission: July 24, 2024
Personnel
New Appointments
- Alexis Gabriel, Communications Specialist, San Francisco Estuary Partnership.
- Amba Gupta- Amba, Regional Planner, Regional Planning Program.
Updates
Social Housing Field Study Trip to Vienna, Austria
Last week, together with Commissioner Abe-Koga, ABAG President Ramos, Director Kate Hartley of the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority and Director Rebecca Long of the Legislation and Public Affairs section, I attended the Global Policy Leadership Academy’s (GPLA’s) Vienna Social Housing Field Study trip. The curriculum was tailored to Bay Area and California contexts around key topics including urban planning, construction, financing, land management, and community engagement.
WETA Launches MV Sea Change
On Friday, July 12, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) launched Sea Change, the world’s first commercial passenger ferry powered 100 percent by zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells. MTC Commissioners Dina El-Tawansy and Gina Papan attended the launch event as well as MTC Director, Theresa Romell of Funding Policy and Programs and staff including Craig Bosman, Margaret Doyle, and Joey Kotfica. The vessel subsequently began service to the public on July 19, emitting only water vapor, a portion of which is remineralized and used in the onboard water fountain, making it the only vessel in the world with drinkable emissions.
Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent Completed
Commissioner David Rabbitt represented MTC at an event on July 15 recognizing the completion of the suicide deterrent net on the Golden Gate Bridge. Commissioners Moulton Peters and ElTawansy were also present, as were Brad Paul of our staff; U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; former Commissioners Tom Ammiano, Damon Connolly and Amy Rein Worth; former Executive Director Steve Heminger; and several current and former MTC staff members. The community-selected design was chosen for its proven effectiveness at reducing suicides and its minimal aesthetic.
BARC Agencies Enter into MOU to Enhance Sea Level Rise Coordination
MTC along with ABAG, the Air District, and BCDC – the four Bay Area Regional Collaborative [BARC] agencies – on Friday 7/19 signed an MOU with Caltrans District 4, the state Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board to coordinate efforts to prepare for sea-level rise and increased flooding.
Draft Coordinated Plan Released for Public Comment
MTC is updating its Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (Coordinated Plan) which focuses on the transportation needs of older adults, people with disabilities and people with low incomes, and coordinates transit agencies and other transportation providers so that all Bay Area residents can get to where they need to go. The 2024 draft plan is an update to the current plan, which was adopted in 2018. Public comment can be made until August 7th, 2024, via either an online comment form or by sending an email to CoordinatedPlan@bayareametro.gov.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint Performance & Equity Outcomes
This month, ABAG and MTC released the performance and equity outcomes of the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint, illustrating how the "first draft" of the Bay Area's long-range plan will advance critical regional goals for an affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant Bay Area for all residents. Like past plans, the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Blueprint demonstrates significant progress on key affordability, environmental and economic recovery goals as well as focusing projected household and jobs growth in a sustainable manner.
MTC Awarded $5 Million from Inaugural HUD PRO Housing Grant Program
Last month,the White House and HUD announced that MTC received a $5 million grant from the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) Grant Program. This first-of-itskind program rewards communities that have taken active steps to remove local housing barriers and provides funding for affordable housing development, revisions to local land use policies, and streamlining the permitting process. In response to advocacy from MTC, this is the first HUD program to include Metropolitan Planning Organizations as eligible entities. In partnership with the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA), MTC applied for $10 million to build out housing-supportive infrastructure at two transit-oriented development projects and to help launch the Priority Sites Program . Staff are evaluating options to revise the project budget in light of the reduced $5 million award and expect to return to the Commission in September.
Bay Area Summer Academy Kicked off July 8
Over 200 high school students are participating in the Norman Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy paid internship program hosted by ABAG, MTC, BCDC and the Air District. The program kicked off on July 8, 2024, and over the course of four subsequent weeks, students will learn how regional agencies address complex issues like environmental justice, housing and transportation equity, community health, and social justice.
Looking Ahead
Second Meeting of Transportation Revenue Measure Select Committee, July 29
Chaired by Commissioner Spering, the Transportation Revenue Measure Select Committee will be holding their second meeting on July 29. The members of the committee are working to build regional consensus for state legislation that would authorize Bay Area voters to consider a 2026 revenue measure to preserve and enhance public transit in the region.