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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: June 25, 2025

Personnel

Departures

  • Libby Nachman – Libby started in October 2022 as an Associate Planner/Analyst in the Funding Policy & Programs section. Her last day with MTC was June 2.

Promotions & New Appointments

  • Josh Delaughter – Josh started with MTC on June 9 as a Systems Administrator in the Clipper Section.
  • Andrew Wittner – Andrew started on June 9 as an Associate Project Engineer in the Capital Delivery, Asset Management, Roadside Tolling Section.
  • Elliott Wong – Elliott started with MTC on June 9 as a Local Streets & Roads Asset Management Program Manager in the Funding Policy & Programs Section.

Updates

On June 24th, Senator Scott Wiener, who chairs the state Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee, announced the Governor has agreed to retain previously committed public transit funding that had been proposed for elimination in the May Revise as well as support a loan of $750 million to Bay Area transit agencies (specifically, AC Transit, BART, Caltrain and SFMTA) that is included in the legislature’s version of the budget. This loan is intended to serve as bridge funding before funds may flow from a future ballot measure that is intended for the November 2026 ballot.

Commissioner El-Tawansy, who was appointed to the Commission in 2020 and served as Caltrans District 4 Director since 2021, has been appointed by Governor Newsom as the new Caltrans Director. We wish her the best in this new statewide role. Her move to Sacramento is precipitated by the return of Tony Tavares to the Bay Area. Mr. Tavares also served as Caltrans District 4 Director (and as an MTC Commissioner) before taking on the Caltrans Director role. He recently became the new executive director of the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

Last week, MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) hosted a major two-day conference: “Accessible Futures: Sharing. Listening. Learning.” The event brought together Bay Area residents with disabilities from the nine counties and provided an opportunity for them to network, hear about key MTC-ABAG initiatives underway, share their lived experience with policy makers and develop new partnerships and opportunities for collaboration. The program was very well attended with over 150 in-person attendees and nearly 100 remote participants. MTC Chair Sue Noack and Commissioner Dorene Giacopini opened the event while East Bay Congresswoman Lateefah Simon gave a rousing keynote address noting her own journey as a person who is legally blind. A conference proceedings report will be developed to document the many ideas, questions and potential action items that were shared.

This month MTC in partnership with BART and SFMTA introduced its third test location of new regionally harmonized transit signs at the Powell Street BART/Muni station in downtown San Francisco. The temporary installation of new wayfinding signs is designed to test customer navigation improvements in a complex underground environment. These signs are expected to remain in place until early July. New bus stop signs also were tested from June 6 through June 10 at two curbside and two island stops on Market Street near the Hallidie Plaza station entrance. Initial feedback on the first prototypes at El Cerrito Del Norte BART station and the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and SMART station has been positive and was reported to the Regional Network Management Council earlier this week.

I recently attended the California Transportation Foundation Awards to accept the Person of the Year award on behalf of former MTC Chair and state Senator Bill Dodd. The Senator was recognized for his 25-year public-service career that began with a 14-year run as a Napa County Supervisor, followed by a term in the California Assembly and then two consecutive terms in the California Senate. Senator Dodd authored well over 100 bills, including SB 1050 (2022) to establish a toll authority to collect and disburse funds for the design and construction of improvements to State Route 37. The California Association of Councils of Governments was also recognized as Organization of the Year for their defense of Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 funds in last year’s state budget, their training and coordination, and general leadership throughout the year. 

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is hitting the road this summer to support cities, counties and partners in starting or advancing sea level rise planning under SB 272 (Laird, 2023). As part of the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) Outreach Tour, BCDC is presenting directly to local governments across the Bay Area, offering a four-part webinar series, providing planning tools and resources and holding staff office hours for one-on-one support. Registration is now open for the webinar series. The first webinar will be held today at 1 and provide an introduction for those newer to SB 272 and the RSAP. Registration and more information are available at www.bcdc.ca.gov/local-sea-level-rise-plans.

Commissioner Fleming on June 13 was among the local leaders celebrating the grand opening of SMART’s new Windsor station, which is located just west of the Windsor Town Green. Completion of the Windsor extension is a big milestone for SMART, which is now working on its next northward extension to Healdsburg — a project that is expected to receive a pair of SB 1 grants totaling $81 million from the California Transportation Commission later this week.

Save the Date: A Commission workshop is planned for October 22-23 at the Embassy Suites in Walnut Creek, located conveniently opposite the Pleasant Hill BART station. The workshop will follow our regularly scheduled Commission meeting at the Bay Area Metro Center.