Report to the Commission: November 20, 2019
Transit Funding – Correction to State Financial Reporting
I wanted to call attention to some excellent staff work by William (Bill) Bacon, Programming & Allocations Section, whose close attention to detail helped save millions of dollars in Bay Area transit funding this year. Bill identified a reporting issue related to State Transit Assistance (STA) funding affecting SFMTA and VTA and worked closely with those agencies and the State Controller’s Office (SCO) to help correct it. Going forward, the risk of funding cuts resulting from financial reporting problems should be minimized as the SCO has committed to making improvements to its online form for STA funding and providing training to transit agencies.
Visit by Congressman Rodney Davis, November 4, 2019
The Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways & Transit — the committee with jurisdiction over crafting the federal surface transportation bill — visited us for a targeted transportation infrastructure tour on November 4th. Vice Chair Pedroza hosted, accompanied by Executive Director McMillan and staff from MTC/BATA and the TransBay Joint Powers Authority. There was a tour of the Salesforce Transit Center tour and Yerba Buena pier. Thanks also to AC Transit staff for assisting with transport service. Topics discussed included federal reauthorization, freight policy, project delivery, and the Bay Area’s ability to financially partner on a plethora of large projects.
Caltrans Summit on the Summit, November 5, 2019
Alix Bockelman and Andy Fremier attended this event in Livermore, co-hosted by Caltrans District 4 and 10. It was a convening of state and regional executives to discuss multimodal transportation issues, challenges, and opportunities for making improvements on the I-580 corridor from Oakland to Stockton.
New CT Director Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin Bay Area Visit, November 15, 2019
MTC hosted the new Caltrans Director, who hails from Tennessee where he was the deputy commissioner for environment and planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The nine County Transportation Agencies were also invited and presented projects of interest to the Director. MTC outlined several of the key initiatives facing the region, among them Plan Bay Area 2050, upcoming state discretionary programming, and our Express Lane program. We look forward to a productive partnership with the Director and our colleagues at District 4.
Mega Region Working Group: Leadership meeting, November 15, 2019
Chair Haggerty and Commissioner Spering convened Board leadership from the MTC, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) to discuss a restart of this interregional forum. Also present were the Chair of the SJCOG Board of Directors & Vice Mayor of Lodi, Doug Kuehne, as well as Vice Chair of SACOG, City of Davis Councilmember, Lucas Frerichs. The three agency executive directors suggested a suite of future actions including regional planning reform proposals, financial coordination for projects of mutual interest, and joint advocacy at the state and federal level on topics of mutual interest.
Richmond San Rafael Bridge bike path opening, November 16, 2019
After roughly five years of planning, the bicycle path on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge opened with the support and presence of hundreds of enthusiastic users, from pedestrian and bikes, to unicycles, wheelchairs and many alternative wheels in between. Chair Scott Haggerty and Commissioner Amy Worth represented MTC among a host of local elected officials. This segment is a major connection of the Bay Trail and will provide a critical link in the bridge corridor. As promised, MTC staff will be closely monitoring and reporting on use of the path.