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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: October 22, 2025

Personnel

Retirements

  • Shimon Israel — Shimon started with MTC in December 2002 as an Assistant Planner/Analyst. His last day with MTC was Oct. 17 as a Senior Planner/Analyst in the Regional Planning Program section.

New Appointments

  • Maggie Gomez — Maggie started with MTC on Oct. 11 as an Energy Data Analyst in the Energy section.
  • Michael Lau — Michael started with MTC on Oct. 25 as a Finance Technician in the Finance Reporting & Operational section.
  • Jefferson Non — Jefferson started with MTC on Sept. 27 as an Energy Billing Specialist in the Energy section.
  • Nicholas Fournier — Nicholas started with MTC on Oct. 27 as a Planner/Analyst III in the Regional Planning Program section.

Updates

Commissioner Mashburn last Thursday, Oct. 16, joined Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce for a listening session to hear residents’ views about the Highway 37 Sears Point-to-Mare Island improvement project. MTC staff is listening too. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using our social media channels, our website and other communications tools to encourage Highway 37 travelers to answer a short survey about how often they use Highway 37, their most important concerns about the route, and their awareness of FasTrak and tolling programs. The survey is also posted on the MTC website.

I was pleased to join Vice Chair Moulton-Peters and Commissioner Fleming — along with former Commissioner and current state Assemblymember Damon Connolly; former Commissioner Jake Mackenzie; Congressman Jared Huffman; state Senator Mike McGuire; and a host of current and former elected officials and transportation agency staff — at an Oct. 3 event near Novato to cut the ribbon on the final segment of the decades-long U.S. 101 Marin-Sonoma Narrows project.

With the Narrows name now a thing of the past, our partners at Caltrans are closely monitoring the performance of the entire U.S. 101 corridor through both counties. MTC staff, along with our counterparts at Caltrans, the Transportation Authority of Marin, the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the CHP will be scrutinizing the data as well.

Also on Oct. 3, Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman joined Commissioners Papan and Melgar — as well as Daly City Mayor Dr. Roderick Daus-Magbual, staff from MTC, Lyft and others — for a press event to celebrate the opening of eight new Bay Wheels bikeshare stations at strategic locations around Daly City. These eight stations have a total of 80 brand new e-bikes, and our staff expect to open several more Bay Wheels stations in Daly City over the next few months.

Commissioner Canepa was a panelist at the Oct. 3 Move Bay Area West Bay Summit in Redwood City. MTC co-sponsored the event, one in a series bringing together community leaders, business community and labor representatives, planners and advocates to explore the connections between climate, health and transportation and help shape a regional transportation vision together. State Senator Scott Weiner gave the keynote speech.

I’m thrilled to report that three of our key bills were signed by the Governor: First, SB 63, the measure authorizing a five-county transit ballot measure. Second, our sponsored AB 670, which will allow cities and counties to receive RHNA credit for their efforts to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing. And third, AB 697 by Bay Area Assemblymember Lori Wilson to facilitate SR 37 improvements in a cost-effective and environmentally beneficial manner. Thanks to all of you who played key roles in getting these over the finish line.

The Regional Mapping & Wayfinding project led by MTC in partnership with Bay Area transit agencies received a Rider First award from Seamless Bay Area and San Francisco Transit Riders on Oct. 10. The Rider First Awards event was held here at the Bay Area Metro Center, with several staff members from both the Regional Network Management and Legislation & Public Affairs sections in attendance.

Starting Oct. 27, the bicycle/pedestrian path on the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will start modified operations. The barrier will be moved to allow the space now occupied by the path to be used as a highway shoulder for westbound traffic from Sundays at 11 p.m. until Thursdays at 2 p.m. The path will be open to bicyclists from 2 p.m. on Thursdays through 11 p.m. on Sundays and on select weekday holidays. On days when the bicycle/pedestrian path is closed, a free shuttle will be provided from 6 a.m. through 8 p.m. The pick-up and drop-off locations are along Tewksbury Avenue in Point Richmond and the Vista Point parking lot near the intersection of East Francisco Blvd. and Main Street in San Rafael. Signs alerting bicyclists and pedestrians to the new operating hours already are in place on approaches to the bridge from both Richmond and San Rafael. MTC this week will issue a news release and launch a social media campaign to alert the public about these changes as well.

Following more than two years of extensive public dialogue, technical analysis and interagency collaboration, MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) released Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+, together with 10 supplemental reports, the Implementation Plan, and the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), for public review and comment on Monday, Oct. 20. This updated long-range regional plan outlines a strategic framework to guide the Bay Area’s growth, investment and resilience over the next 25 years.

The public comment period, which runs through 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, will feature multiple opportunities for public participation, including four subregional webinars — focused on the North Bay, South Bay, East Bay and West Bay — as well as three public hearings designed to solicit feedback from stakeholders and community members across the region. To access the materials and public event information visit planbayarea.org/draftplan.

The Clipper Executive Board this week set a December 10 date for the start of an eight- to 12-week process of transitioning Clipper® card customers to the next generation of the Bay Area’s electronic fare-payment system. Beginning Dec. 10, each of the nearly two dozen Bay Area transit agencies that accept Clipper for payment will accept contactless credit and debit cards in addition to plastic Clipper cards and mobile Clipper cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Other new and improved features include instant availability of added value or passes; an improved auto-reload function; free and discounted transfers; managing multiple accounts; and online application for youth and senior discount cards. Because the process of upgrading individual cards to the next generation system will take several weeks to complete, not all features will be immediately available to all customers. Folks who don’t want to wait can kickstart the upgrade by logging into the Clipper website, using the Clipper mobile app or calling the Clipper customer service center to speak with an agent.