Report to the Commission: April 22, 2026

Personnel

Cindy Chen – Cindy started in July 2017 as an Assistant Program Coordinator. Her last day with MTC was April 1 as an Associate Program Coordinator in the BayREN Energy Program section.
Margaret Doyle – Margaret started in January 2021 as the Transit Capital Priorities Program Manager in the Funding Policy & Programs section. Her last day was April 10.

Rachel Arbios – Rachel starts April 27 as a Junior Clerk in the Executive Office.
Jeffrey Daniel – Jeffery starts April 27 as Procurement, Risk and Property Management Director.
Shawn Danino – Shawn started April 13 as Principal Clipper Systems & Data Lead in the Clipper section.
Fabian Gallardo – Fabian starts April 27 as Principal Program Coordinator, Safety/Vision Zero, Access and Mobility
Programs in the Funding Policy and Programs section.
John Hanley – John started April 13 as Assistant Director, Budgets and Financial Planning & Analysis.
Blythe Nishi – Blythe started April 13 as an Associate Clipper Program Coordinator in the Clipper section.
Sunil Paudel – Sunil starts April 27 as a Technical Project Manager in the Tolling Services and Revenue section.
Chloe Weil – Chloe starts April 27 as a Debt Manager in the Treasury section.

Adoption of the new system and the volume of transactions continue to grow. To date, 1.4 million Clipper cards have migrated to the new system. As of early April, 38% of systemwide trips are in C2 — 27% on Clipper cards and 11% on contactless credit/debit cards. Despite the continued high call volume in March, average handle time dropped under 13 minutes (down two minutes from February), and average wait time improved sharply from 23 minutes to 14 minutes. While we do not yet have the full picture of April activity, weekly call data as of the week ending April 18 indicates continued improvement in call center performance with reduced handling time of 11 minutes and an average wait time of just over 4 minutes. As we prepare for migration at scale, we are taking a structured, requirements-based approach that includes close coordination with transit operators and Cubic leadership to ensure accountability, measurable progress and reliable customer experience. Additional details on Next-Gen Clipper’s progress and status will be available in my report to the Clipper Executive Board for their April 27 meeting, which will be posted here.

On April 8, MTC released a preliminary draft map of the areas where SB 79 (Wiener, 2025) will apply in the Bay Area when it takes effect on July 1. Staff is engaging affected local jurisdictions throughout April and will present an information item on the draft map at the May MTC Planning Committee. A summary of key provisions of SB 79 that are most relevant to local governments is available online.

Initial work began this week on a six-month project to convert the far-left lane of westbound I-580 to a high-occupancy vehicle lane from just east of the Piedmont Avenue undercrossing in Oakland to the start of the existing westbound carpool lane near the foot of the MacArthur Maze. The 2.3 mile project — a partnership with Caltrans and the Alameda County Transportation Commission — marks the Bay Area’s first conversion of a general-purpose lane to a carpool lane. This is a key element of the Bay Bridge Forward initiative to improve efficiency, reduce delays and move more people across the bridge.

On April 2, Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman, Deputy Executive Director for Housing & Energy Daniel Saver, along with other MTC staff, attended a ribbon cutting for Idora, a first-of-its-kind teacher housing community in Oakland’s Temescal district. Through the Housing Preservation Project Technical Assistance Grant Program, BAHFA provided $34,000 to Rooted Housing, enabling the project to qualify for and secure additional funding from public and private sources. Idora has 33 below-market rate units available on a first-come, first-served basis for Oakland Unified School District teachers. State Senator Jesse Arreguín, State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Commissioner and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee were among the speakers at the event.

On April 22, 2026, Deputy Executive Director Daniel Saver will present to the Bay Area Caucus with an update about the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority. The invitation was extended by Senator Josh Becker, Chair of the Bay Area Caucus, and reflects the Legislature’s ongoing interest in BAHFA’s success. The presentation will include a briefing on BAHFA’s achievements to date, the agency’s new strategic plan, and advocate for BAHFA’s $15 million one-time request from the FY26-27 state budget. Materials from the presentation are attached to this report, including a four-page summary of BAHFA’s impacts to date and a county-by-county list of BAHFA-funded projects.

Last August, the Bay Conservation Development Commission (BCDC) approved Amendment No. Six to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge’s BCDC permit. The approval made the eastbound part-time lane on the lower deck a permanent feature and extended the westbound upper deck pilot, allowing for the restoration of the emergency shoulder during the weekdays while keeping the bike and pedestrian path open on weekends.
As part of this process, BCDC added two conditions requiring Caltrans and BATA to present and seek approval on the methodology for the environmental justice analysis and the preliminary benchmarks to establish performance thresholds for future evaluation and potential next steps.
Caltrans and BATA received approval from BCDC on the environmental justice methodology and preliminary benchmarks at their March 5 and April 16 meetings. Staff will provide an update on the progress of the pilot project to the BATA Oversight Committee in the fall.