Civil Rights and Accessibility

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

MTC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or discriminated against under its projects, programs or activities on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex or age, as provided in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and 49 United States Code Section 5332.

For more information on MTC’s civil rights program, and the procedures to file a complaint, contact: Denise Rodrigues, Contract Compliance Officer, at (510) 817-5897; email drodri@mtc.ca.gov; or visit our administrative office at 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607.

If information is needed in another language, contact (510) 817.5757 or (510) 817.5769 for TDD/TTY.

Si necesita información en otro idioma, llame al (510) 817.5757 o al (510) 817.5769 para servicio de TDD/TTY.

MTC is committed to:

Identifying residential, employment, and transportation patterns of low-income and minority populations so that their needs may be identified and addressed in its regional planning process;
Integrating into its activities an analytical process that identifies the benefits and burdens of its investments on different socioeconomic groups, identifying imbalances and responding to the analyses produced;
Selecting projects for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) based on an equitable solicitation and selection process in accordance with Title VI requirements;
Promoting full and fair participation of individuals in low income and minority communities in regional planning and programming decisions;
Ensuring meaningful access to programs and activities by persons with limited English proficiency (LEP); and
Complying fully with the requirements of Title VI and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) and Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) implementing regulations, policies, guidelines, and circulars, including DOT Order of Environmental Justice (Order 5610.2) and DOT Policy Guidance Concerning Recipients’ Responsibilities to Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons.

A copy of MTC's most recent Title VI Report is available for review in the MTC-ABAG Library, or by contacting the MTC Title VI Coordinator, Denise Rodrigues, by email at drodrigues@mtc.ca.gov to receive a PDF copy.

MTC’s Executive Director and staff are responsible for carrying out MTC’s commitment to Title VI. MTC’s Deputy Executive Director, Policy, is responsible for overseeing MTC’s Title VI-related activities, including the receipt and investigation of any Title VI complaints.

TITLE VI COMPLAINT PROCEDURE

As a recipient of federal dollars, MTC is required to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ensure that services and benefits are provided on a non-discriminatory basis. MTC has in place a Title VI Complaint Procedure, which outlines a process for local disposition of Title VI complaints and is consistent with guidelines found in the Federal Transit Administration Circular 4702.1A, dated May 13, 2007.
The complaint procedure has five steps, outlined below:

Submission of Complaint: Any person who feels that he or she, individually, or as a member of any class of persons, on the basis of race, color, national origin, or low-income status has been excluded from or denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance through MTC may file a written complaint with the Deputy Executive Director, Policy. Such complaint must be filed within 180 calendar days after the date the person believes the discrimination occurred.
Referral to Review Officer: Upon receipt of the Complaint, the Deputy Executive Director, Policy, shall appoint one or more staff review officers, as appropriate, to evaluate and investigate the Complaint, in consultation with the Office of General Counsel. The staff review officer(s) shall complete their review no later than 60 calendar days after the date MTC received the Complaint. If more time is required, the Deputy Executive Director, Policy shall notify the Complainant of the estimated time-frame for completing the review. Upon completion of the review, the staff review officer(s) shall make a recommendation regarding the merit of the Complaint and whether remedial actions are available to provide redress. Additionally, the staff review officer(s) may recommend improvements to MTC’s processes relative to Title VI and environmental justice, as appropriate. The staff review officer(s) shall forward their recommendations to the Deputy Executive Director, Policy, for concurrence. If s/he concurs, s/he shall issue MTC’s written response to the Complainant.
Request for Reconsideration: If the Complainant disagrees with the response, he or she may request reconsideration by submitting the request, in writing, to the Executive Director within 10 calendar days after its receipt. The request for reconsideration shall be sufficiently detailed to contain any items the Complainant feels were not fully understood by the Deputy Executive Director, Policy. The Executive Director will notify the Complainant of his decision either to accept or reject the request for reconsideration within 10 calendar days. In cases where the Executive Director agrees to reconsider, the matter shall be returned to the staff review officer(s) to re-evaluate in accordance with Paragraph 2, above.
Appeal: If the request for reconsideration is denied, the Complainant may appeal the Executive Director’s response to the Complaint by submitting a written appeal to an MTC Committee no later than 10 calendar days after receipt of the Executive Director’s written decision rejecting reconsideration.
Submission of Complaint to the Federal Transit Administration: You may also file a complaint directly with the Federal Transit Administration at FTA Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590.