Executive Director's Report

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE HEMINGER’S REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2009

SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

Presidential Transition Briefing
Washington DC, December 19

Vice Chair Haggerty and I attended a briefing with officials of President-elect Obama’s transition team on the proposed economic recovery package then under development. We were joined by representatives of the National Association of Counties.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Briefing
Walnut Creek, January 12

Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher arranged for Caltrans Director Will Kempton, California Transportation Commissioners Alvarado, Earp, and Ghielmetti, and CTC Executive Director John Barna to brief House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar by video conference on the subjects of the state’s budget crisis and the federal economic recovery package.

HOT Network Executive Committee
Oakland, January 20

At the latest meeting of this group developing plans to implement the High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Network, we received an extended presentation from the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) banking team on options for financing the network. We hope to present a preferred option from that financial analysis to the Planning Committee for consideration in April.

Senate Confirms Ray LaHood
Washington DC, January 22

The United States Senate has confirmed former Illinois congressman Ray LaHood as the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Board of Directors Meeting
Fort Lauderdale, January 22-24

I attended the regular board of directors meeting for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. BATA and the Golden Gate Bridge District will host the next meeting in San Francisco in April.

CARB Appoints SB 375 Advisory Committee
Sacramento, January 23

In one of his first acts as a new member of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Commissioner Yeager voted to appoint 21 individuals to the Regional Targets Advisory Committee (RTAC) required by SB 375 (Steinberg). The RTAC will advise CARB on the factors and methodologies to be considered in setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the major metropolitan areas of California in 2010. I was one of three Bay Area representatives appointed to the RTAC, along with Stuart Cohen of TransForm and Jim Wunderman of the Bay Area Council.

Transportation 2035 Public Hearings
San Francisco & Oakland, January 27-28

We sponsored a public hearing on the draft long-range plan at San Francisco State University last night. A second hearing will occur during the Commission meeting this morning in Oakland.

Federal Economic Recovery Package

It has been a hectic few weeks in Washington DC as both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee have marked up versions of an $825 billion economic recovery package featuring new federal spending in areas such as infrastructure as well as tax cuts geared toward stimulating the depressed U.S. economy and creating jobs. It appears that Congress is on schedule to meet its target of approving the package for President Obama’s signature by the time of its President’s Day recess in mid-February. Given the accelerated congressional schedule as well as the “use it or lose it” deadlines for the transportation infrastructure spending elements in the package, we anticipate presenting a program of Bay Area projects for approval to the Programming and Allocations Committee and Commission next month.

• More on this topic
  

Map of the Month

The map of the month shows the share of the population living beneath 200% of the Federal poverty level, according to 2007 American Community Survey data. While the larger shares of poverty occur in rural counties, urban counties have the largest gross number of people in poverty. In a ranking of the top ten counties in California by total persons in poverty, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties rank eighth and ninth, respectively.

• Population in Poverty (PDF)
  

The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs:

• MTC Operational Statistics (PDF)
  
  

Upcoming Events

February 3 — Governing Magazine Outlook Conference, Washington DC
February 6 — Bay Area Partnership, Oakland