Executive Director's Report

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE HEMINGER’S REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION MEETING OF FEBRUARY 22, 2012

SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

Public Policy Institute
San Francisco, January 25

I participated in this forum on regional public policy issues sponsored by the law firm Hanson Bridgett with my counterparts from the other three regional agencies.

Will Travis Retirement Celebration
San Francisco, February 2

I joined Commissioners Bates, Halsted, and Spering as well as hundreds of Will Travis’s closest friends as we helped him celebrate the transition from this role as Executive Director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to our new staff coordinator for the Joint Policy Committee.

Regional Headquarters Planning Session
San Francisco, February 7

Senior staff from MTC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and BCDC held the second in a series of planning sessions with our architects Perkins + Will as they develop the designs for the new regional agency headquarters in San Francisco. Our next session is scheduled for March 6th.

AC Transit Picks New General Manager
Oakland, February 8

The AC Transit Board of Directors has selected David J. Armijo as its next general manager. He will replace Mary King, who has led the transit district since October 2009.

“Big 4” MPO Meeting
Los Angeles, February 9

I joined my colleagues from the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento regions at an informational session hosted by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) where we discussed our ongoing efforts to implement the planning requirements of SB 375 (Steinberg). As I previously reported to you, the San Diego Association of Governments has adopted its Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), and now finds itself defending the EIR for the plan in state court against attacks from local environmental groups as well as the Attorney General of California. Both SCAG and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments are nearing completion of their SCS work, and each will be presenting its greenhouse gas emission reduction methodology for review by the California Air Resources Board in March.

Governor Brown Announces Key Appointments
Sacramento, February 15

Governor Jerry Brown has announced two important appointments of interest to MTC. First, he has appointed Brian Kelly as undersecretary at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. We have worked closely with Brian for many years in his capacity of serving as the senior transportation advisor to four successive Senate President pro Tems: Bill Lockyer, John Burton, Don Perata, and Darrell Steinberg. Brian is one of the best people I’ve run across in my 25 years in the transportation business, so we very much look forward to working with him in his new capacity in the Brown Administration.

The Governor also has appointed Zack Wasserman of Oakland as the new chairman of BCDC. Zack is a well known real estate attorney in the East Bay, and he also has developed considerable transportation expertise as the general counsel for the Alameda County Transportation Commission and its predecessor agencies. In addition, he served as an Oakland Port Commissioner from 1987-1990. Congratulations to Zack on this prestigious appointment.

Doyle Drive Funding Meeting
Oakland, February 16

We hosted a meeting of the major funding partners for the Doyle Drive (aka Presidio Parkway) seismic safety project to address the funding shortfall that confronts the Phase II Public Private Partnership element of the construction. I have briefed the commission over the past few months about the budgetary and cash flow challenges facing this phase of the work. I am pleased to report that we made considerable progress in the meeting, and I am hopeful that we will be able to bring an action to the Programming and Allocations Committee in March to do our part to resolve the problem.

Bay Bridge Upper Deck Closure
Oakland & San Francisco, February 17-20

With the cooperation of Mother Nature, dry weather enabled Caltrans crews to finish the westbound detour onto the upper deck of the Bay Bridge in Oakland a day earlier than scheduled, with traffic flowing over the span by 7 pm Sunday evening. Both Caltrans and Bay Area Toll Authority teams were able to complete a number of unrelated maintenance tasks on the upper deck during the bridge closure. This will be the last closure of the existing east span until it is closed for good when – if fortune favors us – we open the new east span over the Labor Day 2013 weekend.

Map of the Month

This map illustrates the variation by metropolitan area of income levels required to be in the top 1% of earners. While a U.S. household must earn greater than $380,000 to rank in the top 1% of all American households, a much higher income is required in most of California’s coastal communities.

• Income Thresholds for "The 1%" by Metropolitan Area (PDF)

MTC Operational Statistics

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

• MTC Operational Statistics (PDF)

Upcoming Events

February 24 — SMART Groundbreaking, Petaluma
March 12-14 — APTA Legislative Conference, Washington DC
March 16 — Joint Policy Committee, Oakland
March 22 — CARB Hearing on SCS Plans, Sacramento