Executive Director's Report

Note: The Commission meeting of April 27, 2011 did not include a written report from the Executive Director.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE HEMINGER’S REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 23, 2011

SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

CMA Directors Association
Walnut Creek, February 25

At my regular quarterly get-together with the executive directors of the Bay Area congestion management agencies, we discussed various options for the “committed projects” policy that you will be considering for final approval next month.

National Freight Policy Hearing
Sacramento, March 1

I testified before the State Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing about the need for a national freight policy.

• Presentation: Two Major Commissions, No Major Law (PowerPoint)
  
  

SAFETEA Extended (Again)
Washington DC, March 4

President Obama signed the 7th extension of the SAFETEA federal authorizing statute that expired in September 2009. This extension is good for another seven months through the end of FY 2011, during which time it is hoped that Congress will be able to enact new multi-year surface transportation legislation.

Release of Initial Vision Scenario
Oakland, March 11

With the release of the initial vision scenario for Plan Bay Area, we are officially launched in our efforts to adopt a Sustainable Communities Strategy by Spring 2013 as required by Senate Bill 375 (Steinberg). Kudos to MTC Planning Director Doug Kimsey, ABAG Planning Director Ken Kirkey, and their staffs for all the hard work that led to this successful beginning. We will be conducting workshops on the initial vision scenario with elected officials, other stakeholders, and the general public throughout the region for the next few months.

Joint Headquarters Project Advances
March 14

CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has distributed via email and a dedicated webpage a Request for Proposal (RFP) to owners, developers, brokerage firms and other interested parties. The RFP details the required criteria for an acquisition to create a Joint Regional Agency Facility to house MTC, ABAG and the Air District in either Oakland or San Francisco. Proposals are due Monday, April 1st. Based upon established evaluation criteria, CBRE will determine a short list of alternatives to present for review to the three regional agencies in May. The RFP is also posted on the Jobs and Contracts page of MTC's website.

APTA Legislative Conference
Washington DC, March 14-16

Vice Chair Worth led our annual pilgrimage to Washington in conjunction with the legislative conference of the American Public Transportation Association. We met with key transportation and housing leaders in Congress and the Obama Administration, as well as with members of the Bay Area congressional delegation. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica was the featured guest at our California transportation community reception on Wednesday night. At the invitation of the Transportation for America advocacy group, I made a Capitol Hill presentation (PowerPoint) on performance-based planning. Thanks especially to Randy Rentschler, Rebecca Long, and Tom Bulger for another well-planned visit.

Gas Tax Swap Approved (Again)
Sacramento, March 16

By surprisingly broad bi-partisan margins in both the Assembly and Senate, the Legislature re-enacted the complicated sales tax/gas tax swap with the two-thirds supermajority vote required by the passage of Proposition 26 last November. Although this action doesn’t provide any new state funding, it does halt the pattern of diverting transportation funds to help bail out the state’s beleaguered General Fund budget.

Joint Policy Committee
Oakland, March 18

The four-agency Joint Policy Committee favorably discussed undertaking a major new initiative by focusing on the twin themes of climate resilience and regional economic development in its future work. Joint agency staff will return with a detailed proposal for action in May.

TSP Project Steering Committee
Oakland, March 21

The steering committee for the Transit Sustainability Project (TSP) devoted most of its agenda to a discussion of the various work rules contained in the collective bargaining agreements of the region’s major transit operators. This is the last major subject for investigation in the financial component of the TSP, and the steering committee will now turn its attention to transit service delivery issues such as overlapping routes and uncoordinated service planning.

MTC Receives Affordable Housing Award

We have been notified that MTC will receive the Distinguished Public Agency Award from the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California at an event in May in San Francisco. The source and nature of this award is a telling indication that – as the old saying goes – MTC is not your grandfather’s regional transportation agency any more.

Map of the Month

The map of the month illustrates the percentage population change by county in the state of California between 2000 and 2010. The data is based on the recently released 2010 U.S. Census data, and shows that all counties within the state registered a population increase except Plumas, Sierra and Alpine counties. Placer, Kern and Riverside counties experienced the largest population growth with more than a 25% increase over the past decade. The map also shows that five of the nine Bay Area counties are among the slowest growing areas of the State.

• California Population Change 2000 – 2010 (PDF)

MTC Operational Statistics

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

• MTC Operational Statistics (PDF)

Upcoming Events

March 28–29 — AMPO Board Meeting, Chicago
March 31 — SPUR Regionalism Forum, San Francisco
April 14 — California Institutional Investors Forum, San Francisco