Randy Rentschler and I hosted a meeting of senior staff from the transportation agencies on the Peninsula with a stake in the forthcoming environmental review process for the Caltrain electrification and train control projects. Given the diverse interests at play, I expect these meetings to be a frequent occurrence as we pursue these long-awaited improvements to the Caltrain system.
I toured Google headquarters for the purposes of discussing a potential partnership between their transit information services and our 511 program, as well as to learn more about their growing corporate role in transporting Google employees to and from work. In fact, Google now operates a fleet of 95 private buses serving 35 routes in seven counties that provide employee transportation to their Mountain View headquarters. If Google were a public transit agency, it would be the 7th largest bus operator in the Bay Area by fleet size.
I met with Senator Mark DeSaulnier to discuss ways to improve our agency’s relationship with his office and to compare notes on likely legislative issues in the upcoming 2013 session.
I joined several members of the California Transportation Commission and Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly on a tour of the self-anchored suspension portion of the new eastern half of the Bay Bridge.
CMA Directors Meeting
San Rafael, September 28
At my regular quarterly meeting with the executive directors of the Bay Area’s congestion management agencies, we discussed ongoing implementation of the OneBay Area Grant program.
The Bureau of State Audits (BSA) released its audit findings and recommendations regarding our purchase of 390 Main Street in San Francisco for a new regional agency headquarters.
Chair Tissier, Vice Chair Worth, Randy Rentschler and I met with State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to discuss our progress in implementing his Senate Bill 375 and other legislative issues of mutual interest.
At the invitation of conference co-host Alix Bockelman, I spoke on a Transportation Research Board (TRB) panel about MTC’s recent experience with performance-based project assessment in Plan Bay Area. A copy of my PowerPoint presentation can be found at www.mtc.ca.gov/meetings/presentations/.
State Senator Mark DeSaulnier released an opinion by state Legislative Counsel on the purchase of 390 Main Street by the Bay Area Headquarters Authority. We issued a press statement responding to that opinion the following day. To refresh your memory, I’ve also included the original legal opinion (PDF) from our bond counsel Orrick upon which we relied to purchase the property.
I joined several MTC commissioners and staff at a reception for the members of the California Transportation Commission (CTC) who were in town for their monthly meeting. Commissioners Green and Rein Worth made welcoming remarks at the event.
I joined Commissioner Mackenzie at one of the most upbeat groundbreaking ceremonies I’ve ever attended for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit System that will provide passenger rail service between Santa Rosa to San Rafael. For the first time in our region since the original BART system was constructed, these two North Bay counties are attempting to build and operate a new rail system largely with their own local funds. Kudos to all the local leaders involved.
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.
