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Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: May 27, 2026

Personnel

Retirements

  • Kenneth Folan – Kenneth started in March 2005 as an Associate Planner/Analyst. His last day with MTC was May 1 as an Assistant Director in the Funding Policy & Programs section.
  • Lee Huo – Lee started in January 2005 as an Associate Planner/Analyst. His last day with MTC was May 1 as a Planner/Analyst III in the Sustainable Mobility & Operations section.
  • Betty Lam – Betty started in March 1998 as an Accounting Assistant. Her last day was May 8 as a Principal Financial Analyst/Accountant in the Financial Reporting & Operational Accounting section.

New Appointments

  • Sukari Beshears – Sukari started May 26 as a Section Director in the Human Resources section.
  • Jessica Lewis – Jessica started May 26 as a Junior Clerk in the Executive Office.
  • Lenine Umali – Lenine started May 26 as Manager of Strategic Communications and Board Affairs in the Legislation & Public Affairs section.

Updates

Next-Gen Clipper (C2)

  • As I reported last month, adoption of the new system and the volume of transactions continue to grow. To date, 1.7 million Clipper cards have migrated to the new system. As of mid-May, 43% of systemwide trips are in C2 — 31% on Clipper cards and 12% on contactless credit/debit cards. Call volume in April was down 19% from March and average handle time dropped under 12 minutes (down two minutes from March). Average wait time remained steady through April and May at just over 5 minutes. As we prepare for migration at scale, we are taking a structured, requirements-based approach that includes close coordination with transit operators and Cubic leadership to ensure accountability, measurable progress and reliable customer experience. Additional details on Next-Gen Clipper's progress and status will be available in the staff report to the Clipper Executive Board for their June 1 meeting, which will be posted on the MTC Meetings Site.

Reps Garamendi, Thompson Introduce Bill to Protect Transportation Assets from Natural Hazards

  • On May 5, MTC Vice Chair Moulton-Peters, SFEP director Caitlin Sweeney, MTC legislative staff and I joined Representative Garamendi at a press conference announcing the introduction of HR 8653, the Accelerating Demonstration Approaches for Protecting Transportation Assets (ADAPT Assets) Act in Congress, which he is co-sponsoring with Representative Mike Thompson). The ADAPT Assets Act would provide $10 billion in federal funding over five years for up to 10 grants to advance large-scale demonstration projects around the country that protect critical transportation infrastructure from rising sea levels or other natural hazards. This is one of MTC's top federal advocacy priorities for 2026 and is critical to work on regional projects like State Route 37 flood resilience.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Launches Fares for Our Future

  • Also on May 5, Jason Weinstein, Director of Clipper, attended a press conference in which San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a new effort to address fare evasion on Muni. The new initiative will expand Muni's transit fare inspector team to strengthen enforcement and encourage fare payment by riders. It also will transition riders to more visible forms of payment and improve data collection to effectively reduce fare evasion—all helping protect Muni service despite significant fiscal challenges.

Washington, D.C. Federal Advocacy Trip

  • Earlier this month, MTC Chair Sue Noack, Vice Chair Stephanie Moulton-Peters and ABAG President Belia Ramos traveled to Washington, D.C., with MTC-ABAG staff for MTC's annual federal advocacy trip. Over three days, we met with 13 Bay Area congressional offices, the U.S. Department of Transportation, state transportation leaders in Virginia and Maryland, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which hosted us for a tour and information sharing session.
  • The trip coincided with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's release of its surface transportation reauthorization proposal, giving the delegation a timely opportunity to reinforce MTC's priorities to protect highway and transit formula funding and support other transportation investments. Commissioners also discussed MTC's ADAPT Assets Act, which would authorize funding for large-scale resilience demonstration projects. Lastly, we co-hosted the Annual California Transportation Reception, which featured remarks from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Lateefah Simon.

CoMotion 2026

  • Last month, I spoke at an interactive workshop at the CoMotion conference in Miami. Our session focused on how emerging technologies are reshaping regional transportation systems, joining peers from Miami-Dade, Northeast Ohio, and the Houston-Galveston region. The discussion explored trends such as autonomous vehicles, advanced air mobility, AI-enabled traffic management, and new shared mobility models, and their implications for infrastructure planning, system operations, and cross-jurisdictional coordination. A key takeaway was the growing expectation that regional agencies play a proactive role in preparing for these changes—working closely with cities and state partners, while ensuring that innovation ultimately strengthens connectivity and delivers practical benefits across our transportation network.

Housing Policy Forum

  • On May 8, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, San Francisco Foundation, Housing Action Coalition, and The New York Times convened a nonpartisan housing policy forum at Oakland's Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, featuring California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, and Antonio Villaraigosa.
  • The candidates engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on housing policy, including differing approaches to addressing homelessness, strategies to reduce the cost of building new homes, and methods to hold cities accountable for increasing housing supply. They also highlighted innovations in the construction industry and examined the ongoing challenge of financing affordable housing amid current budget constraints.
  • I attended the event along with Deputy Executive Director of Housing and Energy Daniel Saver, and Director of Legislative and Public Affairs Rebecca Long.

Marin-Sonoma Bikeshare Field Visit

  • May 22, Lisa Klein, Deputy Executive Director, Mobility and Tony Dang, Director, Sustainable Operations and Mobility joined Commissioner Fleming to visit the Redwood Bikeshare program, which MTC has funded for a two-year pilot. The tour, hosted by SMART and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, featured a ride from Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park on an impressively crowded SMART train and a return bike ride on the SMART path. Participants included several board members from each agency as well as legislative aids from the offices of Representative Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Rogers and Connolly.

MTC Hosts "Owner's Night"

  • MTC, in collaboration with the American Council of Engineering Companies Bay Bridge Chapter, Construction Management Association of America's NorCal Chapter and BuildIT, hosted for the third time Owner's Night, a networking event that brings together public and private project owners with industry professionals to share insights and highlight upcoming construction and contracting opportunities. The event featured participation from 18 public agencies and drew over 250 industry professionals from leading architecture, engineering and construction firms, including small and diverse businesses. I delivered the keynote, highlighting the agency's upcoming projects. The event once again demonstrated strong cross-agency participation and significant small business engagement, with attendees connecting directly with agency representatives around contracting opportunities, reinforcing continued demand for coordinated regional outreach.

MTC Holds Procurement Open House

  • Staff from MTC's Procurement, Risk and Property Management Section, in collaboration with the Legislative & Public Affairs (LPA) Section, held a procurement open house event on Monday, May 18. This event focused on informing both prime and subcontractors, as well as certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and Small Business Enterprises (SBE), of procurement opportunities under LPA on the horizon over the next 18 months. The event was attended by 43 firms who learned about upcoming opportunities and how to do business with MTC.
  • This event highlights staff's continued efforts to engage the vendor community and ensure SBEs and DBEs are aware of upcoming opportunities prior to MTC releasing a project procurement. Staff will be working to expand procurement open house outreach events to highlight opportunities across the agency.

MTC to Consider Reopening CRISI Application

  • This is the final year of the current federal surface transportation authorization – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). We expect a flurry of Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) to be released for remaining federal discretionary funds. In 2022, MTC adopted a Regional Endorsement List for certain categories within the BIL to help the region take advantage of the influx in federal grant opportunities. This list was intended to be updated periodically based on regional funding priorities, opportunities and corresponding project needs (and was last amended in November 2023).
  • At the Programming and Allocations Committee next month, staff will recommend another amendment to the list – opening the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant category to other Bay Area applicants. The previous project on our endorsement list received a $25 million grant in this category. Applications for CRISI are due June 22. Following Commission approval of the amended regional endorsement list, MTC staff will consider providing letters of support for projects that are consistent with Plan Bay Area 2050+.

Senate Bill 79 Draft Map

  • The public comment period has closed for the preliminary draft map of areas where SB 79 (Wiener, 2025) will apply in the Bay Area when it takes effect on July 1. The law requires local jurisdictions in certain counties to allow residential development that meets density, affordability and other standards in areas close to high-capacity transit stops. After reviewing comments received during the April review period, staff have identified updates to the preliminary draft map and will make it formally available on or before July 1. The map will be available at this link: SB 79 Regional Map

San Pablo Baylands Restoration Projects Selected for EPA Funding

  • Two integrated ecological enhancements to the San Pablo Baylands that are part of the State Route 37 Sears Point to Mare Island Improvement Project have been selected to receive funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the first environmental funds for this project. Through ABAG, SFEP has been selected to receive $13.9 million over two years for Strip Marsh East restoration and related sediment work, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has been selected to receive $9.6 million for Tolay Creek sediment excavation and reuse. The Tolay Creek project also received its San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission permit through a unanimous vote. The permit is an important project milestone, moving it closer to construction and delivering critical improvements to transportation and ecological resources.
  • These projects are part of the region's efforts to reduce flood risk on SR 37 and restore tidal marsh between the highway and San Pablo Bay.
  • SFEP'S partnership with the Bay Area Clean Water Association on a $4.8 million grant to advance nutrient management through nature-based solutions in the east and south bays was also selected for funding from US EPA.

American Planning Association Recognizes MTC-ABAG With Awards

  • Three projects with ties to MTC and ABAG have received awards from the Northern California chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), recognizing work across the technical assistance and housing portfolios. The awards will be distributed at the APA NorCal awards gala in the fall.
  • The Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program received a Communications Initiative and Outreach Award of Merit (second place) for the Welcome Home! Housing in Our Community toolkit. These resources provide planners and other public sector staff with creative, approachable public engagement materials for conversations about housing.
  • Two projects funded by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Priority Sites Loan Program also won awards:
    • Lake Merritt BART Station Area Plan received an Implementation Award of Merit (second place). This award highlights the Oakland Chinatown neighborhood for its early and ongoing community engagement processes, with over $1 billion in community investment since the plan was adopted in 2014. Priority Sites funding supported the construction of 97 apartments for seniors and formerly-homeless people in the Chinatown Senior Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project.
    • North Berkeley BART TOD received an Urban Design Award of Excellence (first place). This award honors the community advocacy, objective design standards, City of Berkeley's first-ever AB 2011 entitlements, and the design team's master plan

Call for Applications: Powering Regional Priorities Through Community Leadership

  • Please help spread the word that applications are open for the Community Action Resource Empowerment (CARE) Power-Building and Engagement Learning Lab. This is a first-of-its-kind, six-month learning community designed to place community-based organizations at the center of regional change. Up to 20 community-based organizations (two staff per organization) will be selected to participate.
  • The Learning Lab blends in-person convenings, virtual learning, real-world project implementation and direct investment to equip local leaders with the tools to shape equitable outcomes in land use, transportation, housing and climate. Applications are due Sunday, May 31. Find more information and the application at CARE Pb+E: Learning Lab.

Summer Academy Receives Record Number of Applications

  • Over 500 high school students applied to join the 2026 Norman Mineta Bay Area High School Summer Academy, a record number of applicants. The Academy is a paid program that introduces students to public sector career pathways through exposure to regional policy issues such as transportation planning, housing, environmental justice and air quality management through interactive sessions with partner agencies. You're invited to join us for the student capstone presentation event on Friday, July 31 at 12 p.m. Please email academy@bayareametro.gov to confirm your attendance.

May is Bike to Wherever Days and Affordable Housing Month

  • Nearly 20,000 riders participated in Bike to Wherever Day on Thursday, May 14. So far this month, more than 800 people have pledged to ride and logged more than 70,000 miles. There's still time to participate – you can see the full event calendar at Bike to Wherever Days Event Calendar.
  • May is also Affordable Housing Month, when allies and advocates connect to build support for affordable housing and share its impacts on advancing healthy, thriving communities. Events are happening throughout the region, and you can find more information at Affordable Housing Month Events.

Willie Mays Highway Designated Along I-80

  • State Senators Bill Dodd and Scott Weiner recently introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 169 to honor baseball great Willie Mays. The portion of Interstate 80 from the Bay Bridge near Treasure Island to Oracle Park is now designated Willie Mays Highway. Willie Mays, a Hall of Famer, played for the San Francisco Giants from 1958 to 1972.

Copies of PBA 2050+ and Transit 50+ Available

  • Paper copies of the recently approved Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Transit 2050+ are available on the dais for you to take home. These reports represent the culmination of three years of collaboration with our partners and deep engagement with Commissioners and Board members. Thank you for your contributions to these important regional initiatives.

Looking Ahead / Save the Date

  • Public Transit Revenue Measure District meeting, if needed: July 24
  • Commission Workshop: October 28-29