Home
The current section is News & Media
Executive Director's Report

Report to the Commission: September 27, 2023

Personnel

New Appointments

  • Mike Aycock – Mike started with MTC on Sept. 5 as the Assistant Director of Human Resources in the Administration and Human Development section.
  • Valerie Coleman – Valerie started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a REAP 2 Program Coordinator in the Funding Policy and Programs section.
  • Nafis Majd – Nafis started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a Principal Engineer in the Design and Project Delivery section.
  • Irene Cordon – Irene started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a Billing and Accounts Receivable Accountant in the Financial Reporting and Operational Accounting section.
  • Amarpal Bajwa – Amarpal started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a 511 Senior Software Developer in the Technology Services section.
  • Saheed Adepoju – Saheed started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a 511 Senior Software Developer in the Technology Services section.
  • Will Giovinco – Will started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a Quality Analyst in the Electronic Payments section.
  • Katelyn Huang – Katelyn started with MTC on Sept. 5 as a Junior Financial Analyst in the Treasury and Revenue section.
  • Anna Tang – Anna started with MTC on Sept. 18 as an Assistant Budget and Grant Analyst in the Budgets and Financial Planning and Analysis section.
  • Yijia Ma – Yijia was rehired with MTC on Sept. 18 as a Senior Accountant in the Financial Reporting and Operational Accounting section.

Key Updates

  • Caltrans is submitting a grant application this week to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant seeking $70 million toward construction of the West Oakland Link project being implemented by MTC. The project seeks to connect West Oakland, which has long been isolated by active railroad lines, the Port of Oakland and three interstate highways, to the San Francisco Bay shoreline.
  • ABAG and MTC have wrapped up the first round of public engagement for Plan Bay Area 2050+, a limited and focused update to the regional plan for transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental resilience. For six weeks, MTC/ABAG staff held pop-up workshops in all nine counties at community events, with a specific focus on Equity Priority Communities, to get early input on the planning process. Staff also sought input on the parallel Transit 2050+ network plan and heard residents’ priorities for the potential 2026 regional transportation revenue measure at those events. Staff also collected input via an online survey, which received over 2,000 completed surveys, and held two virtual workshops for partners and stakeholders. A webinar on updated planning assumptions will be held on October 19. For more information on the webinar, visit planbayarea.org.
  • More than 550 people attended recent online public workshops hosted by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) to provide information on a possible housing bond measure and strategies to work toward meeting the Bay Area’s housing needs. Recordings of the workshops and related materials are available on the BAHFA webpage.
  • Two tours of the Highway 37 corridor were conducted in late August and early September to provide members of the Highway 37 Policy Committee a fresh and close-up look at the many challenges being tackled by MTC, Caltrans, the North Bay county transportation agencies, SMART, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the California State Transportation Agency. Participants in the August 23 tour included Commissioner Moulton-Peters; Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin and Sonoma City Councilmember Patricia FarrarRivas. A second tour on Sept. 7 included Solano County Supervisor and Highway 37 Policy Committee chair Erin Hannigan; committee vice chair and Marin County Supervisor Eric Lucan; Napa County Supervisor Ryan Gregory; Vallejo mayor Robert McConnell; American Canyon mayor Leon Garcia; and San Anselmo Town Council member Brian Colbert.
  • At a Sept. 12 online public workshop, staff provided an update on the Priority Conservation Area (PCA) Refresh process and sought input on three possible changes to the PCA Framework. Feedback from workshop attendees will guide revisions to the PCA Framework in the months ahead.
  • The deadline to nominate Priority Sites in your community is Sept. 30, 2023. Priority Sites are locally identified, regionally significant places that will offer homes affordable to people of all incomes, backgrounds and abilities. Nomination information is available on the Priority Sites webpage.
  • MTC’s Climate Team invites Bay Area transit agencies or local governments in partnership with transit agencies to apply to the Transit Station Public Charging Program – a grant opportunity to purchase and install publicly accessible charging stations for electric vehicles and/or electric mobility devices (bikes, scooters, assistive mobility devices, etc.) at transit stations. The charging infrastructure must be publicly accessible and is envisioned for transit customer and community member use. Applications are due Wednesday, October 18, 2023. For more information or to apply, visit the grant webpage. If you have any questions, contact James Choe, jchoe@bayareametro.gov.
  • The Bay Trail SFO Gap Study will identify potential Bay Trail alignments to close a three-mile Bay Trail gap around San Francisco International Airport and an opportunity for a new Bay Trail segment through Millbrae and San Bruno connecting to existing Bay Trail segments. A survey is open now through Sept. 30, 2023, and MTC/ABAG staff is seeking information from the public about key destinations they want to access in the study area, route preferences, and general information about future users of the trail.
  • It was my pleasure to spend some time with Commissioner Abe-Koga in her city of Mountain View on Aug. 24 to deliver a keynote presentation to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s 13th Annual Bike Summit. My presentation touched on the Regional Active Transportation Plan, the Bay Trail, the Bay Wheels bikesharing network, MTC’s Active Transportation Technical Assistance program for local governments, the potential for e-bikes to transform commuting all around the bay, and the emerging Bay Skyway set of projects to connect more Oakland neighborhoods with the Bay Trail through Judge John Sutter Regional Park and on the East Span of the Bay Bridge. At the event I also participated on a panel with Commissioners Canepa and Chavez.
  • On Sept. 14, Commissioner Mahan hosted Chair Pedroza, Vice Chair Josefowitz, Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman and me for e-bike tour of Diridon Station and the BART to Silicon Valley Phase 2 alignment. The tour included a short development overview by Google as well as presentations by San Jose and VTA staff.
  • The Bay Area TDM Summit took place on September 22nd, during National TDM Week 2023 and was an opportunity for the transportation industry to increase awareness of the many benefits delivered by Transportation Demand Management (TDM). The Association of Commuter Transportation (ACT) event featured panels on TDM and climate action planning, equity, Clipper Bay Pass, hybrid workplace and TDM/transit implications, and Giants and Warriors stadium/event TDM programs. Andy provided the welcome remarks and introduced CALSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin as the keynote speaker.
  • AC Transit in August was recognized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) as the nation’s Outstanding Public Transportation System for 2023 among agencies carrying 15 million to 50 million passenger trips each year. The 2023 Outstanding Public Transportation System award not only signifies the resilience of AC Transit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but also underscores the vital role transit plays in the East Bay. Congratulations to the AC Transit board and staff.

Items to Note

  • September is Transit Month in the Bay Area, and MTC is the presenting sponsor of the month-long event. Transit Month spotlights the work the Bay Area’s transit agencies do to keep residents moving, whether going to work or going to school, seeing friends and family, or attending an event.
  • Bay Days 2023, a month-long celebration of the San Francisco Bay, runs Sept. 8 through Oct. 7. The San Francisco Bay Trail is a sponsor of this event.
  • The Bay Area Metro Center, managed by Cushman & Wakefield, was named the 2023 International TOBY Award winner in the Historical Category. Announced on June 25th at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Conference in Kansas City, The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY®) Award is the commercial real estate industry’s highest recognition, honoring excellence in commercial building management and operations in specific categories of building type or size. Judging was based on criteria that include community impact, tenant and employee relations programs, energy management, accessibility, emergency evacuation procedures, building personnel training programs, and overall excellence. Congratulations to the team for their hard work and efforts toward this achievement.