Report to the Commission: March 25, 2026

Personnel

Suzanne Childress – Suzanne started in March 2025 as a Principal Planner/Analyst. Her last day with MTC was March 6 as a Principal Planner/Analyst in the Regional Planning Programs section.
Kenzi Anzai – Kenzi started in January 2022 as an Assistant Planner/Analyst. His last day with MTC was March 6 as a Planner/Analyst III in the Funding Policy and Programs section.

Michael Alves – Michael started on March 16 as a Program Coordinator III with the Clipper section.

On Sunday, March 22 Commissioners Burt, Abe-Koga and Melgar joined other local, state and national leaders at a Caltrain ceremony celebrating the naming of one of its state-of-the-art electric trains in honor of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi at Caltrain’s San Francisco Station. Made during Women’s History Month, the dedication recognized Pelosi for her outsized role in advocating for Caltrain and other public transit agencies throughout her career as she nears the end of her final term in Congress after serving for 38 years.

CalEnviroScreen (CES) is a statewide tool used to identify Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) based on cumulative environmental and population burdens. CES guides eligibility for several state funding programs. The recent draft release of CES 5.0 incorporates updated census data and two new indicators, resulting in a modest statewide expansion of DACs.
In the Bay Area, DAC-designated census tracts increased from 113 to 122; however, this update does not materially change the region’s representation. Only 6.9% of Bay Area tracts qualify as DACs under the draft CES 5.0, compared to 29% statewide. Under the proposed CES 5.0 the region accounts for just 5.4% of all DACs, compared to 5.8% in CES 4.0. As a result, many Bay Area communities with significant socioeconomic and environmental challenges remain underrepresented, limiting access to state discretionary funding tied to CES.
Staff are currently working on a comment letter for submittal to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in advance of the April 1, 2026 comment deadline. Staff will continue to monitor the CES update process and work with regional and state partners to advocate for a definition of DACs that better reflect the full range of disadvantages in the Bay Area. A more detailed update on CalEnviroScreen is planned for next month’s joint meeting of the MTC Planning and ABAG Administrative Committees.

On March 17 and March 18, Chair Noack, Vice Chair Moulton-Peters, Commissioners Ahn, Ezzy-Ashcraft, John-Baptiste, Papan and ABAG President (& Commissioner) Ramos and ABAG Executive Board member Motoyama met with members of the Bay Area legislative delegation to discuss our 2026 legislative priorities. Over the two-day period, we focused on three legislative priorities: 1) protecting transit and housing investments in the FY 2026-27 State Budget; 2) seeking $15 million to one-time funds to sustain the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s programs; and 3) supporting SB 1087 (Cabaldon), the MTC-ABAG sponsored legislation to modernize SB 375, the law requiring sustainable communities strategies.

On Thursday, April 9, state partners from the California Transportation Commission, California Air Resources Board and California Department of Housing and Community Development are holding a joint meeting at the Bay Area Metro Center at 1 p.m. We have arranged a tour of the Oakland Chinatown Transit Oriented Development project located at the Lake Merritt BART station – a project that is the result of an MTC-funded station area plan and predevelopment loan from BAHFA. The project has received state and regional funding and exemplifies the region’s efforts to expand access to affordable housing near public transit. This is an opportunity to discuss the important role MTC-ABAG plays in supporting both the planning and implementation of projects to implement sustainable communities strategies and the need for additional flexible regional funding.

On March 5, Chair Noack, ABAG Housing Committee Vice Chair Lisa Motoyama, Chief Deputy Executive Director Alix Bockelman, Deputy Executive Director Daniel Saver and I joined Related Companies of California, BART officials, and many other local and state leaders for the groundbreaking ceremony for Parcel A South of the El Cerrito Plaza BART TOD project. Chair Noack shared a few words on behalf of BAHFA, who provided a $2.4 million Priority Sites pre-development loan using Regional Early Action Planning grant funding early in the process, helping the project attract additional dollars. This project is 100% affordable and will include 70 units, part of a broader master plan which will include about 750 units, of which 47% will be affordable.

BAHFA’s Doorway Housing Portal received a Eureka! Award for Regional Excellence from the California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG) during the organization’s Regional Leadership Forum in Long Beach on March 9. The Eureka! Award recognizes regional programs that demonstrate the type of creative leadership and thinking needed to solve tough regional challenges and can serve as examples for other regions to follow. The Doorway Housing Portal, launched in 2023, is the first multi-jurisdictional online affordable housing portal in the country and serves as a one-stop shop for searching and applying for affordable housing.

The Regional Network Management (RNM) Council last month approved the first set of transit wayfinding design guides to help Bay Area transit agencies establish a uniform look for signs and maps used everywhere from individual bus stops across the region to major hubs where multiple systems connect. At major hubs, the guidelines include maps illustrating how to access key destinations in the area, such as libraries and community centers. The RNM Council’s action finalizes the region’s new transit network identity and offers transit stop sign guidelines that MTC and agencies can use in the near-term while guidance for all transit stops and stations is refined and finalized.

Please help spread the word that applications are open for the 2026 Norman Mineta Bay Area High School Academy, a paid summer program designed to introduce young people to careers in public service and regional leadership. This four-week academy offers students a chance to explore how decisions about transportation, housing, air quality and environmental justice shape everyday life in the Bay Area. Space is limited, and applications must be submitted by Monday, April 27, at 10 p.m.