Executive Director Steve Heminger's Report to the Commission Meeting of November 20, 2013
AMPO Annual Meeting
Portland, October 22-24
I attended my last board of directors meeting as well as other events at the annual meeting of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO).
Equitable Development Conference
Oakland, October 30
ABAG Executive Director Ezra Rapport and I made welcoming remarks at this conference sponsored by the Equity Collaborative, which is one of the advisory committees for the Bay Area Regional Prosperity Plan funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Joint Policy Committee Chair John Gioia was the lunchtime speaker.
Oakland Army Base Groundbreaking
Oakland, November 1
I attended the groundbreaking event for the Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center that will be constructed on property formerly part of the Oakland Army Base. This $500 million project is funded from a combination of sources including a large grant from the state’s Trade Corridor Investment Fund (TCIF) which MTC helped secure from the California Transportation Commission.
Meeting with Senator Steinberg
Sacramento, November 4
I joined my colleagues from the “Big 4” metropolitan areas in California at a meeting with Senate President pro Tem Daryl Steinberg, the author of SB 375. We briefed him on our progress in implementing the statute, including the litigation pending in San Diego and the Bay Area. We also discussed various legislative proposals that could assist the regions in funding affordable housing construction and other infrastructure improvements necessary for our Sustainable Communities Strategies to be effective. While in Sacramento, we also met with Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly about several pending transportation reform and revenue issues that are likely to be considered during the 2014 legislative session.
Bay Area Council Annual Dinner
San Francisco, November 7
Commissioners Halsted, Kinsey, Spering, Sartipi, and Wiener joined me in attending the Bay Area Council’s annual dinner, which featured the induction of Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame.
Biketopia
Oakland, November 8
Chair Worth, Andy Fremier and I attended this annual event sponsored by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition to receive a joint award with Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission for opening the bicycle/pedestrian path on the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. In recent weeks, the new path has averaged approximately 400 weekday users and about 1,000 users on the weekend. The ratio of users is about 2 pedestrians for every 1 biker.
Court Rejects Challenge to Cap & Trade
Sacramento, November 14
A Sacramento Superior Court judge has rejected lawsuits filed by the California Chamber of Commerce and Pacific Legal Foundation alleging that the cap & trade carbon auctions conducted by the state in recent months were unconstitutional. Both losing parties pledged to appeal the decisions. As you recall, the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation is connected to two of the legal challenges that have been filed against Plan Bay Area.
Caldecott Tunnel Opening
November 15
Chair Worth and Commissioner Haggerty were featured speakers and were joined by several of their commission colleagues at the ribbon-cutting event for the new 4th bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, which opened to vehicle traffic the following day. I participated in the ceremony in a small way by helping several young girls pull the curtains away from the “medallions” for the tunnel entrances that they had designed. The construction crews anchored the curtains pretty securely, so it took quite a tug to get them loose. [More info]
Metro Economies Report
Washington, DC, November 18
The U.S. Conference of Mayors released their latest Metro Economies Report which again highlighted the critical economic importance of America’s metropolitan regions. The San Francisco Bay Area is the 4th largest U.S. metro ranked by gross metropolitan product (the report lists the San Francisco-Oakland and San Jose urbanized areas separately). If the Bay Area were a nation, we would have the 24th largest economy in the world – just above Sweden and just behind Switzerland. Finally, the Bay Area’s economic output exceeds 44 states, and the ten largest U.S. metros exceed the combined economic output of 36 states. [More info]
Transportation Funding Proposal Released
Sacramento, November 19
Two private sector transportation advocacy groups – Transportation California and the California Alliance for Jobs – have submitted a request to the Attorney General for “Title and Summary” of a new initiative constitutional amendment on transportation funding for potential placement on the November 2014 statewide ballot. The “California Road Repair Act” would impose a new 1% fee on the value of every motor vehicle that would generate $3 billion per year when fully phased in by 2018. The revenue would be allocated for maintenance and rehabilitation purposes only in the following proportions: 50% to local roads, 40% to the State Highway System, and 10% to public transit. We will keep the Commission apprised of further developments with this initiative proposal as they occur.
Map of the Month
This map shows the breakdown in types and modes of transportation investment found in the long-range plans for the 20 largest metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the United States. There is a heavy emphasis on system preservation in all these plans, especially in the top 10 MPOs.
MTC Operational Statistics
The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs: