CONTACT:
Eric Young, SFCTA
415-522-4816 office; 415-306-4509 cell; eric.young@sfcta.org
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board on Tuesday, January 14 re-elected Commissioner Aaron Peskin its Chair and re-elected Rafael Mandelman its Vice-Chair for 2020. The Transportation Authority plans, funds, and delivers local and regional projects to improve travel choices for residents, commuters, and visitors throughout San Francisco.
The election marks the fourth consecutive year Chair Peskin will lead the agency, which has been administering San Francisco’s half-cent sales tax for transportation since 1990.
Under Chair Peskin’s leadership last year, the Transportation Authority advanced San Francisco’s transportation priorities through numerous planning, funding and policy initiatives. San Francisco voters approved a per-trip fee on Transportation Network Company trips originating in San Francisco, an initiative led by Chair Peskin in partnership with Assemblymember Phil Ting, Mayor London Breed, and Uber and Lyft. The new ride-hail tax is expected to generate about $30 million annually for transit service and street safety improvements, with the latter funds to be administered by the Transportation Authority.
In coordination with local and regional agencies, the Transportation Authority also helped advance plans and projects of citywide or regional significance such as Plan Bay Area, Muni and BART Core Capacity programs, and Caltrain’s downtown rail extension. The agency also continued to expand its Neighborhood Program, distributing half-cent sales tax in every district across the city. These efforts include: developing a sustainable mobility plan in the Sunset, improving safety and access to Octavia Boulevard and realigning the Alemany Boulevard/I-280 interchange.
The Transportation Authority also continued the public policy discussion on congestion pricing, with a focus on downtown as well as toll policies for planned development on Treasure Island. The agency initiated environmental review of managed lanes and express bus strategies for the US 101-280 freeway corridors.
Chair Peskin expressed appreciation for the Board’s support: “Thank you to my colleagues for selecting me to lead the Transportation Authority. I am excited to continue to work with the community and other partners as we make important decisions about how best to advance our safety, climate and equity goals through transportation policies and investments.”
In 2020, the Transportation Authority will be coordinating with regional partners on potential Caltrain and region-wide transportation funding measures and advancing its long-range transportation planning work through the multi-agency ConnectSF program.
The Transportation Authority Board consists of the 11 members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who elect a chair and vice-chair each January and act as Transportation Authority Commissioners.
About the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (sfcta.org)
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s mission is to make travel safer, healthier, and easier for all. We plan, fund, and deliver local and regional projects to improve travel choices for residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the city. The Transportation Authority Board consists of the 11 members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who act as Transportation Authority Commissioners. Commissioner Aaron Peskin is Chair of the Board. Tilly Chang is the Transportation Authority’s Executive Director.