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 12 elected District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman as its Chair and elected District 3 Supervisor and immediate-past chair Aaron Peskin as its Vice-Chair for 2021. The Transportation Authority plans, funds, and delivers local and regional projects to improve travel choices for residents, commuters, and visitors throughout San Francisco.
Chair Mandelman succeeds Board Member Aaron Peskin, who served as Transportation Authority chair for four years from 2017-2020.
Chair Mandelman expressed appreciation to fellow Board members for their support as he took the helm of the agency, acknowledging the unprecedented challenges for transportation at this time: “COVID-19 has created a crisis for public transportation systems across the country. We are facing historic challenges, but I am hopeful that changes underway in Washington and the availability of COVID vaccines will allow us to restore service and reimagine transportation in San Francisco in a way that creates a more reliable and equitable system for everyone who depends on it. The Transportation Authority can play a critical role in shaping our recovery and addressing our climate crisis and I look forward to working with my colleagues, community leaders, and our regional partners over the coming year.”
Transportation Authority strategic initiatives for the upcoming year include several major efforts in advancing equity, safety, climate protection, and economic recovery. These include assisting Muni and other public transit operators through the present financial crisis and helping San Francisco recover from the pandemic’s impacts. That work includes funding the SFMTA’s Transportation Recovery Plan activities such as Vision Zero Quick Builds, Shared Spaces and Slow Streets, and Muni transit priority lanes. The Transportation Authority also funds the SFMTA’s Essential Trip Card and San Francisco Department of the Environment’s Essential Worker Ride Home program (taxi reimbursement programs), and supports San Francisco’s participation on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force.
Agency goals for this year also include delivering the countywide transportation plan - known as the San Francisco Transportation Plan - and preparing for the reauthorization of the agency’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, known as Prop K. The San Francisco Transportation Plan is San Francisco’s long-range transportation investment and policy blueprint and guides San Francisco’s input into Plan Bay Area, helping to position San Francisco’s transportation priorities for federal, state, and regional funds.
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 Board Members.
In a separate action, the Transportation Authority Board members acting in their capacity as the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency re-elected Board Member Matt Haney (District 6) as its Chair and elected Board Member Mandelman (District 8) as its Vice-Chair for 2021.
TIMMA is responsible for creating and implementing a sustainable transportation plan for Treasure Island in support of up to 8,000 residential units and new commercial and open space.
About the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (www.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 Board Members. Board Member Rafael Mandelman is Chair of the Board. Tilly Chang is the Transportation Authority’s Executive Director.