A construction worker installs new electrical power systems on the Caltrain corridor that will speed up commutes and clean the air along the San Francisco Peninsula. Photo via Caltrain
NRDC is delighted to see that some of California's leading transit advocates, labor voices, agency leaders and analysts have been tapped to serve on an import statewide transit taskforce.
The selections made by California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin were announced last week.
The appointees include:
| Kome Ajise Executive Director, Southern California Association of Governments | Rashidi Barnes Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority | Alix Bockelman Chief Deputy Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission |
| Sharon Cooney Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) | Ian Griffiths Policy Director, Seamless Bay Area | Amy Hance Deputy Director General Services, City of Clovis |
| James Lindsay International Vice President, Amalgamated Transit Union | Eli Lipmen Executive Director, Move LA | Juan Matute Deputy Director, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies |
| Kate Miller Executive Director, Napa Valley Transportation Authority/Vine Transit | Lorelle Moe-Luna Multimodal Services Director, Riverside County Transportation Commission | Seamus Murphy Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transportation Authority |
| Laurel Paget-Seekins Senior Policy Advocate for Transportation Justice, Public Advocates | Michael Pimentel Executive Director, California Transit Association | Robert Powers General Manager, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) |
| Carl Sedoryk CEO, Monterey-Salinas Transit District | David Sforza Principal Consultant, Assembly Transportation Committee | Tony Tavares Director, Caltrans |
| Laura Tolkoff Transportation Policy Director & Interim Chief Policy Officer, SPUR | Mark Tollefson Undersecretary, CalSTA | Michael Turner Executive Officer - Government Relations, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| Kari Watkins Associate Professor, UC Davis | Mark Watts Legislative Advocate, Transportation California | Melissa White Principal Consultant, Senate Transportation Committee |
| Jim Wunderman President and CEO, Bay Area Council |
Public transit is at a turning point in California. As communities seek to heal and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, residents deserve to know that they can rely on our State’s networks of buses, trains and mobility services to get them to work, school, shopping and more.
The State offered a helping hand to transit agencies last year, when Governor Newsom signed a budget package that freed up additional funding for transit agency operations to smooth the transition as ridership recovers.
That package came with a mandate to help re-envision transit service to ensure it’s meeting the needs of customers in a seamless and integrated way.
These appointments are an encouraging indication that our State’s leaders are embracing the opportunity to transform public transportation so it can play the critical role we need it to in addressing the many challenges that intersect with transportation, including climate change, affordability, good jobs and accessibility to all that California has to offer.
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