OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit District Board Meeting – December 9, 2016

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings — Friday, December 9, 2016
BodySacramento County, California
SessionSacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings
DateFriday, December 9, 2016
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Absolutely.

0:01

Director Budge?

0:02

Director Hansen is marked as being absent.

0:05

Director Harris.

0:07

Director Hume?

0:08

Here.

0:09

Director Jennings.

0:10

Director McGlashin.

0:12

Here.

0:13

Director Morin.

0:14

Here.

0:14

Director Miller is marked as being absent.

0:17

Director Natoli.

0:19

Director Cerna?

0:21

Here.

0:21

Chair Shane.

0:22

Here.

0:23

With that, we have a quorum at 95 votes.

0:26

This meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast without interruption.

0:32

Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel, and will be streamed live on RT's website.

0:39

Tonight's meeting will air on Wednesday, May 25th at 6 p.m.

0:43

and replayed on May 28th at 2 p.m.

0:46

on Channel 14 and webcast at WWW SAC Metro Cable dot TV.

0:53

It is also closed caption.

0:55

Members of the audience wishing to address the board should fill out a speaker card located at the rear of the room and provide it to me or Adam.

1:03

Please speak into the microphone and state your name for the record.

1:07

We would appreciate everyone turning off their cell phones.

1:10

Thank you.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

Ms.

1:12

Ham, would you uh lead us in the pledge, please?

1:16

Outside voice.

1:18

What do you find of the United States of America?

1:34

Thank you.

1:37

All right.

1:38

So we um my apologies on behalf of the board for being late.

1:42

We were actually have been in a board meeting since 1230 today.

1:47

Um this is the first day that we are working with a new agenda and a new time frame.

1:53

So what we'll be doing is going to public address public addressing board map the board uh for matters not on the agenda.

2:01

And we have a half an hour at this point to do that.

2:04

We have nine people.

2:08

So we're doing 30 minutes.

2:10

So we'll just we'll just go through the nine and then we'll go through all of them.

2:13

So but I can't take any more at this point.

2:16

Um so you have three minutes each.

2:18

Uh Mike Barnbaum and then Rick Hodgkins.

2:24

And uh Joan Tumayer, is that correct?

2:29

Good evening, uh Chair Shener and uh members of the board, uh Mike Barnbaum, uh Ride Downtown 916.

2:36

Uh thank you for the opportunity to speak.

2:39

Uh we just wanted to let the board know uh Friday at 1 30 uh in the Merced County Board of Supervisors is the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority.

2:53

As you know, one of the uh biggest goals of this group uh in their business plan is getting up and running uh the seventh round trip uh for deployment on the San Joaquin, which would uh connect between Sacramento and Stockton via motor coach as the train would be a direct train between Bakersfield and Oakland Jack London Square.

3:19

Uh once deployed, it will be their uh first time ever expanding service between Bakersfield and Oakland since October of 1992.

3:32

And the uh conversations we've had with their staff, uh both electronically and over the phone indicate that the train will be deployed on Monday, June 20th.

3:44

Uh please note that is a revised date from the date we were originally given at the March 25th San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority meeting in Sacramento, in which that originally was June 6th.

3:59

Uh negotiations have just concluded uh with the railroads with the the last holdout agreeing to uh all the final details back on Friday.

4:10

Uh staff uh is attending a meeting all day today uh at one of the railroads uh headquarters buildings in Fort Worth, Texas, uh and that is that of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

4:24

Uh and they will be bringing not only um what happened today at uh at the meeting on Friday, but they will be uh bringing a full detailed report about the deployment of the seventh round trip, uh the new detailed schedule that was agreed to.

4:42

Uh in addition, they will be bringing an item uh that looks and appears to set the July 22nd uh board meeting uh that they're gonna have with so that would be their next meeting uh proposed for the Bay Area.

5:00

Uh we will see what direction uh the board uh gives to both of those and other items and we'll provide you uh any information uh you would like at your meeting back here on Monday, June 13th.

5:14

Uh but we think that it's a very exciting time for San Joaquin Rail uh and passenger intercity uh rail service as a whole and look forward to this much needed uh expansion of service coming soon.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████75%
Public Engagement██████10%
Budget and Finance████6%
Procedural███5%
Transportation Safety█1%
Public Comment█1%
Transit-Oriented Development█1%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit District Board Meeting – December 9, 2016

The Sacramento Regional Transit District Board met on December 9, 2016, to address routine approvals, receive updates on operations and transit improvements, hold a public hearing on the preliminary FY2017 operating and capital budgets, and discuss proposed service changes slated for January 2017. The meeting included extensive public testimony and board deliberation on balancing budget shortfalls with service reductions.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimous Approval (95 votes): Items 1 through 10 were approved by the board without discussion or dissent.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike Barnbaum (Ride Downtown 916): Announced that the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority is expected to deploy a seventh round trip train on June 20, 2016 (revised from June 6), connecting Sacramento and Stockton via motor coach and providing direct service between Bakersfield and Oakland for the first time since 1992. He urged the board to consider updating three flagship stations (adding 9th & K and 8th & K) for Golden One Center events and to preserve a bus for the Connect Card smart fare system.
  • Rick Hodgkins (Citrus Heights): Reported an incident on bus 21 on April 24 where the driver asked a front seat to be vacated, stating his 10-year-old son was sleeping there. Questioned whether drivers may bring children to work and occupy accessible seating.
  • Joan Tumeyer (South Natomas): Opposed the Green Line alignment on Truxel Avenue, citing noise, pollution, and vibration impacts on homes within 100–200 feet. Described the route as wrong for the community and urged the board to remove the Green Line to the airport from consideration.
  • Efren Gutierrez (Justice Reform Coalition, Latino Democratic Club, Chicano Consortium): Recalled two decades of regional planning for the Green Line (formerly DNA) and argued that the line was designed to serve transit-dependent communities, improve air quality, and provide economic justice. Urged the board to complete the project rather than divert funds to new streetcar or other projects.
  • Jeff Tartagia: Criticized RT's lack of planning, citing poor responses to event closures (e.g., Amgen bike races), inadequate bus shelter information, and failure to conduct promised paratransit meetings. Emphasized the need for better outreach and bus service.
  • Rory Barlow (South Natomas): Requested permanent rescission of the Green Line alignment on Truxel, noting 5,000 signatures opposing it ten years ago. Argued that the area has changed (library, community center, Fourth Natomas) and that the line should run along I-5 instead. Warned she would oppose transportation tax initiatives if the Green Line is included.
  • Arthur Ketterling: Asked about planned improvements on K Street, given potential for street closure.
  • Dr. Jocelyn Hicks: Pleaded for compassion regarding fare or service increases that would disproportionately affect disabled, elderly, and low-income riders. Urged the board not to cut service for those with limited incomes.
  • Tim Boyd (civil rights activist): Criticized the board for not riding the trains, stated riders are fed up with harassment by multiple law enforcement agencies, and urged the board to improve service and oversight. Noted lack of a bus stop on his district (Alhambra to 35th).
  • Jeff Tartagia (on budget/service changes): Warned that service reductions could lead to a downward spiral similar to 2007–2008, urged quarterly reports and a focus on ridership increase rather than cuts.
  • Al Escavell (Township 9): Emphasized that the Green Line station at Township 9 was designed as a model transit-oriented development, with the private sector investing $4.5 million in the station. Stated that suspending service would undermine confidence in transit-oriented development and urged preserving service, supporting a Green-Gold line combination.
  • Helen O’Connell: Representing Township 9, echoed that the station was built around the Green Line and that suspending service would harm the River District. Supported combining the Green and Gold lines.
  • Joyce Adams: Expressed concern over combining the Green and Gold lines, but offered ideas for consistency. Noted that elimination of Route 2 would leave William Land Park without service; urged staff to visit affected areas.
  • Patty Klein (Connect with River District): Requested preservation of light rail service, supporting a Green-Gold combination.
  • Dan Allison: Called for better public communication on route change decisions; advocated reinvestment of savings in other lines, retention of Saturday service, and more focus on light rail connections.

Discussion Items

  • General Manager’s Report (Laura Hamm): Provided updates on:
    • Sponsorship Opportunities for Golden One Center: Two opportunities—sponsorship of fares for ~87 events and decorative lighting at 7th & Capital station—to offset operational costs.
    • Fleet Upgrades: 33 new buses received (out of 96 total procurement); retiring 66 older buses generating $2.2 million in revenue under the Sacramento Emergency Clean Air and Transportation Program.
    • Shelter Replacement: 48 new shelters installed (of 379) through a five-year contract with Clear Channel; 90 per year pace.
    • LED Lighting Replacement: Completed at key park-and-ride stations (Roseville Road, Florin, Watt/Manlove, Sunrise); platform lighting to follow.
    • Transit Agent Program: 25 agents hired (budgeted for FY2017); first group to be trained within two weeks; supervised by Vincent Beattie (acting superintendent) and Santiago Soto. All trains in the system will have a transit agent.
  • Preliminary FY2017 Operating and Capital Budget (Brent Berniker): Presented a preliminary budget of $163.8 million in expenses, up to $164 million after adjustments. Revenue challenges include lower federal JARC funds (expected $530,000 vs. $1.3 million budgeted), DHA contract negotiations, and sponsorship revenues. Staff focusing on expense reductions through salary/benefit cuts, vacancy reviews, and a business improvement team. A placeholder for service reductions was included, but the actual impact on fare revenue will be refined. Public hearing continued to June 27, 2016.
  • Service Changes for January 2017 (James Drake): Proposed changes to achieve $2 million net savings (gross $3.3 million, offset by $1.3 million in lost fares) affecting about 1 million annual riders (12% of bus system). Key options include:
    • Green Line: Suspend entirely (savings $330,000) or combine with Gold Line (savings $230,000, resulting in 30-minute headways at Sack Valley Station).
    • Routes 2 and 38: Combine to reduce overlap, saving 25% of resource costs while retaining 96% of current riders.
    • Route 26: Truncate north of Watt/I-80 station, saving $140,000 and reducing from four to three buses, with only 4% of riders outside a quarter-mile walk from other service.
    • Title VI Analysis: No statistically significant disparate impact on minority or low-income populations under the worst-case proposal.
    • Additional early action items for September 2016 (administrative changes). Board members expressed concerns about impacts on vulnerable populations (schools, hospitals, seniors), the need for redesign rather than pure elimination, and the importance of considering future developments (MLS stadium, Sutter Park, McKinley Village).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar Approved: Items 1–10 passed unanimously (95 votes).
  • Public Hearing on FY2017 Budget Continued: Motion to continue the public hearing to June 27, 2016, approved (95 votes). The final balanced budget will be presented at that meeting.
  • Service Changes for January 2017: The board took no final action but directed staff to continue public outreach (open houses on May 24 (Citrus Heights), May 25 (Pennell Community Center), June 8 (downtown library), and a potential further meeting July 25). Staff will refine the proposal based on public input and board feedback, including exploring redesign options, preserving service to key community assets (hospitals, schools), and considering future ridership from new developments. A final recommendation is expected at the June 27 board meeting.
  • Additional Directives:
    • Request for a comprehensive map showing overlay of routes with hospitals, schools, socioeconomic data, and senior populations (to be developed with SACOG).
    • Staff to explore combining Green and Gold line operation as a preferred alternative to suspension.
    • Board asked for a report on current sponsorship and subscription revenues (~$200,000/year) to consider potential cuts in that area versus service cuts.

Meeting Transcript

Absolutely. Director Budge? Director Hansen is marked as being absent. Director Harris. Director Hume? Here. Director Jennings. Director McGlashin. Here. Director Morin. Here. Director Miller is marked as being absent. Director Natoli. Director Cerna? Here. Chair Shane. Here. With that, we have a quorum at 95 votes. This meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast without interruption. Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel, and will be streamed live on RT's website. Tonight's meeting will air on Wednesday, May 25th at 6 p.m. and replayed on May 28th at 2 p.m. on Channel 14 and webcast at WWW SAC Metro Cable dot TV. It is also closed caption. Members of the audience wishing to address the board should fill out a speaker card located at the rear of the room and provide it to me or Adam. Please speak into the microphone and state your name for the record. We would appreciate everyone turning off their cell phones. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Ham, would you uh lead us in the pledge, please? Outside voice. What do you find of the United States of America? Thank you. All right. So we um my apologies on behalf of the board for being late. We were actually have been in a board meeting since 1230 today. Um this is the first day that we are working with a new agenda and a new time frame. So what we'll be doing is going to public address public addressing board map the board uh for matters not on the agenda. And we have a half an hour at this point to do that. We have nine people. So we're doing 30 minutes. So we'll just we'll just go through the nine and then we'll go through all of them. So but I can't take any more at this point. Um so you have three minutes each. Uh Mike Barnbaum and then Rick Hodgkins. And uh Joan Tumayer, is that correct? Good evening, uh Chair Shener and uh members of the board, uh Mike Barnbaum, uh Ride Downtown 916. Uh thank you for the opportunity to speak. Uh we just wanted to let the board know uh Friday at 1 30 uh in the Merced County Board of Supervisors is the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority.

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