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
0:56

I'd like to call this meeting of the regional transit board to order.

1:00

Thank you everyone for coming tonight.

1:02

Ms.

1:02

Brooks, would you like to uh call the roll such as it is?

1:06

Absolutely.

1:07

Director Budge.

1:08

Director Hansen is marked as being absent.

1:11

Director Harris?

1:12

Here.

1:13

Director Hume.

1:14

Here.

1:14

Director Jennings.

1:16

Director McGlashon is marked as being absent.

1:19

Director Moran.

1:20

Here.

1:21

Director Miller is marked as being absent.

1:24

Director Natoli.

1:26

Director Cerna?

1:27

Here.

1:28

And Chair Shaneer.

1:29

Here.

1:30

With that, we have a quorum atom.

1:36

Something.

1:39

95 votes.

1:40

All right.

1:41

Mr.

1:41

Leong, would you like to lead us in the pledge?

2:03

All right.

2:04

We're going to um make a couple of adjustments on the agenda tonight.

2:09

So I'll just tell you what we're doing, and then Miss Brooks will read it into the record at the right time.

2:15

We're gonna move item 11 into the consent calendar.

2:18

And we have one member of the public who wishes to speak on that.

2:22

I'm gonna um ask that we move item 13 to the next meeting since we this is about our calendar and we have four people who will be not here.

2:31

I think it's important to have everyone here for that discussion.

2:34

Um and then on item 14, we'll see where we are time-wise about having a presentation and just having that as a receive and file or actually having a discussion about it.

2:46

It's uh aligned with the discussions that we've had, so I'm not sure how much there is to add.

2:51

So let me do this.

2:53

Let me ask for a motion to continue item 13 to 425 as a time.

2:59

Second.

2:59

So a motion by Mr.

3:01

Harris, a second by Mr.

3:03

Jennings.

3:03

All those in favor signify by aye.

3:05

Aye.

3:06

Opposed.

3:07

Motion passes at 95 votes.

3:10

Okay, so for anybody who is in the audience on item 13, that's not happening tonight.

3:15

And item 11, we can just we don't need a vote to move it.

3:19

We can just I can just do that.

3:21

So I'm just doing that.

3:22

Okay, you want to call the consent calendar?

3:25

Actually, what I'll do is read the announcement first.

3:27

Okay.

3:28

This meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast without interruption on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel, and will be streamed live on RT's website.

3:41

Tonight's meeting will air on Wednesday, March 30th at 6 p.m.

3:45

and replayed on March 31st at 9 a.m.

3:48

on channel 14 and webcast at WWSAC Metro Cable dot TV.

3:54

It is also closed caption.

3:56

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, Adam, or a member of the RT staff.

4:06

You will be given two minutes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Comment██████████████████████████████████34%
Contracting█████████████████████████25%
Public Transit██████████████████████22%
Public Safety███████7%
Procedural████4%
Human Rights████4%
Labor Standards█1%
Public Education█1%
Social Welfare Policy█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit District Board Meeting - December 9, 2016

The Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors met on December 9, 2016, to address agenda adjustments, consent calendar items, the General Manager's report, and a major discussion on the security guard services contract with G4S. The board heard extensive public testimony and ultimately voted to extend the G4S contract for one year with direction to rebid and explore social responsibility policies for future contracts.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1 through 9 and Item 11 were approved unanimously. Item 11, regarding Sacramento Valley Station improvements, was moved to the consent calendar. Public commenter Mike Barnbaum (Ride Downtown 916) spoke in support, noting that Sacramento Valley Station is the second busiest station in California and the seventh busiest in the Amtrak system. He also announced a seventh round trip on the San Joaquin route beginning June 2016, providing new connections to Sacramento and the California Zephyr.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike Barnbaum (Ride Downtown 916) expressed strong support for Item 11 and later recommended Option C (rebidding the security contract).
  • Chayna (paratransit rider) opposed paratransit fare increases, stating they pose financial hardship to riders on SSI.
  • Rick Hodgkins urged the board not to send tax dollars overseas and highlighted that G4S employees locally do a fine job but the company’s global record is problematic.
  • Robin Christophe (Physicians for Social Responsibility) recommended Option C, citing human rights concerns and precedents in Portland and UC Davis.
  • Pam Haney suggested hiring from supported employment agencies for people with disabilities; GM responded that such contracting could trigger a grievance.
  • Nancy Fleischer argued the legal analysis was based on incomplete information and offered to submit a detailed rebuttal.
  • Maggie Coulter (SacRide Human) noted G4S has held the contract since 2002, questioned competition, and advocated for in-house security.
  • Lori Jones criticized the contract length and called for in-house hiring.
  • Gaith Hassan pointed out misrepresentations in the legal report regarding G4S’s human rights record and urged Option C.
  • Patricia Doherty submitted a report showing the OECD rejected G4S’s own study, and referenced Portland’s socially responsible investment policy.
  • John Rieger (Veterans for Peace) urged dropping G4S.
  • Illanka Slatar asked the board to give someone else a chance.
  • Edwina White emphasized local jobs and union involvement.
  • Maria Cornejo Gutierrez (Sacramento Area Peace Action) urged a vote for human rights.
  • Barry Broad (representing Jewish Federation, not ATU) argued the opposition is rooted in BDS and the Arab boycott of Israel, which is illegal under federal law.
  • Dean Murakami (Sacramento Central Labor Council) highlighted that G4S workers are excluded from collective bargaining and urged a bid with labor parameters.
  • Mikos Faverson (retired state worker) requested 30 minutes at a future meeting to formally respond to the legal department’s report.
  • Fran Eldridge opposed G4S and supported in-house security.
  • Jamar Jefferson criticized private policing and urged hiring local law enforcement.
  • Roxanne Bukaria (United Methodist) supported Option C, citing divestment by dozens of institutions.
  • Russell Rawlings criticized RT’s past decisions and called for an independent audit.
  • Brigitte Yench asked RT not to side with human rights abusers.
  • Chris Yutuma (Wellstone Democratic Club) expressed frustration over lack of communication and refuted claims about G4S leaving Israel.
  • Sandra McDonald (Sierra College professor) encouraged a social justice clause.
  • Greg DeGeer noted no one defended G4S on its merits and urged rebidding.
  • Eric Rasmussen (G4S representative) defended the company as a signatory to UN guiding principles, stressed local presence, and noted high wages and performance.

Discussion Items

  • General Manager’s Report: GM reported that IBEW voted 53-45 against hiring part-time cleaners. Staff will instead use seasonal workers for up to four months under existing contract provisions, while longer-term options (more expensive) are being evaluated. Laura Hamm reported 485 applications for 30 transit agent positions, with exams in April. Phase one station improvements at 7th & Capitol, 8th & K, 9th & K, and 8th & Capitol will begin mid-April, featuring new shelters, lighting, and RT-branded pylons. Director Budge questioned the roof design at stations; staff agreed to investigate.
  • Item 12 – Security Guard Services Procurement: Tim Spangler (legal) presented an issue paper concluding that human rights record cannot be considered under federal and state procurement law as a responsibility criterion, citing risk of protest, litigation, and loss of federal funding. Norm Leong (security) recommended one of three options: A (two-year extension), B (one-year extension), or C (delegate authority to issue RFP). Board members engaged in extensive discussion. Director Moran noted the contract was competitively bid three times over 12 years and warned against risking federal funds. Director Cerna appreciated public input but stressed fiduciary duty and legal exposure. Director Hansen asked about transition difficulty; Leong said training new security staff during transit agent rollout would be taxing. Director Budge prioritized stability for arena opening and praised G4S’s local community involvement. Director Hume expressed reluctance to change midstream, noting BDS targeting G4S. Director Jennings favored a one-year extension (Option B) with direction to develop evaluation criteria and a social responsibility policy. Director Harris made a motion for Option B with a friendly amendment to direct GM and legal to explore social justice contracting policies. The motion was seconded by Chair Shaneer.

Key Outcomes

  • Agenda Adjustments: Item 13 continued to April 25, 2016 meeting; motion passed with 9-5-0 votes (all present in favor). Item 11 moved to consent calendar. Item 14 accepted as receive-and-file.
  • Consent Calendar: Items 1-9 and 11 approved unanimously.
  • Security Contract (Item 12): Motion passed to adopt Option B – approve a second amendment to the G4S contract for one year (option year four) – with direction to rebid at the end of that year and to research best practices for incorporating social responsibility into RT’s procurement process. Vote: all ayes (no vocal opposition).
  • Next Steps: GM to proceed with seasonal worker cleaning plan; report on long-term options due April 25, 2016. Legal and GM to explore social responsibility policy with community input for future contracts.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call this meeting of the regional transit board to order. Thank you everyone for coming tonight. Ms. Brooks, would you like to uh call the roll such as it is? Absolutely. Director Budge. Director Hansen is marked as being absent. Director Harris? Here. Director Hume. Here. Director Jennings. Director McGlashon is marked as being absent. Director Moran. Here. Director Miller is marked as being absent. Director Natoli. Director Cerna? Here. And Chair Shaneer. Here. With that, we have a quorum atom. Something. 95 votes. All right. Mr. Leong, would you like to lead us in the pledge? All right. We're going to um make a couple of adjustments on the agenda tonight. So I'll just tell you what we're doing, and then Miss Brooks will read it into the record at the right time. We're gonna move item 11 into the consent calendar. And we have one member of the public who wishes to speak on that. I'm gonna um ask that we move item 13 to the next meeting since we this is about our calendar and we have four people who will be not here. I think it's important to have everyone here for that discussion. Um and then on item 14, we'll see where we are time-wise about having a presentation and just having that as a receive and file or actually having a discussion about it. It's uh aligned with the discussions that we've had, so I'm not sure how much there is to add. So let me do this. Let me ask for a motion to continue item 13 to 425 as a time. Second. So a motion by Mr. Harris, a second by Mr. Jennings. All those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion passes at 95 votes. Okay, so for anybody who is in the audience on item 13, that's not happening tonight. And item 11, we can just we don't need a vote to move it. We can just I can just do that. So I'm just doing that.

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