Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors Meeting - January 15, 2020

The Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors met on the recorded date of January 15, 2020 (the meeting actually convened on January 13, but the broadcast date is used per instruction). The board approved routine consent items, heard public testimony on transit operations, labor relations, and service issues, elected new officers, made appointments to various boards and committees, and received updates on federal and state advocacy and pension reform legislation.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the consent calendar (Items 2.1, 2.2, 2.3) by a motion from Vice Chair Hansen and Director Howell. The motion carried unanimously (100 votes).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mike Burnbaum: Reminded the board that the Causeway Connection (airport express) begins April 6, 2020, and noted a conflict in holiday schedules between Sacramento RT (Sunday schedule on MLK Day) and Yolo County Transportation District (weekday schedule on MLK Day, reversed on Presidents Day). He urged the districts to align schedules before 2021.
• Rosalie Rashid (SAC True): Invited board members to ride public transit during the SAC RT Challenge (Jan 13-19) to experience firsthand challenges faced by riders. Stressed need for equitable and transit-oriented planning.
• Jeffrey Tardiya: Criticized the board for not understanding ADA service issues now that RT is taking over all paratransit service. Raised concerns about driver-client interactions, missed rides, and lack of a complaint process. Also flagged problems with signage, microtransit mapping (Bus 40), electronic bulletin boards, outdated website info (route detours, 11, 88, 86), and requested that Bus 30 return to 15-minute frequency. Later, he also advocated for a local transportation sales tax and emphasized federal funding opportunities.
• Sarah Kerber (Sacramento Transit Riders Union): Condemned the removal of bus stops and shelters due to downtown construction without prior notice to riders. Cited safety issues (boarding in the middle of the street, bunching) and asked the board to direct their jurisdictions to notify RT in advance of any project affecting transit stops.
• Felix Huerta (Operating Engineers Local 3): Detailed the union's grievance that RT changed employment policies (PRPs) after the union won recognition, violating the status quo requirement under the PUC. He stated that a lawsuit has been filed and that RT's labor relations manager issued a last-best-final offer while refusing to bargain further. He warned that imposing the offer would lead to additional legal action.
• Deep Greywall (Administrative Employees Association): Reported that after decades as a self-represented group, the AEA unionized with OE3 in 2019 but negotiations have stalled over financial issues. He claimed RT's proposals deter hiring and retaining professionals, noting that a new hire left citing RT policies as "red flags." Expressed concern that losing institutional knowledge hurts the organization.
• Linda Minder (visually impaired rider): Described difficulty getting from Sunrise and Sunset to the Sunrise Light Rail station because the 91 bus was eliminated. She cited a veteran driver who suggested restoring the route (or a variant) to serve Orangevale and connect to shopping and light rail. Requested that RT investigate.
• David Solomon (former RT architect, former AEA vice chair): Urged the board to retain professional staff by offering competitive compensation, noting that the state offers ~9.5% raises. Stressed that RT's administrative staff are lean and irreplaceable.

Discussion Items

• Election of Officers (Item 7.1): The board ratified the prior intent to elect Vice Chair Hansen as Chair and Director Miller as Vice Chair for 2020. Motion carried 100 votes.
• Board and Committee Appointments (Item 7.2):
  • Appointments to Capitol Corridor JPB, Sacramento Placerville Corridor JPA, Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Policy Steering Committee, San Joaquin JPB, and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission were approved with minimal discussion.
  • Retirement Board (Item F): Staff recommended Henry Lee and Director Jennings. Approved.
  • Paratransit Board (Item G): The original motion (from Vice Chair Hansen) was to appoint staff members Lisa Heinz and Shelley Valentin. Director Hume offered a substitute motion to appoint Charles Johnson (Mobility Advisory Council) and himself, citing potential conflict-of-interest concerns with RT employees on the paratransit board. After public comment from Mike Burnbaum supporting the substitute, the substitute motion passed on a roll call vote (5-4 ? from transcript: Director Harris no, Howe yes, Hume aye, Jennings yes, Miller yes, Natoli aye, Shaneer no, Cerna no? Actually transcript: Harris no, Howe yes, Hume aye, Jennings ? says "Director Jennings?" then silence? But final count: "Motion passes at 56 votes" so likely 5-4. Summary: substitute motion carried with 5 votes.
• General Manager's Report (Item 8):
  • GM Henry Lee reported on holiday activities (free rides at parade, holiday bus), the SMART Right program (free youth fares) which gained state attention, and a video recap.
  • Federal advocacy update (Julie Minerva, Jeff Booth): Noted a fully funded FY20 budget, cuts to Capital Investment Grants, but increase in bus/bus facilities funds and retroactive extension of alternative fuels tax credit to Jan 1, 2018. Highlighted upcoming Fast Act reauthorization.
  • State advocacy update (Mark Watts): Reported state budget maintains SP1 funding, TIRCP program continues, and focus on housing/homelessness. Discussed two legislative initiatives: bus-on-shoulder (possible administrative action) and PEPRA reform (pension exemption for RT).
  • Legal counsel (from transcript, likely the attorney) presented details of the proposed PEPRA exemption: removing the PEPRA compensation cap (currently ~$126k) and replacing with the IRS cap (~$230k) to improve recruitment and retention of mid-career employees. Also proposed allowing purchase of airtime. Discussion noted difficulty of getting the airtime provision passed. Board took no formal action.

Key Outcomes

• Board ratified election: Steve Hansen as Chair, Pat Miller as Vice Chair for 2020 (Item 7.1).
• Paratransit Board appointed: Charles Johnson (Mobility Advisory Council) and Director Jim Hume as RT representatives, replacing the earlier staff recommendation. The vote was 5 in favor, with some opposition (Item 7.2G).
• Other board appointments: Approved as recommended (Items A-F).
• Closed session announced: Items 13A (existing litigation) and 13B (labor negotiations). No report expected.
• Next steps: The board will consider labor contract issues (last-best-final offer) at the next meeting, per union testimony. Staff to follow up on public comments regarding bus stops, route changes (21/91), website updates, and federal/state grant opportunities.