OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors Meeting - July 24, 2023

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings — Monday, July 24, 2023
BodySacramento County, California
SessionSacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings
DateMonday, July 24, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:34

Adam Clerk, are we ready?

1:52

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the July twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-three meeting of the Sacramento Regional Grand District Board of Directors.

2:00

Would the court please call the role?

2:04

Director Budge?

2:05

Here.

2:07

Director Hume?

2:08

Here.

2:09

Director Jennings.

2:11

Director Kazowski?

2:12

Here.

2:13

Director Lilowy.

2:15

Director Maple?

2:16

Here.

2:16

Director Cerna?

2:18

Here.

2:18

Director Sing Allen?

2:19

Here.

2:20

Director Valenzweyland?

2:21

Here.

2:22

And Chair Kennedy.

2:23

Here.

2:25

With that, we have a quorum and ten votes.

2:29

And this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on Comcast Consolidated Communications and ATT Uverse cable systems.

2:41

This meeting is closed captioned and webcast at Metro 14 Live.sackCounty dot gov.

2:46

Today's meeting replays Thursday, July 27th at twelve PM and Saturday, July 29th at two PM on Channel 14.

2:53

This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14.

2:59

Did you want to read the statement for the telegraph for the live stream information at the top?

3:07

It's uh do you have it?

3:12

Because I do.

3:13

That'd be great.

3:14

Yep.

3:15

Okay, so welcome to the July twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-three meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors.

3:21

This is a hybrid meeting, meaning members of the public can participate in the meeting either in person or virtually.

3:40

And the webinar access code is eight three seven nine three three eight eight one six two.

4:20

Chair, I do have a question about item two point two.

4:58

Okay.

5:00

Uh and um but those are very preliminary at this point, but yes, those are the first positions in the process.

5:08

Correct.

5:09

Okay, thank you very much.

5:10

Yes, anybody else.

5:14

All right, is there any member of the public that would like to address the board at this time when I need to consent?

5:21

Oh, there's no motion.

5:24

I'll move here all the moment.

5:27

I'm sorry, Human.

5:28

Who knows?

5:29

We have human Lilowy.

5:33

Yes, okay.

5:37

Okay, Director Butch.

5:39

Yes.

5:41

Hi.

5:41

Director Hume.

5:42

Hi.

5:42

Director Jenny.

5:44

Yes.

5:44

Director Kozlowski.

5:46

Yes.

5:46

Director Lilouie.

5:48

Director Maple.

5:49

Hi.

5:50

Director Cernan.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Public Comment█████████████14%
Public Safety███████8%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Homelessness█████5%
Procedural████4%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Accessibility██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors Meeting - July 24, 2023

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Board of Directors held a hybrid meeting on July 24, 2023, at 5:28 PM. The board addressed a consent calendar, heard public comments on safety and service issues, received updates on Smart Ride and ongoing projects, and discussed the General Manager's report. The meeting included 11 directors present, with a quorum and all votes unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent calendar passed unanimously with 11 votes, approving routine items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Lauren (unidentified speaker): Expressed safety concerns about cutting light rail vehicles (LRVs) to one around 5 PM on the Gold Line, leading to overcrowding and potential fights. Urged cuts at less busy times.
  • Nick Bryant: Complained about broken elevators and Connect Card machines at stations, attributing damage to homeless individuals. Suggested machines be placed on light rail vehicles. Also noted trash on tracks at Watt/80.
  • Lisa Coley: Called for increased paratransit funding, extended call-taking hours (7 AM to 7 PM daily including holidays), and creation of a multi-jurisdictional paratransit pass.
  • Rick Hodgkins: Raised issues with UC Davis Medical Center shuttle pickup locations (loading dock vs. same-day surgery) and requested that paratransit and ADA drivers be allowed to use the same stops. Also commented on Smart Ride (see below).
  • Written comments from Jeffrey Tardiya: Highlighted problems at 65th Street station (confusing for wheelchair/blind), suggested 3D printing for wayfinding, noted Connect Card box outages, and requested updates on Watt/80 ramp repair. Staff responded that concrete pouring is part of station conversion, repairs ongoing, and ramp repair design starts July 27 with completion by mid-September.
  • Written comments from Ronnie Miranda: Complained about Smart Ride lateness and long waits for routes 67/68. Staff responded that Smart Ride is on-demand, not reservation-based, and noted 56 calls to customer service in the past year (24 related to Smart Ride). Offered alternatives (SacRT Go, community-sponsored Uber rides) but declined.
  • Written comments from Barbara Stanton (Director of Ridership for the Masses): Reported dropped trips on Route 51 (6 trips dropped between 10:48 AM and 2:13 PM), Route 68 (1 trip), and Route 88 (1 trip). Staff responded that overall cancellations improved to 1% in June and on track for below 1% in July, with passengers not stranded but experiencing longer wait times (30-60 minutes).

Discussion Items

  • Smart Ride Update (Item 7.1): Laura Hamm presented. Smart Ride is an on-demand ride-share service covering 9 zones, 165 sq. miles, and 188,000 population. Funding secured for 2-3 years via $2.4M STA grant, $1.6M annual LC top funding, and other sources. Changes: service hours reduced to 7 AM-7 PM (from 6 AM-9 PM), Citrus Heights and Downtown zones reduced in size. Gerber zone expanded slightly. Average ride time 11 minutes, average wait 30 minutes. App will be updated August 28 to include fixed-route options. Board members requested cost-per-ride and distance data. Director Daniels compared costs to Uber and questioned subsidy levels. Public comments: Rick Hodgkins said he would not use Smart Ride due to reduction; Lisa Coley asked about backup transportation for transit-dependent riders; Glenn Mandelkern (written) requested Kaiser Roseville service be retained (staff noted it was inadvertently omitted from map and will remain).
  • Ongoing Projects and Initiatives (Item 7.2): Deborah presented a draft Community Transit Advocate Recognition Program, where each board member and the GM can nominate one constituent for recognition, receiving a complimentary Connect Card with fare for one year. Nominations due by mid-September, certificates at October board meeting. Laura Hamm presented on Watt/80 station reimagined project: $19M construction contract to be awarded end of 2023, with $8M allocated from California Transportation Commission. Improvements include open stairwells, widened bus plazas, lighting, bike lanes, and rest breaks for employees. Discussed low-floor light rail vehicles (Siemens S700): ramp design approved by FTA, tested with Mobility Advisory Council, ramp width 36 inches (wider than required 30). Board members asked about platform compatibility with legacy high-floor vehicles; staff confirmed mini-high platforms remain until legacy fleet retired. Social equity program: Transit ambassador model, full-time social service practitioner (Rose) with 136 active cases, 775 persons connected to resources, free rides to cooling/warming centers (60+ days over 7 months), partnerships with 10+ agencies. Board commended the program.
  • General Manager's Report (Item 8.1): Henry Li reported: July is Disability Pride Month, free rides offered systemwide. Ridership up nearly 30% in FY23, 67% of riders have access to cars. Hired 259 employees, average 34 days from posting to offer. State budget restored $1B for transit capital, with region receiving ~$110M per year ($238M over two years). SB 354 adds a new board seat from Elk Grove. Responded to public comments: elevators will have timers by end of month, security guards check every 20 minutes, 21% of Connect Card machines are down due to vandalism, security cameras being reviewed. Also noted coordination with cities for cooling center free rides.
  • Capital Corridor JPA (Item 9.1): Director Maple reported on Wi-Fi improvement, new marketing plan, and tap-to-ride system pilot. Director Daniels shared highlights from APTA conference in Birmingham, noting fare recovery variations and funding challenges across agencies, and suggested reconsidering Uber partnerships for Smart Ride.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved unanimously (11 votes).
  • Staff will follow up on public comment issues: elevator timers, Connect Card machine vandalism, Watt/80 security, and trash removal.
  • Smart Ride service changes (hours reduction, zone adjustments) to take effect August 28, 2023.
  • Community Transit Advocate Recognition Program to launch with nominations due by September 15, 2023.
  • Watt/80 station construction contract to be awarded by end of 2023.
  • Board requested additional data on Smart Ride cost per ride, distance, and comparisons to fixed-route service.
  • Closed session held on two legal matters (Lackey v. SacRT and Koreo v. SacRT), with no reportable action.

Meeting Transcript

Adam Clerk, are we ready? Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the July twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-three meeting of the Sacramento Regional Grand District Board of Directors. Would the court please call the role? Director Budge? Here. Director Hume? Here. Director Jennings. Director Kazowski? Here. Director Lilowy. Director Maple? Here. Director Cerna? Here. Director Sing Allen? Here. Director Valenzweyland? Here. And Chair Kennedy. Here. With that, we have a quorum and ten votes. And this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on Comcast Consolidated Communications and ATT Uverse cable systems. This meeting is closed captioned and webcast at Metro 14 Live.sackCounty dot gov. Today's meeting replays Thursday, July 27th at twelve PM and Saturday, July 29th at two PM on Channel 14. This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14. Did you want to read the statement for the telegraph for the live stream information at the top? It's uh do you have it? Because I do. That'd be great. Yep. Okay, so welcome to the July twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-three meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors. This is a hybrid meeting, meaning members of the public can participate in the meeting either in person or virtually. And the webinar access code is eight three seven nine three three eight eight one six two. Chair, I do have a question about item two point two. Okay. Uh and um but those are very preliminary at this point, but yes, those are the first positions in the process. Correct. Okay, thank you very much. Yes, anybody else. All right, is there any member of the public that would like to address the board at this time when I need to consent? Oh, there's no motion. I'll move here all the moment. I'm sorry, Human. Who knows? We have human Lilowy. Yes, okay. Okay, Director Butch. Yes. Hi.

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