Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - December 11, 2023
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Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors Meeting - December 11, 2023
The Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors met on Monday, December 11, 2023, at a hybrid meeting held at a temporary location on 29th Street. The board addressed routine consent items, received public testimony on service issues, and deliberated on key items including the continuation of the Dos Rios light rail station project, emergency facility repairs, and election of officers for 2024.
Consent Calendar
- Items 2.1 through 2.16 were approved as a block, with item 2.2 (Board Calendar) pulled for separate discussion.
- Public comment on consent: Rick Hodgkins spoke on item 2.4 (flagging at railroad crossings) expressing support but requesting audible signals for those with visual impairments. Staff clarified the item pertains to construction worker safety, not bus operations. Nick Bryant addressed Connect Card machine damage but his comment was off-agenda.
- Item 2.2 was subsequently approved with a motion to move the January 2024 board meeting from the 22nd to the 8th due to scheduling conflicts; the motion passed with a majority voice vote (ayes vs. noes recorded).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Michael Bevins (former RT transit graduate): Proposed adding dedicated bike/cargo trains and buses to accommodate growing bicycle ridership and strollers, luggage, and shopping carts.
- Robert Copeland (ACE, Sacramento Transit Riders Union): Called for improved bus service to help children get to school on time, reduced trip cancellations, better lighting at bus stops, and urged the board to honor promises. He also expressed concern about a potential competing ballot measure from Mayor Steinberg.
- Rick Hodgkins (disability community advocate): Discussed issues with paratransit drivers unfamiliar with his apartment location and cited an incident with an angry driver; also promoted a local cheesecake business.
- Aki Lina Sharp (frequent rider, former Greyhound trainer): Asked for training of ambassadors and drivers to treat all riders with dignity, courtesy, and respect, regardless of appearance or housing status.
- Jeffrey Tardiquia: Criticized high bus cancellation rates (over 20 per day in early December), urged better information sharing, and raised concerns about low-floor vehicle accessibility for mechanical wheelchairs and conflicts with carts.
- Lee Tiani Lam Yuen (Marisol Village resident, single parent, Sac State student): Recounted a recent incident where a bus driver passed her and her children at a stop, ignoring them. She called for random audits and a standard code of conduct.
- Howard Jones (online caller): Asked whether the low-floor trains would serve the Dos Rios complex and how wheelchair boarding would work. Staff (Laura Ham) confirmed that the Dos Rios station will be built to accommodate low-floor trains with a passenger-deployed bridge plate at center doors.
- Late public comment also included a resident of Marisol Village (name unclear) who challenged the board's delay in voting on the light rail station.
- Sarah Garridy (SMART): Voiced support for reconsideration and full funding of the Dos Rios station.
- Dan Allison (STAR): Supported both motions to reconsider and rescind the previous vote, stating a station was promised to the community.
- Barbara Stanton (Ridership for the Masses): Urged the board to complete the vision and fulfill the promise to Marisol Village residents.
- Coco Kokazella (District 4 resident): Supported the station's development, critiqued faulty comparisons of project resources, and emphasized missed opportunities for equitable urban planning.
- Tammy Dramer (Sacramento Transit Writers Union – online): Expressed concern about losing funding if delayed, and highlighted that single mothers in the area lack access to groceries and medical services.
- Jeffrey Tardiquia (second round): Urged the board to obtain more information, noted that state budget deficits may limit future transportation dollars, and recommended using 3D printing to understand station design changes.
- Staff announced the reinstatement of the mystery rider program starting in January for random audits of operator performance.
Discussion Items
- Item 7.2 – Motion to Reconsider Dos Rios Light Rail Station (Continued from November 13, 2023): Director Hume moved to continue the item to the January 8, 2024 meeting, citing insufficient time to review new information provided just days prior. A straw poll showed majority support for continuation. Several board members (Directors Cerna, Sing Allen, LiLow, and Maple) expressed willingness to support the station but needed a more detailed staff report on funding and alternatives. Staff confirmed a 60-day extension from the Strategic Growth Council (until February 1, 2024) for a response. The motion to continue passed with a voice vote (ayes majority).
- Item 7.3 – Intent Motion to Select Chair and Vice Chair for 2024: Board members nominated Patrick Kennedy for Chair and Rick Jennings for Vice Chair, consistent with recent two-year term practice. The intent motion passed unanimously.
- Item 7.4 – Receive and File Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (Resolution 2023-12127): CFO Jason Johnson presented the FY2022-23 audit. The district received a clean (unqualified) opinion for the fourth consecutive year. Operating revenues exceeded expenditures by $3.2 million, though future operating gaps are projected. The resolution was approved by roll call vote (11-0).
- Item 8.1 – General Manager’s Report: GM Henry Lee introduced new staff (Dr. Henry Choi – VP Capital Projects, and Walso – Director of Grants and Capital Programs). He announced low library service interruptions between Iron Point and Historic Folsom stations starting January with shuttle bus replacement. Reported on a tenant police dog named Blue (TSA partnership), a repainted mural at Trulity Dark Park, bus services to warming centers, and a change to the board meeting start time to 4:00 p.m. beginning in the new year.
- Item 9.1/9.2 – Reports from Board Committees: Directors provided written reports; no oral additions were made.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent calendar items 2.1–2.16 (except 2.2) via voice vote.
- Moved the January 2024 board meeting from January 22 to January 8 (voice vote).
- Approved emergency repairs at 1400 29th Street facility and suspension of competitive bidding (Resolution 2023-12128) with an 11-0 roll call.
- Continued consideration of the Dos Rios light rail station to January 8, 2024, to allow for a more comprehensive staff report and additional information.
- Elected Patrick Kennedy as Chair and Rick Jennings as Vice Chair for 2024 (intent motion unanimous).
- Received and filed the FY2022-23 annual comprehensive financial report, recognizing a $3.2 million surplus and a clean audit (Resolution 2023-12127, 11-0).
- The mystery rider program will restart in January 2024 to conduct random audits of operator behavior and service quality.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the December 11th, 2023 meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors. This is a hybrid meeting, meaning that members of the public can participate in the meeting either in person or virtually. This meeting is being live streamed, and the slides on the screen shows the information on how to join the webinar via Zoom. You can also call into the meeting at 253 215 8782. And the webinar access code is get ready for it, 837 9338, 8162. Well would the clerk please call the roll? Director Budge. Here Director Daniels? Here. Director Hume? Here. Director Jennings. Here. Director Kozlowski is absent. Director Lilowy. Here. Director Maple. Here. Director Cerna. Here. Director Sing Allen? Here. Director Valenzoela? And Chair Kennedy. Here. With that, we have a quorum at 10 votes, and this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be 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. SACCounty.gov. Today's meeting replays Thursday, December 14th at 9 a.m. and Sunday, December 17th at 12 o'clock p.m. on Channel 14. This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14. Members of the audience wishing to address the board should fill out a speaker card located on the side of the room and provide it to myself or Adam. Once the item has been called, additional speaker cards will not be accepted. The time allowed for public comment is at the chair's discretion. The timer will chime when you have 30 seconds remaining, and then again when your time is up. If you are participating by phone, please push star nine to indicate a desire to comment. If you're joining us through Zoom, please push the raise hand button. Be sure to unmute yourself when it is your turn to speak and voluntarily state your name for the record. Any written comment that was received by 2 p.m. today has been provided to the board and will be filed in the record. Would you please uh join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and through the republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. Uh before we move on to the consent calendar, I'd like to make a suggestion for a change to the agenda. Uh item 7.2. I don't feel comfortable uh with the information I've received on that to date, and so I would like to move that to a date certain of the first meeting in January. And I only bring that up at the front of the meeting just in case there's anybody here uh to speak on that item.
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