OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors Meeting - August 24, 2026

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings — Monday, August 24, 2026
BodySacramento County, California
SessionSacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings
DateMonday, August 24, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:59:44

Transcript — Verbatim
2:56

All right, good evening, everyone.

2:58

Welcome to the August twenty fourth, twenty twenty-six meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors.

3:06

Tabasa, would you please take the roll and announce our Metro Cable replay statement?

3:12

Director Brewer is absent.

3:13

Director Budge?

3:14

Yeah.

3:15

Director Dickinson.

3:16

Director Hume.

3:18

Director Jennings.

3:19

Director.

3:23

Hang Hume.

3:28

I messed something up here.

3:37

Director Schaefer.

3:39

Director Cerna.

3:41

And Chair Sing Allen.

3:43

With that, we have an Director Brewer just arrived as well.

3:49

And Director Jennings.

3:52

And with that, we have a quorum of ten votes, and this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District is recorded with closed captioning.

4:01

The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and TV Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems.gov.

4:15

Today's meeting replays Thursday, August 27th at twelve PM, and Saturday, August 29th at one thirty PM on Metro Cable Channel 14.

4:24

Once posted, the recording of this meeting can be be viewed on demand at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14.

4:32

Public comment may be given on any agenda item as it is called, and it'll be limited to the limited by the chair for all participants, including those in person on the telephone or on a virtual platform to two minutes or less per speaker.

4:45

The consent calendar, the general manager's report, and reports, ideas, and questions from directors, and communication will each be treated and taken up as one unit.

5:01

As an example, the consent calendar and agenda items 2.1 to 2.9 is treated as one unit, and speakers will be able to speak on the entire consent calendar specific items on it for a total of two minutes.

5:13

In person public comment will be taken first, followed by those participating by Zoom or phone.

5:19

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 myself or Adam.

5:25

Once the item has been called, additional speaker cards will not be accepted.

5:29

If you're participating by Zoom, raise your digital hand.

5:32

And if you're participating by phone, press star nine when the agenda item you wish to comment on is called.

5:38

When the clerk calls your name or the last four digits of your phone number, please unmute yourself to speak and voluntarily state your name for the record.

5:45

There was no written public comment received for this meeting.

5:52

All right.

5:53

Thank you.

5:54

Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance.

5:58

Would you please lead us?

6:00

Please stand if you are able.

6:02

Salute.

6:03

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

6:19

All right, thank you.

6:21

So there's been a request to change the order of the agenda to hear item 3.1 first.

6:26

So we will go ahead and accomplish that here.

6:29

So with that, we are looking for Miss Valentin, who is going to be presenting this item.

6:35

Excellent.

6:39

Thank you, Chair Singh Allen.

6:40

Good afternoon.

6:41

Charlie Valentin, deputy CEO.

6:43

And we have a pack room today.

6:45

We are so excited to introduce you to some amazing SACRT employees.

6:50

So today, um, we've been doing this now for about a year and a half, so I think you're familiar.

6:56

But today we will be recognizing certain people.

7:00

One will be our employees with 20 years and more of years of service to Sakharti.

7:06

That's the first one.

7:07

The second will be our recent retirees.

7:10

And finally, we'll be our employees of the quarter for two quarters from January to March and April to June of this year.

7:18

Um, we are so happy to say that we have several family members who are here.

7:22

So we would love to introduce them to our board as well if they are willing.

7:26

So we're going to start with our um years of service award.

7:30

If I could please have directors, um chair sing Alan, Vice Chair, Pat Hume and Henry to come up to the front.

7:38

We'll take a quick picture.

7:40

As I call your name, if you're here, please come up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Public Comment████████████14%
Public Engagement█████████10%
Employee Relations██████7%
Awards and Recognition██████7%
Procedural█████6%
Public Safety██2%
Homelessness█1%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors Meeting - August 24, 2026

The Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors met on August 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. to discuss employee recognition, adopt the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, approve a locally preferred alternative for the Stockton Boulevard BRT project, and receive public comments. All votes were unanimous except where noted.

Employee Recognition

  • Staff recognized employees with 20 or more years of service, recent retirees, and employees of the quarter for Q1 (Jan-Mar) and Q2 (Apr-Jun) 2026. Awardees included Blanca Rojo (20 years), Crystal Contreras (25 years), and others. The board and staff celebrated their contributions.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 2.1 through 2.9 were approved unanimously. Public commenter Helen O'Connell expressed support for substation replacement (2.6), real estate purchase (2.7), and new natural gas buses (2.8), noting they would improve on-time performance and asset value.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • On Item 3.1 (Employee Recognition): Helen O'Connell applauded RT for acknowledging employees.
  • On Item 4.1 (Strategic Plan): Michael Bevins (Strongtown/Sacktown) questioned the five-year solvency of the district given broader fiscal trends and asked if the plan could adjust if federal funding is cut. L.R. Roberts agreed with Director Dickinson's request for detailed projections and noted concerns about stop spacing and smoking at stops. Rick Hodgkins echoed support for financial transparency.
  • On Item 5 (Non-Agenda Matters): Multiple speakers raised concerns:
    • Helen O'Connell objected to reduced meeting frequency and public comment time.
    • Maddie Parfitt (Strong Sack Town) recounted an incident where a transit ambassador issued a citation to a passenger with a possible intellectual disability, arguing the ambassador showed callous disregard for RT's values.
    • Kay Crum (Strong Sack Town) reported that the shelter and signage at her 7th & Q Street stop were removed, causing confusion and lack of shade.
    • Michael Bevins suggested RT coordinate with Strongtown's national convention to showcase transit, and criticized inadequate shade structures at stations.
    • Jeffrey Tardigia urged the board to consider what RT will look like in 2030 and to track bus bridge costs by cause (construction vs. disruption).
    • Troy Wilkinson praised employee recognition and supported Director Dickinson's call for accessible financial data, and asked for updates on transit ambassador policy flexibility.
    • Ferramas Nababi advocated for removing seats near articulated sections of new low-floor trains to accommodate bikes/strollers, and requested more transparent policy enforcement.
  • On Item 6.1 (BRT): Dan Allison (stakeholder) stated the public was not clearly in favor of the recommended alignment; he noted UC Davis Medical Center wanted the hybrid route (51/38) and expressed disappointment that this preference wasn't reflected. Helen O'Connell opposed diverting the BRT onto Broadway, arguing it duplicates recent upgrades and that the 51E alignment down Stockton would better serve hospitals. Michael Bevins proposed using signal priority to allow mixed center-and-side running. Jeffrey Tardigia raised concerns about wheelchair capacity, downtown traffic impacts, and lack of integration with other routes. Ferramas Nababi emphasized the need for protected bike lanes and shade on the corridor, and urged consideration of improvements on J/L Street. Rick Hodgkins online urged extending BRT to Sunrise Boulevard corridor.
  • On GM Report: Rick Hodgkins congratulated the procurement team and suggested RT advertise its own need for a local funding measure on its vehicles.

Discussion Items

  • Strategic Plan 2026-2030 (Resolution 2026-08-110): Deputy CEO Shelley Ballanton presented revisions based on board feedback, emphasizing fiscal sustainability, innovative services (first/last mile), service frequency, and equity. Director Dickinson noted the strategic plan document attached to the agenda was only an overview (12 pages) and lacked detailed five-year financial projections. He requested a document showing five-year revenue and expenditure projections. Chair Sing Allen and GM Henry agreed to provide this and improve website accessibility. Director Kennedy concurred. The board adopted the resolution.
  • Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Stockton Boulevard Safety and Transit Enhancement Project (STEP) (Resolution 2026-08-111): Director of Planning Anthony Adams presented the recommended Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA): side-running BRT with near-level boarding, transit signal priority at 60 intersections, stop consolidation (25% reduction saving 4 minutes), extended service span (until midnight), and a mobility hub at Florin Town Center. The preferred alignment follows Route 51 (Stockton Blvd to Broadway) rather than Route 51/38 hybrid, citing higher ridership (4,700 daily forecast vs. 3,900), lower operating cost increase (nil due to efficiency), and similar capital cost (~$110M). Director Cerna asked about mixing center and side running; staff noted only small opportunities existed and center running would require special buses and lost interoperability. Director Dickinson stressed keeping costs low to ensure project realization. Director Kennedy supported the staff recommendation. The board approved the LPA with one abstention. The Green Line irrevocable offers of dedication item was deferred to the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved unanimously.
  • Strategic Plan adopted (Resolution 2026-08-110) with direction to provide a five-year financial projection and improve document accessibility on the website.
  • BRT Locally Preferred Alternative adopted (Resolution 2026-08-111) for the Stockton Boulevard corridor, authorizing advancement to environmental review and preliminary design.
  • Staff directed to follow up on public comments regarding transit ambassador training (including handling passengers with disabilities) and to provide information on the 7th & Q Street stop.
  • Next meeting scheduled for September 28, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, everyone. Welcome to the August twenty fourth, twenty twenty-six meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors. Tabasa, would you please take the roll and announce our Metro Cable replay statement? Director Brewer is absent. Director Budge? Yeah. Director Dickinson. Director Hume. Director Jennings. Director. Hang Hume. I messed something up here. Director Schaefer. Director Cerna. And Chair Sing Allen. With that, we have an Director Brewer just arrived as well. And Director Jennings. And with that, we have a quorum of ten votes, and this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District is recorded with closed captioning. The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and TV Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems.gov. Today's meeting replays Thursday, August 27th at twelve PM, and Saturday, August 29th at one thirty PM on Metro Cable Channel 14. Once posted, the recording of this meeting can be be viewed on demand at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14. Public comment may be given on any agenda item as it is called, and it'll be limited to the limited by the chair for all participants, including those in person on the telephone or on a virtual platform to two minutes or less per speaker. The consent calendar, the general manager's report, and reports, ideas, and questions from directors, and communication will each be treated and taken up as one unit. As an example, the consent calendar and agenda items 2.1 to 2.9 is treated as one unit, and speakers will be able to speak on the entire consent calendar specific items on it for a total of two minutes. In person public comment will be taken first, followed by those participating by Zoom or phone. 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 myself or Adam. Once the item has been called, additional speaker cards will not be accepted. If you're participating by Zoom, raise your digital hand. And if you're participating by phone, press star nine when the agenda item you wish to comment on is called. When the clerk calls your name or the last four digits of your phone number, please unmute yourself to speak and voluntarily state your name for the record. There was no written public comment received for this meeting. All right. Thank you. Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance. Would you please lead us? Please stand if you are able. Salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. All right, thank you. So there's been a request to change the order of the agenda to hear item 3.1 first. So we will go ahead and accomplish that here. So with that, we are looking for Miss Valentin, who is going to be presenting this item. Excellent. Thank you, Chair Singh Allen. Good afternoon. Charlie Valentin, deputy CEO. And we have a pack room today. We are so excited to introduce you to some amazing SACRT employees. So today, um, we've been doing this now for about a year and a half, so I think you're familiar. But today we will be recognizing certain people.

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