APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY VICE MAYOR REBECCA KAPLAN
RESOLUTION HONORING ELSA ORTIZ ON HER RETIREMENT
FROM THE ALAMED A-CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICT (AC
TRANSIT) AND FOR HER 16 YEARS OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE AND
LEADERSHIP TO THE OAKLAND COMMUNITY AND BEYOND
WHEREAS, AC Transit Board President, Elsa Ortiz, was elected to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) in 2006 by the voters of San Leandro, Oakland, and Alameda, and is completing her fourth term on the AC Transit Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz served as Board President in 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2022; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz will retire from the Board on December 2, 2022, having provided 16 years of leadership, service, and commitment to AC Transit and the community; and
WHEREAS, until 2014, Board President Ortiz worked as an attorney and policy consultant to former Pr esidents of the State Senate Don Perata and Darrell Steinberg on issues affecting Indian Nations; she also served as Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to former California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer during his tenures as State Senator and Attorney General; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz used her legislative and leadership experience in Sacramento to create and implement strategic land use and transportation policy with AC transit, and worked with her colleagues on the Board, the AC Transit General Manager, along with City, Regional, State, and Federal policymakers to steer the District through a challenging and unprecedented time – the COVID-19 pandemic; and
2 WHEREAS, during her tenure on the Board, she also spearheaded the development and adoption of the District’s Buy American Goods policy, advocated for fiscal reform, and ensured buses are a key element in the building of a Bay Area transportation network for the 21 st century; and
WHEREAS, as Board President, Ortiz led a Board action that establ ished the District’s first-ever Project Labor Agreement which established the goal that 50 percent of all construction hours on the BRT project be worked by unionized residents from San Leandro and Oakland; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz was at the center of the effort to double the number of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) doing business with th e District; DBEs are small businesses run by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including those from Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) communities and women; her advocacy on behalf of these constituencies resulted in doubling the District’s DBE goals, from 4% to 8%; and
WHEREAS, Twenty-five (46%) of the 54 subcontractors that worked on AC Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project were certified Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) and 15 (27%) were certified DBEs, and DBEs earned 11.4% of all construction dollars, far surpassing the District’s 8% goal which was a direct result of Board President Ortiz’s policies promoting diversity and inclusion; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz’s policies led to the District’s awarding of a $1.2 million contract to a woman-owned firm which was the second largest award to a DBE firm in AC Transit’s history and was twice renewed; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz’s leadership led to the District’s Clean Corridor’s Plan which prioritizes the deployment of Zero Emission Buses in Disadvantaged Communities to ensure those communities are seeing the air quality benefits of our investments; and
WHEREAS, Board President Ortiz also serves as Vice Chair of Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC); as an ACTC Commissioner, she is the first special district representative, specifically a transit district representative, to serve in this regional leadership role; and
WHEREAS, for her many contributions she received the Conference on Minority Transportation Officials’ “Women Who Move the Nation” award, which honors the outstanding contributions of women who are leading and advancing America’s transportation industry; and
3 WHEREAS, in October 2022, the San Francisco Business Times named Board President Ortiz as one of the 2022 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business, and she also received the 2022 Women’s Transportation Seminar Rosa Parks Diversity award; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council, hereby, extends its congratulations to AC Transit Board President, Elsa Ortiz, on her retirement from the Alameda -Contra Costa Transit District and for her 16 years of exemplary service and leadership to the Oakland Community and beyond.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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