TRANSPAC Board Meeting Summary Minutes
MEETING DATE: June 12, 2025
COMMISSIONERS
PRESENT:
Carlyn Obringer (Chair), Concord; Ken Carlson (Vice Chair), Contra Costa County; Greg Young, Martinez; Kevin Wilk, Walnut Creek; Richard Enea, Clayton; Sue Noack, Pleasant Hill
PLANNING
COMMISSIONERS
PRESENT:
Alex Khalfin, Pleasant Hill; Craig Mizutani, Concord; Molly Clopp, Walnut Creek
STAFF PRESENT: Matt Todd, TRANSPAC Managing Director; Tiffany Gephart, TRANSPAC Staff; Pranjal Dixit, County Connection; Samantha Harris, Contra Costa County; Robert Sarmiento Contra Costa County; Laurie Talbert, 511 Contra Costa
GUESTS/PRESENTERS: Danielle Elkins, CCTA, Sarah Richnavsky MINUTES PREPARED BY: Tiffany Gephart
1. Convene Regular Meeting / Pledge of Allegiance / Self-Introductions Chair Obringer called the meeting to order at 9:01 A.M. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Chair Obringer welcomed Alex Khalfin as Pleasant Hill's new Planning Commissioner representative.
2. Public Comment
There were no comments from the public.
3. Consent Agenda
a. Approval of Minutes.
i. Minutes of the May 8, 2025, TRANSPAC Board Meeting.
b. CCTA Executive Director's Report Regarding CCTA Actions/Discussion Items c. Items Approved by the CCTA for Circulation to the Regional Transportation Planning Committees and Related Items of Interest
d. RTPC Meeting Summary Letters
e. CCTA Meeting Updates and Countywide Information Links f. Transportation Meetings Attended by Staff
g. Subregional Transportation Mitigation Program -- Development Project Tracking
On motion by Commissioner Wilk, seconded by Commissioner Young to approve the consent agenda by unanimous vote of the commissioners present (Young, Enea, Obringer, Wilk, Carlson, Noack).
End Consent Agenda
4. TRANSPAC Work Plan and Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Mr. Todd presented the work plan and budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. He noted that the work plan remained unchanged from the detailed presentation given at the previous meeting, with no revisions to report. The work plan includes expanded focus areas discussed in closed session, including the student youth pass program, improving coordination with CCTA through regular meetings, and conducting an audit of Measure J programs to better understand available funding and balances.
Mr. Todd reviewed the budget components, noting that the proposed Managing Director contract totaled $326,000, which aligned with the budget. The bylaws require approval by four or more board members for the budget. The recommendation included approval of the work plan, budget, and Gray Bowen Scott Managing Director contract amendment for the upcoming year.
On motion by Commissioner Noack, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to approve the FY 2025/2026 Work Plan and Budget and the GBS Managing Director and Clerk of the Board contract amendment for FY 2025/2026 by unanimous vote of the commissioners present (Wilk, Young, Enea, Obringer, Carlson, Noack).
5. Measure J Line 21a Program
Ms. Gephart presented the funding recommendation for the pilot program to provide free bus fares for students. The program would offer free rides for students ages 6-18 on County Connection buses within the County Connection service area, with no application process required. Bus drivers would have discretion to determine youth eligibility and may request proof as needed. The pilot would potentially begin in August and continue for six months, after which County Connection would conduct a Title VI analysis as required.
Ms. Gephart outlined the marketing approach, noting that County Connection offered to help develop branding and market through usual channels, with CCTA expressing interest in maintaining consistency with other regional program branding. For reporting, County Connection confirmed the ability to produce ridership reports through tallying by bus drivers. It was noted that precise origin and destination data would be challenging to collect.
The funding proposal included redirecting $37,500 in TFCA funds previously dedicated to Pass2Class, programming up to $130,000 in Measure J Line 21a funds (which includes a 30%
contingency for potential increased ridership), and a proposed fund exchange that could assist in funding the SWAT portion of the County Connection service area.
Ms. Gephart explained that SWAT currently lacks a fund balance available for this type of program funding source similar to the Line 21a program in TRANSPAC, leading to discussions about redirecting TFCA funding toward the SWAT portion of rides through a fund exchange with the Air District. These discussions remain ongoing.
Mr. Dixit from County Connection provided details on data collection capabilities, noting they currently track youth rides through operator buttons similar to previous Pass2Class programs. He confirmed the ability to collect origin data at the stop level but noted that destination data remains challenging without tap-off functionality. The manual data collection methods have been successfully used for previous summer youth programs and Pass2Class.
Commissioner Carlson expressed support for the program while raising concerns about Air District analytics and TFCA fund shifting. He also suggested future discussion about using Line 21a funds for infrastructure projects that support safe transportation for children, such as sidewalks or bike lanes near schools.
Mr. Todd provided additional context, explaining the evolution from Pass2Class limitations (limited passes, two-month duration) to the proposed six-month pilot with free fares. He noted ongoing negotiations with the Air District regarding TFCA flexibility and acknowledged uncertainty about SWAT's financial participation.
Ms. Elkins clarified Air District requirements, explaining that cost-effectiveness calculations require multiple data points, including parent surveys showing car trip replacement. She noted that changing the existing Pass2Class program would trigger complete cost-effectiveness reevaluation under more stringent current-year standards.
Ms. Elkins suggested maintaining Pass2Class for August-September as originally approved, then starting a separate pilot program in October to avoid triggering Air District reevaluation of the existing Pass2Class program. Mr. Dixit clarified that treating the pilot as a different program from Pass2Class would protect the existing program from reevaluation, and noted that any program continuing beyond six months requires Title VI analysis.
Commissioner Carlson discussed alternative approaches, including purchasing preloaded cards for distribution to TRANSPAC area residents through city halls, though this raised questions about cross-jurisdictional usage and equity concerns.
Planning Commissioner Mizutani shared personal experience with free transit systems in other cities, noting that most operate on honor systems and suggested that limiting car trips could occur even with partial regional coverage.
Chair Obringer noted concerns about program viability without SWAT participation, given that County Connection operates across both service areas. She requested clearer information about SWAT negotiations and suggested developing alternative approaches.
Mr. Todd confirmed that staff would not formally transmit funding requests to CCTA until program details are finalized, and committed to returning in July with updates on Air District and SWAT discussions.
On motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Noack to:
Contingent on agreement of an operating and funding strategy with program stakeholders i. Redirect $37,500 of TRANSPAC TFCA funding, previously allocated for the 2024-2025 Pass2Class program, to the free youth transit fare pilot program; ii. Approve the programming of up to $130,000 in Measure J Line 21a Funds for the free youth transit fare pilot program;
iii. Approve the exchange of up to $37,500 in TRANSPAC TFCA funding to be used for the SWAT portion of County Connection rides, with the understanding that funds will be credited to TRANSPAC in the following programming year, and that the amount of Measure J funding utilized will be dependent on the amount of TRANSPAC TFCA funding eligible for utilization and/or exchange;
by unanimous vote of the commissioners present (Young, Enea, Obringer, Wilk, Carlson, Noack).
6. Transportation Fund For Clean Air (TFCA) Fund -- Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Call for Projects Ms. Gephart presented information on the TFCA call for projects released by CCTA on May 29, 2025. She explained that the Air Quality Management District imposes a $4 surcharge on vehicle registrations, with 40% of those funds going to counties and 60% remaining with the Air District.
CCTA administers the county's TFCA funding.
The program allocates $1.8 million countywide through a two-tier process. County-wide programs like Pass2Class and 511 Contra Costa initiatives receive priority funding, with TRANSPAC receiving a an estimated 30.7% proportional benefit. Remaining funds are distributed to subregional programs at the same proportional rate.
Ms. Gephart noted that draft applications are due June 18, 2025, with final projects to be approved by CCTA in September. Ms. Gephart further commented that TRANSPAC would have opportunity to review and comment on both county-wide and sub-regional project proposals.
Commissioner Noack expressed concerns about past program implementation, noting instances where approved programs were cancelled without TRANSPAC's knowledge and requesting clearer reporting on county-wide program costs and TRANSPAC participation levels. She emphasized the
need for transparent presentations detailing each county-wide program's cost and effectiveness in the TRANSPAC area.
Commissioner Enea inquired about the program's funding source and longevity, it was clarified that the $4 vehicle registration surcharge has been in place since 1991.
7. TRANSPAC CCTA Representative Reports
Chair Obringer reported on the two-day CCTA board retreat held in Oakley approximately two weeks prior. She noted robust discussion around funding for a county-wide school bus system, which aligns with previous TRANSPAC discussions. Representatives from various county areas expressed similar priorities, suggesting strong support for including school transportation in future Measure J renewal efforts.
Commissioner Noack added that the retreat focused extensively on the next transportation measure, as the current Measure J expires in 2034. Discussions covered priorities for potential measure renewal, including Innovate 680 programs and various transportation projects.
Commissioner Carlson clarified that the workshop centered on the county-wide transportation plan rather than solely measure renewal, though measure discussions emerged during the proceedings.
There was further discussion about historical school bus funding. Chair Obringer noted that school districts previously funded their own transportation through federal dollars, but chose to permanently reallocate those funds to operations when given the opportunity. Commissioner Noack explained that when transportation-specific funding ended, most districts lacked general fund resources to continue bus service, though some districts like Pittsburg maintained their own systems. She noted that a 2008 MDUSD parcel tax survey for transportation funding failed in all district areas.
8. Metropolitan Transportation Commission Report
Commissioner Noack reported on legislation to allow MTC to pursue a 2026 transportation measure addressing the transit fiscal cliff. The legislation has passed the Senate and moved to the Assembly. Originally planned as a three-county measure, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are now leaning toward participation due to their own transit funding needs.
The measure would primarily fund fiscal cliff challenges for BART, AC Transit, Caltrain, and SFMTA.
Preliminary allocation discussions show Contra Costa County representing approximately 23% of BART ridership and 10% of AC Transit ridership, though these remain draft figures.
Key deadlines include August 11 for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to opt in and finalize sales tax percentages. Most counties are considering a half-cent sales tax, though San Francisco may require a full cent plus a parcel tax due to SFMTA's significant budget deficit.
Commissioner Noack outlined the scale of transit budget shortfalls: BART faces a $375 million deficit, SFMTA has similar or larger deficits, AC Transit needs $70 million, and Caltrain has comparable funding gaps. She emphasized that without successful measure passage, severe service cutbacks would create regional transportation chaos.
Additional MTC items included Richmond-San Rafael Bridge modifications for four-day barrier operations with weekend restoration, ongoing bridge maintenance issues that received media attention but were resolved by Caltrans, and preliminary discussions about Bay Area Housing Finance Authority affordable housing measures, though those remain years away.
9. TAC Oral Reports by Jurisdiction
No reports were given.
10. Board Member Comments
No additional comments were made.
11. Managing Director's Report
Mr. Todd reported that new fare gates have been installed at all TRANSPAC area BART stations, with a ceremony held at Pleasant Hill BART approximately three weeks prior. He noted that fare gate installation is now complete throughout the county.
Mr. Todd introduced Sarah Richnavsky, who was in attendance at the meeting and is summer intern for Gray Bowen Scott, majoring in Civil Engineering with interest in transportation. Ms.
Richnavsky introduced herself and noted her background growing up locally.
12. Adjourn / Next Meeting
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 A.M. The next regular meeting will be held on July 10, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. at Pleasant Hill City Hall Large Community Room, 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, with remote teleconference options for public participation.