TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND FROM: Vice Mayor Foley
CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Campos Councilmember Cohen
Councilmember Ortiz
Councilmember Candelas
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: April 10, 2026
Approved Date: 4/10/2026
SUBJECT: Transportation Policy Priorities for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Local Investment Plan Related to Senate Bill 63 Revenue Measure
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the staff recommendations.
BACKGROUND
We appreciate City staff’s collaboration with the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), community partners, and the City Council in preparing these thoughtful recommendations.
In the wake of the pandemic, transit agencies across the Bay Area have struggled to attract pre- pandemic levels of ridership. Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) show that transit ridership fell from 13% in 2019 to 4% in 2021 and sits at 8% in 2024. The drop in ridership has placed significant strain on the fiscal health of Bay Area transit agencies. A potential ballot measure will not just support our regional transit network. It is an opportunity to reimagine how we deliver public transit in Santa Clara County. Although this is not a formal endorsement of the measure, we hope that the VTA continues its collaboration with the City and this Council on advancing its transit priorities. Furthermore, we must be cognizant of the long- term fiscal sustainability of our transit system and ensure that we implement future dollars in a way that prevents the need for another tax on residents in the future.
Fixed-route transit roadway maintenance
We appreciate staff's creativity in finding ways to supplement pavement dollars required to meet the $1 billion backlog in maintenance for our roadways. We see value in this investment and recognize the long-term cost savings; however, we strongly encourage identifying opportunities to improve safety and comfort near major transit hubs and corridors. By leveraging pavement projects to implement complete streets and active transportation infrastructure, we can reduce COUNCIL AGENDA: 4/14/2026
FILE: 26-400
ITEM: 5.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
04/10/2026
Subject: Transportation Policy Priorities for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Local Investment Plan
barriers for community members to choose multimodal transportation and make public transit a reliable fixture in the linkage of modalities.
Transit supportive capital investments
In addition to changing the built environment near major transit hubs and corridors, we encourage staff to explore capital projects that can make our critical hubs more accessible, welcoming, and safe for all users regardless of age and ability. We recommend aligning any improvements to stations and hubs with transit-oriented community policy obligations, while simultaneously implementing the Move San José, Vision Zero and Better Bike Plan 2025 goals.
Safety and comfort must extend to our fleet of vehicles and light rail cars. We strongly support the development of a next generation light rail fleet that has a lower carbon footprint and provides improved amenities for those who bike, scooter, or rely on mobility aid devices. Our constituents often share the challenges they face with crowded trains that lack the space to accommodate multiple mobility devices. Designing cars dedicated to micromobility and aid devices can make the customer experience more convenient and comfortable for everyone.
We appreciate the projects listed by staff and recognize it is not a comprehensive list. With this funding, we can make strategic investments in our transportation infrastructure to boost ridership and make public transit a viable option for our community.
Improved transit service and rider experience, with appropriate performance and accountability measures
It is important to approach this work from the perspective of the customer. We appreciate all of the work VTA and our community partners have engaged in to develop the Valley Transportation Plan 2050 and its Visionary Network. The priority initiatives outlined in the staff recommendation—from headway-based scheduling to transit signal priority and rider safety—all speak to a shared goal. We want public transit to be accessible, efficient, reliable, and safe for every member of our community.
As part of fare modernization, we recommend exploring a free transit pass program for all youth under the age of 18. At the same time, we must balance expanded access and the long-term revenue stability of our transit network. Broadening the network without a plan to recover costs after 14 years would be disservice to our community. To that end, we welcome the framework outlined in the staff recommendation and encourage exploring improvements in our fare collection system to ensure we can establish a strong foundation of farebox revenue, eliminating the need for future tax measures on the public.
This measure was many years in the making, and it presents an opportunity for the City and VTA to deepen their partnership and scale a model for delivering public transit that reflects the innovation expected from the Capital of Silicon Valley. We especially appreciate the support and work of Annale McMannis, Jessica Zenk, Ramses Madou, John Ristow, and the DOT team for their advocacy on behalf of the City of San José.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
04/10/2026
Subject: Transportation Policy Priorities for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Local Investment Plan
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.