 
Governor Signs Bill Authorizing Loan for Bay Area Transit Agencies
Gov. Gavin Newsom in February signed into law state Assembly Bill 117, authorizing a $590 million loan for Bay Area transit agencies that will avert major service cuts at AC Transit, BART, Caltrain and San Francisco Muni during the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins July 1.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/governor-signs-bill-authorizing-loan-bay-area-transit-agencies
Committee to Work Toward Placement of Sales Tax Measure on November Ballot
The newly formed Public Transit Revenue Measure District in January received a notice of intent from the Connect Bay Area Transit Committee to place a citizen’s initiative on the November 2026 ballot. Senate Bill 63, authored by state senators Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Jesse Arreguín of Berkeley, authorized a qualified voter initiative to impose a retail transactions and use tax ordinance applicable to the entire five-county district for a duration of 14 years, in an amount of 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and 1% in the City and County of San Francisco, subject to voter approval at the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide general election.
MORE: https://blog.bayareametro.gov/posts/district-receives-notice-committees-intent-work-toward-placement-sales-tax-measure-november
2026 Advocacy Priorities Approved by MTC/ABAG
MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in January approved the Final 2026 Joint Advocacy Program, outlining the agencies’ state and federal legislative priorities for the calendar year. Top priorities for legislation in Washington and Sacramento will be guided in large part by Plan Bay Area 2050+, the north star for the agencies’ work in transportation and housing. Advocacy priorities will include securing funding and policy alignment that support the plan’s strategies and goals.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/2026-advocacy-priorities-approved-mtcabag
MTC Adopts Policy to Improve Transit Travel Times and Reliability
MTC in January adopted the Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways designed to support Bay Area jurisdictions and agencies in the implementation of transit priority infrastructure and policies that can help transit vehicles avoid traffic congestion, reduce delays at signals, and move more predictably on all types of roads, leading to better travel times and reliability for riders.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-adopts-policy-improve-transit-travel-times-and-reliability
Bay Area Transit Leaders OK Standardized Sign Designs
The Regional Network Management (RNM) Council this week approved the first set of transit wayfinding design guides to help Bay Area transit agencies establish a uniform look for signs and maps used everywhere from individual bus stops across the region to major hubs where multiple systems connect. These design guides are intended to make it easier for riders to identify information and use transit by delivering information that is clear, predictable and consistent across service areas and county lines.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bay-area-transit-agency-leaders-ok-standardized-sign-designs
Open-Road Tolling Work Begins at Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Changes are coming soon to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza, the first of the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)-managed bridges to be transformed as part of a multi-year conversion to Open-Road Tolling. Pre-construction began in late 2025. Work to re-stripe lanes on the bridge approach and to erect a new gantry structure over the westbound lanes to accommodate tolling equipment is now set to begin next month, weather permitting. Visit the Caltrans District 4 website for additional details on the construction schedule.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/work-begins-richmond-san-rafael-bridge-open-road-tolling-project
BAHFA Partnership Keeps San Rafael Apartment Complex Affordable
The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) recently finalized a collaboration that will help preserve up to 99 affordable homes for families in San Rafael’s Canal District. Through BAHFA’s Welfare Tax Exemption Preservation Program, Tesseract Capital Group will convert The Meridian apartment community into long-term affordable housing.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bahfa-partnership-keeps-san-rafael-apartment-complex-affordable
New Bay Area Travel Study Data Available Via Dashboard
A new Bay Area Travel Study (BATS) dashboard is now available to help MTC and transportation agencies plan for a more efficient and more effective regional transportation network. The dashboard allows users to explore how travel patterns — such as mode share, trip rates, trip purpose, trip lengths, working from home, and home delivery — vary across counties and demographic groups.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/new-bay-area-travel-study-data-available-dashboard
MTC's Complete Streets Checklist Portal is Now Live
MTC’s new Complete Streets Checklist Portal is now live. The Complete Streets Portal is the new platform for partner agencies and organizations to submit, edit, update, and view Complete Streets Checklists that are required by the MTC Complete Streets Policy and the newly adopted MTC Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (TPPR). The new portal replaces the Google Forms Checklist Form previously used to submit checklists.
MORE: https://blog.bayareametro.gov/posts/mtcs-complete-streets-checklist-portal-now-live
MTC's Vanpool Subsidy Rises to $600 per Month
For drivers frustrated with a non-productive, long and grueling commute, MTC's Bay Area Vanpool Program is an alternative that provides direct subsidies to both new and existing vanpools. MTC this year increased the monthly subsidy for participating vanpools to $600 a month from the previous $500. The Commission hopes the increased subsidy will grow the fleet.
MORE: https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtcs-vanpool-subsidy-rises-600-month
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