May 3, 2013 Issue 1 Volume 4

SFMTA "Connects the Dots" at First Quarterly

Meeting More than one hundred twenty-five employees representing the various SFMTAdivisions attended the Agency's first quarterly meeting at One South Van Ness onApril 24. Hosted by Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin, the inaugural meeting,titled "Connecting the Dots," provided an opportunity to introduce new and veteranmembers of the SFMTA's leadership team, to connect more people across the Agency, and to review progressmade toward meeting the goals of the Agency's six-year Strategic Plan. Read more here.

Meet the Leadership Team

At the first quarterly meeting, Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin took theopportunity to introduce his leadership team. These individuals--some new andothers familiar--are in place and empowered to lead their respective divisions forwardto achieve the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan for the SFMTA. Each brings substantialskills and experience to their work at the Agency. Click here to meet the leadershipteam.

"I am" Campaign Returns to City Buses Both front-line and behind-the-scenes SFMTA employees will take center stage inan ongoing marketing campaign intended to show the "human side" of thededicated professionals whose day-to-day job it is to keep the city moving. The "Iam Muni" and "I am SFMTA" exterior and interior car card campaigns, were firstintroduced in July of last year featuring photos of various SFMTA employeesholding chalk boards expressing a simple statement that "defined them." Read more here.

DOT Testifies in Washington in Support of MAP-21

Funding The SFMTA's Director of Transportation, Ed Reiskin, was one of six nationaltransportation officials asked to offer state and local perspective on the implementationof the Moving Ahead for Progress for the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, in WashingtonD.C. on April 25. Read more here.

Mayor's SF 2030 Transportation Task Force

Update The Mayor's 2030 Transportation Task Force, charged with prioritizing SanFrancisco's transportation system needs and identifying funding sources to realizethem, reconvened April 30 for the group's third session. Currently in an information gathering stage, the 2030Transportation Task Force is scheduled to move on a relatively fast track, with an October deadline for Task Forcerecommendations regarding system needs and potential connected revenue sources to be presented to themayor. Read more here.

Twitter "Thanks driver of @sfmta_muni bus number 5570 for being awesome and waiting for myselfand another to cross the street for the bus.Catherine

Facebook Like us on Facebook! Crews begin installing Central Subway's Tunnel Boring Machine,Mom Chung; the SFMTA's Ed Reiskin testifies before congress; sunny days bring out Muni'sboatcar and find out more on the mayor's upcoming Online Budget Town Hall Meeting. See what our customers are talking about on Facebook here.

Questions?

Questions, comments or submissions? E-mail us at newsletter@sfmta.com.

Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

SFMTA “Connects the Dots” at First Quarterly Meetingby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:51 PMCategory: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #4)

More than one hundred twenty-five employees representing the various SFMTA divisionsattended the Agency’s first quarterly meeting at One South Van Ness on April 24. Hosted byDirector of Transportation Ed Reiskin, the inaugural meeting, titled “Connecting the Dots,”provided an opportunity to introduce new and veteran members of the SFMTA’s leadershipteam, to connect more people across the Agency, and to review progress made toward meetingthe goals of the Agency’s six-year Strategic Plan.

An important function of the newly instituted quarterly meetings will be to improvecommunications across Agency divisions. Reggie Ruaro, a paint shop Supervisor for theSFMTA, was among the attendees. “It was good to see how the Agency works and our plans forthe future,” he said. “We need to communicate more. It was good to meet the members of theexecutive team, to know who’s who.”

After personal introductions by each member of the executive team and greetings from SFMTABoard Chairman Tom Nolan, Director Reiskin explained the vision, mission, core values andgoals that inform the Strategic Plan, the roadmap charting the Agency’s future plan of action.

Though there are obstacles and challenges ahead, Director Reiskin was quick to point outaccomplishments made across the divisions as positive progress toward meeting our strategicgoals. He cited the Transit Divisions first-in-the-nation All-Door Boarding policy; schedulingefficiencies; replacement and rehabilitation projects; safety and security initiatives; customer-focused initiatives; and dynamic supervision as noteworthy achievements. Capitalimprovements such as the fully funded Central Subway project, the expanded bike network,new pedestrian safety strategies and the decision to add an additional 600 to 800 taxis also fallin line with Strategic Goal plans.

Preparation for an even more densely populated San Francisco by the year 2035 was alsoaddressed. With the population expected to swell to over 920,000 and the number of jobanticipated to grow to 625,000, available capacity and transit connections will need to beexpanded. Travel patterns will also change with new housing and building development and theneed to expand alternate modes of transportation must be a priority.

“What we need to do is prepare for the future—and the near-term future—with the goals set bythe MTA Board…and to move from the 39 percent share of trips that are taken by transit andother modes up to 50 percent in the next five years,” Director Reiskin said. “This is realizing theTransit First policy. It will be the first real movement in the 40 years of this policy’s existence.”

Shoring up funding at the federal, state and local levels will also be critical to meet projectedgrowth. Director Reiskin cited the Mayor’s 2030 Transportation Task Force as being a positive,proactive step in assessing means for determining additional local transportation funding. Tosee the PowerPoint presentation click here.

To see the videotaped meeting, please click here. (*IMPORTANT: This in an unpublished linkintended for use by SFMTA employees only. Please do not publish or distributeexternally.)

Board of Directors Chairman Tom Nolan greets the SFMTA team in attendance

Chief of Staff Alicia John-Baptiste introduces herself at the DOT Quarterly Meeting

Senior Administrative Analyst Glenn Jackson addresses Director Reiskin during the Qand A session

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Meet the Leadership Teamby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:50 PMCategory: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #4)

At the first quarterly meeting, Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin took the opportunity to introduce his leadership team. These individuals--some new and others familiar--are in place and empowered to lead their respective divisions forward to achieve the 2013-2018 Strategic Planfor the SFMTA. Each brings substantial skills and experience to their work at the Agency. Click on each name below for biographicalinformation.

Sonali Bose

Kate Breen

Donald Ellison

John Haley

Vince Harris

Christiane Hayashi

Melvyn Henry

Alicia John-Baptiste

Ed Reiskin

Candace Sue

Bond Yee

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Sonali Boseby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 1:58 PM

Sonali Bose

Sonali Bose, Director of Finance and Information Technology, has held senior level financepositions in the public and private sectors over the last 25 years including Chief Financial Officerfor the Port of Oakland, Director of Finance for the City of Berkeley and Treasurer for the City ofOakland. She also has significant experience in securing funding and managing and developingreal estate and information technology projects.

Ms. Bose holds business administration and public policy graduate degrees from HarvardUniversity and the University of California, Berkeley. She received her undergraduate degreefrom the University of California, Berkeley.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Kate Breenby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:05 PM

Kate BreenKate Breen has served as Government Affairs Manager for the San Francisco MunicipalTransportation Agency since 2001, primarily managing state and federal government relations. Her past experience includes 11 years in legislative affairs with the Metropolitan TransportationCommission and legislative work at the state and federal level representing both public andprivate sector interests. She also spent one year teaching English to university students inShanghai, China.

Ms. Breen holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard's Kennedy School ofGovernment and Bachelor of Art degree in Political Philosophy from Scripps College,Claremont.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Donald Ellisonby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:09 PM

Donald Ellison

Donald Ellison, Director of Human Resources, has over 25 years of organizational developmentand management experience for all aspects of Human Resources, Labor Relations andpersonnel practices. Prior to joining the SFMTA, Mr. Ellison served as Human ResourcesManager at AC Transit for nearly 10 years, and worked for 20 years with the CaliforniaAutomobile Association in a variety of positions including Director for Human ResourcesBusiness Services.

Mr. Ellison holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University, withan undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

John Haleyby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:13 PM

John Haley

John J. Haley, Jr. joined the SFMTA as Director of Transit in 2010. An established 30-yeartransportation professional, Mr. Haley previously served as General Manager of theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority ofNew York and New Jersey, and Deputy General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area RapidTransit District.

Mr. Haley has a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University and aBachelor of Science degree in Government from Northeastern University.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Vince Harrisby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:16 PM

Vince Harris

Vince Harris returned to the SFMTA in June 2012 as Director of Capital Programs andConstruction. Mr. Harris is responsible for delivery of portions of the agency’s $3 billion CapitalImprovement Program. Prior to joining the SFMTA, Mr. Harris was the Executive Director of theStanislaus Council of Governments, the former Executive Director of the Alameda CountyTransportation Authority and the former Deputy General Manager of Muni’s ConstructionDivision from 1999 to 2005.

Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology from theUniversity of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration degree from California StateUniversity in Hayward.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Christiane Hayashiby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:27 PM

Christiane Hayashi

Christiane Hayashi became Director of Taxis and Accessible Services in 2008. Before that shewas a Deputy City Attorney for 18 years. She was a lead in rewriting the city's procurement lawsand the 2007 Transportation Code to replace the 1940 Traffic Code. She represented theSFMTA from 2004 on the City Attorney’s Transportation Team.

Ms. Hayashi received her Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of the Law, and herBachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Melvyn Henry Jr.by DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:30 PM

Melvyn Henry Jr.

Melvyn Henry Jr. has been Chief Safety Officer for the SFMTA since 2012 and is responsiblefor the Agency’s planning and management of transit system safety programs. Mr. Henry hastwenty-seven years of safety experience in the bus, light and heavy rail industries and has beena member of the APTA Rail Transit Standards Committee since January 2008.

Prior to joining the SFMTA, Mr. Henry served as Deputy Chief, System Safety at WashingtonMetropolitan Area Transit Authority. He has been involved in sixteen rail system expansions andone rail start-up in San Diego, Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C and San Francisco.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Alicia John-Baptisteby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:31 PM

Alicia John-Baptiste

Alicia John-Baptiste returned to the SFMTA as Chief of Staff in December 2012 after eightyears with the San Francisco Planning Department, most recently as the Planning DepartmentChief of Staff. Her responsibilities include day-to-day management of the Agency, support tothe Director of Transportation and Strategic Plan implementation. Ms. John-Baptiste’s publicand administrative expertise includes policy analysis in South Africa and work as a consultant tothe United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women.

Ms. John-Baptiste is a graduate of Duke University, and received a Master of Public Policydegree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Ed Reiskinby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:34 PM

Ed Reiskin

Edward D. Reiskin was named Director of Transportation of the San Francisco MunicipalTransportation Agency in July 2011. As Director of Transportation, Mr. Reiskin oversees theMunicipal Railway (Muni), parking, traffic engineering, pedestrian planning, bicycleimplementation, accessibility and taxi regulation. Mr. Reiskin has more than 20 years ofexperience in the private, academic, nonprofit, and public sectors. Before joining the SFMTA, Mr.Reiskin served as Director of the Department of Public Works. He also served as the first Directorof the City and County's new 311 Customer Service Center.

Prior to joining the City and County of San Francisco, he served as the Interim City Administratorand as Deputy Mayor for the Government of the District of Columbia and worked for three yearsfor the City of Oakland as an assistant to the city manager.

Mr. Reiskin holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University's KennedySchool of Government, a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University'sStern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Candace Sueby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:36 PM

Candace Sue

Candace Sue joined the SFMTA in 2013 as Communications Director after 13 years with PfizerInc. where she earned positions of increasing responsibility in Policy, External Affairs andCommunications. She most recently served as Director of Global Corporate Branding andIntegrated Communications. Prior to Pfizer, Ms. Sue worked at Warner-Lambert and The ChaseManhattan Bank. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she studied businessadministration at Boston University and holds a Master of Business Administration degree inMarketing from Columbia Business School. Ms. Sue also sits on the Board of Directors for theSarcoma Foundation of America and served as Communications Chair.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Bond Yeeby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:37 PM

Bond Yee

Bond Yee, Director of Sustainable Streets, was the former Director of the Department of Trafficand Parking, integrated into the SFMTA in 2002 with the passage of Proposition E. A 40-yearengineering professional, Mr. Yee’s private sector experience included work on various transit-related projects throughout the country. He started his service with the city in 1982 with theDepartment of Public Works and had been with Parking and Traffic since its inception in 1990.

Mr. Yee earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Transportation from the University of Californiaat Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

“I am” Campaign Returns to City Busesby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:45 PMCategory: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #4)

Both front-line and behind-the-scenes SFMTA employees will take center stage in an ongoing marketing campaign intended to show the “human side”of the dedicated professionals whose day-to-day job it is to keep the city moving. The “I am Muni” and “I am SFMTA” exterior and interior car cardcampaigns on Muni vehicles were first introduced in July of last year featuring photos of various SFMTA employees holding chalk boards expressinga simple statement that “defined them.”

The bus exterior campaign, re-released in April, with additional new exteriors to be released later this month are intended to give recognition to theSFMTA’s diverse group of employees and to emphasize common bonds between the SFMTA workforce and the customers they serve. The ads,developed by SFMTA Marketing, read either “I am Muni” or “I am SFMTA,” with a sub-headline reading “Wherever you’re going, count on us to getyou there.”

Transit Fare Inspector Larry Nichol, featured in the exterior campaign displaying a chalk board that reads “I am ready for the Giants!” is enjoying whathe calls his “new found popularity.” “I think it’s great. It’s humanized all of us, particularly the Transit Fare Inspectors,” he said. “People have asked tohave their pictures taken with me.”

Cable Car Operator Singh B. Rai, Transit Planners Matt Lee and Mari Hunter, Muni Operator Vergel Ronas and Information Technology Manager ArtWong, are five of the employees who were photographed for the new campaign due out in May. Matt Lee’s chalk board reads “I am a Muni rider.” Leesaid the message was important to him because “our customers need to know that the folks at the office actually ride the system, too.”

Messages from the initial July campaign included “I am a friend;” “I am a stepfather of five;” “I am an organic gardener;” “I am an epicurean;” and “I ammy grandchildren’s best friend.”

Muni Operator Vergel Ronas, Flynn Division (top), and Cable Car Operator Singh B. Rai (above) will be part of the forthcoming "I amMuni" campaign

Larry Nichol recreates the smile featured in his "I am" bus ad

Muni Operators Valerie Coleman (Green Division) and Orlando Gomez (Woods Division)

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

DOT Testifies in Washington in Support of MAP-21Fundingby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:45 PMCategory: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #4)

SFMTA’s Director of Transportation, Ed Reiskin, was one of six national transportation officialsasked to offer state and local perspective on the implementation of the Moving Ahead forProgress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, in Washington D.C. on April 25. MAP-21, a two-year program signed into law by President Obama in July 2012, authorizes the Federalhighway, transit and highway safety programs through September 30, 2014 and is up forreauthorization in 2015.

The meeting was the second in a series of oversight hearings before the Subcommittee onHighways and Transit, led by Chairman Thomas Petri (R-WI). The panel convened to gaugeMAP-21’s progress in creating safer travel, increased transportation efficiencies, and more jobsin the public sector. Reiskin, representing the National Association of City TransportationOfficials as its incoming Vice-President, emphasized the importance of funding thetransportation infrastructure needs of cities and metropolitan areas. “Mobility, access andinnovation in our cities and metropolitan regions are the key to the nation’s economic successand the fundamental reason that we must continue to build and strengthen the local-federalpartnership that is embodied in MAP-21,” he said.

According to the Federal Transit Administration, even with MAP-21 funding, the nation’s state ofgood repair backlog stands at $78 billion with an additional $14 billion for current state of goodrepair needs after the backlog is filled. Only $8.6 billion in formula grants are scheduled to befunded by MAP-21 in Fiscal Year 2014.

“The critical next step is to find a way to provide the level of funding essential to keep Americaand its metropolitan-driven economy as the leader in the 21st century global economy,” DirectorReiskin concluded. See the entire April 25 MAP-21 hearing here. To view a transcript of DirectorReiskin's testimony, click here.

insideSFMTA Newsletter

May01

Mayor’s 2030 Transportation Task Force Updateby DeAnda, Mark on 5/1/2013 2:40 PMCategory: InsideSFMTA Newsletter (Vol. 1, #4)

The Mayor’s Transportation Task Force, charged with prioritizing San Francisco’s transportationsystem needs and identifying funding sources to realize them, reconvened April 30 for thegroup’s third session. Currently in an information gathering stage, the 2030 Transportation TaskForce is scheduled to move on a relatively fast track, with an October deadline for Task Forcerecommendations regarding system needs and potential connected revenue sources to bepresented to the mayor.

Along with vital Muni needs, the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force will take a more holisticapproach to consider the impacts and needs of regional carriers on San Francisco’stransportation system. Led by co-chairs Gabriel Metcalf from SPUR and Monique Zmuda fromthe city Controller’s Office, Task Force members include Supervisors Chiu, Weiner and Avalos,local and regional transportation officials, several city agencies, and a broad cross-section ofbusiness and community-based organizations.

“The SFMTA was thrilled when Mayor Lee announced his 2030 Transportation Task Force,”said SFMTA Chief of Staff Alicia John-Baptiste. “Working with this very diverse group of smartand committed people gives us a tremendous opportunity to tackle the financial challenges theSFMTA has faced for so long. We’re looking forward to the creative solutions that come out ofthis process.”

Mayor Lee announced the formation of the 2030 Transportation Task Force during his State ofthe City address in late January, citing improvement of Muni to be one of the city’s top priorities.The mayor has a history of success attaining results from the task force model having pushedthrough major reform plans for public pensions, payroll tax and affordable-housing measuresusing a similar consensus group approach.

The April 30 meeting featured a presentation of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s(MTC) regional plans and their local impact, presented by the MTC’s Anne Richman. GigiHarrington, Chief Financial Officer of SamTrans and Caltrain gave an overview of Caltrain’scurrent and near-term transportation plans, followed by a presentation of BART Plans andPrograms by Robert Mitroff, Manager of Fleet and Capacity Planning. Timothy Papandreou,SFMTA Deputy Director of Long-Range Planning, and Peter Albert, Manager of SFMTA UrbanPlanning Initiatives, put forth the Agency’s long-term transportation vision.

The meeting also included perspectives from those who participated in a recent visit to Muni’srubber tire facilities. Task Force members Ariane Colman Hogan of Genentech and ChavaKronenberg, an analyst from the Controller’s Office, commented on the decaying state of someof the Muni facilities visited on the tour.

The next scheduled meeting of the Mayor’s 2030 Transportation Task Force is Tuesday, May28.