Your Voice is Needed
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By Kate Breen
Chair, Executive Committee, California Transit Association
Director, Government Affairs, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
It is with great relief that we are beginning to see signs of a shift from COVID-19 reaction to COVID-19 recovery – the economy is beginning to grow again, ridership is returning to transit systems statewide, and transportation revenues are outpacing projections made at the start of the pandemic. While this progress is substantial, we know that our industry will face challenges, requiring innovative thinking, collaboration, and leadership, as we march toward a full recovery. We also know that the inauguration of President Biden and the increasingly evident need to immediately address climate change is shining a spotlight on public transit like never before. This is where your California Transit Association becomes more valuable than ever. Together, we can build back public transit in California with an eye towards renewal, social justice, and reinvention.
Relief Funding
Last month we took another big step toward our mission to serve as a lifeline to essential workers as President Biden signed H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 a $1.9 trillion emergency relief bill that includes $30.5 billion for public transit agencies nationwide, as well as $1.7 billion for Amtrak. California transit agencies are expected to receive approximately $4 billion in additional operating support from the bill, with additional funds being made available for capital projects throughout California. The bill is historic, and reflects what is possible when we elevate our voices through aggressive advocacy and align with diverse stakeholder groups. Our coalition included 40 transportation, business, environmental, environmental justice, social justice, labor organizations, our national partners, as well as many of you who wrote letters, joined us for meetings with members of Congress, and took to the press to make the case for additional emergency relief. The significance of this effort cannot be overstated. The extended duration of the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for public transit agencies throughout California and the nation, and these relief funds are vital to the industry’s survival and the millions of Californians who rely on public transportation. With this additional funding, transit agencies will also be able to continue to provide transportation to COVID-19 vaccine sites, supporting an equitable distribution; and, will ensure transit agencies are key partners in our collective recovery from the pandemic.
Vaccine Distribution
Transit workers have been on the frontlines providing vital transportation services to essential workers and families throughout the pandemic. It was with surprise and disappointment that, in late January, the State of California deprioritized transit workers in its vaccine rollout plan. Your Association quickly put together an action plan to apply pressure on the state to update their guidelines and reestablish priority access to the vaccine for public transit workers. As part of that plan, the Association met with key state and federal officials, led letter writing campaigns and partnered with transit labor to elevate the importance of providing immediate access to the vaccine to transit’s workforce.
This outreach and education, led by the Association and supported by our members across the state, culminated in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issuing updated state guidance in March to prioritize vaccinations for transit workers statewide. While it is unfortunate that it was necessary to fight for our transit worker’s inclusion in the state's vaccine distribution plan, the end result was a renewed commitment to protecting transit workers acknowledging public transit's critical role in our state's recovery.
IDEA Task Force
Perhaps the effort I am most excited about is the progress being made by the Task Force for an Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Association (IDEA Task Force) on identifying opportunities for advancing inclusion and diversity in the Association’s governance structure and centering racial and social justice and equity in our policy endeavors and educational offerings. The Task Force is chaired by Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing and Communications for AC Transit and is supported by 16 other public transit and business members.
Next month the Executive Committee, which authorized the formation of this Task Force in 2020, will review a series of important recommendations for ensuring the Association and our California transit industry can make advances on these critical issues.
Raise Your Voice
As we did throughout 2020, the Association will continue to vigorously pursue your interests in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., fighting to ensure that all agencies have the emergency funding and resources they need to continue to operate during the pandemic and to keep their riders and workers safe. The Association's Annual Spring Legislative Conference is fast approaching and I want to be sure you're aware that it takes place virtually on May 19. Your participation has never been more critical as we address and recover from the operational and budget impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ve enjoyed a series of good news this spring, but we still have far to go. Please consider registering to learn how you can more effectively add your voice to the Association’s advocacy efforts designed to provide our members with relief from the pandemic budget impacts and to support transit's recovery.