Chair King and Vice Chair Cooney Chart the Association’s Path Forward in 2022
By Jacob Herson
Managing Editor
Transit California
The California Transit Association kicks off the new year with a new Chair and Vice Chair at the helm of our Executive Committee: Chair Karen King, CEO of Golden Empire Transit District, and Vice Chair Sharon Cooney, CEO of San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). King and Cooney were elected for the 2021-2023 term on November 1, 2021, at the Association’s 56th Annual Fall Conference & Expo, presented by Proterra.
King began her public transit career as a bus operator in Salt Lake City. She worked on rail service development and operations at North County Transit District in San Diego before serving as CEO of the Golden Empire Transit District for the past 13 years. King has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). A 33-year member of the California Transit Association, King has served multiple terms on the Executive Committee. She served as Vice Chair during the 2019-2021 term and led the Association’s COVID-19 Transit Crisis Relief Task Force, which pursued state statutory and regulatory relief measures to support transit agencies throughout the pandemic, and oversaw efforts that secured $10 billion in federal emergency funding for California’s transit agencies.
Cooney has held many top-level positions during her 16-year career at San Diego MTS, including director of government affairs, director of planning, chief of staff, and deputy chief executive officer, before being named the agency’s first woman CEO in 2020. She has been integral to the success of two of the largest infrastructure projects ever delivered in San Diego: the Trolley Renewal Project and the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension Project. She has been a dedicated member of the Association’s Executive Committee and has served on the Association’s Legislative Committee for 14 years. 
At the Fall Conference and Expo, King thanked her predecessor, Kate Breen, Director of Government Affairs for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, for her incredible leadership and successfully guiding the organization through unprecedented times. King also spoke about the Association’s direction for 2022: “As we move from crisis to recovery, the California Transit Association emerges stronger and more focused today than ever before. Though we are not out of the woods yet, I am hopeful and encouraged about what we’re able to realize as an industry when we work together to meet the changing needs of the people, workers, families, and communities we serve. The role of public transit is a critical one for ensuring our great state – on this path of recovery – emerges more equitable, sustainable, and resilient.”
“Building the workforce of the future for our industry is a major focus of mine,” said Cooney, reflecting on the work of the IDEA Task Force and the Association’s advocacy priorities for 2022. “We must do this in a way that reflects our commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity, all the way from operators to executives, and ensuring that all of our staff receive the compensation they need to stay in the industry and in the areas they serve.”
2022 Legislative Agenda
The Executive Committee has adopted the following top policy goals for 2022.
COVID-19 Relief: Secure additional statutory, administrative, and funding relief for California transit systems, as necessary, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transportation Development Act (TDA) Reform: Work with transit agencies, regional partners, Caltrans, legislative committee staff, and other stakeholders to continue to review existing metrics for the qualification and distribution of TDA revenues, with the possibility for legislation in 2023 to reform TDA law more holistically beyond the statutory relief secured for transit agencies in 2020 and 2021. 
Zero-Emission Transit: Monitor implementation of the Innovative Clean Transit regulation, and work with the Association’s State Legislative Committee and ZEB Task Force to identify and pursue strategies to reduce the costs associated with deploying ZEBs. Additionally, the Association will sponsor legislation to extend the state sales tax exemption for the purchase of ZEBs authorized by AB 784 (Mullin) [Chapter 684, Statutes of 2019].
Part-Time Transit Lane Expansion: Pursue legislation to expand the existing, very limited ability to operate buses on highway shoulders granted to Monterey-Salinas Transit District and Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District by AB 946 (Stone) [Chapter 426, Statutes of 2013].
Nonmedical Transportation Reimbursements: Pursue legislation establishing mandatory reimbursements to transit agencies for Medi-Cal eligible trips.
Credit Card Verification: Seek further clarification for transit agencies to require credit card authentication at ticketing kiosks.
CEQA Exemptions for Transit Projects: Pursue legislation to extend, and expand on, the CEQA exemptions for transit projects currently authorized under SB 288 (Wiener) [Chapter 200, Statutes of 2020].
Homelessness: Work to secure funding for transit systems to help alleviate homelessness.
Cap & Trade Funding: Pursue additional dedicated funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and pursue continued funding from the GGRF for zero-emission bus deployment, including a funding set-aside and guideline changes benefitting only transit agencies. 
Driver Testing: Work to improve driver testing, certification and licensing timeframes.
View the Association’s full 2022 State Legislative Program here.
Actions for a More Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Association
King has reflected on how the Association has changed over the 33 years she has been involved with it: “The biggest difference I see is the diversity of the membership. The Association then, as it is now, was made up of talented hard-working people. But, they all looked like Wilford Brimley [which is to say, older white men]. There were a few younger people, but no people of color and often I was the only woman in the room. Today, we are a more well-rounded representation of the communities we serve.”
In 2020, the Association formed the Task Force on an Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Association (IDEA Task Force), charged with identifying opportunities to center racial justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity within the Association’s policy positions, advocacy endeavors, educational offerings, and governance structure. Chaired by Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing and Communications for AC Transit, and Vice Chaired by Alva Carrasco, Assistant Vice President of WSP’s Transit and Rail National Business Line, the task force brought together expert voices from across our membership to audit core functions and identify actions to address the racism and discrimination that has too often driven transportation decision making.
In May 2021, the Executive Committee unanimously adopted the IDEA Task Force’s report: Actions for a More Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Association. The report groups the Association’s actions into the areas of advocacy, member services, and organizational management and development, noting key committees, objectives, tactics, and aspects of accountability and reporting for each. Here we will highlight the objectives identified in each of the three areas.
Advocacy
- Conduct an equity analysis as part of the review of legislative bill proposals considered for inclusion in State and Federal Legislative Programs and for legislation introduced in the State Legislature and Congress.
- Include policy goals related to racial and social justice, transportation equity, and the furtherance of workforce equity in State and Federal Legislative Programs.
- Build relationships with racial and social justice, and transportation equity organizations to develop and pursue progressive policies that expand access to public transportation and improve quality of life for marginalized riders.
Member Services
- Prioritize racial and social justice, transportation equity, and the furtherance of workforce equity in the Association’s Educational Content Delivery Plan. The Plan informs planning for the Association’s Annual Fall Conference & Expo, Spring Legislative Conference, Transit California electronic magazine, and our annual program of webinar offerings.
- Host inclusive and diverse panel discussions.
- Broaden and enhance the diversity of conference attendees.
- Facilitate development of internship programs and partnerships with career technical education/vocational programs that promote job opportunities to increase diversity within the transit industry.
- Establish a mechanism for highlighting programs and policies implemented by Association members that advance inclusion, diversity, and equity.
Organizational Management and Development
- Amend the Association’s Strategic Plan
- Ensure Association members’ staff from diverse backgrounds participate on all standing committees.
The IDEA Task Force will continue as a new oversight body that meets quarterly to ensure progress on these actions, reporting to the Executive Committee. The report also includes an informative and useful glossary of essential terms in these conversations.
“Building the workforce of the future for our industry is a major focus of mine,” said Cooney. “We must do this in a way that reflects our commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity, all the way from operators to executives, and ensuring that all of our staff receive the compensation they need to stay in the industry and in the areas they serve.”