>> good afternoon, ladies and

gentlemen. welcome to the meeting of the san francisco municipal transportation agency board of directors. >> director bridges is anticipated. [roll call] item three. the ringing and use of electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. any person responsible for one going off may be asked to leave the room. cell phones said on violet -- vibrate position will affect the microphones. ladies and gentlemen, due to the fire code, we cannot allow

people to stand on either side. to the extent there are seats available in this room, if you would please find one. otherwise, we will ask you to adjourn to room 416. you'll be able to observe the proceedings. if people could find a seat, that would be appreciated. >> motion to approve. >> item 5, communication. >> because of the great interest in item having to do without -- the free muni for youth, i

would ask that we skipped down to item 11. and then to the regular calendar, and then come back. the newer continuing business, the executive director's report, and the like. i would like to say that at the last board meeting, two weeks ago, the board closed comment -- public comment on a staff recommendation. the board has received new information about the impacts of that approval. therefore, i board reopened only that part of the public hearing for that particular -- we do not want to hear anything but your comments on the report. at. -- if you start talking about

something other than that, i will ask you to stay specifically on that, ok? the board has received extensive public comment on this. a great deal of written correspondence, personal correspondence. i will ask members of the public to speak on that issue. one minute, ok? >> directors, moving on to item 11 on your agenda. authorizing the director to execute the contract for the radio system replacement contract for a term not to exceed 1200 calendar days. directors, there has been no one that offered an interest to

speak to you. >> as he gets the brief presentation ready to go, i want to preface this with emphasizing how when pour into this is to the functioning -- important this is to the functioning of the mta. this contract is a much larger undertaking that will bring us into the modern age in terms of real time communications that we used to manage the system. this has impacts, not just for radio communication, but for our transportation management center, which you have approved. i know if it has been a high priority for this board. making sure we have a new system in place when we bring the central subway online. it is an incredibly important project for the city.

it has been a long process to get to this point. >> good afternoon. i am with the capital construction division. i am pleased today to be in front of you this afternoon with a brief presentation on one of our most essential projects. today it marks the combination of several -- culmination of several years of staff effort to bring a modern state of the art visual, audio, data communication system to the sfmta. >> [inaudible] >> by way of background, our current mta system is a 30-year-

old conventional analog system that is way past its useful life. it is no longer being supported by manufacturers. we have difficulties finding parts for maintenance. it is limited in the features that it provides and accommodates the very limited number of users. there are only seven voice channels, including one in the subway. beginning in 200013, it will fail to comply with the federal communications commission -- 2013, it will fail to comply with the fcc. we will no longer be in compliance with that and we will need to replace the system. the new radio system and will bring sfmta with a modern digital voice and data

communication system that would not only the requirements, but will bring a host of other modern features that will help us in our operations. there will be a new computer aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location system. it will bring in new features to us, things including the ability to monitor routes and schedules, enabling operations personnel to manage and make changes to the system to improve on-time performance. it does have an incident reporting system that will automatically reports route information, location information, and a lot of different information and help prepare an incident report. it also allows transmission of messages through a push of a single button to bring alerts to

provide alerts regarding situations on a real-time basis. it will also bring us into oxalate ada compliance -- a complete ada compliance system. the new system will bring a fully compliant ada compliance system to both our subways and are surface. also, it also meets federal requirements for p25. it is an open architecture system that would allow interoperable date between other compliant -- program 25, i apologize. it is a federal requirement.

and the structure, regardless of manufacture. it allows us to add or services to other p25 city agencies, such as the public works emergency braking system. -- raising system. -- rating system. highlighting some of the important features, it would cover all critical areas in the city, routes, and locations. giving us up to 95% geographic coverage in the city. thank you. by comparison, the fire department and the police department has 97% coverage.

95% coverage is really good for us. there is only one channel available in the subway for voice communication and that allows only one conversation to occur. the new system will make all 14 channels available. because of its capabilities, it allows more than one user per channel. people have a lot more capabilities, especially in the subway -- we will have a lot more capabilities, especially in the subway. there will be a new digital, a visual announcements and the system throughout the system. moving on, there are a lot of capital programs within the agency that depend on air radio system to continue. some of them are anxiously awaiting the completion of this so that they can bring some of

those requirements in to their own system. as an example, the central control and communication program will depend on the radio system, to the new transit management center on market street in order to bring all the dispatch and monetary services. the central subway program also heavily depends on this project. the systems will be deployed into this project and the design elements and the frequencies designed into the system will be used by the central subway. they have to build the same requirements into their design specifications. the traffic signal priority, there is an option for a pilot program under this program which will enable the agency to take

effective use of these stranded -- stranded signal priorities. -- transit signal priorities. also, our system will be greatly improved to the radio system. currently, as the train enters the system, there is a manual operation by which there is information communicated. with this new radio system, all the data will be automatically downloaded as vehicles entered the territory. there are also a number of optional items that have been negotiated and priced under this contract. these optional items will bring even newer features to the agency, expanded features to the agency, it should finding be identified.

as part of this request, we are requesting this board to authorize use of those options and allow the director of transportation to exercise those options if and when the funding is identified. it will bring a host of new features to the agency, including some radio coverage in service tunnels. i know that is an awkward term. i mean places like the broadway tunnel, for which we currently have no coverage. we could provide that coverage in the future. because of the -- we have an aggressive schedule in this contract. all work is to be completed within 1100 days of notice to proceed to the contractor. there are damages associated with failure to meet those deadlines.

moving on to the budget, the budgets -- funding has been identified. all the ancillary services for this project through a combination of federal, local, and state funds. in the past, we will still look for certain additional funding to hope -- to exercise some of those other options. with that, i conclude my remarks. i am available for any questions. >> members of the board? are the members of the public who have requested to speak? >> no, mr. chairman. >> just to clarify, this will cover not only the underground, but surface as well? >> yes. i apologize if i was not clear. geographic coverage is 95%.

including the around 1400 vehicles. >> this will help us with one of our operational goals we have talked about. it is done to allow the control center to communicate on a driver to driver basis. >> yes. real-time direct communication with vehicles. it allows them to monitor the routes and schedules. >> members of the board? is there a motion? >> motion to approve. >> second. thank you. >> item 12, authorizing the director of transportation to initiate a pilot program to provide free muni to either of low-income use or to all -- youth or to all youth.

>> thank you. at the last minute, members of the board as the director of transportation to come back and talk specifically about how this would be paid for. the free muni for all youth. you have sent out a report. i want you to respond to some of the comments we have received recently about [inaudible] >> thank you. let me first say in the process of developing a proposed balanced operating budget and capital budget, that was presented to you last time, along the way, the issue of the need ofyouth and the extent to

which the decline of the yellow school buses and the costs of the fast pass and the state of the economy had converged to create a situation where affordability seem to be a real issue for our youth. i think it was very compelling. the feedback, it was very compelling. i was very pleased working in large part because of the leadership of the organizations representing youth to have been able to include in the proposed budget to an opportunity for us to pilot subject of receipt of some regional funding free muni for half the kids in san francisco. that was a tremendous, a significant proposal. half the kids riding free for the next 22 months.

i want to commend the folks who brought this issue forward, to the point where we are not discussing whether we should do this, we are discussing to what extent. that coming to me, is a huge leap forward. i build a budget based on what i thought the responsible way was to address that jury compelling need. -- a very compelling need. the direction from the board at the last meeting was for me to discuss how i would recommend modifying the budget to incorporate a pilot that would make muni free for all youth. as was the case to the development of the entire budget, the development of this proposed modification to the

budget is something that i took very seriously. i endeavored with my staff in good faith to develop what i thought was a responsible recommendation. the basic difference is a 22- month pilot to make muni free for low income use only. we identified a revenue lossthe . what is not included in those numbers are any increases in service that we may have to provide as a result of increased ridership. it was bad delta of $6.6 million of the two-year budget that was the gap that needed to close. what i did, looking at the operating budget and a capital budget, was propose the

following. from the operating budget, i had proposed a very significant assessment and maintenance of the system. that is the core theme of this budget and it remained so regardless of the outcome today. $30 million of annual funding to enhance the level of maintenance we need to provide to our system to make reliable and safe. because that was something that was added to the budget, and is not part of the base, and because i have taken all the steps i could take responsibly to cut the base, including reductions in management, reductions in overtime and workers' comp and equipment costs, i did not feel like there was any more base to cut without cutting service. what i am proposing is $3.8

million production in planned increase expenditures for bus maintenance. the reason i selected bus maintenance, and this is after discussions with staff, while we certainly have needs that far outstretched the generous budget that we are trying to propose, in the area of bus maintenance, we have our best and new opportunity for advancement of fleet purchases to try to address the underlying bus costs. of all the areas i was proposing for increased investment with regard to maintenance, this was probably the lowest priority. that has a lot of assumptions built into it.

in proposing a reduction in what i thought was an important expenditure is not something i take lightly. i certainly do not mean to be putting one important versus another. in order for us to find the additional $6.6 million, there are trade-offs that we have to make. i know some folks may be do not like that or do not like what i have chosen, but there are real trade-offs that we have to make. that is $3.8 million of the $6.6 million. the other is to reduce from the capital budget. these are from the lifeline funds. $2.1 million would be a reduction of state prop 1-b funds that are intended for use of capital improvements in low- income neighborhoods. as many of those advocating for

free muni for all youth have suggested, we have more lifeline funds now that we have that in the past. if we were to be prioritized the use of funds, which is not what i initially recommended, this would be a way to do it. that $2.1 million, up where we not to every prioritize it to expand the free muni for all youth pilots would be otherwise funds that we would seek authorization to use for transit improvements in low-income neighborhoods, such as mission mobility project. we have gone some funding for the mission mobility project, but it is not for the fund did. that is a project that would speed up muni through the mission corridor. again, in my proposed budget, i

prioritized that over expanded free muni for all youth. it is a reasonable path. the other portion of the capital budget was the $700,000 reduction in state funds that we would otherwise have used to attach bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects to paving projects. often, but we were about to repave the road, we would come to the mta. are there any improvements in your queue? and do with less disruption and less cost than doing them separately. the answer that came back, we have those needs, but we do not have the funding. we would otherwise, were the

sons not we prioritize, to expand this pilot, we would use these funds for that purpose. that is the sum of the $6.6 million. i know i have read some comments to the extent that this proposal is creating a false choices. i would respectfully disagree with that. i have endeavored in very good faith to present what i believed our real options that the board can consider and that our real policy decisions. there are trade-offs. once we expand beyond the $5 million that the advocates, to their great credit, have identified as being available from the empty seats, and -- mtc, to go beyond that, there are budget impacts.

we could disagree over whether these are the right trade-offs to make. these are the most responsible. the most responsible ones. i do not know -- to what extent i need to address other comments at this point. it may be helpful for me to clarify things at the end of public comment. >> we hear from the members of the public. the public comment period is closed except on what he is just saying at this point. i would ask that you keep strictly to that. we will hear from the public and then we will come back and have the conversation and make the decision. i see we are joined by supervisor campos. >> for people who are standing, the fire codes require us to ask that you moved your room 417 is

a seat is not available. you will be able to fully hear the proceedings. people standing, if you could please move to 417. 416. >> good afternoon, mr. president. it is good to see you. i hope you are doing better. as i understand, it had nothing to do with muni. whatever happens, we have a safe system. i do want to thank you for the opportunity to say a few words. i also want to thank the staff and the director of transportation. you have a great opportunity today to take the mta in a very different direction in terms of how it deals with children and families and youth. we have articulated as to why we believe the right approach is to make muni free for all children and h