on the transportation side, the news has not then as bad as it could have been. the loan proposal that could have affected transportation right now is to transfer some of the off-road diesel fuel revenues. this is permissible, according to the fuel tax swap. it does impact transportation because it means less revenues are available, but we do not know much more than that. there are no details of the things that we care about, such as the state level of assistance. one piece of good news is a recommendation for $700,000 to caltrans to provide better coordination on the blended rail services and high speed rail in northern california. i will follow on the chair remarks in terms of the action that the mtc and abag just recently took on. it is true historically number of fronts and over all we did

quite well. but i think seventh of the 12 -- seven of the 12 projects that we saw supported received funds. there was also more money directed to the one bay area grant where we get more money for transit enhancement, and there were definitely some disappointments, like the proposal to set first priority for the $660 million reserve of new and small start funds, going primarily to the north and east bay. a few of coming out reach things to draw your attention to. on the geary corridor brt study, there is targeted outreach, plant community meetings in the various neighborhoods on june 24, 25, and 26. there is more information at our website.

on the bridge replacement project, we have been working closely with commissioner cohen's office. this is a caltrans own the bridge that needs to be replaced due to its age. if we replace it, we do not want to preclude it pay feature of pocono station. we are working to evaluate, and do our due diligence on the options available for cost and feasibility. we anticipate coming back to the pants and policy committee at the july meeting. caltrans is holding a public information meeting on thursday may 24 on changes they have done to slow boulevard. this has been a road diet, reducing traffic lanes, improving pedestrian and bicycle and safety. that is at the san francisco zoo, if anyone is interested in attending. commissioner campos: thank you.

we have a question from commissioner olague. commissioner olague: i'm wondering what the seven projects you were referring to. >> i will give you some of them. the van ness brt project. you the effect of this project. -- van ness effectiveness project. commissioner campos: we have a question for commissioner mar. commissioner mar: thank you. many of us were at the mtc/abag meeting. the positive things are really great, and i and whether you enologist them, but could i ask you about the impact of the decision to prioritize north bay and east bay for the new small starts funding and how that will

impact the van ness brt or geary brt project? >> that i think the dust is still settle in on this, but for the benefit of the public, for those who may not have been watching, there are $660 million in the regional transportation plan that was set aside for yet to be determined new or small start projects in the region. in the past, it has been important to get the seal of approval from the mtc, to say this is a regional party. it helps our delegation in washington. traditionally, this was a focus on the major rail extension. when the game changer is here, we have this new pot of money called small starts. we have projects like van ness brt and geary moving forward. it is a major disappointment for geary.

the van ness has been named as a cart -- party for small start funds. what did not make the cut for us were geary brt, santa clara projects, under development, expecting to see money before the next rtp period. we are not technically precluded from seeking a small start fund but we would potentially be doing so without the benefit of the mtc's benefit -- silver approval. i still think we need to think about how we will approach this. we have the lack of a federal bill appeared when the bill passes, we need to see the revenue level, eligibility requirements. mtc staff included in their language, even though it gave prairies to the next project to the north bay and east bay, the carefully inserted warning that they have to go through a performance analysis and comply with all the requirements. it may be that some of those other projects to the magic of

for funding. it is something that we will continue to work on with all of you to make sure that our products keep on moving forward. commissioner mar: before these major regional meetings, since in the number of us sit on the regional bodies, as we look at the sustainable community strategy, other projects, i hoped we could stay in touch and coordinate with other allies like san jose and oakland on issues like the regional housing needs assessment to make sure that the so-called wealthier areas are doing their fair share for affordable housing development as well. on the commissioner chiu: -- geary brt, i am happy to see that there are community meetings coming up soon. also, of ththank you for the ine

people that these community meetings. commissioner campos: we have a question from vice chair wiener. commissioner wiener: i wanted to follow up on the question about the $660 million. it was an odd situation, awkward because the mtc representatives from the north bay has been extraordinarily supportive of san francisco projects because they really do think regionally and understand the importance of some of these projects, so it is always awkward and not to be agreed with them. i think we also all understood that the north bay and east they are entitled to their fair share of funding and all of that. the way this ended up being worded, and our colleagues in the north they publicly made

clear, this does not segregate that funding only for east bay and north bay. basically, they give priority. if they come forward with good projects and get access to the money, but they come forward with projects that do not rate well with the fda, the other counties can access that money. even though the wording is not as clear as what we would like to be -- and we tried to clarify it unsuccessfully -- they were clear in publicly stating their intention. i think that should be clear at this point. commissioner campos: colleagues, any other questions or comments? commissioner chu. commissioner chu: thank you. all was also at that meeting. i want to thank supervisor wiener for his leadership on making sure that language was clear even though the amendments did not take. it was clear what the intention was.

commissioner campos: thank you, commissioner. let's open up to public comment. is there anyone from the public that would like to comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. madam clerk, please call item 5. >> item 5. program $400,000 in cycle 3 lifeline transportation program (ltp) state transit assistance funds to the san francisco municipal transportation agency's (sfmta's) free muni for low income youth pilot program and concurring with the sfmta's ltp prop 1b project priorities, including a wait list project in case there are unneeded ltp prop 1b funds. this is an action item. commissioner campos: unless there are any questions -- this was an item that was considered by the plans and programs committee. is there anyone from the public that would like to comment on this item? sorry.

we have speaker cards. >> [speaking spanish]

>> midafternoon. -- good afternoon. i wanted to ask for your support of this funding. a lot of our families are low- income. we do not have other options for transporting ourselves. many of us have multiple children and to have to make multiple trips to pick up our children to and from school, and that makes it very expensive and difficult for us to be able to support our families in this way, so that is why we are asking for your support. commissioner campos: thank you. let me read a cue cards. angelina yu. jane martin. estella linda montoya.

>> [speaking in spanish] >> i just wanted to share an experience that i had riding the bus last week where i saw a student on the bus trying to get to school in the morning. he was told he could get on

because he did not have fare. this was difficult for me to watch. she was telling me out said that even i wanted to give him $2 for him to get to go to school. we are asking for your support. commissioner campos: thank you. next speaker please. >> my name is linda montoya. we have been working on this program for months. i want to ask that we make you the free passes for all youth. we need your support to make this happen, and to fund part of this program. from my experience, i am the mother of a 9-year-old boy. we ride from bayview district to downtown to school every day. i am not the only family that struggles this way when it comes to our transportation. i would also like to thank the board of supervisors for your support.

thank you. commissioner campos: thank you very much. >> i and the youth organizer with people with an unemployment rights. i want to thank you for your ongoing support so far on this item. i am representing the youth from the bayview, mission, and excelsior, who could not be here today. as an organizer, i ride the bus several times a week to talk about their experience on public transportation. for many people, we hear countless stories about muni becoming less affordable and less accessible. for many people, they have to choose between food and basic needs are paying for public recitation, which is not really a choice. it becomes increasingly difficult for families who have multiple children to have to pay for all their fares. the young people i have met said they feel unsafe stepping into environment of fear of being ticketed for not been able to afford their fair. i want to remind us today that muni is their school bus and

this is the way they are able to move around, not only to school, but do vital services around the city. today we have a huge opportunity to make a small investment that could impact the lives of thousands of children, youth, and families in the city. we look forward to your leadership to make this pilot program a reality. commissioner campos: thank you. next speaker please. >> [speaking spanish]

>> i am a mother and i just want to say that we would really appreciate your support and we count on your support because a lot of us are low income and it is difficult for us to make ends meet. if you are able to approve these $400,000 for this program, it would mean a lot to us and a lot of families in the city. commissioner campos: thank you. next speaker please. >> [speaking spanish]

>> good afternoon. i am a member of power, a single mother, and i wanted to share with you my experience. i have two kids and it is very difficult for me to pay for my children to ride muni as well as my own adults fare. i have also seen children being pulled off a bus. it is sad when they are getting ready to go to school, if they do not have 75 cents to ride the bus and try to get an education. >> [speaking spanish] >> i want to thank all of you who have been supportive of our campaign so far and i hope that you will continue to support us. thank you. commissioner campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> my name is angelina yu.

i have been a part of the coalition for youth. over this past year, i have got a pat -- chance to work with young people from all their goods across san francisco sharing what consistent voice, that affordability of muni is something they really care about. this campaign has been driven by young people. the justice aspect is that we are seeing young people speak up about their needs to make transit accessible for them and their families. the transportation side of it, aside from the needs of the campaign, we see young people at the table now with sfpuc and sfmta. it will be a two-year pilot and we are hearing many students, many in middle school and high school, how they want a program to work. we have been working to design an education and outreach component. the education component is ready to kick off. surveys have been done with high school students and middle

school students to understand the relationship with public transit, their needs, and hal muni can work for this demographic of young people. additionally, about which campaigns are being talked about by young people. they are asking, how can we let more young people know about this program? this is something that will build that sense of lifelong ridership that the ta cares about for the next generation of writers. >> thank you. next speaker. >> i am the chair of the san francisco youth commission. i have been involved in this topic since i have been on the youth commission. i want to be really clear, the funds for this program are coming -- the $400,000 that you will be voting on today -- comes from a regional fund specifically for low income people. that is what they were created to do. i think it is more than fitting to use this money for free muni

for low income youth. i encourage you to use that money for this program. i think you all for your support, in the past, and moving forward. have a good morning. commissioner campos: thank you. next speaker. >> my name is jane and i am from power. i want to thank you for your support in this issue. as most of you know, we have secured funds from the mta for this program and the samba schools district. the remaining part of it is the piece that you will be voting on today as well as funds we are looking for for the metropolitan transportation commission regional funds. as we go to the regional commissioners and ask for support of the san francisco project, it is a board that we are united as a city in supporting this program. because we are still doing all the advocacy, the more support we can have today in support of this funding will indicate to the region that we are serious

and united behind this program. i know some concerns have been raised about what happens after the pilot project. the point of a pilot project is to study the issue, see what works, and spend the time identifying the ongoing funding. i want to assure you we are committed as a community and advocates to work and long term funding piece, but we need your support as well. to say we do not want to support this program because we are wary about future funding is to say that we expect low income children who are trying to get to school to fill in the gap in our budget. that is unacceptable. you have heard from members of power and community members across the city about the crisis that families are having and children are having, being criminalize on their way to school and work and after-school activities. commissioner campos: thank you very much. next speaker please. >> supervisors, you know, today,

they are going to observe this day in honor of harvey milk. i also want to talk about a great leader, sees her job as. i want to put this in context. -- cesar chavez. you supervisors, when it comes to paying five other thousand dollars to someone like nathaniel ford, you do not say a word, but when it comes to helping our senior and youth linked to the transportation, everybody has to go through all of these hurdles. now, those who are poor, those who do not have the ability to represent in the courts, they come here and humbly request of you, but the poor have been

trying to say something to you for over 10 years. i remember when you could ride you the 4 5 cents. then 25 cents. then 25 cents. then 75 cents. now whatever. it is very easy, with our $6.9 billion, to give our youth free transportation. not only poor youth, but all youth spirit if you cannot get that, you will not be able to get anything. supervisors, if you have the guts, do the right thing. whether it is harvey milk, cesar chavez, martin luther king, jesus christ, they all worked for the people. thank you very much. commissioner campos: thank you.

is there any other member of the public that would like to speak? seeing none, public comment is closed. colleagues, i am not going to repeat some of the points that have been made about this proposal, but it would finalize the city's commitment by having the county transportation authority dedicate money to this effort. i respectfully ask for your support. lastly, i want to thank the families, parents, the youth who have been working on this campaign to provide free fares, now for low income youth. thank you very much. it is greatly appreciated. commissioner abel los? -- vavalos? commisioner avalos: i just wanted to concur with your comments, thank the efforts that have been made through these many years. organizing an ad accusing across the city with our young people

to make this day -- advocating across the city with our young people to make this day in reality has been incredible. this is one of the greatest efforts i have seen, bar any age, of people doing this kind of work. i just want to congratulate you on that effort, being here today, and we will get this done. commissioner campos: thank you. commissioner campokim. commissioner kim: i just wanted to reiterate my support for this program and how proud i am of our youth leaders and families coming to bat on this program. it is an innovative idea for san francisco, a program that many other cities already have, which is to provide free transit for our youth going to school. we require our youth to go to school, we want our youth to go to school, and transit should never be a barrier or an excuse as to why they cannot get there.

i also wanted to talk about the history of how this came to be, which was coming as our youth fares rose dramatically to fix the gap in the mta budget, when i was at the school district, we try to negotiate with the mta to get funds to get discounted passes for low income youth. it was really frustrating, for one year, that money just sat, because we could not figure out how to use that money administratively, due to labor issues, the issue of handling cash at multiple school sites, and the immense difficulty of that. so for an entire school year, youth that were willing to get these discounted passes, were not able to get them. this was the solution that came out of that challenging process, where there was a commitment to provide a way for our young people to travel on public

transit, but that solution just did not work. i think this was a good solution that came out of that, but i think there was a long history that got us to this point. that is important to it knowledge and recognize. it is important for a city to show strongly that we support this program, and that we support our young people here in san francisco. thank you. commissioner campos: commissioner olague? commissioner olague: this is an issue that is a no-brainer. i want to thank everyone who organized and for their efforts, the youth commission for their leadership that they have shown here. school is required. the way things are set up here, the options for attending schools near where you live is not necessarily present. youth have to travel, in many cases, long distances to do what is required of them. certainly, we do not want to

contribute to issues of a truancy or anything. it seems to be and a side issue, but we want to do whatever we can to make sure that you if -- youth, especially folks accessing these passes, are attending school, preparing for their future. i just want to thank all of the folks from power and the youth commission for the leadership that they have shown on this. i think there are still a lot of things that we have to look at. again, as i mentioned, sometimes where you have households with working parents, it is sometimes hard to make sure that children are being accompanied on public transportation to get to school safely, so there are a lot of issues that we still need to look at regarding this. the pilot program is two years, so we will be able to identify how we need to tweak it in the

next few years. commissioner campos: commissioner mar. commissioner mar: i want to thank the grass-roots coalition for this as well, congratulate them on the victory so far. i want to reiterate what a number of you said, like my daughter, muni is our children paused school bus often, with the cutbacks at the school district, and many families are struggling, and this would help them make ends meet. as the representatives of power, other organizations mentioned, this is part of the approval today. we still need to be as united as possible to bring this to the regional body, the mtc. i would also urge our colleagues to be as strong as possible in supporting san francisco's effort in this campaign. thanks again to the mothers that were out here and you that have testified in number of times