1999, when prop k leveraged a billion dollar replacement of the fleet, the performance went up 70 percent in 18 months, clearly there is an advantage to that. this organization is posed to provide that kind of local match again to renovate the fleet. what is pending have none to do the prop k program and everything to do with the discussion that is ongoing on standards for use of life and essentially getting in for the federal funds and as soon as that issue is resolved, and the mta is ready with the appropriatal location requests we stand ready to provide the new match so that there be a new fleet. >> we understand that it takes a significant amount of time and the aimportant issue

related to that, is facilities, we have been working on the mta for years now and ensuring that there is a good plan, it makes no sense to buy a new fleet and not be able to maintain it so there has to be an appropriate capacity to do that and the budget to do the maintenance as well and that is another issue. but from the standpoint of the transportation authority and the funding we are pleased to be a partner in that as soon as those issues are addressed. i also would like to and i'm really glad that the union brought up the issue of operator rest rooms and because even under prop k, the money that was ear marked for operator rest room thises is a serious issue in the city that the operators needs to have the ability to go to a rest room at the end of the line or

somewhere, safely, and in a dignitied, way and we see the buses double parked, and the issues with the operator rest rooms that the mta and even before it was just mun i has had decade long engagement process and it is difficult to find in the neighbor as to where to locate these facilities, whether it is the end of the line or other places there is always an issue with that as a recall and this was a long time ago, we started with 14 locations city wide and then the number, as the muni representatives engaged the neighborhoods and worked through the issues and so on, shrink to about 7 or so and we were posed to fund whatever was available but the difficulty

was essentially dealing with local acceptance of those. we now on the prop k can fund the rest rooms under the facilities line item and it would depend on the ability to put before you, a funding request for locations that were accessible to the neighborhoods, i think that it was very well worth the cause to pursue. >> thank you, and again we look forward to working with all of our agency partners including the mta and our labor partners as well and we are always happy to hear input on these issues and i would be happen i don't to follow up with mr. williams and any other representatives of twu on this issue. >> could you call 16. >> management transition discussion, this is an information item >> colleagues, as it was noted earlier, as you know we have our executive director who will be retiring from the agency at

the end of this calendar year. just wanted to have a discussion as to what process we should follow in remaining a permanent new executive director and just note that as indicated earlier, under the administrative code that governors the county transportation authority, when there is a vacantcy in the position, the chief deputy steps in and informs the duties of the executive director, until such time until the board actually appoints a permanent replacement. once his retirement becomes effective, lombardo as chief deputy will slip in and assume the responsibilities after the executive director. so i am confident that as we figure out how to proceed in

terms of finding a replacement that the work of the agency will continue and that miss lumbardo and her senior team will make sure that you know, that the work continues to run smoothly. one of the things that could happen is that we have a personnel committee that is composed of the commission of the committee as well as the chair of two committees that could work with staff and come back to the full board with a recommendation for how to proceed. my own personal view and i look forward to hear from all of you is that you know there should be a formal search and that we need to you know, try to find, the most qualified person that we can get. and that in considering that

search that we should also seriously consider any candidate that might be interested and there are also benefits to having an internal candidate as well being considered. so with that, vice, chair, weiner? >> thank you, yeah, i want to second the chair's remarks that because of the depth of the staff and i think that we are going to be in good shape while we conduct a search and so, i feel and i have full confidence there. and i i think that we should be very thoughtful about this, and cast a wide net in terms of doing a full search, considering both internal and external candidates. there are a lot of great people in various parts of the transit and financing world and i know that we will attract a solid

pool of candidates. it may make sense to work with a professional who can help us to make sure that we are recruiting good candidates to take a hard look at this position. and you know, ultimately that obviously it will be a decision for the full authority. and i am confident that we will come up with a good process. i think that we should get that process under way sooner rather than later we don't need to be a rush per se, because the authority's staff is so stable and there is a solid foundation, but you know, i think that in terms of taking the initial steps, that might be good. to do sooner rather than later, including if we decide to go in the direction of engaging in a professional to get that person in place soon. >> thank you. >> vice chair weiner, commissioner david chiu? >> thank you.

i would like to also sort of join in on the comments of our chair and vice chair and supporting, and considering a search forum and moving forward as quick as we can. and i understand that was not count everied for action today and i think that that does make sense and i do hope that whoever is involved in the search sits down probably with each member of this body to really understand the diversity of perspective and what kind of qualifications we are looking for and so we can build a consensus on what we are looking for as far as leadership. and we should take this opportunity of the transition as we consider the future leadership to take a step back and think about how we can make sure that this governing structure it the most effective wave that we can look at this and if there are other ways, that other cities, can help add to a government structure and that will make sense here and i would like to engage in that conversation and make thur that all of us provide feedback and

a little bit of research on that. >> thank you, commissioner. >> and when they say that my plan is that as we convene, a meeting of the personnel committee, and in the very near future and i will figure out as to when the timing of that and i would ask at that point, staff to provide some options so that the committee can have a discussion about what this process looks like, including the engagement of an outside firm and also, a process for making sure that there is meaningful public, and community involvement. and in this election, and the committee could then bring a proposal to the full commission, for action. and but my hope would be that we could have a vetting of that process through the personnel committee which under the rules that governor the commitsing is supposed to perform that function and then we bring

something to the full board in terms of governor nans and structure i am open to any that the other agencies do but the most important thing for me is that we protect the independence of this agency which, i think, plays a very important role because of that independence. commissioners, avalos? >> thank you, i just want to add my two cents to the discussion. we are sprensing as well, not just the transition of the director, but also we are going to a new year where we could have a different leadership among members of this commission, and this authority. and i would like to think that if there are people who are selected from early on you mentioned, chair campos, the chair, the vice chair and the or in this case, the vice chair is also the chair of finance committee and chair of the programs and committee which is myself that we take part in kind of a process to design

what, you know, the transition period would look like and where our thoughts are representing to the full commission >> thank you, commissioner avalos and i certainly will be in touch with the members of that personnel committee and of course, it is a public meeting which will allow the members to provide input as well. but i think that it is fair to say that we want a process that is thorough, complete and transparent. and vice chair, weiner? >> yeah, well i would just say, if we do, i have no idea what the leadership is going to be and who is going to be a chair or not a chair.

or on the personnel committee as it is structured under our rules. but, depending on what the timing is going to be, if there is a new, personnel committee, as of january, that personnel committee should head it up. and i have no idea if i will be on or not on that committee, and it is really not about, who the individuals are, and it is about the structure of the body, and we have a personnel committee which may be different in january and if that is the case, then, i don't see any reason why that new committee would not be the one to head this up. in addition to this since it is... and i don't know what the rules are going to be, obviously some aspects of hiring, would not be open. but, other authority members, may want to participate and i think that we want to broad participation of the full, and as much as feasible consistent with the brown act, etc. and this is one of the most perhaps, the most important

decision that is transportation authority makes in hiring, an executive director. and so, i want to make sure that it is very inclusive process for the members of this authority. >> thank you. >> and what i would say is that i would think that it is... there is something wrong with actually commissioner chu? >> thank you, i just want to echo my support for supervisor weiner's comments. i think that it is great to be able to have the personnel committee meet to be able to go through some of the piece and kind of bring perhaps, a set of ideas to us. but i think that it is very important for our members of the commission, even the folks who are not on the committees to be able to play an active role in the structure of how it is that we go forward and engage in a process to a higher new director and i think that as supervisor chu mentioned what the structure of this body should look like, what the current structure works? do we think that we could do it differently? >> i think that it is something that we ought to take a look at and make sure that whoever we bring on board will be in line

with what we are thinking moving forward and so, i think that it is important, and in that regard to be able to have the engagement of more members of this body than not. >> thank you. >> and commissioner, weiner? >> yeah, and in fact, it may be... and again i would probably this is probably guidance from council that we need in terms of as we go through the hiring process, whatever the structure is, what the public and what is not. public. and assuming that it is significant, portion of it will be public, which may or may not be the case, but if a meaningful portion of it may be public. it may actually make sense for the committee to consist of five, authority, five commissioners. and our committees typically consist of five and are given the importance of the decision, i think that the broader the base the better, i am not definitively advocating for that, and i have an open mind on that and i just want to put

that out there so that we are all thinking about what the different structures might look like. >> commissioner chu? >> one more comment i think as supervisor chu or commissioner chu mentioned earlier about the idea of looking for best practice and other jurisdictions i think that we str a well functioning overization and we have great staff who provide wonderful work and advocacy for us and i am interested to see that is there a way that we can do things better? does the staff have ideas to do things better and do we have best practices from other place? s and one other entity that i would be remiss if i did not mention is the mta and i would want to engage with them and see how we can work as a body with the mta as we move the projects joinly together and that would be an additional comment. >> thank you. >> icouple of issues that have been raised. i want to suggest that we should be consider them separate and apart from the new leadership. it is inherent as we review the

candidates and what their vision is on where the agency goes and we also have a picture on where we want the agency to go so that there is a congruence of a vision there. and to the comment about, the relationship of say personnel committee to this body, i think what i would heard from some of our colleagues is i don't think that we want to process where a personnel committee delivers us one name without any understanding of who the other candidates are and what other qualifications are available. so if it is possible, to have potentially, at least, one or more closed sessions to understand, and to develop some consensus as a body as to what we are looking for and then review the different candidates according to that. that is where i think that some of the concerns that are being raised around exactly the make-up of the personnel committee is coming from. >> my thoughts on the personnel committee, i think that my view of what what the personnel committee should be right now is simply to at least vet the options for the process and it

may be that when we come back to this body that the body decides that the entirety of the body should be essentially playing the role of a personal committee. but i do believe that as for beginning the work of figuring out options for what the process looks like, but that it is appropriate for the personnel committee to at least, you know, look at those options and bring something back to the board and i think that in the end, the board and every member of this board should be as involved as we as a body decide that should happen. i don't, and so, but i do think that it is important because we are not going to be able to have meetings, and as a body until next year for the personnel committee to begin at least going through or figuring out what those options are in terms of process. so that is the only thought that i have, commissioner weiner? >> yeah, and one additional point, again this is food for thought. is it might make sense, also

for us to really include some we have a lot of wisdom in our current and in terms of people who are either sort of the ed harrington of the world. you know, people who have really just you know, understand, or could provide valuable feedback in assisting the authority and in the process. and i just want to also encourage, engaging participation of people in the community current and former city employees, department heads who may have valuable input. >> and absolutely and i think that that one of the things that i think that we should discuss at the personnel committee level and then bring it back to the board and at the end of the day, for me, the board is the one that is going to make these decisions, and i also think that it is important for us and the reason why this was not agenda as an action item. is that we are going to have two new members of this body, and i wanted to make sure that

they had an opportunity to have a say in sort of what this process looks like. and i think that it is good that we have this discussion. >> colleagues, any other comments? before we open it up to public comment? >> so why don't we, ask any member of the public who would like to speak on this item to please come forward. >> i have been attending these meetings for a very, very long time and i have heard you all speak in generalities and the bottom line is whoever is going to lead the san francisco transportation authority, will that person be able to take us to a better place? will that person really be able to walk with the stake holders

and the mta and the other departments like the department of public works and so on and so forth. we need that type of leadership. now, coming to the meetings, hundreds of meetings, i have seen you all, so-called, board of supervisors just rubber stamps hundreds of millions of dollars and don't even ask a question. now that must stop. now you have heard the union say today, when it comes to our buses, when it comes to our operations, when it comes to the welfare of our union employees, this city and county of san francisco has done injustice. and let me remind you, there was a time where we had a mayor, instead of spending the

money on muni buses he spent all of the money on sfpd, why am i saying that? we need a leader to lead this agency, the san francisco county transportation authority who has the balls to stand on his own feet and do the right thing. and what i have heard here, especially from some members just going in circle and in circle and circles. we are also need a leader, who has compassion and a welfare of the taxpayers. now, this is very difficult to do with some of the head hunters, but we need somebody new. we need to open this windows and it is doors of this agency and let all of the cob webs get out. that is my subjective opinion, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> is there any other member of the public who would like to

speak on this item? >> seeing, none, public comment is closed. >> again, this was an informational item and it is just sort of to begin this discussion, and i would be meeting on the personnel committee so that we could have a discussion about the different options in terms of process and we will make sure that we bring this item back to this commission expeditionly. >> if you could please call item 17. >> introduction of new iments, this is an information item. >> colleagues any new item to introduce? is there any member of the public who like to speak? >> seeing none, public comment is closed. >> if you kaoul the next. >> item 18. public comment. >> any member of the public that would like to speak on any item that is not on the agenda but is in the jurisdiction of the commission please come forward. >> mr. chairman, and commissioners, good afternoon, i'm vince harris the director

of capitol programs and construction for the san francisco municipal transportation agency. it is a pleasure to be here this afternoon. i come to reintroduce myself to the commission. this is my second time around as the capacity of sfmta and it is a pleasure to be here and served in the capacity some seven years ago and departed and became the directive of another agency in the central valley and i have been honored enough to be allowed to come back and serve in this capacity again. i want this body to know that we have heard many of the comments that were made today but both the public and the union. we certainly understand those comments and, we do not take them lightly. we have a significant purpose in this community, and we are working very hard to meet all of the needs of our riders daily. it is a complex, undertaking a balancing act, between operations and maintenance.

providing service as a carrier of probably the largest number of persons per day in the bay area. so, i come here first and foremost to say thank you to this body for providing guidance and certainly funding for many of the projects that we undertake as we go forward. i also come to this afternoon i must do this to acknowledge my colleague, louis who and i go back over 20 years of service to public. even during our days of working in alamena county together. i thank you for your service and i appreciate you, and the industry will miss you, tremendously. and as you go forward and do other things. and i myself, learned many things from you over the years and i thank you for that. and we are available at any time for your guidance. so, thank you so much for this body's what you do for us, in terms of your funding.

i guarantee you that sfmta will use those funds appropriately and try to address those concerns and needs that were raised today. thank you very much. >> if you, very much. >> we appreciate the comments. and any other member of the public who would like to speak please come forward. >> chairman, i stand before you today as a senior, and as a senior, i have seen so many discreptcies from time-to-time in regards to drivers of muni transportation and seniors. let it be known that seniors are not as strong as they were in formal years. and so when it comes for them

to be using the bus as their own means of transportation, the drivers, should have these and discretion for the reason of those times for those seniors to come to the bus and then get off. and get on. >> this is not the case. i have seen it for myself, time and time again. and today, at to the meetings to speak about this issue. i think is a more than time that you all should sit down

with the thet them know that the seniors being treated and the drivers of muni. and it shows a lack of... it shows a lack of respect. because, today,... one day those drivers of muni are not going to be able to work any longer. and probably they are only means of transportation will be muni and there will expect at that to protect their... in time to get a decent measure of respect. thank you for listening to me. >> thank you very much.

any other member of the public? >> seeing none, public comment is closed >> if we could cause the next item. >> item 19, adjournment. >> congratulations to you and thank you and your family and your partner in particular for all of your great work and wishing everyone a very happy holiday season, happy new year. meeting adjourned.

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