>> good morning, and welcome to the san

francisco county transportation authority meeting for march 1211th, 2019. our clerk is mr. alberto contino. clerk, will you please call the roll. [roll call] >> we have quorum. >> chairman: thank you. colleagues, we have had yet another pedestrian fatality, in district one. there was one in district three and one in direct six. our colleague, commissioner fewer is dealing with that right now. i would like to have a motion to excuse

commissioner fewer until she can get here, made by commissioner stefani, and seconded by commissioner ronen, and we will take that without objection. can r we have the citizens advisory committee report, please, mr. tanen. >> good morning chair peskin and commissioners. i'm in the district eight, representative to the c.a.c., and i was asked to give this report because chair larsen was not able to attend. so a few items. you're item six to adopt a motion of support for the allocation of $560,000 in sales tax funds for the neighborhood project was unanimously approved. and your item seven to adopt a motion of support for the amendment to the prop "a" strategic plan, that was also unanimously

approved. and the c.a.c. raised a few questions about that issue. they asked could the transportation network companies, or t.n.c.s be required to register scooters and newer motorized vehicles? could all t.n.c. vehicles providing service in san francisco be charged the prop "a" $10 registration fee, whether or not they were registered in san francisco, and was there a particular strategy for outreach to communities of concern about prop "a." and your item eight, a motion of support to authorize the executive director to execute various documents regarding treasure island projects, the c.a.c. did not approve this item. there were three yeas and three abstentions.

and one member obtained because they had ethical concerns about, and questions about, the working environment of caltrans based on conversations they had with a female caltrans' employee. and another person abstained because they had worked with the u.s. army corps of engineers and they wanted to avoid any potential conflict of interest. and the last item, the c.a.c. has a standing request for monthly progress reports for the van nuys avenue d.r.t. project, and the project manager, peter, reported that construction is approximately 27% complete, which is a 1% increase since the previous month. and the c.a.c. had a lengthy discussion of the project, including van

nuys avenue business closures and potential impacts of the project on property values. the impact on the new california pacific medical center, over time due two to increasing staff production to six days a week, and special traffic permits and caltrans permission for weekend closures. the review board, and the slip lining replacing old water lines, and water sequencing of new water lines. so we had a lot of questions, and there is a long discussion of these items. so this concludes my report. and i'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. >> chairman: thank you, mr. tanen, for that very thorough report. with regard to the questions about the $10 for measure aa, did you get a response from staff as to whether or not that was possible or not? >> currently, it only applies to vehicles that are registered within the

city and county of san francisco. >> chairman: so that would require a change in law? >> yes. >> chairman: and with regard to the van nuys b.r.t., was mr. gabancho's answers to your questions satisfy? >> i think they were fairly satisfactory. i mean, the project is taking a long time. and i understand that they've uncovered underground utilities that they didn't expect, but, you know -- i'm just surprised that the progress has been so slow. >> chairman: and have they resolved their disputes with walsh construction? did they answer those questions for you? >> we didn't actually talk about those questions. i mean, they -- i guess they mentioned there was this dispute review board, and we wanted to know who was on the board, but we didn't talk about the details of the resolution of the dispute. >> chairman: so is

probably, staff, it is about time this body hear that, and i would request that the c.a.c. participate as much as you desire, and i know that affects a number of different districts, and we're all legitimately concerned about the impacts to businesses up and down that corridor. is there any public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. any questions from commissioners? seeing none, thank you very much, mr. tanen. >> you're welcome. >> mr. cantinia, next item? >> approve the minutes of the february 26th meeting. >> chairman: is there any public comment on the minutes? seeing none, public comment is closed. on that item, a roll call please. commissioner stefani, i saw you in this building, so it is time for you to come into these chambers. roll call. >> on item three.

[roll call] >> we have approval. >> chairman: all right. the next item please. item four. >> appointment of up to three members to the citizens advisory committee. this is an action item. >> chairman: ms. smith, good morning. >> good morning. april smith, senior transportation planner at the transportation authority. the transportation authority has a 11 member committee, with each member serving a two-year term. the board ap appoints individuals to fill the staff and make recommendations on the appointments. applicants must be san francisco residents and must appear particular the board at least once to speak to their interests

and qualifications. attachment to in the packet is a list of applicants, and the enclosure has detailed information on each applicants. the vacancies under consideration today are the result of the term expirrations of mila and chris, and the automatic suspension of peter floor due to four absences. with that, i can take any questions. >> chairman: i don't think we have any questions. are there potential applicants who would like to testify before this body? please come forward. >> good morning, chair peskin and commissioners. my name is raini chang, and i live in district four. in my professional life, i've been motivated by the urgency of climate change, so evaluating impacts and developing policies, supporting new technologist. so i've worked with the u.s. federal government on

renewable transportation fuels, at a non-profit foundation on energy technologies in developing areas, and now i'm with the bay quality on issues like electric vehicles and energy storage. i know that individual behaviors matter as well, and this is especially true for transportation, where it relates to a lot of decisions that we make every day. so these little decisions add up to a third of greenhouse gas emissions. so that's why i'm interested in being part of the transportation authority's citizens advisory committee, so i can learn about and weigh in on the transportation programs that support s.f. residents to make greener choices. so my ideal day of transportation around the city would consistent of walking and shared biking and public transit, but i know that other people have different preferences and constraints. so if i'm appointed to the

citizens advisory committee, my goal would be to support convenient and safe options for active, shared, and electrified transportation, so it doesn't have to be a choice between environment and convenience. and then i hope my background on working on climate policies and programs in the bay area can also be of support to the transportation authority's mission as well. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. next applicant, please. >> good morning, and thank you to chair peskin, commissioners, and my ocean of support for allowing me this privilege today. my name is sofia tabula, and i'm a born and raised san franciscan. today i seek your a appointment of filling district 10.

if we were not forgotten, if we were not marginalized or deemed less valuable in our society, i would not be. because of our otherness, i am. from the rest of the moving world, i learned to navigate the toxic repercussions of social inequities, and premature death, housing, employment, and food and security. i learned the silent results of my skin color, and adapting my presence to adhere to the threatening of my body in different spaces. my objectives for the seat lwill be to mobilize the people, providing insight from our community and our experiences, bridging the gap of value through transportation, connecting people to each other, and sustainability, and afcca, to the seniors and youth. as we expect two-thirds of the population to live in cities by 2060, we need

economic sustainability in every phase of urban development. my hopes are to stand in a space that will bring value and empower the people who live in the margins of society, and yet utilize their shared spaces to be innovative, resourceful, ingeniusly creative and successful. thank you for your consideration. >> chairman: thank you so much for your testimony. are there any other other potential applicants who would like to testify? seeing none, is there any public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. what is the will of this body? let me start with commissioner walton. >> thank you so much, commissioner peskin. one, i am happy and excited to make a motion to appoint sofia tupula to

the c.a.c. >> chairman: is there a second? seconded by commissioner mandelman. colleagues, we have a different house, but -- call the roll, please, mr. cantinia. >> on item four to appoint sofia tupula to district 10. [roll call] >> we have first approval. >> chairman: congratulations, ms. tupala. commissioner mar. >> thank you, chair peskin. i first wanted to thank all of the applicants who expressed strong interests on serving on the citizens

advisory committee, but as district four supervisor, i would like to make a motion to appoint raini chang to the vacant district four seat, to the citizens advisory committee of the transportation authority. >> chairman: is there a second for imaginatio commissior mar. and a second is made. congratulations, ms. chang. and then to the district five commissioner, do you have a motion? >> yes. >> thank you. mila is not here today because she wasn't able to show up, but i definitely want to have a motion in support her. her work in history, she has been on it for 5.5 years at the c.a.c., and her knowledge of issues currently being considered by the transportation authority are major assets. she is engaged in the community. she regularly attends and the japan town taskforce

meetings, and with the police and the surrounding community, her focus is on environmental social justice, and when she is considering the projects at the c.a.c. she lives in st. francis square co-op, and she has, through these years, has pushed and helped push through traffic calming projects on webster and fafarrell, and with her efforts, a stoplight has been put up on that terrible nrgses intersection, unsafe intersection, and other traffic calming through that area. i definitely want to support and recomend her. >> chairman: a motion made by commissioner brown. is there a second for that motion? a second by commissioner walton. and colleagues, we will take that same house, same call. mr. cantinia, next item please. >> item five, this is an action item.

>> chairman: mr. bulu? >> michelle bulu, i'm a senior transportation provider with the policy division. in your packet, we have a table recommending two active positions on state legislation, as well as several bills to watch. i would like to note we are advising one of our recommendations on one bill to recommend a new support position, given new information that we've received over the last week, and the fact that the bill in question is an urgency bill. so i'll start with the two bills that we're recommending on in your original package. ab1142, and this bill establishes a state-funded grant program for programs that will reduce mileage and collect data on those projects to inform future state planning. and the bill requires that regional transportation plans, such as in san francisco and the bay

area -- it requires that they include measures of barriers to higher use of existing transit systems, including things like lack of parking. we feel it is an important part of this conversation to include as well as lack of parking, the barrier of lack of safe bike access, and lack of transit supportive land usage, as barriers to the use of transit. we are recommending a support, if amended position, on this bill. the second bill was ab1286, which would require that shared mobility companies, such as scooter share companies and bike share companies, it requires that they enter into agreements with local jurisdictions before they distribute those devices in those jurisdictions. and it requires that cities adopt safety rules regarding the use of those devices before they're deployed. there is no timeline, and we have heard that the

author intends to convene a working group to discuss this topic and work out additional details. we are recommending a support position on this bill. the new bill that we are recommending today to you recommends a support position on ab147, which revises california's sales tax collection rules to include internet sales. this is following the wayfair decision. at the chair's request, we reviewed this bill with the city's office of the treasurer and tax collector, to be sure there would be my problem with the local wayfair, and they ensure us there is no conflict. this is an urgency bill because the state department of tax and city administration intends to start collecting this sales tax on internet sales starting april 1st. we expect this bill will move rather quickly through the process, so there are not two different sets of

regulations at the state level within a few months of each other, to make it easier for retailers. i will also add that the bill expands the small business exemptions, which would not be part of the april 1st expansion of sales tax collection rules under the department of tax. we are recommending a support position on this bill. there are a few bills in your packet as well that we have brought to you to continue watching. the first is ab659, which is the california smart city challenge grant program. this introduces a bill last year as well, and it did not pass. so it is largely similar to what was introduced last year. and there are two bills which would increase oversight on transportation projects, ab1280 and ab1277. and we're tracking a bill that includes a proposal to link transportation and housing by proposing to withhold certain sb1 funds

from jurisdictions that do not have compliant housing elements. i will note that san francisco's housing element is in compliance. and lastly, i'll give you an update on the works we are doing with our legislators in sacramento to advance authorization for potential lombard street. the bill is not in print yet, however, we're working on draft language, and we hope to see something that we can share with you soon. with that, i will take any questions. >> chairman: i think we will have to amendment the resolution that is before us to include assembly bill 147, so i will take a motion for that in a minute. i do want to publicly thank my former colleague, the treasurer of the state of california, fiona mar, for grabbing the wayfair's decision of south dakota by the horns, and getting this legislation as an

emergency bill and the assembly. i'm delighted worry supporting it, and thank you for reaching out to our own treasurer tax collector's office here. is there any comments from commissioners. seeing none, is there any public comment? seeing none, the public comment is closed. can we have an amending motion that one of you can make to include assembly bill 147 in the resolved clause, and the whereas clauses of the resolution on page 25 of our packets? the resolution made by commissioner yee and seconded by commissioner brown. colleagues, can we take that amendment without objection? on the item as amended, the same house, same call. it is passed on first reading. next item, please. >> item six, allocating $560,000 improper sales

tax funds. >> chairman: mr. cantinia -- the other mr. cantinia. >> good morning. today we have one request from the sfmca, for the construction phase of the 20th avenue in neighborways. they receive some treatments for traffic calming, and so devices such as speed humps, crosswalk upgrades, traffic circles and the like to make it more inviting for biking and walking. starting on page 44 of the proposed improvements, but this will be from golden gate to stearn grove, and improvements will improve upgrading two designated bike lanes in the uphill directions, a bike signal at lincoln way. and rectangular flashing

beacons, and traffic signals. at the fire department's request, the speed bumps will be speed cushions so fire trucks can still use the street properly. and conversion -- this project includes conversion of angle parking to parallel to allow adequate space for the bike lanes. the projects are expected to be open for use by june 2020. with that, we can take any questions. >> chairman: thank you. and we heard a little bit about this from mr. tanen at the c.a.c. are there any questions from commissioners? commissioner mar? >> i just wanted to thank mr. cantinia and c.t.a. for all of your work on this and just make a few points. i think we absolutely need to invest in safe bike infrastructure, and this helps upload cycling traffic from 19th avenue, which is a

high-injury corridor. the addition of the traffic circles also address a common problem for drivers unable to make left-hand turns on the avenue. there are constituent concerns about parking lots. of the 34 spaces lost, most are spread out along 20th avenue, mitigating the impact. but there are a handful of spaces lost near irving street, an important merchant corridor, and i want to make sure we're conducting robust outreach to address the concerns those merchants have for potential lost business. and it returns 20th avenue to its historical roots. i fully support this project and want to work towards a designated and ideally protected bike way from golden gate park to the state university.

mr. cantinia, i was wondering how this 20th avenue neighborway project was selected? >> i will invite this representative to address those questions. >> good morning, commissioner. my name is matt laski. i'm a team leader of the sfmta. >> your question is how is it selected? >> yes, the 20th avenue. >> 20th avenue is an existing bike route on our bike lane network. it is through a neighborhood, and the adjacent streets to it have -- like 18th and 21st have lower volumes and lower speeds, and those aren't designated by corridors. so to improve the bike way, we chose this one and want to make improvements to slow traffic and to calm traffic on the street. >> great.

thank you. so it was really kind of selected through the planning by m.t.a. and c.t.a. identifying 20th avenue? >> yes, definitely. i think there is a need for the connection. like i said, it was an existing bike way, and the reason there is that existing bike route because there are the connections to golden gate park, irving, and teraval, and further south. >> great. thank you. and can you also describe the neighborhood outreach that happened around the planning for this? >> sure. so we held -- we did two tabling events in 2018, where staff went out to irving and another location, and we notified neighbors that we were going to be out there answering questions, collecting feedback. and then we had two

evening open houses on the corridor. there were about 30 -- probably closer to 40 -- members of the public at each of those meetings. and a lot of support for the project, which is great to hear. and then we also did some door-to-door outreach at businesses closer to irving street, irving and 20th avenue intersection. and we probably spoke to about half of the businesses -- maybe a little more than half -- within a one-block radius. with most support for the project. there were some -- as you mentioned, there were some folks that were concerned about the parking lots, parking changes. but based on our -- the planning work that we've done, and the people we spoke to, there is adequate parking in the area, and we believe that improving the bicycle and pedestrian safety on 20th is an important thing. and so we want to move

ahead with this project. >> thanks again for all of your good work. >> thank you. thank you for your support. >> chairman: thank you, mr. leski. is there any public comment on this item. please come forward. >> good morning commissioners. my name is kristin lacki, i'm on staff the san francisco biking coalition. i'm here for the 10,000 members to give our strong support for the 20th avenue project. this project needs necessary traffic calming measures to the street, which serves as a major north/south path. i've been impressed with the project team and their collaboration with the community over the last two years to make sure this project reflects their needs and concerns, which we can see in the final designs. because of this collaboration with the community, we have seen overwhelming support for

the project at pop-ups, open houses, and the recent engineering hearing. improvements like the editioaddition of the uphill bike lanes and the beacon at lincoln will provide more comfortable biking access on the streets, which sees a lot of cars speeding and failing to stop at stop signs. with this funding, we'll be able to construct these critical safety improvements, which will make it easier not only for those biking, but also for those walking to and from the parks. i look forward to approval for this project to ensure that 20th avenue becomes a more walkable, biking pathway. >> chairman: are there any other members of the public? please come forward. >> good morning, commissioners. i'm peter tanen, and i would like to speak in favor of this project. as far as 20th avenue being selected as a bicycle route, to desire a

line where people want to travel is 19th goo.d, avenue, but that is not the a good street for biking. so this is the closest street connecting golden gate. this is one of the routes we didn't make sume too many improvements on -- other than there was a project that improved the pathways through stearn grove. so when you get to the south end of 20th avenue, there is a pathway that will take you to stearn grove, and then you can go through stone's town and connect through san francisco state, and we made some improvements on the connection to golden gate park. as far as the uphill bike lines, going downhill, bicycles can travel almost as fast as the speed of traffic so they can really take the lane and don't need a bike lane.

but since they're travelling slower uphill, bike lanes are appropriate in that direction. and i like the idea of the traffic circles. i was curious why those two intersections were selected for traffic circles, and staff said there are a lot of people who cannot legally turn left on 19th avenue, so they make a right and want to make a u-turn. i think putting in traffic circles where people are tending to make a lot of u-turns is a really good idea. so i fully support this project and look forward to seeing it implemented. >> chairman: thank you, mr. tanen. seeing no other members of of the public, public comment is closed. do we have a motion to allocate the set $560,000 made by commissioner mar? seconded by commissioner mandelman. and we have the same house, the same call. the items pass on first reading. next item, please. >> item seven, amendment the prop aa as an action

item. >> chairman>> good morning, aga, commissioners. prop a.a. is our $10 registration fee. it was approved in 2010. it generates about $5 million a year, and in the slide, you can see that according to the border improvement expenditure plan, we can use these funds for three categories, street repair and construction, pedestrians safety, and reliability and improvements. prop a.a. focuses on projects that can provide tangible benefits to the public. one of the things of the program is it only funds design and construction phase. and this adopts the strategic planning, a five-year program of projects, prior to allocation of funds. because it is such a small program, there is a strong

emphasis on timely use of funds. this is the policy included in the strategic plan, but it basically says that the board can reprogram funds from projects that don't allocate in the year of programk. programming. sponsors have the ability to reapply for funds through their competitive projects, but they're not guaranteed priority. since its inception, prop a.a. has funded $33.3 million -- has allocated $30.3 million to projects. and so much of the street resurfacing and 28th avenue, dolores street to the 24th street station plaza, and a bike share station at civic center, and a bart station as well. prop a.a. has also played a key role and providing funds for projects like the street escape and the

mansel corridor improvements project. while prop a.a. has delivered significant benefits, we have seen in recent years a slower pace of allocations, and that's why we're bringing this amendment to you. the first component is programming revisions to six projects that have not or do not anticipate allocation in the year they were programmed. staff recommendation, which is on page 58 of your packet is to delay programming of all six projects. they're all showing delays, so between nine months and two years. and i'll go really quickly through some of the projects. the first two are street resurfacing projects. delays are mostly due to coordination with bigger, multi-agency projects, like the geary rapid, and the second project was awaiting the resurfacing before it could move on with the resurfacing of

the side streets. the next set of projects is pedestrian safety focused, and delays of one to two years in programming, both because of coordination among agencies, but also some structural challenges in the design of curb ramps, so it is up like the curb ramps, they're more complex. and then the western addition pedestrian lighting. now this project is ready to move forward, and public works will be the sponsoring agency. the second part of the amendment is adding a prioritization criteria. to prioritize projects that directly benefit the disadvantaged populations. so projects that are either directly in the communities of concerns, will be given priority in upcoming calls for projects. and this is the map of the communities of concern,

and the m.t.a. did a more finer grade analysis. this will be used in the upcoming call for projects. we anticipate releasing cultural projects for about $3.5 million. and of this 2.4 is at the time of the adoption of the strategic plan, and the board held in reserve $2.4 million. this was from the corridor way improvements project because at the time, the project didn't have a full funding plan. and instead of redistributing to other categories, we recommended leaving it for the street repair and reconstruction category. there is that. and there are other modest amounts from projects completed under budget. interest earnings, slightly higher than anticipated revenues, and a one-time use of an

allowance to make it available for projects. following board approval, we will release a list of projects. funds will be available for projects starting july 2019. and with that, i'll take any questions. >> chairman: commissioner yee. >> thank you. so i think early in your presentation there was a slide that indicated that if projects were not implementedimplemented in the yr that the funding was allocated, they could reapply or it could be rolled over. is that true? >> so, if a project doesn't request allocation the year it is programmed, at the board's discretion, the funds may be made available to other projects through a call for projects.

>> or a project could be rolled over the next year? >> it would be through a competitive call for projects. or it could be delayed programming to the following year, correct. >> okay. i just wanted to make sure that if projects were not ready, and after a year of waiting, that the funding would be used for other projects, would be in the cue, since there are so many projects that we need to be taking care of. and i just don't want us to be in the situation where allocation for whatever amount is going to be carried over several years, where it is now spent. >> and i'll just add that we did work with sfmta and public works to make sure that the projects that are recommended for late

programming are ready to be implemented. as part of your packet, you'll see the part of the details and new funding plan for each of the projects. >> chairman: mr. cantinia, with regard to the funds are for the geary boulevard pavement, is any of that in the richmond district? it says districts two and five? >> the project limits are van nuys and vasonic, so right at the limit. >> chairman: all right. are there any other questions from commissioners? seeing none, is there uniogeneral public comment on this item number seven? don't all run up here at once. public comment is closed. i was going to suggest that we delay this item because commissioner fewer is not here, but insofar as these portions of the geary monies do not go to district one, i think we can vote on it now. is there a motion to move

the amended prop a.a. strategic plan made by commissioner yee. seconded by commissioner brown. and we have a different house. so on that item, a roll call, please. >> on item seven. [roll call] [roll call] >> we have first approval. >> chairman: the next item, please. >> item eight, authorizing the director executive to execute a cooperative agreement with the united nations coast guard, the utility relocation agreement for the construction phase and with the treasure island development authority,

amendments increasing the right-of-way, with approximately $1.3 million, to a total not to exceed $5.5 million. the right away certification and the california environmental act, and the national environmental policy act, for the south gate road realignment project. this is an action item. >> chair pe peskin and commissioners, i would like to address the phase two. we're finally getting to the point of starting construction. i just want to remind the commissioners here in terms of what this really is. first you see on the screen what we just completed in phase one. the westbound on and off-rampps on the east side of the island. approximately $100 million project that we are currently closing out. what you see in front of you there in the screen there is basically the

project before you for approval. which is what we're referring to as the south gate road realignment. just to or tat orientate you, what you see in the center there in the darker color is really the y.b.i. south gate realignment project. we're reopening the i-80 eastbound off ramp, that has been closed for almost 15 years, and we're realigning south gate road. and it is better for the bicycles and pedestrians here for coming off the bay bridge and being able to traverse and go under the bay bridge to go on to mccalla road down to the island. right now we are completing all of the final documents for the environmental -- what we

call the need for seka revaluation. the drawings are in for final approval, the right-of-way certification, and the agreements we need to execute with the coast guard and caltrans, in terms of being able to go on to the rights-of-way for construction. our goal is to have approvals within about six weeks, frankly, and everything is lined up for final approval. we're advertising the contract in may of '19, and awarding in july. that's our plan. total cost is $51 million, and construction is about $38 million. and primarily funded with federal highway bridge program money, as well as state proposition 1b, and a significant contribution from the bay area toll authority. one thing i do want to remind the commissioners is about three years ago we approached the state of california because they had different plans for this interchange.

and we approached them with this concept, and got significant, in essence, acceptance from the state, and told this was a better project, and we went ahead and secured all of that additional funding for that. and we're striking a deal for the final approvals on the funding with the bay authority and the caltrans headquarters for the federal h.p. b. funds. the recommendation is to authorize the executive director to execute all of the various agreements listed. thank you. >> chairman: thank you. commissioner haney, any comments or questions? >> no, i've been briefed on this. i totally support it. thank you for your work. yeah, and i hope my colleagues support it. >> chairman: any general public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. and commissioner haney, would you like to make a motion? >> i move for approval.

>> chairman: all right. is there a second for that. seconded by commissioner ronen. colleagues, we still have the same changed house, so we'll take that same house, same call. it is passed on the first reading. next item? >> item nine, the acceptance of the report for the fiscal year ending 2019, this is an action item. >> good morning, commissioner. i'the transportation authority's records are to be audi audited by an independent company. today our author auditors or hee to present the results. it also included the audit of the buena avenue project. i would like to give a thank you to the finance commission. this is a year i've seen my staff exhibit an enormous amount of teamwork, and i would like to also thank the auditors

for their hard work. >> chairman: no material weaknesses, ms. fong, you're killing it. >> i would like to have the audit partner from the company present the audit results. thank you. >> good morning. thank you for having me. my name is ahmed ariv, and this company audits to ensure that the financial statements are fairly stated. it is a process that starts, actually, at the early part of the year. we come in and we perform an audit of your controls, the manner that you process receipts and disbursements and contacting. we confirm your balances. we confirm your cash accounts. confirm your debt balances. you do have a new debt reported on this scaffer. we work with the agency and the staff to ensure these are compliant with the accounting standards.

you're also required to under go a federal compliance audit because you receive federal money. i'm pleased to let you know that we issued clean opinions on the financial statements and on the single audit. we encountered no difficulties in the performance of the audit, and we actually had no deficiencies to report or adjustments to the financial statements to report. i want to thank the staff for ensuring into these are compliant with the various requirements, the accounting requirements, federal compliance, and all of the different aspects of reporting requirements. this is a second year caffer. last year was the first year in which the agency actually did receive the reward for the 2018 financial statements, and we anticipate they will receive it for the 2019

financial statements. with that, i'll be happy to take any questions. >> chairman: commissioner walton. >> my question is: how long have we been working with the auditing firm? >> chairman: ms. fong? >> this is the fifth year. we will be issuing a request for proposals this coming -- soon. and i would like to just mention we have a d.b.e., l.b.e. outreach happening at the offices on march 13th, and anyone who attends will be hearing more information about this procurement, along with others. >> chairman: are there any other questions or comments from commissioners? seeing none, is there any general public comment on this item? seeing none, we'll close public comment. let me thank the auditor, and most importantly thank ms. fong and her team for this. when we reviewed the

caffer of consolidated annual report, it is one of the most important things we do. and the fact it is yet again totally clean without any weaknesses or deficiencies is music to our ears. with that, can we have a motion to accept the audit? made by commissioner walton. seconded by commissioner ronen. and colleagues, we will take that same house, same call. congratulations, ms. fong. next item, please. >> item 10, update on the cal tran business and this is an action item. >> chairman: we've been waiting for this for a long time. it is my pleasure to welcome the general manager and c.e.o. of our sister agency, the san mateo county transit district, and also the head of cal train. and i want to acknowledge that yesterday the rules committee chaired by supervisor ronen recommended our colleague

in his compa his capacity to bea member of the joint powers board and will be joining that board soon. with that, mr. hartnet, the floor is yours. >> thank you, mr. chair. it is a pleasure to be here to report on the status of our cal train project, our positive control project, and our cal tran business project. i have with me those who will supplement the written report. we have chief officer of our electrification program, john fungi, and our chief officer for cal train rail, which includes also our positive train control project, michelle bouchard, and our senior policy advisor to me, who is the program manager for our cal train business plan, and we also will all be available for questions as well. and at your pleasure, i

would like to introduce mr. fungi to begin his presentation. >> chairman: we know him well. i won't ask about the central subway. >> chair peskin and commissioners, to give you a bit of a background, the electrification project covers electrofying existing rail from our fourth and king station all the way down to san jose. >> and, john, not to put two fine a point on it, but for my colleagues, that means your using diesel from san jose to gilroy? >> correct. for the time being. >> in terms of ridership, cal train has experienced a boom in ridership, as you can see, beginning in 2010, with a ridership projection of 65,000

riders on a daily basis. so the electrification project that i'm leading is 51 miles, from san francisco to san jose, electrofying the entire system, converting it from diesel operation to electric e.m.u.s. and also within the project is the acquisition of 19 seven-car train sets that will operate up and down the line. initially it will operate at a 79 mile-an-hour providing service along the corridor, but both the vehicles and the infrastructure is designed to operate at a future speed of 110 miles per hour. the work happens at night. the majority of the work occurs from 7:45 in the evening up to 5:30 in the morning. the program is completing

a major milestone with the anticipated completion of the structural enhancements for the four tunnels that serve san francisco on a daily basis. by the end of march, those existing tunnels will have been widened, structurally enhanced, and a portion of the tunnels have had its track invert replaced. the photograph to the right shows that the e.m.u. manufacturer, and showing one of our trains currently under assembly. in terms of the program budget, the current project is currently on schedule with a planned revenue operation in mid-2022. and that concludes my presentation, and i'd like to turn the mic over to michelle aboutard, bouchard, cal trains chief operating

officer. >> chairman: before that, you said it is on schedule. is it on budget? >> yes. >> chairman: michelle. >> just a few things to talk about in terms of our positive train control project. p.t.c. is a federal mandate ushered in in 2008. we've been working at it ever since then. our project is moving along nicely. we met a federal deadline in december of 2018, which allowed for us to submit an alternate schedule that will ultimately get us into revenue service with p.t.c. in december 2020. we are currently working hard with the contractor. our contractor is lab tech. lab tech is doing most of the positive train control work west of the mississippi. and so one of our chief challenges on this project is to ensure that we're properly resourced to be able to get the work done.

as of now, we've been working very well with lab tech, and we're projecting that we will be on time with respect to safety certification. so i'm happy to answer any questions you might have on positive train control. and if there are none, i would like to introduce sabsettian petty? >> chairman: are there any questions for ms. bouchard? seeing none, next speaker please.

>> it is in construction now. and to think about how the caltrain system as a whole can grow to serve the needs -- needs of the corridor and the region over the long-term, really ra