Locunity/Bay Area Rapid Transit District, CA·District Board
The governing board of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District responsible for setting policy, approving budgets, and providing oversight of regional transit operations.
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Recent updates from Governing Board
The board appointed three members to the Transit Security Advisory Committee and directed staff to clarify bylaws that have caused confusion about how many seats exist.
Why it matters: TSAC issues prohibition orders that keep problematic individuals off BART; chronic vacancies and quorum failures have delayed this enforcement tool.
BART's greenhouse gas emissions rose sharply in 2025 after the district chose lowest-cost electricity over renewable sources to save money during fiscal constraints.
Why it matters: The decision to suspend $3.3M in annual sustainability spending traded environmental progress for budget relief, prompting board members to call for restoring green energy purchases before FY28.
Board voted 7-0 to support SB 830, which changes voter guide arguments and ballot positioning for the five-county regional transit revenue measure.
Why it matters: The bill ensures the regional transit sales tax measure appears prominently on November ballots and that voter guide arguments reflect each county's perspectives rather than a single lead county.
Station glow-up contractors finished deep cleaning at South San Francisco and moved to San Bruno, with LED lighting completed at Millbrae.
Why it matters: Station cleaning and lighting upgrades directly affect rider experience and safety perception at a time when BART is trying to attract returning riders.
BART handled 39,000 transit passengers on a single FIFA match day, extended late-night service, and shifted police deployments to game nights.
Why it matters: FIFA operations demonstrate BART's capacity for major events and multi-agency coordination that could shape future service planning for 2028 Olympics-related traffic.
BART ridership is running 15% above budget in June with midweek averages topping 220,000 riders, prompting discussions about lengthening trains.
Why it matters: Strong ridership recovery bolsters the case for the regional transit revenue measure on the November ballot and signals that some train lines may need capacity upgrades.
Congressman Garamendi will present a $500,000 check July 7 and Congressmember Latifah Simon an $850,000 check July 10, both for station LED lighting.
Why it matters: The federal earmarks fund LED upgrades at multiple stations, improving safety and energy efficiency while underscoring BART's congressional support.
Director Li's appointee Elijah Mercer, a violence prevention program manager at Instituto Familiar de la Raza, fills a long-vacant District 8 seat on the BART Police CRB.
Why it matters: The CRB has struggled with diminished staffing and quorum issues; Mercer's background in data science and community safety brings needed expertise to police accountability.
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BART Ridership Surges Past Budget as Board Backs Transit Tax Ballot Measure The BART Board of Directors met June 25 with a string of good news — record ridership, smooth FIFA World Cup operations, and a prestigious fina...
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BART Adopts FY2027 Budget 8-1 as Record Ridership Meets Looming Fiscal Cliff BART's board approved a budget that keeps full service running and fares flat — but the 8-1 vote exposed a fault line over whether the agency...
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BART Board Validates $1B in Savings as Ridership Surges Ahead of Pivotal Budget Vote BART's board received its strongest fiscal hand in years at this week's meeting — surging ridership, a $52 million budget surplus, and...
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BART Rejects Retirement Incentive, Advances $15M Track Rebuild BART's Board confronted the hard math of its looming fiscal cliff Thursday, learning that a retirement incentive program meant to soften potential layoffs w...
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BART Locks In All Five Union Deals, Finds $30M in New Revenue The BART Board of Directors closed a pivotal chapter in labor relations Thursday, unanimously ratifying the final union contract extension and aligning all f...
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BART Board Confronts $375M Deficit With Borrowing, Deferrals and a Bet on Voters The BART Board of Directors received a sobering preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027 that closes a $375 million structural deficit almo...
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Survey Finds 87% Call BART Essential, but Crime Keeps Non-Riders Away The BART Board of Directors met March 26 with a packed agenda that put the agency's post-pandemic recovery narrative under a microscope: a new five-c...
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BART Board Tackles Silicon Valley Tunnel Safety Fears, Sees Encouraging Revenue Numbers BART's board received a mixed bag at last week's meeting: ridership and fare revenue are beating projections, easing immediate fisc...
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BART Board Approves Emergency Plan for 70% Service Cuts If Revenue Measure Fails The BART Board of Directors voted 8-1 to adopt a two-phase emergency roadmap that would slash train service by up to 70%, raise fares 50%,...
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BART Board Confronts $376M Deficit With Plan to Slash Service, Close Stations BART's Board of Directors spent nearly six hours wrestling with the grim arithmetic of a transit system running out of money — debating a sta...
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BART Board Advances Fremont Housing Plan, Confronts Aging Infrastructure Challenges The BART Board of Directors met Jan. 22, 2026, to grapple with the twin pressures facing the 50-year-old transit system: how to build f...
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The first BART Board meeting of 2026 delivered a snapshot of an agency riding momentum on ridership while staring down an existential funding deadline. Directors unanimously approved two significant contracts—a one-year...
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