Transcend task force approves workforce proposals, tables some compensation ideas; debates TOD, revenue and zero‑emission bus challenges

The Transcend Transformation Task Force, convened by the California State Transportation Agency, met in Clovis on Dec. 1 to continue work on statutorily required recommendations for transit workforce, land use, fleet and funding. The task force approved a set of concept‑level workforce development recommendations and a separate set of training and mentorship proposals, tabled more prescriptive compensation and benefits proposals for further drafting, and spent much of the day debating options to pay for expanded service and the operational implications of the state's zero‑emission bus mandate.

Why it matters: The task force is the state’s formal forum to translate legislative requirements into policy recommendations and implementation options. Its decisions will shape what the administration asks the Legislature to fund and which state agencies the report will recommend to oversee transit performance, funding distribution and technical support. Members repeatedly told staff the group must show both operational efficiencies and credible revenue options if it asks lawmakers for new ongoing funds.

What the task force decided

- Workforce recommendations approved in concept: The task force approved a package of concept recommendations to expand the pool of transit job candidates (including adding K–12 recruitment and reentry programs), to broaden outreach in multiple languages and to pursue conditional hiring approaches at events. The motions approved concepts rather than fixed assignments of responsibility, and staff will return in the new year with clarified implementation roles and refined language. Hunter Hohens, the CalSTA staff lead, described the approved approach as a two‑stage “stage gate” process to separate concept approval from assignment of implementing parties.

- Compensation and benefits tabled for rework: A separate set of nine recommendations that addressed pay benchmarking, flexible compensation tied to shift desirability, childcare and housing stipend ideas, and other benefits (agenda section O) were TABLED. Task force members representing transit agencies and labor warned that many of those items intersect with local collective bargaining and could not be adopted as state mandates without legal and practical problems. Instead, staff will return with revised language that frames these items as a menu, clarifies the state’s role in funding or enabling options, and explicitly notes collective bargaining limits.

- Training, onboarding and apprenticeships advanced: The group approved recommendations to expand standardized training and to encourage regional apprenticeships and mentorships, with a modification to coordinate those efforts with labor partners. Several members urged strong partnerships with community colleges and manufacturers to address technician shortages for new vehicle types.

Other votes and motions

- The task force took votes on multiple agenda blocks covering workforce (N, O, P), land use (Q–T) and TOD/value‑capture options (U, V). Several items were approved in concept; others were tabled for further drafting. Where the meeting produced clear outcomes, staff recorded the motion language and that the task force voted to approve, amend or table the items; staff will publish the final motions and clean roll‑call tallies in the next meeting packet.

Major discussion topics

- Revenue and scale: Task force members emphasized the large magnitude of funding that will be required to expand frequent transit service across California. Members asked staff to return with scenario analyses that estimate (a) different levels of statewide service expansion or greenhouse‑gas outcomes and (b) a menu of revenue options with plausible revenue ranges and timing. Ideas raised at the meeting included expanded TDA funding, payroll or income‑surcharge approaches targeted to higher incomes or employers, an eventual road‑user charge to replace declining gas‑tax revenue, local measures (sales tax or vehicle registration surcharges), congestion pricing and event/tourism levies. Several members urged pairing any new revenue proposals with an independent efficiency review to show agencies had cut avoidable costs first.

- Transit‑oriented development (TOD) and value capture: Members debated whether the task force should recommend state changes to redevelopment‑era finance tools, or instead limit recommendations to technical assistance and incentives. Some members pushed for exploring new state authorities or a centralized entity to help smaller agencies pursue joint development and value capture; others urged caution because land use, RHNA and zoning are locally controlled and changes can produce contentious trade‑offs (for example, on displacement or coastal/CEQA protections). The task force agreed to advance a refined set of land‑use recommendations and to table several potentially controversial changes for further analysis.

- Fleet and the zero‑emission transition: Technical presentations and discussion focused on the operational and cost challenges of the state's zero‑emission bus (ZEB) timeline. Agencies reported reliability gaps, utility interconnection delays, workforce and training gaps, and the higher capital and operating costs of battery and hydrogen buses compared with diesel or CNG vehicles. Several members urged state help on: centralized or opt‑in procurement contracts to leverage scale; funding commitment certainty to enable long lead‑time capital planning; consolidated technical assistance and training programs (including a ZEB “university” concept and community‑college partnerships); and review of utility rates, interconnection timelines and vehicle weight/useful‑life rules that affect manufacturer supply and fleet economics.

Select quotes from the meeting

- Mark Tullison, Under Secretary, California State Transportation Agency: “This meeting will actually mark the meeting where we have now, checked the box on all of the statutorily required topics that we need to cover.”

- Hunter Hohens, CalSTA staff: the approved workforce items are “concepts that the task force believes is important, and then we'll come back, in the new year … to identify the responsible parties.”

- Robert Fitts, Fresno Council of Governments: Fresno County is “deep in the design stages of the high speed rail station in downtown Fresno … anticipated to begin construction in 2027 with operations expected to begin between 2030 and 2033.”

Public comment and next steps

- Public comment at the meeting emphasized the urgency of operational funding and noted the state’s underfunding of transit operations compared with other states. Commenters urged pairing funding requests with clear efficiency measures and cited Pennsylvania’s fiscal steps and other examples as models to study.

- Staff assignment: CalSTA staff will return in the new year with: (1) clarified implementation language for approved concepts (who would be responsible for each recommended action), (2) revenue scenarios that estimate funding need under alternative service and policy outcomes and that quantify potential yields of candidate funding mechanisms, (3) refined land‑use/TOD language that flags legal and equity tradeoffs, and (4) a package of technical assistance approaches (procurement, centralized training, opt‑in project delivery) for fleet and ZEB transition. The task force scheduled a February meeting to continue drafting recommendations and to begin prioritizing actions for the final report.

Ending note: Task force members repeatedly urged one central theme—any request for new ongoing funding must come with credible evidence of agency efficiencies, a realistic implementation plan (who will do the work), and a timeline that accounts for lead times required for fleet, facility and utility changes.