San Francisco Transportation Authority adopts 2024 annual report; Melgar elected chair, Sauter vice chair

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board on Jan. 28 adopted its 2024 annual report and elected Myrna Melgar as chair and Commissioner Cheryl Sauter as vice chair, approving each item by unanimous roll-call votes.

The annual report, presented by Executive Director Tilly Chang, documents the authority’s planning, funding and delivery activities in 2024 and outlines priorities for 2025, including continued work on Muni vehicle and subway renewal, grant-supported projects across the city, and delivery work on Yerba Buena and Treasure Island. Chang told the board, “We are so privileged to have had that, especially during the time of coming out of the pandemic and leading our Prop L reauthorization.”

The report matters because it summarizes how the authority intends to steward voter-approved local revenues and leverage state and federal grants at a time several speakers described as a looming fiscal shortfall for transit. Former Chair Rafael Mandelmann highlighted the voters’ support for the sales tax renewal, saying, “The sales tax renewal stands out to me,” and noted the authority will continue tracking investments’ benefits, including the Taylor Street safer-streets project backed with sales tax funds.

Key funding and project highlights cited in the presentation include federal RAISE grants awarded last month — a $25,000,000 award for BART train-control work and a $10,000,000 RAISE award for SFMTA site planning at…