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CalSTA and Caltrans report new appointments, safety investments and federal grants at CTC meeting in Riverside
Summary
CalSTA and Caltrans briefed the commission on leadership hires, Vision Zero investments, federal grant awards (including ~$1.3B TRCP awards and major clean ports grants), NEVI charger deployments and the Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing milestone. Caltrans also previewed the Malibu PCH master plan public workshops and hiring updates across districts.
CalSTA and Caltrans officials used the Dec. 5 California Transportation Commission hearing in Riverside to highlight staffing, safety and major grant awards.
CalSTA highlights: Undersecretary Mark Tolleson reviewed the agency’s core themes (climate action, safety and equity). He flagged the upcoming CAPTI comment deadline, noted the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TRCP) Cycle 7 awards of roughly $1.3 billion for 27 projects (projected to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and leverage roughly $8.6 billion in matching funds), and cited U.S. EPA Clean Ports awards to California ports (Port of Los Angeles $411M; Port of Oakland $322M; Port of Hueneme $42M). Tolleson also referenced a record Federal OTS grant announcement ($149M) and NEVI funding milestones for fast chargers along interstates.
Caltrans highlights: Director Tony Tavares announced five executive appointments (Sergio Ecevez, Grace Magsayo, Anne Fox, Marlon Flournoy and Janice Benton) and recognized retiring District 6 Director Diana Gomez. Tavares emphasized safety investments aligned with Vision Zero, noting Caltrans expects to spend at least $1.0 billion per year on proactive safety improvements through 2028. He outlined the Malibu PCH master plan feasibility study (public workshop Dec. 11 with draft report to follow) and celebrated a construction milestone on the Wallace Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over US‑101 in the Santa Monica Mountains. Tavares also reviewed recent discretionary federal awards under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: examples included ~$98M for State Route 99/Page Avenue interchange improvements in Tulare County and $105M for SR‑84/US‑101 interchange work in Redwood City.
Why it matters: The reports show coordination between state and federal programs to advance safety, decarbonization and multimodal access while Caltrans increases capacity in leadership and program delivery. The port and TRCP awards signal federal leverage that CalSTA and Caltrans say will boost regional multimodal alternatives and emissions reductions.
Quotes: "These are tremendous investments," Executive Director Tanisha Taylor said in summarizing the commission’s role in programming state funds. Director Tavares noted that the Wallace Annenberg crossing "is making a transformational change when it comes to wildlife crossings." Undersecretary Tolleson highlighted that calendar-year federal awards and NEVI approvals position California well heading into 2025.
Next steps: Caltrans will continue PCH public engagement, finalize district appointments and work with the CTC and federal partners on project delivery and NEVI deployment.
