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Board appoints Julie Kirschbaum as SFMTA Director; new director outlines safety and recovery priorities
Summary
The board announced the appointment of Julie Kirschbaum as Director of Transportation and she used her first director's report to emphasize day‑to‑day customer service, implementing AB 413 (daylighting) with an 18‑month curb‑painting rollout, cable car sheave replacements, the CLIPPER START fare discount outreach, and attention to staff stability.
The SFMTA Board announced the appointment of Julie Kirschbaum as Director of Transportation following a closed session vote Feb. 18. The appointment was presented as unanimous by roll call and the board said the final employment contract will be negotiated and returned for approval at a subsequent meeting.
In her introductory director's report, Kirschbaum thanked staff and community partners and said she will prioritize staff stability, funding, and safety. She framed customer responsiveness as central: "When we deliver high quality Muni service, we're modeling what it looks like to have an equitable and inclusive city," she said, adding she intends to "rebuild the trust that San Franciscans have for our agency."
Kirschbaum previewed several operational items: implementation of the California Daylighting Law (AB 413) with a policy of warnings rather than fines at unmarked curbs while staff fast‑track painting priority intersections; a cable car sheave replacement project scheduled February through May that will maintain at least one cable car in service while crews rotate work dates; and outreach to expand CLIPPER START, a regional fare discount program that provides a 50% single‑ride discount for riders at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
She also noted plans to discuss the biking and rolling plan at an upcoming meeting and said the central subway water mitigation work is scheduled for Feb. 26–Mar. 14, with a full readout to come in a later meeting. The board and public responded with a mix of congratulations and operational questions focused on staffing, vacation sign‑up procedures for operators, and transparency of audited financial reports.
What happens next: The board will finalize Kirschbaum's contract at a subsequent meeting; staff will provide more detail on AB 413 implementation, cable car schedules at sfmta.com/cablecarupgrades and outreach to boost CLIPPER START enrollment.
