Agenda

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C.69

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Comm
Date:	March 17, 2009

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 03/17/2009

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor
Susan A. Bonilla, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

John Greitzer, 335-1201

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: March 17, 2009
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

DISCONTINUE the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee and AUTHORIZE the Chair to sign letters thanking the committee's members for their service to the County, as recommended by the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee.

FISCAL IMPACT:

NONE to the General Fund. The Department of Conservation and Development provided staff support for the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee. (any staff saving is 100% transportation funding)

BACKGROUND:

The Board of Supervisors created the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee (AIRAC) in 1995 to provide the Board with input and recommendations on matters pertaining to intercity rail service. At the time, the state initiated new intercity rail services and there were opportunities for local governments to provide input into the state's initiatives.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

Today, almost 15 years later, intercity rail service has been dramatically expanded and improved. The Capitol Corridor service connecting the Bay Area to Sacramento has grown from one daily roundtrip to sixteen daily roundtrips, and is managed by BART and governed by representatives from local agencies. The San Joaquin service linking the Bay Area to the Central Valley has increased from one to four daily roundtrips, and the state plans four additional roundtrips over the next ten years.

In addition to providing input during the planning for those services, AIRAC has contributed to intercity rail policy in other ways as well. The County General Plan has policies supporting intercity rail serivce which were developed and recommended by AIRAC several years ago. AIRAC also recommended the County support federal legislation in 2008 that reauthorized Amtrak, increased Amtrak's annual funding by fifty-percent for the next six years, and created a new grant program to which states and local agencies can apply for intercity rail funding. At AIRAC's recommendation, the Board of Supervisors asked our congressional delegation to support the bill, which was passed and signed into law in October 2008.

Given these significant increases in rail service and funding, there have been fewer and fewer issues which AIRAC needs to discuss and report to the Board of Supervisors. Lacking agenda items, the committee has met only once in each of the past two years.

The Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee discussed this issue on February 19 (Vice Chair Glover was unable to attend). County staff provided the above background to the Committee and indicated there is no longer a need to continue AIRAC. County staff also has discussed this matter with the Chair of AIRAC, Howard Abelson of El Cerrito. Mr. Abelson acknowleged there are few items for AIRAC to discuss and he concurred with the recommendation.

Therefore the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee recommends the Board discontinue AIRAC. The Committee also recommends the Board authorize the Chair to sign letters to all AIRAC members thanking them for their efforts. The letters are attached. AIRAC members are Mr. Abelson of El Cerrito, John Mercurio of Concord, Jim Kennedy of Martinez, Richard Mitchell of Hercules, Walter Fields of Oakley and John Starr of Walnut Creek.