The Future of MTC and
ABAG
In 2015, the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC) commenced a hostile
takeover of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
Not content with the power to control hundreds of billions
of dollars, MTC decided it was no longer willing to share
power over the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable
Communities Strategy with ABAG. It decided it wanted to
bring ABAG planners under the control of MTC’s Executive
Director, Steve Heminger.
The power plays of these two key regional agencies have
been captured in exceptional detail in reporting by Zelda
Bronstein:
The false promise of regional
governance (Note that the statements about CEQA
streamlining are incorrect)
Displacement policy at risk in quiet power
struggle
Secrecy rules in regional-planning power
struggle
Should the regional transportation agency be
elected?
A pricey palace, huge losses in risky
investments, a busted bridge
The strange and telling story behind the
regional planning merger deal
TRANSDEF has twice weighed into the fray:
testimony to the MTC meeting preliminarily
considering the take-over of ABAB planning staff,
and testimony to the MTC meeting expected to give a
final go-ahead to the take-over.