HomeMy WebLinkAboutOpposition Letter - AB 2181 (Berman) - 06.07.2022
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June 7, 2022
The Honorable Marc Berman
California State Assembly
Capitol Office, 1021 O Street, Suite 6130
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 2181 (Berman) – OPPOSE
Dear Assemblymember Berman,
On behalf of the City of Cupertino I am writing to express our opposition to AB 2181,
which re-establishes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Board of
Directors.
AB 2181 proposes to replace the VTA Board with a hybrid structure of community
representatives and local elected representatives. This bill does not address VTA’s governance
issues, nor does it solve the issue of regional thinking as the bill only changes how the board
members are selected. The bill removes current representation of VTA, reduces the role of local
elected officials with policy making experience and oversight, and proposes to replace the
County Supervisors with citizens possessing specified expertise. These changes remove
representation of the regional transportation agency and may lead to fewer board
representatives with expertise and experience in local land use issues – a policy that is
increasingly impactful to transit and transportation planning. Additionally, the bill does not
establish criteria for success.
Prescribing the number of elected and non-elected members reduces the chance that any
particular small city within the four city groups will be represented on the Board at a specific
time. It may also reduce the influence of small cities’ elected officials on the VTA board.
Furthermore, the bill eliminates provisions in some city groups’ agreements that specify
rotation schedules between cities, in favor of elections held across cities. The bill eliminates the
cities’ ability to select representation based on a city’s unique issues and values and replaces the
process with ranked choice voting. Consequently, this bill increases the role of VTA in selecting
small city representatives instead of the current process of allowing cities and Counties to
choose how they select their representatives.
MAYOR DARCY PAUL
CITY OF CUPERTINO
CORRESPONDENCE TO ASSEMBLYMEMBER BERMAN OPPOSING AB 2181 page 2 of 2
AB 2181 also eliminates the Alternate positions. The Alternates are a key component of
how small city groups work and provide another way for a broader number of officials to
participate in VTA proceedings. The impact of these changes will have long-lasting effects and
undermine the principle of regional representation, which is balanced with the population, the
VTA is based upon. For these reasons, the City of Cupertino opposes AB 2181.
Sincerely,
Darcy Paul
Mayor
City of Cupertino
cc: Senator Dave Cortese
Senator Josh Becker
Assemblymember Evan Low