ClimatePlan is concerned that Governor Newsom’s proposed 2026–27 budget would represent a step backward, making it more difficult and expensive for Californians to live and get where they need to go.
ClimatePlan identified several areas of concern in the budget, including:
Insufficient funding for transit operations, leaving agencies without enough resources to provide frequent and reliable service
No increase for the popular Active Transportation Program, limiting communities’ ability to deliver safer streets for walking and biking
No restoration of funding for e-bike incentives, a popular and effective program abruptly eliminated at the end of 2025
One welcome development is the inclusion of the Free Transit Pass program, which helps make transit more affordable for students, older adults, and low-income Californians.
More broadly, ClimatePlan had hoped to see greater alignment in the budget with the recent recommendations of the Transit Transformation Task Force, including progress toward stable operating funding for transit, expanded transit priority lanes, stronger last-mile walking and biking solutions, and improved service coordination across transit systems.
Proposed breakup of Affordable Housing program
The governor’s budget proposes to break up funding for the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program, which integrates housing, transportation, and green space planning and has delivered affordable, well-located homes in disadvantaged communities. Under this proposal, transportation and housing investments would be separated across two different agencies. ClimatePlan is working to better understand the implications of this proposal, as it will directly impact projects that deliver meaningful improvements for Californians.
Aligning housing and transportation investments helps Californians live and get where they need to go affordably. They support strong, resilient communities and reduce the air pollution that sickens and kills thousands of Californians every year.
“How California funds and approves transportation and housing projects shapes daily life for millions of people. Funding public transit and safe streets for walking and biking in the budget is essential to connect Californians to jobs, school, healthcare, and their communities by making it possible to get around without relying on a car,” said ClimatePlan Director Lesley Beatty. “ClimatePlan looks forward to working with state leaders and partners in the months ahead to improve the budget and advance solutions that meet Californians’ transportation needs.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) met yesterday to create a five-county transportation district encompassing San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. These Bay Area counties opted to be part of a regional measure to provide stable funding for public transit under SB 63, passed by the legislature last year. MTC’s action is a necessary precursor to putting the measure before voters.
What will the regional funding measure do?
The measure establishes a half-cent sales tax in the five counties, with money going to fund transit operations and rider-first improvements. Transit operators have struggled to maintain bus and train schedules to serve the people who rely on them to get around, as the pandemic, changing commute patterns, and federal funding cuts have strained resources. The guaranteed revenue from this measure will support the frequent, reliable transit that’s the backbone of the Bay Area’s transportation infrastructure.
Why do we need a new transportation district?
The funds collected will be allocated to transit operations within the five participating counties. The funding district creates a mechanism for collecting and distributing funds, particularly to multi-county operators such as BART.
What’s next for regional transit funding?
The newly established district could have opted to put the initiative on the ballot but voted not to do so in order to clear the way for a citizen’s initiative. To have the best chance of passing in November, Transform and our allies will collect signatures to put the measure on the ballot as a citizen initiative. Citizen initiatives only need 50% + 1 to succeed; funding measures placed on the ballot by elected bodies must get two-thirds of the vote to pass due to Prop 13.
Look for an announcement in the coming weeks about signature collection and what you can do to help get this critical measure on the ballot. Let’s make 2026 the year we save public transit!
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MTC-SB-63-hearing-scaled.jpg14461920Abibat Rahman-Davieshttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngAbibat Rahman-Davies2026-01-08 13:35:342026-01-08 14:48:49MTC Clears the Way for Transit Funding Initiative
Too many San Jose residents feel the crunch of high rents while seeing downtown sites sit empty. The City of San Jose’s Housing Department is working on a Cost of Development study (not yet released) and has begun to share some findings to shed light on why it remains so expensive to build homes in the city, especially the walkable, transit-oriented, and affordable housing our climate and communities urgently need.
Parking is a major contributor to high costs, which the draft study should give more weight to.
Parking spaces take up land, money, and construction capacity needed for living space
The study notes that podium and wrap apartment buildings (see photo above), which are the backbone of infill housing across the Bay Area, rely on structured or podium parking. Podium parking is a multilevel parking structure, usually on the lower levels of a residential building.
While these types of parking conserve space in dense urban settings, they add millions in costs before a single home becomes available. For a hypothetical podium building, parking accounts for roughly 3% to as much as 20% of hard construction costs, adding significant cost before a single home becomes available. For high-rise towers, structured and subterranean parking can represent a substantial share of total project costs, often tens of millions of dollars, making these projects especially sensitive to even small cost increases.
That cost has a ripple effect across the whole project. Developers must charge higher rents, build fewer affordable units, or not build at all.
The most climate-friendly housing types are not currently feasible to build
The study concludes that podium, wrap, and tower apartment buildings are not financially feasible in San Jose today, even before factoring in land costs. Townhomes and stacked flats pencil out, but these lower-density units cannot meet our housing or climate goals, and often create more car dependence.
SPOT SJ data shows there are already roughly two parking spaces per resident in San Jose. We are not short on space to store cars—we are short on homes.
Parking requirements increase housing costs and reduce affordability
Parking structure costs are especially harmful for affordable housing. The more funding that gets absorbed by parking, the fewer homes that can be built for people.
The cost study confirms that fees and taxes can add as much as $72,000 per unit in some parts of San Jose. Parking is a major driver of these costs because it increases the size, complexity, and footprint of a project.
When land is scarce, smarter parking means more homes
Reducing parking frees up space on the ground: more street trees, safer sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and outdoor dining instead of more asphalt. This is how SPOT SJ imagines streets that serve people first.
The study finds that modest changes in development costs or rent levels could make midrise construction feasible again. Reducing the amount of costly structured parking is one of the most effective ways to achieve that. Even a 5-15% shift could unlock thousands of units in walkable neighborhoods.
Parking reform is a powerful lever that’s within the city’s control at a time when interest rates, materials, and financing remain stubbornly expensive.
What comes next
There is no single solution to solve California’s housing crisis. But we do know one thing with certainty: we cannot afford to keep devoting so much space and money to storing cars instead of housing people.
San Jose has the chance to lead California in building for our communities and our climate. Reducing the amount of parking in new developments and modernizing our streets to prioritize equitable, accessible, active transportation choices are crucial steps toward more affordable, sustainable housing.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/affordable-housing-BAHA.png323800Julia Gerasimenkohttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngJulia Gerasimenko2026-01-07 17:46:152026-01-08 14:46:41Parking Costs Continue to Hold Back Housing Development in San Jose
Safe Routes to Schools is dedicated to keeping families safe, not only on the streets while walking and rolling to school, but at home and within their communities as well. As ICE raids grow more frequent and aggressive around the country, the Safe Routes community is standing up to make sure kids get to school safely, no matter their immigration status or that of their families.
Quick response and foot patrols
On October 22, 2025, federal immigration agents were expected to arrive in Alameda County as part of a large-scale enforcement operation. As news spread, communities across the Bay Area quickly came together to support and protect one another. Still, school attendance was down on the days ICE was expected (the increased raids mostly never materialized in the Bay Area), highlighting the need to provide protection from many types of hazards to ensure that all children can get an education.
This moment reinforced what Safe Routes to Schools knows firsthand: safety must always come first when promoting walking and rolling to school.
In Oakland and other cities across the East Bay, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) began to equip community members with the tools they needed to organize foot patrols as a rapid response to ICE’s presence near school campuses. It supported trainings for volunteers who can be visible and welcoming during school pickup and drop-off times and who are also ready to initiate Alameda County’s Rapid Response Protocol, should the need arise. ACOE also provided reflective vests, whistles, and air horns to volunteers to help them establish a safe pathway to each school site.
Similar community-led responses also took place in Hayward, where residents mobilized to monitor and respond to federal enforcement activity. These efforts were rooted in care, visibility, and collective action to help families feel safer during school drop-off and pickup times.
How to get involved
It takes a village to protect vulnerable students and families. If you’d like to be part of this positive, proactive movement to help students get to school safely, there are many ways to help out.
Participate in community foot patrols or rapid response networks
Attend trainings or webinars on community safety and immigrant rights
Ask school front office staff how you can best support them in alignment with school policies and procedures.
Know Your Rights materials from trusted immigrant advocacy groups
The Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) Hotline is open and taking calls. If you are in Alameda County and witness Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in action, suspect ICE activity in progress, or if you or someone you know is detained by ICE, please contact the hotline at (510) 241-4011 during the operating hours of 6 AM – 6 PM. Priority will be given to calls related to ICE arrests.
Even before the escalated threat, a community member from the Tri-Valley Women’s Action Group had reached out to our programs team to share that families, particularly those with mixed status, needed support getting their children to school safely. In response to her request, Safe Routes to Schools hosted a webinar on organizing walking school buses as a community-based safety strategy. Leading up to the webinar, as a response to the threat of ICE, our team worked with community members to help set up a walking school bus, ensuring students could travel to and from school with added visibility, safety, and support.
And though the Bay Area hasn’t seen the large-scale raids and militarized enforcement that some other parts of the country have, tensions have remained high. ICE has targeted guardians in school drop-off and pickup lines. An attempt to take a parent into custody outside Hoover Elementary School in West Oakland last November sparked community outrage and led to increased foot patrols to protect students and families.
Protecting families
At its core, Safe Routes to Schools is about more than transportation — it’s about dignity, safety, and ensuring all families can access school without fear. Walking school buses, foot patrols, and community coordination are just some of the ways Safe Routes supports communities that are stepping up to protect kids and families during uncertain times.
Our team has been actively building relationships with local foot patrol organizers and identifying ways to meaningfully support these efforts through our programming and resources. Through this work, we have had the opportunity to observe and participate in community-led patrols, which has been both informative and deeply inspiring.
Organizers and volunteers are proactively training, sharing information, and developing clear protocols to respond to potential ICE encounters near public schools. It’s encouraging to see so many community members willingly commit their time to foot patrols across the East Bay.
While the number of reported cases of ICE targeting people at school sites in Alameda County has not been as high as in Southern California, particularly in and around Los Angeles, the level of preparation, coordination, and care within Bay Area communities increases safety for all. These efforts reflect a strong sense of collective responsibility and readiness, especially around schools with predominantly Latino student bodies. The presence of organized, informed, and visible community members has helped foster a sense of safety, trust, and solidarity around school campuses that helps students feel safe to come to class.
In response to yesterday’s horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents, Transform condemns the violence, deportations, and arrests perpetrated by the Trump regime.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/09.05.2017.Oliveira.IWRTSD.studentswithbus.PERMISSION.01611766090542-scaled.jpg14401920Transform Staffhttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngTransform Staff2026-01-07 17:37:472026-01-08 13:46:24Safe Routes to Schools Includes Protecting Families from ICE
Since our founding as the Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition in 1997, Transform has changed and adapted to achieve our mission in changing times. We’ve changed our organizational name and refined our operating structure. As we start 2026, we’re embarking on another big change: giving up our office space and becoming a Virtual-First organization.
Remote but still rooted
Transform remains an Oakland-based organization focused on serving communities throughout the Bay Area. We will still maintain our deep community engagement throughout the Bay Area with needs assessments in Alameda and Hayward, Safe Routes to Schools in Alameda County, transportation education in Richmond, and our SPOT SJ project to reclaim public space in Santa Clara County. Our staff are all based locally, and that won’t change.
Giving up our physical office is a hard decision, but one that allows us to better allocate our resources to support our mission and staff. Plus, we knew we had a model that worked: like many organizations, Transform transitioned to a fully work-from-home model at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and only officially returned to two days a week in the office in 2023.
Our staff values face time with each other as well as the community members we work with, so we’ll continue to gather regularly in person as an organization and with our partners.
Our values drive change, inside and out
Transform’s core values guide our work and our internal culture. That means lifting up all voices and valuing everyone’s perspective, from the newest hire to those with years of experience leading Transform.
To foster Trust in a new working environment, wedeveloped Transform’s Virtual-First Guidance that covers everything from asynchronous tools and in-person meetings to confidentiality and safety at home. Its development was a collaborative effort led by our Operations Manager, Executive Director, and Deputy Director, with multiple input points from staff: breakout conversations at staff meetings, 1-to-1 feedback in supervisory meetings, an online all-staff feedback form, and management team discussions.
Throughout the process, we upheld Transparency. We gave regular updates to keep staff informed of key decisions and timelines, and we made sure that everyone was aware of roles and responsibilities for the transition.
The move was an exercise in Shared Leadership: our entire staff played a part in the change from an office to Virtual-First.Our office manager oversaw the many logistics of the move, our development and programs team organized our community engagement and education supplies, and our board even helped us with packing prior to its last meeting of the year.
We know that change management doesn’t end now that we’ve transitioned to Virtual-First working. Because we want to learn what works and what doesn’t, we’ll continue Collaboration and Listening with staff feedback sessions and surveys to understand what adjustments will make our work stronger and more aligned with our values.
The last time we moved offices in 2019, Usa Lee Prompongsatorn Farrant, Transform’s interim co-ED, wrote:
“Inclusion demands an intentional, continuous effort to balance each staff person’s unique needs with what is collectively needed for everyone. This requires a foundation of trust and an understanding of how structural, societal injustices play out within an organization.”
While a lot has changed in our organization, our foundational values remain the same. Moving to a Virtual-First workplace best positions Transform to continue our mission to reshape housing and transportation decision-making so all families can thrive.
Looking for an office space?
Our old office is now available! Check it out on LoopNet and email [email protected] for details.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-Dec-Transform-staff-scaled-e1766110401199.jpg11651920Zack Deutsch-Grosshttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngZack Deutsch-Gross2026-01-07 17:04:272026-01-07 17:04:28New Year, New Transform
Transform had a big year in 2025, bringing our “special sauce” of policy advocacy and programs implementation to reshape housing and transportation decision-making to center equity, climate, and community. We celebrated endings and new beginnings and continued our work on years-long campaigns where perseverance pays dividends.
As we celebrate milestones from this year, we send a big thank you to the wider Transform community: our program partners, policy allies, and donors who power our work. The road to climate resiliency and transportation and housing equity is long, but we are light on our feet when we walk with you.
Some of our 2025 victories were big, some small, but all moved the needle forward on equity, climate resilience, and strong communities.
Major milestones
This year, we celebrated a huge milestone when the governor signed SB 63, authorizing a ballot measure that will raise over $1 billion for Bay Area transit. Transform campaigned hard to include provisions such as those directing all proceeds for the measure to public transit, and preserving rider-first improvements like transfer discounts and coordinated wayfinding. If passed, the measure will create a sustainable funding source for transit that will keep the Bay Area connected.
The fight to save transit from the fiscal cliff faces its biggest hurdle in 2026: convincing the public to invest in bus and train service. Transform will be at the forefront of this campaign; we’ll need your support to get us over the finish line in November.
We also helped shape California’s new Cap-and-Trade Program, now called Cap-and-Invest. We preserved $1.4 billion in continuous funding for three critical housing and transportation programs that have been documented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance equity since their inception in 2014.
Our paradigm-shifting Beyond Highways campaign made significant advances in 2025. Shifting California’s transportation budget away from highway construction and toward sustainable, equitable modes that expand people’s mobility options will be a long process. Changing public perception, moving vested interests, and transforming hidebound public agencies is a big lift that happens in small steps. This year, our campaign against expanding Highway 37 brought the folly of expanding a road that will soon be underwater to the fore and had Caltrans scrambling to justify the boondoggle project. We continue to monitor an expansion of 680 under the guise of adding toll lanes, a move that won’t ultimately reduce congestion and will increase vehicle miles traveled. And we’re ramping up a campaign to shape a project on a segment of 101 to stop Caltrans from increasing traffic through pollution-burdened frontline communities.
Our Safe Routes to Schools team works in partnership with the Alameda County Transportation Commission and continues to serve over 300 schools. We are seeing more schools embrace active and shared mobility options for students every year. A happy milestone this year: we had 168 schools registered for International Walk and Roll to School Day, including 14 out of our 15 Equity Schools. This marks the highest overall school participation in the past five years, as well as a record high for Equity School participation.
The Safe Routes team also mentored and encouraged youth from elementary to high school, inspiring and training the next generation of transportation activists.
Endings and beginnings
This year marked some major transitions at Transform. Jenn Guitart, who lifted our organization up during her time as executive director, stepped down in September. Zack Deutch-Gross, Transform’s policy director, stepped into the executive director role, carrying on Jenn’s terrific work and bringing fresh energy and enthusiasm to Transform leadership.
We wrapped up our groundbreaking Mobility Hubs at Affordable Housing pilot project with a comprehensive report that lays the groundwork for creating long-term hubs to connect residents with affordable transportation. The pilot offered tailored mobility options informed by community members’ needs and interests. At our East Oakland site, residents took more than 22,000 free bus rides with the AC Transit EasyPasses we provided through the pilot. Our webinar on the pilot and the report provided inspiration for other potential programs across the country.
What we learned from our collaborators on the mobility hubs project—the residents—guided our work in 2025. Our report and webinar, Fairness and Accessible Fares: Economic Justice in Transit, explored the ways new fare collection technologies — like MTC’s recently launched tap-to-pay — leave the most vulnerable riders behind, and what transit operators can do about it.
This year, we began new programs in Hayward, Alameda, Oakland, and Richmond — you’ll hear more about those in 2026 — to connect residents with bicycles, EVs, and other low- or no-carbon transportation options. Our creative and innovative programs team will continue to find new ways to connect with, serve, and lift up Bay Area communities.
Celebrations
Transforming the way we think about transportation and housing is hard work — but it’s also filled with joy. In 2025, we shared celebrations with numerous communities, helping people access better ways to connect with school and cultural activities.
The Safe Routes team leads the way on fun, with big and small events throughout the school year. The Golden Sneaker Contest, Bike to School Day, International Walk and Roll to School Day, and Ruby Bridges Day are just a few of the events that bring smiles to students. A huge thank you to all the staff and parents who recognize the importance of Safe Routes to Schools and lend a hand to help out.
This year, our SPOT SJ program worked with partners to raise awareness and transit options for the colorful and joyful Avenida de Altares. This Day of the Dead celebration brings huge crowds to San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza and the surrounding neighborhood to view altars and performances. Transform helped more people get there by public transit, easing traffic and parking pressures. We look forward to more collaborations as we help San Jose residents and businesses reclaim civic space from car storage.
Advocacy in a changing country
There’s no escaping the fact that the environment Transform and all of us live and work in changed on January 20, 2025. The California legislature shifted its priorities to respond to threats from D.C., which meant we and our allies had to work harder to make sure California values like fighting climate change got the funding they needed. As an organization and a community, we affirmed our commitment to equity and diversity, standing strong against hate coming from the new administration. Our Safe Routes program now works with community members to help students get to school safely in a time of ICE raids on school dropoff lines, and our policy team is doubling down on our partnerships in impacted communities.
We don’t know what the future will hold, but we do know that we will remain true to our values, even when it’s an uphill struggle.
Laying groundwork for the future
Looking ahead, 2026 will bring a continuation of many of our current projects. Safe Routes is well on its way to another successful school year. The programs team is working with residents in multiple communities to expand transportation options. We will continue our work to move California beyond highways.
Our biggest campaign will be bringing sustainable transit funding to the ballot in five Bay Area counties. Transform is the lead organizer for Alameda County; we will be making a big push to explain the benefits of reliable, viable public transit to the voters.
And there will be new bills to support or oppose and new crises to respond to. As always, we’re in this with you. Looking forward to another great year together!
On December 10, 2025, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will roll out an easier way to pay for transit in the Bay Area, allowing riders to tap any contactless credit or debit card or digital wallet. Previously, tap-to-pay was only available on BART.
Transform applauds this advance in fare collection, which will:
Encourage more people to ride by removing a barrier to using public transit, allowing riders to hop on without loading money onto a Clipper card or having cash.
Make it easier to pay as you go for transit, reducing the financial burden of transit costs.
Adding an easy, efficient, and cost-effective method for transit providers to collect fares.
Provide free and reduced transfers between Bay Area transit providers, providing a more affordable, synchronized transit system.
“Tap-to-pay is a huge step forward for Bay Area transit that will boost ridership and improve the user experience,” said Abibat Rahman-Davies, Transform’s Transportation Policy Manager. “With the free and reduced transfers, riders won’t have to think twice about transferring between systems — they’ll just pick whatever trip gets them there the fastest.”
Abibat Rahman-Davies and Transform Executive Director Zack Deutsch-Gross will be at the press conference for the launch of tap-to-pay on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Embarcadero Station in San Francisco.
More access needed
Unfortunately, riders can’t access discounted fares or monthly passes through the tap-to-pay system — yet. Transform’s report, Fair and Accessible Fares: Economic Justice in Transit, outlines the additional steps MTC should take to help all riders take advantage of the new system.
Rahman-Davies, the report’s author, said, “I hope to see fare discount options for students, seniors, and low-income riders added as soon as possible. Without these additions and features to support people without banking access, tap to pay risks leaving our most vulnerable riders behind.”
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Transform works to ensure that people of all incomes thrive in a world safe from climate chaos. We envision vibrant neighborhoods, transformed by excellent, sustainable mobility options and affordable housing, where those historically impacted by racist disinvestment now have power and voice.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ac-transit-bus-scaled.jpeg14482560Laura McCamyhttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngLaura McCamy2025-12-08 17:49:152025-12-08 17:49:16Transform Applauds Bay Area Transit’s New Tap to Pay Option
Starting on December 10, riders can pay for Bay Area transit with a debit or credit card. BART launched its open payment system earlier this year, and tap-to-pay already makes up over 10% of all BART fares, with over 900,000 trips in the first 60 days.
Transform applauds this advance, which will increase ridership and ease the financial burden on low-income riders by making it easier to hop on a train or bus. However, as we detailed in our report, Fair and Accessible Fares, the rollout of open payments is lacking some of the features critical to an equitable system.
The benefits of open payments
The current Clipper card, which riders can continue to use, requires transit users to load cash value onto a plastic or virtual transit card. Riders can add value through electronic transfer, at a fare machine at a transit station, or through a third-party vendor.
Prepaying for transit can be a challenge for low-income riders who may be on a tight budget. Open payments removes the prepayment requirement, allowing riders to pay as they go, with their payment card only charged when they ride.
Open payments systems are a great way to encourage people to try transit. Infrequent riders don’t have to manage a Clipper card or hold a balance on one; they can simply tap to pay with a credit or debit card when they ride.
With the rollout of open payments on all Bay Area transit systems that currently take the Clipper card, riders will automatically get discounted fares, saving up to $2.85 per trip, when transferring between transit agencies within a two-hour window.
What you need to know to ride
To take advantage of open payments, all you need to do is tap your credit or debit card or use your smartphone wallet on the fare box or fare gate. The transit fare will be charged to your account. You may need to adjust the settings to use a card from the digital wallet on your phone without opening the phone and pulling up the card each time.
If you have money on a Clipper card, don’t worry: you can still use it.
If you have a senior, youth, Clipper START card, or other fare discount, you will still need to use your Clipper card to receive the discounted fare. Check out the Clipper FAQ to learn more.
What MTC must do next
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s implementation of open payments doesn’t include these crucial features:
Linkage with fare discount programs. Discounted fares through Clipper Youth, Senior, RTC, and Clipper START programs are NOT available through contactless bank card payment. Riders must still use their discount program-issued Clipper cards to receive these discounted fares. The State of California has systems that would allow a rider to be automatically qualified for an income- or age-based discounted fare via their bank card. MTC must add fare discount programs to its open payments program as soon as possible.
Fare capping. Fare capping automatically caps daily, weekly, or monthly fares when payments on the same card reach the cost of a pass for that transit system. For example, if a weekly transit pass is $20 and a single fare is $3, a user who rides seven or more times in a week would benefit from the fare cap. MTC’s open payments system should add automatic fare capping, where available.
Programs to connect unbanked riders with banking options. One of the biggest challenges to open payments is that the lowest-income riders often have the least access to banking services and thus can’t take advantage of a tap-to-pay system. MTC should create an outreach and information program like the one implemented by Monterey-Salinas Transit to help riders connect with low-fee banking and other digital payment options.
As panelists discussed in our open payments webinar, moving to digital payments can save transit systems money. Tap-to-pay equipment is cheaper to maintain and update than cash fare collection machines, freeing up operating funds for improved service. Clipper 2.0 can be a positive development for Bay Area transit if it’s paired with equity initiatives.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/greenTRIP_0002_Cropped-bus-Muni-2048x1578-1.jpg353530Abibat Rahman-Davieshttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngAbibat Rahman-Davies2025-12-05 19:49:172025-12-05 19:49:17Pay With Your Credit Card Transit Starting December 10: What You Need to Know
Media Contact: Zack Deutsch-Gross, Executive Director, Transform, [email protected], 415.637.0101
The 2026 citizens’ ballot initiative is a nakedly NIMBY attempt to prioritize parking over people
A citizens’ initiative to block affordable housing on three city-owned parking lots in Menlo Park has now qualified for the November 2026 ballot. The City of Menlo Park had planned for at least 345 affordable homes on the site, but, if the initiative passes, it would be forced to run a citywide ballot measure before it could sell the land or “permanently diminish the availability, access, or convenience of parking”—a prerequisite to building affordable housing on the site.
“Replacing empty parking lots with affordable housing is a no-brainer, especially in Menlo Park, where there are already great Caltrain, Samtrans, and free shuttle options,” says Transform’s Executive Director Zack Deutsch-Gross. “Transform strongly opposes this retrograde measure that places more value on car storage that sits empty much of the time than badly-needed homes for families.”
The measure would prohibit Menlo Park from selling, leasing, donating, disposing of, or conveying city-owned downtown parking lots without approval by a majority of voters. This would delay and possibly derail the city’s plan to build affordable housing on the sites.
“San Mateo’s problems of displacement, homelessness, and long commutes will get worse if voters approve this measure,” said Transform’s Housing and Parking Policy Manager Julia Gerasimenko. “Not only will it take us further from our housing goals, but it will undercut transit investments and hurt local businesses in the long run.”
The measure would also require that if the city intends to make any physical alterations to the downtown parking lots that would permanently diminish the availability, access, or convenience of parking, then the city must submit to the voters a subsequent ballot measure seeking authority to make such alterations prior to implementation. The measure further disallows any actions “which would diminish the availability, access or convenience of public parking for Downtown customers, workers and visitors.”
Parking is never free. It takes up precious civic space that could be devoted to other uses, such as more affordable housing to alleviate the critical shortage of affordable units throughout California and particularly on the Peninsula. Almost one-third of downtown Menlo Park is already dedicated to off-street parking. Residents and business owners pay for this overabundance of parking spots through higher rents, higher retail prices, and missed opportunities to build affordable housing or green space.
Transform’s report, Parking Revolution/Housing Solution, showed how excess parking capacity generates higher vehicle ownership, traffic, and pollution, and reduces incentives for more affordable transportation modes. The Menlo Park initiative is a regressive and short-sighted attempt to lock the city into outmoded and disproven land use priorities, keeping the downtown core from becoming the vibrant, people-centered space it has the potential to be.
In addition to the parking and transit costs, the measure could make Menlo Park miss its housing development target, which is required by state law. If successful, it could create a new playbook for blocking affordable homes across California. Transform is committed to opposing this measure, which endangers Menlo Park and the entire Bay Area’s housing and transportation needs.
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Transform works to ensure that people of all incomes thrive in a world safe from climate chaos. We envision vibrant neighborhoods, transformed by excellent, sustainable mobility options and affordable housing, where those historically impacted by racist disinvestment now have power and voice.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/john-matychuk-yvfp5YHWGsc-unsplash-scaled-e1720486321232.jpg12801920Zack Deutsch-Grosshttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngZack Deutsch-Gross2025-12-04 15:38:532025-12-04 15:38:54Transform Opposes Anti-Housing Measure in Menlo Park
This year, Avenida de Altares brought together many parts of East San Jose in a way that felt both familiar and very new. The Mexican Heritage Plaza was full of families moving from one altar to the next. There were quiet moments, crowded moments, and a lot of joy in between. People stopped for face painting, food, the vendor market, and the big performance from Ozomatli that pulled everyone in. There was also a lot of excitement around the lucha libre matches, which added to the energy of the night.
Sustainable transportation to a cultural celebration
One of the most meaningful parts of the event was the honorary altar for the MACSA Youth Center. The organization was an important part of the neighborhood for years, but the building was heavily damaged in a large fire earlier this year. Many people in the community shared stories about growing up with MACSA, attending programs there, or having a family member who did. There were many types of altars throughout the plaza, and the MACSA altar stood out as a place where people paused to remember and reflect. Photos of the fire and past MACSA programs helped tell the story, and the altar became a place where people talked about the loss and also the importance of keeping cultural spaces alive.
A welcoming space — despite ICE
In the days before the event, the community got a notice reassuring everyone that they were welcome and safe amid rising fears about ICE being active in the Bay Area. This message mattered. It shaped how people decided to attend, who chose to bring their families, and how long people stayed once they arrived. It reminded us that transportation choices are tied to trust and comfort, not only the physical conditions on the street.
Creating community and walkability together
There is still a long road ahead to make East San Jose safer and more accessible for walking, biking, and transit. The event itself showed what is possible when the community gathers in a place that feels like home. The challenge now is building a transportation system that supports that energy.
Over the next few weeks, Transform will review transit ridership data from the night of Avenida de Altares and compare it with that of the same period from last year. Once we have that information, we will share a short report and look at how travel patterns are changing over time and what that means for future events. The hope is to understand not only how people arrived this year but also what it will take to help more people choose to walk, bike, or ride transit in the years ahead.
https://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Avenida-de-Altares-2025-plaza-scaled-e1764109575915.jpg13281440Julia Gerasimenkohttps://transformca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Company-Logo.pngJulia Gerasimenko2025-11-25 14:33:562025-11-25 14:36:03Walking with the Dead: Avenida de Altares
