Zack Deutsch-Gross: Why I’m stepping up at Transform

As Transform’s Policy Director for the past three years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to help reshape housing and transportation decision-making in the Bay Area and statewide. We’ve passed a law to increase transparency at Caltrans, moved closer to a solution for funding Bay Area transit, and released groundbreaking reports on transit, housing, and equity.

As I step into the Executive Director role, I want to share a little bit more about myself and why our work at Transform is so important to me personally.

A little bit about me

I’m a Bay Area native, born and raised in San Francisco, where I still live with my wife and one-year-old son. 

Growing up in the Bay Area made me who I am. From school to soccer practice, from Chinatown to City College, I had access to so many places, cultures, and opportunities simply because I had a bike and a bus pass. Transportation is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in California today, and housing is the number one household expense. But as I see it, they’re also fundamental to our culture and social fabric. They define who has access to opportunity and what type of communities we’re cultivating for our neighbors and for future generations.

As I move into the E.D. role, I find myself thinking about my son and his generation. And the brutal reality is that if we don’t build more affordable housing and make it easier for people to get around, the opportunities I had growing up won’t be available to his generation.

Transform’s work is crucial

Transform has a special place in my heart. Our long and successful history of housing and transportation wins has helped push the Bay Area toward a more equitable and sustainable future. And it’s helped nurture many planners and policy wonks along the way — including me. Interning at Transform while I was in grad school helped shape my vision for how advocates can change the status quo. 

The reality is that we’ve built our housing and transportation systems on a foundation of racist and exclusionary policies. The result is a worsening climate crisis and a prohibitively expensive Bay Area, where families spend hours commuting in gridlocked traffic because we’ve failed to build affordable housing near our jobs, schools, and transit hubs.

That’s why Transform’s work is so important. We work every day to build a brighter future. Whether it’s designing mobility hubs at affordable housing sites or speaking out against highway expansion, we’re cultivating a world where all families can thrive, safe from climate chaos. 

Today, that work is more important than ever. When even mentioning ‘equity’ or ‘climate change’ risks federal backlash, Transform’s work to reshape housing and transportation to center community needs and combat the climate crisis is indispensable. 

Looking forward

In the year ahead, Transform will be working to pass transit and housing measures on the 2026 ballot, safeguarding the future of the Bay Area’s transit systems and building needed affordable housing. We’ll expand our campaign to stop highway expansion projects in the Bay Area that undercut our transportation and climate goals. And we’ll scale up our work providing community needs assessments and improved mobility options to Bay Area residents who have often been excluded from past investments.

We pursue these projects not because they’re easy — they’re not — but because they’re essential. And with the help of our talented staff and dedicated supporters like you, I know we can be successful in the coming years. Thanks for all you do to make Transform and our movement strong — I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.