Max Mautner
Who checks the agencies

Oversight: who reviews the agencies, and what can be enforced

SB 63 puts the efficiency review under an oversight committee that includes board members of the agencies being reviewed, and leaves enforcement to MTC. This page shows who is on the committee, what it has done, what it can and cannot require, and every recommendation an agency formally rejects.

The committee's members

The law sets the committee's makeup (§67764). Of its 9 voting members on the current roster:

  • 4 serve on the boards of the agencies under review
  • 4 are independent experts appointed by MTC
  • 1 is MTC's chair

Two more members represent the state and do not vote. A quorum is 5 voting members. Roster: MTC's agenda for the October 21, 2026 meeting.

MemberSeat under the lawOther public role
Sue NoackChair (elected March 6, 2026) MTC chair or designee (§67764(a)) Chair, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Sources (2)
Jeff GeeVice Chair (elected March 6, 2026) Board member of a reviewed agency (§67764(b)) Caltrain's designee; Director, Caltrain (Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board) Board of Directors
Sources (3)
Steve HemingerMember Board member of a reviewed agency (§67764(b)) SFMTA's designee; Director, SFMTA Board of Directors. Also a Caltrain board member, appointed by SFMTA.
Sources (4)
Murphy McCalleyMember Board member of a reviewed agency (§67764(b)) AC Transit's designee; Vice President (Ward 4), AC Transit Board of Directors
Sources (3)
Matthew RinnMember Board member of a reviewed agency (§67764(b)) BART's representative; Director (District 1), BART Board of Directors

BART originally designated its board president, Melissa Hernandez (Jan. 28, 2026 roster). She is on the March 6 and April 17 rosters; Matthew Rinn is on the roster from May 22. Needs verification: no source found for when or how BART changed its designee.

Sources (4)
Debra JohnsonMember Independent expert appointed by MTC (§67764(c)) General Manager and CEO, Denver Regional Transportation District; former Chief Operating Officer, LA Metro; former Director of Administration, SFMTA

Appointed by the Commission on Jan. 28, 2026 (17-0). MTC staff report that candidates were screened for "recent ties to subject operators" (item 7b, p. 2).

Sources (2)
Ben RosenfieldMember Independent expert appointed by MTC (§67764(c)) Former Controller, City and County of San Francisco

Appointed by the Commission on Jan. 28, 2026 (17-0).

Sources (2)
Lou ThompsonMember Independent expert appointed by MTC (§67764(c)) Member, California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group; former leadership roles at the World Bank and Federal Railroad Administration

Appointed by the Commission on Jan. 28, 2026 (17-0).

Sources (2)
Nancy WhelanMember Independent expert appointed by MTC (§67764(c)) Former General Manager, Marin Transit; former owner of a transit financial planning and management consulting firm

Appointed by the Commission on Jan. 28, 2026 (17-0).

Sources (2)
Teresa CalvertNon-voting member State ex officio, non-voting (§67764(d)) Program Budget Manager, California Department of Finance (the Department of Finance seat)
Sources (2)
Anthony SernaNon-voting member State ex officio, non-voting (§67764(d)) Deputy Secretary for Rail and Transit, California State Transportation Agency (appointed June 26, 2026)

The rosters don't name his seat. The other ex officio seat is the Department of Finance's, held by Teresa Calvert, so this is the California State Transportation Agency seat. That seat was vacant on Jan. 28, 2026; James Hacker held it on the rosters of March 6 through May 22, 2026.

Sources (3)

Last verified November 5, 2026.

What the committee can and cannot do

It can

  • Review the consultant's Phase 1 and Phase 2 analyses, direct revisions, and adopt the final versions. §67766(a), (c)(1)
  • Specify what information each agency must give for every cost-saving measure in its implementation plan. §67766(c)(2)
  • Approve each agency's draft implementation plan or recommend revisions. §67766(e)

It cannot

  • Make an agency adopt a recommendation. A board may reject one by adopting a written finding, listed below. §67766(f)(3)
  • Decide whether an agency complies or withhold its funds. MTC does both. §67766(h)
  • Continue after the plans are adopted. It ends once every agency adopts a final implementation plan. §67766(g)

Recommendations agencies reject

An agency's board can reject an oversight committee recommendation only by adopting a written finding that it would have “an unacceptable impact on transit service or safety” or conflicts with other documented local policies. MTC must notify the Legislature within 10 business days, and each finding expires after 12 months unless the board renews it with an updated assessment. §67766(f)(3)

None so far. A finding can be adopted only when an agency's board adopts its final implementation plan, which comes after Phase 2. Each one will be listed here with its basis, expiration, renewals, and MTC's notice to the Legislature.

Savings estimates

Recommendations with a savings estimate
0 of 35
Estimated savings, total
None

The Phase 1 report does not estimate savings for individual strategies, so no tracked recommendation has a dollar figure yet. Phase 2 must evaluate cost-saving measures with metrics such as cost per passenger mile and subsidy per passenger mile, reported so that “results are quantifiable and actionable.” §67762(c)(1) When Phase 2 or an agency document gives a figure for a tracked measure, it will appear on that entry and in this total.

Meetings and votes

  1. October 21, 2026

    Phase 2 scope and approach discussed

    Information and discussion item: MTC staff presented a proposed approach for Phase 2 (contingent on the measure passing), covering process, deliverables, timeline, and consultant qualifications, and asked for the committee's input before writing the consultant scope of work and request for proposals. The May 22 minutes were on the consent calendar.

    Vote: Not yet published in a source reviewed here.

    Minutes not yet posted; they are normally approved at the committee's next meeting.

    Sources (2)

  2. May 22, 2026

    Final Phase 1 report adopted

    Adopted the final Phase 1 analysis. MTC's release says the committee also directed staff to make minor revisions and add one early action strategy. Approved the April 17 minutes. Written comments came from MTC Commissioner Gina Papan and committee member Lou Thompson.

    Vote: Final Phase 1 analysis adopted 7-0 (motion Noack, second McCalley). Absent: Rosenfield, Whelan.

    The minutes cited are the draft placed on the Oct. 21, 2026 agenda for approval.

    Sources (2)

  3. April 17, 2026

    Draft Phase 1 report presented

    Received the consultant's draft Phase 1 report and gave initial feedback; no action was required. Approved the March 6 minutes. Written comments came from committee member Lou Thompson, SPUR, the Bay Area Council, and MTC Commissioner Gina Papan.

    Vote: Consent calendar (March 6 minutes) approved 6-0. Absent: Hernandez, Thompson, Whelan.

    Sources (1)

  4. March 6, 2026

    First meeting

    Elected Sue Noack Chair and Jeff Gee Vice Chair. Received an introduction to SB 63, the review's scope and timeline, and the consultant team.

    Vote: Chair and Vice Chair each elected 9-0 (all voting members present).

    Sources (1)

Agendas, minutes, and video of every meeting are on MTC's meetings page.