Governor Signs Law Funding San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority; World Class Water Transit System on Its Way to Bay Area

Governor Gray Davis signed Senate Bill (SB 1662 – Burton) allocating $12 million appropriation to fund the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority.  The appropriation will allow the Water Transit Authority to initiate the detailed environmental planning, technical analysis, and public outreach that will lead to a dramatically expanded system of high-speed water transit on the Bay.

The new Authority was created last year by Senate Bill 428 with and given a mandate to “design, build, and operate” a regional ferry system to alleviate Bay Area traffic woes. 

Harried commuters will have to wait for expanded ferry service until planning and environmental studies required by the Legislature are completed, a process that could take several years.  Nonetheless funding of the Water Transit Authority represents a significant victory for ferry advocates.

“We’ve been waiting for this appropriation, and now that it’s passed we’re going to focus intensively on making high-speed water transit a reality for the Bay Area,” said Charlene Johnson, appointed President of the Water Transit Authority by Governor Gray Davis.  “With traffic congestion getting worse every day, expanding water transit on the Bay is our best opportunity to improve mobility quickly, and in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.”

The Water Transit Authority is charged with conducting the planning, environmental analysis, intergovernmental coordination, and public outreach necessary to develop a comprehensive Bay Area Water Transit Implementation and Operations Plan.  Following approval of the Plan by the California Legislature, the Water Transit Authority will begin operating world-class high-speed water transit on the Bay.

Board President Johnson reported that the first meeting of the Authority will be scheduled soon.  The Water Transit Board is composed of 11 members, 8 of whom have been appointed.  In addition to Ms. Johnson, they are:  Vice President Captain Nancy Wagner, Tony Withington, Gavin Newsom, Marina Secchitano, James Fang, and Joe Freitas.  The Assembly Rules Committee has yet to make one its appointments, and 3 seats are reserved for representative of regional ferry services. 

Johnson noted that some observers wrote off the Water Transit Authority when Governor Davis vetoed funding in July, but she knew that common-sense of a water transit system would shine through.  “I knew from conversations with the Governor and legislative leaders that the earlier veto was based on a purely technical objection and that Sacramento strongly supports expanding water transit in the Bay Area,” confirmed Johnson. 

Historically, the Bay Area Water Transit Authority was preceded by the Bay Area Water Transit Task Force, a multi-stakeholder partnership co-convened by the Bay Area Council and the Bay Area Economic Forum at the urging of the California State Senate.  The Task Force completed its work in May 1999 with the release of an Action Plan that outlined a conceptual water transit system that could be implemented within 5 to 10 years, linking up to 28 terminals and carrying at least 15 to 20 million passengers annually.  Following the release of the Action Plan, State Senator Don Perata introduced SB 428 to create the new Bay Area Water Transit Authority; the bill was signed into law on October 10, 1999.  The Water Transit Authority is a public agency led by an 11-member board that is appointed by the Governor, the Assembly and Senate, and local government.