This law section simply names the act as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Act.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is established as a local planning agency, separate from the state government, tasked with overseeing transportation planning for a specific region in California. This region includes San Francisco and several surrounding counties, which are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

This section outlines the structure and appointment of a 21-member commission from various counties and entities in the Bay Area.

(a) The commission includes members from the City and County of San Francisco, and the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, with appointments made by mayors or city selection committees.

(b) Members from Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma are appointed by their Board of Supervisors from a list of nominees.

(c) Additional members include representatives from the Association of Bay Area Governments and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

(d and e) There are nonvoting representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

(f) Public officers can be appointed to the commission during their service terms.

(g) A restriction is set so no more than three members can come from the same county.

This law outlines the terms for transportation commissioners in California. Each commissioner serves for four years, but the commissioners appointed by the Mayors of Oakland and San Jose initially have terms ending in February 2015. If a public officer serving as a commissioner leaves their public post, they also lose their commissioner position unless their appointing authority allows them to finish the term. Commissioners should be selected based on their understanding of transportation issues.

This law states that members are not paid a salary but can get paid back for expenses when doing their duties. Instead of repayment for meeting expenses, members can choose to receive $100 for each meeting they attend, up to five meetings per month. They can also get travel expenses covered, if approved by the commission. The commission is responsible for all these costs.

The commission is required to appoint an executive director who manages the commission's activities, following the commission's guidance and policies.

The executive director can hire necessary staff to help fulfill the commission's objectives, but these appointments need the commission's approval.

This law section allows the commission to take various actions to support its work. It can receive financial support from public agencies, private foundations, or individuals. The commission can set up committees from its members and other advisory groups. It is also allowed to hire professionals or services for tasks that its own team or other government bodies can't handle well. Ultimately, the commission can do anything necessary to fulfill its duties.

This law states that a new commission will take over the planning duties from the Bay Area Transportation Study Commission and the Regional Transportation Planning Committee. All files and planning data from these previous organizations will be given to the new commission.

This law requires the commission to create a regional transportation plan by June 30, 1973. Until this plan is adopted, transportation projects can proceed without needing the commission's approval.

This law section mandates that when developing the regional transportation plan, the commission must consider several factors. These include the recommendations from the Bay Area Transportation Study Commission, adjusted by the Regional Transportation Planning Committee. They also need to assess the ecological, economic, and social impacts of transportation systems on aspects like housing, jobs, recreation, and the environment, especially for disadvantaged communities.

Additionally, they should consider regional plans from other organizations focused on meeting the planning needs of the region, including inputs from the Association of Bay Area Governments and other mentioned entities.

This law outlines that the regional transportation plan must cover several key components of the transportation system. These include the interstate and defense highways, California's freeway system, other state highways, transbay bridges, and mass transit systems. The plan should focus on how these various transportation modes connect and work together.

This law requires a regional transportation plan to outline what is needed for transportation in the area over the next 10 years. It must also rank projects based on urgency, specifying which parts of the transportation system need to be built, changed, or maintained to meet these needs.

This law section requires that a financial plan be included in the regional transportation plan. The financial plan should detail funding for each part of the transportation system, including how much money is needed and where it will come from.

The commission must review various revenue sources, even if there are current legal limits on how these funds can be spent, to ensure the transportation system is adequately financed. They may also suggest new laws to the Legislature if needed to secure this funding.

This law requires the commission to regularly review the regional transportation plan and make updates when necessary. Any changes should align with regulations outlined in Section 65080.

Before starting construction on any new bridge crossing San Francisco Bay, the project needs the commission's approval. This rule doesn't apply to changes on current bridges unless new traffic lanes or rapid transit systems are being added.

If anyone wants to build or run a special transit system in multiple counties that has its own dedicated path, they need to get approval from the commission first.

This law mandates that any public transit system in the region that's entirely using its own designated travel lanes must match the physical features of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Additionally, there must be a plan for managing and operating any facilities that connect different transit systems together.

This law requires the commission, along with a regional transit council, to create rules that make sure all public transit systems in their area work together on schedules and fares. They must also ensure that different transit systems have agreements in place to share the money they earn from fares when they connect with each other.

This law allows a commission to work with a regional transit council to identify parts of public transit systems that could be combined for better efficiency. They can recommend combining or outsourcing these functions for improved service. Additionally, the commission can suggest ways to enhance service coordination in key transit corridors by reducing overlapping services and ensuring smooth transit operations across different transit systems.

This law requires the commission to support and assist local city or public agency transit systems. The goal is to ensure these systems provide enough feeder services, which are local transport links, to connect with larger regional transit networks.

This law requires the commission to set goals and measures for regional public transit services, ensuring they are efficient and effective. They must also create consistent data requirements to evaluate the benefits and costs of these services. Additionally, the commission is responsible for establishing procedures to prioritize regional transportation funding.

The law also mandates the creation of standards for a uniform system of reporting and accounting so that public transit operators report their finances quarterly and submit their budgets for review. Other standards include maintaining local support for public transit and ensuring cost-effective operations.

This law section requires the California Transportation Commission to follow the regional transportation plan and priorities when distributing funds for state highway construction. However, the Commission can make exceptions if there is a more important interest that affects the entire state.

If a county, city, or transportation district in the region wants to apply for a federal or state grant that includes a transportation component, they must first send their application to the commission. The commission checks if it aligns with the regional transportation plan. Only applications that fit with the plan will be approved and sent forward.

However, if the money involved comes from the Motor Vehicle Fuel License Tax and is given to local governments as mentioned by the law, this review step by the commission isn't needed.

This law section describes how the federal government, state, and local agencies should support a particular commission. The idea is that the commission's activities, especially in transportation and planning, will get financial backing from these levels of government. To achieve this, the commission and the Transportation Agency will arrange contracts to use federal highway funds and state funds for planning highways, roads, and streets in the region.

Further, the commission is to work with federal agencies, like the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to secure grants for its studies and planning activities. It must also make fair agreements with local entities, such as the City and County of San Francisco, and various districts and transportation groups, to contribute funds or services to support its initiatives. These local entities can use funds from motor vehicle fees to help with this support.

This law says that if a new regional government organization is created and it has duties related to transportation planning, the commission must become part of it or work together with it within one year.

This law section states that the commission is responsible for managing a county's transportation spending plan if it includes rules for implementing a retail sales tax for this purpose.

The commission is responsible for actively working to find ways to fund important transportation projects for the whole region.

Every two years, counties in the San Francisco Bay area, along with their cities and transit operators, can create and update a transportation plan. This plan should be submitted to the designated agency responsible for congestion management, unless another agency is assigned this task. The county transportation plans need to align with the congestion management programs and consider federal transportation planning factors.

The commission will develop guidelines for these plans, ensuring they align with regional plans. The guidelines should address investments to manage congestion, consider transport system strategies, manage transportation impacts related to land use, and factor in expected revenues. Also, they must recommend improvements for the next 10 and 20 years and contribute to the regional transportation plan. If needed, the commission can resolve conflicts between different county plans. Counties can also have their plans prepared by the commission, provided both parties agree. Lastly, funding strategies for these plans should be developed jointly with the commission.

This law requires a commission to create a plan for managing transportation emergencies when highways are damaged by earthquakes. The plan will focus on the services needed during the reconstruction of specific highways in Alameda County and San Francisco. The funding for these services is meant to come from future legislative actions.

By July 1, 2003, the commission must create performance criteria to assess new transportation projects that aren't yet identified in the 2002 plan. This involves evaluating how projects will affect their corridors and prioritizing investments for the 2004 plan based on goals for each corridor.

The commission also needs to set goals for corridor planning that match the performance criteria for the 2004 regional plan.

Costs for this process should be covered by specific funds. If these funds are insufficient, the commission isn't obligated to perform these tasks.

This law talks about the collaboration between the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for better regional planning. In 2003, they formed the ABAG-MTC Task Force to discuss improving regional planning, including organizational changes. Instead of merging, the task force decided to create a joint policy committee to handle planning tasks and address regional transportation issues.

Additionally, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District was historically part of this cooperative effort, working on air quality plans. By June 30, 2005, this district was required to be part of the joint committee, emphasizing the connection between land use, transportation, and air quality.

This law section outlines the responsibilities of a joint policy committee consisting of members from various regional entities in the San Francisco Bay Area. First, the committee must create a report on the feasibility of merging certain functions of two organizations (ABAG and MTC) and submit it to the Legislature by 2006. Second, the committee must include representatives from nine Bay Area counties, with most appointees from one specific agency being locally elected officials by 2011. Lastly, the committee is tasked with coordinating and reviewing major planning documents from ABAG, MTC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. These plans include regional transportation, housing needs, air quality, and the San Francisco Bay Plan.

This law talks about efforts to improve planning in the Bay Area, specifically around land use, transportation, and air quality. Three agencies have been working together on this: the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is also important, as it oversees planning and regulation in several key areas, such as the San Francisco Bay and Suisun Marsh.

The law notes that the BCDC has shown interest in joining these planning efforts, and the joint policy committee supports this addition. By January 1, 2009, the BCDC should become a member of the joint policy committee with equal representation as the other agencies.