Grand Jury Report: Inquiry into Governance of the Valley Transportation Authority*

"The VTA Board, currently made up exclusively of elected officials from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the City of San José and the other smaller cities in the County, suffers from: A lack of experience, continuity and leadership; Inadequate time for the directors to devote to their duties to the VTA Board due to their primary focus on the demands of their elected positions; A lack of engagement on the part of some directors, fostered in part by the committee system, resulting in VTA functioning largely as a staff-driven organization; Domination, in terms of numbers, seniority and influence, by representatives of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the City of San José; and Frequent tension between the director's fiduciary duties to VTA and its regional role, on the one hand, and the political demands of their local elected positions, on the other." Response to Finding 1: The County disagrees in part with Finding 1. Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) was established in its current governing structure in 1995 as an independent special district by the California legislature. While several Grand Jury reports have made recommendations to make alterations to the governing structure, no changes have been made. Board of Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Susan Ellenberg, S. Joseph Simitian County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith 2.006 R Response to Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Final Report: Inquiry into the Governance of the Valley Transportation Authority August 5, 2019 Each of the members of the VTA governing board is elected to office in their respective jurisdictions and are then selected through a public process in each jurisdiction to sit on the VTA board. The Public Utilities Code (PUC) dictates that, to the extent possible, appointments to the VTA board be made of individuals who have expertise, experience or knowledge relative to transportation issues. Because the PUC code calls for members with useful background in transportation issues, the County would not benefit in supporting governance structures other than what the State Legislature has already put in place, since the composition of the VTA board is expected to include such qualifications. Beyond the composition of the VTA Board membership, the other areas of concern identified in the report could be addressed by the VTA itself, and do not require legislative action.