Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Friday, September 26, 2025 at 9:00 A.m. - 1:30 P.m.

SANDAG Boardroom

1011 Union Street, First Floor

San Diego, CA 92101

Voting Members Present:

• Chair Lesa Heebner (Solana Beach)
• Vice Chair Joe LaCava (City of San Diego)
• Councilmember Kevin Shin (Carlsbad)
• Deputy Mayor Carolina Chavez (Chula Vista)
• Mayor John Duncan (Coronado)
• Mayor Terry Gaasterland (Del Mar)
• Mayor Bruce Ehlers (Encinitas)
• Mayor Dane White (Escondido)
• Councilmember Jack Fisher (Imperial Beach)
• Mayor Alysson Snow (Lemon Grove)
• Councilmember Luz Molina (National City)
• Councilmember Christopher Pikus (Poway)
• Mayor Rebecca Jones (San Marcos)
• Deputy Mayor Katie Melendez (Vista)
• Supervisor Paloma Aguirre (County of San Diego)

Voting Members Absent:

• Second Vice Chair John Minto (Santee)
• Mayor Bill Wells (El Cajon)
• Mayor Mark Arapostathis (La Mesa)
• Mayor Esther Sanchez (Oceanside)

Others Present:

• Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee (City of San Diego - Seat B)
• Robin Joy Maxson (Association of Planning Groups)
• Executive Director Ann Fox (Caltrans District 11)
• Executive Director Dennis Keck (U.S. Department of Defense)
• Anna Shepherd (U.S. Department of Defense)

 

Meeting Video

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1.

Call to Order

Chair Heebner called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. 

2.

Non-Agenda Public Comments/Member Comments

Public Comments: Truth, Allegedly Audra, Arun Prem, Dorene Dias, Paul the Bold, Consuelo. 

The Board recognized the service of outgoing TransNet Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee member Les Hopper. 

Chief Executive Officer Mario Orso provided an update on agency activities. 

3.

Consent

Public Comments: Truth, Allegedly Audra, Paul the Bold, Consuelo, Blair Beekman.

• Motioned by: Vice Chair LaCava
  Seconded by: Deputy Mayor Chavez

  To approve Consent Agenda Item Nos. 3.1, 3.2, and 3.4 through 3.7.

  For (15)	Deputy Mayor Chavez, Mayor Duncan, Mayor Gaasterland, Mayor White, Councilmember Fisher, Councilmember Molina, Mayor Jones, Chair Heebner, Deputy Mayor Melendez, Mayor Snow, Vice Chair LaCava, Councilmember Shin, Mayor Ehlers, Councilmember Pikus, and Supervisor Aguirre
  Absent (4)	Mayor Wells, Second Vice Chair Minto, Mayor Sanchez, and Mayor Arapostathis

  The motion passed. (15 to 0)

3.1

Approval of Meeting Minutes

Approved the September 12, 2025, meeting minutes. 

3.2

Chief Executive Officer Delegated Actions and Other Reportable Actions

In accordance with various Board Policies, this report summarized delegated actions taken by the Chief Executive Officer.

3.4

Proposed FY 2026 Program Budget Amendment: Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Awards

Approved the proposed amendments to the FY 2026 Program Budget, accepting $1,200,000 in Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant funds and creating three new planning projects.

3.5

Overview of Developments in the Financial Markets, Quarterly Finance Report as of June 30, 2025

This report provided an overview on the latest developments in the financial markets, economy, sales tax revenues, and strategies being explored and implemented to minimize possible impacts to the TransNet Program. 

3.6

Audit Committee Public Member Screening Committee

Approved the Audit Committee Public Member Screening Committee.

3.7

Quarterly Project Progress and Budget Update, FY 2025, Quarter 4

This quarterly report provided an update on the status of the agency’s projects as approved in the FY 2025 Program Budget through June 2025 (Quarter 4).

3.3

TransNet Active Transportation Grant Program Project Amendment

This item was deferred to a future meeting. 

4.

SR 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project Updates

Dorene Dias Pesta

Oppose- SANDAG does not provide equity in communities of concern. SANDAG needs a budget freeze for all new projects until ADA requirements apply to all 20 bus stops within the Jamacha Community (92114) City of San Diego. The 6% from local funds being used on this project should be spent ensuring that every bus stop is accessible and complies with the Federal and State American Disabilities Act. No funds shoupd be spent on new projects until every bus stop has a bench, and every bus stop has a shelter if the area has enough space and resident in homes within 100 sq ft don't object to shelters.

Joaquin Luken

Chair, Directors, and Staff, My name is Joaquín Luken, Executive Director of the Smart Border Coalition. On behalf of our binational coalition of business, community, and civic leaders, I submit this comment in strong support of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project. This project is vital to the future of the CaliBaja region, where close to 200,000 people and billions of dollars in trade cross daily. Long wait times cost both nations millions of dollars in lost productivity and quality of life. Otay Mesa East will relieve congestion, strengthen supply chains, and create a safer, more predictable cross-border experience for travelers and commerce alike. It will also enhance regional competitiveness at a time when global trade dynamics demand modern infrastructure. With the upcoming U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) review, Otay Mesa East is a timely demonstration of our region’s commitment to efficiency, integration, and innovation in trade and mobility. We commend SANDAG, Caltrans, and federal, state, and local partners for advancing this project. We urge the Board to continue prioritizing its timely delivery and to ensure the necessary technology, staffing, and operational resources are in place to maximize its potential. Modern, efficient, and secure border infrastructure is not only a regional priority—it is a national imperative. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to making Otay Mesa East a reality. Respectfully, Joaquín E. Luken Executive Director

Public Comments: Truth, Allegedly Audra, Alejandra Mier y Teran, Maryam Mendoza, Dorene Dias, Blair Beekman, Paul the Bold, Consuelo, Joaquin Luken. 

4.1

Approval of Proposed Construction Contract Award and Work Package 1 for the SR-11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project

• Motioned by: Deputy Mayor Chavez
  Seconded by: Mayor Gaasterland

  To authorize the Chief Executive Officer to award and execute the Construction Services Agreement and Work Package 1 for the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project. 

  For (14)	Deputy Mayor Chavez, Mayor Duncan, Mayor Gaasterland, Councilmember Fisher, Councilmember Molina, Mayor Jones, Chair Heebner, Deputy Mayor Melendez, Mayor Snow, Vice Chair LaCava, Councilmember Shin, Mayor Ehlers, Councilmember Pikus, and Supervisor Aguirre
  Against (1)	Mayor White
  Absent (4)	Mayor Wells, Second Vice Chair Minto, Mayor Sanchez, and Mayor Arapostathis

  The motion passed. (14 to 1)

4.2

SR 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Project: Introduction of SANDAG Ordinance Adopting the California Building Standards Code and Delegation of Authority to Act as Building Authority

• Motioned by: Vice Chair LaCava
  Seconded by: Deputy Mayor Chavez

  To waive the first reading of Ordinance No. ORD-2026-01, related to adopting the California Building Standards Code and Delegation of Authority to Act as a Building Authority for the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry facility. 

  For (15)	Deputy Mayor Chavez, Mayor Duncan, Mayor Gaasterland, Mayor White, Councilmember Fisher, Councilmember Molina, Mayor Jones, Chair Heebner, Deputy Mayor Melendez, Mayor Snow, Vice Chair LaCava, Councilmember Shin, Mayor Ehlers, Councilmember Pikus, and Supervisor Aguirre
  Absent (4)	Mayor Wells, Second Vice Chair Minto, Mayor Sanchez, and Mayor Arapostathis

  The motion passed. (15 to 0)

5.

2025 Regional Plan Update

Chris Giles

In San Diego County, many roads lack proper infrastructure, making them unsafe for cycling. This leaves vulnerable users, such as young people, low-income residents, and those who rely on cycling for transportation, with limited safe options. For this reason, it is critical to retain Figure K.4 in Appendix K of the Draft 2025 Regional Plan. This figure serves as a valuable resource for traffic engineers and urban planners by providing clear, context-sensitive guidance on selecting appropriate bicycle facilities for various roadway conditions. Some have interpreted the chart as necessitating protected bike lanes on almost all streets, but this perception is misleading. The figure presents various options and emphasizes the need for flexible, results-oriented design based on local conditions. In short, Figure K.4 supports safe, equitable, and well-planned cycling infrastructure for people of all ages and abilities. Removing it would eliminate a tool that helps ensure our transportation system serves everyone, not just those who drive.

Kesav Gupta

Please restore NACTO Guidelines to the 2025 Regional Plan, so that bicycling (including eBiking) for short or long trips can be a part of Active Mobility in every city in San Diego County. This will allow for people to safely ride a bike, which will cut down on car trips, reduce traffic congestion, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Bicycle safety standards should not vary city-to-city across our County. Also, please add "County-wide Bicycle Share Program" as a goal for the 2035 completion phase of the 2025 Regional Plan. eBiking will become a major transportation mode over the next 10 years, but only if it can be done safely! Thank you!

Dorene Dias Pesta

SANDAG has Inaccurate maps, no Jamacha-Lomita Community exists in Community Plan. If you’ve ever tried to catch the bus in Jamacha and found yourself standing on a dirt patch with no bench, no ramp, and no shelter—congratulations, you’ve survived what MTS calls “accessible transit.” And if you’ve seen our elders sitting on the ground, waiting in the heat or rain, you already know: this isn’t just inconvenient. It’s undignified. Let’s be clear: - A missing bench isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s a message. - No curb ramp? That’s not an oversight. That’s exclusion. - Sloped sidewalks and no shelter? That’s a design that assumes we don’t matter. - Seniors on the ground? That’s what happens when equity is treated like a budget line item instead of a basic right. If we’re serious about dignity and equity, then watching our seniors sit in the dirt while others get shade, seating, and safe access should make us furious—not patient. Here are just a few of the Jamacha stops where dignity and equity are still waiting for a ride: - 10698 – Lisbon & 71st - 13116 – Lisbon St. & 7170 Jamacha Rd - 10704 – Lisbon St. & Tibett St. - 10707 – Lisbon St. & Jamacha Rd - 11452 – Jamacha Rd at the light near Meadowbrook Dr. - 13021 – Jamacha Rd near 7629 Jamacha Rd - 10714 – Jamacha Rd & Beacon Dr - 13118 – Jamacha Rd near 8204 Jamacha Rd - 13023 – Jamacha Rd near 8205 Jamacha Rd If you care about ADA access, dignity, and equity in our neighborhood, please speak during public comment.

Rachel Graham

Dear SANDAG Board of Directors, I am urging you to include the NACTO Bikeway Contextual Guidance in the Regional Plan to ensure that people of all ages and abilities are able to bike in our county. I understand that not every cyclist wants or needs protected bike lanes. However, I am an inexperienced cyclist and I wouldn't even consider commuting to my office by bike due to the 50 MPH road and thin stripe of paint separating me from cars. My mother hasn't been on her bike in decades and desperately wants to ride again but is rightfully afraid of distracted drivers. Please include the NACTO Guidelines in the Regional Plan so that biking can be accessible to all, not just the most experienced cyclists. Thank you.

Aaron Hebshi

Please do not remove Figure K.4 (also attached here) from the end of Appendix K in the Draft 2025 Regional Plan. This chart provides valuable guidance to traffic engineers and urban planners who are seeking to determine what type of bicycle facility is appropriate for different road conditions. I understand removal of this chart was requested due to the appearance that protected bike lanes (PBLs) would be required to be installed on all streets other than local neighborhood streets to the exclusion of other types of facilities. I believe this is a misinterpretation of the chart, which recommends different types of facilities for different contexts. The first row recommends protected bike lanes for any type of road or speed in specific contexts where there is high curbside activity, frequent buses, motor vehicle congestion, or turning conflicts. For other road contexts, the table includes recommendations for various types of bicycle facilities, and states, “This chart should be applied as part of a flexible, results-oriented design process on each street, alongside robust analysis of local bicycling conditions as discussed in the remainder of this document.” In short, this chart provides designers with good guidance and reminds them to be flexible based on conditions. Please do not remove this figure and associated text.

Dadla Ponizil

Please reinstate the chart from the end of Appendix K and the references within the Draft 2025 Regional Plan to include users of all ages and abilities. Our public spaces are not just for people who drive cars. We all pay taxes. We all have a right to use our public spaces.

Judy Berlfein

In San Diego County, we currently have hundreds of miles of roads. If you are older than 16 and can afford a car, you can go most anywhere on these roads. Many of the roads have sidewalks. People of any age and, thanks to the Disabilities act, people of any ability, can walk or roll on the sidewalks. However, many of the roads in San Diego County are not safe for cycling. Therefore, if you are younger than 16 or don't have money for a car, your transportation options are severely limited. Please reinstate the chart from the end of Appendix K and the references within the Draft 2025 Regional Plan to include "users of all ages and abilities." Currently, young people, or other people who prefer cycling, have limited safe options for reaching their destination while car drivers have unlimited opportunities. Please design future roads with safe cycling options for people of all ages and abilities.

Zach Day

I think the SANDAG board to re-incorporate NACTO contextual guidance into the 2025 Regional Plan. You should also add the newest AASHTO bike guide as an additional referenced standard for other contexts, including suburban and rural roadways. SANDAG should make sure all new bicycle facilities are built to the highest, context-sensitive standards available, in alignment with TransNet’s legal requirements and the region’s stated goals, to accommodate riders of all ages and abilities. High quality, equitable bike lanes get more people out of cars, reducing traffic, reducing noise and air pollution, and promoting physical activity. Investing in a future where less trips are made by car requires safe and inclusive bike infrastructure which is what the NACTO AND AASHTO guidance will help cities achieve. Kids should be able to bike to school on safe protected bikeways, not a strip of paint or a sharrow.

Kareston Markley

The 2025 regional plan update must include references to NACTO and add AASHTO guidance to help promote bikeways that support all riders. By failing to use the most up to date guidance on how to build safer bikeways for riders aof all abilities, San Diego county will exclude women, children, elderly, and disabled users of these paths. The county must include references to these guidelines to help local governments make informed decisions on their infrastructure improvements. As a mom who often rides with my children, I feel unsafe bringing them on many of the current bikeways in the county, and am lucky to live close to the bayshore bikeway, an amazingly safe and enjoyable way to travel from IB to Coronado. I hope every community in our county is able to develop bike infrastructure that promotes children and families safely getting around by bike.

Leah Schaperow

Protected bike lanes are super important to me. I ride my ebike for transportation as a pregnant women and will ride with my daughter when she is born. I take the longer routes to try and be in as many protected bike lanes as possible. There are still many places I avoid traveling or feel as super dangerous because of the lack of a protected bike lane network.

McGarrah Wilson

Hello, my name is McGarrah Wilson, I'm a member of SanDiego350 and I live in North Park. Please restore NACTO Guidelines to the 2025 Regional Plan, so that bicycling (including eBiking) for short or long trips can be a part of Active Mobility in every city in San Diego County. This will allow for people to safely ride a bike, which will cut down on car trips, reduce traffic congestion, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Bicycle safety standards should not vary city-to-city across our County. Also, please add "County-wide Bicycle Share Program" as a goal for the 2035 completion phase of the 2025 Regional Plan. I try to ride my bike as often as possible but I've almost been hit by a car many times. Thank you!

Stephen Greenwood

Dear SANDAG board, I want to urge you to please restore NACTO Guidelines to the 2025 Regional Plan. As someone who has grown up in San Diego County, I can attest to the fact that San Diego desperately needs better bicycle infrastructure. If we really want to cut down on car volumes and traffic, providing alternatives in the form of bicycle travel is absolutely critical to success. Giving individual cities the leeway to make traffic and car emissions worse for everyone else is nonsensical. This isn't even mentioning the safety aspect of proper bicycle infrastructure, as we should not simply accept the injuries and deaths caused by poor bicycle infrastructure. I have hope that the San Diego region can become a better place to live, but removing the NACTO Guidelines does the exact opposite. Please add them back. Thank you.

Keala Rusher

Dear SANDAG board of directors, I am commenting to express my deep concern regarding the removal of references to NACTO guidelines in the 2025 regional plan. Our region is at a crossroads, and two critical questions are before us: can we mitigate the impacts of vehicle emissions on climate change? And can we mitigate the injury and death caused by traffic collisions? Removing NACTO guidelines will move us further from achieving those goals. These guidelines are crucial to creating safe and comprehensive bike facilities. I am asking that the board of directors uses its authority to not only maintain NACTO guidance in the 2025 regional plan, but also to include AASHTO’s latest bikeway design guidance. Constituents like me deserve safe and comfortable mobility options. Thank you.

Carlisle

Removing reference to NACTO guidelines would set a dangerous precedent and would indicate a lack of respect for the safety of people of all ages and abilities trying to ride bikes in San Diego. Caltrans endorsed NACTO guidelines back in 2014, and consistently references them in planning documents to this day. The City of San Diego's Complete Streets policy from 2023 refers to NACTO as "current best practices and guidelines." Please do not eliminate NACTO resources from the regional plan.

Jesse Clark

It is essential to reference and adhere to established standards. Keep the NACTO best practices for bike lanes reference in the 2025 regional plan.

Brian Schalcosky

The 2025 regional plan removes direct reference to the NACTO bikeway guidance. These best practices are critical to maintaining and building safe cycling infrastructure in San Diego and should be maintained in the 2025 regional plan. Rolling back our currently fractured safe cycling network instead of working to grow it into a cohesive network would be a massive step backward.

Isaac Warner

There seems to be a concerted effort by some to strip all mention of NACTO guidelines when it comes to bicycle and pedestrian improvements. To be clear, NACTO guidelines are some of the best there are and we should be implementing them across the region as we build out of active transportation network. To even consider removing them, let alone following through, would set us back decades and cause real harm to our communities. Please do what you know is right and protect safe and reliable active transit networks.

SD Commenter

Please do not remove the NACTO guidelines for bikeways from the 2025 regional plan. These guidelines are vital for making sure our bike infrastructure is as safe as possible. We should be building more concrete protected bike ways like on Pershing Dr and the Bayshore Bikeway.

Senior Director of Regional Planning Antoinette Meier; Director of Financial Planning, Budgets, and Grants Susan Huntington; Regional Planning Program Manager Rachel Kennedy; and Senior Regional Planner Cecily Taylor presented an overview of public comments received and proposed changes to the draft 2025 Regional Plan.

Public Comments: Truth, Allegedly Audra, Karely Serrano, Ian Hembree, Stephan Vance, Dorene Dias, Steve Gelb, Adian, Zach Sturgeon, Jason, Phone number ending in 8226, Rachel Graham, Blair Beekman, Paul the Bold, Nicole Burgess, Cesar Javier. 

6.

Adjournment

The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for October 10, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. 

Chair Heebner adjourned the meeting at 12:39 p.m.