Nathaniel Leon Yancey, III was arrested by Antioch Police for a robbery in Benicia on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Photo: Benicia PD
Nathaniel Leon Yancey, III fled with two others sought by police; faces multiple charges, bail set at $101,667
By Benicia Police Department
Yesterday, Feb. 18, 2026, around 12:00 p.m., our dispatch center received a call from a resident that had been robbed of her purse and phone (note: no weapons used) as she approached the front door of her home. The incident happened in a neighborhood near Rose Drive and Columbus Parkway in Benicia. Three suspects were involved and fled the scene in a vehicle that had stolen plates. Using the stolen plate number, we were able to confirm through our ALPR system (Flock) that the vehicle was in the area of the robbery at the time it happened and also discover that the vehicle had entered the City of Antioch shortly after the robbery.
Our partners at Antioch Police Department were able to locate and stop the vehicle at which time all three suspects fled on foot. One of the suspects, Nathaniel Leon Yancey, III, a 22-year-old male from Antioch, was captured at 2:09 p.m. in the 2100 block of Peppertree Way in Antioch, brought back to Benicia PD, positively identified and subsequently transported to County Jail for booking. The suspect’s vehicle was towed back to Benicia PD and the stolen possessions were located inside.
According to the Benicia Police Department’s Citizen RIMS, the five-foot, nine-inch tall, 170-pound Yancey is Black and is charged with felony robbery, felony causing injury to an elder or dependent adult, felony conspiracy to commit a crime, violating civil rights by force or threat of force, receiving/etc. known stolen property and petty theft – all other larceny. He is currently being held in the Justice Center Detention Facility in Fairfield.
According to the Solano County Sheriff’s Department, he was born 10/23/2003, and also faces one felony charge of probation violation, rearrest/revoke. Yance’s bail is set at $101,667 and his court date is scheduled for Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Superior Court, Fairfield.
According to localcrimenews.com, while a resident of Rodeo, he was arrested on Sept. 16, 2025, in Solano County by Solano CHP, for evasion of a peace officer on the wrong side of the median and evasion with wanton disregard for safety.
Detectives continue to follow leads in order to locate and arrest the other individuals involved. Case #26-00236.
Riders at the Antioch (left & center) and Concord BART Stations (right) make friends on transit Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Photos left & center by Tri Delta Transit and right by Transbay Coalition
Morning and evening riders participated in a game to make personal connections while riding transit
By Transbay Coalition
Yesterday, Wednesday, February 11th, was International Make A Friend Day, and transit advocates were helping people throughout the region to make a friend on transit. Morning and evening riders participated in a game across Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties to make personal connections while riding transit.
Early that morning hundreds of Bay Area residents participated in Make a Friend (On Transit) Day and wore name tags as they went about their regular BART, Caltrain, ferry and bus trips to celebrate the day and build camaraderie in the Bay.
“It’s good for us all to remember the old saying that strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.” said Carter Lavin, Transbay Coalition Co-Founder. “Transit is a shared public resource, connects us all, and is an integral part of our community. Make A Friend (On Transit) Day may be simple and a bit silly, but we hope it can bring a little more joy and connection.”
Between 7:30 and 9am at 10 BART stations, five Caltrain stations and one ferry terminal across the region, transit advocates across the region passed out materials at all corners of the Bay from Antioch to San Jose, San Francisco to Dublin/Pleasanton, Redwood City to Oakland. Despite a drizzly morning, transit riders wearing name tags with, “Hi my name is _____, ask me about ______” got to know one another while chatting about a range of topics including Bad Bunny, 3D printing, R&B, dancing, hobbits, and much more. A nice reminder that making a new friend can be as simple as getting to know your fellow transit rider.
“Make a Friend Day reminds us that friendship is a powerful bond that connects us all. Let public transit be that bridge; a simple hello to a fellow passenger today has the potential to brighten someone’s world,” says Tri Delta Transit CEO Rashidi Barnes.
In the evening, Transbay Coalition hosted free events at five locations around the Bay for people to gather and have another opportunity for folks to make some new friends.
“Make A Friend on Transit Day is a great reminder that our buses and stations are shared community spaces,” said Bill Churchill, General Manager of County Connection. “A simple hello can go a long way.”
Tri Delta Transit, County Connection and LAVTA Wheels helped with nametag distribution at Antioch, Concord and Dublin/Pleasanton BART stations– which are also bus hubs served by the agencies. BART, Caltrain and SF Bay Ferry promoted the events on social media.
“SF Bay Ferry loves to welcome enthusiastic riders onboard our vessels. We hope that Make a Friend on Transit Day is an opportunity for passengers to connect about their favorite experiences on the ferry,” shared Teo Saragi, SF Bay Ferry spokesperson.
About Transbay Coalition
The Transbay Coalition is a grassroots public transportation advocacy group championing bold near-term solutions to the Bay Area’s regional transportation crisis. Founded to campaign for dedicated bus-only lanes on the Bay Bridge and its approaches, we’re striving to create an equitable and efficient public transit system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our Mission and Vision is to build an equitable, seamless, and successful transportation network in the Bay Area by building a broad-based, ongoing, grassroots movement to advocate for equitable, sustainable public transportation.
Discover Diablo Exploratory hike in Del Puerto Canyon. Photo: Kendra Smith. Inset – People enjoying our Discover Diablo hike looking for newts at Briones Regional Park. Photo: Emily Sherwood.
By Laura Kindsvater, Senior Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo
CONTRA COSTA, ALAMEDA, STANISLAUS, AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES—Explore some of the East Bay’s premiere hiking and natural areas with Save Mount Diablo in 2026, including places normally closed to the public.
The Discover Diablo outings series offers guided hikes, themed walks, and other outdoor activities: mountain biking; rock climbing; meditation in nature; plein air painting events; and property tours.
New this year are a Green Ranch rove, and a Spanish language hike at Pine Canyon.
We’ll also be continuing much-loved events in 2026 including rock climbing at Mount Diablo State Park and Pinnacles National Park, stargazing with the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, our Mitchell Canyon medicinal herb walk, Pinnacles condor hikes, and our tarantula treks!
Save Mount Diablo is offering a total of 36 more excursions in 2026 in Contra Costa County (Walnut Creek, Clayton, Concord, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Danville, and San Ramon), Alameda County (Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton), Stanislaus County (Patterson), and San Benito County (Hollister and San Juan Bautista). All events are free to the public. Trailblazers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to choose appropriate outings from our extensive offerings.
The Discover Diablo program began in 2017 to connect local communities to the spectacular natural world of the Mount Diablo area and to build awareness about land conservation.
Hikes and outings take place at Save Mount Diablo’s conserved properties or on park lands in the Diablo Range. These include Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Contra Costa Water District, Stanislaus County Parks, and National Park Service lands.
Discover Diablo hikes are guided by experts steeped in the natural history and lore of the region, who both educate and entertain while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.
Save Mount Diablo hopes the Discover Diablo series will spark a passion for the Diablo Range and deepen people’s connections to the land and nature.
Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, stated, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo, and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Diablo natural areas are taken care of for generations to come.”
There is something right for anyone to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo and within its sustaining Diablo Range, so be sure to hit the trails in 2026 and find your own individual inspiration!
“They should go back to the drawing board and give us a cost savings plan that demands more sacrifice from BART management, senior staff, and retirees.”
By Marc Joffe
BART has published a plan to balance its budget in the event voters reject the half-cent additional transit sales tax slated for the November 2026 ballot. BART’s plan appears to be well thought out but imposes far more inconvenience on riders than is necessary to close an expected $376 million deficit.
The most visible change is the station closures. Under its more extreme Phase 2 plan, BART would close 15 stations systemwide, including these five in Contra Costa: Orinda, North Concord, Pittsburg Bay Point, Pittsburg Center, and Antioch. Oakland Airport station would close, but SFO would stay open. Five other stations in Alameda County south of Oakland would be shuttered, as would four stations in San Mateo County south of Daly City. (See related article)
But most of these stations should not close. As BART itself recognizes, the savings from shuttering stations are not that large. And there is an alternative that would achieve a large portion of the expected savings, which is to operate the stations on an unstaffed basis. This idea may seem strange to BART riders expecting to see a station agent, but the fact is that many train stations in California operate without staff, including several on Capitol Corridor and Caltrain. Even Pittsburg Center on e-BART often operates without staff.
That said, both Pittsburg Center and North Concord have very low utilization (less than 1000 riders on an average weekday) and are reasonable candidates for closure. Indeed, BART should demolish the North Concord station and sell the parking lot to a developer for conversion to single family housing, a use consistent with the adjoining neighborhood.
Pittsburg Center, being in the median of Highway 4, does not offer a similar redevelopment option. It is one of three stations on the eBART extension connecting Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point using standard-gauge diesel multiple-unit trains which are incompatible with the rest of BART. The BART retrenchment plan envisions closing the whole eBART extension. A better choice would be to find a private operator to take it over.
That operator should be given discretion over fares and the option to convert the line to driverless technology in hopes of achieving a profit or at least minimizing the need for taxpayer subsidies.
As anyone who has visited an airport in the last few decades knows, driverless trains are nothing new. Outside the Bay Area, they are used for non-airport systems such as Honolulu’s Skyline and Vancouver’s Skytrain. Paris, Singapore, and other cities have successfully converted some of their lines to autonomous operation and Washington DC’s Metro is looking into doing the same thing.
Over the longer term, the entire BART system should be driverless: it could achieve large operational cost savings while maintaining or even increasing service frequency. Yet BART is not giving serious consideration to transitioning to driverless trains. When BART Director Matt Rinn spoke to CoCoTax in November I asked him about the idea and saw that he was unfamiliar with it. Staff should be discussing this option with the governing board.
They don’t do so because BART operates primarily for the benefit of staff and the labor unions that collect a portion of their salaries via dues. Riders are second, and taxpayers are a distant third.
Contra Costa taxpayers already pay plenty for transit, and, this November, it is time for us to tell BART and other agencies “no more.” They should go back to the drawing board and give us a cost savings plan that demands more sacrifice from BART management, senior staff, and retirees.
One change that should be considered is a 10% salary reduction for all BART employees receiving over $100,000 per year. Based on my analysis of 2024 wage and overtime data, this option would save $54 million. Costly overtime hours should also be limited: in 2024 alone five BART employees collected over $200,000 in overtime a piece.
BART’s plan defers advanced payments for retiree health benefits. This saves $38 million, but only by pushing the cost onto future taxpayers when the fund holding the advance retiree health funding is exhausted. Instead, the BART retiree health benefit should be eliminated just as it was for Stockton employees when that city went bankrupt in 2012. With BART facing functional bankruptcy in 2026, a similar economy is needed. Retirees can get subsidized healthcare through Covered California or Medicare just as those of us who work in the private sector usually do.
Salary and benefit cuts in addition to the layoffs BART already has planned may seem harsh, but these are the types of reductions companies have to make when they are losing money and there is less demand for their product. Because BART now needs more of our money, we have the power to veto any cost-saving plan that fails to prioritize the needs of beleaguered taxpayers and riders. Let’s exercise that veto. In November, say NO to the transit sales tax.
Marc Joffe is the President of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association
Businesses, labor unions, civic foundations join effort for 5-county Nov. 2026 ballot measure to prevent threatened catastrophic transit service cuts, promote reliable, safe public transit
Includes Contra Costa; would generate about $1 billion per year
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA — The Connect Bay Area Transit committee today announced that it has already raised nearly $3 million to support a region-wide effort to qualify Connect Bay Area, a voter-proposed regional transportation funding measure, for the November 2026 ballot. With strong early financial backing secured, the campaign will now begin signature gathering while continuing to fundraise to qualify and pass a five-county sales tax to save public transit.
The five counties that would be included in the tax measure vote. Source: Connect Bay Area
About the Tax Measure
The measure if adopted would increase the sales tax in Contra Costa, Alameda San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties by a half cent and one cent in San Francisco County for 14 years. As previously reported, the measure would generate approximately $980 million annually across the five counties.
Revenue from the tax measure will benefit multiple transit agencies in the region including Tri Delta Transit, County Connection and WestCat, as well as AC Transit and BART which serve Contra Costa County residents.
Following is a county-by-county breakdown of the County Specific Dollars. It does not include money going to BART, Muni, AC Transit and Caltrain, or to regional improvements that aren’t designated by county, such as coordinated fare programs and accessibility improvements.
County Agencies:
Contra Costa County Transportation Authority (2.5%, $26.51M)
Alameda County Transportation Commission (1%, $10.26M)
San Mateo County Transit District (4.7%, $50M)
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (25.1%, $264.07M)
Small Operators:
Contra Costa County small operators (1.5%, $15.75M)
Alameda County small operators (0.5%, $5.25M)
SF Bay Ferry (0.7%, $7M)
Golden Gate Transit (0.1%, $1M)
Without new and sustainable operations funding, the Bay Area will face a true emergency:
● BART: Could shut down two of its five lines, reducing service from 4,500 trains per week to just 500, with trains running only hourly and no weekend service.
● AC Transit: Would reduce service by 37%, bringing operations down to just half of pre-pandemic levels.
● Muni: Would face 50% cuts to all bus and Metro lines, including elimination of entire neighborhood routes and San Francisco’s iconic historic trolleys and cable cars.
● Caltrain: Trains would run only once per hour, end service by 9 p.m. on weekdays, and eliminate all weekend service.
Transit agencies that will benefit by the revenue from the tax measure. Source: Connect Bay Area
The Connect Bay Area measure will support the future of public transportation in the Bay Area:
● Protect and improve service on BART, Muni, Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA and AC Transit
● Prevent catastrophic service cuts that could devastate the Bay Area
● Keep traffic and emissions down, preventing gridlock and protecting climate progress;
● Support the Bay Area’s economy, ensuring that downtown recovery and regional mobility remain strong.
The Connect Bay Area Transit measure will include strong accountability provisions. This ensures new funding delivers real improvements, not just short-term fixes. Transit agencies must:
● Independent financial review and cost-efficiency: Operators will undergo a third-party financial review and be required to improve financial efficiency and use public funds wisely
● Better regional coordination to benefit riders: Operators will be required to comply with MTC’s Regional Network Management Policies to coordinate across systems and simplify fares and signage to create a more seamless experience for riders.
● Oversight Committee: An oversight committee will ensure that the expenditure plan is adhered to and hold MTC and operators accountable to all provisions of SB63.
About the Campaign
The campaign’s initial fundraising success reflects broad alignment across business, labor, philanthropy, and community leaders that a reliable, safe, and efficient public transportation system is vital to the future of the Bay Area. Major early donors include Chris Larsen, Herzog Contracting Corporation, Genentech, HNTB Corporation, Meta, and SEIU 1021. For a full list of donors, see below.
“Public transportation connects everyone. We are proud of the broad coalition uniting to prevent catastrophic service cuts and to build an affordable, safe, and efficient public transportation system,” said Jeff Cretan, a spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area Transit Committee. “The commitments we are seeing from business, labor, and civic leaders shows that everyone is ready to get this measure across the finish line in November.”
Connect Bay Area is a five-county regional tax measure designed to prevent catastrophic transit service cuts and provide reliable operating funding for major transit systems and local bus operators throughout the region. The measure also funds improvements to transit systems, capital projects within counties, and targeted road improvements. The measure is critical to supporting the Bay Area’s economy, promoting an affordable region, reducing traffic congestion, and ensuring access to jobs, schools, and healthcare.
Early financial support for the campaign includes commitments from:
Chris Larsen
Herzog Contracting Corporation
Genentech
HNTB Corporation
Meta
SEIU 1021
Jacobs
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
ATU Local 1555
PG&E
San Francisco Foundation
WSP
Golden State Warriors
AFSCME Local 3993
Boston Properties
Visa
AFSCME Council 57
T.Y. Lin
GILLIG
HDR, Inc.
Fehr & Peers
AFSCME 3916
Arup North America
Olson Remcho
Additional major employers, labor organizations, and philanthropic partners have indicated commitments that are expected to be finalized as the campaign continues to build momentum.
With signature gathering starting, the Connect Bay Area campaign will focus on qualifying the measure for the ballot while continuing to expand its coalition across the region. The Campaign must secure over 186,000 signatures from the five counties by June 6, 2026 to qualify for the November ballot.
The campaign’s early momentum comes as Bay Area transit agencies face an unprecedented funding crisis. Without a sustainable solution, public transportation in the the region could see devastating impacts, including:
BART could eliminate 2 full lines, stop service at 9pm on weekdays, and eliminate all weekend service.
Muni could eliminate entire routes, make 50% cuts to major bus and metro lines, gut historic train and cable car service.
Caltrain could cut weekday service to once an hour, stop service at 9pm on weekdays, and eliminate all weekend service.
AC Transit could cut up to 37% of overall service.
Recent polling on the proposed Connect Bay Area measure shows a clear path to passage, with strong support across counties and voter demographics. A survey conducted by EMC Research for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission found that 59% of Bay Area voters would support a proposed regional sales tax measure for public transportation. The threshold for passage for a signature-gathering initiative is 50%+1.
The Connect Bay Area Transit Committee is led by labor, business, and transit supporters, including the Bay Area Council, SEIU 1021, ATU 1555, SPUR, SAMCEDA, among others, as well as a broad advocacy council. The advocacy council includes more than 20 organizations including transit advocates, housing advocates, safe streets advocates, senior and disability advocates, and environmentalists. The Committee is focused on delivering a successful 2026 ballot measure that will strengthen public transportation to keep the Bay Area affordable for residents and support critical economic growth and climate resilience.
Includes major regions such as the Bay Area, Stockton, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Modesto, Madera, Fresno, Bakersfield, Ventura/Oxnard, Salinas, Los Angeles and San Diego
By Karla Fernandez, Public Relations, Market My Market
New Year’s Eve is consistently one of the deadliest nights of the year to be on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-impaired driving accounts for about 37% of traffic deaths during the New Year’s holiday period, with fatal crashes peaking during late-night hours between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Nationwide, the National Safety Council projects more than 500 traffic fatalities during major holiday travel periods, and NHTSA reports that roughly one-third involve alcohol-impaired drivers – a risk that intensifies during overnight celebrations like New Year’s Eve.
To help reduce that risk, Setareh Law is offering free Uber rides (up to $20 each) across eligible California counties, giving people a safe way to get home on New Year’s Eve without getting behind the wheel.
This initiative is part of a broader community safety effort aimed at reducing impaired driving and helping more people get home safely during one of the busiest travel nights of the year.
Daniel Setareh, Founder of Setareh Law, explains, “New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration, not tragedy. After fighting for justice for families who have been forever impacted by impaired drivers, we want to do our part to help prevent these accidents before they happen. If one free ride will keep someone safe, then this effort is worth every bit of it.”
Click the link in your email and the voucher will automatically load into your Uber app.
Step 3: Take Your Free Ride (Dec 31–Jan 1)
Use the voucher anytime between:
5:00 PM on December 31 through 10:00 AM on January 1
Your ride must start or end in one of the eligible California counties.
Eligibility Requirements:
To qualify for the free ride, users must:
Be 21 years or older
Have an active Uber account
Take the ride during the campaign window (Dec 31–Jan 1)
Start or end the ride in an eligible California county
Limit: one voucher per Uber account
Offer is limited to the first 300 vouchers
The voucher covers one one-way ride up to $20 (tip not included).
Eligible California Counties
Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Fresno, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Kern, Ventura, Monterey, and Madera, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego.
Only rides that start or end in an eligible county will qualify. The Uber app will automatically prevent the voucher from applying outside approved areas.
About Setareh Law
Setareh Law, APLC, is a California-based personal injury law firm dedicated to representing individuals and families harmed by negligence. Founded by attorney Daniel Setareh, the firm handles serious injury cases including car accidents, drunk-driving crashes, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death. With offices across California, Setareh Law is committed to providing hands-on legal representation, personalized client care, and strong advocacy both inside and outside the courtroom.
Tolls will increase and carpool policies will change on the John A. Nejedly Bridge in Antioch and the other six state-owned Bay Area bridges beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Photos: BATA
$8.50 for all regular two-axle cars & trucks
First in series of 5 increases each year through 2030 – not voter approved
Plus, new policies for carpool lanes on bridge approaches
By John Goodwin, Assistant Director of Communications & Rebecca Long, Director, Legislation & Public Affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
With the new year starting next Thursday, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) reminds drivers that tolls at the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges will go up by 50 cents on Jan. 1, 2026. This will be the first in a series of five toll increases to be phased in each January through 2030, with the additional funds to be used only to pay for the maintenance, rehabilitation and operation of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges, and to service debt on BATA bond issues.
Approved by the BATA board in late 2024, not the voters, the new toll schedule includes a tiered rate structure aimed at encouraging more customers to pay electronically with FasTrak® toll tags. Because payment with FasTrak carries lower administrative costs than payment through a license plate account or by returning payment with an invoice received in the mail, customers will pay a premium for using a pre-registered license plate account or for invoiced tolling. To give customers ample time to sign up for FasTrak, BATA last year voted to delay the start of the tiered pricing structure until 2027.
Tolls for all regular two-axle cars and trucks will increase to $8.50 from the current $8 on Jan. 1, 2026. Tolls for customers who pay with FasTrak tags will then rise to $9 in 2027; to $9.50 in 2028; to $10 in 2029; and then to $10.50 in 2030. Tolls for customers who use a pre-registered license plate account will climb to $9.25 in 2027; to $9.75 in 2028; to $10.25 in 2029 and to $10.75 in 2030. Invoiced tolls will go to $10 in 2027; $10.50 in 2028; $11 in 2029; and $11.50 in 2030.
Tolls for large freight trucks and other vehicle/trailer combinations with three or more axles will rise by 50 cents per axle each year from 2026 through 2030.
History of Bay Area Bridge Tolls
Tolls include the $5 of voter approved toll increases on the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges. They include:
The $1 uniform base toll on the bridges from Regional Measure 1 approved by voters in 1988, except for tolls at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which were already set at $1, and unchanged by passage of RM1.
Voters also approved Regional Measure 2 in 2004 which raised the toll price on the bridges by another $1.
The $3 from Regional Measure 3 approved by voters in June 2018 which raised tolls in three $1 increments that went into effect on January 1, 2019, January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2025.
Updated HOV Policies
BATA last year also set a Jan. 1, 2026, start date for updated policies about the use of high-occupancy vehicles on approaches to the Bay Area’s state-owned toll bridges. These include a uniform three-person occupancy requirement for half-price tolls during weekday commute periods at all seven bridges. Carpool vehicles approaching the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge must use a dedicated carpool lane, but can use either a standard FasTrak tag or a FasTrak Flex tag set to the ‘3+” position to receive the 50 percent discount available weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Carpoolers at the six other state-owned bridges must use a dedicated carpool lane and pay their tolls with a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the ‘3+’ position to receive the peak-period discount.
The new policies also will allow vehicles with two occupants and a switchable FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the ‘2’ position to use the carpool lanes on the approaches to the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges. These two-occupant vehicles will not receive the 50 percent carpool discount but will be able to use the carpool lanes to save time traveling through the toll plazas. Use of the carpool lanes on approaches to the Bay Bridge still will require at least three occupants.
The new carpool policies are designed to improve safety on the toll bridge approaches by minimizing ‘weaving’ between lanes and to increase person-throughput by prioritizing access for buses and carpools. The policy change will optimize lane configurations as now-obsolete toll booths are removed as part of the coming transition to open-road tolling. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first of the state-owned bridges to convert to open-road tolling. Crews are expected to begin work later this month on the construction and demolition projects at the Richmond end of the bridge needed to institute open-road tolling. Completion is scheduled sometime in the new year.
BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges. Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak customer service center in San Francisco. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
The 21 BATA board members are not directly elected by the voters but are appointed to represent the nine Bay Area counties and cities in each county, the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, plus, various agencies. Contra Costa County’s representatives are Chair Sue Noack, Mayor of Pleasant Hill, representing Cities of Contra Costa County, who was appointed in February 2023 (contact: 415-602-9929 or snoack@pleasanthillca.org) and District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen representing the County, who was appointed January 2025 (contact 925-655-2300 or candace.andersen@bos.cccounty.us).
Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ Is Here 《灣區規劃2050+（草案）》現已發布 El borrador de Plan Bay Area 2050+ ya está disponible
“To help the region build more homes, reduce commute times, and create vibrant downtowns and natural areas for everyone to enjoy.”
By MTC & ABAG
After more than two years of public discussion, technical analysis and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) have released the Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ and the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for review and comment. The plan contains 35 strategies representing public policies and investments that can be implemented in the Bay Area by 2050 to help the region build more homes, reduce commute times, and create vibrant downtowns and natural areas for everyone to enjoy. The plan’s strategies also aim to keep people safe from natural hazards, support a strong economy and provide stable housing for those who need it most.
Unique to this plan cycle is the parallel Transit 2050+ planning effort, which culminated in the first-of-its-kind plan to re-envision the future of Bay Area public transit, in partnership with transit operators across the region.
The first in a series of public hearings for Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ will take place this Friday as part of the MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee.
The draft plan, along with the Draft EIR, the Draft Implementation Plan and accompanying supplemental reports, are all available for review and comment.
The schedule for public hearings on the draft plan and the Draft EIR is as follows:
Public Hearing #1 — MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee Friday, November 14, 2025, at 9:40 a.m. or upon the conclusion of the Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority Network and Operations Committee, whichever is later.
In-person location: Best Western Plus Novato Oaks Inn 215 Alameda del Prado, Novato
Each public hearing will begin with the Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ hearing followed by the Draft EIR hearing. Oral and written comments will be received at the hearings.
See below for additional public participation opportunities.
