TRANSBAY JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR JOHN BURTON
San Francisco, CA – Today, Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) Board Chair Jeff Gee and Executive Director Adam Van de Water provided the following statement honoring the memory of California State Senator John Burton and recognizing his passing as the loss of a true champion for equity and progress. Senator Burton’s leadership was instrumental in shaping the vision for the Transbay Program, ensuring that affordable housing, public infrastructure, and inclusive development were at the heart of the Program.
“Senator John Burton’s legacy is deeply embedded in the foundation of the Transbay neighborhood,” said Adam Van de Water, Executive Director of the TJPA. “His commitment and insistence on equity and affordability helped ensure that this project would serve not just the city’s future, but its most vulnerable residents. We are proud to carry forward his vision of a more connected, inclusive, and just San Francisco.”
“Since the late 1990s, Senator Burton was a driving force behind the Transbay Program. He helped establish the TJPA in 2001 and championed policies that prioritized housing, parks, and transit-oriented development. He also led the effort to require that 35 percent of all new housing in the neighborhood to be affordable — one of the most ambitious housing equity commitments in the country.”
“In 2009, he played a key role in securing a $400 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, funding the construction of the two-level train box beneath the multimodal Salesforce Transit Center, which will bring Caltrain and California High-Speed Rail via The Portal, into downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area.”
“On behalf of myself, Vice Chair Rafael Mandelman, the Board of Directors, and the TJPA staff, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Senator Burton’s family,” said TJPA Chair Jeff Gee. “We mourn the loss of a visionary leader whose legacy continues to shape the Transbay neighborhood and the future of equitable urban development in San Francisco.”
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About the TJPA:
The TJPA is owner and operator of the multimodal Salesforce Transit Center and is working to extend Caltrain and ultimately, California High-Speed Rail service from 4th and King streets to the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco through The Portal.
The TJPA Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the City and County of San Francisco, including the Office of the Mayor, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the Board of Supervisors; the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit); the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board-Caltrain, composed of the City and County of San Francisco, the San Mateo County Transit District, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA); and, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).