Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
Regional Transportation Commission
Thursday, October 1, 2026, 9:00 AM
How to take part
Show up: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM. California's open-meetings law (the Brown Act) gives you the right to speak on agenda items. Remote-participation links, when offered, are on the agenda.
Write in: info@sccrtc.org (from the RTC's listed meeting contact (sccrtc.org/meetings), checked 2026-09-23)
Deadline: Written comments on agenda items received by 9:00 a.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting are posted to the RTC website for Commissioners to review.
What's being decided
- Notable· Transportation & traffic, Environment & climate, Taxes, fees & budget· Consent agendaApply for state rail grant for Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail project
The Regional Transportation Commission's staff are asking for permission to submit a grant application to the California State Transportation Agency's Flexible State Rail Assistance program (Cycle 2) for the Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail project. The money would pay toward environmental review and preliminary engineering — the design and study phase — for roughly 22 miles of zero-emission passenger rail between Santa Cruz and Pajaro plus about 12 miles of Coastal Rail Trail. A yes vote lets the Executive Director file the application; staff would come back to the Commission later to accept or program any money awarded. The grant requires no local matching funds, so approving it does not commit new Commission dollars.
- Minor· Transportation & traffic, Environment & climate· Consent agendaTree service contract extended, raised to $220,000 cap
The Executive Director would be allowed to amend contract TP2183 with Community Tree Service to extend its term and add money, for a total not to exceed $220,000.
- Minor· Transportation & traffic· Consent agenda$40,000 on-call repair contract for Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line
Staff would be authorized to sign an agreement with Summit Signal for on-call general repairs along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail line, not to exceed $40,000.
- Minor· Transportation & traffic, Taxes, fees & budget· Consent agendaMeasure D annual report for 2024-25 up for acceptance
The commission would accept the yearly report on how Measure D transportation sales tax money was collected and spent in Fiscal Year 2024-25.
- Minor· Government & transparency, Health & social services· Consent agendaContinue state-run health benefits for commission employees
Resolutions would continue providing CalPERS health benefits to Regional Transportation Commission staff.
- Minor· Transportation & traffic, Environment & climate· Consent agendaSupport letters for city planning grant and Metro bus funding bids
The commission would accept letters backing the City of Santa Cruz's state planning grant application and two federal funding requests by Santa Cruz Metro, including a new hydrogen bus operations and maintenance facility in Watsonville.
- Minor· Transportation & traffic, Environment & climateWeek Without Driving resolution and commute program update
Staff would present the Week Without Driving initiative and an update on the GO Santa Cruz County program, with a resolution supporting Week Without Driving.
- Minor· Transportation & trafficAgreement to buy Replica transportation data platform
The commission would consider a cooperative agreement to purchase the Replica data platform, which provides transportation data for planning.
Everything else on the agenda
- 1Roll call
- 2Additions or deletions to consent or regular agendas
- 3Oral communications
- 4Approve draft minutes of the September 3, 2026, Regional Transportation Commission meeting
- 5Accept draft committee meeting minutes
- 9Accept status report on Transportation Development Act (TDA) revenues
- 10Accept status report on Measure D revenues
- 13Accept monthly meeting schedule
- 15Accept information items - none
- 16Commissioner Reports – oral reports
- 17Director’s Report – oral report
- 18Caltrans Report
- 21Next meetings