STAR is a member of the stakeholder group formed by SacRT for the Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) project. In the first meeting, on May 21, the consultant Nelson\Nygard gave a presentation intended to introduce the project. There was almost no time allocated to stakeholder questions and concerns. During the presentation, stakeholders were taking photos of the slides, and the consultant AIM said that was unnecessary because the presentation would be sent to everyone. It was not. STAR requested a copy of the presentation, and it was finally provided on July 21. So far as we know, none of the other stakeholders has received it. STAR posted the presentation: SacRT COA stakeholders presentation 2025-05-21.
The next COA stakeholder or public meetings were scheduled for August 6 and 7, but these were cancelled, and have not been rescheduled. An email from consultant AIM is below:
“I am reaching out to provide an update on the upcoming SRG/PSG meeting, which was recently cancelled. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, SRG meeting #2 has been cancelled. We realize that promotion of these events may have caused some confusion for SRG members. Typically, our process for engagement involves sending personal invitations to SRG members two weeks in advance of scheduled events, along with follow-up and a calendar invitation.
We will make sure that you know of any upcoming changes to this meeting.”
Interestingly, though this was known information, Henry Li included the meeting dates in his General Manager’s Report for the 2025-07-28 board meeting.
So what is going on with the COA? There has been no official word from SacRT, but a SacRT staff member with knowledge of the project said that the Short Range Transit Plan (SRTS) was being slowed down because SacRT administration wanted to make sure that nothing controversial about service or infrastructure came out because it might turn off voters from a ballot measure in 2026.
This is sad. The whole point of the COA process, in STAR’s view, was to come up with innovative and forward-thinking short and long range plans (LRTP) and funding mechanisms that move transit in Sacramento County forward. We had hoped for a shift in priorities from large infrastructure projects (ribbon-cutting opportunities) to a focus on high frequency, reliable service that meets the needs of riders.
If the public senses that SacRT wants more of the same-old, just give us money and trust us, it is unlikely they will vote to support transit. The public needs to see a clear vision of the future from SacRT, which would in part be provided by the SRTP and LRTP.
If you are confused by the SRG/PSG terms, so are we. Stakeholder Representative Group? Public Stakeholder Group?
Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) 