Silicon Valley’s prosperous economy is creating tens of thousands of jobs, but that growth is also creating increasing traffic congestion and strain on our public transportation networks. Marc has a proven track record of improving transportation in Palo Alto:

1. In 2010, Marc was appointed to Palo Alto’s Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission (IBRC), which developed a comprehensive plan for Palo Alto to repair its infrastructure backlog and put measures in place to ensure it doesn’t fall behind again.

2. As a member of the Palo Alto City Council, Marc has led the effort to identify and set aside the funding necessary to implement the IBRC’s plan, including making Palo Alto’s roads the best in the Bay Area by bringing the pavement condition index up to a score of 85 by 2019 and completing the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan to make it safer and easier for residents to get around town without using their cars.

3. In order to foster a community discussion on the housing and transportation crisis, Marc helped bring together a group of Palo Alto residents to focus on finding forward-thinking, creative solutions to these complex issues.

Marc will take his expertise in improving transportation infrastructure to Sacramento to improve public transit options, improve road quality and safety, and prepare our transportation system for the future, including:

• Completing Caltrain electrification. Completing the Caltrain electrification project will almost triple current capacity, take thousands of cars off the road, and relieve current and future traffic congestion up and down the Peninsula. Working with the federal government and local agencies, California should fully fund this vital project to ensure completion by 2020.

• Reviving the Dumbarton Rail Corridor. Due to rising housing prices, more and more workers are commuting from the East Bay to jobs on the Peninsula, but there aren’t adequate public transportation options to serve them. Commuter rail via the Dumbarton Rail Corridor would reduce congestion on local roads and bridges and connect Caltrain to public transit networks in the East Bay, including BART. Working with local government and private sector partners, the state should provide funding and logistical support to the Dumbarton Rail Corridor project.

• Enabling safe deployment of self-driving vehicles. Driverless cars have the potential to change the way we live, but state government has fallen behind in creating a regulatory framework that will allow for the use of driverless cars when the technology is ready. The legislature should convene a task force on driverless cars and work with Stanford, UCLA, Caltech, and other leading universities to develop a new set of laws governing safety, liability, insurance, standards, and other issues that will be needed to propel this industry forward. By 2028, California should have a comprehensive legal framework and the necessary infrastructure in place to enable broad deployment of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles.

• Repairing our crumbling highways. A recent national study ranked California’s highways as the worst in America, with 51% rated poor. This costs California motorists $44 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and congestion-related delays. Drivers in the Bay Area pay an extra $1,700 a year. By 2028, no stretch of California state highway should be rated in poor condition.

• Developing a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations. Governor Brown has set a goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. But while we have encouraged automakers to develop these vehicles, and consumers to purchase them, we haven’t installed a network of electric vehicle charging stations capable of reliably keeping these vehicles on the road. By 2028, California must have a statewide network of charging stations capable of meeting current and future demand.

• Incentivizing transit oriented development. Locating new housing and commercial development close to planned and existing public transportation hubs makes it easier for commuters to utilize public transportation, thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. The legislature should provide financial incentives and regulatory relief to local governments to enable more transit oriented development.