Stay up-to-date with free briefings on topics that matter to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters today for nonprofit news in your inbox.
Guest Commentary written by
Carter Lavin
Carter Lavin is the co-founder of Transbay Coalition, a Bay Area transportation advocacy group.
As California lawmakers discuss the future and funding needs of the Bay Area’s 27 transit agencies, they seem to be overlooking one: the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority and its unparalleled community abuses.
The San Joaquin JPA , which oversees passenger train service from Oakland to Stockton and Bakersfield, is largely unchecked by California lawmakers even though its network helps move over 700,000 people each year. Tens of thousands use the station in downtown Antioch, placing its ridership within the mid-range compared to other stops. In its 2022 business plan , the authority praised the station’s so-called transit oriented development, or TOD, potential, as well as its collaboration with the city, highlighting private developments that would bring more residents downtown to walk to the station and use the San Joaquins.