Amanda Eaken unanimously approved for SFMTA board

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved urban planning and transportation policy expert Amanda Eaken to The City’s transit board.

Eaken will fill the vacant spot left by Joel Ramos in June who now works for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to lead the agency’s new Community Response Team.

The Board of Supervisors Rules Committee last week questioned how Eaken will make positive change on the SFMTA Board of Directors after a tumultuous summer that left Muni service in limbo throughout The City, and the death of a construction worker during the Twin Peaks Tunnel project.

Eaken told supervisors that the top three issues she would like to work on as a board director, included improving Muni’s on-time performance, finding new ways to do outreach to residents on SFMTA-related projects, and speaking with city supervisors on a regular basis to discuss concerns from residents.

Eaken currently works as the director in transportation and climate change for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group.

She currently lives in the North of Panhandle neighborhood and frequently rides the 5-Fulton and 5R-Fulton.

The SFMTA Board of Directors has been making decisions as a six-member board during the last couple of months but it was not until the last board meeting where directors were split on a possible vote to ban overnight parking on a block at De Wolf Street requested by Supervisor Ahsha Safai because of complaints from residents.

Instead of voting on the matter, directors decided continue the item until the next meeting and asked SFMTA staff to come back with possible solutions other than a restriction on overnight vehicles.

The next board meeting will not be until Oct. 16 as the Oct. 2 meeting was canceled.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.