Stephanie Cajina joins SFMTA board with unanimous approval from supervisors

Stephanie Cajina will join the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors after receiving unanimous approval Tuesday from the Board of Supervisors.

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Cajina, a native of The City, will join the board, which sets policies on all things transportation in San Francisco, including but not limited to Muni, parking, traffic, taxis, walking and biking. She will be the only Latinx member on the board.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen said at the board meeting:

She is an advocate for people that are dependent upon public transportation as their primary way of traveling around The City.”

Following the vote by the board, Cajina said in a statement on joining the board:

As the sole Latinx Director and a southeast resident, I am excited and understand the deep responsibility I have to ensure that our communities of color are equitably served by the SFMTA and our impacts and concerns are addressed at the highest level. I’m looking forward to getting to work!”

At the board’s Rules Committee meeting on Jan. 24, Cajina said her family arrived in San Francisco in the 1980s to escape a civil war in Nicaragua. Her family heavily relied on public transit, especially the 14-Mission, to get to jobs, housing, school as well as relying on Muni to get to city social services citywide, Cajina said:

My mother relied on public transit to get her and her three children to school, doctor’s appointments and various social services. These nonprofits were integral in helping my mother start her own small business.”

Cajina has also worked in previous leadership roles serving as the former Executive Director of the Excelsior Action Group. In her role, she acted as community liaison for the SFMTA Mission/Geneva Safety Project, working with various organizations. She has also served as a member on the SFMTA’s Small Business Advisory board, which works with the agency to conduct outreach and engagement on projects.

Mayor London Breed, who nominated Cajina to the board, said in a statement:

It is so important to have someone who grew up in this City and relied on its public transportation system guiding policies that will help push us forward and ensure that Muni works for all San Franciscans.”

Cajina joins the board at a time when the agency has not yet fully restored Muni service, amid an ongoing staffing operator shortage and discussions on the SFMTA’s two-year budget.

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.