A YIMBY Action Endorsement Questionnaire. View all November 2018 Questionnaires.

Eva Chao

Candidate - BART Board District 8

Housing and transit go together. What do you think the role of transportation is in helping us with our regional housing needs?

No matter where they live in the Bay Area, our residents deserve a safe and efficient transportation system. Improving BART operations and making the system more safe and reliable will improve confidence in BART and allow people to live where they choose.

Do you support AB-2923 (Chiu), requiring cities to update zoning to be compatible with BART TOD policies? Discuss what you see as potential for housing on BART-owned land.

Housing is desperately needed in the Bay Area in order to make the region more affordable. As director, I would work with our local communities on developing new housing that is appropriate for their communities and meets the needs of all residents, no matter what their level of income.

What improvements would you like to see to create a more unified transit system with coordinated fares and schedules across Bay Area transit services including BART, Caltrain, Muni, SamTrans, and AC Transit? How important do you consider such coordination? Would you support a more integrated transportation system, even if it meant less independence for BART?

BART should not operate in a vacuum and should be willing to work with other outside agencies to improve the regional transportation network where appropriate. The first thing we must do, however, is get our own house in order and change the culture across BART to make the system more efficient and safe.

What strategies do you support to improve multimodal passenger access to and from BART (transit, bicycling, walking, strollers, wheelchairs, electric kick scooters, transportation network drop-off, other), especially as we build more housing near BART stations? Should BART make increasing accessibility at existing stations a bigger priority?

BART should work with the local communities to improve accessibility to all stations, whether it be through a more modernized, efficient parking system, improved drop-off areas or more locking stations for bikes and other private means of transportation.

Where do you think BART should expand or improve in the urban core, in addition to a second Transbay Tube? Would you focus on building infill stations, serving new corridors, or a mix of both? What corridors or station sites do you think are most promising?

BART is working hard to improve the conditions of existing stations and has recently been able to make progress in that area through a change in management priorities. We need to continue to improve our existing network in the urban core and give commuters confidence that BART is efficient, safe and clean.

Policing, fare enforcement, equity, and public safety on BART have been top of mind for many riders. What are your policy ideas on these critical issues? Feel free to link to other materials you think are relevant.

I support filling open positions in the police department to improve safety at our stations and on our trains. We also need to crack down on the number of fare cheaters, who cost the system millions of dollars a year, money which could be used to improve safety systems across the network and make our commuters more secure.

Is there anything else you think our members should know about your candidacy? Links, references, endorsements, etc?

Why vote for me?

I’m fair, independent and bipartisan. I’m not your typical establishment-supported candidates who prefers pc sounding sound-bites, for your votes, over speaking the truths and delivering deliverable results. BART’s budget has been squandered by establishment politicians who prefer serving the special interests over its customers. Of BART’s current annual budget is $2.3 Billion, of which $552 Million, or Less Than 24% comes from Rider Fares. When ridership decreases, YOU pay through income, property, sales and special district taxes and bond measures, regardless
of whether you ever ride BART or not.

With help from Station Hardening, not only will revenue increase, we also boost worker morale by changing BART’s management culture from the board level, top- down. Increased worker pride means cleaner trains, station & working ADA access. I will work hard for ALL types of riders and taxpayers and change the BART Board’s culture to make it effective from the top-down.

With my ability to manage your money, we will get BART back on track so that we CAN have the funds to develop the housing instead of further taxing without results.

Let me be your agent to make that difference.

Thank you.

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