Reference

Glossary

Acronyms, bodies, statutes, and project terms used throughout this guide. Each entity entry includes its primary site so you can read further directly. Specific documents we cite, the statutes themselves as primary text, and news sources are on the resources page.

Updated May 14, 2026

Where an entity's authority comes from a specific statute or charter section, the source is cited inline. Where a primary site exists, the link follows the definition.

City and County of San Francisco

Decision-making bodies

Mayor's Office: San Francisco's executive. Appoints the SFMTA Board (subject to Board of Supervisors confirmation), submits the annual city budget, and has bully-pulpit influence over transit priorities. Mayor Daniel Lurie took office January 2025. Authority: SF Charter Article III. sf.gov/departments/office-mayor
BoSBoard of Supervisors: San Francisco's 11-member legislative body, elected by district. Approves the city budget and passes ordinances. The same 11 members also serve as the Board of the SFCTA, which is a legally separate agency. Authority: SF Charter Article II. sfbos.org
SFCTASan Francisco County Transportation Authority: The transportation funding and planning agency for the City and County of San Francisco. A legally distinct entity from the City itself, even though its Board is composed of the same 11 members of the Board of Supervisors wearing a different hat. Administers the half-cent transportation sales tax (Prop K, renewed as Prop L in 2022). Established under the Bay Area County Traffic and Transportation Funding Act, California Public Utilities Code §131000 et seq. sfcta.org
CACCommunity Advisory Committee: Citizen advisory body. Two relevant CACs in our coverage: the standing SFCTA CAC (11 members of the public, one per supervisorial district, appointed by the SFCTA Board; intended to reflect a range of community interests including labor, businesses, seniors, people with disabilities, environmentalists, and neighborhoods), and the project-specific Geary/19th Avenue Subway Study CAC (separate body for that study). Both meet at SFCTA, 1455 Market St; agendas at sfcta.org.

Operating & construction agencies

SFMTASan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency: Operates Muni and runs the city's transit, parking, and bicycle/pedestrian programs. Governed by a 7-member Board appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors. Authority: SF Charter Article VIIIA. sfmta.com
MTABSFMTA Board of Directors: The seven-member board that governs SFMTA. Often referenced in board meeting agendas as "MTAB."
SFPUCSan Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Operates the city's water, sewer, and power utilities. Currently doing Phase 2 of water and sewer replacement on Geary (32nd Avenue to Stanyan Street), which began January 6, 2025 and runs through 2027. Phase 1 completed 2021 and covered different Geary segments (48th to 32nd Avenues, plus Presidio Avenue to Kearny Street). sfpuc.gov · Geary Phase 2 FAQ
OEWDOffice of Economic and Workforce Development: City agency responsible for economic development, including small-business support during major construction projects. Lead agency on the Construction Mitigation Pilot Program. oewd.org

Land use & planning

SF Planning Department: The city's land-use planning agency. Conducts CEQA review for transit projects, administers the Family Zoning Plan and SB 79 implementation. sfplanning.org

Oversight

SF Controller: The city's chief financial officer; conducts independent financial audits of city departments and capital projects. Appointed by the Mayor for a 10-year term, subject to Board of Supervisors confirmation. Authority: SF Charter Section 3.105. sf.gov/departments/controller
BLABudget and Legislative Analyst: Independent analytical office that conducts performance audits and policy analysis at the direction of the Board of Supervisors. Operates under a contract that must be certified annually by the Controller and the Board of Supervisors. Reports posted via sfbos.org.
Government Audit and Oversight Committee: A standing committee of the Board of Supervisors that directs BLA performance audits and conducts oversight hearings on city departments. The committee that issued Motion M18-058 in 2018 commissioning the BLA's 2019 audit on Central Subway merchant impact. Schedules and agendas at sfbos.org.
Civil Grand Jury: An independent investigative body convened annually by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Reviews the operations of local government agencies, has subpoena power, and publishes reports that local agencies are required to formally respond to. Authority: California Penal Code Section 888. civilgrandjury.archive.sf.gov

Regional

MTCMetropolitan Transportation Commission: The Bay Area's regional transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency. Adopts Plan Bay Area (the regional long-range plan), distributes federal and state transit funding to the region's transit operators, and operates FasTrak and Clipper. Authority: California Government Code Section 66500 et seq. mtc.ca.gov · Plan Bay Area at planbayarea.org
ABAGAssociation of Bay Area Governments: The regional council of governments for the nine Bay Area counties. Co-adopts Plan Bay Area with MTC. Manages the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process. abag.ca.gov
BARTBay Area Rapid Transit: The regional rapid-transit system. Operates as the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, an independent special district with its own elected board. bart.gov
CCJPACapitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority: The agency that operates the Capitol Corridor intercity passenger rail service between Sacramento and San Jose (with an extension to Auburn). As of June 2025, also leads day-to-day program management for Link21 in coordination with CalSTA. capitolcorridor.org
TJPATransbay Joint Powers Authority: The agency that built and operates the Salesforce Transit Center. Lead agency for the Downtown Extension (DTX, now "The Portal") project. tjpa.org
Link21: The proposed second Transbay rail tube and broader regional rail program. Co-sponsored by BART and CCJPA; since the June 2025 standard-gauge decision, CCJPA has assumed day-to-day program management (in coordination with CalSTA). Currently in Phase 1 (Project Identification). link21program.org

State (California)

CaltransCalifornia Department of Transportation: The state's transportation department. Manages state highways and the State Transportation Improvement Program. Owns and maintains the section of 19th Avenue designated as California State Route 1 (south of Golden Gate Park, between Junipero Serra Boulevard and the park). The northern segment of 19th Avenue through the Richmond District, including the intersection with Geary, is city-maintained. Caltrans has a coordinating role on the Geary/19th corridor. dot.ca.gov
CalSTACalifornia State Transportation Agency: The cabinet-level umbrella agency overseeing Caltrans, the California Transportation Commission, the High-Speed Rail Authority, and other transportation entities. calsta.ca.gov
CTCCalifornia Transportation Commission: An independent commission that allocates state transportation funds and adopts the state transportation programs. catc.ca.gov
CARBCalifornia Air Resources Board: State agency that sets transportation emissions targets that link transit funding to climate goals (including SB 375, the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act). ww2.arb.ca.gov
CEQACalifornia Environmental Quality Act: State law requiring environmental review for projects with potentially significant environmental impacts. The legal vehicle for the 2017 Geary BRT lawsuit. Authority: California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.
SB 79: California's transit-oriented housing law, signed October 10, 2025, effective in incorporated cities July 1, 2026. Tiered upzoning around qualifying transit stops based on stop tier and proximity: heights from 55 to 95 feet, density from at least 30 dwelling units per acre up to a maximum of 160 du/acre for projects adjacent to a Tier 1 stop (120 du/acre within a quarter mile of a Tier 1 stop, plus a 40 du/acre adjacency intensifier). Affects Geary corridor density and ridership assumptions.
SB 375: The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008. Mandates regional plans (like Plan Bay Area) that integrate transportation, housing, and land use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Authority: California Government Code Section 65080 et seq.
IFD / EIFDInfrastructure Financing District / Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District: California's tax-increment financing vehicles for local infrastructure, including transit. EIFDs (the modern version, established by SB 628 in 2014) require 55% voter approval to issue bonds. Authority: California Government Code Sections 53395 et seq. (IFD) and 53398.50 et seq. (EIFD).
TIRCPTransit and Intercity Rail Capital Program: State capital program funded by cap-and-trade revenue, awarded competitively for transit and rail projects. Helped fund Geary BRT Phase 2. calsta.ca.gov/subject-areas/transit-intercity-rail-capital-prog

Federal

FTAFederal Transit Administration: The federal agency that distributes capital and operating funding to transit projects. Administers the Capital Investment Grants program, which is the main federal funding pathway for major new transit projects. transit.dot.gov
FRAFederal Railroad Administration: The federal agency for railroad safety and intercity passenger rail. Administers the Corridor Identification and Development Program. Following the June 2025 standard-gauge decision, CCJPA stated it intends to pursue support for Link21 through Corridor ID (entry not yet confirmed). railroads.dot.gov
CIGCapital Investment Grants: The FTA program funding new transit construction. Two main paths: New Starts (large projects) and Small Starts (smaller). Projects are scored on Project Justification and Local Financial Commitment. Authority: 49 U.S. Code Section 5309; regulations at 49 CFR Part 611. CIG program page
FFGAFull Funding Grant Agreement: The signed federal commitment to fund a CIG project at a specified amount over a specified construction window. Once signed, federal funds flow on a defined schedule, conditional on the project sponsor meeting its local financial commitment and other obligations.
NEPANational Environmental Policy Act: The federal environmental review law, parallel to California's CEQA. Required for any federally funded major project. Authority: 42 U.S. Code §4321 et seq.
PMOCProject Management Oversight Contractor: An independent engineering firm contracted by FTA to monitor design and construction of CIG projects. Provides regular reports on schedule, budget, and risk.

Project, design, and process terms

BRTBus Rapid Transit: A bus service designed to deliver subway-quality performance: dedicated lanes, signal priority, level boarding, off-board fare collection, fewer stops. Cleveland HealthLine, Bogotá TransMilenio are the working examples.
LRTLight Rail Transit: Steel-wheel rail transit using lighter trains than heavy rail or subway, often running in dedicated lanes with some surface segments. SF Muni's surface lines (J, K, L, M, N, T) are LRT.
EIREnvironmental Impact Report: The environmental review document required under CEQA. Federal projects need a parallel Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under NEPA; a single combined document often serves both.
EPCEquity Priority Community: Census-defined neighborhoods in the Bay Area with higher concentrations of low-income, communities of color, and other disadvantaged populations. The Geary corridor's ridership benefits accrue disproportionately to EPC households per SFCTA's own analysis.
CMGCConstruction Manager / General Contractor: A project delivery method in which the general contractor is brought in during the design phase to provide constructibility input. The Van Ness BRT used CMGC; the SF Civil Grand Jury found the CMGC's effectiveness was reduced because the contractor was brought in too late.
CPMOCapital Project Management Office: A proposed standing office, recommended in the SFCTA's July 2023 Transportation Capital Projects Delivery Study, to provide cross-departmental oversight of major capital projects. Has not been operationalized as a permanent function.
5YPP5-Year Prioritization Program: The SFCTA's mechanism for programming Prop K and Prop L sales-tax revenue across specific projects in five-year windows. 5YPP amendments are the technical vehicle through which projects get added, removed, or reallocated.
TIFTax Increment Financing: A funding mechanism that captures growth in property tax revenue above a frozen baseline within a defined district, dedicated to repaying bonds for infrastructure investment in that district. In California, implemented through IFDs and EIFDs.
TETLTemporary Emergency Transit Lanes: Transit lanes installed by SFMTA on an emergency basis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Geary TETL pilot was the documented basis for SFMTA's 2021 amendment of Phase 2 from center-running to side-running.
DTXDowntown Extension: The proposed Caltrain extension into the Salesforce Transit Center. Now branded as "The Portal." Has been pending construction funding since the Salesforce Transit Center opened in 2018. tjpa.org/the-portal
MOUMemorandum of Understanding: A formal agreement between agencies that does not have the legal force of a contract but documents shared expectations. The 2020 SF Peninsula Rail Program MOU among six agencies (TJPA, MTC, Caltrain, CHSRA, CCSF, SFCTA) is the local precedent for multi-agency transit governance.

Voter measures referenced in this guide

Prop B (1989): Original SF half-cent transportation sales tax. Included Geary as a priority transit corridor in its Expenditure Plan. Created what became the SFCTA. Superseded by Prop K in 2003; SFCTA does not maintain a dedicated current page for Prop B.
Prop K (2003): Renewal of the half-cent transportation sales tax. Converted Geary's rail line item to BRT "designed and built to rail-ready standards." Separately funded a Geary Light Rail line item (Priority 3, sponsoring agency MUNI) for environmental and engineering work, Total Funding $55M / Prop K $55M. Priority 3 funds only program after 80% of Priority 2 is funded under the optimistic revenue scenario, which never materialized. Superseded by Prop L in 2022. The Expenditure Plan voters adopted: Prop K Expenditure Plan PDF (mirrored).
Prop L (2022): Renewal of the half-cent transportation sales tax for another 30 years. Section 5.C ("Project Delivery Oversight") requires the SFCTA Board to adopt project delivery oversight guidelines for major capital projects to be funded by the 2022 Sales Tax. The Geary subway appears in the "Next Generation Transit Investments" line, which shares a Total Funding of $87M / Prop L of $27M across four projects (19th Avenue/Geary subway, extending the Central Subway, Link21, regional express bus); first $22M is Priority 1 and the remainder is Priority 2. The phrase "rail-ready" does not appear anywhere in Prop L. PDF mirrored locally: see the resources page. SFCTA's current Half-Cent Sales Tax page: sfcta.org/funding/half-cent-transportation-sales-tax.