Reference

Resources and primary sources

Documents we cite, statutes referenced, and news sources. For agency websites and entity definitions, see the glossary.

Updated May 14, 2026

Documents cited in this guide

Ridgway-Brahdy Report on rapid transit for San Francisco (1935): July 1935 SFPUC consultant report by New York transit engineers Robert Ridgway and Alfred Brahdy. First documented proposal for a Geary subway (Market to Steiner). PDF
Cahill Rapid Transit for San Francisco (1936): May 1936 SFPUC report by Manager of Utilities Edward G. Cahill with Ridgway and Brahdy. Formalizes the Market, Mission, and Geary subway alignments. The basis for the November 1937 bond measure that voters defeated. PDF
Prop K Expenditure Plan (2003): Adopted by voters November 2003. The "rail-ready standards" mandate and the Geary Light Rail $55M line item live here. PDF
Prop L Expenditure Plan (2022): The renewed half-cent transportation sales tax expenditure plan adopted by voters in November 2022. Section 5.C contains the project delivery oversight mandate. PDF
2021 Prop K Strategic Plan: The agency's most recent comprehensive financial update before Prop L superseded Prop K. Shows the $0 programming on the Geary Light Rail line item. PDF
Geary BRT Phase 2 CER Amendment Memo (November 2021): The SFCTA staff memo accompanying Resolution BD110921, which amended Phase 2 from center-running to side-running. PDF
SFCTA Transportation Capital Projects Delivery Study (July 2023): The diagnostic that recommended (but did not adopt) the Capital Project Management Office and other delivery reforms. PDF
SFCTA 2025 Annual Report (published March 17, 2026): The annual report that contains no mention of Section 5.C guidelines, CPMO, or oversight adoption, despite the agency listing those as 2025 goals in its January 2025 Annual Report. PDF
SF Civil Grand Jury, Van Ness Avenue: What Lies Beneath (June 2021): 14 findings, 11 recommendations on the Van Ness BRT delivery failures. Board of Supervisors agreed to study or implement every recommendation. PDF
SF BLA Audit of OEWD's Planning for Large-Scale Projects (September 6, 2019): Commissioned by Board Motion M18-058 (April 2018). Documents Central Subway merchant impact response, $10K SF cap, peer-city comparisons, the still-unimplemented Recommendation 1.4. PDF
SFMTA Muni Funding Working Group Final Report (July 2025): The city's most recent comprehensive transit-funding exercise. Silent on value capture, TIF, IFD, EIFD, and benefit assessment districts. Project page with report link
SF Controller, SFMTA Capital Planning Audit (February 2021): 16 recommendations on capital project delivery. PDF
ConnectSF Transit Strategy (December 2021): Joint SFCTA/SFMTA/SF Planning strategy that elevated the Geary subway as a long-range vision. PDF
SFTP 2050 Final Report (December 2022): SFCTA's 30-year transportation plan. Acknowledges delivery challenges on Van Ness and Central Subway; places the Geary subway in the Vision Plan (unfunded). PDF
DTX Expert Panel Report (October 17, 2019): The 2019 peer review that produced the 2020 SF Peninsula Rail Program MOU. PDF
SFCTA Geary/19th Avenue Subway Study CAC Presentation (February 25, 2026): The deck containing the cost estimate ($20-30B), ridership scenarios (160-180k SF-only, 310k regional), and the "Existing Sources Are Not Enough" funding language. Available through the SFCTA project page.
Plan Bay Area 2050+ (adopted March 25, 2026): The Bay Area's current long-range transportation plan. Link21 remains in the fiscally unconstrained tier; under federal CIG rules, this means the 310k Geary regional ridership scenario is not legally usable as a "committed connecting investment" in a near-term FTA application. Plan Bay Area 2050+ page

Statutes and regulations (primary text)

SF Charter: Searchable via the city's Code Library. Article II (Board of Supervisors), Article VIIIA (SFMTA), Section 3.105 (Controller). (SFCTA is established by state statute, not the SF Charter — see Cal PUC §131000 et seq.)
California Public Utilities Code §131000 et seq.: Bay Area County Traffic and Transportation Funding Act (PUC Division 12.5). Establishes SFCTA's authority. leginfo
California Government Code Section 53395 et seq.: Infrastructure Financing Districts (original 1990 statute). leginfo
California Government Code Section 53398.50 et seq.: Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (SB 628 in 2014; modern TIF vehicle). leginfo
California Government Code Section 66500 et seq.: Establishes the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. leginfo
California Government Code Section 65080 et seq.: SB 375 / Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act. Mandates the regional planning process behind Plan Bay Area. leginfo
California Penal Code Section 888: Establishes the Civil Grand Jury. leginfo
California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). leginfo
California Legislative Information (statutes and codes): Where to look up any California statute. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
49 U.S. Code Section 5309: Federal Capital Investment Grants program statute. Cornell LII
49 CFR Part 611: Major Capital Investment Projects regulations (FTA CIG). eCFR
23 CFR Part 450: Planning Assistance and Standards. Contains the fiscal-constraint rules that determine whether a connecting project counts in federal CIG horizon-year ridership. eCFR

News and analysis sources we cite

SF Standard: sfstandard.com · Reporting on Van Ness BRT cost overruns, Central Subway leaks, transit funding, and the August 2023 small business funeral protest.
Mission Local: missionlocal.org · Reporting on Central Subway closures and post-opening service.
SF Examiner: sfexaminer.com · Reporting on SFMTA Board decisions, BRT, and merchant disputes.
Streetsblog SF: sf.streetsblog.org · Transit advocacy reporting; archive covers the BRT design history back to 2013.
Richmond Review / Sunset Beacon: richmondsunsetnews.com · Neighborhood reporting from the corridor, including Connie Chan columns and merchant testimony.
KQED: kqed.org · Regional public radio; long-form transit coverage.
SFist: sfist.com · Reporting on Link21 scale-back and regional transit.
CBS San Francisco / KPIX: cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco · Reporting on transit infrastructure announcements.
SF Chronicle: sfchronicle.com · Long-running general-interest reporting on SF politics and infrastructure.

If a link breaks

Government URLs change. If you find a broken link on this page or in the glossary, please email hello@foglinesf.com and we will update it. PDFs we cite are also archived locally in our research repository; we can send copies on request.