Bay Area Rapid Transit District


The Bay Area Rapid Transit District, or BART, is a special-purpose district body that governs the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in the California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco. The system itself also serves northern San Mateo County and is being extended to Santa Clara County; however, these counties have bought into the system and have neither a voting stake nor any representatives in the district proper.

History

The Bay Area Rapid Transit District was created in 1957 to provide a transit alternative between suburbs in the East Bay and job centers in San Francisco's Financial District as well as those in Downtown Oakland and Downtown Berkeley.
Of the six Bay Area counties initially envisioned as participants—San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara—only Santa Clara County refused to join when the district was first set up; it originally included both San Mateo and Marin Counties. San Mateo opted out in 1962, preferring to utilize funds to build its freeway and expressway system. Marin left a month after San Mateo, fearing that it would be unable to absorb its share of operating costs with San Mateo's withdrawal. Marin was also concerned by ongoing debate about the feasibility of running trains across a lower deck of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Structure

BART is split into nine districts, each of which elects one board member. One board member acts as president. Board members appoint five officers: General Manager, Controller-Treasurer, Independent Police Auditor, General Counsel, and District Secretary.

BART Board of Directors

Current board members, , include:
District
No.		Board MemberCountyStations
1Debora AllenContra CostaConcord, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, Walnut Creek
2Mark FoleyContra CostaNorth Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point
3Rebecca SaltzmanAlameda / Contra CostaBay Fair, Downtown Berkeley, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, Orinda, Rockridge, San Leandro
4Robert RaburnAlamedaColiseum/Oakland Airport, Fruitvale, Lake Merritt, 12th Street/Oakland City Center, 19th Street/Oakland, MacArthur
5John McPartlandAlamedaCastro Valley, Dublin/Pleasanton, Hayward, West Dublin/Pleasanton
6Liz AmesAlamedaFremont, South Hayward, Union City
7Lateefah Simon Alameda / Contra Costa / San FranciscoAshby, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, MacArthur, Montgomery, Richmond, West Oakland, Embarcadero
8Janice LiSan FranciscoBalboa Park, Embarcadero, Montgomery
9Bevan DuftySan Francisco16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Civic Center, Powell Street, Balboa Park

Former BART Directors