San José, CA –The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors bids farewell to Cindy Chavez, its longest-serving board member, at her final VTA board meeting Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. Chavez terms out of her County Supervisor seat this year and has taken a position as the Bernalillo County Manager in Albuquerque, New Mexico, starting November 13.
VTA expects a large turnout of employees and the agency’s union representatives for Chavez’s final meeting.Chavez has dedicated over 20 years to improving public transportation in Santa Clara County. Throughout her remarkable career, Chavez served as Chair of the VTA Board a record four times—2006, 2016, 2020, and 2024—and as Vice Chair prior to those years.
Chavez first joined the VTA Board in 1999 as a San José City Councilmember, where she represented Downtown San José. After being elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2013, she continued her service on the VTA Board until 2024. Throughout her time at VTA, Chavez has been a passionate advocate for the agency, its employees, and passengers throughout Santa Clara County.
“Cindy has been VTA’s biggest cheerleader, but also a tough critic, all to ensure that the people of Santa Clara County received the services and attention they deserve,” said Carolyn Gonot, VTA’s General Manager and CEO. “I could not have asked for a more deeply engaged and committed leader.”
Under Chavez’s leadership, VTA accomplished major projects, including the completion of the Silicon Valley BART Extension to Milpitas and North San José which opened in 2020 and continuing work on the second phase of the project, extending the service into Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara with four more stations. She was instrumental in helping to secure $5.1 billion in federal funding for the Project in 2024. Chavez has also been a staunch advocate for the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector light rail extension and saw the agency through the trying challenge of the COVID pandemic.
Vice Chair Sergio Lopez, who also serves as Vice Chair of the City of Campbell, is poised to take over the Chair’s role after Chavez’s departure, upon a vote of the full board Thursday.
“Supervisor Chavez has been a fearless and tireless advocate for riders and workers,” said Lopez. Over the past year, I’ve benefited from her wisdom and foresight in preparing for this transition, and as we wish her a fond farewell, I will continue to draw inspiration from her example of lifelong service.”
Chavez also focused on improving the workplace culture at VTA, launching the Organizational Culture and Climate Transformation initiative to enhance communication, safety, and support for VTA employees. She played a crucial role in securing funding and services for VTA workers and their families after the tragic 2021 Guadalupe Light Rail Yard shooting, including helping to establish the 526 Resiliency Center, which provides mental health services for employees.
Another key achievement was her leadership in promoting affordable housing near public transit. Chavez pushed for VTA’s Affordable Housing Policy and Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, which aim to address the need for affordable housing while simultaneously boosting transit ridership and revenues. Her leadership of Santa Clara County’s 2016 Measure A directly benefitted VTA’s work to encourage affordable housing near transit stations.
Chavez also played an important role in fully restoring VTA’s transit services to pre-pandemic levels, streamlining transit schedules, connecting more services to BART and Caltrain, and setting a vision for future ridership growth with the 2025 Transit Service Plan.
VTA extends its greatest thanks to Cindy Chavez for her outstanding service and leadership. Her contributions have made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of people in Santa Clara County, and her legacy will continue to shape the future of transit in the region.