BART Director Rebecca Saltzman Will Not Seek Re-election

On Wednesday, Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Director Rebecca Saltzman announced she would not seek re-election.

The announcement was made on social media. She has served on the BART Board since November 6, 2012. Her District includes Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Oakland (partial), Piedmont, San Leandro (partial), Unincorporated Alameda County (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Lafayette (partial), Moraga, Orinda, Unincorporated Contra Costa County (partial).

Here was her message posted to social media Wednesday:

I have some news: I’ve decided not to run for re-election.

Serving as a BART Director has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I’m incredibly grateful to have served my community for three terms, working to improve BART and Bay Area public transportation.

So why have I decided not to run?

Since I was elected in 2012, I’ve held a near-full-time job while serving on the BART Board, and it’s been challenging. My wife and I had a baby in 2019, and balancing being a mom with two other jobs has felt near impossible at times.

In 2020 I planned not to run for re-election. Then the pandemic hit. When it became clear BART was in a major crisis, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t leave BART in such a dire situation.

I had to run. I left a job I loved and focused on being a mom and BART director for one and a half years.

I’m so glad I ran for re-election in 2020 and was able to help BART navigate the most challenging time in its history.

BART still faces a financial cliff in fiscal year 2027, but BART is emerging from the pandemic as a more innovative agency that’s more responsive to its riders.

We’re focusing on riders, running all new trains and increasing cleaning on trains and in stations. We’ve increased weekend and evening service. We’re making BART safer for everyone with the Progressive Policing Bureau. We’re building thousands of homes on BART parking lots.

So what’s next after BART?

I’ll keep working at Bike East Bay and will have more time for family and friends. I’ll stay civically engaged, in El Cerrito and Bay Area transit and housing. And I’ll walk precincts and call voters for the 2026 Bay Area transit funding measure.

My three terms on the BART Board and all of our accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of my wife, friends, allies, volunteers, donors, and voters.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me!

A special thanks to my fellow BART directors. Of course, none of us could be effective without amazing staff at BART, too numerous to list here.

Yours in transit,

Rebecca Saltzman

BART BIO

Rebecca Saltzman was first elected to the BART Board on November 6, 2012 and was reelected in 2016 and 2020. Director Saltzman represents District 3, which includes Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Oakland (partial), Piedmont, San Leandro (partial), Unincorporated Alameda County (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Lafayette (partial), Moraga, Orinda and Unincorporated Contra Costa County (partial).

Saltzman served as President of the Board in 2022 and 2017. She served as Vice President in 2021 and 2019.

Saltzman chairs the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and serves on the Alameda Transportation Commission and BART-AC Transit Interagency Liaison Committee.

Before she was elected, Director Saltzman spent years as a public transit and policy advocate, coalition builder, organizer, and manager with local, state, and national issue-based organizations.

Saltzman previously served as Vice-Chair of the Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, where she advised the City of Oakland on pedestrian and bicycle policy and infrastructure.

In 2011, Saltzman received the League of Women Voters of Oakland’s Making Democracy Work Award in recognition of her work and commitment to increasing citizen engagement in local government.

Saltzman graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in El Cerrito with her wife Caitlin and their daughter, and relies on BART, buses, and walking to get around.

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