New Ferry Agency Convenes

The San Francisco Bay area’s new public ferry agency held its first meeting Monday.

The Water Emergency Transportation Authority was established through state legislation approved last year. It replaces the former Water Transportation Authority.

The new WETA has the same brief as the old WTA — to develop and run a comprehensive San Francisco Bay ferry system.

Unlike the old agency, WETA has been given the authority to run some existing ferry services. The new ferry authority will also have access to bond money to finance new boats and services.

Lawmakers have set aside $250 million for the ferry program from Proposition 1B, the $19.9 billion transportation bond measure California voters approved in 2006, according to WETA, and they actually appropriated $25 million this year.

The legislation also gives WETA the authority to issue its own bonds.

The new agency will take over the operations of existing ferry services run by the cities of Alameda and Vallejo. It is also planning seven new ferry routes that would crisscross San Francisco Bay.

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