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BACKGROUND Assembly Bill 758, which was co-authored by Assemblywomen Susan Eggman and Katherine Baker, was signed by the Governor in October 2017. The bill created the Tri- Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority to advance a work program to expedite the development of an effective and responsive transit connectivity between BART and the ACE Rail Service. The Authority is made up of the Mayors from the Cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Tracy, Lathrop, Stockton, and Manteca; and representatives from the Mountain House Community Services District; Alameda and San Joaquin Counties; and the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, and BART transportation agencies. The legislation requires the Authority to complete a project feasibility study on or before July 1, 2019. This study is required to make recommendations on the type of transit system to be constructed, which agency would deliver the project, a funding plan identifying sources of funds to complete the project, a financing plan addressing revenue sources to operate the system, a proposed schedule for project completion, and a preliminary design. Since the adoption of AB 758, the Authority has been working on preparing the various components of the feasibility study, including the fundamental question as to what type of system the project would use. The Authority has named the proposed future transit system "Valley Link." As the Council is aware, the City's policy position has been to support an extension of the BART system to Isabel Avenue in Livermore and beyond. However, this alternative received a significant setback when the BART Board of Directors in May of 2018, declined to support such an extension. In light of this decision, and as a result of the analysis that has been done on the various components of the feasibility study, the Authority staff and consultants presented a comprehensive report describing a different preferred alternative for inclusion in the feasibility study at the Authority meeting on July. Their report describes the projects purpose and need; describes three alternative transit approaches (rail, bus, and ridesharing alternatives) recommending a rail alternative; recommends a rail alignment from Dublin Pleasanton BART to the proposed North Lathrop Station using existing right-of-way where feasible (a second phase could extend to Manteca and Stockton); proposes station locations; describes the desired service characteristics (hours of service and frequency); and finally, and most significantly, recommends that the analysis of the feasibility study and EIR focus on a "Multiple Unit" system with hybrid technology using both electric and diesel power (as opposed to a BART system extension). A Multiple Unit is defined as a system where every car is self propelled and there is no separate locomotive. These systems can be powered by diesel, electricity (battery, overhead wire, or third rail) or a hybrid of diesel and electricity. The Authority anticipates using hybrid powered cars. DISCUSSION At their meeting on July 25, 2018, the Authority Board unanimously supported the recommendations of their staff and consultants to focus on a primarily single-track Page 2 of 3