Transbay Coalition and the greater Bay Area honor a man who we owe an enormous amount to: Rod Diridon Sr.
Supervisor Diridon served more than 20 years in public office, including as a six-time chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, during which his advocacy for world class public transit was unending and unmatched. In his extensive advocacy career, he led the campaign for the 1976 sales tax to establish Santa Clara County Transportation District (the precursor to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority), helped champion both the formation of Caltrain and the construction of VTA’s light rail system, and just last year he joined Transbay Coalition in advocating for Santa Clara County to opt-in to the SB63 regional transit measure, now known as Connect Bay Area.
Supervisor Diridon led a number of major transit institutions, including 21 years as executive director of San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute and 10 years on the board of the California High Speed Rail Authority. He also served as chair of the American Public Transportation Association and vice chair of the International Association of Public Transport.
Supervisor Diridon was a giant of public transportation from the local level to global institutions. The high quality public transportation he championed serves hundreds of thousands of people every day, and will serve as living monuments to his incredible legacy in our region. With heavy hearts, we thank him for his service to our region and our communities. We at Transbay Coalition will do our best to follow in his footsteps and continue the fight that Supervisor Diridon embodied for his entire career in public service.
