Rules Committee advances Stephanie Kahina nomination to SFMTA board

Stephanie Kahina, a San Francisco native and transportation planner, won the Rules Committee's backing on Jan. 24 when supervisors voted to forward her nomination to the full Board of Supervisors. Chair Aaron Peskin offered a technical amendment to the item's long title, which the committee adopted, and the motion to send the nomination as amended passed unanimously.

Kahina told the panel she was "honored and humbled" by the nomination and described growing up in San Francisco as a first-generation Nicaraguan American who relied on Muni and community services. "Reliable, accessible, and well-funded public transportation is integral in connecting our communities to opportunities throughout our city," she said.

Supervisors who spoke in support highlighted Kahina's neighborhood work in the Excelsior, her involvement with Vision Zero pedestrian-safety initiatives and her outreach to monolingual communities. Supervisor Myrna Melgar praised Kahina as part of a growing pipeline of leaders from immigrant backgrounds and urged colleagues to back the nominee.

Public comment was strongly supportive: callers representing pedestrian and transit advocacy groups, neighborhood merchants, labor representatives and community organizations told the committee Kahina brings needed community engagement and equity perspectives. Kathy DeLuca, a pedestrian advocate, said Kahina "is exactly the type of board member that the board needs," citing her outreach work on Mission Street.

With no objections recorded at the Rules Committee, the nomination will next be considered by the full Board of Supervisors. The committee's action was procedural: it recommended the appointment to the Board rather than placing an immediate appointment on the SFMTA board.