SMART's Successful Use of the State Voter Initiative Process

Our May Member Meeting will be hosted by the TLUH Committee —

The TLUH Committee will host Suzanne Smith, former Executive Director of the Sonoma Transportation Authority and one of the leaders of the SMART sales tax renewal measure (Measure B). She will brief attendees on Measure B and the use of the voter initiative process that many jurisdictions are using now.

See you on May 11th in the Conference Room or on Zoom —

details including Zoom link coming soon!  

Suzanne Smith, former Executive Director of Sonoma Transportation of Authority

Suzanne Smith served for more than 25 years as Executive Director of the Sonoma

County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and the Regional Climate Protection Authority, where she led countywide transportation planning and climate initiatives. Appointed in 1997, she managed Sonoma County’s voter-approved transportation sales tax program, overseeing billions in investments in highways, transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and community-focused projects.

Smith worked closely with regional partners, including Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), helping coordinate funding strategies, long-range planning, and implementation of passenger rail service connecting Sonoma and Marin counties. Her collaborative approach supported rail integration with local transit, land use planning, and first/last-mile access improvements.

She is widely recognized for her expertise in transportation funding and governance, including voter-approved sales tax measures and regional rail financing. She is one of the leaders of the successful voter initiative process that resulted in the SMART Sales Tax Renewal being placed on June 2 ballot.