San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the nomination of transit accessibility advocate Fiona Hinze to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors. If confirmed by the Board of Supervisors, Hinze will bring experience advocating for transit access for people with disabilities.

Hinze lives with Cerebral palsy and she uses her power chair to get around the city, including on public transit. In addition to her own experience navigating transit, Hinze advocates for people with disabilities, with a particular focus on employment, transportation access, healthcare access, and civic participation. She recently completed two three-year terms on the California State Independent Living Council, following an appointment by then-Governor Jerry Brown in 2014. She is a co-chair of the Dignity Fund Coalition, and serves on the Paratransit Coordinating Council, the Senior Disability Working Group of the Vision Zero Coalition, the board of the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly, and the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force. If confirmed, she would be the second member of the SFMTA Board who is of Chinese descent.

“I am proud to nominate Fiona to serve on the SFMTA Board of Directors. It is important we have a member on the SFMTA Board who understands the needs of our disability community and the challenges people face getting around our City, whether that’s riding Muni or navigating our streets and sidewalks,” said Mayor Breed. “Fiona is a respected and trusted community member, and knows how to listen to the needs of people living with disabilities and advocate for change. She will bring an important perspective to the SFMTA Board and I’m confident she’ll prioritize equity and work to create a more accessible transit system for the people of San Francisco.”

“I am honored to be nominated to serve on the SFMTA Board,” said Fiona Hinze. “I will bring my expertise in accessible transit to ensure that San Francisco’s transit system is equitable and accessible for all San Franciscans, including seniors and people with disabilities.” 

Hinze currently works as the Director of Systems Change for Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF), a disability rights advocacy and support organization. She dedicates her time to the development of strategies around ILRCSF’s systems change and advocacy efforts by tracking key state and local advocacy issues and attending community committee and task force meetings. She works to ensure consumers are aware of advocacy opportunities in the community. Hinze is a graduate of Stanford University and has a B.A. in Psychology, with a concentration in Health and Development. She was born and raised in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood.

“Fiona is a tireless, dedicated advocate for people with disabilities and seniors and very active with the Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force, working to improve traffic safety equity for this underserved neighborhood,” said Greg Moore, Director of Safe Programs for the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. “Fiona is always highly informed about any issues and topics on which she is working, and consistently brings that knowledgeable perspective to every meeting she attends.”

The SFMTA Board of Director duties include overseeing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, operates the City’s public transit service, is responsible for all taxi-related functions of the former Taxi Commission and all traffic regulation and control, traffic engineering, parking enforcement, and administrative functions of the former Parking and Traffic Commission, including six of the City’s 19 parking garage practices. The Board of Directors adopts SFMTA rules setting forth the methods by which Municipal Railway performance shall be measured in accordance with industry best practices.

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