Meeting Speaker for Monday, June 9, 2014 - Martin Tuttle

How does one pull together a diverse group of 22 cities and 6 counties into a cohesive plan?  As the executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) for six years, Martin Tuttle led the metropolitan planning organization in California’s fast growing Sacramento region and launched its nationally recognized “Blueprint” transportation and land use growth plan.  Step 1, for the first time, SACOG was able to prioritize its transportation plan and act as a region in setting priorities and working together.  Step 2, was the creation of the Blueprint, launched ten years ago after a comprehensive and dynamic large outreach that brought diverse groups together to the table as an early national leader in the move to urban clusters and smart planning.  (http://www.sacregionblueprint.org/adopted/)

That was then.  Presently Martin Tuttle is West Sacramento’s City Manager, appointed by the City Council in July 2012.   As directed by the Council, Mr. Tuttle has promoted strategies to make West Sacramento a “Global Food Hub” by recruiting four foreign food-related companies to make the city their USA headquarters and advanced three new bridge projects, as well as a streetcar, to improve connections between the city and downtown Sacramento while tying into UC Davis and Yolo County’s agriculture heritage.  

Immediately prior to this appointment as City Manager, Mr. Tuttle was the Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs for Caltrans, overseeing the state’s intercity rail and multi-modal planning programs.

Mr. Tuttle served for three years as the executive director of the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he directed major road and transit projects for the seven cities and county in Solano.  The STA was honored as the State’s “Transportation Organization of the Year” by the California Transportation Foundation during his tenure.

As a top staff member to Assembly Majority Leader Tom Hannigan in the California State Legislature for 13 years, Mr. Tuttle managed innovative land-use and transportation reform legislation, including the bill establishing the successful Capitol Corridor intercity rail service between Sacramento and San Jose.

Mr. Tuttle has also worked as a land planning manager for URS Corp. and, for three years, as vice president for Sacramento-based New Faze Development, where he oversaw the company’s transit oriented development and urban infill housing projects.

A fourth generation native of California, Mr. Tuttle is a graduate of the University of California, Davis.  In 1989 he participated as a GSE team member on a group headed by our late member John Collentine.  The team went to Mindanao, Philippines.