Temecula's Zak Schwank To Lead Riverside Transportation Board

TEMECULA, CA — The Riverside Transit Agency board members have unanimously selected Temecula City Council member Zak Schwank as their new leader for 2022.

As RTA chair, Schwank will be responsible for leading the board in setting policy, guiding agency priorities, conducting the agency’s board meetings and representing the agency during public events.

Schwank will also continue to represent Temecula on the City Council.

Schwank has been on the RTA board since 2019 and served as vice-chair in 2021. He fills the position most recently held by Hemet City Councilmember Linda Krupa.

“I am honored to be selected by my fellow board members for this important position,” Schwank said. “RTA is working hard to recover from the challenges of the past few years and I’m thrilled to be part of this important chapter in our history. This is truly an exciting time to be a bus rider.”

Over the next year or so, RTA is focused on kicking off a micro-transit program in the Hemet-San Jacinto area, opening a new transit center in Riverside, and continuing programs to offer free rides to youth and college students. Much of the agency’s efforts will be spent regrowing ridership in the wake of the pandemic, according to the RTA.

“We are pushing hard to give people more reasons than ever to ride the bus,” Schwank said. “We are more motivated than ever to propel this agency forward into a brighter future, to make good on our unwavering pledge to be the best transit system in the business.”

In addition to his responsibilities on the Board of Directors, Schwank also serves on RTA’s Administration and Operations Committee and is a longstanding member of the Southwest chapter of Transportation NOW, a grassroots group dedicated to promoting public transportation in the region.

Schwank has lived in Temecula with his wife and children since 2001 and was elected to the Temecula City Council in 2018. Prior to being elected, he served on the Temecula Community Services Commission from 2012-2018. Schwank currently represents the cities of Menifee, Murrieta, and Temecula as a regional council member of the Southern California Association of Governments. He enjoys hiking and biking with his family and is currently pursuing a degree in political science at California State University, San Marcos, according to the RTA.

RTA board members also voted City of Calimesa Mayor Pro Tem Linda Molina as vice-chair and Canyon Lake Mayor Jeremy Smith as second vice-chair.