SANTA CLARA VTA RIDERS UNION
P. O. Box 390069
Mountain View, CA  94039-0069
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/

NEWS RELEASE

TO: Editor, News Assignment Desk, Transportation Reporter

* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *

Press Contact:	
Eugene Bradley	24 hr. cell/pager (408)888-2208 


SCVTARU: VTA NEEDS PACKAGE OF FINANCIAL IDEAS TO RESOLVE ITS FISCAL 
CRISIS

Group Says Santa Clara County Transit Leaders Cannot Rely On One
Solution Alone For Fiscal Woes

SUNNYVALE, CA (April 16, 2003) – The Santa Clara VTA Riders Union 
(SCVTARU - http://www.vtaridersunion.org/) today announces the need 
for a package of fiscal ideas to resolve the fiscal crisis facing 
the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).  SCVTARU
calls upon Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage - who chairs VTA's
ad-hoc Financial Stability Committee - to IMMEDIATELY enact multiple
financial solutions to VTA's fiscal crisis, instead of proposing only
one formal solution.

Due to the ongoing recession, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation 
Authority (VTA) faces a long-term deficit of $6 billion over the next 
twenty (20) years.  The VTA is expected to face a $35-40 million
shortfall for the 2005 Fiscal year.  VTA's fiscal woes have resulted
in 20% reductions of transit service since voters passed Measure A
in November 2000 - including 9% this past Monday.  VTA is also
proposing a 10% fare hike for this August, on top of a 10% fare
increase imposed last year.

To provide solutions to VTA's fiscal crisis, SCVTARU solicited ideas
our members and supporters, as well as VTA operators and mechanics,
and distributed its report, "Transit Medicine," to the VTA's ad-hoc
Financial Stability Committee on February 7.  The report can be read
at http://www.vtaridersunion.org/regional/scvtaru_fy03_plan.html.  
Many of our ideas from that report - streamlining bus routes, 
running buses instead of light rail during certain hours, and better
enforcement of bus idling rules - were taken with positive 
consideration by the Committee.  The full scorecard of what the 
consultants of the Committee is viewable from our web site, at
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/docs/2k3_fsc_consultant_report.html.
The Committee is expected to vote on what will actually go into
the Financial Stability Plan at a VTA Budget Workshop on April 26
in San Jose.

Another idea of ours that was highly praised by the committee is 
issuing bonds against 2000 Measure A to help offset the VTA's budget
deficit.  SCVTARU agrees with the language of the ballot measure 
and its interpretation by environmental lawyer Marc Chytilo stating 
that the money can be used to maintain a 750-bus fleet thru 2014.

Measure A authorizes VTA to expand the bus fleet to 750 and 
authorizes revenue to  operate those buses through at least 
year  2014,  and  that authority is not eclipsed by revenue 
shortfalls  and  other potentially necessary adjustments to 
transit service.

The rest of the legal interpretation can be found on our web site
at http://www.vtaridersunion.org/docs/bart_tax_opinion_letter.pdf 
(spaces in the URL represent the underscore [_] character)

SCVTARU finds it disturbing that members of the business 
community, such as Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group (SVMG) 
CEO Carl Guardino, claim that spending 2000 Measure A funding
on anything aside from BART violates the voters trust.  That
measure, and the 1996 ballot measure (both endorsed by the
SVMG) never mentioned higher fares or reduced service would 
be needed to fund mass transit projects.  As mentioned above,
the ballot language in 2000 Measure A also calls for funding
operations for 750 buses in the county until 2014.  In other
words, using 2000 Measure A funding to help restore bus service
is well within the voters' trust.  "Voters in this county 
approved more than just a 'BART Tax' in 2000.  They also 
approved a 'bus tax' and a 'light rail tax' to improve those 
services, too," said Eugene Bradley, founder of the Santa Clara 
VTA Riders Union.

SCVTARU says that the Santa Clara County Supervisors and the VTA
Board must act NOW on a package of solutions that includes bonds 
against 2000 Measure A funding, developer fees, parking fees in
municipal lots, as well as a payroll tax for larger businesses.
Having just one solution will not solve the VTA's fiscal issues
in either the short term nor the long term.

###

About the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union
--------------------------------------
Founded in October 2000 by Eugene Bradley, the Santa Clara VTA 
Riders Union is a grassroots-based organization dedicated to ensuring 
that elected officials improve and implement cost-effective, frequent, 
and reliable mass transit in Santa Clara County.  Our web site is at
www.vtaridersunion.org.  We are based in Sunnyvale, CA.  Our 
organization has absolutely no affiliation with, nor is endorsed by, 
the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in any way 
whatsoever.

Note to Editors: Specific information about our group can be found
at the following URLs:
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/PR
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/whoarewe/who.html