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	
email:eegenebradley@yahoo.com

SOUTH BAY TRANSIT RIDER GROUP FOUNDER'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT 
ON VTA'S APPROVAL OF 9% SERVICE CUTS EFFECTIVE APRIL 2003

Says VTA Board Members Disregarded the Public Trust of 
Transit Riders in Approving Service Cuts

SAN JOSE, CA (February 6, 2003) – Eugene Bradley, the Founder 
of the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU - 
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/), has given the following 
statement below regarding the approval of 9% service cuts, 
to take effect April 2003, by the Valley Transportation 
Authority (VTA) Board of Directors:

"It is disappointing to see some members of the VTA Board of 
Directors continue to place their personal egos over the public 
trust of the transit rider.  VTA Board members such as San Jose 
Mayor Ron Gonzales and Sunnyvale City Coucilmember Manuel 
Valerio, who approved these shortsighted service cuts, should 
have done a better job in noting how VTA General Manager Peter 
Cipolla poorly presented his case for changing the plan from 9% 
service cuts over this calendar year, to 9% service cuts 
effective April 2003.  These 'officials' need to learn a lesson 
about the public trust from Santa Clara City Councilmember John 
McLemore and Palo Alto Mayor Dena Mossar, who remembered their 
vow to serve the public interest and voted against the proposed 
service cuts.”

###

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.  You can find more information on the Santa Clara VTA 
Riders Union at http://www.vtaridersunion.org/.  We are a non-
profit, non-partisan organization 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.