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[Editor's Note: links outside vtaridersunion.org will open separate browser windows. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has now placed VTA Board meeting packets on their web site. September's meeting packet can be found here.]
In front of the County Government Offices at 70 W. Hedding Street in San Jose at 4:30pm, a rally and press conference was held by a group known as the Community United To Save Paratransit (CUSP). The group is a coalition of paratransit riders, former OUTREACH drivers, and other concerned citizens. The rally/press conference was to protest fare hikes and service "modifications" for VTA's OUTREACH paratransit service. Our founder, Eugene Bradley, says a few words during the press conference and rally about how more transit users (like the 40 people who gathered for the rally/press conference) need to unite NOW.
It is later revealed that the VTA made an agreement with this group - formed only two weeks ago - to modify the proposed fare hikes and service reductions for the Outreach paratransit service. In addition, the VTA Board vote on this proposal, originally scheduled for October, has now been moved to November thanks to this same group speaking out at the VTA's Committee for Transit Accessibility (CTA) meetings, typically held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 1pm at VTA headquarters at 3331 N. First Street in San Jose. More details will be posted on vtaridersunion.org as we get them.
The meeting begins on time at 6pm. Blanca Alvarado and Dena Mossar are notably absent from this meeting. They have been replaced by County Supervisor Pete McHugh and Francis LaPoll, respectively, for this meeting.
To start the meeting, a presentation was made by a representative from the National Guard and Reserves, honoring VTA employees with awards who have served in the Guard since September 11, 2001. That presentation lasted almost ten (10) minutes (from our estimates) before the VTA employee of the month awards were handed out, which takes roughly another five (5) minutes.
The meeting agenda items start at number 20. In this item, the VTA Board will vote on a lease to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation for $144,000 on twenty (20) electric-powered vehicles for one (1) year, with a possibility of extension for an additional year. From our calculations, the vehicles would cost $600 per car, per month, during the length of the contract. Our founder protests to this and says you can get cheaper deals at any Toyota dealer in the county. Benefits of this, as our founder stated to the VTA Board, include cost savings and having precious sales tax dollars spent within the county, which helps the transit system overall. The VTA Board passes the lease proposal despite our founder's suggestion.
Agenda item number 25 is next. This is where the VTA will place a "lien" on funding for operating the county's bus and light rail system in January 2009 if $48 million per year in operating funds cannot be found for the BART extension into San Jose. Our founder states that this agreement breaks a promise made at last November's VTA workshop by then-VTA Board Vice Chair Ron Gonzales to find stable funding for operating the South Bay's bus and light rail system "early next year", and that the agreement should at least be reworked and rethought.
Here's where things become interesting. After our founder's testimony, VTA Board Chair Ron Gonzales asks the rest of the Board and Staff, "Are there any revenue streams?" County Supervisor Pete McHugh, subbing for Blanca Alvarado, gives a bureaucratic-style non-answer, so Gonzales asks VTA General Manager Peter Cipolla. Cipolla answers there will be an "October workshop" where this topic will be discussed more in depth. [Editor's Note: the way the inquiry about revenue streams was answered gave the impression that no formal revenue streams have been found as of yet.]
After such discussion, the VTA Board approves the item unamimously.
After no committee nor board member offers reports to give at the meeting, the public is allowed to speak at 6:30pm.
During the public presentation, about 30 speakers - most of whom attendees of the earlier press conference and rally - use the presentation time to protest VTA's fare hikes and service modifications for Outreach paratransit users, as well as to protest the non-hiring of former Outreach drivers who worked for Laidlaw. [Editor's Note: VTA now uses another company named Vancom, based in England, to operate the Outreach paratransit service.]
One interesting note: Ron Gonzales reminded the audience not to applause after presentations are made, as "it's the way I run my City Council meetings." One speaker, after his presentation, blasted Gonzales for "violating civil rights" by not allowing formal expression of audience opinion after presentations are made. After that presenter's speech, Ron Gonzales says, "Thanks...I think."
The VTA Board meeting goes into closed session, then ends at 7:15pm.
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