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Editor's Note: Margaret Okuzumi, Executive Director of BayRail Alliance, filed this report. Any opinions expressed are strictly her own and not necessarily those of SCVTARU. Per our web site policy, links outside www.vtaridersunion.org will open up another web browser window.
I attended the VTA workshop this Friday.
Absent new revenue, VTA confirmed in a handout that they are looking at cutting bus service by 21% again by this fall, as I had reported informally last week. Gary Richards (traffic and transit reporter for the San Jose Mercury News) neglected to report this, saying only that the BART project is going to be delayed because state TCRP funds have evaporated. His reporting is outrageous.
The large cut in bus service essentially would be the equivalent of eliminating all cross-town routes such as lines 81, 72, 73, 71, 77, 82, 74, 85, 55, 35, 63, 36, 51, 32, 53, 67, 54, 59, 38, 34, 56. "Grid" routes such as lines 57, 58, and 27 are also in trouble due to low ridership, and other routes might have their service chopped off mid-day or evenings if they have relatively low ridership during those times.
If some new state money comes in, VTA might be able to shuffle money around to stave off the bus cuts for another six months or so, but then face the same problem in Fiscal Year 2005 (which begins in June 2004). In the meantime, they are planning the cuts as we speak, and will hold public meetings probably in June.
VTA is still looking to open the Tasman/Capitol light rail in July 2004. (since they got federal money for it they'd be in trouble if they didn't, the feds could ask for money back). however, as I understand it they also have a problem that if they cut bus service too much, federal regulations call for them to not have too high a percentage of buses idle or else they have to pay some money back to the feds as well.
They are looking at a number of smaller cuts, such as chopping almost their entire advertising/marketing budget, eliminating rider focus groups, reducing security patrols, eliminate employee training except for training required by law, increasing self-insurance. Also, the VTA is looking at reducing employee benefits. The rep from SEIU broke down in tears as she asked them not to reduce benefits for public employees, whose salaries are lower than those in the private sector.
VTA also plans to keep Caltrain support constant (i.e. no new Baby Bullet service) and also not contribute $7 million in capital that Caltrain has been asking for. They're also looking at cutting light rail shuttles.
The revised "Estimated Magnitude of Shortfall" shows a projected Fiscal Year 2003 ending balance of $45 million. That means that VTA is going to be bankrupt on July 1 or thereabouts as stated before and will massively cut service.
The next VTA ad-hoc Financial Stability Committee meeting is this Wednesday at 3pm at the Sheriff's Auditorium, 55 Younger Street, San Jose. It's two blocks north of the Civic Center light rail station, and near VTA bus lines 36, 62, 66, and 180. The committee is meeting 3 more times before submitting recommendations to the full VTA board. This week, the consultant from Chicago, Bob Peskin, is going to talk to them about privatizing routes. These last few meetings are going to be really important.
At this workshop, Blanca Alvarado asked the board to set up a better public process to help the board make discussions. Dena Mossar is going to bat for the service in the affluent (but low ridership) areas like Palo Alto) to be preserved, since all of those cities are paying money into VTA.
The board is starting to give VTA General Manager Peter Cipolla a hard time. At one point, Cindy Chavez snapped at him and they had an exchange of words that was relatively heated, comparatively speaking, for the normally very placid VTA board. However, Peter is quite skillful and I think the board still supports him pretty solidly.
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