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accountability measures “regrettable.� On Saturday, Oct. 2, Simitian hosted a Town Hall meeting in Palo Alto, where he lauded the budget provisions as an important step to holding the authority accountable. He alluded to the Feb. 1 deadline, and said “the clock is ticking� on the authority to get its house in order. Simitian has persistently said he supports the rail project, but only “if it’s done right.� The authority, he told the Palo Alto crowd Saturday, has yet to make a successful transition from a small advocacy group to the builder of a mega-project currently estimated at $42.6 billion. He said the agency has been doing “just barely enough� to retain legislative support and pointed to a series of critical audits as indications that the authority “has come up short in terms of its work to date.� The state Legislature as a whole approved the subcommittee’s accountability provisions for high-speed rail before Schwarzenegger vetoed the section of the budget outlining these measures. Schwarzenegger said while he supports the reporting requirements he opposes tying them to funding because that could cause possible delays in the overall project. Jeff Barker, deputy director for the rail authority, told the Palo Alto Weekly, the Voice’s sister paper, that even with the veto, the authority remains “committed to reporting to the Legislature and to the public about the progress of our state’s high-speed rail project.� He said meeting the deadlines would have been impossible given how long it took lawmakers to pass the state budget. Without a budget, the authority didn’t have the resources to comply with the legislators’ mandate, he said in an e-mail. “We had already alerted the Legislature that because of the historically late budget and therefore our inability to hire any additional risk management, oversight, and financial staff as outlined in the budget, it would be impossible to meet the reporting deadlines that were originally outlined in the budget,� Barker said. But Simitian said the governor’s veto will make it even more difficult for the agency to restore its credibility with the public. “The High-Speed Rail Authority desperately needs to rebuild its credibility and public support,� Simitian said. “A failure to require accountability measures only makes that task more difficult.� V
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Caltrain to cut service, hike fares In an ongoing effort to close a $2.3 million budget gap, the Caltrain Board of Directors approved fare increases and service reductions last week. Caltrain, which serves an estimated 38,000 people every weekday, is working to close the budget gap with the elimination of certain routes and increases in fares and pass prices effective Jan. 1, spokeswoman Christine Dunn said. Caltrain also intends to start a trial of express weekend service program next year, she said. All of the changes were discussed at length with community members and Caltrain riders during three community meetings in August and one public hearing in September, Ms. Dunn said. About 1,700 comments were submitted at the meetings or via e-mail, mail, or telephone input, she said. “Most people were in favor of increasing the fare and keeping as much service as possible,� Dunn said. Starting on Jan. 1, it will cost an additional 25 cents per zone to ride Caltrain. The price of fares for travel within the same zone will remain the same. The fare increase is expected to bring in an additional $1.4 million in annual revenue, she said. The last Caltrain fare increase was in January 2009, when the prices of all tickets and passes were increased by a flat 25 cents, Ms. Dunn said. This increase is larger because the fare increase goes up with each additional zone on the commute.
Caltrain officials expect to save about $160,000 from the elimination of four trains between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on weekdays, she said. The northbound 237 and 257 trains and southbound 236 and 256 lines will not run during those midday hours beginning Jan. 1. An additional $600,000 in savings is expected from the elimination of ticket offices at the San Francisco and San Jose Diridon stations starting Oct. 11, she said. That change leaves just ticket vending machines to serve Caltrain riders paying their fares at those stations. Amtrak will reassign the seven employees that were filling those ticket offices, she said. Also beginning Jan. 1, Caltrain will launch a three-month pilot project that will test the success of express weekend service that commuters have requested, she said. The schedule, which has yet to be determined, will be designed around rider demand, she added. Currently, weekend trains stop at every station. The pilot project will cost Caltrain about $107,000, Ms. Dunn said. That money will come from savings generated by fuel prices being lower than what Caltrain had budgeted for, she said. The board also voted to increase the on-board bicycle capacity of many trains. The vote would assure that all trains have two bike cars, which would add one 40-bike gallery car to the trains that currently only have one, she said.
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A Guide to the Spiritual Community Los Altos Lutheran Church ELCA
Pastor David K. Bonde Outreach Pastor Gary Berkland
9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Education Nursery Care Provided 650-948-3012
To include your Church in
Inspirations Please call Blanca Yoc at 650-326-8210 ext. 6596 or e-mail byoc@paweekly.com
460 S. El Monte Ave., Los Altos
www.losaltoslutheran.org
MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTRAL SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH Sabbath School: 9:30 a.m. Saturday Services: Worship 10:45 a.m. Wednesday Study Groups: 10-11 a.m. Pastor Kenny Fraser, B.A.M. DIV 1425 Springer Rd., Mtn. View OfďŹ ce Hrs. M-F 9am-1pm www.mtviewda.adventistfaith.org Phone: 650-967-2189
– Bay City News Service
Ecole internationale de la PĂŠninsule
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Longest running bilingual immersion school in the area. Experienced native-speaking faculty.
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WHEN IT’S YOUR CHILD, EXPERIENCE MATTERS. TEACHING MANDARIN CHINESE IMMERSION FOR 15 YEARS. A LEADER IN FRENCH IMMERSION IN PALO ALTO. ACCEPTING PRE-SCHOOL APPLICATIONS. REGISTER FOR A TOUR TODAY. TOURS & OPEN HOUSES
INFORMATION NIGHTS
UPCOMING TOURS October 8, 2010 October 15, 2010 November 5, 2010 November 19, 2010
Learn more about the school’s Mandarin Chinese Immersion and French Immersion programs. RSVP on our website.
OPEN HOUSES/INFO SESSIONS November 13, 2010 January 8, 2010
FRENCH INFO NIGHT October 12, 2010 CHINESE INFO NIGHT October 19, 2010
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