Letters: Voters approved BART to SJ twice, and other projects are coming

Dear Editor, As Lisa Pampuch has made clear many times, most
recently Dec. 16, 2008, she opposes extending BART into Silicon
Valley. Among her reasons is her claim that at a December workshop
the Valley Transportation Authority Board decided to shove aside
all other transportation projects to fund BART. As a VTA board
member who participated in the workshop, I thought it was important
for the public to know what we actually discussed.
Voters approved BART to SJ twice, and other projects are coming

Dear Editor,

As Lisa Pampuch has made clear many times, most recently Dec. 16, 2008, she opposes extending BART into Silicon Valley. Among her reasons is her claim that at a December workshop the Valley Transportation Authority Board decided to shove aside all other transportation projects to fund BART. As a VTA board member who participated in the workshop, I thought it was important for the public to know what we actually discussed:

• BART: Santa Clara County residents have now overwhelmingly voted twice to fund BART– Measure A in 2000 and Measure B in 2008. South County residents are no exception – 60 percent of our residents voted to support BART in last fall’s election. It’s clear BART needs to be the top priority of all the 2000 Measure A projects. The voters have spoken and they want BART.

• Light Rail extensions: The VTA board discussed moving forward with two light rail extensions in the next two years. There was no discussion of delaying these important projects, and board members made it clear they wanted to see light rail projects funded.

• Caltrain double tracking to South County: VTA is already working on adding a second set of tracks to the Union Pacific line between San Jose and Gilroy to support increased and more efficient service to South County. This project will be finished in a couple of years. And, with the new high speed rail project slated to run right through South County, we can expect further rail improvements in the years ahead.

• The Airport People Mover: The City of San Jose, not VTA, is the lead agency on this project, and they plan to start it in the next couple of years. Once completed, this extension will allow South County residents to take the bus or CalTrain to the airport.

• Express buses: Express Bus Route 168 from South County to San Jose has become a very popular service. Service frequency has already been increased, and plans call for increased service on Route 68 as well. Both of these lines have improved transit access to and from South County.

While we might not all agree on BART, we need to acknowledge all the work VTA is doing on the other Measure A projects like Express Bus, Community Bus and South County Caltrain improvements.

The VTA board is not shoving them aside and working only on BART.

As our current representative to the VTA board, I look forward to working closely with Supervisor Don Gage and the rest of the board to bring even more transit options to South County in the years ahead.

Greg Sellers, Morgan Hill Mayor Pro Tem, VTA Board Member

Schools need the community to pressure state legislators

Dear Editor,

Dr. Alan Nishino, the Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent, gave us – Morgan Hill Unified School District Advisory Committee representatives and Home and School Club Presidents – an excellent, yet alarming update on our current and future fiscal projection.

We should be very proud of all the accomplishments and improvements that our 9,000 students have benefited. I invite you to sign up at the Morgan Hill Unified School District Web site and inform yourself on our schools successes and this challenging situation.

I cannot urge you enough to help us join our efforts to contact and press our state representatives to finally pass a budget so that our MHUSD can start functioning again.

At this point, we are not sure what will happen this year. Our administrative and support staffs have already been cut. For the next school year, there will be deeper cuts to each department as well as classroom teachers.

We may be forced to increase our class size at all grade levels, close at least one school, eliminate or reduce student support services, employees’ work hours or days, and programs for students such as athletics, music, or libraries. Depending on the extent of revenue loss for next year, we could be reduced to a basic education program for our students, with large class sizes and very few extra-curricular activities.

Inevitably, all our children will directly be affected by these decisions!

That is why we must stand together as a united community and overwhelm the state with our letters. Each day of inaction by the Legislature increases the state deficit by $40 million and increases the possibility that the state will run out of cash by March.

So please, take the time to write to our state legislators. Join our efforts by writing letters to urge our state representatives to make education their priority, put their differences aside and take action immediately to resolve this financial crisis.

Contact your HSC Club, or myself at [email protected], and I will give you the list of our legislators and sample letters if needed.

Thank you for making a difference!

Lydie Jones, Britton Home and School Club and District Advisory Committee president