Caltrain raises rates Beginning July 1, Caltrain will increase
its fares an average of 17.5 percent. The fare increase comes on
the heels of a difficult budget cycle, which included a $13.6
million deficit.
Caltrain raises rates
Beginning July 1, Caltrain will increase its fares an average of 17.5 percent. The fare increase comes on the heels of a difficult budget cycle, which included a $13.6 million deficit.
To bridge the deficit, Caltrain’s board took a combination of actions, which included increasing fares, adding 10 weekday trains for a total of 96 trains, and adding 12 Baby Bullet trains for a total of 22. The board also increased its member subsidy by roughly $3 million.
Patrons will pay about one quarter more for every zone they ride through, but for many, their service options will be greatly expanded, according to a Caltrain released statement.
For full fare and schedule information, call 1.800.660.4287, or for the hearing-impaired TTY only 650.508.6448, or visit www.caltrain.com.
County approves budget
Santa Clara County supervisors last week approved a $2.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2006, which begins July 1.
The budget is $630 million less than the county’s budget for fiscal year 2003. County Executive Pete Kutras was able to cut the $126 million deficit for this year by eliminating 198 vacant full-time positions, refinancing the county’s retirement plan and drawing on about $40 million in “one-time” funds, money unexpectedly left over from the previous year.
The San Martin Animal Shelter was not so fortunate. This summer, the shelter will be open just 20 hours a week, a 20 percent reduction.
“We just don’t have the money,” Gage said. “There are a lot of things I want to do that we can’t do.”
There are some other service cuts. The county will no longer help staff the state’s fire station near Smith Creek in east San Jose, and the road repair budget has been slashed. Road Operations Superintendent Roger Piazza said that South County will adhere to its normal maintenance schedule in the coming year.
There are virtually no service increases in the budget, though some additional staffing has been provided for the county probation department, in part because of trouble at the William F. James Boys ranch in Morgan Hill. The budget preserves the rural sheriff’s deputy for South County.
Student at GHS dies in wreck
A 17-year-old Gilroy teen died in a single-vehicle accident after her car collided with a host of apricot trees in an orchard off Fairview Road near Hollister in the early morning hours Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Monique Llanos, who was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the collision, was thrown from her 1996 Land Rover after she drove off the road and her car overturned in the middle of the apricot orchard on Fairview Road north of Comstock Road about 5am Sunday, according to the CHP.
She was flown by CALSTAR to Stanford Medical Center with massive head injuries, but later died. Her passenger, a 15-year-old female from Gilroy who is not being named because she is a juvenile, was wearing her seat belt and suffered only a minor cut to her hand, according to police.
Cops bust auto theft ring
The fruits of a five-month operation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were revealed Monday just off U.S. 101 in Gilroy.
Stolen cars hidden under gray covers have been sitting in a neat row at the California Highway Patrol inspection facility for several weeks, and the covers came off as officials revealed they made 17 felony arrests in a weekend sting.
The California Highway Patrol and other agencies busted the organized auto theft ring that officials say was tied to criminal street gangs.
An undercover investigation by officers spanned five counties, including Santa Clara and San Benito, and was dubbed “Operation Honda Express” because most of the cars stolen by the suspects were Hondas.
Investigating officers had set up a store front in Watsonville where they purchased stolen vehicles and parts from suspects. The average price for each of the stolen vehicles was $500.
Before the weekend, officers had recovered 38 vehicles and identified 22 suspects – 13 of them associated with gangs, said Capt. Jon Lopey with the CHP in Salinas.
“We had 150 officers from a number of federal, state, and local agencies and we served arrest warrants at 15 locations,” Lopey said.
At the end of the weekend sting, officers had recovered 12 more vehicles, for a total of 50 worth $400,000, Lopey said. They arrested five new suspects and 12 of the previously identified suspects. Seven more are outstanding, Lopey said.
