Author: Brendan Nystedt (Brendan Nystedt)

Amid more BART delays, San Jose lawmakers call for a second downtown station entrance

Silicon Valley transit officials uncovered budgetary changes and a drastically revised timeline for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project during a recent VTA Board of Directors meeting, potentially pushing passenger service back until 2030. But for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmember Raul Peralez, who both sit on the VTA board, the higher...

Update: San Jose approves response to VTA board grand jury findings

During a San Jose City Council meeting Tuesday, city lawmakers unanimously approved a response to a grand jury investigation that found problems with the Valley Transportation Authority’s governance, including a lack of knowledge and experience from board members who represent cities across the county. Mayor Sam Liccardo, who is on the VTA Board of Directors,...

Activists push for improvements to bus routes during VTA meeting

During an otherwise ordinary VTA Board of Directors meeting Thursday, a dozen activists rallied to urge the board to consider reallocating funds from the 2016 Measure B tax away from highway projects and toward the dwindling network of bus routes throughout the county. Speakers pointed to the county’s recent declaration of a climate emergency as a call to action for VTA...

CA High Speed Rail recommends a route through San Jose

Despite the governor’s confusing comments in the State of the State address earlier this year, California High Speed Rail is moving forward with plans to connect the Central Valley backbone with the Peninsula. In its latest open house Thursday, NorCal HSR employees met with community members along the San Jose to Merced corridor. State Sen....

Alex Lee outraises competitors in Assembly District 25 race

In the competitive race for an open seat in State Assembly District 25, newcomer Alex Lee is leading the pack in fundraising. A gaggle of candidates are competing for the seat, which covers Newark, Fremont, San Jose, Santa Clara and Milpitas, and is being vacated by Assemblyman Kansen Chu who decided to instead run for county...

VTA directors ponder their future in latest committee meeting

In the aftermath of this summer’s explosive grand jury findings, VTA has been taking a long, hard look at its current governance setup. At the latest Ad-hoc Board Enhancement Committee meeting, members of VTA’s Board of Directors fielded a wide-ranging discussion about how to best address not only the findings of the grand jury, but...