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...
Author: Brendan Nystedt (Brendan Nystedt)
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...
What’s next for BART and VTA’s evolving Downtown San Jose extension?
With the addition of Google to the Downtown San Jose area looming, a reimagining of the Diridon station underway, and the extension of BART all the way from Berryessa to Santa Clara, there are a myriad of moving parts and pieces that could transform Downtown San Jose and finally tie together the Bay Area as...
VTA confirms new BART stations still on-track for end of year opening
As part of its Capital Program Committee meeting Thursday, VTA gave an update on the BART Silicon Valley extension. This 10-mile stretch of fresh track includes two stations, one in Milpitas and another at Berryessa, near the San Jose Flea Market. As part of its agreement with BART, VTA will hand over the operation of...
VTA committee puts Vasona extension on ice, discusses light rail makeover
At the latest VTA Capital Program Committee meeting, transit leaders discussed the future of the county’s light rail system from system enhancements to possible new technology investments. The meeting started with an item that could have an impact on Campbell and Los Gatos — a presentation about the proposed Vasona expansion of the light rail...
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...