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In December 2015, a tow truck took away the RV Scott Largent lived in. Six years later, he’s still not sure what happened to it. Largent, a longtime homeless activist in San Jose, said he started living in his RV after difficult financial times. On Dec. 29, 2015, San Jose police officers arrested Largent for allegedly...
San Jose union blames VTA after worker suicide
In the wake of the suicide of a worker who survived the mass shooting in May, VTA’s biggest employee union is laying blame at the feet of the agency. The transit agency confirmed Tuesday that Henry Gonzales, a veteran paint and body worker at VTA’s Guadalupe Light Rail Yard, died in an apparent suicide. He served...
Silicon Valley transit agency workers demand hazard pay
VTA’s largest union is demanding back hazard pay for bus drivers, light rail operators and other essential transit workers who have worked throughout the pandemic. “If it wasn’t a dangerous situation… then you have to ask yourself, why was the majority of VTA management working from the comforts of their home?” asked John Courtney, president...
San Jose VTA records show IT supervisor had prior complaints
Complaints about the behavior of a supervisor in VTA’s information technology department started appearing just months after he began working there, according to internal records. Records obtained by San José Spotlight show that in 2019, three employees complained about a supervisor, Kenneth Blackwell, shortly after he joined the department. The complaints alleged his behavior was...
Lack of light rail affects San Jose State University students
Classes start next week at San Jose State University, but with VTA’s light rail still out of service, some students and workers could face daunting commutes. Before the pandemic, Suzie Bahmanyar, an academic librarian at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, said she took the light rail from her Camden home to downtown San...
San Jose considers cutting minimum parking requirements
Three out of four commuter trips in San Jose are made by one person occupying a single vehicle, according to census data. Fewer than 5% of work trips are made on public transit. San Jose wants to change this by removing a critical part of city driving: parking spaces. The city is considering cutting minimum...
San Jose VTA workers demand toxic work culture investigation
More than two months after a disgruntled VTA employee’s killing spree, a group of VTA workers are demanding the transit agency investigate a hostile work environment they say has been festering for months. During a Thursday board meeting, Tammy Dhanota, a representative for SEIU 521, presented a petition on behalf of approximately 30 infortmation technology...
San Jose school district cuts bus service at numerous schools
Many San Jose students will be left behind this upcoming school year as officials cut critical bus services. The San Jose Unified School District, the largest district in the city, decided to cut bus service to more than a dozen elementary campuses as well as Willow Glen Middle School and Willow Glen High School to...
Is free public transit feasible in Santa Clara County?
At a time when VTA is struggling with long-term budget woes, service cuts and the aftermath of a mass shooting, it may seem ludicrous to imagine the agency offering free rides. Transit advocates support the idea of fare-free transit, but say reliable service must come first. The agency would also need to figure out how to...
Silicon Valley transit agency offers buses while light rail is down
VTA is launching a temporary bus service next week, offering some relief to South Bay commuters frustrated by two months without light rail. The buses will start Monday and run every half hour on weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m, and hourly on weekends from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. These “bus bridges” or modified...