A lawsuit filed by the family of a VTA rail yard shooting victim is moving forward, after a judge ruled against the transit agency Thursday. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge rejected VTA’s request to dismiss the lawsuit from the family of Lars Kepler “Kep” Lane, attorneys for the family said. The lawsuit was...
Amid ridership drop, VTA defends BART extension
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is working to reassure taxpayers their dollars are not going to waste after a federal agency undercut its ridership estimate for the BART extension through downtown San Jose by more than 20,000 passengers per day. “I want to make sure that the public understands concepts thoroughly and doesn’t have...
‘We will sue you’: VTA strong-arming San Jose property owners to sell
As the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority prepares to bring BART through downtown San Jose, some property owners claim the agency is refusing to negotiate terms. The second phase of the BART extension to San Jose brings the Bay Area rail line through downtown along Santa Clara Street, a stretch that will displace a number...
Santa Clara County VTA service review long overdue
A state oversight agency required to conduct service reviews of VTA hasn’t done one in nearly a decade—and it could be years more before it does. The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), a California watchdog with offices in every county, is required by state law to review special districts like VTA every five years, as...
VTA couldn’t stop San Jose mass shooting, report claims
An independent investigation into whether VTA could have done more to prevent the 2021 mass shooting in San Jose has found the organization did not have enough information to prevent the attack. At a last-minute Monday news conference at VTA headquarters, VTA Chief of External Affairs Jim Lawson said a 17-month investigation conducted by San...
VTA won’t let more workers sleep at San Jose yard
Adan Miranda used to fall asleep during his long commute. The VTA bus driver lives in Elk Grove, a four-hour drive in traffic, because he can’t afford a home in San Jose. After nodding off at the wheel several times on his way home in 2003, Miranda signed up for a permit program letting VTA...
VTA disputes San Jose’s plan for tiny homes
San Jose plans to move forward with building housing for homeless residents on VTA property, but there appears to be disagreement over the inevitability of the project. The City Council voted unanimously last week to pursue tiny home projects at the Cerone and Cottle VTA sites, located in North and South San Jose, respectively. Tiny...
VTA to push out San Jose property owners for BART extension
The Valley Transit Authority will move forward with its plan to force out the owners and tenants of two buildings in downtown San Jose to make room for the future BART extension. In a meeting this week, VTA’s board of directors voted to allow the agency to assume ownership of the buildings on East Santa...
San Jose commuters left waiting as VTA fleet falls apart
San Jose resident Greg rides VTA bus route 73 to his job at a local winery. Last week, the bus never showed. “It’s frustrating when the bus doesn’t come because I have to go home to get my parents to take me to work,” Greg, who declined to share his last name, told San José Spotlight....
State bill stemming from San Jose VTA shooting signed into law
Transit workers are one step closer to mental health support, part of a statewide effort to address workplace violence. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Senate Bill 1294, which strives to implement wellness centers for workers and their families across California’s transit agencies, using San Jose’s own VTA Resiliency Center as a model. The bill, authored by...