Please attend OCTA bus cuts public hearing Friday morning

I'll be resuming posting on some news (e.g. the Irvine shuttle cuts, the cancellation of the Irvine streetcar, the Metro Green line link to Santa Ana, etc). In the meantime, you might be interested in this e-mail I got this morning from the Transit Advocates of Orange County:

Please Attend Bus Service Reduction Public Hearing – Friday 9 am
 
· Friday, May 22, 2009 – 9 am, at OCTA Headquarters, 1st Floor, Rm. 154, 600 S. Main St., Orange
 
It is Item 2 on the agenda, so arriving early is a good idea.
 
If you can only attend one meeting – this one is the most important.
 
Even if you can’t speak, your presence will make a huge difference. The community meetings were reasonably well attended, but only 1 or 2 board members were present at them. Most of the board of directors should be attending this meeting where they’ll get a chance to hear directly from riders and develop a feel for what riders are saying are the best solutions. Let OCTA know what effect these cuts will have for you and your best suggestions on which cuts would hurt least. For example, cuts in span [how early and late a bus runs], including night owl service, are a strong theme we’re hearing. Also let them know that you’d like them to support finding ways to make bus capital funds available for bus operations.
 
To see the proposed September service cuts: http://www.octa.net/proposedservicechanges.aspx
(Remember, there will be more cuts this June, and also Dec., March and next June)
 
To comment by phone: OCTA Customer Relations at (714) 636-RIDE, ext. 2, or (800) 636-RIDE, ext. 2.
To comment online: www.octa.net/servicefeedback
 
Transit Advocates will meet after the public hearing. We’ll gather just outside the OCTA building where the public hearing is held ; please RSVP if you can attend.

 
 
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1.      Ask fixed route and Access riders to attend this meeting
2.   Attend our informal Transit Advocates meeting after the public hearing.
3.   Save the date to attend the June 8 meeting when the board of directors will actually vote
4.      Urge your legislators to restore transit funding (see below)
 
SAVE THE DATE  - OCTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING -  VOTE
· Monday June 8, 2009 – 9 am OCTA Headquarters
 
CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS
 
The only way to stop the cuts is to restore transit funding! Most legislators are not familiar with the huge, disproportionate impact they had on transit when they voted to eliminate state transit operations funds to pass the budget. Let them know how the cuts will affect you and ask them to restore funding.
This is the most important thing you can do!
 
Speaking points:
 
·          Bus riders are taking a disproportional hit; bus service is being reduced by almost 40% !
·          Bus service is lifeline transportation service for people with no alternatives - riders will lose their jobs and their health care
·          We HAVE bus capital funding, but we need bus OPERATIONS funding
·          Ask them to explore options to restore operations funding or make capital funding flexible on a temporary emergency basis
 
If you’re not sure who your State legislators are:
 
          Call the Registrar of Voters - OC: 714.567.7600
          or enter your zip code at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
 
 
WE CAN USE YOUR HELP!
 
Let us know if you’d like to be involved!